I was looking for a reasonably priced .22 caliber air rifle for plinking and riding the garden of pests, and possibly a bit of small game hunting. I did not wish to spend a lot of money, but still wanted something with enough power and accuracy to handle the jobs intended, without having to "pump the gun up", or continually buy C02 powerlets. The Tech Force Model 99 in .22 caliber meets those requirements with a single cocking stroke of the Maccari main spring from the under barrel lever. The release which allows the cocking lever to be returned to it's original position, locked under the barrel, after cocking, is conveniently located beside the trigger, along with the safety.

    The TF Model 99 Magnum preformed pretty much as I had expected. It is not a target rifle, but then it was not intended to be, and with pellets it likes, it is certainly accurate enough, and sufficiently powerful to cleanly dispatch small game and pests out to 30 or 35 yards, perhaps a bit more. The metal is nicely blued, and the stock, while of a pleasing design, is a bit large and heavy, and mine arrived with a couple of small dings and blemishes. The rubber recoil pad, while unnecessary, is a nice touch, and adds to the looks and comfort of the gun. The sights are adequate for an air rifle, but with this gun I strongly recommend mounting a scope to achieve the full accuracy potential.

    I do not own or have access to a chronograph, but I seriously doubt that it makes the claimed 900 feet per second velocity, but it still has plenty of power for the tasks I had intended.

    This rifle would do nicely for a walk down a squirrelly stretch of creek early some morning, but I would not recommend it for a very young person or someone smaller of stature, as it is as large and heavy as most center fire rifles. Also, if you have hands and fingers as large as mine, loading a pellet into the chamber takes a bit of getting used to, particularly when a scope is mounted.

    In short, if you are looking for a reasonably powerful .22 caliber air rifle for general plinking and small game hunting, and don't wish to spend a lot of money around $150.00), this may well fit your needs. It, in my opinion, shows that the Chinese really are starting to "get it together" on building a nice looking, powerful, quality air rifle, at an affordable price.

Reviewed by MongoJoe