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The JTS Airacuda PRS Max that recently arrived at the HAM offices was accompanied by a JTS 2-16 x 50 riflescope. Being unfamiliar with the JTS scope range, I thought that this warranted a separate look. So here it is… To be precise, this scope is part of the company’s Shadow Series of riflescopes. Pyramyd has five models available for sale and two things immediately stand out. Firstly, the specifications are quite varied, but all high-end. Secondly, these are not bargain-basement scopes: so their purchase warrants appropriate consideration. We’ll start this HAM post by providing a summary of the range. ModelTube SizeMagnification RangePrice 6-24 x 5030 mm4 x$599.99 2-16 x 5030 mm8 x$799.99 3-18 x 5034 mm6 x$899.99 5-25 x...

By popular request, there’s now a choice of HAM Community display modes. The original “Light” (black text on a white background) mode has been joined by a new “Dark” (white text on a black background) version. So now you can choose the way you most prefer to view the HAM Community. In fact, there’s three choices. You can select to always view in Light mode. Or you can always view in Dark mode. There’s also an automatic setting (called “System”). This will change between Light and Dark modes automatically, depending on whether you have the Operating System of your computer, or cellphone set to do this. The Light mode looks like this (it’s the way it’s always looked)… The Dark mode appears so… Making the change is simple...

Today we’re taking a first look at the JTS Airacuda PRS Max air rifle. This is a new version of the existing Airacuda Max incorporating an Aluminum chassis. The result is a PCP that aims to provide an attractively-priced air rifle for use in benchrest and PRS-style competitions. Particularly for benchrest use, a minimum configuration would comprise the gun, a powerful scope and a bipod. So equipped, the PRS Max rig shown here weighs-in at a substantial 13 Lbs 6 Oz. Of course, weight – more of it – is a benefit for benchrest use, so the PRS Max is not intended to be a general-purpose configuration. There’s the standard wood-stocked version of the gun if you want to hunt, plink or shoot other disciplines. The chassis of the JTS...

A Hawke Airmax compact rifle scope arrived recently in the HAM offices. Specifically it’s the Hawke 4 – 16 x 44 Airmax 30 SF Compact; to give it’s full, official description. Now this is not exactly a new scope. However it is the first time that I have really looked at the compact a version of the Airmax family, so we’re sharing it here today. In particular it’s good to look at this compact Airmax as – at just 11.7 Inches long, it’s ideal for use with the compact PCP carbines that are all the rage recently. So I mounted it on a new Air Venturi Alpha Compact, as you can see from the photographs. In fact, there are three versions of the Hawke Airmax compact rifle scope range. Apart from the 4 – 16 x 44 model we have here, there’s...

Before starting this Air Venturi MicroStrike PCP air rifle review, we need to mention a couple of things. Firstly, the MicroStrike is officially designated as a pistol. However the HAM Team feels certain that the overwhelming majority of owners will shoot it with stock attached, as a compact carbine. That’s how we tested it. So we’re calling it an air rifle! Secondly, the gun was not new to us. It was a very early, maybe even pre-production model, that had been used for testing by Air Venturi, but was in perfect condition. That previous use is important to note. As always, Hard Air Magazine tests guns “as received”. We make no changes. So it was interesting to discover that the regulator pressure was reading surprisingly low at...

Now that we’re very close to the end of the year, it’s a good time to look at Hard Air Magazine’s 2025 most popular airgun reviews. In fact, this “Top 20” most-read reviews list is really YOUR list! It’s based entirely on what you spent time reading in 2025. First, let’s note that – as HAM has a world-leading 264 comparable, structured airgun and airgun-related reviews on the site – it’s quite an achievement for any product even to make it into this “Top 20”. The Most Popular Review – Weihrauch HW100 Sporter Carbine In first place, we have the Weihrauch HW100 Sporter Carbine. In fact it’s our review of this PCP air rifle was first published in 2024. This HW100 was – of course – a HAM Gold Award winner, earning an ultra-high score of...

VALUE FOR MONEY At a current selling price of $779.99, the Weihrauch HW98 air rifle sits at the upper end of the company’s spring/piston, breakbarrel air rifle range. That’s the upper end of both price and performance… As most air gunners will know, Weihrauch-Sport produces multiple “quality first” spring/piston-powered break barrel air rifles. However the HW98 is unusual in several ways. These include a short barrel, the stock design and being a scope only model. The HW98 has been available for over 25 years – it was introduced in 1998. So it’s a relatively modern model in terms of Weihrauch chronology! The main design change during this production period has been the move to a slightly re-designed stock in 2024. In line with...

The Daystate Blackwolf Zero is a second new model that will be publicly launched by the manufacturer at the 2026 British Shooting Show in Birmingham from February 13 – 15. (The other is the BRK Ghost Zero that HAM covered in this previous post). The Blackwolf Zero is designed to be a baseline chassis configuration for the platform. For this reason it offers a simplified feature-set that an enthusiastic owner can use as a blank canvas to customize for their own specific requirements, Daystate explains. Yet the Blackwolf Zero remains a full-featured gun that can be used successfully “as is” by a wide variety of airgunners. Let’s look at the differences… One obvious change is that the Zero has a generic pistol grip, as opposed to...

The 2026 Leapers catalog is now available and you can see it online here. As always, this catalog is a gold mine for interesting scopes, upgrades, accessories and more… Yes, of course Leapers has a website. However this more traditional format still appeals to many as it displays the company’s product range in a different way. UTG products are shown in a “range by range” manner that makes it easy to gain an overview of how the models compare. But – connoisseurs of the company’s catalogues will notice that there has been a big shift in the concept, design and presentation of this year’s catalog. A comparison with the 2025 Leapers catalog illustrates the difference. For 2026, we have a “portrait” (upright), rather than landscape...

There’s a new BRK Ghost Zero PCP air rifle that’s been announced by the UK manufacturer. And yes, it’s going to be one of the new models that will be seen for the first time by many people at the 2026 British Shooting Show. The main difference between the Ghost Zero and the other Ghost variants is that it is equipped with a 300 cc capacity HPA tube instead of a carbon fiber bottle. Some people prefer the looks and handling of a tube-fed PCP air rifle over the bottle gun equivalents. So – if this applies to you – this could be the Ghost you have been waiting for! But you’ll need to be sure as this is a “one time” decision. Apparently the HPA tube version cannot accept a carbon fiber bottle, should you change your mind in future. But...

Fully detailed information is starting to arrive about the new KalibrGun Cricket 3 PCP air rifle. First announced at the IWA OutdoorClassics show in 2025 (that’s a very early prototype I’m looking at in the photograph below), the Cricket 3 has recently been released in Europe. It should make it to the USA early in 2026. We need to stress that this is advanced information, based on US-specification prototype testing, but it does give a good idea of the capabilities of this “just out of the works” new model. KalibrGun explained the development to us as follows: “The Cricket 3 was originally intended to be a Cricket 2 with a spring-loaded magazine. However, the Snipe model—with its updated air-valve system—brought some important...

As HAM readers know, we occasionally cover interesting new optical devices as they can be ideal tools for hunting. So let’s take a look at these new Sightron SV 10×42 ED binoculars… The company’s latest binoculars offer a wide field exceeding 70° of apparent field of view – a big benefit for glassing. To achieve this, Sightron utilizes a field flattener system to ensure excellent image quality from center to edge. Phase-correction coating on the prism delivers a bright, high-contrast field of view, the company says. Objective lenses manufactured from special low-dispersion (ED) lenses provide crisp, clear, extremely sharp high-resolution images that are claimed to be free from chromatic aberration. Sightron SV binoculars have lenses...

Barbara Pellegrino is a relative newcomer to the airgun scene. She has burst onto the scene with strong finishes in multiple major competitions, including winning the AAFTA GP Championships in both 2024 and 2025. So how does she do it? Read on to find out in this exclusive HAM interview… Hard Air Magazine: Barbara, how long have you been shooting airguns and how did you become involved? Barbara Pellegrino: My first shot ever from an airgun was Nov. 14, 2020. The moment was recorded by these photographs! My husband Tony was spending a lot of time with this new hobby of airguns. He had found some friends online that he was “pesting” with and when I complained about how much time he was spending doing it, I should have seen the...

The new Air Venturi Avenge-X Micro Bullpup PCP is the latest addition to this popular, modular air rifle family. Right back at the Avenge-X introduction in January 2023, Air Venturi laid-out plans for a complete system of configurations. The company certainly has delivered on that promise, introducing a wide range of models since that time. For example, the HAM Gold Award-winning Avenge-X Tactical. So the new Avenge-X Micro Bullpup is ideally-positioned to capitalize on the recent burgeoning interest in compact PCPs. With an overall length of just 26.25 Inches and weight of 7 Lbs 7 Oz, it offers great handling for hunting in confined spaces plus easy portability and storage. The Micro is offered in both .22 and .25 calibers. In the...

Yes, there’s lots of Weihrauch news this month! Now we can tell you that the new HW30 Junior air rifle is becoming available at Airguns of Arizona. Well, actually a little bird told us that an initial batch of this new youth air rifle was delivered recently. But they sold out immediately! So AoA has more on order from the factory and you can reserve yours with a $25.00 deposit. Let’s be clear. This is a very unusual air rifle! Sure, it’s small and light. It’s easy to cock and shoot. Plus it’s suitable for youth shooters who may find a larger air rifle un-managable. But the real innovation here is that this is a high quality starter air rifle. Unlike most other youth airguns, it’s not a cheap “throwaway” product. In fact it’s a...

The Air Venturi Alpha PCP air rifle is a “surprise” new introduction. Typically, new air rifles will be announced at the SHOT Show in January. But here is the Alpha, making its debut in November 2025! Now the Alpha is actually a “platform product”. It’s going to be available in multiple different configurations. There will be different barrel lengths, long and short HPA tubes, plus “bottle” versions. Something for everyone. It’s a very versatile, customizable airgun! Today we are looking at the first configuration of the Alpha to become available. It’s the compact version with short barrel and correspondingly short, 118 cc capacity, HPA pressure tube. Whatever the configuration, the Air Venturi Alpha PCP air rifle has a side lever...

Today we’re taking an exclusive first detailed look at the new Weihrauch HW100X air rifle. Weihrauch airguns are always hugely popular among HAM readers, so I’m sure you will enjoy this update to yesterday’s announcement story. Thanks to the help of Felix Weihrauch, we can look at a selection of detailed close-up photographs of this PCP air rifle. There’s also strong indications that the HW100X will become available in a variety of configurations, similar to those of the existing HW100 model. However I must stress that this is an advanced “peek behind the curtain”. Full details of specific configurations and their availability will be revealed in due course… Above we see that the Weihrauch HW100X will be available in multiple...

Today we have details of the latest Weihrauch HW 100 X announcement. Plus there’s also news of some changes coming to the HW 110 range. HW 100 Family Background Weihrauch launched its first PCP air rifle, the HW 100, more than 20 years ago. HAM first reviewed the HW100 – actually a HW 100T-FSB model in .177 caliber, to be precise – back in 2017. It was an easy HAM Gold Award winner with a stellar 94% score. Doug Rogers, the HAM reviewer, loves the HW 100 and still competes regularly with his .177 caliber version in Field Target competition. So there’s no doubt that the HW 100 has proven itself over the years. In the typical Weihrauch manner, it has been continuously developed with small, but significant improvements. Weihrauch...

All airgunners know the quality of their products. But what’s it really like working at Weihrauch? Let’s find out… Working at Weihrauch – Background First a couple of reminders. Weihrauch-Sport is a German company. All its airguns (and firearms, as it manufactures those too) are produced in Germany at its’ facility in the pretty small town of Mellrichstadt, Bavaria (population 5,500). The Weihrauch company is 126 year old. It’s still a real “family company”, run on a day-to-day basis by the direct descendants of the original founders. It’s never been sold-out, taken-over or absorbed by some big, soulless corporation or venture capital group. That’s fantastic! Below, attendees at a recognition dinner for long-service employees in...

CMP Air Rifle and Air Pistol Competition Rules are issued annually. They form the basis for the largest structured airgun shooting discipline in the USA – 10 Meter, Three Position competition. But this year the CMP Air Rifle and Air Pistol Rulebook is delayed, as explained below. CMP rulebooks are released on the 1st of December every year. This is one month before they will take effect on the 1st of January. This early release gives competitors and match sponsors in those disciplines a head start on preparing for their next competition year. Unfortunately the completion of two 2026 CMP rulebooks is being delayed while the shooting world awaits final decisions from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) regarding major...