“The British Are Coming!” Well they are invading again with the Huntsman Revere

I can not begin to tell you how many times I have been to an airgun show, or read posts on the forums and someone says something to the effect, “it is a classic and a must have for every collection.” Generally speaking this statement is paired with something no longer in production like the old Webley air pistols or Crosman airguns from the 1950’s era. However this is not the case for the air rifle I have had the pleasure of testing and testing over the past few months it is the most recent release of the Daystate Huntsman known as the Huntsman Revere. 

What makes this air rifle an instant “classic” and a “must have” for most airgunners is it’s pedigree, classic lines, and quality. 

The Daystate Huntsman Revere follows a long pedigree of Huntsman rifles that date back to the very first one, the Huntsman MK I that was manufactured from 1988-1995. Today’s model comes with a litany of upgrades since its original form. This including match grade barrel, set back two-stage trigger that breaks like glass, huma regulator, true left handed or right handed configurations, side cocking lever, easy load high capacity magazine, single shot tray and the very efficient Harper “sling-shot” valve system to name but a few of this rifle’s features. 

In comparison to its predecessor the Huntsman Regal, you will notice that the air cylinder is no longer blued. Rather it has a hard black finish to help better protect the metal in the field as well as helps to reduce the need for cleaning off pesky finger prints. It comes with both a single shot tray and Daystate’s NEW flip open easy load magazine and a newly designed breech block to house the new sidelever system that many of us have been asking for. As one final option, you can also shoot this with a moderator, as at the end of the shrouded barrel Daystate has added 1/2×20 threads.

Before we dig into the Huntsman Revere let’s take a closer look at the new magazine system that Daystate premiered in January of 2020. This magazine is backwards compatible with older models, includes a flip out face that allows for easy loading and the option to speed load the magazine for competitions. In .177 you can load 13 shots, .22 holds 11 shots and in .25 it holds 10 shots. The magazine is also adjustable so it can be easily modified for both left hand and right hand breech loading.

As mentioned earlier, the Huntsman Revere also comes with a newly designed breech. Previously, all other Huntsman rifles had either a bolt action or if we go further back a straight pull back cocking mechanism. Now we have a rifle with classic lines and a beautifully machined lever action with drop down handle on the end for easy handling in the field. I know there may be many out there who will say a bolt action is the way to go with such a classic air rifle, but I disagree. Having tried both the bolt system as well as the new lever system; the prior is easily more convenient and a true smooth operator. Not to forget that the lever can easily be switched from the right to the left or vice versa by the owner.   

You may have heard about rumblings of Daystate having partnered with world renowned regulator builder Huma over the past few years. Prior to this Daysate had developed a state of the art valve that was said to produce very consistent shots. This highly consistent valve is known as the Harper “Slingshot” valve. If you are not familiar with this system, I highly encourage you to do a little research to see just how good it really is. 

Daysate is combining the best of both worlds in many of their new rifles. With a Huma regulator installed, combined with the Harper “Slingshot” Valve you are talking about one of the most consistent airguns on the market right out of the box. My testing revealed a 32 Shot string in .22 caliber that was very consistent straight out of the box. Results showed an average velocity of 895 fps, with a standard deviation of only 7.9 fps using JSB 15.89 grain pellets. This places the rifle just under 30 ft-lbs and more than perfect for hunting small game or plinking at the range with more than a little authority.  

True to the high end pedigree of all Daystate air rifles, the Huntsman Revere comes equipped with a two-stage trigger. Of all the features already listed, this trigger is the one that really caught my attention. Out of the box the trigger is great, but setup properly it can rival most any match trigger. In this case of the rifle on test, I was safely able to set it at 6.5 oz! It is at this point that words can not accurately describe the trigger and I would encourage you to visit the “Airgun Advisor” and watch the video review as well. In the video, you will notice that the trigger mechanism was able to provide a short length of pull for the first stage, a crisp break for the second, as well as very little over travel. The entire trigger setup is just one of those things that you need to see and or try for yourself. If you do try it for yourself, you may just find yourself trying it again just to make sure it was really as good as it felt the first time. 

Listing and talking about all of these features is great, but it was time to put the rubber on the road and see how she performed. To prepare for this adventure and knowing that all newly manufactured barrels can use a good cleaning, I grabbed the Patch Worm cleaning kit. I was surprised by the length of the process to get the barrel clean. It must have been more than 50 patches alternating between dry and lightly coated with Ballistal before things started to clear up. Followed again by a few additional dry patches to ensure the job was really done. 

After wrapping up the barrel cleaning, it was time to mount a scope. Scope choices are numerous for this style of rifle, but luckily the test model came supplied with a MTC King Cobra 6-24×50 First Focal Plane (FFP) scope. The MTC King Cobra has been the first FFP scope that I have had the pleasure to try. If you are a hunter, then I can really see why something like this would be a valuable piece kit to add to your setup. The F1 reticle is also clean and easy to read in the field. 

 After making the trip to the range, I walked the test target and sighting target out at 50 yards. With the morning sun peaking over the trees to the left and not a cloud in the sky it was time to see what this air rifle was capable of.  The first target was used to get myself oriented and make sure the scope was dialed in. Then on my second target I shot an easy 5 shot group measuring .478 ctc! 

As I was feeling good about the Revere we went ahead and gave some 10 shot groups a go. I did 4 groups in a row to look for consistency. The dang gone rifle still performed giving me 3 – 10 shot groups @ 50 yards at .778 ctc and one that was just a hair larger. If I could put the rifle in the hands of a more capable shooter, I am sure those groups would shrink. The rest of the day was spent allowing my fellow club members giving it a try. Needless to say, I think there will be a few more Daystates at the club after the experience.

Fast forward about a month, I got to wondering what the .22 caliber Revere would be capable of at 100 yards. Before I share the results, remember the Revere is not designed as a bench style air rifle and 100 yards with a light pellet can be more than a little difficult. Not being able with hold my curiosity back and with one last sunny fall day approaching, it was time to prepare for the feat. Charging the tank, and loading pellets, targets and rest into the car, I set off for one more quick adventure. The general setup remained the same using the MTC King Cobra and .15.89 JSB pellets off a front and rear sandbag rest.  

It took a little time for me to get comfortable shooting at this distance, but after awhile you could get a good idea of how the pellets were reacting to the environmental conditions. Walking the 100 yards again and placing two new target sheets it was time for the “official test” and a five shot group. The first group was decent but the wind kicked up and took a few pellets for a ride. The second attempted group was more representative of what the rifle can do under very good conditions. There were four shots inside of .526 inches CTC (less than 1 MOA) at 100 yards and a fifth shot that went a little high and expanded the group out to 1.42 inches CTC. Please remember that these were under almost ideal conditions, but it really does speak to the capability of the Daystate Huntsman Revere. 

By now you are probably saying well this reviewer is in love with the rifle and well in short, I am. However it doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. The Revere comes with the need for a fill probe. Fill probes are fiddly little things and easily misplaced. I would love to see this removed and replaced with a quick disconnect in the future. The other oddity is that the single shot tray, as the arrow pointing backwards towards the rear of the rifle. Generally speaking, one would assume that this arrow should point forward?

At this price point and with the long tradition of success that the Daystate Huntsman line has, this new rendition of a “classic” is a “must have” on my short list of airguns. This rifle may dang gone be as near to the perfect hunter, plinker, target shooter and all around airgun I have tested. Please don’t tell my wife, but this one might not get sent back.