kodiakhuntmaster

There are a few good deals out there for respectable adult air rifles that would make quick work of small game. After some research, I picked up a Beeman model 1073 (Sportsman RS2) air rifle from wally world for about $140. There were several things that attracted me to this model, the biggest being that it comes with two barrels, a .177 caliber barrel, and a .22 caliber barrel. Anyway, I've had the rifle for a few weeks now and figured I'd post the good and bad I've found so far.

The Good;
- Comes with two barrels, "European" hardwood stock that actually looks very nice, and a pretty good 4X32 scope.
- Barrels are easy to switch out, just one allen screw holds it in.
- Has an adjustable trigger.
- It also has open sights that are easy to adjust.
- Break barrel pump action works fast for quick reloads.

The Bad;
- Without some nail polish or something on the barrel screw threads, the barrel will loosen up after a dozen shots or so and destroy accuracy.
- Open sights are nice, but plastic, and the front sight sticks up high enough that you can see it in the scope and it cannot be removed from the barrel.
- As nice as the stock is, they puta cheap looking gold "Beeman" decal on the side.
- It's made in China.

Accuracy;
- I haven't found good .22 caliber pellets yet, just some cheap Daisy "flat tip" pellets that are clearly not uniform and are coated with some kind of thick, dark oil. Egg sized groups at 30 yards is all I can get so far.
- With the .177 caliber barrel, I've been getting consistant dime sized groups at 30 yards with Gamo "Rocket ballistic tip" pellets. I bought a few other types and brands, I'm going to try those out when I get a chance.

The velocity is supposed to be 1000fps with the .177 barrel, and 800fps with the .22 barrel. I'm sure these numbers are inflated, I've never seen an air rifle shoot exactly what it had on the box. Overall, I believe this rifle is a fair deal for small game hunting. The accuracy is there with quality pellets, and the rifle looks pretty sharp too.