Airgunning With MDT - Inside MDT

There was a time not long ago when airguns were pretty much the exclusive domain of youth shooters. But times change, and there has been a dramatic reversal of that trend. Sure, airguns are still popular with youngsters, and they are a great way to introduce them to shooting sports, but air-powered rifles have transitioned into the mainstream firearm community. The reasons for this include the ever-increasing restrictions on conventional firearms and the technical developments that have taken place in the airgun world.

Perhaps the most significant of those technical developments has been the evolution of the modern PCP air rifle. For the uninformed, PCP stands for Pre-Charged Pneumatic and identifies an air rifle as having an onboard air tank filled with high-pressure air, which is bled off in small amounts to drive a projectile out of the barrel. An external source such as a specialized hand pump, compressor, or a large SCUBA-like tank is used to fill the rifle, with the shooter often able to get 50 full-power shots before refilling. Combined with a rotary 10-shot magazine and a straight-pull action, these are not the airguns of your childhood.

Air rifles are great for hunting and pest control.

Personally, PCP air rifles are my go-to tool for doing pest control around the yards and feedlots of my farmer/rancher friends. They are relatively quiet with limited range and penetration, all valuable characteristics when shooting around buildings and livestock. So, when taking shots at elevated targets, like pigeons or squirrels, there's much less concern about the projectile ending up at some distant, unintended location where it can do damage.

Many shooters don't realize MDT has created chassis systems just for airguns. A prime example comes from FX Airguns of Sweden, who use a version of the MDT ACC chassis on their DRS Pro MDT 700 rifle. It's pictured below.

The DRS Pro 700 is an air rifle capable of shooting 40-grain projectiles at .22 LR velocities.

This is a top-tier, expensive, specialized air rifle, which won't fit into my budget anytime soon. However, MDT products are still found all over my more working-class air rifles. Here are some of the items I've found useful on them.

MDT PREMIER RINGS

Most modern PCP rifles are shipped with no iron sights but are equipped with a Picatinny rail and ready for scope mounting. Rings are a necessity, and MDT Premier Rings work as well on air rifles as they do on conventional firearms. When setting up an air rifle with a scope, be aware that provision may have to be made for the rotary magazine to clear the bottom of the scope tube. This usually requires a higher set of rings than if the only requirement is clearance between the objective bell of the scope and the barrel. This also means a one-piece scope mount won't work because of the gap in the Picatinny rail necessary to accommodate the magazine.

MDT rings provide a solid scope mount for air rifles.

MDT BIPODS

Like a conventional firearm, to hit consistently with an air rifle, it's necessary to hold the rifle steady while discharging the shot. However, the time a pellet spends in the barrel of an airgun is significantly longer than the time a bullet spends in the barrel of a centerfire rifle. This makes follow-through after the shot a more important part of the shot sequence, something a support system like a bipod can contribute significantly to. Most modern PCP rifles have the capability to add a bipod, and if they don't, a little simple home gunsmithing will provide it. My Stoeger XM1 Ranger in .22 caliber comes with a short section of Picatinny rail which can be fastened to the forend. An MDT double-pull CKYE-POD fits perfectly and provides that extra support when needed.

REAR SHOOTING BAG

A variety of support bags are helpful in most rifle shooting endeavors, and this is the case with air rifles, too. When zeroing an airgun, the bipod does a good job of supporting the front of the rifle, but the butt needs support as well, so something like MDT's Peanut Bag gets the call there. I've also found their Traveller bag useful when stalking pests around the corrals of a feedlot, as it provides a solid padded spot to rest the front end of the rifle on a fence rail, much like what I've seen PRS competitors do when shooting from rail-like props.

Bipods and shooting bags are as useful with air rifles as they are with any other rifle.

MDT ANTI-CANT LEVEL

Another valuable item to airgunners is an anti-cant device like the Send-iT level. Most shooters think these devices are only needed for long-range shooting, as the error a noticeable cant introduces at shorter ranges is insignificant. While that line of thought can be correct, the reason rifle cant becomes an issue at long range is the height of the bullet's trajectory. That high arc, present when shooting at long range, means the rifle must be leveled for the bullet to impact where it belongs. However, air rifles, with their low velocity and poor ballistic coefficient, have that high trajectory built into them. While 1000 yards is long range for a centerfire rifle, 100 yards is much the same for a pellet firing air rifle, making the elimination of cant one more step towards successful hits.

The Send-iT level can be easily moved between rifles and has a place on airguns, too.

I'm certainly no airgun expert, but I still enjoy shooting them. Adding these accessories has increased my hit potential and, therefore, my enjoyment as well.

RIMFIRE RESOURCE FROM MDT

• MDT Mention: A Look at our Rimfire Chassis Options
• TUNING A RIMFIRE RIFLE WITH A TORQUE WRENCH
• Rimfire Redemption: The Case For A 22 Rifle
• How to Become a Pro Shooter Without Ammunition
• Pushing the Limits of Economic 22 LR Builds
• How Pro Shooter Andy Slade sets up his Rimfire Rifle
• $10,000 Rimfire Build

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Al Voth calls himself a "student of the gun." Retired from a 35-year career in law enforcement, including nine years on an Emergency Response Team, he now works as an editor, freelance writer, and photographer, in addition to keeping active as a consultant in the field he most recently left behind—forensic firearm examination. He is a court-qualified expert in that forensic discipline, having worked in that capacity in three countries. When he's not working these days, you'll likely find him hunting varmints and predators (the 4-legged variety).