XisicoXS-B3-1 Review

Overall Rating

Heavy
All metal and wood

Sights
Heavy trigger pull

I bought a XisicoXS-B3-1 rifle as a lark - which is the way I do most things - and also because of the looks and exotic nature of the gun. I didn't expect much for $56 USD, but I did think it was time to try a Chinese air rifle, as they are becoming so prevalent, at least in the USA.
First impressions are important, and my first impression of this gun was amazement. Even knowing the gun weighed over seven pounds beforehand didn't quite prepare me for the reality of handling it. It is all-metal and wood, and it really is a hefty sucker. My next impression was . . "Oh my God!" The Chinese really lay on the grease when they package stuff, and this gun seemed to have had every Wok in China dumped over it - after a fish fry, of course. However it only took about 2,465 paper towels and about six gazillion .22 cleaning pads to get the grease off and out of the thing. That done, I actually started shooting.
Loading is simple enough: After releasing a safety catch, a side lever is pulled back and the breech opens. Pellets are inserted into the barrel itself and the lever is moved forward until a "click" is heard, signifying closure of the breech. So, having accomplished this I fired my first shot: "POW! and TWANG!" Needless to say the power plant is spring piston, and noisy to boot. But the rifle has a fair amount of power. My standard penetration test using a badly tattered phone book showed a penetration of nearly an inch, with much damage beyond the pellet's resting spot. This is roughly what I get with my Sheridan HB22 pistol, which ain't bad - maybe around 425-450 FPS.
The accuracy of the gun isn't bad either, although the sights are poor. In fact, the rear sight is adjustable for elevation only, and windage must be set by pounding the front sight one way or the other - not the best arrangement. However, it should be said that the elevation adjustment is very easy - a sliding "ladder" type of sight, it is also marked for distance and is very simple to adjust for differing ranges.
Shot patterns were in the 3/4 inch bracket at 10 meters.
The trigger has a very hard pull - maybe around 10 lbs - but it does get easier after a couple hundred rounds.
I bought this AK-47 lookalike in .22 caliber, but it is available in .177 as well. Looking back on it I wish I had gone for the .177, as I have no plan to hunt with this gun, and .177 is cheaper by a long shot.
Live and learn.
However, in either caliber the shooter is going to have to work around a very short distance between trigger and butt - maybe a foot at best. This makes for a lot of squinting, but as this seems to be authentic I can't protest - just be aware of this.
It should also be mentioned that the machine tooling is not the best. Altough built very tightly, a screw or two are at slight odd angles, indicating that holes weren't quite drilled up to specs. Of course, since the receiver is .20" steel (painted over, alas) there is some room for error.
I find no ill effects from this - the gun is very solid.
So? What to use it for?
I've been wondering about this since I bought it. It's not powerful enough for hunting; not accurate (or conveniant) enough for serious target practise; and way too ugly to mount on the wall. This leaves plinking, and that's what I intend to stick to. That and hiking, as the butt folds up nicely making the gun compact; and mounts for a one-inch strap are installed, so slinging it over one's shoulder is easy.
The weapon is vastly easier to charge and load than most other air rifles and one can get shots off pretty quickly; it hits hard downrange in .22 caliber; and it really makes a mess of cans. If it doesn't do this with charm and grace, it does do it with a certain amount of style. In fact, I can't think of a gun that looks anything like this one. Certainly it will scare the hell out of anyone driving past!
I recommend the gun to folks looking for something out of the ordinary; to those who collect; and those who just want to have fun.
If you don't like shooting it, you can always use it for weight lifting.

Members' Comments onJames Underwood's Review

• ivan1890 on 24th Mar 2006

  What please is 'plinking?' I love guns, and I am totally in favour of law abiding citizens being licensed to carry a weapon. (I'm possibly very much in a minority though in the U.K.) For many years I shot both rifles and pistols on a licensed range. However, like you, I must ask what is the point of trash like this? Unfortunately these items are so cheap that idiots in this country buy them and then unsuccessfully try to kill birds and animals with them. Even if one supports hunting surely creatures should be killed humanely?

• James Underwood on 28th Mar 2006

  Ivan: Put simply. "plinking" is shooting cans or bottles and the like. This is the only use I would put the XS-B3-1 to, and for that purpose it is a very fun gun.
  
  I agree completely with your views on hunting. It is a serious wrong to hunt with the wrong weapon, and I am always surprised when I read here and elsewhere of people shooting animals with BB guns and underpowered air weapons. My own philosophy carries this one step further: I hunt in a rural farmland area dotted with forests, ponds and small farms. I hunt only those animals that create a nuisance for the farmers - animals like crows (which eat a lot of corn and carry West Nile disease) or rats; or muskrats (that eat away dams at ponds) and such. Occasionally a farmer will ask me to take out a rabbit that's eating up his garden, and I oblige, but only when asked. Ditto with squirrels and other mammals. I have nothing against such small mammals, and I only shoot them as a favor to those who let me use their land. And I always use either an air rifle in .22 caliber that has an energy output of at least 12-14 FPE (foot pounds of energy) or (with muskrats) a .22 LR cartridge weapon.
  
  A distinct advantage to air weapons is that they are quiet, have a short range, and are far less dangerous than cartridge weapons. I find that more farm folk are amenable to using their land if I use an air rifle, and if I promise to take out some pests for them. It's the least I can do for their generosity in letting me hike over the beautiful landscape here in Southern Indiana!
  Thanks for your comment.
  James

• danflex on 5th Oct 2007

  I found this review helpful because...he is dead on and factual.

• cole5169 on 26th Feb 2009

  Very helpful, and impartial review. I've been looking at adding one of these to my cabinet, now I know it's heavy :)
  
  I've got several Xisico guns, and what you say about this one bears out what I've seen in their other products. Utilitarian workhorses; Clydesdales, not Arabians. For the job they do, it's the right fit, and a good price.