18 - Air Arms S400: The Ultimate Owner Review Revealed

[@paulspeller968]

nothing wrong with that gun . and i think your shooting is improving mate 👍 awesome bit on the target work really showed up how important it is to be able to read the wind . still an excellent group just showed how much a bit of puff can move a pellet even at 35 yards 👍

[@hftshooter]

Thanks Paul, I really appreciate that! 😀👍

[@jasonbressington6741]

Excellent gun for hft the only down point to it is the the standard stock versus adjustable . Very underestimate rifle in my humble opion . Excellent value for money for a un regulated gun .

[@hftshooter]

I guess it depends upon size and arm length but the non adjustable stocks seem to suit me for gun fit.

[@ctom4103]

I had a S410 in .22. Worst thing I’ve ever done selling it! The.22 version is a lot quieter than the.177 and very useable without a moderator. In your cons section you mention about the barrel band. Not sure if you have found out by now but your example has been modified. Yours has a S500 band that’s intended for use with the shrouded barrel. Mine was superbly accurate with the standard band that fits snug with a o ring round the barrel making it very well supported. You are making some great videos thanks very much, it’s all very interesting to watch and well put together.

[@hftshooter]

Thanks for sharing! 😀👍

[@russellham2094]

Informative review, thanks I have had 2 S400, now running the Carbine version with a beautiful jet black adjustable thumb hole stock. Great rifle

[@hftshooter]

Thanks Russell, yes great rifle.

[@MONKEY-vi7hx]

IS there a difference in accuracy between the S400 and S400 carbine?

[@Steve_7867]

Good review, I use mine semi-serious FT, just as good as anything out there. No reg needed over 50 shots. What it does lack is an FT stock with good adjustability. An adjustable butt/cheek piece would be nice as standard (ref HW98) and a hamster or deeper stock of sorts. How odd it is that you see many many home made hamsters (inc mine) but manufacturers ignore it except on super duper rifles.

[@hftshooter]

I know what you mean. 🙂👍

[@patthewoodboy]

I just tried my S400 with Hand N Barracuda match , loves them , just remember the extra weight means a tad more holdover

[@pjgtech]

Nice video thank you. The AA 400/500 series are really great guns. I have a TDR s410, lovely little gun and accurate as anything. 8-)

[@hftshooter]

Thanks! 🙂👍

[@jasonwright1753]

We had one of these and fitted a grs stock, great rifle for the money. That stock you have looks great

[@hftshooter]

GRS stocks are great. Thanks. 👍

[@markhomer5704]

Excellent review .. especially like the end when you go through the second hand sales .. great stuff ... got an adapter for my TDR S410 so in can stick any 1/2" UNF silencer on , only a few quid .... all that said , mines knackered now .. need a new breach block , dropped it while removing last screw and it pulled it out of the thread .. May be twisted the block a tad anawl .. so its been laying in its case for over a year now .. also neeeds a little re-bluing in places .. would be an excellent cheap project for someone .. so may sell it ..

[@hftshooter]

Thanks Mark, definitely sounds like a good project. 🙂👍

[@gordonspringate7500]

This was a good video. I liked the basic explanation. Rather than presuming all viewers are knowledgeable.

[@hftshooter]

Glad you liked it! 😀👍

[@redauwg911]

Hi thank you for the review. Very affordable where i live and is on my list lol. How does it compare to a HW 100 ? Build Quality of both, and longevity till it needs service of O-rings etc.. Thank you.

[@hftshooter]

I think you'll pay more for a HW100. Never owned or shot one so can't compare. The 400/500 rifles are pretty easy to work on. I have serviced a 500 with new seals all round. As a first-timer it was pretty easy to do.

[@rapalaron6348]

I,m a springer guy but i own one PCP, the S410. A great rifle but it is no challenge for me to shoot a PCP.

[@hftshooter]

Exactly why I shoot springer in HFT. It's all about the challenge. 😀👍

[@patthewoodboy]

Like your attitude

[@duck1946]

I have had my S400F for about 10yrs now,faultless! its just me at 77 that now requires updating!

[@hftshooter]

😂😂😂

[@dkjngl1]

Very good review 👍

[@hftshooter]

Thanks! 👍

[@MrNewtonian]

Have you used this for hunting ? With any success.

[@DannyBaron-h3t]

Hi mate, great video :) does it come with a bipod mounting point?

[@hftshooter]

You would have to fit a sling stud or picatinny mount to the stock if you want to attach a bipod. 👍

[@DannyBaron-h3t]

@@hftshooter thank you ! How easy do you find it to load?

[@jeffmccall8013]

​@@DannyBaron-h3t it's okay when you get used to it.

[@DannyBaron-h3t]

@@hftshooter also I actually live in Cambridge near the hft site you go to, do you know of anyone selling any pcps there/ anywhere else I could search apart from gi trader and shops for second hand bits?

[@54Howie]

Just bought one of these from a mate so am about to make some improvements to it

[@hftshooter]

If it's anything like mine you'll be very happy with it. 🙂👍

[@peteralexben]

yes its a very good buy . and for the reg fans ,there is a huma aivalable

[@hftshooter]

You'll never get me to agree it needs a reg. 😉😂

[@patmurphy8378]

Excellent and very informative video. Well done. How can you shoot with all that background noise, would put my head away.

[@hftshooter]

Thanks. If you shoot HFT there's plenty of chatter and banter so you get used to ignoring it, lol.

[@alanmullock381]

Great review of an excellent performer. Keep them coming!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😎😎😎😎😎

[@hftshooter]

Thanks! Will do! 😀👍

[@Marcus1954s]

Isn't that barrel band from an Air Arms with a shroud? There shouldn't be a gap surrounding barrel.

[@hftshooter]

It was on the rifle when I bought it. All I know is the gun is most accurate when the barrel is floating. 👍

[@ianskeldon6032]

It looks like the S400 barrel band that has had the rubber 'O' ring removed to allow the barrel to float.

[@jonswift7174]

Is that the silencer you had made for you ? If so,was it cheaper than the Q tech ?

[@hftshooter]

Hi Jon, when I bought the rifle it didn't come with a silencer. The barrel had a carbon fibre sleeve fitted that covered the silencer spigot. So I got a slip on silencer made that fitted over the sleeve. I've since been given the qtec by the previous owner so I have both. I'm pretty certain that the bespoke one is cheaper.

[@jonswift7174]

@@hftshooter Thanks for the reply.

[@phillipsharpe6459]

The "cons "you mention are in my opinion very nit picking, i have owned one of these beautiful and very accurate rifles for three years, never had any of the , "issues that you highlighted and I'm a 67 year old with sausage fingers, just my opinion, 👍

[@hftshooter]

You're probably right Phillip. It is a very accurate rifle and I love it. Just trying to provide a balanced view and didn't think I would get away with saying it was perfect in every way like other reviewers. 🙂👍

[@phillipsharpe6459]

@@hftshooter it probably does have it's problems, but probably far less than alot of modern rifles with electronic gadgets, i have a daystate mk4 is ,I've had it for 4 years never had any problems at all apart from having to charge the battery every now and then , every manufacturer has its "Friday guns " 😁👍

[@stanwilson8089]

I've had the rifle classic from brand new,only put 1500 shots through it.

[@hftshooter]

Too good to leave on the shelf Stan. 😁

[@stanwilson8089]

@@hftshooter I've got to the grande old age of 79.I had two permissions around Chester.but I can't get round them these days.I bought it in april 2005.There' a Simmons 4-12x40 AO scope on it.It's almost silent.I put a Logun silencer on it,which is smaller than the one you had made.I fitted a laser on it,which helps with sighting in. (straight line and judging pellet drop) I sighted it in at the gun club and used it mainly for rabbits.There's not a mark on the gun,and I have kept the air bottle wrapped in bubble wrap.

[@simonhamilton4562]

The S4*0 rifle is a good basic rifle. Generally good balance and ergonomics. Typically a decent trigger from the box. AA make it as a budget gun. No frills. The bolt is pretty rubbish as far as I am concerned. The trick to efficient cocking is to put the index finger as close to the stem and put your thumb on the eye bell of the scope at 6 o'clock and snap it back. If you try the bolt end it becomes awful. The barrel is far too thin. The fact it is not screw cut is just cheap and the slip on allows water to sit and rust. The finish is very prone to rust. We bought 2 new club rifles. The were unwrapped and put in the cabinet. Two days later there were fingerprint rust marks. There is a trick re loading but its easy to show but wordy to explain. In today's environment, no reg is a bit last year. IMHO, AA and regs can be an issue. They may have sorted this but I wouldn't be looking for regged AA unless its Huma or of similar heritage. Its good at hunting ( the S410 being the better option) and its a very good HFT rifle. The fig 8 barrel band I hate but the barrel is too thin not to have it. Personally, I really like the CZ derivative - the S200. But it needed heavy tweaking to make it shine. The CZ barrel was superb and held back by truly rubbish triggers and no reg. The 5*0 series is probably a better choice if you want to spend more money. The S4 series is VFM but AA have been cheap in its manufacture although, that is a personal opinion of course. Its a worthwhile choice but don't think you will be overwhelmed either.

[@jonswift7174]

Any chance of you doing a review of a Rowan engineering "Air stripper" on the S400 ?

[@hftshooter]

Very unlikely Jon as I don't have one and it's not something I would use.

[@jonswift7174]

@@hftshooter Ok,fair enough.Any chance of a video comparison of the silencer you had made compared to the Air Arms Q tech ?

[@jamesashcroft7345]

Brilliant video thanks 👍

[@hftshooter]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@TocRum]

Apart from length and cylinder volume, is there any performance differences between the full length and carbine do you know

[@hftshooter]

I don't know for certain, but I wouldn't have thought so. The carbine would definitely be less unwieldy in the woods.

[@ianskeldon6032]

The shot count is lower and the sweet spot is also smaller/shorter.

[@hobidolap]

is there any options to use iron/open sights with pcp airrifles such as this one?

[@hftshooter]

I hadn't really thought about this before, but it looks like there are very few options. The only PCP air rifle I could find that has open sights is the Hatsan AT44.

[@cesare307]

I bought a silencer for the air arms s400, but it doesen't fit. The barrel and it female and the silencer inlet os also

[@hftshooter]

If your silencer has a 1/2" unf thread you can buy an adapter that slips on the barrel with a male thread for the mod.

[@noelwallace5257]

I think you’re being over critical, my s400 .177 is just superb out to 70 yards plus . Didn’t the 3 times HFT world champion use one???

[@hftshooter]

I don't know where, I clearly love that rifle and would never sell it. 🙂

[@ianskeldon6032]

That's right he did, although that was a good few years ago.

[@maciejkaczmarczyk3077]

Can you show how to set up triger aa400/aa410?

[@hftshooter]

Sorry, I don't have the know-how to do that.

[@bobmalooga7249]

I've had my carbine .22 since 2008. I would never be parted from it 🙂

[@hftshooter]

Must be as good as my S400 then. 😀👍

[@bobmalooga7249]

@@hftshooter It's just as good now as it was day I got it. I wish my wife was as relyable lol

[@Chopperdriver]

Link to the moderator guy?

[@hftshooter]

Go to airgunforums.co.uk and contact forum member @mattw975. 👍

[@Kralk.66]

I do have to ask, why on earth did you buy that gun with the Frankenstein stock. What a hideous mod. If you got it for an absolute give away price because you intended to change the stock fair enough.

[@hftshooter]

It was very cheap! That stock is okay for hunting. I did buy a green laminate stock for target shooting.

[@johnhouston6142]

Great video.. thanks for all the good information and knowledge👍🤘👌I dont know anything about PCP's but would like to learn and have one one day.. The AA S400 seems like a great option to go for. Or the S410..Or the S510.. Anyway, always when I watch your videos my girlfriend asks me what am I watching.. and she says is that you away watching GUN PORN again😃😃.. and I say i sure am.. 😂😂 and then she is like you spend more time with your guns than with me 😃😃 and it ends up with me sleeping on the couch that night cuddled into my Air Arms TX200 Hunter Carbine Mark 3.. 🤣🤣 I think I love the TX 200 more than I love her.. 🤣🤣❤ take care and look forward to your next video.. 👌🤘👍

[@hftshooter]

Ha, ha, thanks for sharing. Used to have a 510 ultimate sporter, but much prefer the 400.

[@johnhouston6142]

Thanks again.. I do like the AA S400 and the look of it more than the others.. and the way you can swap the stocks so easily like you showed in your video, that was really cool 👍👍But I know nothing about how to fill the gun up..or where to get cylinders to fill it up.. just how to do it.. I feel a bit apprehensive but I learned a lot from your videos.. thanks for that.. hope you have a great weekend and happy shooting.. 🤘👌👌

[@hftshooter]

Topic for a future video perhaps? Cheers! 👍

[@johnhouston6142]

Yeh that would probably help a lot of folk out...like a beginners guide to PCP's for not the brightest people in the world 🤣🤣🤣I joke.. 😃😃👌🤘👍

[@simonhamilton4562]

The S4*0 rifle is a good basic rifle. Generally good balance and ergonomics. Typically a decent trigger from the box. AA make it as a budget gun. No frills. The bolt is pretty rubbish as far as I am concerned. The trick to efficient cocking is to put the index finger as close to the stem and put your thumb on the eye bell of the scope at 6 o'clock and snap it back. If you try the bolt end it becomes awful. The barrel is far too thin. The fact it is not screw cut is just cheap and the slip on allows water to sit and rust. The finish is very prone to rust. We bought 2 new club rifles. The were unwrapped and put in the cabinet. Two days later there were fingerprint rust marks. There is a trick re loading but its easy to show but wordy to explain. In today's environment, no reg is a bit last year. IMHO, AA and regs can be an issue. They may have sorted this but I wouldn't be looking for regged AA unless its Huma or of similar heritage. Its good at hunting ( the S410 being the better option) and its a very good HFT rifle. The fig 8 barrel band I hate but the barrel is too thin not to have it. Personally, I really like the CZ derivative - the S200. But it needed heavy tweaking to make it shine. The CZ barrel was superb and held back by truly rubbish triggers and no reg. The 5*0 series is probably a better choice if you want to spend more money. The S4 series is VFM but AA have been cheap in its manufacture although, that is a personal opinion of course. Its a worthwhile choice but don't think you will be overwhelmed either.

[@hftshooter]

Thanks Simon, I think that's a very fair assessment. The rifle definitely shoots better with a floating barrel but you have to be very careful not to knock it. Thanks for sharing! 😀👍