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Introduction
Imagine having to never run out of the air when air gunning and you have Air Venturi’s, Seneca Aspen. This is the air rifle with an innovative integrated pump that removes having to keep filling up the tank out of the equation.
I took the Seneca Aspen on a squirrel shoot to see how this all-day long hunter stands up to its rated performance.
What Does the Seneca Aspen Have Over Other PCPs?
The Seneca Aspen is a multi-pump PCP that can be filled up from empty to 250 BAR using an internally built pump. This is a self-contained and affordable air gun that has successfully combined PCP’s advantages against their spring-piston counterparts.
Purchasing a regular air rifle involves buying the gun and also extra costs for fill equipment. This will ramp up your PCP investment and may air gunners have strayed to pistons due to price alone.
Powerful Rifle
With the Seneca Aspen, you don’t need an external air supply.
I got hold of the Seneca Aspen .22 and .177 caliber air rifles, curious to discover what makes this PCP unique. I took to the woods, seeking to test its always available air source.
Soon I realized the unique attributes that Seneca’s Aspen offered hunters as an extended trip and survival air gun. The multi-pump PCP lets you get rid of compressors, hand pumps, or side tanks, which add weight to game tracking scenarios.
I filled up my Seneca Aspen to 3,600 PSI with the integrated pump, which is quick. This air gun comes in .22, .25 and .177, sports an AO scope and has a 17 shot capacity at full tank.
With between 40 and 60 pumps, I estimated about 28 pounds of effort to bring my tank to 250 BAR. My shots reached speeds of 1000 fps in .22 caliber and 800 fps for the .177.
To fill the air rifle faster, you can use its Male QD probe to connect any fill equipment. The Seneca Aspen’s two-stage velocity adjustment allowed me to switch the power of my shots.
At stage one, I shot targets at low velocity, taking 20 shots before I had to re-pump. The high powered second stage allows me to make knock down shots and pump five or six times in readiness for the next shot.
The Seneca Aspen comes with one magazine and tray for single shots. I recommend the 4500 PSI Air Venturi Nomad II as a portable air compressor.
A Detailed Review of the Seneca Aspen Air Gun
By looking at it, the Seneca Aspen gives the distinct impression of being solid, but it’s lighter than it looks. The PCP features the aesthetics of sharp lines with a synthetic stock and weighs 8 pounds only.
Though not a luxury weapon, the Seneca Aspen has texturing on the stock in some places, which adds grip when hunting in wet conditions. It has a butt pad made of rubber, which helps to secure the rifle on your shoulder.
While it comes with a mounted optic, you can switch scopes using the dovetail rail for game hunting or pest control.
Transfer Port Power Adjustment
Another high-end feature includes the transfer port power adjustment, a remarkable incentive at this air-guns low price.
You can easily toggle between high and low-velocity power options. This is especially important when shooting games or doing some light backyard plinking.
Between high and low power adjustments, there’s a 200 fps difference which can determine knock-down power for pest control and small game.
Adjustable and Accessible Hammer Spring
As though velocity adjustment isn’t enough, the Aspen also has an adjustable hammer spring. This can be accessed without having to remove the stock, as is common with many PCPs.
I use this maintenance feature, adjusting it with an Allen wrench to correct any power loss and fine-tune the air gun. When I make a 2.5 mm left turn, the hammer spring tension reduces down, but so does my average shot velocity.
In the opposite direction, the clockwise turn reverses the spring tension and velocity. I only make one turn each time, and then I test it, making sure to note my adjustments for future reference.
Trigger and Safety Catch
The Seneca Aspens adjustable trigger is crisp out of the box. This hunting air gun’s trigger breaks at 2.5 pounds. Its weight of pull is a bit high at perfect trigger settings, but there was no need to adjust the travel.
Just under the cocking lever is the Aspens manual safety catch, which flips on or off seamlessly and silently.
The manual safety is located just under the cocking lever and flips on and off smoothly and quietly.
Magazines and Lever Action
At its price range, the European style side-lever action is unheard of in an air rifle.
This makes cycling magazines easy and quick, although it’s not as smooth as those on PCPs costing more than $1500. The Seneca Aspens handle rubbery to the hand, ensuring a good grip.
Both my .22 and .177 caliber Aspens feature a ten shot magazine. These are similar to magazines used by other PCPs such as the marauder or FX air guns, and as such, they’re easy to find and affordable. You may want to check out our article on PCPs.
There’s a single shot tray that accompanies the air gun, slickly attaching to the Aspen with a magnetic lock. This is vital for shooters who are seeking the utmost accuracy from the Seneca air rifle.
A Closer Look at the Aspen PCPs Onboard Air Supply
This in-built pump is the factor that sets the Seneca Aspen apart from other PCPs at its price range. Depending on the set-ups of your power, you can get between 10 and 20 shots for each tank fill.
The under lever for pumping is released by a cross-bolt aperture, allowing you to pump from 70 to 80 times for a full tank. A consistent shot string can be had if you pump every five to ten shots, as each shot uses air equivalent to three or five pumps.
A remarkably less effort is needed to pump the Aspen, even at the full 250 BAR. Having used hand pumps for my PCPs, the air guns 28 pounds of pumping effort is child’s play.
As with most air guns, you don’t have to fill it up to the maximum 3600 PSI. I tend to find my sweet spot with about 2500 to 2900 PSI of air pressure.
The Aspen allows me to adjust its hammer spring effortlessly, bringing the consistent shot sweet spot lower or higher. While the air rifle is rated 250 bar fill pressure, I recommend filling up to 100 or 200 bar.
The Seneca Aspens internal pump’s handle, whether this was by design or accident, acts as what is called a hamster. This is an air gun field target term that represents a stock extension that raises the gun for easier seated or off-hand position shooting.
What Makes the Type of Air Supply Convenient?
A convenient pest control and small game hunting air gun, the Aspen’s 50cc cylinder can also be filled up fast with an external tank. Though the cylinder contains a fill probe instead of a foster fitting, there’s no need for a hose adapter as one is machined to its base.
The fill port is located so that this air rifle can’t be tethered to an external tank since it’s not designed as a bench gun. Its end cap on the tube resembles a fill port, but as far as I am concerned, that’s not the manufacturer’s intentions.
Releasing pressure in case of accidental overfill of the cylinder is by a degassing valve on the Aspen. If the pressure reaches hazardous levels, the automatic overpressure air release kicks in to act as a burst disk.
To keep the pump maintained, Seneca includes silicone oil lubricant that should be applied on the marked ‘oil’ port. Put about six drops of the lubricant after every 2,000 pumps or the equivalent of 300 shots.
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What Else I Liked About the Seneca Aspen PCP
Other than the need to carry around external air supply when hunting, the Seneca Aspen is quiet except for a crack on high power. I set up my .22 caliber in my backyard for some target practice, and on low power, my neighbors noticed nothing.
When on a hunt for rodents and starlings, low powered headshots are more than sufficient. At 50 yards, I can hold 1-inch groups for the 30 rounds I can get on the maximum tank.
Pumping from zero to 3600 PSI requires about 150 pumps, and for each 600 PSI spent, I did about 20 pumps. At around 2200 PSI, I experienced a power curve or my fastest hard-hitting pellets.
I shot 14.3 grain .22 caliber domed premiers, and Crosman pointed when target practicing. The Aspen is particularly versatile with H&N Hornets when hunting as they’re expensive.
A two-stage trigger and the side lever cocking are also features that befriended me to this PCP. The Seneca Aspen has a standard 4X32 AO scope, which can be opted out for a 4X16X44 AO for more bang for the buck.
I have decided that the Seneca Aspen will be one of my air guns that never collects dust due to its superb accuracy and quietness. Critters never know what hit them, and I get to pump back the tank magazine after another.
The self-contained aspect of an integrated pump of the Seneca Aspen means I never stop for air.
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36 years old, been hunting and fishing my entire life – love the outdoors, family, and all kinds of hunting and fishing! I have spent thousands of hours hunting hogs and training hunting dogs, but I’m always learning new stuff and really happy to be sharing them with you! hit me up with an email in the contact form if you have any questions.
