Normally, "trifecta" is a betting term, usually used in greyhound and horse racing, meaning that you picked the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in a race, and they finished in the exact order in which you picked them. In this case, I'm using the term to mean three absolutely first rate PCP air rifles.
The trifecta left to right ... AA 410 ERBSL .22 rifle ... AA 410 CRBSL .22 carbine ... and the AA 510 TC .22 ... twin air cylinder rifle.
Part one of the "trifecta"... My AA 410 ERBSL .22 rifle.
I purchased my AA 410 ERBSL rifle several years ago, right after the folks at Air Arms in England first introduced their new side lever action PCP's. Since I primarily hunt, and the distances to the hunted critters can sometimes get out there a ways, in very windy conditions, and I want the added energy and larger caliber wound channel carried downrange, I chose one in .22 cal. The rifle originally came to me with the sporter stock on it. I later acquired an AA 410 CRBSL carbine, with a thumbhole stock on it, and I now just swap the thumbhole stock between guns, as the mood strikes.
At the time I acquired the AA 410 ERBSL rifle, I was still working on my DVD, "Airgun Hunting the California Ground Squirrel", and was shooting the DYNAMIC PCP-2 tin alloy pellets out of her. The performance with the tin pellets in this rifle is excellent, and she accounted for a lot of ground squirrels.
Shooting the tin pellets, she would typically give me 30 shots at 950 fps avg., for 29 fpe at the muzzle. That is more than enough power to take ground squirrels out to 100+ yards.
It is most definitely a full sized adult PCP air rifle. With the 30mm tube, MTC Viper 4-16x50mm scope, that I have mounted on her, she weighs right at 9.5 pounds. I like a heavy rifle for some of my hunting situations, but not all. The search for a lighter rig for tree squirrel hunting, led to my acquiring the second gun in my Air Arms "trifecta". The AA 410 CRBSL carbine version of the AA 410 series of rifles.
A group of ground squirrels taken with my AA 410 ERBSL .22, shooting PCP-2 tin pellets.
Part two of the "trifecta"... My AA 410 CRBSL .22 carbine.
When we moved to Northern Arizona, the challenge of hunting tree squirrels suddenly opened up for me. The Ponderosa Pine forests, that cover the high mountains here in Northern Arizona, are inhabited by the Abert's Tassel Eared tree squirrels.
These guys are large, well dispersed, and very challenging to hunt. I knew I would be hunting them at elevations from about 7000 feet, to around 9000 feet. Humping a heavy rifle, that I prefer for hunting prairie dogs on the relatively flat, windy, and lower elevation terrain that they are found in, at higher elevations for tree squirrels, isn't my idea of a fun hunt.
I really liked my AA 410 rifle, so I started thinking about the carbine version. It wasn't long before I had an opportunity to pick up a used, but in like new condition, AA 410 CRBSL carbine, with thumbhole stock. I really like thumbhole stocks for hunting with, so this was a real bonus.
After doing some pellet testing, I settled on the 15.9/16 grain JSB Jumbo pellet for use in this rifle. The accuracy with the JSB's is superb, and the muzzle energy is 27 fpe, for 20 shots. With the Bushnell Legend 5-15x40mm scope I mounted on her, the carbine comes in right at 7.5 pounds. Two pounds less than my AA 410 rifle. When hunting in the thin air found at higher elevations, carrying two pounds less, is huge.
This rig has become one of my favorite tree squirrel rifles. I used her to hunt prairie dogs with only one time. I had some success, but it was very challenging staying on target. It's nice to carry a light rifle in a prairie dog town, but realistically, it's not the best choice. It's always windy in the dog towns, and a light rifle makes it more difficult to hold on small targets in the wind. You need some weight in the rifle, to give some ballast, and help with holding on target in those constantly blowing conditions.
The AA 410 CRBSL carbine has turned out to be just about perfect for the use I bought her for, and I'm glad I picked it up when I had the chance.
Abert's Tree Squirrels taken with my AA 410CRBSL carbine, shooting 15.9/16 grain JSB pellets.
Part three of the "trifecta"... My new AA 510 TC .22 rifle.
When I first saw the picture of this rifle, when it was introduced at this years SHOT Show, I thought, "hmm, not really too sure about this one." Then I started to hear a bit more about it, and it soon started to grow on me. I decided, what the heck, let's add one to the airsenal.
Initial impressions have been very favorable. Because of the high fire danger in the National Forest around me, it's closed to any and all shooting, so I haven't had a chance to shoot her on paper at 50 yards yet. At 20 yards indoors, she's stacking 18 grain JSB's one on top of the other. I expect she'll be a shooter, out of doors, at longer ranges as well.
The way I have her adjusted at the moment, I'll run six mags, (60 shots) through her on a hunt. She's launching the 18 grain JSB's at an average of 856 fps, for 29.4 fpe at the muzzle. More than enough power to take prairie dogs out to 100 yards.
Air Arms makes some nice rifles, and I'm happy to have these three in my collection.
In summary, my AA 410 CRBSL .22 carbine gives me 20 shots at 27 fpe, my AA 410ERBSL .22 rifle gives me 30 shots at 29/30 fpe, and my AA 510 TC .22 rifle gives me 60 shots at a little over 29 fpe.
No field experience with the AA 510 TC yet, but that will change here in a couple of weeks, when I get her out for a three day prairie dog hunt.
All in all, I'm very pleased with my "trifecta" of Air Arms PCP's. The side lever actions are very smooth, the accuracy is top notch, and they are a ton of fun to own and shoot.
The other side.
