What constitutes the higher prices for higher end rifles? I am going to try and see for myself…

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Maizen

Maizen

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Oct 10, 2018
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California, United States
You know…I’ve always been quite spoiled with higher end PCP rifles. It’s my own money of course, but all four of my past PCPs have been .25 cal FX rifles and all cost me a pretty penny. But a few days back I thought…hmmmm…you know I’ve never tried the rifles that are cheaper and yet produce the same power. So I put some money down on a Kral Arms Puncher Bighorn…it’s in .25 cal and it’s allegedly producing 60 foot pounds which means it’s pushing 34 grain JSBs to around 900 FPS just as my Maverick is tuned.

A brand new $630 PCP producing the same power as a Maverick…means I paid about $1000 less for the same performance right…? Well, we shall see. I want to be an unbiased judge for this. I have seen no discussion on the .25 cal Bighorn…only .357 cal. Will update.

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Nice looking krale but it is like comparing a ford pinto to a GTO ,both will get you to where you need to go , but some do it better .speed is not a thing which makes a good rifle , it is how it shoots like say you shoot a 10 shot group ,at 75 yards the maverick will be one ragged hole as the gun can be tuned and have a great shot string and is sooth to operate , I only shot 2 krales 2 years ago and they were not constant and had rough cocking , but they may be great now , let us see some groups and shot strings I am courious of how the newer models preform and group ,
LOU
 
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If it's regulated, you may get decent accuracy to go along with that power. But in my opinion, what we get from the Maverick is investment in a highly tunable platform, not just a good airgun. That $1000 buys us the following:

  • Interchangeable barrel liners.
  • Swappable barrel lengths.
  • Changing calibers.
  • Dual regulators.
  • Interchangeable pellet probes.
  • Factory barrel stiffener and liner systems.
These attributes ensure your Maverick will hold its value against the competition. And, the Maverick can produce as much power in the .30cal as the BigHorn can produce in .357.
 
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estarkey7 said:
If it's regulated, you may get decent accuracy to go along with that power. But in my opinion, what we get from the Maverick is investment in a highly tunable platform, not just a good airgun. That $1000 buys us the following:

  • Interchangeable barrel liners.
  • Swappable barrel lengths.
  • Changing calibers.
  • Dual regulators.
  • Interchangeable pellet probes.
  • Factory barrel stiffener and liner systems.
These attributes ensure your Maverick will hold its value against the competition. And, the Maverick can produce as much power in the .30cal as the BigHorn can produce in .357.
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Yes I agree. However, what I’m trying to nail here is the difference at the same power. Dual regs are arguably better…the MK2 Impact‘s single reg can be just as consistent. You have to consider that you’ll be spending a load more money on those swappable systems. Is it truly worth it? I’m going to test that. Also, nobody is making barrel stiffeners for these Kral’s because the popularity is not as great. FX should’ve solved the stiffening system a long time ago. I can’t say yet whether the barrel‘s need stiffening from Kral, but I will let you know. Additionally, a lot of people at RMAC are shooting 34 grains at around 900 FPS so that’s what I’m basing this test off of.

Lastly, a .357 Bighorn with a custom hammer spring and larger air transfer port produces far more power than a Maverick would be able to make and it still wouldn’t break the bank. The new M3 Impact is pushing almost .22lr levels (120 F.P.E.)...while the .357 Bighorn is producing 140 FPE. But again, that’s not something I’m testing.

My test is 60 FPE v. 60 FPE. Rifle vs. Rifle. Same scope. Same mount. Same ammo.

Regards
 
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estarkey7 said:
If it's regulated, you may get decent accuracy to go along with that power. But in my opinion, what we get from the Maverick is investment in a highly tunable platform, not just a good airgun. That $1000 buys us the following:

  • Interchangeable barrel liners.
  • Swappable barrel lengths.
  • Changing calibers.
  • Dual regulators.
  • Interchangeable pellet probes.
  • Factory barrel stiffener and liner systems.
These attributes ensure your Maverick will hold its value against the competition. And, the Maverick can produce as much power in the .30cal as the BigHorn can produce in .357.
Click to expand...
Well sure, you can do all these things with the Maverick, but what is the cost of all those parts? You can buy a couple of other rifles for that.
 
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jps2486 said:
Well sure, you can do all these things with the Maverick, but what is the cost of all those parts? You can buy a couple of other rifles for that.
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I think you may have missed my point.

Most people don't go around swapping calibers or barrel lengths on airguns that have that option. But with these options, are a higher resale value, if you decide you want something else down the road. I bet I'd sell my Maverick at 75% of new a whole lot faster than I'd sell my Bulldog at 75% of new.

Who cares if you can get a cheap gun, if you have to mostly keep the tune the gun gives you out of the box? Tofazfou did a review of the gun in .357, and he damn near had to rebuild the entire gun before he was able to get it to perform as he desired. Swapped out the barrel with a custom machined TJ barrel, drilled the transfer port, and a whole bunch of other work. I bet when it was all said and done, he spent more than an Impact .357 would have cost, and the gun that he has is a one off. How long did all of that take to accomplish?

If you are happy with out of the box performance, then good one you. But this hobby has a boatload of people that like to tinker, just like motorheads liked to drop a twin turbo and Nitrous bottle into a VW Beetle for the ultimate sleeper. It's just a massive part of the culture.
 
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Mustafamalikzada said:
...Also, nobody is making barrel stiffeners for these Kral’s because the popularity is not as great...
Click to expand...

Having a significant market share advantage is another FX plus.



Mustafamalikzada said:
Lastly, a .357 Bighorn with a custom hammer spring and larger air transfer port produces far more power than a Maverick would be able to make and it still wouldn’t break the bank. The new M3 Impact is pushing almost .22lr levels (120 F.P.E.)...while the .357 Bighorn is producing 140 FPE. But again, that’s not something I’m testing.
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I got two Benjamin Bulldogs pushing 200fpe, and they are turning into man cave clutter, because they are nowhere near as accurate as my Maverick VP .30cal.

I'll be waiting on your results like the rest of AGN. It will be interesting to see your conclusion.
 
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estarkey7 said:
Having a significant market share advantage is another FX plus.




I got two Benjamin Bulldogs pushing 200fpe, and they are turning into man cave clutter, because they are nowhere near as accurate as my Maverick VP .30cal.

I'll be waiting on your results like the rest of AGN. It will be interesting to see your conclusion.
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Well…not bashing Benjamin but I’ve never been a fan. No benjamin compares unfortunately…and can’t speak to the Turkish made Benjamin‘s like the new Kratos. Also, I was just pointing out the power difference that you had mentioned. I will admit right now though…I will be buying an Impact again after I’m done thoroughly testing this...it’s just in a class of its own. But, that still doesn’t mean I will be biased. The Kral can surprisingly be very accurate in .357 @140 FPE with the polymags and hybrid slugs…check it out:

Who knows…maybe I might hit the jackpot with this one. I’m looking forward to it too…cheers!


 
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estarkey7 said:
I bet when it was all said and done, he spent more than an Impact .357 would have cost, and the gun that he has is a one off. How long did all of that take to accomplish?
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Not likely to be fair in his defense…it’s a good bit cheaper than a .357 Impact. Also, you can tinker with the Kral too. Anyways, the rifle itself will tell the story…I’ll have you up to date! I have a scope cam for shots so I can have proof.
 
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