MY NEW KRAL BREAKER SILENT BULL PUP...HONEST REVIEW!

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Welcome aboard Bucky! USN? Navy? There's a bunch of OLD jarheads here so we could use a corpsman, lol. I don't think you can beat the Kral for the $$$ as long as it holds up over time which is kinda unknown yet. Another one you might consider if weight doesn't bother you--the Hatsan Bullboss. I thought about getting one a lot but ended up with the Kral because of the weight and I actually preferred it's appearance a bit more. The Bullboss has more power OTB, actually a bit more than the Gladius as well. Just doesn't have externally adjustable power and the nice case. Quite a bit less $$$ than the Gladius too. So far I'm extremely pleased with my Kral. Best of luck with your decision!

Ed
 
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Check out this post from WAR/Travis re. the Kral's as JUNK. http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=124377.0
I thought it was an April Fool's gag when I first saw it! Really glad I didn't buy & get mine "power tuned" from him. SO FAR, mine's performing great with about 500 rounds through it but I realize that's not much longevity. Guess I'll be waiting for it to fall apart! Geeze, he sure did a 180, he was praising them and their potential a month or so ago!

Ed
 
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I actually had a stock one that I loved but did want to squeeze more power out and quiet it down a bit so I gave it to Travis. I have not received it back yet so needless to say I am not thrilled with the latest posts. I hope I don't get a steaming pile of sh-t back. I had experienced no issues at all with operating the gun, it was accurate and consistent with great shot counts. I will keep you all informed.
 
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Yes, please keep us in the loop...Olevey

Being new to the US I figured there would be some time for all the issues to come to the top.

Reviews in Europe seems on par with what I experienced with mine. So far so good.... But I really have not finished putting it through the paces yet. The lever breaking that Travis said happened is not as alarming as the sear not being hardened for me. I will have Will P check that while he has my gun. And report back.
 
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I've been thinking about this ever since coming across it a few hours ago. I think there are some people that are expecting $1500 performance out of a $500 gun.
I can see how you could easily break the cocking lever if you're trying to force it to close or open. I'll admit to trying to clear a jammed pellet that didn't feed right in the magazine... and further admit to it being my fault.. but before I tried to force it common sense told me to stop and not break the handle and try something else.
Further when I added the ldc, I got a little pellet clip, but I could tell immediately what it was and corrected it.
I haven't tore gun down to see the sear, but since we're talking airguns and not automatic assault rifles, I'm not walking around locked and loaded so I can take the warning but really no need to go all sky is falling, as long you handle guns carefully it should not be problem, but it it was such a big deal then why not
make hardened ones and offer them up as well.
How hard can it be to make another cocking handle if parts can not be found to repair. I was going to have Travis make me a side cocking lever for my bullpup synrod, which he's posted video of him being able to make, but can not handle it now.

I don't know what ruffled Travis feathers but the thing that kind of gets me is him saying is reputation was somehow being tarnished by the few failures that have happened. Then going into Crawfish mode and bashing the guns instead of trying to work through the problems further, because if they are as bad as he is now proclaiming them to be then why did he not have a problem selling them after going completely through the gun? Wouldn't that be the better time but instead offered them up for sale. That to me would do worse for a reputation than what he was getting at.
I still like my gun, I'm funny like that I do not have a $1-2K perfect out the box air gun yet, I can only imagine what they shoot like out of gate. Every air gun I have has needed work to get it right, this Kral is no different, and now it's an underdog that I still feel is a shooter.



 
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"kkarmical"I've been thinking about this ever since coming across it a few hours ago. I think there are some people that are expecting $1500 performance out of a $500 gun.
I can see how you could easily break the cocking lever if you're trying to force it to close or open. I'll admit to trying to clear a jammed pellet that didn't feed right in the magazine... and further admit to it being my fault.. but before I tried to force it common sense told me to stop and not break the handle and try something else.
Further when I added the ldc, I got a little pellet clip, but I could tell immediately what it was and corrected it.
I haven't tore gun down to see the sear, but since we're talking airguns and not automatic assault rifles, I'm not walking around locked and loaded so I can take the warning but really no need to go all sky is falling, as long you handle guns carefully it should not be problem, but it it was such a big deal then why not
make hardened ones and offer them up as well.
How hard can it be to make another cocking handle if parts can not be found to repair. I was going to have Travis make me a side cocking lever for my bullpup synrod, which he's posted video of him being able to make, but can not handle it now.

I don't know what ruffled Travis feathers but the thing that kind of gets me is him saying is reputation was somehow being tarnished by the few failures that have happened. Then going into Crawfish mode and bashing the guns instead of trying to work through the problems further, because if they are as bad as he is now proclaiming them to be then why did he not have a problem selling them after going completely through the gun? Wouldn't that be the better time but instead offered them up for sale. That to me would do worse for a reputation than what he was getting at.
I still like my gun, I'm funny like that I do not have a $1-2K perfect out the box air gun yet, I can only imagine what they shoot like out of gate. Every air gun I have has needed work to get it right, this Kral is no different, and now it's an underdog that I still feel is a shooter.



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Well said...I too think public bashing of a gun that one had recommended earlier is probably more detrimental to a reputation then admitting the issues and trying to work through them.
 
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I have been reading and following this review and posts from the beginning, great review by the way, before I purchased the Kral Silent, I asked the dealer where I buy all my air rifles from about this gun, she told me it was a bang for the money, so I did buy it in .22cal, down here in SA we don't have the .25cal, the .22's are unrestricted and no gun license required, that was October last year, I was impressed with the build quality of it for the money I paid been a low priced pcp. Off I went and mounted a scope and zero it at 30yrds, the rifle is laser sharp accurate, immediately out of the box, got my eyes sparkling, I have shot over 5000 pellets with it with no issues at all, so I bought another, the KPB Evo Marine(silver) with black synthetic stock, no barrel shroud,with the rifle included a factory silencer which is very effective for my surprise, really quiet and same accuracy, laser sharp. On the PB Silent, I didn't want to remove the shroud so I made a slip on over shroud LDC,, both now are deadly quiet. Only issue I had with one of them, was the little screw on the linkage of the cocking lever, same as some of you had, the bugger backed up and was catching on the breech block, simple fix, tighten back in with some thread lock, let it settle for 24hrs, no more issues with it till now, I agree with kkarmical's post, some sometimes want high quality and performance of a $1.500/2000 rifle on a $500 one. About the issues that some of you had/have with it, maybe my luck, I haven't had any of it and as I have mentioned I have shot over 5000 rounds through them, still accurate, quiet and no issues, the design of the Kral is very simple, simple enough that most of us with a bit of knowledge of air guns can work on them and fix it ourselves.
I remember reading here, the reviewer noted a writing on the air cylinder tube the expiring date, on the manual that came with my rifles, states that the air cylinder should been inspected every 10 years for wear and tear, rust, weak points for safety as it holds high compressed air up to 200bar, it's the same concept as the dive bottle that we most use to refill the guns, an expiring date for inspection for safety, not that the gun will expire.
I will continue following this review/thread as I found very informative and helpful.
Thanks to the reviewer and other posters for the great write up.
 
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Thanks airginmonkey.

Folks, I read the thread from Travis at WAR. Apparently he hit some issues that prompted him to reverse his opinion of the gun and decide not to work on them. Keep in mind he is doing the tunes and sales as a business. He would not want an accidental discharge to harm someone on a product he tuned, as it would make him accountable and relieve the manufacturer of any liability, as it was "tampered" with.

So I commend him on his decision but the post could have been less agressive in the wording. But we all have been there when you invest a ton of time working on something, and have it break. The frustration can get the best of us.

Most everyone who has these guns, including me, seem sastisfied with the Kral. The efficiency alone with the accuracy made it a decent buy for the money. Perfect no, just some light tinkering to get lighter trigger is all mine needed.

The one thing that does bother me is the sear not being hardened. My friend and master tuner, Will Piatt has the gun and I asked him to ck this, and harden it, if it is not done. If he does not like to do it I will. It just requires some heating red hot with a torch and several cooling dips in oil.

As for the lever, I own a custom metal target business, so I can just fabricate a new lever from hardened steel or Stainless. Without a milling machine, it might not look perfect but it would work. It should not be hard to do.

It is not expected that when you buy an Airgun, that you have to do any tinkering to get it to work the best. However, I ask all of you, how many air guns have you bought, that you did not do something to make it better for you?

I have air rifles from $200 to $3400 that each one I have done some tinkering to get it to my expectations.

Time will sort out all the issues and the end opinion on these guns, as they get more use here in the states... The posts here on each person's experience with their Kral, is helping me, and I assume others, to determine just how good or bad a deal they are..... Thanks for the responses guys!
 
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I agree with you strikefast, and also remember that once we tinker with it it's more prone to have issues also, like a car when you want more horsepower or motorcycle, some lasts and some don't, Kral Arms is not new on the gun market, they successfully manufacture shotguns and rifles(powder burners that is), they are new on the PCP market and they have improved their guns a lots since they enter the market, still a long way to go?, yes still but I think year after year improvements they will have. Trigger would be a nice one to see improved, among other little things of course but in general I think it's a good gun with potential.
Please all, keep posting your experience with it, helps a lots if all issues a discussed, help others in case an issue happens and we all will know how to address it.
Thanks.
 
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Fabricating small parts by hand is one of my initial thoughts Paul, just takes attention to detail. As for the others comments, willie, kkarmical & airgunmonkey I completely agree with your thoughts on this. All things mechanical, all being equal eventually a failure will occur depending on it's usage. I would surmise that most of us in the airgun community have
enough skills to deal with most of these setbacks, just some have a better shop setup to deal with fabrication of parts. Most of the mods I have performed on my stuff, rifles, motorcycle, etc., has been by hand & lots of elbow grease.
 
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Ditto, also consider with finding out these issues and corrections, a letter or email to Kral, with these problems and solutions, may prompt them to improve standards. Possibly even offering a gardens sear replacement part, or even design changes...

Like you said, they are first a firearms manufacturer for years, and make beautiful shotguns.... Reputation in their original field will be easy to research..... Most manufacturers will be willing to listen to their customers to keep perfecting their product line. And if enough CONSTRUCTIVE EMAILS are sent, I am sure they will consider making the issue go away...
 
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"mag13"Fabricating small parts by hand is one of my initial thoughts Paul, just takes attention to detail. As for the others comments, willie, kkarmical & airgunmonkey I completely agree with your thoughts on this. All things mechanical, all being equal eventually a failure will occur depending on it's usage. I would surmise that most of us in the airgun community have
enough skills to deal with most of these setbacks, just some have a better shop setup to deal with fabrication of parts. Most of the mods I have performed on my stuff, rifles, motorcycle, etc., has been by hand & lots of elbow grease.


That is it bro, one thing I like on strikefast starting this review/thread is, he wants to share his experience with the rifle, good, bad and so on, then we all have the opinion about it and share the the issues and fixes and learn from it, any gun, no matter the $ you paid, soon or later it will have an issue, period, unless you lucky, there for, let's share it and make this and other air rifle more and more pleasurable, fun and accurate(which already is).
Thanks for sharing your opinion

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"strikefast"Ditto, also consider with finding out these issues and corrections, a letter or email to Kral, with these problems and solutions, may prompt them to improve standards. Possibly even offering a gardens sear replacement part, or even design changes...

Like you said, they are first a firearms manufacturer for years, and make beautiful shotguns.... Reputation in their original field will be easy to research..... Most manufacturers will be willing to listen to their customers to keep perfecting their product line. And if enough CONSTRUCTIVE EMAILS are sent, I am sure they will consider making the issue go away...

As you post that, made me remember, the first batch of these guns had a valve seating problem, a friend of mine that owns one of them addressed the issue and fabricated a part made of delrin, I am not sure what it was, I know was one of the internal of the valve made of plastic that went, so he machined another one and and fixed the issue, apparently a few of them had the same problem at the time, then he emailed Kral and they sorted that with his recommendations (I have to ask him what was it exactly, he's out of the Country right now), as you said, they will listen and address it.
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I posted over at gta and here's his reply-
[quote author=oldpro link=topic=124431.msg1214644#msg1214644 date=1491235812]
Ken its the failure and at so many areas and the phone calls of frustrated customers that just threw me over the edge. I can tune them to near perfection but that doesnt mean anything if in the field various parts start letting go. Im looking at making some stainless cocking levers and seers for the Kral but will not be selling the guns. And no replacement parts available for those who now have guns that dont operate. Thats all.
[/quote]
 
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strikefast, thank you for the time you put into this review. I was in the market for a .25 for upland game hunting out here in California. My only other PCP is a Discovery that I had modified by Tim McMurray over at Mac 1. The disco, in 22 will shoot 1/2" groups at 30 yards and 1" groups at 50 yards all day long. But I wanted a repeater, and a bit more punch.

Your review really helped me decide to "pull the trigger" on the Kral. The shot count, side lever, and adjustable power won me over from the Marauder. 

But now I need some advice. I got my rifle in last week and was eager to shoot it. I didn't even clean it, I just set up at 30 yards and ran 4 mag's through it. I'm seeing 1.5" at 30 yards. Not too pretty. I'm using JSB Match Diabolo Exact King 25.39, and JSB Diabolo Exact King at 33.95. I seemed to like the 33.95's better.

I took the barrel off and gave it a good cleaning just running dry patches down from breech to crown. It was SUPER dirty. I must have run 75 patches through it to clean it up. Next I'll sort my pellets and then run it across my chrony to see what's going on.

I have the wood stock and the action is not sitting well in the stock. There is some movement. Is this an issue in an airgun like it is in a powder burner? For my regular firearms, I will sometimes bed the stock. I'm wondering if the harmonics for the airgun are similar. All that air pressure released at once must move the barrel. But as the "action" is really mounted to the air tank on this gun, does it make a difference?

I have an opportunity to hunt turkey on private land in Valley Springs in a few weeks, and I'm hopeful I can have it sorted out before then. Any advice would be appreciated.

P.S. The video from Jim Chapman, hunting rabits in Texas looks very promising. He has a picture of a 60 shot group at 40 yards. It looks like they all fell into an Inch. http://www.americanairgunhunter.com/Kral_Puncher_Breaker_25.html
 
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