Sumatra Stringer Lever Action

It’s always nice to review something a little different, so I was delighted when Ray Hales of A C Guns contacted me. He’d been working with Simon Atkins (AKA ‘The Airgun Doctor’) and James Lawson and between them they’d developed a UK spec version of the Sumatra PCP. The standard versions would be classed as FAC rated in the UK and therefore off limits to most shooters. It was obviously necessary to fit various new components and anti tamper features to get Proof House approval and once that had been done, I picked up a carbine 12ft/lbs version of this rather striking airgun. I’m sure you’ve looked at the photographs that accompany this article and you probably either love or hate this exotic airgun, but bear with me, as there’s a lot to love once, like me, you’ve actually shot one!

Split Personality

If a non-shooter saw the front half of the Sumatra Stinger, they’d probably mistake it for an over and under shotgun, and if they just saw the rear, they might think it was a Western-style underlever rifle; I doubt they’d even consider that it might be an airgun! The front half comprises the twin air reservoirs, mounted one on top of the other, hence the shotgun looks. A rifle version is available with a 500cc capacity that can be either sub 12 ft/lb or an FAC rated firearm producing 70 ft/lbs! The rifle is 43” long and weighs 8 lbs, compared to 35” and 6 ½ lbs respectively for the carbine on test. On the end of the lower air tube is the inlet valve, which is filled via an O-ring-sealed probe. To stop grit and dust entering the rifle’s internals, there’s a rotary cover that is twisted to reveal the filling port and turned back again after charging. Mounted on top of the reservoirs is the 16” German made barrel that’s screw cut for a moderator. The thread, which comes with a knurled protector, is 10mm, not the more usual ½” UNF, but Sam Yang make a dedicated moderator, so there’s no problem keeping this rifle quiet when out shooting vermin. A height-adjustable foresight bead is mounted on top of the barrel end piece and is shrouded for protection.

Moving back, there’s an action that looks rather like the receiver of a pump action or semi-auto shotgun and has hunting scenes moulded into the alloy; this might not be to everyone’s tastes, but I’m sure it’s the bright chrome finish that will cause more concern! It does seem rather odd to make a hunting air rifle with such a shiny component, but it’s probably because the market these rifles are usually sold into love this sort of thing; us more reserved Brits just aren’t used to such bling on our airguns.

Magazine – Filling and Loading

At the front of the action is a slot for the 6-shot rotary magazine that looks just like a revolver’s cylinder in miniature. The rear portion is alloy with the front part clear plastic, which allows the user to see at a glance how many shots are left, which is rather handy. A sprung ball is fitted front and back and these keep it securely in place in the action. Pellets are loaded from the front and pushed in until they’re flush with the front face of the mag. With the magazine removed you can see the pellet probe that pushes the pellet into the breech and the ‘hand’ that rotates the mag each time the underlever is activated. There’s also a sprung plunger that retains the cylinder in position for a belt and braces approach.

The under-lever itself is a well-made blued steel item and incorporates the trigger guard. A push through safety catch is positioned above the trigger and is pushed to the right for SAFE and the left for FIRE. Beneath the action is a power adjustment wheel that can be used to reduce the rifle’s power for when the Sumatra might be used in lofts and barns, where a pellet might cause damage to the building’s structure on full power. It’s a handy feature and could prevent a hefty bill should a round penetrate the roof covering. The adjuster also lends itself to reduced power plinking in the back garden or even indoors, as long as a suitable pellet catcher and backstop is employed.

Two Piece Stock

A chunky, chequered wooden forend section has grooves either side with an inset air pressure gauge. The screw that retains the furniture can be removed and a sling swivel fitted in its place, which is a nice touch, a rear swivel is included as well.

The stock’s butt section is a nicely shaped piece of hardwood with attractive chequered panels on both sides to aid grip and also add a touch of class. A non-slip brown rubber pad ensures the Sumatra stays in the shoulder when cycling the action and actually shooting it. An unusual feature is the adjustable cheekpiece, but it’s actually quite sensible and allows a correct head position and ckeekweld if scopes with large objective lenses are fitted. The comb is adjusted by loosening the Allen screws with the supplied key and then locked once the correct position is obtained.

The overall fit and finish are good; with nice bluing on the well-polished steel air reservoirs, lustrous anodising on alloy components and an oil finish to the woodwork. The Sumatra Stinger balances well despite the front heavy looks and comes up to the shoulder nicely.

On top of the action is a short dovetail to allow a scope to be fitted and to the rear of it is the adjustable, two-position flip up sight; a clever idea are the micro magnets that keep the blade in position. The scope rail partially obscures the iron sight’s aperture, so it must be removed to employ the open sights, but I doubt if many owners will actually use them, nice thought they are.

On the Range

Charging with air is simply a case of rotating the filler cover, inserting the probe (supplied) and slowly feeding in 200 bar from a diver’s cylinder. After filling, the cover is rotated back again and it’s time to shoot. I’d fitted a fairly compact Hawke Airmax 3-9 X 40 AO scope using Sportsmatch mounts, but before I went to the range I had a session with the chrono. 100 shots from a charge at around 11 ft/lb are plenty for any range or hunting trip and to be honest I wasn’t expecting the excellent consistency the Sumatra produced.

Using .22 calibre Air Arms Field pellets straight from the tin produced some tidy little groups at hunting ranges and beyond. I had a lot of fun shooting spinners, resetting knock downs and good old fashioned tin cans. The lever action was smooth and easy to use with no mis-feeds, no matter how fast I shot it and making cans dance was very enjoyable I can tell you; it’s just a shame the mag only holds 6 pellets! The rifle comes with a spare magazine and it only takes a second or so to change them once the lever is opened as they just push into position, you’re soon back in action again. I tried various pellet brands and as long as their skirts weren’t damaged they slipped into the apertures easily. Cheaper brands didn’t fair so well and were a pain to load if the skirts were a bit mangled, so if you buy a Sumatra, feed it decent ammo, and after the results I achieved, I’d recommend Air Arms.

There’s obviously a bit of action noise if you rack the lever quickly, but if you take things a little slower it’s no noisier than a conventional bolt action PCP and won’t be too noisy whilst hunting, and there’s always an instant back up shot available with a quick forward and back of the lever. The safety catch makes a fairly loud ‘click’ when it’s disengaged, but if you hold it between your forefinger and thumb when you operate it, it’s almost silent. The two-stage trigger is adjustable, and seemed OK to me initially and I left it as it came; I later adjusted it for a crisper let off and enjoyed shooting the rifle all the more. Ray didn’t have any Sam Yang moderators when I first picked up the rifle, so I bought a 10mm to ½” UNF adaptor from Best Fittings. It’s beautifully made and anodised and allowed me to fit a Huggett moderator that kept things nice and quiet. When some more Sam Yang units became available I fitted one, which made the overall package a little more compact but noisier - it just goes to show you can’t have it both ways! The factory unit is very well made, with alloy cups making up the baffle stack.

Conclusion

I always try to take any review rifle to my local shoot, to see how they fair in the field (literally) and on a couple of visits the Sumatra accounted for several squirrels and ferals, a couple of rats, a parakeet and even a mouse! I didn’t feel that my hunting was in any way compromised by the lever action or those rather shiny side panels on the action, in fact I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this quirky carbine.

It wasn’t too heavy to carry around but those optional sling swivels will appeal to a lot of owners I’m sure. It does everything you need a multi-shot sporting air rifle to do, it’s accurate, consistent and easy to load and fire. This airgun obviously won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but shooting would be very boring indeed if all rifles were made the same. So, if you’re like me and appreciate things that are a little bit different, you’d be well served by this cracking air rifle.