BRK Ghost Review

[Franklink]

Just had a little post-work/de-stress session with the Ghost shooting .20 slugs. Paper at 100 yards. Only took 55 shots before I ran out of daylight. Wind easily 10-12mph. First 15 or so were just impact verification/sighters. Then shot an EBR card. Then moved back to the sighter paper and shot a couple more five shot groups, and finally ended with a 10 shot group.

The first 4 shots were touching.
The EBR card scores a 224.
The 10 shot group is 1.75" ctc.
No hold-offs for wind.

55 shots and starting pressure was 250 bar, ending pressure was 180 bar.

I'm really impressed with the NSA .20/18.9grain slugs outta the Ghost. It's not using much air, it's still fun to shoot (not harsh like the big fpe Airguns), and above all, VERY accurate. I like low power airguns. These .20 slugs @ 30fpe from the Ghost are exactly what I've been looking for for quite a while. High shot count, still relatively safe, not loud, not expensive to shoot, and they go where I want them to go, even at really long (for an airgun) ranges.

Maybe it's just my perception, but for quite a while theres been a general feeling in the industry that low power/low weight projectiles just can't perform at long ranges. And for a long time I've felt like I needed to buy a .25 or .30 cannon if I wanted to really reach out there. But I don't like how much air the bigger calibers burn through, and I don't like the recoil from shooting them. The Ghost and the .20 slugs being shot from it are a breath of fresh air.

 

[Stone02]

Doesn't the ART barrel lead-up with slugs ?

Or, have I missed something in 541 posts ?

 

[Franklink]

Doesn't the ART barrel lead-up with slugs ?

Or, have I missed something in 541 posts ?

So.....the .20 barrel is not an ART or an ART approved barrel. This particular barrel was manufactured back in the mid 90s, long before the "Accuracy Research Team" existed.

HOWEVER, the .20 barrel is a Lothar Walther, as are all of the ART barrels. And furthermore, it is a choked LW, albeit with a gentle choke. And it was machined by a guy that has done a ton of research as part of the ART project, literal years and thousands and thousands and thousands of shots fired through various spec'd out test barrels in all the calibers Daystate are sold.

As for your question about ART barrels leading up with slugs......I can't offer any specifics there, other than my personal experience with both ART and non ART Lothars, as well as CZ barrels, leading up is pretty much a given when shooting slugs. It's just a matter of how much, and after how many shots it starts to be a problem.

The .20 barrel in the Ghost needed four patches to get back to clean after the first 300ct box of NSA slugs (fifth patch came out clean). I'm about 2/3 of the way through the next 200count box and accuracy hasn't fallen off yet. Ive also been switching back and forth from pellets to slugs and vice versa and I seem to be able to do so without any loss of accuracy. I am, however, lubing the living daylights out of the slugs with Gunzilla, which is an attempt to ameliorate a potential leading problem before it became a problem.

 

[IRBent]

Minor modification of the case for dual set-up

Just a bit of an intro for the upcoming report on shooting in a low power and a high power field target match in the same day....

I made some modifications to the foam in the case to allow inclusion of everything necessary for both the sub20fpe .177 and the .22 high power configurations.
View attachment 308639

• Main compartment of course has the rifle, but also is JUST long enough at the top to allowthe 17 inch .177 barrel to lay parallel with the scope.

I'm tickled to death with how everything fits in this case. Really neat to know that it's all there, no rummaging through cabinets and drawers in the gun room to try to find the various components for each configuration.

I've not read much further to see if you improved upon the 17 inch barrel placement in your case or if anyone else has suggested it, but maybe some 1/2 in foam pipe insulation or thin wall rubber hose over the spare barrel might help keep it from clanking around.

 

[Franklink]

I've not read much further to see if you improved upon the 17 inch barrel placement in your case or if anyone else has suggested it, but maybe some 1/2 in foam pipe insulation or thin wall rubber hose over the spare barrel might help keep it from clanking around.

I've not done anything more about the spare barrel placement in the case than previously mentioned. But both of your ideas are great suggestions! Thank you.

 

[IRBent]

I've not done anything more about the spare barrel placement in the case than previously mentioned. But both of your ideas are great suggestions! Thank you.

No sir! Thank you. Being a complete newbie to PCPs, this entire thread thanks to you is making it easier on me. Your information on the trigger linkage coupled with @Solo1 help, I swapped out my spring this morning making the trigger really nice to my finger. Before my finger wasn't as happy.

 

[IRBent]

Thanks for sharing the outcome.

You were talking about replacing the OEM gauges with HUMAs a few months ago....did you follow through with that at the time? Bummer that you were charged but (pure conjecture) they may have based it on some sort of expected lifespan of a dowty and you got there too early...maybe?

I recently replaced my Ghost's Reg gauge with a 25mm digital gauge that I purchased from Huma. No longer do I struggle to see those tiny lines and take a guess at what the setting might be especially if it looks like it's between the lines.

Huma Gauge: https://www.huma-air.com/Digital-Mi....-Black-G1/8-BSP-Threads-300-Bar-O-Led-Screen

I purchased the 28mm version of this same gauge from Amazon and installed it on an FX. While the link below has both the 28mm and the 25mm version, I probably blew an extra $30 buying it from Huma to install on the Ghost. Yes, the 25mm description states it's 1/8 NPT, but the picture and the comments says it's 1/8BSPP, perfect for the Ghost.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C77MRXWS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[Nofilters]

I know the feeling and the snicker well. Cole was nice enough to take Vern (my .177HP RW) and me to 2 of the 3 places he took Tony. I was not shooting slugs just pellets. I believe just a touch bit more fun than dairies. I use to avg 100 birds an hour at local dairies. Most have all shut down now. There is just one small one I have permission that I go to now. It is like Tony said you get so into the moment you forget to air up. While I didn't get the distances Cole and Tony did, I snickered every time thinking to myself and discussing with Cole how well the .177 was dropping them. I was shooting 16.20 @950 if memory serves. I stoned a bunch with headshots. The downside (or Upside) to the .177 is a vital shot probably won't do the job short term. So you are pretty much stuck focusing on headshots. Thanks again Cole, and Congrats on the future baby girl she will probably be a shooter also like Colben and Kabe. Those 2 are amazing, Kabe is 5 and shoots better than most adults.LOL

 

[IRBent]

I spent maybe an hour or 2 this afternoon running JB's and Flitz through my Ghost HP .22 cal. I've only done this on two other rifles so far, one with noticeable improvement and the other a magnum springer that's simply no fun to shoot, so I've not gotten around to testing it yet. Let me say this, I sure hope those first 50 shots out of the Ghost's polished barrel are just the beginning. Prior to polishing the barrel I was sending 18.13gr JSBs downrange at a tad over 1000fps, not that was my wishes, but just where the speed landed after turning the reg down from the factory 150bar to @ 108bar, per my newly acquired digital gauge. A few things happened after the polishing that were unexpected. The velocity dropped @ 35fps. Hopefully not due to me knicking the pellet probe o-ring. I'll have to check that tomorrow. The POI also changed from a tad high and right, to low and left. I shot 3 mags like that before giving it a few clicks to the right and one up. What happened next was most unexpected but very much welcomed, SUB MOA with no fliers out of 50 pellets! Maybe I was just lucky, plucking those pellets straight from the tin without picking a bad one. Further testing will be coming.

50 yards, 10 rounds of 18.13gr JSBs flying an AVG of 964fps.

 

[pesty3782]

Did the same thing to my 22 carbine, Buster, and it made a huge difference. I’m shooting the 18’s right at 870. Specter, 30 ghost, got the same treatment. Both shoot great….

Tony P

 

[Franklink]

@IRBent, that's a pretty dang good 50 yard, 10 shot group!!! Congrats.
That's also a lot faster than you probably need to be shooting those 18.1s. Funny thing happens with pellets....they strip their speed so fast that whether you shoot them @ a muzzle velocity of 964 or 890-900, they're going the same speed by the time they get very far. I didn't run #s just now but prob around 60-80 yards they're going the same speed, no matter how fast they started. So pushing them that fast doesn't gain you much, as the low BC makes them bleed off speed so fast..... Basically, slow em down to 890-900 and you should still have the same 50 yard accuracy, but with a quieter gun that gets more shots per fill and is more docile on the shot cycle.

As for the barrel polishing, I saw the same thing with the .177 barrel the review Ghost came with. Markedly improved accuracy after some JB bore paste. And while I didn't personally polish the .22 and .20 barrel that have spent time in the review Ghost, I know that Bobby did.

My opinion, added to what you and Tony experienced, is that there ARE accuracy gains to be had via polishing the bore.

 

[IRBent]

@IRBent, that's a pretty dang good 50 yard, 10 shot group!!! Congrats.
That's also a lot faster than you probably need to be shooting those 18.1s. Funny thing happens with pellets....they strip their speed so fast that whether you shoot them @ a muzzle velocity of 964 or 890-900, they're going the same speed by the time they get very far. I didn't run #s just now but prob around 60-80 yards they're going the same speed, no matter how fast they started. So pushing them that fast doesn't gain you much, as the low BC makes them bleed off speed so fast..... Basically, slow em down to 890-900 and you should still have the same 50 yard accuracy, but with a quieter gun that gets more shots per fill and is more docile on the shot cycle.

I should have the light hammer spring arrive today and I'm hoping it will allow me to have more velocity adjustability than I currently have. The factory tune had the reg set at 150 bar and those same 18gr JBS's were over 1100fps with the PW on MIN and the MRDs were at 920fps on MIN. I turned the reg down and landed @ 110 bar to find the 18s @ 1000fps before the polish job and 964fps after. As for the MRDs, @ 110 bar they're clocking in @ 890 no matter where the PW is set. I'm hoping the light spring will allow me to bump the reg up and find a setting that will send both weight ammo closer to that 900fps sweet spot, and maybe even allow me to test those cheap Premiers too.
Let's say this, as a 1st time PCP owner, I'm elated with the Ghost and its accuracy post polish.

 

[Franklink]

Shot the Ghost last night after dinner/before dark. Didn't even put out paper, just shot my semi-permanent steel, although it was freshly painted.

Chose to use the JSB .20/15.89.

There was enough wind that the shrubbery past the targets were waving back and forth pretty good. For further context, the squash and pumpkin plants in the garden I was shooting over the top of were also waving around. They're at about 25 yards. I'd guess that sustained winds were around 15mph with gusts up around 18-20.

I was just shooting for fun and wasn't going to post anything here, but then was texting a buddy and decided to share. So the photos were taken after dark when I'd changed my mind and hiked back there to get some photos to share.

Here are the paddles at about 94-95 yards. The bigger ones weren't much of a challenge so I mostly shot at the little guy, thumbnail in photo for reference. Best streak on that middle paddle was 7 in a row.

And here's a five shot group at old bushhog blade hanging at 125yards.

And finally, three groups of various shot counts at 135 yards. Groups were just hunting for clean spots on the steel so there's a group above the top hole, another group in the middle of the holes, and then one below the bottom hole.

Hold offs for the wind on the 135 yard shots were between 0.6 and 1.2 mils.

Fun stuff, meant to be just a chill session so nothing very scientific. But man o man I love these JSB. 20 Heavies!!! So predictable and no what-the-hecks?!?!

 

[Franklink]

Another Game of Versus
This time:
.20/15.89 pellets @ 915 for 29 fpe with a BC of 0.048
.20/18.9grain slugs @ 870-880 for 32fpe with a BC of 0.093 (ish)
.22/25.4grain pellets @ 890 for 44fpe with a BC of 0.052

And the two contestants shooting the three projectiles listed above.... (the Veteran is the .22 and the Ghost is the .20, for those just joining in)

(apparently I like bullpups about this length, as they're quite similar in that regard)

It's always fun to quantify whatever guns/barrels are currently part of the stable as the best long range option. And that's what this fun shooting session was all about: answering that question.

Paper at 98 yards.

Left ended up being the .20/15.89, middle was the .20/18.9, and the right was the .22/25.4grain.

And here is how they scored.

And of course the best BC was the best long range performer. Both pellets were quite close in score, and that first upper left group with the .22/25.4 really hurt the score for that projectile. I should have shot more sighters before rattling the 25 shots off with that gun.

I don't consider myself a benchrest shooter. I use a plastic fold out table, a $25 dollar chinese clone bipod, my fist under the rear of the gun, no wind flags, and I don't shoot more sighters than scoring shots. I typically get an idea of what the prevalent wind is doing with a few sighters in the beginning, and then rattle off the 25 shots that are scored. Also, I only performed the above described shooting once, this isn't a best of 20 cherry-picking situation. In short, a benchrest purist would score better with all three of these rigs. Any of the three are hunting/field target accurate, and that's what trips my trigger.

Fun stuff.

 

[Solo1]

Did the same basically yesterday with the redwolf shooting 10.3 and the ghost with 13.4 Ghost won hands down @ 55 yds

 

[IRBent]

And the two contestants shooting the three projectiles listed above.... (the Veteran is the .22 and the Ghost is the .20, for those just joining in)
View attachment 374130


After seeing those scores, you probably should just send that .22 Veteran to me. You don't need that anguish holding you back.

 

[Franklink]

@IRBent, lol that Vet Long is a pretty sweet gun. It placed third in the smaller caliber class at EBRs American Field Target event last October.

Normally the Vet Long averages a bit higher when shooting EBR cards, typically in the 215-225range. Shooting pellets that far is all about the wind and there was certainly some this morning.

And then there's the variations in batch quality with the .22/MRDs...

But yes, all three performed respectably in that comparison. That's the problem, too many cool airguns available to us, and not enough time to enjoy them all.

 

[IRBent]

@IRBent, lol that Vet Long is a pretty sweet gun. It placed third in the smaller caliber class at EBRs American Field Target event last October.

Normally the Vet Long averages a bit higher when shooting EBR cards, typically in the 215-225range. Shooting pellets that far is all about the wind and there was certainly some this morning.

And then there's the variations in batch quality with the .22/MRDs...

But yes, all three performed respectably in that comparison. That's the problem, too many cool airguns available to us, and not enough time to enjoy them all.

I definitely took a hard look the Veteran but the tube, or shot count, had me looking at bottle fed fun. Since I shoot left handed, that kinda limited my options and I really love the gun I chose, the Ghost HP in .22 cal. The only thing that I don't like about it, it's pretty hefty for my size. So far that's not been an issue "with my foldout 2' x 4' table, but I'll probably be one wore out old man if I tote it into the woods this fall. Maybe you'd like to loan me that Veteran this fall.

 

[Franklink]

I definitely took a hard look the Veteran but the tube, or shot count, had me looking at bottle fed fun. Since I shoot left handed, that kinda limited my options and I really love the gun I chose, the Ghost HP in .22 cal. The only thing that I don't like about it, it's pretty hefty for my size. So far that's not been an issue "with my foldout 2' x 4' table, but I'll probably be one wore out old man if I tote it into the woods this fall. Maybe you'd like to loan me that Veteran this fall.

The Vet Long and the Ghost are pretty similar in weight. I don't have a scale to weigh them or I'd tell you exact numbers, but just hefting them both, I'd be surprised if there's more than a 1lb difference.

 

[IRBent]

The Vet Long and the Ghost are pretty similar in weight. I don't have a scale to weigh them or I'd tell you exact numbers, but just hefting them both, I'd be surprised if there's more than a 1lb difference.

A pound, or even a half a pound is a lot. Imagine you're hungry as a hostage and you don't have even a half a pound of steak.