Hunters and amateurs with pneumatics have long come to the conclusion that there is nothing better on the market than pre-pumped weapons. And this is quite natural, because breaking the trunk and firing single shots is extremely inconvenient, especially on the hunt, when every second is expensive. In just a few years, the market for airguns was filled with rifles and pistols with the PCP system. Naturally, the buyer was in a difficult position, because you need to make the right choice and acquire a decent weapon.
This article focuses on the wonderful product of Russian gunsmiths, Ataman. The rifle has a pre-pumping system and is positioned in the hunting segment. A review, description of the characteristics and reviews of the owners will allow the reader to find out more closely what interesting product a domestic manufacturer offers them.
Handicraft production?
Many buyers are interested in information about the manufacturer, because the company "Demyan" few people know outside of Russia. Yes, this is not the Tula arms factory, and not the Turkish giant Hatsan. The Ataman air rifle is assembled in a small enterprise by unknown designers, and is being promoted to the market by former Olympic shooting champions. At the same time, the product in the arms market breaks price records - starting from 80,000 rubles and higher. Where is the logic?
The explanation is simple. For several years in a row, a certain company “Demyan” was engaged in the repair and modernization of weapons with preliminary pumping, until at some point the company management decided to produce rifles under its own brand (or rather, assemble from finished materials and bring them to perfection). So the Ataman trademark appeared on the market.
About modifications
Many potential buyers managed to notice that the most popular among hunters is the Ataman 6.35 rifle. Of course, a large caliber with decent power is a killer force and excellent accuracy. However, in addition to the large caliber, there are also representatives of the small class on the market - 4.5 and 5.5 mm, which are less popular. The buyer will find in the storefront and large calibers: 7.62 and 9 mm. This is a serious statement by the manufacturer, because such a caliber is equivalent to a lethal weapon.
Also on the market there are both single-shot and multi-shot rifles. Naturally, a buyer who has acquired a weapon without a magazine can improve it by purchasing the necessary components and performing a modernization with his own hand. This is really convenient, because single-shot rifles are cheaper, and the buyer is given the opportunity to save money and get to know the characteristics of the weapon closer.
Permit system
Let the law provide for a 7.5 J power limitation of pneumatic weapons, which can be circumvented by installing an additional bypass valve in the pre-pumping system. However, it will not be possible to deceive the state with killer calibers. Ataman rifle manufacturer will not allow to buy large-caliber weapons (7.62 and 9 mm) without a license. What is the point then of such powerful pneumatics? In the cost of consumables - lead bullets are several times cheaper than live ammunition, and optics do not beat like that.
Representatives of the law have no questions about rifles with calibers 4.5, 5.5 and 6.35 mm, because in the factory equipment their muzzle energy is 4 Joules. At home, with a screwdriver, the buyer already independently increases the power to 60 J.
Features of modernization and maintenance
The instruction manual for the weapon is a real masterpiece that the Ataman air rifle boasts. The reviews of the owners, without exaggeration, are more reminiscent of a speech of gratitude, because the manufacturer provided his product with a full-fledged disassembly-assembly scheme with a complete algorithm of actions and a description of installation problems. It is logical to assume that even a child will cope with the maintenance and repair of the rifle, but the manufacturer limits the minimum age of the owner to eighteen years in the instructions.
As for the disassembly-assembly itself, here the reviews of the owners are already divided. Someone thinks that unscrewing the screws is a pleasure, as they lend themselves easily. But other users do not like that the Ataman air rifle has non-hardened steel screws. In case of inept handling, “turning the head” is easy for the screws.
Advertising - the engine of progress?
Promotion of a new brand in the domestic market is active, many potential buyers have already paid attention to it, however, some users have many questions. For example, not everyone understands the cost of new items (from 80,000 rubles), because in the arms market it is customary to bribe a future owner at a price. ISO-9001 certification is the answer to all questions. This standard has all self-respecting foreign enterprises for the production of weapons and ammunition. This is a guarantee of quality, which testifies not only to the high-precision equipment installed at the enterprise, but also to the presence of verification of each unit on a test bench, be it the Ataman 5.5 rifle or its senior nine-millimeter counterpart.
The performance characteristics
A wooden box, a cylinder with a volume of 250 cubic centimeters with a maximum pressure of 450 atmospheres and a rifled barrel from the German manufacturer Lothar Walter, are the signature set of the Demyan enterprise. And then everything directly depends on the classification of the gun. If this is a short-barrel “bullpup”, then he gets a short half-meter barrel and lightweight body kits, and the carbine gets an additional butt, a meter barrel and an optical sight.
The technical characteristics of the Ataman rifle, depending on the modification, have significant differences, because the power of the shot, the speed of the bullet, the accuracy and range of its flight already directly depend on the caliber, barrel length and air pressure in the pre-pumping system. It can only be noted that the initial bullet speed for all weapons starts at 300 meters per second, and the muzzle energy without a limiter ranges from 40-60 Joules.
Weapon accessories
With an affordable price category (we are talking about 75,000 rubles), it is possible to purchase weapons without optical devices. On the one hand, the owner will have to search for decent optics, mount it and shoot, and this takes a lot of time. But on the other hand, there is an opportunity to save. Many buyers prefer the latter option, as often the optics they have left over from the previous weapon.
An obligatory element in the kit for weapons is considered a moderator (aka a silencer). If the buyer purchases a multi-charge Ataman, the rifle comes with two stores and, there are often cases when the manufacturer provided the user with a set of all kinds of test shooting bullets. They differ not only in weight, but also in the manufacturer. It is a pity that, unlike Hatsan products, the buyer will not find additional overlays on the stock in the kit. It is rather inconvenient to keep the rifle on weight if it has a shortened butt.
Features of the gas system
The Ataman rifles, reviews of which can be found in the media, have passed more than one test, so the reader is invited to read the test results and find out the recommendations of gunsmiths on the use of powerful pneumatic weapons. The cylinder pressure declared by the manufacturer (450 atmospheres) is the maximum, and it is not recommended to inflate the cylinder to this indicator. The problem is that the bypass valve behaves inappropriately at this pressure. In practice, this is reflected in the trajectory of the bullet into the unknown. In fact, the working pressure in the cylinder should be 260-300 atmospheres - this is enough to make 50 shots with a barrel muzzle energy of 50 Joules.
Feedback
All hunters with pneumatic weapons insist that prior to acquiring a rifle, you need to prioritize and decide on the animals to be hunted. The fact is that all calibers behave differently at sighting distances of 20-100 meters, which the Ataman weapons are aimed at. A rifle with a caliber of 4.5 mm will be of interest only to game lovers. From 20-40 meters a bullet weighing one and a half grams will do the trick.
But for a distance of 40-80 meters you will need a caliber more - 5.5 mm can get not only game birds, but also stop the small fur-bearing representative of the fauna. As for the wolves and foxes, the 6.35 mm caliber is indispensable here. You can’t count on long distances, because this is not a firearm, but from 40 meters a bullet is able to go through the game. For fun, you should not buy such a weapon, because unlike a 4.5 mm bullet, a large caliber is very dangerous in the hands of an amateur.
Finally
Summing up, we can safely say that the Ataman is the rifle of the future. It is she who needs to pay attention to the buyer first of all, when choosing a decent weapon for hunting without a license. Convenience, power, accuracy - all the necessary indicators that are required by all shooters. Only the price causes a negative, because 80,000 rubles are a serious amount. But you have to pay for quality, and judging by the reviews of the owners in the media, it’s not a pity to give this money for the best air weapons in the world.