I’m often asked which airgun is myfavourite and for years I’vechopped and changed, according towhat I’ve been using at the time andhow it’s performed for me. Now, afterquite a few years testing airguns forthis magazine, the editor asked methat very question and I’m going forone rifle. Not only that, I think I’ll besticking with it this time. Well, I say‘one rifle’, but what I really mean istwo; one pre-charged pneumatic andone spring-piston. I’ll cover myfavourite springer next month, butfor now, I’ll announce the DaystateHuntsman Classic as my all-timefavourite PCP rifle.

Why the Huntsman?There were so many reasons why theHuntsman Classic has made the topof my favourite rifle shortlist,that by the time I’dlisted them all, theeditor told me to sortout a full test and

explain them that way. Having testeda Huntsman Classic a couple ofyears back, and having spoken toDaystate’s main man, Tony Belas, onthe changes introduced to the riflesince then, I can reveal thateverything, every nut, bolt, washer,tube, spring, finishing process andfunction has changed since theHuntsman’s introduction in 2007.Just about the only major componentthat remains as-is from the firstHuntsman is the air-inlet valve, andeven that is made for Daystate by adifferent company and to a highertolerance spec. Quite afew feature changes toreport on, then, so I’dbetter get on

with it. Before I start, though, I’dlike to sum up why I rate theHuntsman so highly; basically, it’sbecause it has my favouritecombination of performance,handling and looks. Now let’s breakall that down into chunks I canexplain and you can digest.

All change…Now, as much as the moretechnically-appreciative among youmight relish a part-by-part run-through of every oily bit Daystate hasaltered over the four or so years of

HuntsmanClassic production,

there’s no way on thisearth I’m going to do that. What I

will do, is cover the more importantand interesting changes, beginningwith the barrel.The barrel assembly of the

Huntsman Classic is shorter,compared to the original model, butthe barrel itself remains the same,17-inch, Lothar Walther match grademodel it always was, apart from thefinish on it; in that there’s no finishthese days, save for a protectivebarrier oil treatment. Daystatediscovered that the Huntsman’sbarrel did a better job if it wasn’tblacked, and seeing that it’s housedinside a shroud where it can’t beseen, the exterior finish was

pointless anyway.You’ll notice that the

breech face of the barrelis still ‘in the white’ as it’s known,as soon as you remove the 10-shotmagazine, and you can keepeverything pristine inside the bore bytaking Daystate’s recommendationand using lubricated pellets.

AIRGUN WORLD 51

ON TEST: THE HUNTSMAN CLASSIC

£739.00

George Stevens declares the Daystate Huntsman Classic to be his all-timefavourite PCP sporter

NONE FINER!

shaping and inletting, it has to gothrough a unique drying process, butDaystate believe it’s worth it, and forwhat it’s worth, I agree with them.The result is a pure sporter stock

that has all the control a hunterneeds, from the fore end tip to thespecially commissioned ventilatedrubber butt pad. Tony Belas was onholiday when he discovered thecompany Daystate use tomanufacture these butt pads, and itgoes to show that these top airgunpeople are never off duty. I betTony’s missus loved him prospectingpotential suppliers during the familyholiday, about as much as mine willappreciate me buying a DaystateHuntsman, but it’s been quite awhile since I added anythingsubstantial to my armoury, so I mayget away with it. Too late now,anyway; by the time this magazinecomes out, my new Huntsman willbe a fixture.Back to the stock, and a word of

praise for its scope height cheekpiece. This feature is just about theright height for me, and that’sunusual these days. Most cheekpieces are a fraction too low for me,but provided the chosen scope isn’ttoo mad in the objective lensdepartment, that cheek piece willguide your sighting eye, and your aim,without you having to think about it.A neat rosewood grip cap and just

about the best chequering offered onairguns, plus an overall standard offinish that elevates the whole rifle,makes the Huntsman Classic’s stocktruly special. In fact, it’s beautiful,and that ‘Classic’ title is well placed.Having previously tested theHuntsman, I know how well it usedto shoot, and it’s going to be morethan interesting to discover what itstotal evolution amounts to in termsof shooting performance. Well,there’s only one way to find out.

On the benchWell, if ever a rifle looks out of placeon a bench it’s this one, but restingthe Huntsman is the only way todiscover its clinical accuracypotential, so I need to do it. The .22test rifle came fitted with an MTCMamba Lite 3-12 x 45 and its fullmagnification setting allowed me tosee each pellet hole as it appearedon my target card. Typically, Daystatehad already zeroed the combinationwith Rangemaster Li pellets, and I

Daystate’s own brand RangemasterLi pellets come ready-lubed, andready-accurate, too, which is hardly asurprise, because they’ve beendeveloped to perform in thecompany’s barrels. Experiment withother brands of pellet by allmeans, but keep a bit of lubeon them to maintain thebore. I’ve done this withall my pre-chargedpneumatics and sodoes the editor andmost of the people Igo hunting with. Infact, I can’tthink ofanyone I

know whodoesn’t uselubricated pelletsin their PCPs.It’s a subjectworthy of a re-visit from JimTyler and ProfessorMike, I reckon.Meanwhile, back at

the barrel assembly,there’s a diffuser just aheadof the muzzle and, on firing,this directs a proportion of theair blast back into the voidbetween the barrel and its shroud.The result is quite impressive as faras silencing the shot goes, and Iwould (and will), happily use theHuntsman Classic without itsoptional Reflex silencer.

Hammer timeThe Huntsman Classic’s firingsystem is ‘mechanical’, rather thancomputer controlled, but thatdoesn’t mean it lacks theadvancements invested inDaystate’s groundbreakingelectronic rifles. In fact, the verysame genius, Steve Harper, who isbehind the development of thosedo-everything superguns, is the man

who invented the Huntsman’sSlingshot Hammer

system.The Slingshotcomprises aninner strikerand an outercasing, withthe valvestriker

‘reverse-sprung’ to pullthe striker backafter its initialimpact withthe valve,allowing thevalve to closequickly andcleanly, with nohammer ‘bounce’ at all.The valve itself is anotherinnovative Harperdevelopment, the Micro-valve,and the combination yields anupgrade that takes theperformance way beyond theHuntsman Classic of 2007.

Each rifle is assembled andcalibrated individually, and by that Imean it’s tested to define the perfectfill pressure for that particularexample. This pressure is displayedin the form of a decal on the front-right of the breech block, and in thetest rifle’s case was 220-bar. Fromthis fill pressure, the Huntsman’s114cc reservoir produces over 70,full-power shots in .177, and over 80in .22. Think about that for amoment; that’s about a large mugfulof available air-space we’re dealingwith, there, and getting the means tofill four huge rucksacks with rabbitsfrom it. As already stated, theHarper hammer and valvingsystem is incredibly efficient.

All that efficiency needsguidance, of course, andthat comes courtesy of theHuntsman’s superb, oiledwalnut stock. Even here,though, the understated

sporter styling conceals some serioustechnology. First, the Huntsman wasdesigned to have its action andreservoir sitting as low aspossible in the stock, andthat meant having thereservoir recessspecially created byItalianstockmakingmaestros, Minelli.To get the stockblank in the rightcondition toaccept therequired

As I said, none finer.

ON TEST: THE HUNTSMAN CLASSIC

AIRGUN WORLD52

For an extra £55, you can come tothe Daystate factory and chooseyour own stock. Or, for the sameprice, you can let Daystate pick outa stock to your guidelines.Incidentally, the stock on the testrifle isn’t one of the ‘selected’ ones;I’m assured that they’re better thanthis one. That’s impressive.

Select Service

adjusted thescope’s turrets aclick or two moreout of habit thananything else. Itried a range ofpellets – more of ashortlist to be fair – andwhile the JSB and H&N FTTrophy pushed Daystate’s own brandfairly close, I stuck with the Li.At 45 yards, with the scope still on

12x, I repeatedly punched out groupsof well inside an inch, and withoutreally concentrating on the job. WhenI set my sights on the 35-yard card Iknuckled down and did the jobproperly, creating the cloverleaf

groups I knew would come from arifle of this quality. Those groupsaveraged 14mm in diameter, so thepellets were actually landing within10mm of each other, and that’s allthe confidence I need right there. Ipushed the range right out to anunrealistic 50 yards, where, on apleasingly frequent basis, I connectedwith the one-inch circles drawn on thetarget cards, and I did the same withthe rack of spinners I have downthere, but the real business of the daywas conducted at 35.The chrono told me that the

Huntsman Classic was consistent tothe tune of 15 f.p.s. variation over60 shots, and just 10 f.p.s. over the

Huntsman Classic really earns itskeep, but looking fantastic while itdoes so is a great bonus. Style andfunction meet in my all-time favouritepre-charged sporter. The Classic isone of the great sporters of our time –says me.

magazine is lower in profile, too, andjust about fitted under the MambaLite’s body tube, which provedperfect for my head position.As for balance, I didn’t notice it;

which is just about the best type ofbalance a rifle can have. When youdon’t have to think about thebalance of your rifle, making it partof your technique becomes natural,quick and easy. When everything fits,works and performs without anyfurther thought about it, that’s theicing on the handling cake. This riflehas it all, and more.The trigger works perfectly, and if

it isn’t to your liking you can adjustit until it is, and that chrome boltcan be swapped for a black one ifyou’re freaked out about havinganything shiny on a hunting rifle. Ialso like the latest-generationpressure gauge and that stockchequering really does do the job, forhand and eye. In fact, just about theonly thing I don’t like about theHuntsman Classic is its triggerguard, which to me looks a bitcheap. Otherwise, this is my perfecthunting rifle, and I’m officiallyconfirming that fact.

VerdictThe Daystate Huntsman Classic worksfor me on every level. I love the way itlooks and I really love the way itshoots. The technology that producesits superb performance is hiddenwithin its discrete action, and there’snothing flash about it. All I can do, isto recommend anyone who’s in themarket for a classic sporter to get nextto one of these rifles and put it toyour shoulder. That’s where the

first 30 shots, afterthree ‘clearing’ shotsto get everythingwarmed up andrunning as it should. Idon’t know if I actually

need to do this but Ialways do, especially with

springers. I just feel easier when myhunting rifles are run-in before thefirst proper shot of the hunting day.

In the fieldIf the benchrest is alien territory forthe Huntsman Classic, the huntingfield is its natural domain. This rifleis a true, traditional sporter, but onewith the advantages of modern

technology where they matter most.The magazine has been refinedthrough several stages and is nownoticeably smoother and moreprecise in action.This improvement is difficult to

quantify, in measurable terms atleast, but these latest generationmagazines just have more ‘authority’about them. Yes, that sounds flaky,but the mag’s movement is smootherand the ‘clicks’ are more precise.Most importantly, the functionthroughout the test was flawless …but then that was the case withother versions, so I’m forced toconclude that the latest mag’ doeswhat it always did, only better. The

AIRGUN WORLD 53

The 10-shot magazine is asnug fit beneath the scope.

ON TEST: THE HUNTSMAN CLASSIC

“IT’S BEAUTIFUL,AND THAT‘CLASSIC’TITLE IS WELL

PLACED”

I want a rifle that lets

me enjoy every aspect of

owning it, and the

Huntsman Classic does

just that - and

more

PRIORITIES

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONModel: Huntsman Classic

Manufacturer: Daystate

Country of origin: UK, stock made in Italy

Type: Pre-charged, multi-shot sporter

Calibre: .22, .177

Cocking: Bolt-action

Loading: Via 10-shot, removable, rotarymagazine

Trigger: 2-stage adjustable, set-back blade

Stock type: Oiled walnut sporter

Weight: 2.8kg (6.3lbs) unscoped

Length: 928mm (36.5ins)

Barrel: 430mm (17ins)

Fill pressure: Varies according to individualmodel set-up. 220 bar

Shots per charge: 80-plus in .22, 70-plus in.177

Variation over 30 shots: 10 fps. 15 f.p.s. over60 shots

Average energy: 11.4 ft.lbs.

Best group at 35 yards: 12mm diameter

Average group at 35 yards: 14mm

Favoured pellet of test rifle: DaystateRangemaster Li

Other notable pellets on test: Air Arms DiaboloField, Daystate Heavies

Options: Silencer (£58), selected stock (£55)sling studs fitted (£35), brass bolt handle (£11)

Contact: Daystate on 01782 791 755

Price: £739.00

Each rifle has its own ideal fillingpressure, and an SWP badge to record it.

Note the ‘in the white’ barrel.

Fill it - forget it. This rifle won’t let medown at any level.