Xisco B-21 / Supermax1000 Review

Overall Rating

This is one great air rifle and one that is well worth the money. The wood is clean, well finished and well executed; the metal work is also nicely done, I like the parkerized type of finish. It is very powerful and accurate. I have not had the pleasure of shooting beyond 10 M yet, but at this distance it is precise and can easily put most brands of pellets into a ragged hole. I have a 3x12 BSA air rifle scope on it that makes it look and feel like a police tactical rifle. I was surprised and happy that it shoots 1000 fps (as advertised) with Beeman Silverbears (7.1 gr) and 920 fps with Gamo Pro Magnum pellets (7.9 gr). Not bad. Lastly, there exists a good deal of factory and aftermarket parts out there, along with literature, to get even more performance from these already robust rifles. My rifle feels like it will last a lifetime.

The things that make this rifle good from a fixed position make it a pain in the field, I wouldn't like to lug it around and I hate that the extendable cocking handle rattles. As much as I like the B-21, if I had it to do over again I would get a B-30 for the fixed cocking handle, better working parts and more power for an additional $10 or so. Anyway, this rifle also needs a scope to get the most out of its accuracy potential but the recoil is harsh so a solid one peice scope base is needed. Recoil is also the reason for the somewhat difficult learning curve on how to shoot this rifle consistently and accurately. Once you get the hang of it, everything needs to look out.

You get a lot of bang for your buck with this rifle. If you are looking for a magnum springer and don't want to spend too much, look no further you won't be disappointed.

Members' Comments onjackflintstone's Review

• vinceb on 17th Mar 2009

  Don't buy into the 'much improved quality' line about the B30. I've got one of each right now, and the guns are virtually identical. Except for the machining on the rear of the piston... the B30 was horrible.
  
  The B30 also has a very high cheek piece that makes it difficult to use the rear sight at short ranges - it's uncomfortable to squish my face down that far.
  
  Of the 2 I've got the B21 is better.

• jackflintstone on 20th Mar 2009

  It's now 3-19-09 and the B-21 is still going strong. I want to thank the person who made the comments about the B30...now I have no regrets ; ) After all this time, I haven't had any breakages or problems. I have shot perhaps 1500+ pellets during this time (3 tins, working on a fourth). I have settled on Beeman Silverbears as the only ammo I shoot through it and it will still cut a ragged hole at 10 yards and still hits 1000 fps. The only negative that has not been mentioned yet is the trigger is still creepy and heavy in my opinion. I thought it would improve with age but seemingly not yet for me. I haven't shot much in the last two years, so perhaps another tin or two will do. I was surprised to see this review still up - if its here in a year, I'll post again.