X-Wing The Game Just Turned 25!

X-Wing the game just turned 25, how old does that make you feel, let that sink in for a bit  - February 1993 Star Wars: X-Wing launched on PC.Remember Gouraud shading, no?, okay, I'll move on then.
1993 was a stellar year in videogames actually, Star Fox using the new Super FX chip was launched on SNES, also launched in 1993 was Syndicate from EA and Myst not to mention Legend of Zelda: Links Awakeneing on Gameboy and of course the daddy of them all Doom which was launched on PC in December 1993.
1993 was the same year that Loaded Weapon, Army of Darkness and Bill Murray's Groundhog Day were out. That's right old timer, a looong time ago. A quarter of a century.

Graphically speaking 25 years is a long time ago when you compare X-Wing to more recent fare, Star Wars Battlefronts X-Wing VR mission add-on being probably the best example.

Above: Check out the comparison between the 1993 Version of X-Wing and the latest X-Wing VR mission in Star Wars Battlefront.

Packaged in a distinctive purple box with equally pronounced silver logo and marketed as a space combat simulator it proved to be one of the most popular games of the time. Space Combat Simulator was perhaps a little far fetched since much of the combat appears to be wave based rather than seeking out imperial enemy craft in a random free flight kind of affair but that didn't detract from the fact that you could dogfight imperial Tie Fighters.

 

Released in 1993 the current version available on COG gives you the option to jump between the classic 1993 version or the slightly upgraded 1998 Collectors series version which featured better graphics. Star Wars X-Wing was of course followed up by the equally impressive Tie Fighter and spawned other spinoff titles within the brand, Imperial Assault was the add on in the same year (1993) followed by B-Wing another expansion also in 1993 Star Wars X-Wing Alliance being the last in the series.

25 years ago I took out the first mortgage on my house, holy crap, time flies when you're having fun.

BSA R10 S.E Black Pepper .22 Air Rifle

After what can only be described as the longest time I think I have ever saved money for anything, and after much difficult contemplation and discussion I finally took the plunge in becoming an Air Rifle owner.
The device of choice, again, after much deliberation and contemplation was a BSA R10 S.E in Black Pepper in .22 calibre, I'd looked at the options from Daystate and Weirach, looked at various reviews for and against a small number of rifles and decided that the BSA was the one I'd like to marry.
Why?, well I have to admit that for starters I fell in love with the finish, the Black Pepper BSA is just a sight to behold and I wanted something that was different to the standard wood and composite rifle stocks that are typical with most rifles. Performance and reputation were important don't get me wrong and despite some early reliability niggles with product quality these appear to have been ironed out at BSA due to customer feedback.Aside from all that I see Air Gun Shooter Magazine guru Matt Manning uses one in some of his YouTube videos and if its good enough for him, its good enough for me.

For UK based shooters like myself and to stay within the legally required power output, air rifles are restricted to a power output of 12ft fpe (16 Joules). Unlike the USA where the majority of air weapons have an unrestricted power output except for city limits in some states. Our closest neighbors across the stream in France have a 20 fpe and sunny Spain has an 18 fpe power limit. Germany however is restricted to 6 fpe.

At 48 years of age I guess I've come into air rifle ownership and shooting a little bit later than I probably should have, the joints aren't as limber as they used to be, a niggling back injury and eyesight on the wrong side of 40 are challenges I'll have to adapt the shooting to. My father in law does clay pigeon with a guy who's pulls around an oxygen tank behind him from stand to stand with a golfing trolley, he's 76 and still knocks out a 38 out of 50 so maybe all isn't lost yet. Besides, 48 is a whole lot better than starting at 58 or 68 so I shouldn't complain that I'm entering a new sport at my age.

The BSA R10 SE Black Pepper is a laminate wood design, a process by which layers of wood are bonded together through adhesives and immense pressure. Rumor has it this process actually makes 'engineered wood' 50% stiffer than traditional sawn cut timber primarily because the adhesives and resins are pressed deep into the wood fibers.
The gun is a PCP powered bolt action 10 shot rifle fed by a small rotary magazine, both .177 and .22 versions have this mag fed system, blue for .177 and red mags for the .22. I'd contemplated a springer powered rifle but wasn't a huge fan of breaking the rifle after every shot to fumble around with a single shot reload, that's me probably being a bit lazy though more than a conscious design decision if I'm brutally honest.
The beauty with springers is you don't ever need to refill an air bottle but who knows, maybe someone will come up with some kind of Winchester reload function that can cock a springer with some sort of built in tech that works like a compound bow does and has a magazine capacity of 10+ shots.

I decided to opt for one of the rifle and scope package deals on offer from the Airgun Centre, an airgun specialist local to me, I didn't want the interest payment options on the gun, just an outright purchase and ownership. The process was pretty painless, a driving licence for I.D and a fist full of cash and twenty minutes later I was an air rifle owner.The rifle and scope package provides the gun in either .177 or .22 with a choice of stock options including traditional wood, composite and the Black Pepper variant. In with that you get a Debden sling and QD swivels, carry case, spare 10 shot mag, pack of targets, bipod and a choice of scopes which gives you either the Hawke Eclipse 3-12X50 AO IR Mil Dot or the Hawke Eclipse 4-16X50 AO IR Mil Dot, not to mention the Hawke Mounts for whichever scope you decide upon. Add to that free servicing for life and a lifetime guarantee and you're all set.

Two more additional purchases were made, I purchased a Hills hand Pump for refilling the air bottle on the rifle and air rifle membership and insurance through BASC ( done online through BASC online) which set me back 159.00 and 53.00 respectively. I figured the insurance was a good idea for joining a club as well as covering me if I do by chance get an opportunity to shoot on private land anywhere for rats or woodies.

All in, this little purchase spree came to just over a grand.
I had looked at BASA insurance but there were too many people on shooting forums telling anyone who would listen to avoid at all costs due to shoddy or late paperwork and lack of customer service.Overall I knew BASC more than any of the others and the work they do for shooting enthusiasts and conservation so it seemed like a better and more sound choice.

Some of you are probably asking why I chose .22 instead of .177 since my main hobby will be target, again, this was just personal choice, although the primary function for the gun will be target shooting I wanted something that would increase the element of  a challenge, the .177 has a flatter trajectory than the .22 does and is perfect for target shooting, being a heavier round the .22 drops sooner than the .177 so the amount of hold over on longer distance targets will be different.

Overall I'm blown away at the fit and finish of the gun, in the sunlight the BSA R10 Black Pepper literally shimmers as the sun reflects of the ash grey and silver tones of the laminate stock.BSA has a long history in terms of firearms dating all the way back to 1861, founded by a group of 14 gunsmith members of the Birmingham Small Arms Trade Association, it was BSA that manufactured the famed Lewis Gun used by allied troops in World War 1 as well as engine parts and motorcycles, BSA went on to play an integral part in manufacturing parts, weapon components and transport related materials during World War 2 despite being bombed by the German Luffwaffte when its factory and barrel mill at Small Heath were damaged in one of many air raids that targeted production. Gun rights to BSA are now owned by Spanish gun maker GAMO.

The BSA R10 Black Pepper is shown here with the scope,mounts,sling,pidod and hard carry case which is a package deal from the Airgun Centre.