air arms TX200 HC review

[slyfox-mal 1]

 

Hi guys

 

I got a brand new Air Arms TX200HC in 0.22 about 2 month ago so I thought I should throw together a little review.

 

Starting with the packaging (cos that's what you first see). The rifle comes in a custom designed cardboard box which protects the gun very well. Keep the box as it may come in handy if you ever send the rifle for a service or sell it on.

 

An A4 instruction booklet show you how to load the gun, handle it safely and has a parts list. a set of allen keys and a sample bottle of gun oil

 

Now, onto the gun. The TX200HC (HC stands for Hunter Carbine) measures in at 38 inches (96.5 cm) long so it is definitely in the carbine category. The barrel is only 9 inches (23 cm) long but is a Lothar Walther barrel so it is a damn good one. The muzzle end of the barrel is enclosed by a plastic screw thingy which is a small internal, plenum style silencer. This can be removed to reveal threading to accept an external silencer. Below the barrel is the underlever, as it is the same length as the barrel it takes a good effort to cock the gun ( 34 pounds of pressure) but two things assist in this respect. One is the cocking aid which is a knurled grip on the end of the cocking lever, this greatly assists grip. Second is the fact that the cocking lever is articulated which gives more leverage. The lever itself is held fast to the underside of the barrel by a sprung metal bearing.

 

The walnut stock is one of the best features on the gun and is done is a dark brown, satiny finish that feels very smooth. There is a rubber shoulder pad which has those little vent holes

The butt of the stock is a meaty affair. The cheek piece extends smoothly from the top of the butt and gives a good, comfortable hold when you shoulder the gun. The grip is almost pistol style in its angle. It has a good scoop out of the back to allow your thumb to fall comfortably and there is quality chequering on either side of the grip. The forend of the stock tapers gradually and is marked by a band of chequering either side of the far end of the stock. Overall the stock just feels right when shouldered, it has a good heft which helps keep the weight back towards the shooter and not the muzzle end.

 

The trigger unit is a true two stage job which has been factory set with a pretty nice pull. It can be adjusted by removing the trigger guard but I am happy with it as it is. That's all I can really say about it, it does the job perfectly so becomes a part of your shooting you don't think about.

 

I have read some moans about the loading procedure for the TX but I can't complain. It becomes second nature quickly and when you think about it the double safety only protects the shooter. When you pull down the cocking lever there is no tick-tick-tick-tick of an anti-beartrap device. As the lever is pulled down the loading hatch (which is to the upper right of the receiver, just in front of the objective lens of my scope) slides backwards. There are three deep cutouts on the hatch which are gripped in turn by a safety lock behind the hatch. This serves as the anti-beartrap and is a very good idea as it pretty much eliminates the possibility of the loading hatch slamming into your fingers when you load a pellet.

 

Having cocked the rifle the small loading area is exposed and a pellet thumbed into the end of the barrel. bear trap is then depressed, held, and the cocking lever swung back up to the barrel. The automatic trigger safety engages when the gun is cocked. A steel cylinders pops out of the receiver just above the trigger unit. This is pushed in to allow the gun to be fired. to re-engage the saftey you have to recock the cocking lever this inturn puts the saftey back on must people i know of think this rifles safety cannot be re-engaged but take it from me it can

The receiver has dovetail grooves for a scope mount and three recoil arrestor holes. I read stories about sight creep so invested in a sturdy one piece mount with an arrestor stud screwed tight into the farthest back arrestor hole. Being a carbine the TX wouldn't work too good with a mega long scope i use a tasco 3-9-56 which fits it nicely

 

Once I had whacked the scope nice and tight on my rifle I set about zeroing the whole thing. I used my garden, which is ten metres wide and zeroed on a sheet of A4 paper. Straight of the bat the gun was shooting tight and within 15-20 pellets I was shooting out felt tip dots I had drawn on the paper, from a kneeling stance. I am by no means an experienced shooter and certainly not the best marksman but the rifle certainly instills confidence in the shooter. The balance just felt right. I believe this is due to the heft of the stock, coupled with the short barrel, keeping the weight close into the shooters body which allows for better balance and poise when shooting. I don't have scales to measure the guns weight but I guess with a sight and mounts the weight is roughly 9.5 pounds.

 

 

air arms recommend useing aa diabolo field 5.51 16g and this is what i use and i must say they are the best pellet i have ever used very good consistent quality and shoot incredibly well even for a mediocra marksman like me

 

I have only put about 500 pellets through my rifle since getting it so this review is based very much on first impressions. I will be hunting with it regularly (mostly for rats) and will update this review with progress reports on how the gun (and I) perform in the field.

 

Overall I am really pleased with this rifle, the balance, quality and hitting power are superb. I bought this gun blind, having never shouldered one before. I was initially worried in case the gun was too heavy or felt unbalanced but my worries instantly evaporated the first time I picked the rifle up. It is made to nestle in your shoulder.

 

I could go on about this gun all day, it simply oozes quality, everything is smooth, quiet and well lubed. There is no twanging as the gun is fired, the whole cycle seems smooth and the recoil is of short duration and easily dampened by the stock. The plenum silencer does a good enough job of keeping the gun quiet, I doubt I will have to invest in an external silencer.

 

Loudness: 3-Medium

Weight: 8.50 lbs

Barrel Length:9.53"

Overall Length: 38.35"

Capacity: 1 round(s)

Cocking Effort: 34 lbs.

Barrel: Rifled

Front Sight: None

Rear Sight: None

Scopeable: 11mm dovetail

Trigger adj.: Two-stage adjustable

Buttpad: Ventilated rubber

Suggested for: Small game hunting/target practice

Action: Underlever

Powerplant: Spring-piston

Safety: Automatic

Repeater: No/Single-shot

 

all in all this is a very capable air rifle and is sure to be a classic for many years to come

 

all the best mal

[timjim 43]

nice review mate

 

used to own one myself, very nice piece of kit, at the moment i have a air arms .22 pro-sport a very nice gun also but am finding myself being drawn to the darkside (pcp) as everyone i shoot with has one mostly air arms s410`s would love to have one and keep the pro-sport but will see if funds allow

 

cheers mate

Tim

[victor 10]

nice long rewew, i would be buying one when i can.

[Coney 3]

Great post....well worth a read.

[celticwar 1]

very good review mate ... if i was after a springer id be tempted after reading that ...

[Guest hpool_hunter]

quality read

[slyfox-mal 1]

Thanks guys for the comments maybe others will do a review on there gear .

Even short reviews would be nice i.e pros and cons of different gear .

all the best Mal

[ChrisJones 7,973]

I like a detailed review of shooting gear and that was spot on! Thanks for taking the time Mal! Your work is appreciated!

[severnsider 0]

Hi - I'm disappointed with the build quality (or lack of it) on the old BSA Meteor (internals look as though the local blacksmith has produced most of the parts) and the poor trigger (again, it all looks very agricultural) and repeatability of a recently-purchased Hatsan/Edgar Mod. 105. I know these are "budget" items, and I'm really wishing that I had spent a bit more on something decent. Looking for a full-power (but non-FAC) .22 for static target and grey squirrels (30 yards) and for under £400. Popular items seem to be Air Arms TX200, Weihrauch HW97K, and Theoben Evolution. Could anyone offer some feedback on the pros/cons of these items? I suspect that the TX200 might be better made (i.e. has decent machined components) than the HW97K, and the Evolution may be even better. Any comments on which has most manageable recoil, for example? Could anyone out there who may have owned these models help with a comparison?

Thanks,

Mike

[cometa300s 20]

looked long at first mate but what a read nice one mate i think this will help people on there way in the future.

 

all the best mate liam

[Timelord 0]

Great review mal and nicely put together too. The AA TX200 is one of the best springers out there, I know because I used to own one

[Nova2006 0]

its a great gun.. i have it in normall lenth and just putting it back to walnut stock now