by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Haenel 310 is a different kind of trainer.
This report covers:
- A few new IZH 61′s!
- Trigger
- 4.4mm copper-plated lead balls
- Smart Shot BBs
- Summary
A few new IZH 61′s!
Before we begin I want to tell you that Pyramyd Air just got a small shipment of new IZH-61 rifles from another dealer. These won’t last long, so now is the time to act!
Today is accuracy day for the Haenel 310. I was not able to locate the unplated 4.4mm lead balls I have, so I will only be shooting two types of ammo today. The distance will be 5 meters and the target will be an NRA 15-foot air rifle target – which is to say a BB-gun target. While the 310 is rifled, it is not quite as accurate as the Daisy 499 Challenger, so 5 meters is a good distance to shoot. I shot off the UTG Monopod, and before anyone asks — yes, that is just as stable as shooting from a sandbag rest. The magazine only holds 6 shots, so I loaded 5 balls at a time and shot two magazines of each type of ammo at a target.
Trigger
I was surprised by how light the trigger feels. It breaks at 3 lbs. 3 oz. and on a simple rifle like this I would expect it to be twice that much. It’s two stage, which I prefer.
4.4mm copper-plated lead balls
First to be tested were the German 4.4mm copper-plated lead balls. I bought 30,000 of them (60 tins) when I bought my first 310 in the 1990s, and despite getting rid of several rifles, I kept the balls. So, I have what might be described as a lifetime supply. They serve other purposes, such as shooting in vintage BB guns that were made to shoot 0.175-inch lead BBs, so there is always a use for them.
The first shot landed to the left of the 6-o’clock aim point by about a quarter inch and then the balls kept going to the same place. When I finished, there were 10 balls in a group measuring 0.664-inches. For a BB gun it’s a fine group, but it’s not in the same class as the 499.
Ten shots rests at 5 meters with 4.4mm lead balls made this 0.664-inch group. It’s pretty good for a BB gun. but not quite in the same class as the Daisy 499.
Here is what a Daisy 499 can do with 10 shots at 5 meters when shot from a rest. Ten BBs in 0.224-inches!
Smart Shot BBs
And now for the part of the test many have been waiting for — the 310 shooting 10 H&N Smart Shot BBs. The BBs load a little easier than the 4.4mm balls, though they actually measure the same size and weigh the same. I don’t know what to make of that.
Ten Smart Shot BBs went into a group that measures 0.748-inches between centers. Pleas accept my measurements with a grain of salt, because measuring BB holes is not an exact science. I do my best and hope it turns out. Looking at the two groups I see the Smart Shot BBs seem to group a little larger, and they landed a little higher. I would say, yes, Smart Shot BBs will work just fine in a Haenel 310 or any other BB gun that uses 4.4mm lead balls.
The Haenel 310 put 10 H&N Smart Shot BBs into this 0.748-inch group at 5 meters.
Summary
This Haenel 310 I got from Mac is a little tired and the velocity isn’t as stable as it should be. Someone suggested that if I shot it more it might stabilize, and that might be correct. But in my experience with several 310s, they will never equal the accuracy of the Daisy 499 at 5 meters. Of all the 4.4mm rifles, though, the 310 must be one of the best.