K80 first impressions

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Les53

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Messages
6,430
Location
Dorset
OK it's time to stick my head above the parapet I guess, I know I'm likely to take some stick but here goes anyway!

I've had my K80 Supertrap for several weeks now and have not been able to get to shoot it due to holidays, work and the worst case of man flu that anyone has ever had, in fact I still have it!

Anyway I got to the point yesterday where I just had to try it, regardless of feeling really under the weather, so off I went to Southern Counties.

So first I thought I would go in at the deep end with a round of OT, ended up on 20 ex 25, not fantastic but not too bad. Next was DTL, so just filled my pockets with shells and just shot until I ran out of ammo. This resulted in me shooting at 75 straight off with no fag or coffee break! So I hit 72 out of the 75, with I think six second tubes, not bad but not brilliant of course.

So for a first time out I was quite pleased with the K80.

So onto the gun itself, it's a 2008 Supertrap 32 inch, Arabesque engraving, titanium hanger, titanium chokes and titanium trigger, seems to have a wood upgrade too.

The stock is the usual adjustable monte carlo type with a standard semi beavertail forend. Gun weight is 9lb 2oz and balances right on the pin.

So does it feel heavy? Yes when you pick it up it feels very heavy, but once in the shoulder the weight is just not noticeable, there is no tendancy towards muzzle heaviness due to the titanium bits and bobs on the front!

Nobody could say that this gun is fast handling, but nor is it slow or ponderous either! It is effortless to shoot and I was hitting the targets in the same place that I would have with my previous DT11 or 3800, there is little danger of stopping this gun when you fire it, the weight must prevent it, so it follows through all by itself.

As for recoil, well yes of course there is recoil, but it is less than on any other over and under that I've ever shot and is at about the same level as an auto I would think. I was using RC4 Champion 28grm for this first outing, I forgot to take the 24grm  Red Shot with me.

OK it is very well engineered, the trigger pulls are probably even better than those on my old DT11, the amount of travel on the trigger is very small indeed, trigger pulls I would guess are in the region of 3.5lb or so, I have'nt measured them.

As for the looks, well yes it is a slab sided bit of kit without doubt, not graceful like an MX8, however it does have a certain character to it which I rather like, in fact some of the very high grade models are simply stunning to look at.

Price!!! So are K80's really worth what they cost? Well when compared to a Miroku.....no.  However when you look at the level of engineering that is involved in the K80's you can at least see that it is at a superior level to most guns. So is it REALLY worth so much more than a lot of other very good guns? Well that is up to the individual I guess, but I would not buy a brand new one!

I think it will take me some time to fully adjust to the K80, simply because of the fact that it does not handle or shoot like any other gun I've ever owned, it smooths out any jumpiness on the part of the shooter but it seems to find its own way to the target, it cannot be pushed or shoved, it seems to have a mind of its own and any attempt to get in its way seems futile. It sounds strange, but it's almost as though it is alive in some way.

So there it is, the K80 is an extraordinary gun, yes probably a Marmite gun too. Will it be my gun for life? Well only time will tell and it's still very early days yet!

 
Hope you shoot it as well as your Miroku :spiteful:    Still plenty of fence post will need doing in winter. :girlcrazy:

 
Photos...........?? ;-)
 Got a couple of the stock and action, now it's got a nice finish on it!!!

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Hope you shoot it as well as your Miroku :spiteful:    Still plenty of fence post will need doing in winter. :girlcrazy:
Well I even have some attachments to fit the K80!!!

1) A fishing rod that fits into the multichoke threads, with an attachement for the action which will hold a multiplier reel.

2) A hoe attachment for the weeding.

3) A sythe attachment for any long grass

4) A handy rubber bung thing to go on the muzzles,so that the gun can be used as a crutch or a walking stick.

5) I also have a brilliant thing that bolts onto the action once the stock is removed, it's called a shovel and should help to dig me out of some of the crap I keep getting myself into!!

:laugh:

 
Oh, I think should also put in a word here about Ian Mulliner of Mulliners guns too. I've known Ian for a while now and I've shot with his brother Rob and Brian his Dad. Ian did a very good deal for me on the K80, he also set up the stock and chokes for me before I left his place, he told me to leave the stock and chokes alone, which I remarkably did!!!! Ian knows one hell of a lot about K guns and I would recommend anyone who wishes to look at a few or is even remotely interested in them to speak to him. He is a great guy and very helpful too, I just wish he wasn't such a good shot though, he seems to win just about every Dorset championship that he enters!!!  :laugh:

 
That is a very nice bit of wood you have there! 
Thank you very much, I've had better, but I've had a lot worse too!!!! It didn't look so good when I got it, I don't think it had seen a drop of stock oil since it left the factory!!!

 
I forgot to add "K" guns to my hate list :)

sorry pal.

PS

So its got a "basque" engraved on it ?

Bit weird even for you :)

 
PS

So its got a "basque" engraved on it ?
No Ian....Arabesque!!!  How many have you had this afternoon? :biggrin:   Anyway just about to order some lederhosen and a trilby hat to go with my new long socks!!! Well you have to do the German things when you shoot a K gun mate!  I may even switch to a German beer and start eating knackwurst for tea!!!! Not sure about a german car though.......been there, drove those......... :roadrage:

 
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No Ian....Arabesque!!! How many have you had this afternoon? :biggrin: Anyway just about to order some lederhosen and a trilby hat to go with my new long socks!!! Well you have to do the German things when you shoot a K gun mate! I may even switch to a German beer and start eating knackwurst for tea!!!! Not sure about a german car though.......been there, drove those......... :roadrage:
I shot on a squad with a German at the world DTL in 2012. He wore lederhosen to shoot in every day but even he saw sense and chose to shoot a Perazzi

 
Oh, I think should also put in a word here about Ian Mulliner of Mulliners guns too. I've known Ian for a while now and I've shot with his brother Rob and Brian his Dad. Ian did a very good deal for me on the K80, he also set up the stock and chokes for me before I left his place, he told me to leave the stock and chokes alone, which I remarkably did!!!! Ian knows one hell of a lot about K guns and I would recommend anyone who wishes to look at a few or is even remotely interested in them to speak to him. He is a great guy and very helpful too, I just wish he wasn't such a good shot though, he seems to win just about every Dorset championship that he enters!!!  :laugh:
Ian Mulliner is superb. I bought a gun from him a few weeks ago. He spent hours getting it right, even finally setting it up/checking it at Southern Counties and his approach filled me with confidence that here was a man who totally knows what he's doing. And it was a great deal as well. The gun fits perfectly and I'm really pleased I went to Ian. Like you, I would highly recommend him. :)

And there was absolutely no hard sell. It was to get what worked best. And even within a few weeks, it seems he was right! :)

 
And there was absolutely no hard sell. It was to get what worked best. And even within a few weeks, it seems he was right! :)
Exactly.....there is no hint of "hard sell" with Ian.

 
Been there several times! I love P guns, but I just don't seem to be able to get on with them, it's a shame because they are lovely guns!
I some times have the urge to try a K gun but i just cant get past the clunky closure. Besides, nothing feels as good to me as my P gun.

 
I some times have the urge to try a K gun but i just cant get past the clunky closure. Besides, nothing feels as good to me as my P gun.
Yep I know what you mean, every time I pick up a P gun I want to buy it!!! As for the K guns, well I wanted to try something a bit radical, something that could easily be adapted to suit me if required and the K guns seemed to fit the bill. There is also a sort of nostalgia thing with them too, it goes back to my early trap shooting days when some of the old timers used Remy 32's and 3200's, which as you know look very similar to K guns, for obvious reasons. It used to seem as though those old guys hardly ever missed a DTL or ABT target, so I sort of got a liking for the look of them, same goes for Miroku/Browning.

 
Still not selling it then ?

ABT at Rugby this weekend. You coming ...or what?

DT
Yup, still not selling.

im off to Ireland on Sunday morning for a week so no shooting for me. Im still recovering from the elation of high gun last weekend and the bitter disappointment of winning absolutely nothing. It would have been my first county title if i hadn't moved and no brown envelope either. Good job i do this for the love of it

 
OK, I'm not going to comment.

firstly on the basis of what Thumper's mother said  - - always good advice

secondly I'm still trying to let LilyD3 know that I'm "able to just get on with what needs to be done and generally just a lovely person to be around."  :preved:  

have a day

Charlie

 
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