Brocock bantam Hi-lite?

My dad has the compatto in .22 caliber. It is a very nice rifle and accurate. It shoulders very well. The Bantom is the same rifle with a bottle. I know it will be a nice rifle.....with more shots per fill than the compatto.

The Bantam has only been on shore 2 weeks or so. That means that there is not much shooter information available yet.

I can tell you it gets about 70 shots in .25 around 30 ft/lb. of muzzle energy.

Thurmond

Not regulated but uses a modified version of the Harper slingshot hammer system, arguably the next best thing to a regulator...

if they couldve produced 40fpe....now that would be the gun.

+1 on that. The only disappointment I have with British Guns is limited power in most product lines.

Thurmond

"T3PRanch"+1 on that. The only disappointment I have with British Guns is limited power in most product lines.

Thurmond

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That's a sentiment I share for 25 cal British (and Turkish) guns usually. The 177 and 22 fac versions usually have the correct power for the caliber. More recently though, I have noticed that Daystate seems to be trying to listen to their customers for some of their guns and offering highe power versions.

They have some high power versions that put out 50fpe (or more). Oddly, they have 50fpe versions of some of their 22's which is too much power imo. But, they also offer 30-35fpe versions of those 22's so no harm done. The Regal XL is the only one not available with enough power in 25 cal now.

For me, the bigger issue with the British brands is that the reservoir and valve systems clearly aren't made for or optimized for the fac power versions.

I can live without a reg on a 12fpe gun that gets 100-200 consistent shots once I identify the "sweet spot". When you take the same gun at 35fpe, the shot count, noise and efficiency can look quite disappointing next to the FX, Kalibrgun and Mutant guns. 

Personally, I think they should all stop being stubborn and at least offer a reg as an option on the fac versions. They all seem to think their valve systems are so good that they don't need it and they are all wrong. 

I was quite impressed with my Huntsman Regal 22 when I had it in lots of ways but I never considered the slingshot hammer system to be an alternative to a regulator. It's a good hammer system though and I'd love to see what they could do if it was combined with a reg.

On the Bantum, I think that if you aren't going to have a reg, it's better to have the larger bottle than the tube version. Without the reg, the larger reservoir is needed to give you a longer sweet spot in the string. Still, if I bought one, I would probably want to add a reg. 

If the numbers stated are correct correct for the fac version in the British review, it's not the most air efficient gun so it might benefit from a reg and some Ernest magic (aka airgun pixie dust). 

Playing devils advocate here but the lack of a regulator isnt all bad. In fact one could argue it brings some advantages as well. Let me explain. My wolverine gets 55 shots with a 12ft per second max spread from 230bar down to 190 bar. Thats 55 shots for only 40bar pressure difference. When I refill....its not from say 150 bar to 230, but rather 190 to 230. A regulator would squeeze more shots from 190 down to say 140 bar. I guess the real question is......is 55 shots enough? It has been for me so far.
The regulator in any rifle is prone to issues. Its safe to say its the weakest link as far as maintenance is concerned. I can fill my wolverine up in the hot cab of the truck....take off walking in 30 degree weather squirrel hunting......take a shot 2 hours later at a squirrel 60 yards away......and drop him every time with the first shot. Im talking about regulator creep here and how that is a non issue with a daystate.....or brocock bantom in this case.
There is a whole lot less to go wrong and or leak/creep. In the long run maintenance intervals will be longer.
Just another opinion here. No right or wrong. Just a difference of opinions. Its been said Daystates dont need a regulator and I believe that. The Bantom should be no different here. My dad has the compatto too.
A regulator will give more shots...and if all the seals are 100% I must admit a regulator is nice.

"Marksman3006"Playing devils advocate here but the lack of a regulator isnt all bad. In fact one could argue it brings some advantages as well. Let me explain. My wolverine gets 55 shots with a 12ft per second max spread from 230bar down to 190 bar. Thats 55 shots for only 40bar pressure difference. When I refill....its not from say 150 bar to 230, but rather 190 to 230. A regulator would squeeze more shots from 190 down to say 140 bar. I guess the real question is......is 55 shots enough? It has been for me so far.
The regulator in any rifle is prone to issues. Its safe to say its the weakest link as far as maintenance is concerned. I can fill my wolverine up in the hot cab of the truck....take off walking in 30 degree weather squirrel hunting......take a shot 2 hours later at a squirrel 60 yards away......and drop him every time with the first shot. Im talking about regulator creep here and how that is a non issue with a daystate.....or brocock bantom in this case.
There is a whole lot less to go wrong and or leak/creep. In the long run maintenance intervals will be longer.
Just another opinion here. No right or wrong. Just a difference of opinions. Its been said Daystates dont need a regulator and I believe that. The Bantom should be no different here. My dad has the compatto too.
A regulator will give more shots...and if all the seals are 100% I must admit a regulator is nice.

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I wouldn't disagree with most of that but I think there is more to it.

The number of shots per fill is not just about need in terms of how many shots you might take on a hunting trip. It's about how often you need to fill the gun and how often you need to go and get your tanks refilled. 

One of the things I love about my Cricket 25 and Mutant is that I hardly ever need to fill them when I use them as hunting / pest control tools. They are just there ready to go. At this price point, nothing is really about "need". It's about getting the best gun possible. 

More importantly, I usually find that air guns that are more efficient, are usually more consistent, quiet and accurate. 

Also, my understanding is that Daystate's don't use the sling shot hammer on their more powerful guns (where air efficiency is most important). I haven't been able to get to the bottom of what they do use on their 50fpe + guns but they don't seem to be in the same league as their 30fpe 22's. 

In most cases, I could probably live without a reg on a 22 Daystate (although I think the Huntsman would be much better with one). Most other brands are different though. If the numbers stated in that review for the Bantum were correct, then the Brocock's aren't as efficient (or even close). 

In most cases, a reg adds more than it takes away imo. 

I haven't had to do any reg maintenance yet but my understanding is that it involves new O-rings and maybe a reseale once every 5 years. I can live with that although I'm sure I'll find it annoying when the time comes. 

To date, I have experienced most issues with indexing mechanisms, valve stems (which get destroyed by powerful guns) and air cylinder seals. I haven't yet had to do any maintenance on a reg in a gun that came with a fully functional one. It seems like some regs are better than others though... it is definitely another part that could leak...

Insightful addition zebra....the higher output daystates do not use the harper slingshot and I couldnt agree more. A .25 cal wolverine would benefit from a regulator. Im assuming the bantom will be close to the wolverine due to air volume and slingshot hammer system. The only exception here would be the airwolf extreme in .25 cal but price alone excludes this rifle for most. So I believe the bantom would be good in .177 or .22 caliber, but would disappoint in .25 caliber without the addition of a regulator.
The kalibergun rifle has been on my radar for awhile now.....the one with adjustable cheekpiece. Even saw a laminate version somewhere.