Design and Ergonomics
Unless you've been living under a rock( or a pineapple under the sea) this is what the rifle looks like
This is how the rifle looks with a Bushnell Trophy XLT 4-12X AO scope
And this is my attempt to show off in bokeh eshtylle
This is not my first Precihole gun. I've owned an SX100 Orion before. Needless to say my expectation in the build quality, design and ergonomics department were sky high. The gun comes across as well built and sturdy with no loose or rattling parts and no components that could potentially break away if dropped or struck against a surface. The receiver and the cocking arm is made of aluminium while the pin that seats the pellet and
seals off the chamber is made of steel( i think).
There area a few minor design hiccups though, nothing too major. For starters, the plastic ring surrounding the pressure gauge comes off with a little force and does not seat perfectly.
Everything feels well seated and perfect except for two crucial( in my opinion) points. Firstly, the rifle is quite light as compared to the SX100 Orion. While this may be to the liking of some people here, personally i do not like it. i would have preferred if Precihole had added weights in the stock or used an all steel receiver. The low weight is simply not to my liking. For the record i'm 6'0" and a quintal in weight.
Secondly and most crucially, WHY IS THE BARREL SO GODDAMN THIN. I considered titling my review "RAGE AGAINST THE BARREL" for this very purpose since i could go on and on about it but thankfully reason took over. Now, i'm not asking for a bull barrel ( though it would've been nice) but a nice thick barrel akin to the SX100/NX100 series. This would've been nice as:
1) It would've addressed the weight issue a bit
2) We could mount the front dovetail adapter for the SX/NX/VX series rifles on this to be used for 50m FT shooting.
3) Improved accuracy (see below)
Now a long thin barrel as a higher tendency to vibrate than a thicker one of the same length, this is common knowledge. In air guns, barrel vibration doesn't really make that much of a difference from what i've read. Barrel harmonics are mostly for firearms. BUT, if one were to tap the barrel of the PX100 and hold a finger at another end, one can feel a distinct ringing throughout the length of the barrel. On the SX100 this was conspicously absent. Hence i wonder, WHY COULD WE NOT HAVE A THICKER BARREL? . The distinctive barrel ringing has led me to believe that unbalanced and poor quality pellets might not fare well in this gun at all. Also, the gun is LOUD. firing it in closed spaces( in my case, a hallway) will leave a ringing in one's ears. A barrel shroud would've been good
Loading pellets with a mounted scope is not a problem, i use a two piece mount of medium height and i have HUGE hands, yet loading pellets is fairly easy. Those with a 1 piece mount though might face a little problem.
Technology
As evident from the precihole page, the rifle comes with a choked barrel. For the uninitated, a choked barrel is one in which the last few inches of the barrel is slightly smaller in diameter, hence constricting the pellet slightly before it exits which leads to improved accuracy
Also, this one thing i wanted to point out. The rifle comes with an air pressure regulator which is not a very common thing in budget and mid range air rifles. What a regulator does it that it converts the high pressure of the tank into a steady preset pressure in it's own chamber. This exposes each pellet to the same pressure of air with every shot as opposed to a continuously dropping pressure for every shot in unregulated guns. Now this is a great feature with the advantages and disadvantages listed below.
Advantages:
1) Provides consistent velocity ( for tank pressure>regulator pressure)
2) The rifle is less likely to "pressure lock"
Disadvantages:
1) Regulators, even the very best ones have a limited life. The higher the difference in tank pressure vs regulator pressure the shorter the life of the regulator is deemed.
2) One of the simplest methods to modify the power of an unregulated PCP is to tighten the hammer spring or replace it with a more powerful one. The power gain is much less if a regulator is present as the regulator is also a restricting factor in the air flow.
Accuracy
Now, i'm not the best shot in the world hence take these results with a pinch of salt. Also i have no experince in using chrono connect so i cannot certify its accuracy though all distances and pellet weight inputted are correct AFAIK. I daresay in the hands of a true marksman with a benchrest , the groups would be half of what they are. All shots were taken in the prone position without any rest on 10m ISSF air rifle target paper. THe distance from the target to the rifle is approx 12m.
The first set is RWS R10 Match pellets (Wadcutters)
8 shots
The second is Precipell Feild Target ( roundhead)
10 shots
The third is Precipell Sting ( pointed head)
8 shots
Final Word
Overall the rifle has been a mixed bag. While Precihole sports has done a commendable job on the first Indian made PCP, the price tag of Rs. 30,000/- i.e. about $480 is on the higher side when taking Purchasing Power Parity into account. The fit and finish, power adn accuracy work well for the gun but the whippy barrel and lower weight work against it. SO, would i buy it if it were available for around ~18k : YES. Would i buy it if i could get a suitable foreign PCP (e.g. benjamin Marauder) for the same price : Probably not.
Also , since we're a forum of enthusiasts, here is a picture of my 'other' collection
Gurgaon/Delhi NCR people, a meet soon perhaps?
