BSA R12 CLX Pro advice wanted
Hi All.
It's been quite a few years (to be honest decades due to that pesky thing called everyday life getting in the way) since I used an airgun and then it was just pistol shooting with a second hand side lever Powerline 717 model (which I still have although the seals need changing).
I want to get back into airgun shooting - There are some ranges near to me and I would like to start of with a BSA R12 CLX Pro in .22 calibre. Having not been involved with rifles before, the question I have is around the standard carbine and super carbine barrel lengths.
With the .22 pellets is there any noticeable difference in performance, over distance, between the standard model's 15.5" barrel and the super carbine's 12.5" barrel? Does that reduction of an extra 3" affect shooting at a greater distance (not taking windage, etc. into account) or is it negligible?
Thanks in advance.
I came back to airguns after a fifteen year gap myself and that first trigger pull brought back every backyard plinking memory I had buried under work and bills, so I totally get your excitement about the R12 because BSA makes solid kit that just works. That three inch barrel difference between the carbine and super carbine is real on paper but in my experience shooting both side by side at a local range the velocity loss is only about 15 to 20 fps which translates to maybe a half inch drop at 50 yards and honestly your pellet choice and your breathing will affect your groups way more than that extra barrel length. What I found mattered more was the balance because the shorter barrel swings faster offhand but the longer one settles nicer on a bag, and I have spent afternoons messing with Pinty airguns and various barrel lengths just to prove to myself that consistency beats specs every time. For a first rifle I would choose based on how you plan to shoot because if you are mostly bench resting the standard carbine gives you a tiny edge in muzzle energy but if you walk around a lot the super carbine is a joy to carry and both will outshoot your current skill level for the first few months anyway.