A review of SDB Xena

[MNA]

Right now XENA is the best Indian made Springer and there is no doubt about it in power accuracy and consistent performance

Is xena better than VX100?

[dalvipravin]

It looks like you have overtightened the screw.The same design can be seen in AK500 also.If properly maintained it can be very smooth.So directly blaming the design itself is not a good idea.

Hi Raja,

I did not touch the screw , it happened over 800 900 shots tht the rifle started rattling n making sounds like something is lose or not connected properly. I don't mind anything in the design lookwise if it's working seamlessly without you having to touch or tune it .. as it's the base design that SHOULD work ...

Anyways that's my personal opinion , experts may have different ways , as of now am looking to permanently fix the issue ... And if I have to tighten or losen the screw after say 1000 shots then definitely it's a design issue . For stalk screws I can understand ,they get lose and you can loctite them but you can't expect a shooter to take apart the rifle to tighten the screw to keep the locking arm in place ... Am I asking too much here ?

Regards
Pravin

[dalvipravin]

It looks like you have overtightened the screw.The same design can be seen in AK500 also.If properly maintained it can be very smooth.So directly blaming the design itself is not a good idea.

Hi Raja,

I did not touch the screw , it happened over 800 900 shots tht the rifle started rattling n making sounds like something is lose or not connected properly. I don't mind anything in the design lookwise if it's working seamlessly without you having to touch or tune it .. as it's the base design that SHOULD work ...

Anyways that's my personal opinion , experts may have different ways , as of now am looking to permanently fix the issue ... And if I have to tighten or losen the screw after say 1000 shots then definitely it's a design issue . For stalk screws I can understand ,they get lose and you can loctite them but you can't expect a shooter to take apart the rifle to tighten the screw to keep the locking arm in place ... Am I asking too much here ?

Regards
Pravin

And I mean one time is ok but not after every 1000 shots .. do you think that's a good design ?

Cheers
Pravin

[vsraja]

There is no such thing like a permanent solution.especially in a springer, you need to do some service like changing seal,internal lubing, changing spring, changing breach seal,etc. Even PCP needs some maintenance work in regular intervals.So even if this design is bad, what can be done by complaining it?. So if you want any permanent solution, you can use a locktite on that screw.

[vsraja]

Right now XENA is the best Indian made Springer and there is no doubt about it in power accuracy and consistent performance

Is xena better than VX100?

It is a tough question. Machining is better in vx100, but less power than xena. Also both trigger is good but xena trigger is more comfortable.If you doesn't worry about machining and want good trigger with wooden stock with decent power and accuracy, then xena will satisfy you. Otherwise if your budget is low to 7k and you need a CNC machined perfection, also decent barrel, then choose vx100. Truly vx100 value for money is undebatable. It has good trigger, accuracy,CNC machined precision is unmatchable by any other brands in India and many other brands world wide.

[MNA]

Thanks, in continuation to the query, what is major deciding pros and cons of vx 100 and sx 100, which one is better.
I own a px100 but want to have a springer as well.
What would be the best choice under 20K for 70 yards shooting

[dalvipravin]

There is no such thing like a permanent solution.especially in a springer, you need to do some service like changing seal,internal lubing, changing spring, changing breach seal,etc. Even PCP needs some maintenance work in regular intervals.So even if this design is bad, what can be done by complaining it?. So if you want any permanent solution, you can use a locktite on that screw.

Hi Raja,

I am shooting since 1997 if I recollect well and had used IHP and German competition weapons .

Problem is you can't loctite it half way , if am looking at it correctly. Anyways I will find my solution on this as I have not got one here in the forum .. may be talking to SDB makes more sense on this .

Servicing of air rifle is different and repeatedly adjusting to a flaw or problem is different .. If we say accept the bad design and don't utter a word (complain) about it then I can't say anything much here ...

My view towards SDB rifles designs n finish will not change unless SDB changes and improves..

Thanks for your replies and suggestions though...

Cheers
Pravin

[sam 47]

Also both trigger is good but xena trigger is more comfortable.

That is an understatement. To get anything comparable to the Xena trigger in India, atleast 50k or more has to be spent to get a diana, hw or air arms.
And also , the sheer performance of Xena puts it way ahead of vx100. Performance of a gun matters more than CNC finish.
The comparison would have been valid if it was between gennex and vx100.

[Mr.Shome]

@47 -To produce 14+ Ftlbs at muzzle is not an easy task.
Spring must have been under tremendous stress that is causing the breaking.

@Shome - The stock of Xena requires careful handling unlike synthetic ones.There is a palpable difference in feel between these two.
Do you stay in Kolkata ? Could you manage to pull the trigger now ? If not then you can call them and visit factory to set it as per your preference.

Basu

Dear Sir,

Thank you for the advice.

Right now, I'm in Noida, but will probably be back again (I hope so).

Yes, I finally understood, the excellent trigger mechanism. Unfortunately, could not practice much, as my work has taken me back to Noida.

Regarding the scratches - I think, I handled the gun carefully (of course, maybe I didn't). As I said in my previous post, the gentleman at the factory, himself expressed concern over the scratches (I had gone there for other issues), but he was kind enough to be concerned about the scratches.

Overall, hope to be back in 'The City of Joy' soon, and improvise this passion.

By the way Sir, I grew up in Dehradun, and as a kid, used a .22 Tommy Air Rifle (bought from Kolkata) for hunting small game in jungles and mango/litchi orchards....Just want to say that it was an excellent gun and I sometimes shot matchsticks from a distance of around 10 meters. I think, I was around 11-years old at the time.

Anyways, apologies for sharing nostalgia.

Best regards,

Pinak

I feel the scratches can be avoided with some kind of wood treatment .. hoping it will be addressed soon

I really like wooden stalks !!

Cheers
Pravin

Hi Pravin,

Yes, wooden ones have an old-world charm, at least from an aesthetic standpoint.

Regards,

Pinak

[vsraja]

Also both trigger is good but xena trigger is more comfortable.

That is an understatement. To get anything comparable to the Xena trigger in India, atleast 50k or more has to be spent to get a diana, hw or air arms.
And also , the sheer performance of Xena puts it way ahead of vx100. Performance of a gun matters more than CNC finish.
The comparison would have been valid if it was between gennex and vx100.

I accept performance does matters.Need to do a comparison of accuracy between xena and vx100 ,then we can decide which is better. Having a good trigger alone will not make it a good one overall.

[sam 47]

Need to do a comparison of accuracy between xena and vx100 ,then we can decide which is better.

I have posted a grouping at the very first post. There are multiple youtube videos showing Xena to be a one hole gun at 10 metres, and quite a capable long range shooter. Various other people have also shared their groups on social media. What more information is required for making a accuracy comparison? But I believe sufficient info is there to get a clear idea about Xena accuracy. If you have a vx100 you can compare yourself .
I really don't think vx100 is the right gun to be compared to xena , xena is a class above.
The better trigger is one of the leading contributor to accuracy, allowing me to even split playing cards at 15m.

[vast]

Is xena trigger better than px100 trigger?

[Bishop]

Is xena trigger better than px100 trigger?

It is not appropriate to compare a PCP Air rifle's trigger to a Springer air rifle's trigger. In a springer,sear holds the piston which is under lots of tension from the compressed spring.While in a typical PCP Air rifle like PX100 ,a small spring drives the hammer.Thus very little force is acting on the sear. Obviously the trigger weight will be less.Xena's trigger is a copy of CD trigger ,which is infact an improved version of Rekord trigger is itself a benchmark for quality triggers.
Both Xena's and PX100's triggers are two stage and fully adjustable.

[vsraja]

Thanks, in continuation to the query, what is major deciding pros and cons of vx 100 and sx 100, which one is better.
I own a px100 but want to have a springer as well.
What would be the best choice under 20K for 70 yards shooting

Xena is a good option.If you like precihole,then wait for the launch of sx200 for spring version of nx200.

[Bishop]

If Precihole doesn't develop a new spring for SX200,then I don't think the new rifle will be able to produce energy anywhere close to 15 ftlbs.