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A Hunters Review of the SMK TH208 .22


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Agreed Elliott but don't forget those people that read such thing and part with valuable money in this current climate only to be very disappointed.

 

I don't really agree with jumping into bed with companies for freebies and writing a biased review for the sake of benefiting for free whilst others lose money. That's why the comics stay on the shelf at my local shop.

 

Thats very true pal, I agree

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I am a simple man living a simple life, snippets of which I publish on my blog www.1nomad.blogspot.com.   The meat I and my family eat is procured from the wild, and I choose to hunt it with an air

Agreed Elliott but don't forget those people that read such thing and part with valuable money in this current climate only to be very disappointed.   I don't really agree with jumping into bed wit

I think I'd be overly dismissive and harsh if id given Tony Wall £500 for a hw95k only to have my mate hit a bottle cap i was missing with his not stage one tuned smk th208!   To answer your questio

Agreed Elliott but don't forget those people that read such thing and part with valuable money in this current climate only to be very disappointed.

 

I don't really agree with jumping into bed with companies for freebies and writing a biased review for the sake of benefiting for free whilst others lose money. That's why the comics stay on the shelf at my local shop.

 

In my experience, people tend to try before they buy and garner views from as wide a range as possible.

 

My view is described above. Yes Air Arms/Weihrauch/Diana make superb rifles and no, I don't think you'll win any HFT comps with the TH208 hence I do not claim such.

 

Your opinion differs, that's fine.

 

I think the edge of the axe you appear to be grinding can be considered ground now, thank you.

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Where is the barrel weight in the Pix Mike?

 

I own a SMK XS19 springer and it's the rifle that got me into hunting :yes:

Still got it now and I only have one tiny gripe about it, "the trigger unit" I want to replace with a GRT2 or 3 :yes:

As far as construction goes its excellently finished and is very accurate with AAF's

 

Well done for giving the gun a strip, polish and lube. Those groups are pretty tight :D

But please ditch those zinc things and go back to lead :thumbs:

 

Tony

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Thanks Elliott. Those groups photographed are the work of the thunderbolts.

 

I think people are forgetting here that this is a flagship £199.95 model.

 

Very good. I've been amazed lately of how cheap rifles can be produced. I was looking at a new Hatsan scope combo in my local gun shop today, apparently the shop's best seller, for under £200.

 

Not something I would buy but it certainly gives you a good start. I was spoilt learning to shoot with the HW77K that I have today when I was 10 years old :)

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Think i would rather Use a Catapult than a SMK :bad:, Or buy a second hand HW or Airarms :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

The number of people that have said that Daz, then said "Giz a go of that HW Tony"......

Few people realise its an SMK and not the HW35

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Hey it's an open forum, it's only my opinion and what I know to be true from shooting the mentioned rifle, I have no axe to grind pal.

 

Peace out brother, it is a free open forum after all.

 

No attempt is being made to stifle you.

 

If its my integrity you wish to be questioned, all are welcome to visit and test this TH208 should they wish.

 

Mawders feel free to provide any and all evidence you have to disprove what I have said and I will amend accordingly.

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Where is the barrel weight in the Pix Mike?

 

I own a SMK XS19 springer and it's the rifle that got me into hunting yes.gif

Still got it now and I only have one tiny gripe about it, "the trigger unit" I want to replace with a GRT2 or 3 yes.gif

As far as construction goes its excellently finished and is very accurate with AAF's

 

Well done for giving the gun a strip, polish and lube. Those groups are pretty tight biggrin.png

But please ditch those zinc things and go back to lead thumbs.gif

 

Tony

 

I took the barrel weight off. I preferred it lighter and found it grouped better. As mentioned in the OP, I think it was loose due in part to my over exuberant cocking procedure. Karate CHOP!

 

Those Crosman premiers fly down the barrel!!! I got even better groups last night with those.

Edited by milegajo
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The problem with the SMK is it is basically twice the price of the Hatsan 55 or 60 which is a Webley Stingray Mark 2 (which is a £200 gun). These can be picked up from £90 new. The Hatsan 60 gas ram is £199, what would you rather have? A nondescript SMK with a known problematic trigger or a gas rammed rifle with a real two stage trigger? Same price....

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Thanks Elliott. Those groups photographed are the work of the thunderbolts.

 

timmytree - I stand by the words I've written. I chose them very carefully. That shouldn't stop you doing as you describe should you wish, but think first of the tree eh thumbs.gif (and perhaps consider the ink being rubbed in your sensitive area because I don't know what they put in them! icon_eek.gif )

 

I think people are forgetting here that this is a flagship £199.95 model. I cannot comment on the B2 which is reputedly the best selling airgun, at over half the price, but I think the TH208 it is very much better than how people allege all SMK products to be.

 

If you look over my reply I think you'll find that that any problems with the ink on sensitive body parts would be yours not mine.

I fail to see how doing a review like this can be of benefit to anyone except yourself and SMK.

You write a load of nonsense about an airgun that is at best mediocre, coupled with some spiel about pellets that some have already tried and know to be not as good as the better lead alternatives.

It's not seasoned airgunners that will be taken in by tripe like this, it's the newcomers who will decide to spend their money, try hard and then give up through disappointment at what they can achieve with what people like you have hoodwinked them into believing is useful gear.

Lis are lies no matter what cover or excuse you have for making them.

 

I extend my invitation to you timmytree. Welcome to the forum. You may prove to be a valuable contributor. Perhaps your 11th post could be an in depth review, rather than some crude attempt to criticize the work of others. Have you tried thunderbolts. Do you contest that the group shown is acceptable? Again, I made no claim that they are the best pellets, only that they appear to work well in the TH208 as evidenced.

 

Lies are indeed lies. You will not, however, find any in the OP. You may have found an opinion you disagree with. Note the difference.

 

In future, I'd appreciate you display some respect, and decency. Launching straight into accusations and judgements is never a good tactic in any encounter in my experience.

Edited by milegajo
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The problem with the SMK is it is basically twice the price of the Hatsan 55 or 60 which is a Webley Stingray Mark 2 (which is a £200 gun). These can be picked up from £90 new. The Hatsan 60 gas ram is £199, what would you rather have? A nondescript SMK with a known problematic trigger or a gas rammed rifle with a real two stage trigger? Same price....

 

Ahh yes, the Mod 55s with the quattro trigger. Another rifle I enjoyed. Longer overall length if memory serves correctly. Resettable safety. Walnut stock. Heavier mind. Half the price though.

Sadly I didn't know enough about servicing airguns when I owned that, so to say the SMK is smoother to cock and shoot is possibly unfair.

 

Gas ram? I haven't tried one yet, maybe one day.

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Thank you timmytree.

 

No such arrangement was made i.e buying of positive words. If it were truly bad I could have returned it. It was rough out of the box, and i feared the worst, but was seemingly transformed after the application of the correct greases in the right places and a good few pellets down the barrel. Please see the careful wording regarding stripping down.

 

Regarding thunderbolts, i suppose good is relative to your experience and expectations. I had no prior experience of smks or zinc/air bullet pellets and had low expectations thanks to the general consensus. The group pictured was one of the best gained. Crosman premiers have proved better still (will follow up).

 

I approached this gun with an open heart and a mind free from preconceptions. It has found a place there. Not owing to supreme accuracy nor beauty but as something that does what i needed it to.

 

Thanks again for the more civil reply, I found it alot easier to respond to clearly.

 

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A bit of elaboration perhaps....

 

Saturday 18th August 2012

 

The repulsion of the nut raiders continues. The SMK TH208 is at the forefront of this battle, the close to medium ranges of the woodland perfectly suiting the .22 calibre. I have switched the rifle to a trial diet of Crosman Premier Hollow points and the accuracy appears to be excellent.

 

LHP77.jpg

 

I spied my tenacious adversary as I was entertaining our one year old. I prophetically mimed aiming and shooting the creature amongst the bouncing leaves saying the words "Daddy go Bang Bang", to which little one replied, with a most earnest look on her face, "NUM NUM!"

 

With my dearly beloved already making preparations for dinner, I snatched up the TH208 as soon as I was able and stalked after the marked animal.

 

The squirrel was relocated and one near vertical shot brought it down with such a thump, I winced in sympathy.

IMAG1386.jpg

The SMK TH208 is proving to be a very capable tool.

 

 

IMAG1387.jpg

A neat heart and lung shot, with mud staining the side he hit the mud.

 

 

IMAG1388.jpg

The entry of the .22 pellet in the muscle.

 

IMAG1389.jpg

Passing through the body and trapped by the tough skin.

 

IMAG1392.jpg

The extensive clotting on the lungs with a dark hole betrays the cause of death.

 

IMAG1393.jpg

Though minimal, the 'Hollow' point does show some expansion. It appears to be open to debate as to whether these pellet s truly increase impact trauma.

 

 

IMAG1394.jpg Deformation from possibly the rib or a vertebrae.

 

 

Later in the evening I sniped a squawking squirrel approximately 30 yards away through a clear patch of wild ground. This ground was thick with thorns and despite shedding my own blood in the attempt to retrieve him, he was obviously intended to grace the plate of the woodland gods. As Trophy hunters say, "No carcass, No Kill".

 

Once again, the SMK TH208 has disproved its critics. If a rifle that kills cleanly and accurately is not good, I fear I may need re-educating.

 

I am very happy indeed with it.

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