Gun test: AirForceOne Tornado

The editor is blown away by a new gas-ram from AirForceOne

As far as plinking pistols go, it’s pretty hard to beat a well-made break-barrel springer, but the folks at AirForceOne think that they can. They’ve taken this time-proven action, replaced the coiled steel spring with a gas-ram and brought us the Tornado. It’s a large pistol with an ambidextrous wooden stock that offers good fit and control, and it looks smart, too. For example, the chequered panels on the grip are much better than you’d expect from a pistol in this class, and the cross-bolt safety is unusual because it slides through the stock, offering a nicely finished appeal.

At the muzzle, we find their SuppressedAir combination silencer/muzzle-weight/cocking aid and I found that it worked well in all its functions. People often claim that gas-rams offer reduced recoil and noise, and I’ve rarely found that to be true, but in this instance, the claim holds up. The firing cycle is smooth and quiet despite the obvious bucking in your hands under recoil. This really is a pleasure to use, especially in a garden where the low noise output is very welcome indeed.

Power as promised

AirForceOne likes to claim high-power output, and again, this proved true over the chronograph. After running though a selection of top-quality pellets, I found that my test gun liked the JSB Exact Jumbo RS at 13.4 grains in .22, and delivered 4.5 ft.lbs, which is a lot of wallop from a pistol. The Tornado is available to buy alone, but AirForceOne also bundles it with red-dot sights, lasers or my preferred sight, a 2×20 scope, all for £150. The scope really impressed me with its optical clarity, although it was a little snug to fit, and needed the rear open sight to be wound down as low as it could go before the scope mounts would connect with the rails.

With the scope fitted, accuracy was very good, regularly giving sub-1” groups at 15 yards from a soft rest – about as good as it gets in this category. The only thing holding back even tighter groups was the trigger; it is quite heavy and long, but is consistent and predictable, which is all you can ask.

Bundled with the optic of your choice this pistol represents good value for money with performance to back it up. Looks like a winner to me!

Specification:

Manufacturer: AirForceOne

Tel: 01543 480361

Model: Tornado

Type: Break-barrel

Power: Gas-ram

Length: 18” (45.7cm)

Weight: 3.8lbs (1720g)

RRP: Pistol – £119.99

RRP: Pistol and optic package – £149.99

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