electric dreams - Pomona Airguns

Air Wolf allow the user to
programme a wide range of
functions and alerts. This is done
by pulling the trigger and then setting the catch to
fi re (having fi rst checked that the rifl e is clear and
pointed in a safe direction, of course). A beep and a
fl ash from the red LED behind the clear safety lever
inform you that you are in programming mode, and
keeping the trigger depressed allows you to move
through the seven available functions. Releasing the
trigger again selects the current function.
Some of the functions – like resetting the magazine
counter and activating the safety-catch light
or the magazine-count reminder – present simple
on/off choices. Others, like the shot-count reminder
or the power setting function, allow for plenty of
adjustment via additional pulls on the trigger. Thus
the rifl e can be programmed to remind you to refi ll
the air reservoir after a given number of shots have
been fi red, and the power output can be adjusted
The battery-charging cable plugs into a socket at
the rear of the trigger guard. Note also the holes
in the guard and trigger blade: these give access
to the trigger adjustment screws
downwards from maximum in 15 graded steps. The
handbook supplied explains the operation of these
functions clearly and simply; the list concludes with
a fi nal function that lets you reset the rifl e to the
factory defaults, in case you want to clear your experimental
settings.
Another useful function is the auto-safe
feature. This activates if the safety lever is left
at ‘fi re’ for more than 15 minutes since the last
shot was fi red; it renders the rifl e inert, and
causes it to beep and fl ash every 30 seconds
until the safety is reset. There’s also a locking
power cut-off switch just in front of the trigger
guard, which when locked stops the Air Wolf being
used without the keyholder’s knowledge (the
rifl e won’t work without power). Power comes
from a maintenance-free NiMH battery located
under the receiver, near the balancing
point of the rifl e. The battery is
rechargeable, and can be topped
up at any time via a charging port at
the rear of the trigger guard. Daystate says that a
full charge should give enough power for 10,000
shots, and the battery should be good for at least
1,000 charging cycles. In case you forget to top it
up, a low battery is signalled by constant fl ashing
of the LED.
One of the Harper Wolf Pistol’s most striking
features was its trigger: instead of a standard
blade, there was a rubberised button that made
discharging the gun as easy as clicking a computer
mouse. The Mk3 and Air Wolf use a similar system:
The stock has a cutaway for the contents gauge
on the left-hand side, and another underneath for
the fi ller valve with its metal cover. To the rear
of this are the single bolt securing the stock; the
locking power cut-off (at the front of the trigger
guard); and the charger socket (at the rear)
at fi rst sight the trigger used on these rifl es appears
to be a conventional unit, but when you try
it, you realise that the trigger blade is just a more
sophisticated and controllable way of clicking a
button. I found this took a bit of getting used to on
the Harper, but once I’d acclimatised to it I found it
hard to go back to a mechanical trigger. The trigger
action is so precise and predictable, and at the
same time so matter-of-fact, that picking the ideal
moment of alignment and releasing the shot can
be synchronised with exceptional ease and consistency.
The use of a conventionally-shaped blade
also allows the trigger pull to be adjusted – something
not possible on the Harper – so you can fi netune
the weight of the fi rst and second stages as
well as the fi rst-stage travel without removing the
action from the stock.
AIR RIFLE REVIEW: DAYSTATE AIRWOLF
The Gary Cane-designed proves that
ambidextrous doesn’t have to mean
middle-of-the-road. It not only looks
great but is also comfortable in all
positions, and makes the rifl e feel much
lighter than its true 8lb weight
Stock
I’ve gone on about the electronics on this rifl e, because
they’re what makes it and the Mk3 unique
– but there’s nothing ordinary about the other
parts of the package. The stock is another spectacular
Gary Cane design; it’s superfi cially similar
in confi guration to the thumbhole unit on the
Air Ranger, but its many sinuous curves give the
The threaded end cap on the barrel shroud makes
it easy to access the spring and baffl e system
that silences the Air Wolf and facilitates barrel
cleaning. It can also be replaced with a silencer
adapter, if additional suppression is required
latter the air of
a country cousin
in comparison. It’s
ambidextrous like its predecessors,
but this version has the
scooped profi le on the underside
of the butt fi rst seen on the Merlyn;
smaller cheek-pieces; a larger, more
elongated thumbhole longer, tapered
grooves running along the fore-stock;
and thumb-channels on both sides
of the pistol-grip (which also has a
fl ared foot embellished with panels of
stippling, and a rosewood cap set off by a pale
maple spacer). Also different is the trigger guard,
which is made of metal rather than formed from
the stock wood as on the Air Ranger. The Air Wolf’s
weight sits a little further forward than the Ranger’s
– perhaps because of its slimmer stock – but
its balancing point is still comfortable between the
shooter’s hands.
TARGET SPORTS 17