PreciHole AirGun Review
Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 3:20 pm
... Enjoy 
TenX
--------------------------------------------------
The PRECIHOLE Springer – Club
A Review by Anand CK Shashidhar (TenX)
High time a review on the Precihole .177 break barrel springer came out ( http://www.preciholesports.com ). Although ‘LazyBones’ had posted a FIR on this, I thought I should add one to clear up the air on some aspects of the rifle, its sale point and what we, the shooting fraternity should look out for.
DISCLAIMER
The below views are my personal First-Hand experience, after firing a good amount of pellets and observation to the best of my capability. I have not been paid or influenced by anyone, and am posting this solely for the information of all those in the shooting fraternity, who may see value. That said .. yes, it is open for discussion and questions, but please PLEASE PlEaSe spare the misery of confusing comparisons, ridicule and the like. I am sure those who have only negativity to shell out can find other forums and topics to vent on
ONSET
Dr. Shirsat, who is a well known name in the airgun industry of India, and an even more appreciated human by those who know him personally, did sign off from IHO and is with one of the world’s leading boring industry – PreciHole (stands for Precision Hole). As its mentor, guide and chief R&D person, he has brought out a truly ‘Indian’ gun, based solely out of his engineering skills, and considering the limitations of affordability, material and the basic wants of the Indian populace.
By saying ‘Indian’, I do intent to point out that the IHP facility was a ‘purchased’ Hammerli unit, seeing very little change in its several decades of operation. This brings the focus on what the Indians got ‘used to’, and what had to be solved. Most of them have been addressed with the Precihole air gun.
I own serial #003, thanks to months of ‘advance booking’. I am sure the later versions will see some betterment in quality and some aspects. And for those who want to dive in buy one ASAP, one of the sections below will detail how to lay your hands on one.
Firstly, let me start with what we hold first – the Stock.
The stock comes with a ‘Skip-Line Dot Pattern Chequering’ Polymer stock. This stock is indeed of an acceptable finish, and mighty ergonomic in design. The stock has this grip on the underside of the front, the pistol grip and on the rear of the butt pad. The butt pad is itself made of a special rubber, and seems impressive. The contours of the stock are very smooth and the design made just right for an average adult – maybe of a height between 5’5” to 6’...
The stock comes right up to the shoulder smooth and easy. This is probably owing to some bit of ‘Tactile Feedback’ that the chequering gives. You see, the face of the palm is highly accustomed to a good bit of sense on touch and feeling. When we really tight-grip a rifle, this sense is compromised. The chequering on the PreciHole is kinds just right to grip adequately and retain a good deal of this ‘tactile sensing’.
When I met with an accident and the doc was sewing up my fist (I have 49 stitches on my fist), I was forced to hear doctor tales of the hand’s construction. I believe there are muscle fibres that are as thin as hair. These are used for that bit of accurate sensing – the same sensing that lets you know what material you are touching – glass, wood, plastic etc., by just running your fingers over them. These muscles pass on a lot of information to the brain. When we tight-grip, this sense is somewhat lost, when bigger muscles take over. In this stock and the grip it introduces, the feel is just right for a shooter. There is ample feedback for the brain to always sense, judge and correct. This is pretty much required for building accuracy, since every part of the body is part of the overall rhythm. In case you are wondering why your favourite Walther or Feinwerkbau does not have such chequering, it’s because they are meant to be shot with gloves.
Therefore, these guns will have different deeper contours for the bigger judgement of hand position and balance. This ‘gripping’ technology also lets you sense if there are changes in hand position, since break barrels force you to re-take position of both hands for every shot loaded. If and when you get used to it, you will be damn sure of where your hand is placed for every shot – A major plus here for ensuring consistency in the first part of H.A.T.
The balance is a wee bit on the front, but hardly makes any difference. As for me, I am planning to think of some way to add a little weight to the underside of the stock sometime.
The raised cheek rest is just right for me, and owing to my semi-chubby rounded face, I can only say that the sights look impeccable from the angle I perceive when in position. The rest does not have any adjustment, and ‘filing’ it seems hardly an option for those who have modified the wooden stocks of other air guns. This may very well mean that you can probably check out someone else’s rifle first, before buying, to decide if the cheek rest suits you well.
The pistol grip is truly awesome. Precisely placed for normal and long palms to amply grab and effortlessly reach out to the trigger. There is very little variation on the ‘initial’ grip and what is adapted in position. So, when one merely grabs the rifle, the palms nicely settle down with the contours readily holding the pistol grip with any want of variation later. The bulges on the grip are rightly made to suit the standing position with little strain on the wrist. This aspect is pretty much ignored citing terms like ‘Usability’. When something comes as easily as this, the fact tends to be ignored. Its only when there is something wrong, that the glitch is noticed.
The stock finish is pretty symmetrical too. The grooves are well turned, with almost zero friction on barrel breaking. This scores aplenty on the engineering front. I would not call it ‘precise’ as in German engineering, but comparatively (to IHP et al), this was greatly needed. Send in an assurance that less checks are needed while selecting one of these. The colour of the synthetic, however, is a wee bit boring, and some places don’t show the same hue. For me, that’s no problem-O!
Some advantages of good quality synthetics are to do with wear and tear, precision cuts, symmetry, weather-proof, and very importantly, the screws do not slip because of any organic deterioration that several wooden stocks see. The weight is assured in terms of distribution, and also makes the rifle a little lighter, which may or may not be a positive aspect.
That much for the stock... let’s move on to the heart – the Spring-Piston section.
The spring is steel, and comes with synthetic slides. The contraption is awesome. Cocking the rifle is done with so much more ease, and feels smooth like hell. There are only smooth and reassuring sounds. Same goes to when the shot is fired. The recoil is much better than its predecessors. For those used to the hard triggered IHP, the overall feel of cocking-loading-shooting seems much improved. I think this comes with a meticulous effort on planning the overall design, sizes, material etc, within the prevailing limitations. Full marks from me on this!
Trigger:
Much much better.... that’s all ... The safety catch is not something I would bother around much, but the factory set 1.25 kg trigger pressure is kinda just right. To date, I have not felt like changing it. Once again, such design sense can rest only when you can find someone who lives life in both worlds – of a shooter and as a technician. I sometimes buy stuff from Cabelas, and receive brochures form them. Their pics show the company CEO and Directors fishing with their own stuff. This is the attitude that manufacturers should have, to dedicate efforts to improvise whatever they make. I am happy PreciHole has it.
Others:
Sights are neat and just enough. The fore sight cover adds to some welcome style. The rear sight clicks seems more definite. The overall picture seems great for outdoor shooting.
The scope rail is a welcome need. Standard size – but check what scope you may want to use. Ensure they are made for springers of good velocity. Or the scope will go kaput, and you will throw your rifle on the ground in a display of temper (like those who throw comments on an open forum like they inherited it in Dowry!) – and lose both scope and gun!
Overall alignment is well done, showing finesse and a ‘want’ to deliver good quality. This is not just another airgun.
The molded trigger guard with the stock... something I liked
The adjustable trigger is also what some may need.
Accuracy:
Accuracy is probably what every good shooter wants to know. IMHO, the PreciHole is pretty much accurate for a low budget springer. The steel pistol, weight distribution et al, promises reliable accuracy. But there are some facts that few note.
Nothing to say Bad?
This is still not heaven, and that means something is amiss – be it standard, quality or whatever.
Firstly, the general quality of the metal seems more open to oxidation. I touched different parts of the rifle’s metal body with (1) Dry hands, (2) Wet hands, and (3) Sweaty hands. The last area (Sweaty hands) showed Oxidation (Rusting) by the next day - Small dots of it, but surely bad unwanted rust. I strongly suggest cleaning the rifle’s metal part after every use, or better still – go in for a good round of Bluing.
No scope for adding slings is a drawback. No one would want to drill thru the Synthetic stock, so adding a sling makes it a nasty business.
The rear sight sits with a small screw drilled not too deep into the metal. This may be unlucky for a few. I would suggest removing it, and screwing it back with some industrial grade adhesive. For all we know the doc may have already looked into this and improved it post the first batch of guns.
The non-adjustable cheek rest may make it difficult for some shooters, especially those younger, who may never get a clear and natural sight picture.
The overall length is available only in the senior size – making it a little challenging for younger cadre.
The pin holding the spring guide and action juts out of the rear of the cylinder. This is how most guns have it. Personally, I have seen this rod push sideward and eat into the stock. For this purpose, and by designers who know of it, the sides of the stock (around where the receiver tube sits) are made a bit thicker to take this strain. Maybe this is a change that PreciHole can look into.
How/Where to buy?
Now the most awaited part... Buying it.
I do know of SportPrecision.com, which is run by Shankar of KSRA. He is getting the supply chain in place and should start delivering soon. However, fact remains that there are far too more bookings than what PreciHole makes. There is a sure demand, and considering the small scale production being presently
done, I doubt anyone getting it fast. Then again, this may turn out to be a good plan, so that feedback from the smaller first batches force required improvements on the later batches. And production will scale to meet demands.
I booked mine about 4-5 months back... and waited. Fact remains that I waited when no one had it... and can understand that waiting becomes so much more troublesome when someone else has it... Sorry for being the devil here, but I do hope my review makes up for the envy (hatred?) I generate by saying I got it first
All the best to you guys...
TenX
TenX
--------------------------------------------------
The PRECIHOLE Springer – Club
A Review by Anand CK Shashidhar (TenX)
High time a review on the Precihole .177 break barrel springer came out ( http://www.preciholesports.com ). Although ‘LazyBones’ had posted a FIR
on this, I thought I should add one to clear up the air on some aspects of the rifle, its sale point and what we, the shooting fraternity should look out for.DISCLAIMER
The below views are my personal First-Hand experience, after firing a good amount of pellets and observation to the best of my capability. I have not been paid or influenced by anyone, and am posting this solely for the information of all those in the shooting fraternity, who may see value. That said .. yes, it is open for discussion and questions, but please PLEASE PlEaSe spare the misery of confusing comparisons, ridicule and the like. I am sure those who have only negativity to shell out can find other forums and topics to vent on
ONSET
Dr. Shirsat, who is a well known name in the airgun industry of India, and an even more appreciated human by those who know him personally, did sign off from IHO and is with one of the world’s leading boring industry – PreciHole (stands for Precision Hole). As its mentor, guide and chief R&D person, he has brought out a truly ‘Indian’ gun, based solely out of his engineering skills, and considering the limitations of affordability, material and the basic wants of the Indian populace.
By saying ‘Indian’, I do intent to point out that the IHP facility was a ‘purchased’ Hammerli unit, seeing very little change in its several decades of operation. This brings the focus on what the Indians got ‘used to’, and what had to be solved. Most of them have been addressed with the Precihole air gun.
I own serial #003, thanks to months of ‘advance booking’. I am sure the later versions will see some betterment in quality and some aspects. And for those who want to dive in buy one ASAP, one of the sections below will detail how to lay your hands on one.
Firstly, let me start with what we hold first – the Stock.
The stock comes with a ‘Skip-Line Dot Pattern Chequering’ Polymer stock. This stock is indeed of an acceptable finish, and mighty ergonomic in design. The stock has this grip on the underside of the front, the pistol grip and on the rear of the butt pad. The butt pad is itself made of a special rubber, and seems impressive. The contours of the stock are very smooth and the design made just right for an average adult – maybe of a height between 5’5” to 6’...
The stock comes right up to the shoulder smooth and easy. This is probably owing to some bit of ‘Tactile Feedback’ that the chequering gives. You see, the face of the palm is highly accustomed to a good bit of sense on touch and feeling. When we really tight-grip a rifle, this sense is compromised. The chequering on the PreciHole is kinds just right to grip adequately and retain a good deal of this ‘tactile sensing’.
When I met with an accident and the doc was sewing up my fist (I have 49 stitches on my fist), I was forced to hear doctor tales of the hand’s construction. I believe there are muscle fibres that are as thin as hair. These are used for that bit of accurate sensing – the same sensing that lets you know what material you are touching – glass, wood, plastic etc., by just running your fingers over them. These muscles pass on a lot of information to the brain. When we tight-grip, this sense is somewhat lost, when bigger muscles take over. In this stock and the grip it introduces, the feel is just right for a shooter. There is ample feedback for the brain to always sense, judge and correct. This is pretty much required for building accuracy, since every part of the body is part of the overall rhythm. In case you are wondering why your favourite Walther or Feinwerkbau does not have such chequering, it’s because they are meant to be shot with gloves.
Therefore, these guns will have different deeper contours for the bigger judgement of hand position and balance. This ‘gripping’ technology also lets you sense if there are changes in hand position, since break barrels force you to re-take position of both hands for every shot loaded. If and when you get used to it, you will be damn sure of where your hand is placed for every shot – A major plus here for ensuring consistency in the first part of H.A.T.
The balance is a wee bit on the front, but hardly makes any difference. As for me, I am planning to think of some way to add a little weight to the underside of the stock sometime.
The raised cheek rest is just right for me, and owing to my semi-chubby rounded face, I can only say that the sights look impeccable from the angle I perceive when in position. The rest does not have any adjustment, and ‘filing’ it seems hardly an option for those who have modified the wooden stocks of other air guns. This may very well mean that you can probably check out someone else’s rifle first, before buying, to decide if the cheek rest suits you well.
The pistol grip is truly awesome. Precisely placed for normal and long palms to amply grab and effortlessly reach out to the trigger. There is very little variation on the ‘initial’ grip and what is adapted in position. So, when one merely grabs the rifle, the palms nicely settle down with the contours readily holding the pistol grip with any want of variation later. The bulges on the grip are rightly made to suit the standing position with little strain on the wrist. This aspect is pretty much ignored citing terms like ‘Usability’. When something comes as easily as this, the fact tends to be ignored. Its only when there is something wrong, that the glitch is noticed.
The stock finish is pretty symmetrical too. The grooves are well turned, with almost zero friction on barrel breaking. This scores aplenty on the engineering front. I would not call it ‘precise’ as in German engineering, but comparatively (to IHP et al), this was greatly needed. Send in an assurance that less checks are needed while selecting one of these. The colour of the synthetic, however, is a wee bit boring, and some places don’t show the same hue. For me, that’s no problem-O!
Some advantages of good quality synthetics are to do with wear and tear, precision cuts, symmetry, weather-proof, and very importantly, the screws do not slip because of any organic deterioration that several wooden stocks see. The weight is assured in terms of distribution, and also makes the rifle a little lighter, which may or may not be a positive aspect.
That much for the stock... let’s move on to the heart – the Spring-Piston section.
The spring is steel, and comes with synthetic slides. The contraption is awesome. Cocking the rifle is done with so much more ease, and feels smooth like hell. There are only smooth and reassuring sounds. Same goes to when the shot is fired. The recoil is much better than its predecessors. For those used to the hard triggered IHP, the overall feel of cocking-loading-shooting seems much improved. I think this comes with a meticulous effort on planning the overall design, sizes, material etc, within the prevailing limitations. Full marks from me on this!
Trigger:
Much much better.... that’s all
... The safety catch is not something I would bother around much, but the factory set 1.25 kg trigger pressure is kinda just right. To date, I have not felt like changing it. Once again, such design sense can rest only when you can find someone who lives life in both worlds – of a shooter and as a technician. I sometimes buy stuff from Cabelas, and receive brochures form them. Their pics show the company CEO and Directors fishing with their own stuff. This is the attitude that manufacturers should have, to dedicate efforts to improvise whatever they make. I am happy PreciHole has it.Others:
Sights are neat and just enough. The fore sight cover adds to some welcome style. The rear sight clicks seems more definite. The overall picture seems great for outdoor shooting.
The scope rail is a welcome need. Standard size – but check what scope you may want to use. Ensure they are made for springers of good velocity. Or the scope will go kaput, and you will throw your rifle on the ground in a display of temper (like those who throw comments on an open forum like they inherited it in Dowry!) – and lose both scope and gun!
Overall alignment is well done, showing finesse and a ‘want’ to deliver good quality. This is not just another airgun.
The molded trigger guard with the stock... something I liked
The adjustable trigger is also what some may need.
Accuracy:
Accuracy is probably what every good shooter wants to know. IMHO, the PreciHole is pretty much accurate for a low budget springer. The steel pistol, weight distribution et al, promises reliable accuracy. But there are some facts that few note.
- The grip-trigger combo. Having a lighter grip, will send the right messages to your fingertip. This means that the shots can be ‘called’ with much more control, than the Hulk-ish jerk that other air rifles requires. The 1.25 kg factory-set adjustable trigger is a welcome. And considering getting used to it in less than a dozen shots can only mean much better control. Whenever a shooter feels comfortable with the trigger, it simply adds to the sub-conscious rhythm, allowing more focus on the sighting and breathing technique. This is surely a high score for this baby.
- The stock-grip. With the checkering, the hold seems much more optimized, in the sense that you are more sure of where and how much to grip. This also gives a feeling of a stable grip, to ensure good holding during and after the shot. There is a constant feedback between what you hold or grasp and the brain. There is a good deal of information travelling back and forth, giving your thoughts guidance on micro-adjustments that you make, probably without even knowing about it – fine motor skills. When the grip is right, a lot of things are certain – adding to that much more accuracy. If you have ever had the opportunity to work-out with barbells – you may have noticed that the thickness of the bar you hold is important. If it is too small, the grip is compromised, since the fist wraps into a very tight curvature. If it is too thick, there is a sense of it being slippery. Similar logic applies to holding a gun stock. When it fits comfortably and when the hands are wrapped well, when there is a ‘pimpled’ feedback mechanism giving your fingertips and the palm sufficient information, and when your wrist relaxes with less-required changes, the stance proves optimum for accuracy.
- Recoil management – Recoil in firearms is inevitable when it comes to springers. There has to be a spring expansion in all of its metallurgical physics, bloating and surpassing prediction. Without this, the pellet will never get its due share of acceleration. However, making the pistol smooth, and allowing for an exact formula to compress air and transfer the pressure to the pellet remains the greatest challenge in the making of air guns. If the piston pushes too fast or the air transfer hole is too small, there is a ‘kick-back’ that the pistol experiences – translates into a ‘jerky’ recoil. If the match is right, the recoil is that much less difficult to manage. The PreciHole stuff has a very balanced recoil management system, and you know how much to feel and where when the trigger action has started. By cutting out the unnecessary kick-back, the piston thrust delivery is optimum. With this, follow thru becomes so much more easy, and it all adds up to retaining the sight picture long enough for an accurate hole-in-hole.
Nothing to say Bad?
This is still not heaven, and that means something is amiss – be it standard, quality or whatever.
Firstly, the general quality of the metal seems more open to oxidation. I touched different parts of the rifle’s metal body with (1) Dry hands, (2) Wet hands, and (3) Sweaty hands. The last area (Sweaty hands) showed Oxidation (Rusting) by the next day - Small dots of it, but surely bad unwanted rust. I strongly suggest cleaning the rifle’s metal part after every use, or better still – go in for a good round of Bluing.
No scope for adding slings is a drawback. No one would want to drill thru the Synthetic stock, so adding a sling makes it a nasty business.
The rear sight sits with a small screw drilled not too deep into the metal. This may be unlucky for a few. I would suggest removing it, and screwing it back with some industrial grade adhesive. For all we know the doc may have already looked into this and improved it post the first batch of guns.
The non-adjustable cheek rest may make it difficult for some shooters, especially those younger, who may never get a clear and natural sight picture.
The overall length is available only in the senior size – making it a little challenging for younger cadre.
The pin holding the spring guide and action juts out of the rear of the cylinder. This is how most guns have it. Personally, I have seen this rod push sideward and eat into the stock. For this purpose, and by designers who know of it, the sides of the stock (around where the receiver tube sits) are made a bit thicker to take this strain. Maybe this is a change that PreciHole can look into.
How/Where to buy?
Now the most awaited part... Buying it.
I do know of SportPrecision.com, which is run by Shankar of KSRA. He is getting the supply chain in place and should start delivering soon. However, fact remains that there are far too more bookings than what PreciHole makes. There is a sure demand, and considering the small scale production being presently
done, I doubt anyone getting it fast. Then again, this may turn out to be a good plan, so that feedback from the smaller first batches force required improvements on the later batches. And production will scale to meet demands.
I booked mine about 4-5 months back... and waited. Fact remains that I waited when no one had it... and can understand that waiting becomes so much more troublesome when someone else has it... Sorry for being the devil here, but I do hope my review makes up for the envy (hatred?) I generate by saying I got it first
All the best to you guys...
TenX
