Yildiz Pro 20-bore

It took me a dozen shots to get into the rhythm this gun required. When I first shot one of these, I assumed that because it was specced like a competition gun it would shoot more like a 12bore, but I was wrong. This gun shot like most other 20-bores, with the same life and movement, but quite a bit more controllable.

Taking one out again, this knowledge was long forgotten and the first pair of clays sailed away unbroken. With this shame in mind, I very quickly remembered to let the gun swing a bit more than usual, using less maintained leadstyle shooting and more swing through.

Using this more artistic style of shooting, I worked my way around half a dozen stands, crushing my way through clays with the little 21g cartridges. Although this gun is extremely versatile, I found some areas in which it excelled for me and some that it made me work harder.

It seemed to destroy any of the lower crossers with such ease. In fact, anything that resembled a target from a round of Skeet was made short work of. The reduced overall weight and slight forward balance will be to thank for that. It also made a very convincing gun for game-style targets, from low grouse to high pheasant. This was a pleasant surprise, but given that this gun sits more in the ‘fast and reactive camp’ rather than the ‘slow and precise’ camp, it shouldn’t have been.

The only places I struggled were on a 60-yard looper and a 50-yard crosser, both going left to right. The crosser came off the trap arm under very little power, meaning the best option was to place your shot very precisely as the bird started to transition into its drop. I hit one of the five I shot at of these, which I ‘straighted’ with my 12-bore an hour before this. Not every gun is perfect for every target, and this is a particularly nasty target. Maybe after a few slabs I’d figure out how to tackle these

The Daystate Red Wolf Grand Prix is an amazing air rifle. It’s proof-positive of our sport’s place in the shooting hierarchy, and I can fully understand why the people who produced it are so proud of it.

Need To Know

n MANUFACTURER: Daystate/PRS n COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England n TYPE: Pre-charged, single/multi-shot, competition rifle with electronic action and fully-adjustable, aluminium stock/chassis n CALIBRE: .22, .177, .25, .30 n CONTACT: All good gun shops n RRP: £3,500 as shown. £3,650 Hi Power

Conclusion

This gun clearly hasn’t been designed for the long-term 20-bore user; it’s too big and heavy. This is a 20-bore for people who are used to a 12. The transition between a 8½lb competition 12-bore and a 6½lb 20-bore is one that is usually not quick and fraught with misses; the transition between a heavy competition gun and this Yildiz Pro should be much easier. You still have 1lb of weight saving, so this is a great first competition gun for those who want the features of a competition gun but without the weight. Like any gun, I suppose, it’s designed for those who like it.

sorts of targets with this gun? The looper was a big target, and although I hit most of these, it felt a lot of work to stretch out the 8ft of perceived lead. The gun wanted to run away from me, and that wasn’t ideal on this type of target.