RTI Arms Mora Review

I am looking at the RTI Arms Mora this month, which turned up with the GPO Centuri 2.5-15x50i scope (not illustrated): a cracking piece of glass. The Mora comes as standard with an excellent heavy-duty transport case with hard internal foam, one that will protect the Mora from the most vigorous handling.

I opted for the .22 calibre mainly for pellets, but it is more than capable of slinging those slugs downrange with great results. The supplied 19-shot magazines are cavernous and even the longest slugs will have no problems slipping in. Also standard is the full-length carbon shroud which does an amazing job of taming the bark from this 37ft/lb out-of-the-box airgun. Power is easily turned up or down with the externally adjustable regulator.

The Mora comes in .177, .22, .25, .30 and .35 calibres, but only the .22 and .25 versions use the new RTI Proprietary Barrel (RPB). There’s a .70-litre carbon bottle that feeds the Mora, which is plenty for all my hunting days. Wrapping around the carbon bottle is the M-LOK bottle shield, which has enough M-LOK slots for any accessory you desire. I would like to see a Picatinny rail as part of the shield, but fitting an aftermarket rail to accept my Tier-One bipod was a piece of cake and the one I fitted has an end loop, which I’ll utilise for a sling along with a Magpul QD attachment on the top Picatinny rail.

We’ve all experienced leaks from our airguns and the prototype Mora I had last year was no different. This one has had no such issues, but if it does there are “tell-tale” air leak holes all over the action which indicate where the leak is coming from and which O ring needs attending to. A brilliant touch. The cheekpiece is fully adjustable and reversible from left to right, is of a composite manufacture and has a cut-out for the magazine. The trigger is so sweet, although somewhat light on this rifle. It is adjustable for anything you’d want. The trigger blade itself sits on a pole and is fully adjustable for left to right and up to down. A 125cc plenum sits at the back of the action and just alongside is the regulator pressure gauge. At the very back is the rubber butt pad and behind this is the hammer adjustment; it is recommended to leave this alone due to the pressurised valve system.

The top Picatinny rail is adjustable for elevation between 20 and 150 MOA, so hopefully the days of packing out the scope rings are now long gone. The safety is a true safety which locks the hammer in position so it cannot come into contact with the sear. Other kit includes two Tier-One mounts and a tactical carbon bipod along with the Magpul attachments plus the ever-reliable Air Arms 18gr Diablo pellets.

The main body/action is milled from one piece instead of the multi-piece set-up on other RTI Arms airguns. This helps with rigidity but also adds weight. The Mora now weighs in at just under 14lb with the scope fitted. I said previously that it wasn’t lightweight, but since I had my hands on the prototype it certainly feels like it has put on some weight and walking the woods will take its toll on slight-framed shooters. In the hide for pigeons and squirrels or laid up waiting for rabbits, the Mora will be perfect. For the moment, I used the airgun for my red squirrel conservation work.

Is the RTI Mora good for shooting grey squirrels?

The first day was spent topping up feeders, swapping out trail cam memory cards and setting up traps. A couple of the estate woods were showing no grey action at all but others were showing plenty with feeders scraped empty. These would be my first areas to hit with the Mora. I had zeroed it the day before with the help of the AA Diablos and things were just as they were last year with the prototype — single-hole grouping at 50 yards.

Stepping into the woods I was instantly met with the familiar woodland scent. The estate guys had been cutting a few fallen Scotch pines and the smell was a great welcome. Once I had my fill of that unique aroma, and with the sun just popping its head over the distant fells, it was time to move forward.

My initial scan with my pair of Nocpix Quest H50R thermal imaging binoculars was encouraging. With a couple of pheasants feeding on the spilled feed, I had been careful not to spill any when topping up, so the feed had to be from visiting greys. The trail cam footage hadn’t shown any red squirrels either, so that was very good news from my point of view.

Once in the hide, it took about 15 minutes for the binoculars to pick up movement in the distance, and there’s no mistaking the shape of a skinny, even at just under 100 yards. The movement of a hungry grey is unmistakable and it was coming in fast. The Mora was already in position, resting on the branches that make up the hide. It came in without hesitation, straight onto the feeder, popping the lid and taking a monkey nut. It turned and faced me straight on… a clean kill was achieved at 50 yards shortly afterwards.

The morning in the hide continued successfully with me taking six more greys and a couple of pigeons that dropped onto more spilled feed, but that was it for this spot. The next feeder was around 500 yards away, close enough to entice the same greys that visit the previous feeder but intelligence from the trail cams suggested not. It’s all in the timing. This feeder is set around 60 yards out from the vantage point and was situated in a bit of a clearing with a handful of beech trees — perfect for the greys but there were also reds in this area. I’d seen them feeding on pine cones and there were many tree stumps showing evidence of their visits. This is an important area to clear of greys, so I was prepared to stay to get the job done. I had the equipment, I just needed the quarry.

They eventually arrived — they always do, but not to the feeder. Something was attracting them beyond my offerings, which put them out at 75 yards. I gave them time to come in but they were having none of it, so I had a decision to make — move towards them or rely on the Mora’s accuracy and power. I chose the latter, and an hour later I had bagged five more greys.

I was keen to find out what was attracting the greys away from my offerings, but even after looking as hard as possible, I could not determine what the attraction was — another mystery for another time. The Mora shone brightly and did everything I asked of it. Mora means “nightmare” in Slovenian, but rest assured the nightmare was for the grey squirrels. It is without doubt an airgun for tomorrow.

Technical specifications for the RTI Mora

Model: Mora
Manufacturer: RTI Arms
Type: PCP
Stock material: Aluminium 7075-T6
Cocking: Side-lever
Trigger: Two-stage, adjustable down to 200g
Safety: Yes (locks hammer in place)
Calibres: .177, .22, .25, .30 and .35
Overall length: 88.5cm
Barrel length: 60cm
Bottle capacity: 70 litres
Weight: 9.7lbs (unmounted)
Energy: From 27ft/lb
Website: highlandoutdoors.co.uk
RRP: £2,291.99