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Walther “Falcon” Magnum Air Rifle Test
Powerful Magnum Air Rifle With Highly Effective Camo
By Tom Holzel
Why do air rifle varmint hunters who spend considerable effort in camouflaging themselves in order to creep up to their quarry, still wonder why they often have little luck in getting close enough before they are spotted? One reason is they are unwittingly waving a red flag in front of themselves! It is their shiny rifle! Many hunters just will not camouflage their rifle and telescopic sight. After all, they just spent a pretty penny buying it, and it is admittedly a mechanical work of art. Thus, the idea of hiding this revered object by covering it with mere cloth just never enters their minds. So as concealed as their body may be, their rifle stands out like sore thumb.
Enter the Walther Model “Falcon.” Here is a magnum air rifle that not only stands head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in effective concealment, but its sheer power takes it right to the top-in-class of magnum hunting air rifles.
In the picture to the right, you can see a camouflaged Walther Falcon next to a “naked” RWS Model 54 air rifle. Effective camouflage also requires covering the telescopic sight and barrel. Even simple wrapping paper, used here to illustrate the effect of breaking up the straight line of the barrel, shows how effective the Falcon’s Mossy Oak camo pattern is in the real world. The difference between an uncamouflaged and camouflaged rifle is remarkable in terms of concealment.
But, the Walther Falcon is much more than just a pretty face. At 26 Lbs-ft muzzle energy, it is also one of the most powerful single-cock break-barrel rifles currently on the market. Cocking it requires a hefty pull; a maneuver that becomes progressively easier as you get the knack of it. As I shot the Falcon, I found it easier and easier to cock, and the massive energy compared to other guns made it well worth the effort.
The chart above shows the energy of the Walther Falcon using three different pellets. The three pellets used were the high quality RWS Super Dome, Super Point, and Super-H-Point. Eight to nine pound-feet is still available out to a maximum practical range of nearly 60 yards—twice the minimum energy necessary to down much small game.
As with all magnum spring piston air rifles, the Falcon delivers a hefty kick. It’s the closest air rifle to shooting a center-fire rifle—and excellent training for the fall deer season. But hunters moving up from medium-power air rifles (or low-powered target rifles) will have to pay attention to the need to hold loosely—not clutch—this powerful gun. Lay the stock in your open palm, sight your target, squeeze the single-stage trigger--and let the gun jump. A couple of hundred rounds and you will have learned that “easy does it” works best, and be able to achieve the 2-inch accuracy at the maximum range this powerful gun is capable of.
The splendid 3-9X44 telescopic sight that is mounted on top has an intensity-adjustable lighted reticle for shooting in flat light or on overcast (or rainy) days. As with all magnums, be sure to Loctite all scope mounting screws or pernicious scope creep is certain to follow. Those who prefer to hunt with open sights will delight in the Walther Falcon's bright red fiber optic front sight. Even in dubious lighting this open sight collects daylight and beams it to the shooter, lighting up beautifully and eliminating the momentary confusion of finding the front sight for a quick reaction shot. The rear sight consists of twin-dots of green, making for excellent sight acquisition.
In the chart above, you can see that the trajectories of the three pellets are quite close, with the Super H Point eking out a few yards of extra range within the +2-inch rise we prefer, and an extra lbs-ft of energy at 50 yards.
Because energy and range of these three hunting pellets are so similar, hunters will want to select the pellet that gives the most consistent performance for their particular rifle—and that can be discovered only by testing--and which has the best terminal ballistics in the critter of their choice. Given the fine ballistic performance of all three pellets, any one will put you right on target.
Overall, I highly recommend this rifle both for its ability to keep you concealed while hunting as well as its tremendous power and accuracy.
Items mentioned in this article:
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