THEOBEN RAPID - BEN TAYLOR LIMITED EDITION

A revisiting of the Theoben brand has been on the cards for some time, and I first got wind of this exciting news in mid-2024. International Sports Brands (ISB) has become the UK distributor, and I’ve been in communication with their affable MD, David Stapley, for some time, eager to be kept in the loop about developments.

Special celebration
Well, now it really is happening, and on show here is the special Theoben Rapid Ben Taylor Limited Edition model, and my God, just look at the stock! OK, there’s rather more to this specialist piece of machinery than the glorious Turkish walnut, but it’s undeniably the stock that stops us in our tracks.
David’s plan was to produce a limited edition ‘special’ to celebrate the return of Theoben to the market, and I think we can safely say that he has well and truly hit the brief! But before we get too up close and personal, let’s remind ourselves of just what Theoben was all about. Ben Taylor was part of the duo, along with the late Dave Theobald, who created the Theoben brand back in the early ‘80s, and as pioneers of the gas-ram concept, where a sealed chamber of gas or air replaces a conventional mainspring in a spring-powered airgun, they enjoyed many years of success before their patents expired and everyone else jumped on the gas-ram bandwagon.
Once PCPs began to dominate the market, Theoben cleverly switched their attention, and as ever, led the way in design and innovation. It was Theoben, don’t forget, who brought us the first buddy-bottle-fed, multi-shot PCP air rifle, with their famous Rapid 7, and this new special on test here is effectively a modern incarnation of that landmark classic.

Quality components
ISB’s vision with this celebratory model was to marry top-quality components with top-class woodwork, and I think we can agree that the end result is visually stunning. The action is manufactured in the USA by Rapid Air Worx/Theoben, but for this Rapid Ben Taylor Limited Edition, the stock was specially commissioned through Form Riflestocks in the UK.
Produced as a limited edition, each rifle will be issued with a small certificate confirming its number within a production run of just 100. Since my gun was sent from the distributor for this review just after the Great British Shooting Show, the certificate wasn’t ready, so it’s not shown here. Each gun comes supplied in an incredibly robust padded hard case with four solid snap-down catches, and alongside the rifle, there’s a Theoben-branded silencer, two magazines, and a Foster-style filling adapter.

Action and features
Whilst fans of the original Theoben brand may be wondering why there’s no rich chemical bluing on show, the matte-black finish applied to the metalwork is well executed and highly practical, given this is ostensibly a hunting rifle. The Lothar Walther barrel is carbon-fibre-wrapped, and this contrasts well with the Theoben moderator up front. Where the original Rapid would have been bolt action, this slick upgrade gets the latest biathlon-style side-lever, which is a feature very much in vogue, and a technical improvement if I may say so. The breech area gives wide access, so single-shot loading is easy. But for lovers of multi-shot, the magazines are no less than 17-shot in .177 (on test) and 12-shot in .22.
Unsurprisingly for such a prestige model, we get a regulated action here, a sizable 500cc buddy bottle up front, a two-stage trigger, manual safety, hammer spring adjuster at the rear, and a side-mounted manometer to keep tabs on pressure levels.

Exhibitionist
So let’s talk about timber. Exhibition Grade or not, all I can say is that the quality of the hand-selected Turkish walnut that Form Riflestocks have sourced here is simply mouth-watering. Form normally works with laminates, but a recent conversation with their top man, Peter McGregor, revealed that they will indeed undertake projects in walnut, and here’s the evidence, in all its glory!
Flare and functionality in equal measure. Unusually, the configuration is right-hand dedicated, and that means no compromise, with full-on support around the grip area. I love the prominent rollover Monte Carlo cheekpiece, and, unlike the original Rapid 7, the extended fore-end here means we aren’t left holding a cold buddy bottle mid-aim. Look at the beautifully sculpted thumbhole grip, and it doesn’t get better than this. A full drop-down target configuration and a generous thumb shelf spoil the trigger hand, but add in rosewood capping and a maple slice between, along with subtle laser-cut chequering, and this Rapid becomes an overload on the senses. Look under the pistol grip, and you will find Ben Taylor’s signature laser-cut into the wood. Nice.

Hands-on
An interrupted Picatinny rail runs across the top of the chunky receiver, and with a scope bolted in place, it’s time to play with the quality adjustable Wegu butt pad, to get head position just so. Charging is easy via the snap-fit Foster valve on the right side of the action, meaning my charging kit was usable from the off. Just try not to lose the neat cap, which was a bit of a loose fit on my test gun.
Cocking the side-lever is a smooth process, and staying with single-shot, thumbing home a pellet is satisfying.
Now, at this point, let’s talk about triggers. The classic Theoben/RAW design of the blade here may all look fairly basic, but don’t be fooled. Internally, this unit may use fewer components than some of the top match systems, but from experience, I can say it works superbly in use, offering both sensitivity and an impressively light pull when needed.
As for the muzzle report, the Rapid is super noisy without the Theoben silencer but incredibly quiet with it screwed into position, so a no-brainer, as they say.

Stat attack
Over the chronograph, I chose to monitor the first 50 shots for consistency, and using Air Arms Diabolo pellets straight from the tin, the gun achieved a total spread of 17fps. That’s impressive consistency, and in the real world, you’ll have trouble detecting any impact shift downrange with that performance. I started at the recommended 200bar fill pressure, and after 50 shots, the gun’s manometer showed a residual 170bar, so it’s safe to say we’re probably looking at between 150 and 200 shots.
On to the range, and after a satisfyingly textbook zeroing session, I soon had the pellet falling near the crosshair at 30 yards. But an airgun of this class needs to be pushed further, of course. Given the Ben Taylor special’s configuration, I’d say we’re primarily looking at a hunting rifle, and here the realistic outer limit distance-wise, in all but special circumstances, would be 40 yards, to be fair to live game. I moved back to this distance and set about fine-tweaking the zero. A few clicks and we were there. Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets, made by pellet supremos JSB, feel soft enough to easily mould with the rifling, and given this model’s easily accessible breech, thumbing home the pellet directly into the lip of the barrel lets us know instantly if a pellet is too tight or too loose a fit, and this is a great bonus.
Groups a fraction over a ¼” c-t-c at 40 yards are hard to fault, and that’s casually over a test period. Spend time batch testing and tweaking, as we all do with our favourite gun, and this classy specimen is in the ½” at 50 yards sector all day long.
It’s one of those guns where it’s not so much about the results as how it arrives at them, with handling and ergonomics bang on the money. Sumptuous visuals and a satisfying level of refinement are what this limited edition Rapid is all about, after all.
Nit-picking negatives? Well, I’m not so sure about the rather lacklustre new Theoben logo, and the hard case supplied necessitated the removal of the silencer before the Rapid could be stowed away—a mild irritation, but hey.

Verdict
Now, all this talk of a hunting machine begs the question: who in their right mind, having invested in such a mouth-watering creation as we see here before us, is then going to risk carrying it around in a field scenario? Keen eyes will have noticed my test rifle has added appeal, given that it carries the serial number 007, so definitely a collector’s piece. Guns do need to be used, but I can see a fair few of this limited production run of just 100 being hung on the wall, or added to a display case, never to see active service!
Stunning and classy are two words that sum up the Theoben Rapid Ben Taylor Limited Edition, so congratulations to all involved in its creation, and to the lucky 100 that end up owning one!