A Hunters Review of the SMK TH208 .22

[milegajo 595]

Good review and write up Mike,I found nothing in your impression of the rifle being more than it was, some of the comments were more than unfair, doubters should realise you didnt claim amazing performance or power over huge distances, the problem with air weapons is like cameras, some people believe if its not the most expensive then it cant be any good!. keep up the good work, if doubters dont believe your statements then tough, who cares? they dont pay your way through life Give them the mental finger. Good luck.

 

Thanks Tron, a refreshing breeze of reason. I'm all for debate, I'm open to being criticized. But t'would appear to be a form of blasphemy to breath even a hint of praise on an SMK product! Well, for two members so far anyway.

 

Ah Well,

[Mawders 595]

Ha ha miles that review said they purchased it from there, not that it was tuned their. Read my post again. Silk purses hey?

 

Cheers

 

 

[milegajo 595]

Good review and write up Mike,I found nothing in your impression of the rifle being more than it was, some of the comments were more than unfair, doubters should realise you didnt claim amazing performance or power over huge distances, the problem with air weapons is like cameras, some people believe if its not the most expensive then it cant be any good!. keep up the good work, if doubters dont believe your statements then tough, who cares? they dont pay your way through life Give them the mental finger. Good luck.

 

Thanks Tron, a refreshing breeze of reason. I'm all for debate, I'm open to being criticized. But t'would appear to be a form of blasphemy to breath even a hint of praise on an SMK product! Well, for two members so far anyway.

 

Ah Well,

 

Nothing wrong with a bit of praise for a product if it's justified, but go back to your original groups that you posted, you stated that they were the best groups you had achieved with the 208 up to that point. Ok, how many people would accept them as a good enough standard to hunt with? You are an experienced shot and know what you are doing but those groups weren't good by any stretch of the imagination. Personally I wouldn't use any gun on live quarry until I had found a pellet to give me sub half inch at 30 yards as a maximum. Even then I would be limiting my range.

Now you've found a pellet that gives a better group at 30 metres, that's good, Extend the range out to a realistic limit of hunting distance and see if the accuracy carries out that far as well.

For the price bracket that it fits in I still don't believe the 208 is good value for money, You still had to strip it and fettle it to make it better.

I got hold of a brand new Cometa 300 with 3-9x50 ags, bag and pellets last year for £170, did the same as you, stripped it and relubed it, I did spend £15 on a new spring though, with a couple of hours work that will produce neat keyholes at 25 -30 yards but loses it thereafter so it's used as a short range lamping tool and nothing else.

I know the limitations, I like the Cometa but I wouldn't reccommend anyone buys one unless they know how to work on a springer and are prepared to have their shooting range limited by the accuracy of the gun.

That has been my point all along, the SMK 208 TH is not, and never will be, as accurate as a good German or British springer.

That is the point that is missing from your review yet that is the point that potential new customers need to be told before they part with their hard earned money.

Going back to the group you first posted, I can't recall what range that was shot at, but I do know that I wouldn't hunt at any range with a gun that grouped to that standard.

Regards

Tim.

 

I believe the praise is justified. You apparently do not, and seemingly will not despite my acquiescing to your ongoing demands for more and more justification.

 

I'm happy with .403" @ 30 yards especially as the groups are tightening up. I don't shoot prey much past 30 yards with a sub 12ft/lb rifle. 40 yards max usually.

 

I never claimed the TH208 was better than any british or german air rifle, but then as it stands;

I got the bug yesterday and have to say (wait for it!!!) I struggled to beat .403" with my .177 HW95k at 30 yards, never thought that'd be the case. So on the current evidence that I have the SMK th208 is better than a german gun. As the HW is still to be tweaked and tuned (that is a £400 odd gun and yes it too needs tuning from brand new) we'll see if that remains the case.

[Elliott 436]

Yawn...

[milegajo 595]

Ha ha miles that review said they purchased it from there, not that it was tuned their. Read my post again. Silk purses hey?

 

Cheers

 

No need to re-read your post.

You're now alleging that Tony Wall of Sandwell Field Sports will sell you a 'Bag of Bolts' and flatly refuse to rectify it even if you offer to pay. Careful now. That does not sound correct to me.

Might give Mr Wall a ring and question as to why the TH208 is worth making profit on and gracing his shelves, and yet, according to you, not worth going on his workbench.

 

Lyn Lewington (Venoman) has written some great articles on stripping and tuning the TH208. If Tony Wall is as awkward as Mawders suggests, Lyn is the man.

[milegajo 595]

Yawn...

 

Very much agreed!

[pianoman 3,584]

Well I've read this with an open mind and I found it an encouraging and informative review with a real-world hunting application. Great writing and shooting Miles! But, what I am really reading back, seems to me, the end result of a skillful marksman and fieldsman getting the most out of what I might describe as an "adequate" rifle at best. I can see the arguments both Miles and Mawders have put forth. I also think there is an element of 'necessity being the mother of invention' with Miles' situation. Neither myself or anyone I know of here has to eat to live by what we shoot as much as Miles has to. Therefore the imperative to hunt successfully is sharpened more by actual need and less so by sporting motives.

 

I am a gun snob. Quite unashamedly.

I do not believe in "working up towards top kit" That is a false economy in my book. Why buy a £150 gun, only to trade it in, a few months or so, later for a near- £500 Weihrauch HW77 and thus you spend £650 to shoot with assurety? I buy top dollar, top quality guns and kit first off when I can afford it. There's a few good reasons why top dollar works far better than cheap-as-chips. Precision build, supreme accuracy and long years of working life are just three. I do not have the time nor inclination to strip and twiddle and tweak a rifle in order to wring out a better-than-normal performance when I can have a rifle performing superbly within moments of zeroing up the scope And save myself the hassle of trading-up from taking losses on cheaper guns. I've done all that when I was a younger man. Not anymore.

 

I will not shoot with anything less than a Weihrauch, Air Arms or RWS Diana spring rifle. I will never contemplate shooting at a live creature with anything but a rifle, scope and pellet I know for certain is going to combine perfectly with my skills and hit the spot and kill it outright. No suffering whatsoever. My preferences, my rules, my way!

 

But...

 

For all of that. I am very impressed with what I have read here.

 

I would never buy an SMK or a Hatsan rifle when I have far better quality I can call on at will. First impressions last the longest and my first encounters with these cheaper makes some 10 years ago left me convinced they were Chinese junk! "The Bag of Bolts" as Mawders puts it.

 

But, Miles has shown that skillful shooting and field craft will compensate where a marked drop in quality and perceived price-cost savings alone will not ensure such results to novices. And would have left me shaking my head in refusal of such a rifle.

 

If you put the years of dedicated work in towards perfecting your marksmanship and fieldcraft, you will fill your game bag with a cheap but basically effective rifle and scope with a carefully chosen pellet. If it is a case of kill or starve, you'll bag your dinner with a blow-pipe if you have to!

 

My compliments Miles on a thoroughly well written and informed review.

 

Simon

Edited August 20, 2012 by pianoman

[milegajo 595]

Simon, thats a brilliant balanced summary and a nice close to the thread i feel.

 

Thank you.

[davyt63 1,839]

Simon, thats a brilliant balanced summary and a nice close to the thread i feel.

 

Thank you.

 

what he said :clapper:

[secretagentmole 1,701]

Perhaps people who do not believe Miles about Sandwell will read this thread... Particularly post #7....

 

http://www.airgunfor...k-any-good.html

Edited August 21, 2012 by secretagentmole

[BenjaminCadd 109]

http://www.sandwellfieldsports.co.uk/

 

Well that is one SMK they tune but its dose say with radically changed parts!

[milegajo 595]

If anyone has a 208/buys a 208, feel free to get in touch. I'd be very happy to share my experience especially if you wish to strip it down, as i suggest you do with any gun. Helps for keeping a gun in good fettle, and don't be fooled into thinking swarf and shredded piston seals dont happen to weihrauchs etc.