AJP Engineering Products
- By James Osborne
- Last updated: 16/12/2016
Knobs
Beginning with those knobs. Many rifles now come with many possible stock and other adjustments and many of these are made with the use of an Allen key. But by replacing the Allen bolt with a knob that can be tightened by hand, adjustments can easily be made at any time you choose and accessories such as balance weights can also be easily removed for transit. A knob may be a simple thing but it is surprising how useful they can be and yet sometimes so difficult to come by. Prices start from £20 for a set and the machined aluminium heads are available with different thread sizes and lengths to suit the particular application.
Rails
Scope rails seem very popular on the Field Target air rifle scene at the moment. This is part born out of necessity, as the objective lenses of scopes seem to have become bigger and bigger over the years, and partly through the realisation that if you mount a scope higher a more natural head position can be adopted when shooting from a typical FT stance which is better for overall stability.
The rail featured here is designed to fit an Air Arms EV2 and when fitted raises the sight line by 16mm. Some thought has also gone into the design in that the length matches perfectly that of the EV2s dovetails while the rails own dovetails are extended a little for more flexibility when mounting a scope. A cut out also ensures plenty of room remains for loading.
Different heights can be specified and there are models to fit most popular air rifles. A gradient can also be built into the rail doing away with the possible need for the packing of scopes within mounts to optically centre them.
Turrets
Sticking to the subject of scopes, many now feature target style turrets and sidewheels which offer clearer markings and are easier to operate especially in cold conditions. AJP though offers a range of replacement turrets for various models of scope including Nikko Sterling and Leupold. Designed to complement the scopes they fit on these turrets are machined from aluminium and anodised. Turrets can be supplied pre-marked with very clear numbering or left blank for users to add their own.
Why might these be better than the original turrets fitted to scopes? As I have already mentioned many new models have great turrets already. I think it is just the fact that these turrets can just offer a little bit extra in terms of clarity and ease of use, especially if you happen to be longsighted. The difference may be subtle but sometimes in the heat of competition, or indeed out in the field, that gain in efficiency can make the difference between getting the shot you need or a miss.
Other Stuff
The featured products here are just a selection of those offered by AJP, other examples include 34mm scope mounts suitable for models such as those within the Schmidt & Bender PMII range and aftermarket side wheels for range finding scopes popular on the Field Target circuit.
Many of the AJP accessories have been driven and developed from the requests and ideas of Field Target shooters and speaking as a FT shooter I can tell you we aren’t very forgiving of any shortcomings in our equipment. To that end the finish is of a high standard and the machining is what you would expect to find from something manufactured using modern techniques and equipment. Specifications can also be altered to suit individual needs, so these products are by no means useful only to FT shooters, they would be equally at home in many areas of shooting and items can also be personalised with, for example, engraving and different colour schemes.