Definitive Guide to Air Arms S510

When it comes to quality, the S510 sets a standard that is hard to beat. The fitment of all the metal parts is superb. There is no play, no rattles, no loose screws, the S510 is perfect right out of the box. The side-lever action is one of the best that we have tested and is super smooth. The lever is set up for right-handed shooters and unfortunately cannot be changed over for lefties but even for our left handed shooters, the lever throw is short enough to be able to cycle the rifle without having to break your cheek weld on the comb when cycling with the support hand. The S510 magazine is the same as many other Air Arms rifles and is one of our favorite rotary magazines of any airgun. The mechanism is super simple, no springs to wind, no having to keep a finger on the opposite side to keep pellets from falling through the magazine, just drop the pellets in the mag, rotate to the next empty space and add another till it's full, that's all there is to it. Seriously, why can't all magazines be this easy? Our test guns came with a Poplar Monte Carlo style stock with a satin finish, we found them to be very comfortable for left and right handed shooters. The comb height was perfect for use with low to medium rings and allowed the shooter to get a solid cheek weld on the rifle. One of the best features of the S510 is it is available in several different stocks and finishes. Poplar, Walnut, and laminate versions are all available and stocks come in traditional Monte Carlo, thumbhole and fully adjustable versions so you can get the style and fit that are perfect for you. The two stage trigger of the S510 is a thing of beauty and is adjustable for both travel and weight. Our test guns pulled at about 2 lbs 5 oz right out of the box. The first stage is very light and the second stage brakes fairly clean, though a little bit on the soft side. There is a bit of overtravel on the S510 triggers as well. It is a trigger that keeps in mind the overarching theme of Air Arms in that accuracy is everything. The S510 features a pretty unique safety as the safety selector itself is located on the trigger. This is nice because when the gun is on safe is actually prevents the trigger from being pulled at all. What is even better is that when it is off, it stays off. No auto safety here, which we really like when spending a full day at the range punching paper. Accuracy is what the S510 is all about. Sure it may not make some of the same power numbers as other barrel burners out there but this thing will put a pellet where you want when you want it, all day long. At 35 yards this gun shoots the lights out using JSB pellets, we tested a few others as well with varying results but really, for our S510 JSB was the way to go. Check out a few of the groups we posted. The S510 is a tack driver! The Air Arms S510 is available in .177, .22, and .25 calibers and all models feature Lothar Walther barrels. Lothar Walther Barrels are regarded as some of the best barrels in the industry and it's no wonder all the best manufacturers are starting to offer them. They make a huge difference when it comes to accuracy as well as the ability to fire different pellet designs accurately. The S510 features a fully shrouded barrel and our test gun metered fairly consistently at 63 dB so it is definitely back yard safe in the sound department. At lower power settings it was even quieter so if you like to do a little plinking around the house it's no problem with the S510 The S510 is pretty consistent on power as well. We tested both a .25 and a .22 caliber S510 over our chrony firing 10 shot strings using pellets from JSB, H&N, and Benjamin just to see how well the S510 handheld different weight pellets. While the S510 may not be the most powerful rifle on the market, it's more than adequate for small game hunting and with such a focus on accuracy, the S510 makes putting pellets where you need them easy. The Air Arms S510 comes at a high price but you are definitely getting what you pay for with all Air Arms rifles. The attention to detail is incredible and is really what sets the S510 apart from its competitors. You really can tell that the rifle was put together by people with a passion for airguns and a desire to want to offer the best quality product on the market. The S510, or really any Air Arms gun for that matter, is the type of gun that you buy not just because of its utility, but because you value the quality and time that are put into making a quality airgun. That by no means marks the s510 as a 'safe queen', it is meant to be taken to the field and used, but it's still a gun that a shooter can be proud to own and pass down after a lifetime of use. Make sure to post your own review of the Air Arms S510 once you've received it and shot some lead down range. We welcome your comments and questions.