Put it in your pack
Dave Barham reveals an exciting new compact hunting rifle from BRK Brocock
Launched at this year's Northern Shooting Show, the BRK Brocock Pathfinder XR is another one of those rifles that is going to sell like hot cakes! There aren't many compact, lightweight hunting rifle, especially ones that fold up small enough to put in a small rucksack.
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT There’s always a lot of folk spreading misinformation that this style of rifle isn’t legal. Do you really think that a company as big as BRK Brocock would produce a rifle that wasn’t UK legal? Here is an excerpt from a statement issued by Brocock on the matter; ‘Brocock confirms that the Brocock Pathfinder XR conforms with the UK Firearms Act 1968 in that it is an air weapon and is exempt from defining gun length as specified under Section 5 ( 1) (aba). ‘Brocock further defines the Brocock Pathfinder XR as an Air Rifle, which does not exceed a muzzle energy of 12 foot pounds and
Mat Manning on the BRK Ghost
In his first role as the new Editor of the prestigious AIR GUNNER magazine, Mat Manning does a complete and in-depth review of the new BRK Ghost.
The new BRK Ghost has a haunting name and paranormal power potential – and it certainly raised editor Mat Manning's spirits when he put it through its paces.
Airgun development seems to move faster and faster as the years go by, and the gunmakers who embrace change rather than resist it tend to be the ones who come out on top. Brocock is a brand that most definitely isn’t adverse to progress and adaptation, and to emphasise that point the British gunmaker recently announced its decision to rebrand to BRK, on the same day that it unveiled its latest airgun offering – the subject of this review – to assembled shooting journalists on a press day at Oakedge Shooting Ground in Staffordshire.
The BRK Ghost is the fi first launch under the brand’s snappy new moniker and is a fi fitting way to mark the business’ next chapter.
A highly versatile and adaptable bullpup with variants to cover most airgun shooting scenarios, it sits very comfortably with current tastes for airgun design, whilst accommodating the degree of tuneability that more and more shooters are demanding as airgun and ammo technology progresses.
FUNCTIONAL FRAME
While the Ghost is a brand-new airgun in its own right, anyone familiar with BRK’s sister company, Daystate, will recognise the frame of the Delta Wolf and Alpha Wolf electronic superguns. The synergy between the two brands enables some terrifi c gains through shared research and development, and
the Ghost benefi ts from the
super-rigid, one-piece chassis that was developed for the flagship Daystate’s, whilst running a fuss-free mechanical action.
The stock has certainly been built more for function than form, yet the overall look remains very kind on the eye – especially in the stubby Carbine option featured here, which is just
a touch over 65cm long without a silencer fitted, has a 43cm barrel and tips the scales at 3kg. This model is equipped with a 300cc carbon air bottle, whereas the longer Plus and High Power versions both feature 480cc carbon bottles; the former has a barrel the same length as that on the Carbine, but with a longer shroud, and the latter has a 60cm barrel and can churn out muzzle energy in excess of 100 ft.lbs.
SERIOUS MONEY
Prices start at £1,440 for the Carbine, moving up to £1,500 for the Plus and £1,600 for the High Power. That is serious money but still compares very well with the Ghost’s contemporaries when you take its features, performance and build quality into account.
Starting at the rear of the titanium-coloured stock, the Ghost has a height-adjustable butt pad of simple yet effective design. In front of that sits a cheek support with a curved edge, which makes for a comfortable contact point. The support actually sits on a dovetail rail and you can slacken off its fastening screws and slide it back and forth to achieve correct positioning. That rail actually extends the entire length of the top section of the stock and also holds the Picatinny scope rail, which can be adjusted in the same way to ensure perfect eye relief whichever type of optic you choose to use. BRK has cleverly incorporated a tiny degree of slope into the rail, which should do away with the need to shim mounts when zeroing scopes at extreme range.
HUGE POTENTIAL
The stock incorporates two side rails for accessory attachment and an underside rail for bipod mounting, plus a very nice pistol grip. Contoured in a way that cradled my hand very well, the grip is steeply angled and delivers good trigger attack. Like the butt pad, it can be swapped out for different designs and the range of PRS accessories already available for the previously mentioned Daystate models result in huge potential for customising the Ghost.
Although simplistic, the ambidextrous stock has been carefully designed to function as an effective handle. As with many airguns of its kind, the carbon bottle serves as the fore-end, and even with the small bottle on the Carbine, it provides sufficient room for most holds. I did have to be mindful about keeping my fingers away from the muzzle, which only just clears the bottle – the best solution to that was to fit a 0dB silencer via the thread at the front of the carbon shroud. Apart from really suiting the gun’s styling, the silencer also muted the sub-12 ft.lbs. Ghost’s muzzle report to a whisper.
FULL-ON FEATURES
The Ghost is absolutely rammed with features, and one of the most interesting has to be its huge potential for power adjustment. All models run Huma regulators, and reg pressure – displayed on a gauge on the left-hand side of the stock – can be adjusted by the turn of a knob above the neck of the bottle on FAC models.
Legal restrictions prevent such adjustment on sub-12 versions, but all models feature a power wheel just in front of the top part of the butt pad. This dial tweaks hammer spring tension with no less than 20 settings – that is a lot more tool-free adjustment than most of us are used to on legal limit airguns, and combined with the reg’ adjuster, will facilitate a huge amount of fettling on the high-power variants.
There is another clever trick up the Ghost’s sleeve in the shape of an easily removable barrel, which enables you to swap quickly between calibres. The barrel is held securely in place by an Allen screw at its rear – slacken that off and it pulls straight out. With the barrel out, you then need to swap the pellet probe, which is fastened by an Allen screw accessed via a hole in the side of the breech, for one that corresponds with the calibre of the barrel you are changing to; replace with the correct probe, tighten the screw, slide the barrel back in, tighten its retaining screw and you’re good to go. Expect the whole process to take around five minutes once you are familiar with it.
SELF-INDEXING MAG’
Slick side lever cocking, with a chunky drop-down handle positioned just above the pistol grip, runs a very reliable magazine which holds 13 shots in .177 calibre, 11 in .22,
10 in .25 and eight in .30. Like the Alpha and Delta Wolf, it also features a magnetic ‘double-up’ system, enabling you to load two magazines at once and shunt the loaded one across when the first one runs empty.
The magazine is a gate-loading, self-indexing model. To load it, you simply flip open the gate and turn the interior drum clockwise until it stops. Drop a pellet nose-first into the bottom chamber to hold it under spring tension, and then it’s just a matter of popping pellets into the remaining chambers. When it’s fully loaded, snap the gate back over, and it’s held in place by a magnet, ready for you to push the magazine back into its slot beneath the cheek support and get on with the shooting. The pellet-friendly magazine and positive sidelever mechanism, which can be swapped over for left-handers, work brilliantly together for fast and reliable reloading.
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Kicking up a Sandstorm
The proven Brocock XR range has been given a makeover in the form of the Sahara edition, and Mat Manning reckons there’s much more to it than eye-catching aesthetics
There is a great appetite for airguns that stand out from the crowd, and Brocock airguns usually meet that demand in their own way. The subject of this review goes a step further though, taking the proven reliability of the Sniper XR action and dressing it up in an eye-catching package.
The light sand finish is of course the standout feature of the £1,244 Sahara XR. It may not be to everyone’s taste(and it isn’t meant to be), but even as a shooter who rates traditional aesthetics very highly, I have to concede that the new twist does make for a nice-looking airgun. The pale shades may not be ideally suited to much of the British countryside, but they do look neat on the range.
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Airgun Brocock Sahara XR Review
The first thing you'll notice about the new Brocock Sniper Sahara XR is that 'distinctive' sand-coloured finish.
The first thing you’ll notice about the new Brocock Sniper Sahara XR is that ‘distinctive’ sand-coloured finish. That’s perfectly natural, raised as we are in a sporting world where blued and blacked metalwork sits within traditional timber, or its laminated variant, or even the increasingly accepted black synthetic stocks. The Sahara’s lighter than-normal presentation can certainly jar an has covered that by offering the Sniper XR in no fewer than six guises, including the more soothing combinations of wood, synthetic and dark metal.
So why the sand finish7 Mainly because Brocock supplies a healthy overseas market, which includes countries where hunting in desert regions is as normal as our own adventures in this mainly green and pleasant land. Besides, Brocock has already offered this colour scheme on its Sniper HR Magnum high-power version, so the shock of this new treatment should be survivable for most of us.
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Mat Manning on the Brocock Sahara XR
“The Brocock Sahara XR is an airgun with looks that will turn heads on the range but also boasts the performance to cut it in the field,” Mat Manning, fieldsports journalist.
“If you want a reliable and accurate airgun that also stands out from the crowd, the Brocock Sahara XR should fit the bill perfectly,” Mat Manning, airgun journalist.
“Accuracy, power, reliable performance and head-turning aesthetics make the Brocock Sahara XR a very desirable airgun,” Mat Manning, fieldsports journalist.
Mat Manning on the Brocock Safari XR
“The Brocock Safari XR is a fantastic performer, producing remarkably high power levels while still delivering a very refined shooting experience,”
“Apart from being a handsome airgun, the Brocock Safari XR is also a very impressive performer in the power and accuracy stakes. It’s a great choice for long-range pest control,” Mat Manning, field sports journalist.
“Despite its remarkable power capabilities, the Brocock Safari XR is a smooth, accurate shooting machine – add a 0dB silencer, and it’s also very quiet,”
Mat Manning, fieldsports journalist.
“There is no questioning the Brocock Safari XR’s capabilities in the power and accuracy stakes but it is also a very handsome airgun, which instils a real pride of ownership. It certainly looks and feels very at home in the field,”
Mat Manning, field sports journalist.
“The combination of high power output, a very smooth multi-shot sidelever action and impressive downrange accuracy, not to mention robust build quality that can withstand proper field use, makes the Brocock Safari XR a great choice for serious pest control,”
Mat Manning, fieldsports journalist.
“Shooters looking for a high-power airgun that combines refinement and accuracy with rugged build quality and reliable performance would do very well to give the Brocock Safari XR a try. It is a remarkable airgun,”
Mat Manning, field sports journalist.
An exercise in Miniaturization
Mark Camoccio gets to grips with a particularly small airgun from Brocock; the Ranger XR
The Ranger XR is Brocock’s new baby, and whilst gun’s of this type are so often launched at shooting shows, (something that’s understandably had to take a back seat for a while), the company has instead issued press releases, after a drip-feed of tantalizing info bytes on social media platforms.
My test rifle came in the usual boldly emblazoned protective box and I have to say that first impression had me double-taking. For the Ranger XR, as supplied, comes without a silencer, and as such, at just 27.3” (adjustable) in length, looks pretty small. So, should we feel short-changed from £1244? Admittedly, that is a significant asking price, but look closer and this model has a raft of features aimed at a particular sector of the market. For a start, we get that slick side-lever action, their new style of magazine (11 shot mags in .22 calibre and 13 shots in .177), manometer, threaded muzzle, regulated action and variable power. Build quality is impressive overall too, and whilst practical non-glare metal finishes may lack the panache of chemical bluing, who can argue with their practicality?
Seeing The Light Airgun Review
The Editor gets his hands on Brocock's latest release - the intriguing Ranger XR
If you’re going to have a tactical rifle – how about one that fits into a rucksack and is so light that you hardly know it’s there7 If you could add proven performance, a regulated action, silenced discharge, multi-shot, sidelever pellet delivery, and an adjustable stock, then that would be a fine thing, especially when the whole deal is built into a super-tough,
matte-black chassis, designed for practicality in the field. How about a mega-affordable price tag, too7 Oh well, we can’t have everything, I guess. The new Brocock Ranger XR is all of the above, and quite a bit more, except the budget price. This rifle comes in at £1244, without the silencer and Dual Side Rail Picatinny scope mounting platform fitted to the test rifle. Brocock may be owned by the same company that owns Daystate, but Brocock is no ‘Daystate lite’. These rifles are high-spec’, precision items, with their own identity, and they carry a price tag to match. Let’s see what else is contained within the Ranger XR package
"I can certainly see why Jerry Moss regards it as ideal for the considerable demands of his job"
First, let’s deal with the rifle’s name. That was inspired, in part, by the input of well-known Red Squirrel Ranger, Jerry Moss, who works to preserve our native red squirrel population via the Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group. Part of Jerry’s duties involves controlling the numbers of invasive grey squirrels that have taken over the native reds’ habitat. The greys also carry a virus that is deadly to the red squirrels, so removing greys is a vital task. This can involve walking miles through woodland, often over rough ground, to visit and top up feeding stations, and Jerry wanted a convenient, lightweight rifle that could be carried in a backpack, leaving his hands free to fill, service and repair the feeders. This rifle not only needed to be easy to transport and totally practical, but it also had to be ready to go in seconds, and totally accurate when deployed. Jerry shoots from hides, confined spaces and vehicles, too, so a super-compact rifle with guaranteed performance would be a major advantage for him. Enter the Brocock Ranger XR.
Jerry Moss & the Brocock Ranger XR
I have been lucky enough to be involved in the Ranger XR project for many months using a prototype rifle to control grey squirrel numbers over my areas around Cumbria.
In chats over the years with Tony at Brocock, we have often talked about a small compact rifle, so when Tony contacted me to say let’s see what we can do I was delighted to be involved.
The reasons I was looking for that compact rifle is in my work I carry out as a red squirrel conservation ranger I can cover some miles walking about the woods and forests in search of maybe that one grey, thus having that lite weight compact rifle could be helpful. Either carrying or by using a sling the benefits are there also with the folding stock the rifle can be easily put in a small backpack which is another handy method to carry the rifle about. Other reasons are shooting greys at feeding areas using either a hide or from my pick up, the small short rifle is a bonus in confined spaces.
The ranger I have been using is in sub12 .177 and with a shot count of around 35 thanks to the onboard Huma reg is more than enough for me and my daily work in fact sometimes that’s fine for over a week.
Why control Grey Squirrels in the UK?
Red squirrels, at one time, could be found all over Great Britain, but can now only be seen in wooded areas throughout the north of England, western Wales and in many parts of Scotland. They are also found on Anglesey, the Isle of Wight, Brownsea Island and in Thetford Forest in Norfolk.
Red squirrels have been found in England since the end of the last Ice Age and are part of our native fauna.
The non-native grey squirrel was introduced to England in the late 1870s from America and is the primary cause of the decline of the red squirrel.
It does so by out-competing red squirrels for food in deciduous and mixed woodlands and by transmitting a disease ‘squirrel pox, the squirrel Parapoxvirus, which is lethal to red squirrels.
Who is Jerry Moss?
Jerry Moss is a professional pest controller and a member of the Penrith and district red squirrel group in Cumbria UK. For the last 18 years, he has been working to support the Red Squirrel populations in the Whinfell Forest area of Cumbria. An area of outstanding natural beauty.
On Safari
Brocock hunting consultant Rich Saunders pits his skills against the wild animals of south Oxfordshire with only the Safari XR for protection
I’ve never done it, and I certainly wouldn’t dismiss the obvious skill involved, but when it comes to stalking prey, I doubt the deerstalkers in the Highlands of Scotland, or the hunters on the great plains of African could hold a candle to the humble air gunner attempting to close in on a rabbit or pigeon.
Funny isn’t it? The things you think about when you’re on your own in the woods. Or is it only me? Here I am, plodding about one of my permissions in south Oxfordshire, thinking what it must be like to hunt big game when I should be concentrating on pigeons and squirrels. And yet, I am absolutely certain the sensations and thrill I am experiencing are the same as any big game hunter. Alright, I’ll admit it’s unlikely a squirrel or pigeon will tear me limb from limb if I miss, but no matter what size the game, the challenge of stalking your quarry is uniformly absorbing.
These rambling thoughts are triggered by the use of a Brocock Safari XR rifle. At 12 ft. lbs. and .177 calibre, I’m woefully ill-equipped to take down any charging tigers I come across, but squirrels and pigeons are a different story. And that’s what I’m after today. The permission is a commercial lumber plantation. The squirrels cost a small fortune each year by stripping bark and pigeons use the woods as a staging post to raid nearby crops.
The section of the woods I’m in today is planted with fir trees that provide a year-round carpet of relatively quiet vegetation to stalk over. Entering from the track is like stepping into another world as the thick overhead canopy blocks out much of the light and any wind. It’s like being in an airgunning Narnia but without the irritating posh kids and weird animals.
I shoot most of the squirrels in the woods by sitting in one of several hides I have dotted around the place, staring at peanut feeders. Its very effective but prone to long periods of inactivity. I’ve often nodded off only to wake up in time and see a squirrel leap off the feeder and disappear.
In terms of success rate, stalking in the woods produces a much smaller return but is far more absorbing. Although the trees are thick overhead, the woodland floor is relatively sparse, making it easy to see the pests as they forage about. As a result, I’ve often stalked a squirrel over 100 yards or more. Hardly lions and red deer I know, but I enjoy it.
Added to that is the challenge of tracking down pigeons. They are easy to spot as they flight in, and easy to hear when they start cooing, but locating them in their perch and getting close enough for a shot before they spot you is captivating and frustrating in equal measures.
Air rifles are perfect for this kind of shooting; easily powerful enough to dispatch quarry humanely without posing undue risk or danger when shooting up in trees, especially with a buffer of several hundreds of acres.
The Brocock Safari XR is made for this kind of work. Like all the XR rifles, the sidelever action superseded the older bolt action, transforming good rifles into truly great ones in my opinion. The system is smooth, quiet and utterly reliable and works well with the newer style 13 shot (11 in .22) self-indexing magazine.
At 863mm (34 inches) and 3.3kgs (7.3 lbs), the Safari is light and compact – ideal for sneaking about in the woods, and the muted colour of the Safari stock not only affords excellent grip but won’t give you away. And the height adjustable shoulder pad means the rifle fits me comfortably, both in terms of shoulder fit and eye/scope alignment.
The 480cc carbon wrapped air bottle is a real luxury for someone as disorganised as me. Once filled up, I know it’s good for hundreds of shots and plenty of trips. And thanks to the Huma-Air regulated action, there’s no power curve to have to worry about.
The pigeons were far too clever for me this particular evening. The enclosed environment of the fir trees seems to make the noise from a snap twig or stumble echo around the woods and the pigeons have come to associate the sound with danger.
The squirrels were far more obliging though and I manage to bag three before the light in the gloom of the woods got too bad. I managed to creep up close enough to each of them, and whilst they all scurried up trees at the last minute, they froze long enough for me to get a shot off and the Safari XR didn’t let me down.