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Air Arms S510 XS Ultimate Sporter Field Review

Several weeks ago Pyramydair sent us the new Air Arms S510xs Ultimate Sporter in .25 to be able to field review.  This rifle is one of the hot picks of 2019 so I was very excited to get a chance to field use this awesome rifle. I received the rifle and was very pleased with the packing of it in a very well formed shipping box. The S510xs comes in several stock options, I had chosen the walnut 288cc version in .25 caliber. Air Arms has done a beautiful job with the fit and finish of this sporter, beautiful natural looking wood. The rifle included two 10 shot magazines, T-Bar fill probe as well as some allen wrenches for adjustments to the stock and trigger.


 

Air Arms S510 XS Ultimate Sporter Xtra FAC, Walnut

  • Precharged pneumatic
  • Smooth side lever cocking mechanism
  • 10-shot repeater
  • 2-stage adjustable trigger with safety
  • 11mm scope grooves (no open sights)
  • 250 Bar / 3626 PSI Fill Pressure
  • Built-in manometer (air pressure gauge)
  • Built-in adjustable power
  • Fully shrouded Lothar Walther barrel
  • Ambidextrous Walnut Stock
  • Adjustable cheek piece
  • Checkered pistol grip and forearm
  • Adjustable rubber buttpad
  • Rear sling swivel stud
  • Fully-Regulated 288cc cylinder
  • 60 shots in .177, 55 shots in .22, 40 shots in .25
  • Accessory rail under forearm with built-in adjustable sling mount
  • Includes 2 rotary magazines, 4 hex wrenches, fill adapter and airgun oil

The Ultimate Sporter XS Xtra takes Air Arms’ most prized PCP and adds even more value to a platform already at the height of its powers. With an introduction of a fully-regulated system, the Air Arms S510 XS is the S510 action perfected, with more shots per fill than ever before. This variant features a finely crafted Walnut stock, with luxurious etching that reflects Air Arms dedication to traditional craftsmanship. This XS’s precision checkering on the grip and forend, fine curves and grooved handholds make this PCP a worthy mantlepiece. The Minelli stock comes complete with an adjustable, soft-touch coated cheekpiece, adjustable buttpad, integrated sling mounts, and an accessory rail ready to accept bipods or even a palm shelf. Customers requested a regulated S510 and Air Arms delivered, all while boosting the power of the increasingly popular .25 caliber. With this regulated upgrade, the XS can achieve a whopping 44 ft-lbs in .25, 32 ft-lbs in .22 and 20 ft-lbs in .177. Power isn’t the only thing increasing in the XS. The XS regulator offers increased consistency and shot counts from the 288cc cylinder, delivering an impressive 60 (.177), 55 (.22) and 40 (.25) shots per fill with minimal velocity change.  These long shot strings are further aided by a built-in power adjuster. Each XS Xtra features the prized Lothar Walther barrel, which gives this platform its renowned accuracy. Each rifle includes 2 of Air Arms perfected 10-shot indexing magazines, smooth side-lever cocking mechanism and an easy to read built-in manometer. The Air Arms Ultimate Sporter platform has turned heads at the range since 2013 with shots so accurate they require a double-take. If you want the longest, most consistent shot strings with surgical accuracy, join the elite ranks of Air Arms airgunners with S510 Ultimate Sporter XS Xtra.

Caliber 0.25″ (6.35mm)
Max Velocity 815 fps
Muzzle Energy 44 ft/lbs
Loudness 2-Low-Medium
Barrel Length 15.5″
Overall Length 44.74″
Shot Capacity 10
Barrel Rifled
Front Sight none
Rear Sight none
Scopeable 11mm dovetail
Trigger Two-stage adjustable
Buttplate Adjustable
Suggested for Small game hunting/target practice
Action Sidelever
Safety Manual
Powerplant Pre-charged pneumatic
Function Repeater
Max Shots per Fill 35
Body Type Rifle
Fixed/adj. power Multiple settings
Weight 8.37 lbs
Cylinder Size 288 cc
Shrouded Yes

After a full inspection of the rifles function and making sure everything was tight I mounted a Hawke Vantage 3-12X44 SF Scope.

This is a great scope for the money that I believe to be a good step up from the standard AO Vantage. This model has the Side Focus that works much better in the field for quicker adjustments.

  • Rifle scope
  • 3-12x magnification
  • 44mm objective lens
  • 1 mono-tube for superior strength
  • 1/4 MOA (1/4″ click value @ 100 yds)
  • Side focus control for parallax adjustment from 10 yds to infinity
  • 30.6 ft to 7.7 ft field of view
  • 3.5″ eye relief
  • 17.3 oz.
  • 13.3″ long
  • Includes elasticated lens covers and lens cloth

Other features:

  • 11 layer fully multi-coated optics for maximum clarity
  • 100 MOA elevation and windage adjustment range
  • Nitrogen-filled
  • Shockproof
  • Waterproof
  • 1/4 at 100 yard low profile no snag fingertip turrets
  • Fast focus eyeball and high torque zoom ring
  • Black matte finish

10X 1/2 Mil Dot Reticle

  • Designed to be exact at 10x
  • Multiple aim points for hold over and hold under
  • Between each dot is a dash for more options when selecting an aimpoint

With the Hawke Sport Optics Vantage Side Focus Rifle Scope you’ll enjoy both close and long-range shooting. The unique 1/2 Mil Dot reticle offers several aim points for those times when you need to hold over or under. All the power you need for your most accurate shooting is built into this scope with its side focus control, low profile MOA turrets, and convenient side focus operation.


Ater mounting the scope I took a look at the T-Bar fill probe, this is Air Arms standard adaptor that I personally don’t like. The reason I don’t like any type of probes or adaptors beyond standard fosters is the get lost easily and are reliant on several O-rings.

To fill this gun using a standard foster fitting an Air Venturi adaptor will be needed. This model has the 288cc air reservoir that fills to 250 BAR or 3600psi.


The Air Arms is fully shrouded and is able to be fitted with several different types of moderators to quiet the bark. The end cap is threaded for a 1/2×20 male, I have chosen a DonnyFL Tatsu moderator as these have worked well on my other rifles and are of great build quality.

 


The side lever on this gun is of excellent quality, easily opens and closes with one finger. Really smooth and easy to use, very well done and looked very durable.

On the right side of the rifle is the power adjuster knob that has five increments “clicks” for fine tuning the power levels or consuming of air.

On the left side of the rifle is where you can see the adjustments with a small bar with +/- symbols.

I personally don’t see myself using this feature and would most likely always have the setting to maximum power levels.


Next we look at the safety that is of a simple crossbolt design, I don’t really like the placement as it’s not able to be put on easily with my index finger.

The Air Arms is fully shrouded and one thing to note is it is vented, I mention this because for those not familiar with a vented design.

A shroud with vents will expel air and can sometimes be felt by the shooter, this is totally normal to a true shroud design. The Air Arms is fitted with a fully adjustable Cheek piece as well as an accessory rail under the forearm with built in adjustable sling mount. This is a great feature that allows the rifle to be set up comfortably to the individual. I mounted a Benjamin tactical type bipod that extends out to 7.9″ and works well from bench to field.


The following day was spent at the 50/100 yard private shooting facility, the weather would hopefully cooperate. I first set up at 50 yards where I spent some time sighting in the new Hawke Vantage scope. The rifle came with two 10 shot rotary magazines that in my opinion are very reliable due to having no “spring” inside. Air Arms has incorporated a mechanism on the rifle itself to advance the magazine. These magazines are very easy to load and very friendly to leave loaded and field carry.

I had brought several types of pellets but found the .25 JSB Match Diabolo 25.39gr domed pellets worked very well.  Air Arms has done a great job with the ergonomics of the rifle to work very well from the bench. The large 288cc air reservoir gives 32 regulated shots at 44 fpe, a very conservative shot count. The trigger is fully adjustable but was very pleased with it’s set right out of the box, smooth and predictable. After spending some time shooting the rifle and sighting it in I shot several groups at 50 yards, all very good.

This S510xs .25’s regulator works very well to keep the accuracy very consistent, the gun shoots far better than I can. We moved along to the 100 yard range where unfortunately I would need to contend with some wind. I was actually kind of happy to be able to practice with some wind as the area I would be hunting is frequently very windy. Filming in the wind is never fun and makes it difficult to keep the video smooth and shake free. I shot several groups that fared very well so decided to go for the gold and shoot a 20 shot group. To put it simply, this gun is “ACCURATE”!!!

The Air Arms S510xs definitely shoots well and no doubt the regulator and LW barrel are a great combination to the rifle. A 20 shot group like this at 100 yard no doubt puts a smile on my face, can’t wait to get this into the field for some hunting. My initial thought was that 44fpe really isn’t much power for a .25 caliber Airgun here in the United States, this power level however works very well for it. The weather here in CA had been very poor the past several weeks so getting outside was hit or miss with the rain storms.


The following week Marley and I headed several hours North to a familiar location where I have spent much time hunting the California Ground Squirrel. This terrain is one of my favorite areas and offers near perfect habitat for these varmints. The weather here has been poor and the temperature and rain has kept many of the ground squirrels inside their holes. We arrived to find some snow still on the ground as well as the temperature being about 44 degrees at 6:00am.

The morning was a bit cold but nonetheless very beautiful and green after having some much needed rain. I unpacked the rifle and aired up for a full day of field use!

The area we would be hunting first was a bit of a hike into some thick forest that had many fallen trees and a hillside with many rocks and logs. By this time it was still cold but the sun was starting to warm us up as we set up behind a large fallen tree.

It didn’t take long for us to spot several of our first victims moving around out past 70+ yards.

This Ground Squirrel went down with authority sending the THWAAACK echoing through the canyon. The Air Arms works very well for offhand shooting and the adjustable cheek is an added bonus for comfort. The texture on the beautiful walnut stock makes for exceptional grip in a variety of shooting positions. Marley and I spent another hour in this spot and managed to feed some lead to 5 of them. This one I put down at 55 yards with a mean headshot!!

The Hawke Vantage 3-12X44 SF scope works very well for most hunting situations, the side focus really is a step up from the standard AO model. The glass is clear and the half mil dots really help with those precision shots at longer ranges.

I like having the lower power for close range quick shots where a higher magnification can sometimes take awhile to get on target. Excellent scope for the money!! After taking several Ground Squirrels we headed back to the Jeep for some lunch and to film a few details to the video portion of this review. NOTE: Due to weather we had to call the day short and return a few days later


A few days later we would be hunting the same area but with a bit more wide open terrain that has several rock outcroppings and Oak tree groves. This really is one of the best natural habitats for the California Ground Squirrel.

The temperature was moving up into the high 60’s with the clouds moving through pretty quickly. Marley and I found a valley that looked to be a good spot to sit in the tall grass and wait for action.

It didn’t take long to spot a few Ground Squirrels at 57 yards, this shot needed to get threaded between some branches to make a connect. THWAAACK!!!

We ended up taking several in the same spot, most were lost down into the many holes that were covering the small embankments. We continued in a big loop that followed a small animal trail that eventually led us down a steep hillside.

I spotted quite a few Ground Squirrels sunning themselves on a rock at 116+ yards offering several great shots. I missed on a couple of them only to have continual shots due to the fact they really couldn’t see or hear me from so far away. I made a perfect headshot on one that was sitting in a crack at 116 yards. THWAAAACK!!

The Air Arms S510xs .25 is in fact one of my new favorite Airguns for field use, I love the ruggedness, accuracy and adjustability of it. After spending the rest of the day filming and taking some still photographs we were ready to head back down the mountain. The activity was very slow but still managed a successful trophy Ground Squirrel hunt.


I have truly enjoyed my time spent with this amazing Air Rifle and cringe at the thought of having to return it. I have had my hands on a great many Airguns over the years and can honestly say this may be in one of my top five favorites. I want to thank Pyramydair for sponsoring me to review this rifle and be able to show it’s full potential to making a great hunting gun. My final honest thoughts are as follows:

       PROS

  • Accurate
  • Great Shot Count
  • Great Adjustability
  • Great Trigger
  • Smooth Side Lever
  • Well Balanced
  • Nice Magazines
  • Durable
  • Bipod/Sling Mount
  • Threaded For Moderator

      CONS 

  • Fill Probe
  • Safety
  • Easy To Double Load
  • Underpowered

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