Icon Logo Gun Mart

Daystate Air Ranger

Daystate Air Ranger

Someone at the Daystate factory must be responsible for keeping abreast of company developments, yet with this world renowned outfit constantly seeking to push the boundaries, something as simple as keeping sales literature up to date, must become a thankless task.

Running parallel products alongside each other (both electronic and mechanical)was always the masterstroke for Daystate, acknowledging as it does, that not everyone wishes to embrace technology and revel in electronic wizardry, when conventionally engineered mechanisms can operate on an equally impressive level.

No one could ever accuse this niche manufacturer of resting on its laurels either, as seeking to improve upon their existing product line up by a process of field testing and on-going development, has long been the Daystate way, in a bid to keep their products at the fore-front of PCP technology.

Yet sometimes, subtle changes are all that’s needed to keep a product fresh and in the public eye.

Right First Time
 
The popular Air Ranger is a prime example, and has been a best seller for Daystate for the last five or six years; pretty much since it was launched. With a traditional (I use that term loosely where this company is concerned) mechanically powered action at its heart, this rifle spear-heads the options available to the more conservative customers among their fan base.

With that latest breed of fan being both well informed and demanding, uncompromising performance is expected, so the company needs to keep delivering and improving if its position in the market place is to be maintained. Highlighted here is the very latest version of the Air Ranger, incorporating all those minor tweaks.

Harper Influence

The Air Ranger is primarily a pre-charged pneumatic hunting rifle, with a buddy bottle at its heart. The action is therefore recoilless, yet much to the relief of some, totally mechanical… devoid of solenoids!

A striking and beautifully crafted, fully ambidextrous, Turkish Walnut stock is produced by Minelli in Italy, whilst many other features come together to make these rifles what they are - modern classics.

Top airgun designer, Steve Harper, has long had a hand in Daystate designs, and his ideas have played a part in both the electronic and mechanical models. This Air Ranger carries the very latest Harper designed ‘Slingshot’ hammer and valve system, which has apparently sat at the heart of this model for the last couple of years.

All the action is treated to Daystate’s zinc based, rust proofing, which, with its matt finish, adds to the sheer practicality of this rifle.

Features

A fully shrouded barrel is a main feature of these guns, incorporating a baffle system to kill the muzzle crack. Fitting an additional silencer is a simple task by way of the neatly capped off thread at the muzzle. Charging the system is via the valve at the base of the action - meaning the buddy bottle can remain in place at all times. A pressure gauge sits to the left of the action, and here, the woodwork has been streamlined and made more curvaceous still; whilst the bold company lettering and logo have undergone a subtle increase in size.

Further, more significant improvement comes with a 5mm raise in the height of the cheek piece (the third rise since the rifles inception apparently), along with a slightly more rounded and pronounced shape. The panels of stippling to the grip have been extended too, and I have to say they really look and feel the part.

My test rifle came fitted with the optional barrel support bracket, which fixes to the end of the buddy bottle, once slid over the shroud. According to Daystate, this exists for shooters who like to live dangerously and lean their rifles up against trees. The bracket just may help in the event of the worst happening, although one look at this rifle and that beautiful woodwork, and it makes me wince just thinking about it! For £20 odd, I’d say it was money well spent.

story continues below...

A brown leather cover for the buddy bottle is another subtle feature which lends a classy air to the Air Ranger, whilst providing something warmer to grip, rather than cold steel on a crisp morning!

Daystates’s trade mark chunky breech block has now been upgraded across the board, with the result that all models, including this Air Ranger, come fitted with a strengthened block, constructed from Titanium Alloy. This block was originally utilized on the ultra high power models, yet in the interests of both function and streamlining at the manufacturing level, the higher grade component will now replace the old. Increased rigidity and improved characteristics make this switch a logical one for both manufacturer and end user alike.

Single or multi?

The Air Ranger comes complete with Daystate’s 10 shot magazine, and it’s a tried and tested design which in practise, works well. The procedure just needs the bolt to be pulled back and the action cocked. With the magazine removed, pellets can be fed nose first into each recess, and the drum spun in turn, until each chamber is filled. The mag is then pushed home in its slot within the action, and as the bolt returns, the probe loads the first shot. Subsequent cocking indexes each shot in turn, although, in keeping with the majority of designs out there, it is possible to cock and fire when the mag is empty.

As always with Daystate, a single shot tray can be used in place of the magazine, if preferred, and for HFT shoots for example, this more deliberate approach is a safer option.

Whilst Daystate naturally fit electronic triggers to their electronically managed models, their mechanical unit has slowly evolved over the years; with the latest spec a very nice trigger indeed. A nicely curved, set back blade compliments a relatively light release, with the result that the most shooters should be satisfied.

Power Is Nothing

Power wise, I’ve shot enough of these modern Daystates to know that the chronograph readings will be monotonously consistent. With that high volume 400cc buddy bottle in place, shot count is fairly huge; with approximately 400 shots in .22 calibre, and 300 in my test calibre of.177.

However, despite having run the full exhaustive full-to-empty bottle test on several occasions, I felt a heavy sense of duty, to take to the chrono, just to test the initial 150 shot string. For the record, the Air Ranger posted a highly creditable 25fps variation from a 200bar pressure fill. Consider though, that with the first 8 shots or so discounted, that spread would be slashed to 15fps, and it becomes clear that the usual procedure of testing with different initial fill pressures, must make sense. Remember, whilst these rifles as stated, adopt the proven Steve Harper designed ‘Slingshot’ valve and hammer system, they aren’t technically regulated, so a lower fill pressure will allow the valve to open slightly more easily, thus possibly altering the power curve and in turn, total variation spread.

Awesome power is available as an option, with the Air Ranger 80 spec, generating an incredible 80 ft/lbs from a larger 500cc bottle. The 12 ft/lbs model on test can be fitted with the larger tank too, just raising an already stunning shot count to absurd proportions. For those who get excited about such things though, the fact that the option exists must be a good thing.

Performance

Again from experience, I’m well aware of just what these rifles are capable of, but for the record, tight clusters are possible out to maximum airgun distances. Balance is a personal thing, and from the prone position, I found the Air Ranger just slightly light at the muzzle. Despite this, from a rest, ragged enlarged holes were the norm from 35 yds.

Moving to the kneeling position though, proved just what this rifle is all about, with effortless accuracy on tap. Sub half inch groups, from the same distance, proved the point, and I for one would be supremely confident taking this rifle out into the field. That great performance is surely a combination of those well thought out features, and consistent power output. Reassured handling via that beautifully crafted woodwork, obviously has much to do with it, and at 7.7lbs the overall feel of the Air Ranger is one of a classy, highly manageable hunting tool for the connoisseur.

Subtle Improvement

Subtle tweaks they may be, but as the cliché goes: ‘If it aint broke, don’t fix it!’ In the latest Air Ranger, Daystate have a flagship non- electronic model at the top of its game.

For a top class sporting air rifle, equally at home on the Hunter Field Target circuit, or filling the gamebag, they just don’t get much better than this.

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Daystate Air Ranger - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

Arrow