Shanghai QB88 Review

Overall Rating

Good weight and size, decent rear sight, good accuracy, robust construction, very sturdy anti-beartrap

Low-grade finishing, might need some work to make it right, short scope rails.

The QB88 might be said to sit at the top of the cheap-Chinese airgun heap. Certain details mark it as the unmistakable close cousin of the almost-bottom-feeder guns such as the B3, the B4-1, and the old KL3B Fast Deer - such as the poor finish on the metalwork, rough edges around the loading port, and the need for some owner clean-up. But it does have some nicer touches that sets it above the low-cost leaders, which is appropriate since the gun generally occupies a slightly higher price niche.

This particular example is a low-mileage used gun that shot Gamo Match pellets at about 500fps, and would do sub 1/4" groups at 10 yards pretty easily. I pulled the leather-sealed powerplant apart, cleaned up the questionable Chinese lubricant, gave the cylinder a quick hone and reassembled it with low-grade lubes (automotive grease and 30wt ND oil) - which made it pick up an additional 100fps. I also removed the trigger return spring (its only function was to push back the trigger blade and add to the trigger pull, it has nothing to do with the operation of the sear), which made the trigger infinitely more pleasant to use. After this work, the gun delivers the same accuracy as before.

Taking it apart showed the same poor tolerances and rough machining usually found in the cheaper Chinese guns, but for a rifle in this power range this isn't such a big deal. Leather seals are not the most efficient but they are the most durable, and this gun will probably be able to deliver 6 ft-lb performance for decades to come with nothing more than periodic oiling of that seal. As the rifle wears in I do expect the action to get smoother, but even now it isn't that bad.

The QB88 is a bit different from the other lower-end rifles in that it has a not-too-bad copy of the trigger that Gamo uses in most (if not all) of its spring rifles. Granted, this mechanism is a bit low-grade on a $200+ Gamo but it's certainly not out of place on this gun. It's a notch better than the triggers found on the B3 and B4 series, and several notches better than the direct-sears of the B2 and Fast Deer rifles. A little work (such as deburring and removing the heavy trigger blade return spring) makes a world of difference, and the popular aftermarket GRT trigger will work on this thing.

Cocking and loading is a bit of a chore - it seems to take a bit more effort than it should for the power, and the loading port is on the smallish side . But those are minor annoyances. The firing cycle is genuinely sweet - no twang and with a very mild report. It's a good indoor gun that won't fatigue the shooter. It's also a full-weight gun at over 6lbs, so it's better suited to a shooter used to adult rifles. It's not a good substitute for a Gamo Delta or a Crosman 795.

The rear sight is a pseudo-copy of the Gamo Shadow/Sporter/220 sight (non-fiberoptic), this one looks a bit shabby but works very well with no play, solid detents, and a well-defined sight picture. There's even enough adjustment range for shooting out to 60+ yards... I wish my CFX and 440 had a rear sight this good.

Overall the QB88 is a very passable rifle that really doesn't give anything away to other adult guns in the $60-or-so price range - the few that there are. Again it's not a kid's gun like the Gamo Delta or Crosman 795, and it's built like a tank compared to the low-end Daisy and Crosman multi-pumps (and a lot less tiring to shoot). It's a very decent short-to-moderate range plinker that's not gonna disturb either the neighbors or the people upstairs, yet it still has enough power to be somewhat interesting.