Air Venturi Avenger

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  • tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    After the mess with the Gauntlet 2, this is where I landed… Air Venturi Avenger (Wood Stock version):




    So much has been written about this air rifle over the last year that I probably needn’t waste everyone’s time reiterating. In summary, it’s a very capable performer with the quirks and quality control issues that come with being a Chinese import. For those who can get past that, you won’t find a more tunable, accurate air rifle anywhere else for nearly its price of $350-$430 (depending on whether you get the plastic or wood stock).

    I had purchased a bunch of heavy (apps. 25gr.) pellets for the Gauntlet 2, most of which are being returned because they’re at the outer limit for this rifle. I’ll be tuning for 18.1gr. Diabolo-shaped pellets. Quick shout out to Utah Airguns here, what a great dealer. Super with my questions and allowing me to return pallets for exchange.

    I’ve gotten most everything else together that I’ll need to get started. I had mentioned a compressor from Amazon. The one I got from Amazon warehouse arrived damaged, so I sent it back and found this one for $320 on eBay. It’s actually more comparable to the Nomad II than the one I showed on Amazon. It’s larger and has a drain on the bottom as well as an air bleed on the side:

    IMAYCC PCP Air Compressor 4500PSi/300Bar/30Mpa Automatic-Stop, LED Display, Oil/Water-Free, Powered by Home 110V AC or Car 12V DC, Used for PCP Air Rifle,Air Pistol,Paintball Gun,Diving Bottle etc

    Amazon product ASIN B095M4GGC9

    Here’s the scope I chose. I’m a little bit on the fence about it. I’m seeing a fair amount of chromatic aberration in bright light at 24X. I didn’t expect that. The reticle and illumination are awesome, though:


    This rifle has a reputation for barrel droop, so I bought this adapter from DonnyFL to help with that, and also this suppressor. It’s odd feeling to buy a suppressor without jumping through hoops. Donny answered my emails and shipped the same day—great service:



    Once I get the rifle next week I’ll let you all know (after installing the adapter and boresighting) whether or not I need adjustable scope mounts. Lots more to come in this thread, especially some ballistic calculations we will check against reality once I get up and shooting.
     
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    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    Everything is inbound… they’re coming. I did add a video to the OP that has a good look at the rifle.
     
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    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    665D451C-78C3-4631-BA3F-2BDDE9FD3C87.jpeg 0288087C-0037-4FD8-9AD4-2F886E3770D8.jpeg

    My luck trying to get this whole thing started hasn’t been too great… The Chinese need to learn how to package things better. This is the second damaged compressor I’ve received, both from different manufacturers.
     

    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    I got the goodies from DonnyFL today. What he builds for airguns is every bit as nice as anything I’ve bought for a firearm.
     

    Cameramonkey

    www.thechosen.tv
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Site Supporter
    May 12, 2013
    31,686
    77
    Camby area
    Thats my biggest stopper from buying a PCP. the compressors are just so damn expensive. So that first $400 rifle becomes an $800 rifle.

    Though I have an unlimited supply of breathing air* at work, that can be delivered as high a pressure as a tank that can hold it. I have a 25lb CO2 cylinder that takes 1500psi that we use as a refillable computer duster.
    So if I bought one of those 5' tall tanks used for various gasses, I could get it refilled for free at work. Then again, I'd probably have to buy close to $300 in parts to put the tank together.

    *breathing air is made by a special filtered compressor that spits out VERY high pressure air with no moisture or oil in it. its used to fill SCBAs.
     

    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    Yeah, where things get tricky is that most air tanks are rated to 3000 psi, unless you get the carbon fiber ones like firemen wear that are rated to 4500 psi. But then you need a compressor that can deliver that much pressure. I’m just going to buy a good one up front and be done with it. I think this will be the one:

     

    Rookie

    Grandmaster
    Sep 22, 2008
    18,155
    113
    Kokomo
    Thats my biggest stopper from buying a PCP. the compressors are just so damn expensive. So that first $400 rifle becomes an $800 rifle.

    Though I have an unlimited supply of breathing air* at work, that can be delivered as high a pressure as a tank that can hold it. I have a 25lb CO2 cylinder that takes 1500psi that we use as a refillable computer duster.
    So if I bought one of those 5' tall tanks used for various gasses, I could get it refilled for free at work. Then again, I'd probably have to buy close to $300 in parts to put the tank together.

    *breathing air is made by a special filtered compressor that spits out VERY high pressure air with no moisture or oil in it. its used to fill SCBAs.

    Amazon product ASIN B0052F61TW
     

    Rookie

    Grandmaster
    Sep 22, 2008
    18,155
    113
    Kokomo
    Yeah, where things get tricky is that most air tanks are rated to 3000 psi, unless you get the carbon fiber ones like firemen wear that are rated to 4500 psi. But then you need a compressor that can deliver that much pressure. I’m just going to buy a good one up front and be done with it. I think this will be the one:


    I went with this one. It has run time limit which I went way over and burned it up. An email to the manufacturer and they sent me a new one. I also bought the 4 year warranty through Amazon, so I'm good for a long time.

    Whatever you decide, make sure you start it with the bleeder valve open or you stand a chance of tripping a breaker or ruining your compressor when it tries to start at high pressure...
     

    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    Got the AV Avenger today. I almost hate to say it, because, China and all that… but first impression is incredibly good. Nothing feels cheap at all about it, not even the plastic parts. They’re actually hard to tell from metal. The wood is quite surprising for the price—a bargain at $80 more than the plastic IMO.

    I’ve noticed a couple of things right out of the box. I think Air Venturi addressed the barrel droop issue. If you look on top of the red bag, that plastic end cap (which I replaced with the DonnyFL adapter) has a structure inside to support the barrel. I’ve seen some review guns that lacked that feature (they only had a threaded end cap, leaving the end of the barrel to float inside the shroud).

    My rifle came out of the box with the regulator set at 1800 psi rather than closer to 3000 psi like I’ve seen on reviews. I’m going to ask Utah Airguns if they reset it (1800 psi is a much better setting for heavy pallets—anything lighter than a slug). Hopefully the factory is setting them this way, as higher pressures just overspeed Diabolo-shaped pallets and reduce the shot count. I’ll see what they did with the hammer spring later. If it’s not nearly all the way in, but closer to halfway, someone is balancing the tuning. That would be a good thing. Regardless, Utah Airguns has been awesome and I can certainly recommend them.

    I’ll get into the boresighting and scope mounting later and come back with more details.

    09EDF39B-3B90-42AC-9738-1CD9001DA382.jpeg
     
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    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    I did call Utah Airguns and they haven’t been changing any guns before shipping. So it looks like Air Venturi has listened and is putting a less-extreme tune on them from the factory. I’ll let you guys know where the hammer spring is set. I’ll be boresighting tomorrow, as well.

    Another anecdote: Utah Airguns has been using Avengers for range guns for a while now, and they’ve given Air Venturi the same feedback about lowering the regulator pressure. Pretty cool that Avengers are suitable for range guns.
     

    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
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    West Central IN
    I was poking around hoping to find a canted rail for the AVA (I’ll call it that from now on) and did come up with this two-piece aluminum replacement Picatinny rail from Saber Tactical:


    I went ahead and ordered one, so I won’t bother boresighting until I install it. The plastic rail doesn’t seem flimsy, but I’d rather put the scope rings on a full Picatinny base than the narrower Picatinny/dovetail combination (the link shows a photo of the replacement vs. stock rail).
     

    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    As noted in the other thread, the Hill compressor came down $100 (now $1100) for Black Friday so I don’t think it’s ever going to get any cheaper so I pulled the trigger. I believe this is the practical solution for most of us who don’t have high-volume, high duty cycle filling needs:

     
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    rugertoter

    Master
    Apr 9, 2011
    3,260
    63
    N.E. Corner
    As noted in the other thread, the Hill compressor came down $100 (now $1100) for Black Friday so I don’t think it’s ever going to get any cheaper so I pulled the trigger. I believe this is the practical solution for most of us who don’t have high-volume, high duty cycle filling needs:

    Read all your posts...good looking "stick" you posted up there with that Avenger. You will be happy you went with the higher end compressor too.

    Looking forward to seeing your "kit" all together, and seeing some nice groups!
     

    tbhausen

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Feb 12, 2010
    4,927
    113
    West Central IN
    Quick note: the pic rail on the wood AVA is metal, not plastic. I did still replace it with the one from Saber Tactical (because I’ll never use the 11mm dovetail and this is more stable).
     
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