Daystate MK4 -ST

The boffins at Daystate have been busy - and that can mean only one thing; some seriously sophisticated kit is coming our way.

In Richard Snook and Steve Harper, Daystate have a formidable design team, and one that has combined to great effect on previous models. Just when it seems that their special talents have hit a crescendo, and left us all gaping at the sheer ingenuity of it all, along comes yet another variation - the new Daystate MK4.

History

The MK3 gave us competition winning accuracy and consistency. Now the new kid on the block just takes it all a little further.

And doesn’t she look good. It must be a she too; with that delightfully curvaceous walnut handle. The test gun is the ST (Sports Thumbhole) version, but an ‘S’ model (minus thumbhole) is an option. Designed of course by supreme stock-maker Gary Cane, then machined and finished by Minelli in Italy, the styling is just spot on, bringing the MK4 a unique profile to play with. Gary’s work is normally identifiable by the swirling trademark curves, and there’s no doubting his standing in the industry.

High sweeping cheek-piece, scalloped underside, prominent finger grooves along the forend - it’s all here in a glorious piece of design. There’s even a generous thumb shelf for an alternative grip, if that perfectly proportioned, fully supported thumbhole doesn’t meet with approval. The pistol grip gets the special treatment too, with a rosewood cap and laser cut-chequering adding real panache.

Daystate’s marvellously pronounced rubber butt pad keeps everything hugging the shoulder, whilst the sleek tapered forend catches the eye at the business end.

OK; we like the stock then. But this MK4 is somewhat more than a pretty piece of timber… much more!

Techno-speak

MCT is the order of the day; that’s Mapped Compensated Technology in Daystate speak - and it means that the MK4 is no bimbo. In fact we could say she has something of a brain!  So how does it all work? Well, after gleaning some techno snippets from Daystate’s top man, Tony Belas, the gist is this:

The cylinder is pressurized to the usual diet of 230bar. As shots are taken, the pressure gradually goes down in the cylinder. A built-in pressure sensor detects this and compensates accordingly. It basically (maybe not the right word here) monitors the pressure against a ‘Map’ with a pre-determined power curve. The system then hits the hammer progressively harder to maintain a consistent velocity.

Programming is a familiar feature on these hi-tech models, and the MK4 comes suitably equipped, with no less than 7 functions as follows:

Stage1 Reset magazine shot count
Stage2 Illuminated safety catch LED off/on
Stage3 Enable magazine counting
Stage4   Program low pressure warning from 50bar, in 10bar increments (every time the trigger is pulled)
Stage5 Vernier power adjustment, allowing the user to fine tune power level in 16 stages.
Stage6 Enable single shot operation
Stage7 Default settings

The LED referred to here concerns the fact that, at the flick of the safty catch ‘switch’, the clear safety tab lights up to denote that the action is ‘live’. This can be toggled on and off. All the above programs are accessed by pressing and holding the electronic trigger, which doubles as a switch itself, until the programmes have been cycled through and set accordingly.

This procedure is carried over from the MK3, yet the inclusion of the pressure sensor warning is obviously new territory. This rifle is as sophisticated and complicated as you want to make it, however, and if you don’t want any bleeps and warnings, just don’t set them.

All clever stuff, and it may sound unnecessarily complicated, yet in practise, you don’t even think about it. The circuitry just quietly goes about its business, and the ragged groups keep forming. It is fairly quiet too, which brings us nicely on to another big change with the MK4 against it’s predecessor - that streamlined front end.

Barrel, Action and Air Cylinder

Where the MK3 had the barrel fitting into a silencer, which in turn sat inside the figure-of-8 clamp at the muzzle, the MK4 dispenses with this ugly arrangement, replacing the silencer with a full length barrel shroud. Somewhat sleeker looking, and with internal baffles sitting within the shroud, much of the rifles report is muted. Whilst admittedly not as quiet as with a full silencer, any remaining noise is unobtrusive. One slightly disconcerting feature of the new set-up is the rattle when the shroud is knocked. The barrel is held within a very slack ‘o’ ring apparently, so as to be as near to free floating as possible, so it’s probably a good thing, and no cause for alarm. On the test model, the screw cap at the muzzle was less than perfectly finished, I might add, and I’d expect better for the asking price of £970.

All the metalwork on the MK4, in keeping with many of the current Daystate line-up, is treated to a durable zinc based coating, applied to the cylinder both INSIDE and out! That attention to detail means that any future corrosion (a serious business where high pressure air vessels are concerned) should be inhibited. In short, it’s difficult for one of these things to rust! A further advantage of this hi-tech metal finish, is that it can be easily wiped clean, and doesn’t need the ‘nannying’ that comes with chemical blueing.

Reassuringly oversized Daystate components come as standard with the MK4, such as the chunky breech block and scope rail, plus the stainless steel bolt and that illuminated safety catch. In addition, the now standard issue of interchangeable 10 shot rotary magazine and ‘single shot’ stainless steel pellet tray are also included.

These are fitted with neat but effective magnets that keep them in place, and in the case of the mag, actually PULL it into place! That magazine incidentally, has undergone minor tweaks too, and with its new lower profile, scopes can be mounted lower if required.

On The Range

Filling the mag is a simple affair, just turning the chambers anti-clockwise in turn. I did find seating pellets gently with another pellet kept them snugly in place,  encouraging smooth operation. That said, one shortcoming of the system, in keeping with many other designs out there, is that two pellets can be loaded at once accidentally. Admittedly the bolt has to be cycled for a second time for this to happen, but when unsure whether the magazine indexed or not, the possibility is there.

Loading an electronic Daystate is a civilized business indeed, bearing in mind that the bolt has no spring pressure whatsoever to deal with. Cycling the magazine is hardly strenuous, and with the pellet tray in place, the effort is precisely zero.

Triggers are always an important feature, and the MK4 is fitted with an electronic unit that’s both reasonably light and consistent. The nature of the system, however, means that the trigger is live unless the safety is applied. Even a blast of air can be dangerous, so a strict safety regime makes sense. Add a magazine into the mix and absolute safe handling is the only way to go. To Daystate’s credit, they do assist, with the provision of an isolator key to ‘power down’ the rifle, and an automatic shutdown after 15 minutes if the rifle is left switched on.

Rechargeable battery power comes with a plug in transformer, but since the battery is good for around 5000 rounds, charging becomes a relatively infrequent event.

All this electronic paraphernalia is understandably a concern in a product destined to spend most of its life outdoors. With Daystate only too mindful of the public’s pre-conceptions in this area, they have taken it upon themselves to nail any issues once and for all. Bringing in an outside consultancy to advise with regards to weather proofing components, was a clever move. When those same consultants have experience of the demands of the aircraft industry, a water-tight approach was assured.

To this end, the electronic guts have gone from receiving one emersion dipping at the factory, to having 3 layers of emersion dipping applied by an outside agency. Contact plugs are then injected with silicon grease in-house. 

It sounds to me like Daystate mean business, but I was under instructions to push this action to the limit; so, with watering can in hand (where is the rain when you actually need it…) the punishment was duly meted out.

After a prolonged soaking, a quick lubing of the barrel was a necessity; then it was retest time. With the target card and chronograph bearing witness to the action’s resilience, I’d say a thumbs up was in order.

Accuracy, both before and after the trial-by-water was top notch, with groups of around 0.3 of an inch at 35yds, and sub half inch at 50yds, proving that the MK4 has what it takes.

Chronograph testing showed just why Daystate are so proud of their new baby, with around an 80% improvement in efficiency over the MK3. I clocked 160 shots within 20fps variation, before the figures tailed off, which is more than enough for the keenest enthusiast - pellets straight from the tin, I might add.

Conclusions

The MK3 was always going to be a tough act to follow, with its blistering record on the HFT circuit, for starters. In the Mk4, Daystate have cleverly advanced their cause, with a top class rifle armed with MCT technology that evolves the system.  Electronic rifles may not be to everyone’s taste, along with the MK4’s asking price; yet Gary Canes staggeringly beautiful handiwork surely tips the balance, making this a very desirable rifle indeed.

VELOCITY:
(Using Daystate Select pellets)
High 795fps
Low 775fps
Average 787fps

OPTIONS:
MK4-S (Sports) model £865
FAC up to 30ftlbs – add £50 to above prices
Left hand versions - add £30

PRICE: £970