Retrofit magazine system

With the ever increasing popularity of HFT, some competitors buy a single shot rifle dedicated to using it for that purpose, but later they decide to try hunting – where a magazine can be of benefit.

This is how Rowan Engineering Ltd came to design and produce retrofit manually operated multi-shot magazine systems for the Air Arms S400 (as shown), S300 (.22 calibre only), S200, MPR, Brocock Hunter (.22 calibre only), the QB SMK XS and various older model single-shot Falcons.

A simple Conversion

Air Arms already manufacture an auto-indexing optional extra retrofit 10-shot magazine for the S200, but some airgunners wanted a shorter magazine to allow them to mount their scopes lower, which is where Rowan come in.

The full Rowan magazine kit includes a 10-shot magazine, securing bracket, 3mm Allen Key and appropriate lock screw. To fit these precision manufactured components is simplicity itself. With the rifle held securely in a sturdy gun vice, first slide the magazine securing bracket onto the dovetails from the breech, and if you’ve enough room from the front scope mount it can be done with the scope in situ. At this point only finger tighten the Allen screw. The rear full block part of the main body of the bracket should be virtually on-line with the breech below.

Then pull back the bolt but not so far to cock the rifle and slide the magazine in from the left. You can fit it so it slides in from the right if you are using a scope with a side-wheel on the left or if you are left handed (so will index the magazine around from the right).

Adjust the position of the bracket on the dovetails so that it doesn’t cause the magazine to ‘bind’ when inserting or removing. When satisfied, tighten the bracket in place with the lock screw while holding the top of the bracket down with the magazine in place – job done.

Loading and Operating

Pellets load via the bottom slot/cradle with the magazine turned upside down and are ‘placed’ onto this cradle heads facing away from the exposed inner alloy drum. Index the magazine around, until you come to the 10th-chamber. This you don’t fill as it would fall out as soon as you turned the magazine over, so leave it empty.

Slide the magazine back into the housing, where two very strong magnets mate up holding it securely in place. Then fully pull back the cocking bolt, this gives you just enough room to place a pellet onto the original loading tray. Returning the cocking bolt back to its original position takes the pellet through the empty chamber and straight into the breech.

To operate the magazine once you’ve taken a shot, pull the bolt rearward as you would a multi-shot to cock, then using the thumb of your leading hand, a quick upward flick against the side of the alloy inner drum (a milled out section allows you to do this) rotates the magazine and allows a pellet to drop onto the original pellet loading tray to be seated into the breech by returning the bolt.

The multi-shot magazine operates positively and secure and the quality of engineering is faultless. I reckon you’d rarely experience problems when you become accustomed to manually indexing the unit. The Rowan Retrofit Multi-Shot Magazine System costs £59.95 + £2.95 P+P for any model mentioned. Spare magazines are £39.45

Rowan Engineering also have a huge selection of retrofit parts for many guns such as cocking bolts, barrel bands and the superb trigger unit seen in last month’s issue. Check out their website at www.rowanengineering.com or give them a call on 01295 251188.