AOA Blog

The previous installment described the basics of the Concept XR and its “tacticool” features. Now for some coverage of its performance.

Thanks to my friends at Predator International I had a small supply of their new Knock-Out slugs to try through the XR. The XR has a slightly choked barrel to better handle the new slugs and I had both the .216 and .217 diameter slugs to try out [AofA pellet offerings]. The sample XR worked the best with the .217 slug and was consistently accurate. I did have to re-zero the scope because at the highest power setting they shot flatter and were hitting higher than regular pellets. The slugs will definitely fit the 10-round rotary magazine without a problem, however, tipped pellets like the Polymag were just a hair too long for the magazine but will work just fine using the single-shot tray included with the XR.

The lowest power setting yielded 65 regulated shots on one fill shooting 14.66 grain Vortex domed pellets. Accuracy at 25 yards was excellent. Other pellets I tried are listed below:

Low Power Setting:

• Predator GTOs at 11.75 grains averaged 631fps with Extreme Spread of 2.25
• JSB Exact Jumbos at 15.89 grains averaged 561fps with Extreme Spread of 20.28
• Crosman Hunting at 14.35 grains averaged 575fps with Extreme Spread of 6.59
• RWS Super H-Points at 14.2 grains averaged 564fps with Extreme Spread of 7.49
• Hatsan Vortexs at 14.66 grains averaged 574fps with Extreme Spread of 11.31 — gave better accuracy at low power setting

At the High Power Setting:

• Predator GTOs at 11.75 grains averaged 960fps with Extreme Spread of 12.03
• JSB Exact Jumbos at 15.89 grains averaged 864fps with Extreme Spread of 8.46

• Crosman Hunting at 14.35 grains averaged 834fps with Extreme Spread of 19.3
• RWS Super H-Points at 14.2 grains averaged 878fps with Extreme Spread of 10.77 — gave the best accuracy of the group shot at high power
• Hatsan Vortexs at 14.66 grains averaged 885fps with Extreme Spread of 6.68

The MTC optics Mamba-Lite 4-16x40mm scope I paired with the XR required me to shim the front mount as I ran out of elevation adjustment. Once I had it dialed in the combination worked great. With higher powered scopes it might be wise to check out the selection of adjustable mounts available from my friends at AofA to avoid problems when moving a scope from one platform to another. The Mamba-Lite has a graduated reticle that can be illuminated at five brightness levels with the touch of a button located in the center of the parallax adjustment turret on the left side. It made a great combination for this awesome carbine.

Light weight in air rifles is always a plus, especially if taking it into the field going for small game. With the number of regulated shots that the XR can give on one fill it should not be necessary to carry an air supply into the field. The company rates the XR at an energy output of up to 28 foot-pounds. My results yielded 25.54fpe with the Vortex 14.66 grain domed pellets and Knock-Out slugs delivered more than 22fpe with their 25.39 grain weight. Another plus is the XR can be de-cocked when needed. Simply hold back the cocking lever and depress the trigger while slowly letting the cocking lever go back to rest.

The Concept family includes variations in style and it can be accessorized very easily, even by a novice. Calibers available are: .177, .22 and .25. Please refer to this link (insert here) to gather more info. It is a very sweet shooter made by a well-known name in airguns. If it could be done without driving costs up too much, my wish is future versions have an anti-double feed mechanism. The MSRP starts at $1300 and Brocock has a two-year warranty that covers the original owner.