Xisico XS-B26-s Review

Overall Rating

*Pretty stock
*Polished metal, nice blueing
*Accurate
*packs the punch at .22 cal
*fiberoptic sights are great
*Nice weight and balance
*Trigger is truly adjustable and very smooth
*Rubber buttplate

*Safety - It is only engaged once the rifle is cocked, and once you take the safety off, you can't put it back on...

After a long wait to get the Xisico XS-B26-s air rifle registered, I finally got the call from the store, and I drove there to pick it up. The B26 was shipped in a rather plain cardbord box, and there was no foam inside the box. The rifle was only stored inside a nylon bag, and there are two additional cardbord pieces to support the barrel and the butt. But upon careful inspection, I wasn't able to find any dings or shipping-related damage anywhere on the rifle.
The fit and finish is very, very nice; very close to that of the German guns. The trigger feels very smooth and crisp. The barrel was hard to break but most probably because it's new. The B26 is light, and feels good in my hands. It points easily. The fiber-optic sights on the sporter version are very nice. The Thumbhole version is very cool and easy to point & aim with, but the Monte Carlo cheek piece had a very high comb, which means that you would need to purchase high rings or mounts. The muzzle break on the Thumbhole version is sleek and looks very nice.
After bringing it home, I started out by putting a few drops of Rem Oil on a piece of cloth and wiping away the oil on all the wood and metal surfaces. After failing to insert a cleaning rod into the chamber, I improvised my own instrument. I found a piece of string, thinner than a shoe-lace, made a few tiny loops on one end, and I tied a sewing needle to the other end (this way it would drop down the bore easier). I put .22 cleaning patches through the loops; put a few drops of GooGone on them, and proceeded to clean the bore. Ther was a lot of thick, black goo coming out, and it took me 5 patches of Goo Gone, 3 patches of Remoil, and 4 dry patches, to get the bore sparkly clean with a citrus scent. Very Happy
I didn't waste much time; I quickly grabbed the box of 14.3g Crosman Premier pellets, and set up a target in my backyard, 20 yards away.
I was sitting in the FT position. There wasn't much wind... I slowly squeezed the trigger (at the same time feeling amazed at just how light and smooth it is) and BANG! Wow, the recoil sure was sharp, and it was pretty loud, but then when smoke started coming out the end of the barrel, I remembered that it's probbably gonna be like this for the next 800-1000 shots or so... Anyway, the second shot wasn't really good because I still wasn't used to such a light trigger, lol! But then I got the hang of it, and I couldn't believe how good I was shooting! I was able to put 15 pellets in a rugged hole! I'm sure my groups will be even better once I get a scope on it. But so far, I really like the fibre-optic sights.
The whole rifle feels solid; it's all quality wood and metal (minus the rear sight knobs). The metal is well-polished, and I can imagine that with a tung-oil treatment, the wood will be beautiful. The rubber Butt Plate is a nice addition; it looks nice, and it helps absorb the recoil. This air rifle REALLY packs the punch! I shot a house sparrow right in the head with it, and upon inspection the entry wound was right through the eye, and the exit wound blew half of the skull out and its brain matter was all over its wings! Gross! Now that's powerful!

Alon Tkach