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The Daystate CR-X Air Rifle
By Brad Troyer
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American Field target has evolved over the years into a precision shooting sport that has become known for it’s many innovations with airguns and related equipment. The airguns have also evolved and improved along with the game. There are many guns available these days that are capable of shooting ½-¾" groups at 50 yards without much difficulty. The distinguishing factor between the top rifles is the ability to shoot them accurately. There are many factors that affect how easy a rifle is to shoot accurately, stock ergonomics, trigger, barrel, lock time and the shooting cycle all have their effects. A really good rifle must address all of these factors if it wants to have a chance in the high power match rifle arena. Daystate has successfully done just that with their CR-X rifle.
The CR-X has been available since the fall of 1999 and has found great favor among many field target shooters, me being one of them. I received mine in September of ’99 and immediately knew that it was something special. So special in fact that I went on to tie for third place with it at the 1999 U.S. Nationals just two months later. If I had done my part the rifle was easily capable of winning that match, but that is another story.
The CR-X builds on a successful line of match rifles that Daystate has produced over the years. The X is based on the CR94/97 design and closely resembles them in action design. However the X has a 21" Walther barrel and a longer air reservoir. It also has a newly designed trigger unit that is much better than it’s predecessor. It also comes with a new stock design that features an improved cheek piece adjustment and a host of accessories that can be attached to it, more on that later.
The biggest complaint many shooters had with the CR94/97 rifles was the inconsistent and mushy feel of the trigger. Daystate, under the guidance of owner Gary Sanders, listened to the shooting community and design a new trigger unit for the X. The new trigger has all of the standard match adjustments but more than that, it can be adjusted down to mere ounces of pull weight and still break cleanly. It also has an adjustable trigger blade that can be moved up and down on the trigger shaft, forward and backward, swung out to the side and the blade can be turned 360 degrees. It can be set to either double stage or single stage (which I prefer for competition).
The trigger design uses three screws to set the pull weight. The three screws represent a heavy, medium, and light adjustment. To set the trigger, the desired weight range is selected and the appropriate screw is turned to contact the sear. Adjusting the sear properly however can be a bit tricky as making adjustments to the trigger weight also affects the sear engagement and travel adjustments. It is best left to a professional, however if you decide to adjust it yourself, read the instructions carefully once or twice before attempting it.
Daystate stayed with the Lothar-Walther barrel for the X but chose to increase it to 21". The thought was that it would improve long range accuracy, power and overall balance. When I first heard that they were increasing the barrel length I thought that it was a mistake, however after testing the X I was happy to see that I was wrong. The X grouped great with many ½" 50 yard groups. The test rifle liked both the Crosman Premier and Kodiak Match pellets. The barrel also accepts either a redesigned compensator or the standard moderator.
| Crosman Premiers 10.5 |
Beeman Kodiak Match |
|
|---|---|---|
| Average Velocity | 822 | 835 |
| Standard Deviation | 3.02 | 1.82 |
| Highest | 826 | 838 |
| Lowest | 816 | 831 |
| Extreme Spread | 10 | 7 |
| Weight | 10.5 | 10.6 |
| Energy | 15.8 | 16.4 |
With the increased barrel length, Daystate also increased the length of the air reservoir, extending it almost 2". The extended reservoir coupled with the standard regulator increased the shots per charge to around 70 useful shots at the factory delivered 16 ft. lbs (840 fps with CP 10.5 pellets). The regulator performed efficiently, spitting both Crosman Premiers and Beeman Kodiak Match pellets out with low standard deviations and extreme spreads.
| Crosman Premiers 10.5 |
Beeman Kodiak Match |
|
|---|---|---|
| Average Accuracy | 0.75 | 0.65 |
| Smallest | 0.63 | 0.50 |
| Largest | 0.94 | 1.00 |
The breech design follows the CR97 with an extended loading port and cocking bolt. One distinct difference however is the area behind the seating probe. The breech area underneath the probe has been hogged out and a bushing has been added between the probe and the breech. Talking with Gary about this area, he told me that they had some problems with rainwater running down the pellet trough into the action and causing the hammer to hydraulically lock up. The hogged out area and bushing are meant to cure that and also lend support to the seating probe so that the pellet is pushed into the bore consistently from shot to shot. It also keeps excess pellet lube out of the rifles internals.
For years now 10 meter rifles have used laminated stocks to increase strength and reduce problems that hardwoods can sometimes cause. Daystate smartly decided to use a laminated stock for the X. The new stock is available in either natural (Blonde) or dark Walnut stain. It has a lot of new improvements over the previous standard Daystate match stock. The pistol grip is reformed to be more comfortable and offers a thumbhole or vertical rest for the shooter’s thumb. There is also a nice palm swell that fills the hand comfortably.
The adjustment for the cheek piece has been redesigned so that the height can be adjusted without the use of tools. A large knob on the right side of the stock can be loosened to allow the cheek piece to move up and down. It can also be move left to right using two screws that fasten the hardware to the cheek piece but the it must be removed to do so. There are no adjustments for cant that I didn’t find to be a problem as the top of the cheek piece is rolled over so well that I didn’t need to cant it at all. The rear of the stock is capped with a standard Wegu style adjustable butt plate that adjusts up and down.
The forearm is flat for about 7" in front of the trigger that provide ample room to rest the rifle on your forearm or knee during competition. The front of the forearm gently slopes upward on which an optional accessory rail can be mounted. The rail will accept most standard accessories including the new accessories from Daystate.
After market shooting accessories is a lucrative market, especially in the field target world. Most big manufacturers don’t make the kind of gadgets and gizmos that many field target shooters want so that leaves it up to the customs airgunsmiths to build and sell them. Looking to capitalize on this market, Daystate is producing a variety of add on accessories for the X.
With the optional accessory rail, you can add a Daystate weight set, knee rest and palm rest. The knee rest uses a coned cup to set on top of the knee that is connect to the accessory rail via a slotted bar that extends rearward from the rail. The knee rest can be adjusted up/down and front/back to suit the shooters needs. I found the cone to be a bit too high for me but I liked the adjustability of the knee rest system.
The front weight set is a steel bar onto which weights of varying sizes can be installed to balance or weight the gun as desired. The basic weight bar weights 6 ¾ ounce and the three supplied weights weight 3, 4 ½ and 9 ¼ ounces. With all the weights installed the total package will add 1 lb. 71/2 ounces.
The palm rest is basically a flat platform with a rounded bit of wood attached to it. It reaches back from the rail to allow the rifle to be set on the palm of the hand for standing shooting. It is adjustable up/down and left/right. I personally didn’t find the palm rest particularly useful, as it didn’t reach back far enough for me to rest upon my hand. I converted mine palm reset into a knee rest by removing the black plastic bottom piece and attaching a pistol rest sandbag to it. I found that it works very well in this capacity.
One of the most common accessory that many field target shooter install on their airguns is a custom butthook. Knowing this Daystate developed their own custom butthook and they smartly designed it so that it slides onto the standard Wegu buttpad. This allows for easy installation by sliding off the adjustable part of the Wegu buttpad and installing the butthook in it place. This also allows their butthook to be installed on any rifle that has the Wegu buttpad. The butthook can be adjusted up/down and swiveled left/right. It has a square pad at the top that adjusts up/downs to fit to the top of the shoulder. The adjustable hook at the bottom has three sections that can be adjusted in just about any direction to fit up under the arm comfortably.
I have enjoyed shooting the X over the past year and I give it a big thumbs up. With the longer barrel and reservoir it is very well balanced and the new trigger is just superb. The shooting cycle is smooth and with good follow through it was easy to track the pellet as it sails downrange to the target. Talking with others who have the X, I hear the same comments from them. I think that the X is probably the best production FT rifle on the market and with attentive support from Daystate it will make a mark in the airgunning world.
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Daystate CR-X Specs
| Model | CR-X |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Daystate, England | Type | Pre-charged Pneumatic |
| Caliber | .177 |
| Energy | 16 ft. lb. (variable) |
| Overall Length | 42.5" |
| Weight | 10.3 lbs. |
| Barrel | 21" |
| Sights | None |
| Stock | Laminated Match |
| Safety | None |
| Trigger | 2 stage match adjustable |
| Retail Price | $1800 |
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© Copyright 2006 by Brad Troyer & American Airguns