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THE FTP900
Since the launch of the Shamal Target back in 1987 Air Arms has produced Field Target rifles that have gone on to win many top flight competitions.
In 2004 the EV2 was launched and with the Air Arms rolling development programme in full effect there were 4 versions of this all conquering Field Target rifle over its lifetime in production.
In 2010 Air Arms started the development of the next generation of their field target offering.
The first stage of development involved consultation with top Field Target shooters using EV2’s to see what more they felt could be done to improve this already very competent & successful rifle.
This feedback was passed to the in-house R & D team & once the initial design was completed prototypes were produced for testing in-house as well as in the field.
Much toing & froing, tweaking and further testing followed until the FTP900 was with retailers in November 2013.
With retailers already having large lists of orders to fulfil the initial run of rifles was pretty much instantly taken & with new orders coming in daily the sales figures surpassed expectation.
Air Arms worked around the clock to satisfy demand & try and keep waiting times to a minimum.
Airgun World Review Part 1 - September 2013
Internally much had changed from the EV2, including a newly designed regulator & firing valve. The proven trigger unit as used on the EV2, and prior to that the Pro-Target, remained.
Externally the FTP900 has very striking looks and bears very little resemblance to the EV2.
With the action having visual features such as a wave sweeping from the rear to the fore-end, the newly designed barrel configuration which includes a titanium tinted shroud with raindrop shaped detail & the chunky multi-ported air stripper it is clear that Air Arms didn’t want to compromise on looks when producing the ultimate field target rifle
This attention to design detail evident on the action extends to the aides it incorporates to aide shooters – the windicator arm built into the muzzle brake & the swing out spirit level.
The action also features a pressure gauge, fully adjustable match trigger & a new inlet valve cover that rises when twisted to reveal the charging port.
Having been consulted on stock designs for all of Air Arms’s field target rifles over the years it is no surprise that Nick Jenkinson’s input was again sought.
After Nick & the Air Arms team were happy with the design of the new stock it was time to get Italian stock makers Minelli for some prototypes.
Air Arms initially wanted a red, white & blue laminate stock but when Minelli produced one it was felt the colour scheme didn’t quite work. After considering some further colour schemes Air Arms settled on brown, black & grey.
Airgun World Review Part 2 - October 2013
The fully adjustable cheek-piece & butt-hook offer 25 different ways of adjustment. There is also a hamster that also offers plenty of adjustment & a palm shelf that can be moved up and down.
With the multitude of adjustment options offered the FTP900 can be made to perfectly fit the owner.
With the ability to perfectly fit the shooter, an action ensuring a quick shooting cycle with virtually no recoil or muzzle flip & the accuracy offered by the proven match barrel, the FTP900 quickly became a source to be reckoned with in FT & HFT.
The FTP900 was discontinued late in 2019 in readiness for the launch of the next Air Arms field target rifle – the XTi50.