Precihole Sports NX200
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2021 3:42 pm
I have been late to the gasram party because I have never quite trusted airgun powerplants that could leak. That said, I liked the firing cycle and the revised stock of the NX200 and decided to get one as a stop gap until the SX200 is available in a carbine length.
The rifle was ordered from Kovi Bazaar and it was delivered within 48 hours. Kudos to KB for a quick dispatch, good communication and equally good packing.
Rather than clean the bore, wipe down the action, threadlock the action screws (always use removeable threadlock such as Loctite 243) and start shooting, I decided to disassemble the rifle so as to degrease, clean, relube (with moly grease and moly oil) and assemble before testing it.
On disassembling the rifle I came across the following:
1) The piston had more grease on it than required though not excessively so.
2) There was a smear of moly grease on the piston seal face, which is unacceptable.
3) The piston seal had tiny nicks along a section of its outer edge. Tested it for compression and since it passed the test, I have retained it. No problem after 340 shots.
4) The inside rear of the cylinder exhibited signs of light oxidation. This was attended to.
5) There was some pretty sharp plastic flashing, from the injection molding process, towards the front of the stock’s cocking slot. This was carefully shaved off.
6) The stocks inletting has slots that could be filled with weights to increase the rifle’s weight or balance. Similarly, the hollow butt stock could be filled with construction foam and then inletted for further weights.
7) An extra breech block shim had slipped in at the factory. As a result, there were two breech shims on the RHS and one on the LHS. I have reassembled the rifle with the three shims in case there is a reason for it.
8 ) The rear trigger guard screw had been threadlocked but the front action screws were not. Instead, they were given lock washers. A misnomer because they did not stop the screws working loose. What’s more when I removed the stock after the 270th shot, I discovered that one of the lock washers had broken. I have discarded them and surprisingly have not noticed any movement of the screws. They have witness marks.
Weihrauch use the same system and they are just as ineffectual but they do not break.
The front trigger guard screw is a self-threading screw that screws into the stock and not the action. Given that the three action screws are of the Allen variety, it would have been more consistent had they used an Allen screw, rather than a Philips. Probably due to self threading screws not being available with Allen heads?
9) Whilst cleaning the bore, with a quality rod, I noticed that there was no additional resistance towards the muzzle and by this I can only deduce that Precihole Sports do not choke their barrels.
Barring the breech block pivot bolt, I have left out threadlocking the action screws because according to the owner’s leaflet, the piston is expected to leak some oil initially. I experienced more than the ‘little’ mentioned in the leaflet and brought it to Doc’s attention. He said he would check if they were overfilling the pistons at the factory. He did say it should settle within 300 to 400 shots. Since my run-in period is 2000 shots I am okay with that. I am currently at 340 shots and have noticed less oil leakage. I removed the stock after shot 270 and found oil pooled within the inletting.
I have put witness marks on the action screws but wont threadlock them until the 2000 shot mark or the oil stops leaking. Good thing they did not use a wooden stock.
Testing commenced with Precihole Sports' Preciell Field Target pellets and what a disappointment they have been. Not in terms of accuracy but pellet fit. They are a very tight fit in the breech and I had to resort to a pellet seater to seat them to a consistent depth each time.
A prime attraction for purchasing the NX200 was based on the assumption that the pellets from the same manufacturer would suit their rifles and pistols. The pellets being relatively inexpensive, well made and readily available make them excellent choices, if only they would seat easily. I dare say this excessive tightness in the breech robs them of velocity but this may have been done to compensate for the lack of a choke. Just guessing.
The breech seal would get partially unseated every time the barrel was broken. Thankfully, this irritant went away around the hundredth shot. Obviously due to the constant pushing in.
I have noticed a galling to the upper breech face and keep seeing very fine steel particles upon it. I have noticed the same on some NX200 YouTube videos. I also noticed a burr along the left edge of the breech face, which I have addressed.
Quality has improved since I bought my sons NX100s in 2012. With a little more attention to fit and finish, it can improve further and it must!
A few words about the trigger, as set by the factory. The manufacturer claims that it is a two stage trigger but I beg to differ. I guess it depends on one’s definition of a two stage trigger. That said, I like it.
The ‘first stage’ travel is a mere 1 or 1.5mm and then as pressure is gradually applied the sear is released. There is no creep whatsoever and the let-off pressure feels consistent shot after shot. If, like me, you set your triggers on the lighter side on your Weihrauchs, etc., the NX 200 trigger may feel heavier for the first shot or two but that is about all it takes to get familiar with it. The wide trigger blade helps as well.
If you must adjust the trigger, I suggest you put a witness mark at the 12 o’clock position on the adjuster set screw and then make adjustments in very small increments. If you feel the factory setting to be the best, then you have your witness mark as a guide.
Yesterday, I received a small selection of pellets and tested their fit in the breech last night. Refer the pics of the respective target cards for details.
Do not judge the accuracy potential of the rifle from the groups you see. I lost my ability to focus on the front sight after cataract surgery in 2009. What I see are ghost images of the front post. Sometimes the ghosting is severe, sometimes not. There is no springer rated scope at hand, so that option is out. Besides sighting errors, other shooting errors have also played their part in producing the fliers.
This post will be a work in progress, so keep checking back.
A list of what I'd like to see on future or revised models:
1) Precipell pellets that are a snug fit in the breech - neither tight nor loose.
2) Choke the barrels, so that we get an in-built pellet sizer.
3) Piston bearing rings on the piston, fore and aft, as found on Air Arms springers.
4) Provide a 'top hat' for the main-spring, on the springers.
5) A slightly wider stock and a comb without a very prominent ogive.
6) Recontour the grip, ever so slightly, so that those employing a thumb-up hold have better contact with more of the thumb's pad and not a point contact as exists at the moment.
7) A front globe sight like Weihrauch's with interchangeable inserts. Either as a standard fitment or an optional extra.
The rifle was ordered from Kovi Bazaar and it was delivered within 48 hours. Kudos to KB for a quick dispatch, good communication and equally good packing.
Rather than clean the bore, wipe down the action, threadlock the action screws (always use removeable threadlock such as Loctite 243) and start shooting, I decided to disassemble the rifle so as to degrease, clean, relube (with moly grease and moly oil) and assemble before testing it.
On disassembling the rifle I came across the following:
1) The piston had more grease on it than required though not excessively so.
2) There was a smear of moly grease on the piston seal face, which is unacceptable.
3) The piston seal had tiny nicks along a section of its outer edge. Tested it for compression and since it passed the test, I have retained it. No problem after 340 shots.
4) The inside rear of the cylinder exhibited signs of light oxidation. This was attended to.
5) There was some pretty sharp plastic flashing, from the injection molding process, towards the front of the stock’s cocking slot. This was carefully shaved off.
6) The stocks inletting has slots that could be filled with weights to increase the rifle’s weight or balance. Similarly, the hollow butt stock could be filled with construction foam and then inletted for further weights.
7) An extra breech block shim had slipped in at the factory. As a result, there were two breech shims on the RHS and one on the LHS. I have reassembled the rifle with the three shims in case there is a reason for it.
8 ) The rear trigger guard screw had been threadlocked but the front action screws were not. Instead, they were given lock washers. A misnomer because they did not stop the screws working loose. What’s more when I removed the stock after the 270th shot, I discovered that one of the lock washers had broken. I have discarded them and surprisingly have not noticed any movement of the screws. They have witness marks.
Weihrauch use the same system and they are just as ineffectual but they do not break.
The front trigger guard screw is a self-threading screw that screws into the stock and not the action. Given that the three action screws are of the Allen variety, it would have been more consistent had they used an Allen screw, rather than a Philips. Probably due to self threading screws not being available with Allen heads?
9) Whilst cleaning the bore, with a quality rod, I noticed that there was no additional resistance towards the muzzle and by this I can only deduce that Precihole Sports do not choke their barrels.
Barring the breech block pivot bolt, I have left out threadlocking the action screws because according to the owner’s leaflet, the piston is expected to leak some oil initially. I experienced more than the ‘little’ mentioned in the leaflet and brought it to Doc’s attention. He said he would check if they were overfilling the pistons at the factory. He did say it should settle within 300 to 400 shots. Since my run-in period is 2000 shots I am okay with that. I am currently at 340 shots and have noticed less oil leakage. I removed the stock after shot 270 and found oil pooled within the inletting.
I have put witness marks on the action screws but wont threadlock them until the 2000 shot mark or the oil stops leaking. Good thing they did not use a wooden stock.
Testing commenced with Precihole Sports' Preciell Field Target pellets and what a disappointment they have been. Not in terms of accuracy but pellet fit. They are a very tight fit in the breech and I had to resort to a pellet seater to seat them to a consistent depth each time.
A prime attraction for purchasing the NX200 was based on the assumption that the pellets from the same manufacturer would suit their rifles and pistols. The pellets being relatively inexpensive, well made and readily available make them excellent choices, if only they would seat easily. I dare say this excessive tightness in the breech robs them of velocity but this may have been done to compensate for the lack of a choke. Just guessing.
The breech seal would get partially unseated every time the barrel was broken. Thankfully, this irritant went away around the hundredth shot. Obviously due to the constant pushing in.
I have noticed a galling to the upper breech face and keep seeing very fine steel particles upon it. I have noticed the same on some NX200 YouTube videos. I also noticed a burr along the left edge of the breech face, which I have addressed.
Quality has improved since I bought my sons NX100s in 2012. With a little more attention to fit and finish, it can improve further and it must!
A few words about the trigger, as set by the factory. The manufacturer claims that it is a two stage trigger but I beg to differ. I guess it depends on one’s definition of a two stage trigger. That said, I like it.
The ‘first stage’ travel is a mere 1 or 1.5mm and then as pressure is gradually applied the sear is released. There is no creep whatsoever and the let-off pressure feels consistent shot after shot. If, like me, you set your triggers on the lighter side on your Weihrauchs, etc., the NX 200 trigger may feel heavier for the first shot or two but that is about all it takes to get familiar with it. The wide trigger blade helps as well.
If you must adjust the trigger, I suggest you put a witness mark at the 12 o’clock position on the adjuster set screw and then make adjustments in very small increments. If you feel the factory setting to be the best, then you have your witness mark as a guide.
Yesterday, I received a small selection of pellets and tested their fit in the breech last night. Refer the pics of the respective target cards for details.
Do not judge the accuracy potential of the rifle from the groups you see. I lost my ability to focus on the front sight after cataract surgery in 2009. What I see are ghost images of the front post. Sometimes the ghosting is severe, sometimes not. There is no springer rated scope at hand, so that option is out. Besides sighting errors, other shooting errors have also played their part in producing the fliers.
This post will be a work in progress, so keep checking back.
A list of what I'd like to see on future or revised models:
1) Precipell pellets that are a snug fit in the breech - neither tight nor loose.
2) Choke the barrels, so that we get an in-built pellet sizer.
3) Piston bearing rings on the piston, fore and aft, as found on Air Arms springers.
4) Provide a 'top hat' for the main-spring, on the springers.
5) A slightly wider stock and a comb without a very prominent ogive.
6) Recontour the grip, ever so slightly, so that those employing a thumb-up hold have better contact with more of the thumb's pad and not a point contact as exists at the moment.
7) A front globe sight like Weihrauch's with interchangeable inserts. Either as a standard fitment or an optional extra.
