BAM XS-B30-1 Reviews

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Good Points: Extraordinary workmanship for the price. Real hardwood stock and extra thick barrel make for a heavy gun that feels like a real firearm. No visible flaws in either the wood or metal. Nice blueing, and overall the gun is a very attractive piece of workmanship.

Bad Points: At almost 10 pounds, the BAM B-30-1 is a true adult air rifle, and not suitable for younger children. The cheekpad on the stock is a little high, making it somewhat difficult to get a square view using the open sights alone. The sidelever cocking mechanism takes considerable effort.

General comments: Overall, the BAM B-30-1 is a terrific value for the money. First some background: This rifle is made by Xisico and imported by Xisico USA (http://www.xisicousa.com). Xisico is the same company that also manufactures the Tech Force air guns which are sold by Compasseco. The precursor to the BAM XS-30-1 was the BAM XS-21, which is also sold by Compasseco as the Tech Force 21. The XS-30-1 is the "fourth generation" of this particular model and in comparison to the BAM XS-21 is described by Xisico as being improved in the following ways:

TRUGLO Fiber Optic sights.
Much better inside quality.
It's more powerful and shoots harder.
Shorter barrel for easy carrying.
One piece cocking lever for simplicity.
Different stock style.

That being said, this really is a nice gun for the money. The BAM XS-B30-1 is a near-clone of the RWS Model 48 that sells for more than twice as much. Mine was double boxed on delivery, and out of the box it proved clean, properly aligned, and unblemished. The stock appears to be genuine Beech wood, and it really is a work of art. The feelings you get when you hold this gun are that it must pact tremendous power, and it seems like it should cost much more than what you paid for it.

Now, I have a lot of air rifles - over 15 - and so let me rate this gun in comparison to some of my others.

First, I would say that the overall quality in workmanship of the gun falls somewhere between that of my German RWS 350 mag ($350) and my UMAREX RWS Mendoza ($120), both of which are very fine rifles. The stock of the BAM is considerably better than that of the UMAREX Mendoza. However, while I think the metal work between the two is close I would give a slight edge to the Mendoza. Still, the BAM has a very nice blued finish that will make you proud.

In terms of power, the BAM XS-B30-1 is advertised at 1100fps in .177, and 900 fps in .22 caliber. I have been shooting for more than 40 years, and I have never used a chrony, but I am a good judge of power in air guns. I would rate the BAM at about 850 fps in a standard Crosman 7.9 gr .177 wad cutter, and this would give it a slight edge over the Mendoza, and about the same velocity as my RWS 350 in .22 cal (although the .22 packs considerably more wallop). Even in .177, I think it packs more of a punch than my Sheridan Silver Streak in .20 cal at 8 pumps. My Tech Force 97, which is advertised at 900 fps in .177, but really shoots at about 700 fps with the stock mainspring, seems weaker by comparison.

People get so excited about all of the hype about the velocity of air guns that they forget about the really important things, like accuracy and suitability of purpose. If you want a really accurate air gun you should stay away from those that claim supersonic speeds and instead settle for something that shoots in the range of 700 to 900 fps. If you want to shoot 10m competition, you should select a match rifle shooting at somewhat slower speeds. This is because pellets are light, and they become progressively more unstable and inaccurate at higher velocities. So if you do get a magnum , be sure to use the heaviest pellets that you can find that suit your purpose, not the lightest ones.

One thing you should know about the BAM-B30-1 is that it using a side lever cocking mechanism, as does the RWS 48. This, and other reports about the overall quality of the BAM, are the main reasons I purchased this gun. My collection did not include a slidelever, and I just had to have one, but could not justify the cost of the RWS 48 given all of the other s I already own. So the BAM B-30-1 was a natural choice for me.

The cocking mechanism requires considerable effort, probably 30+ pounds, and is a little awkward for the uninitiated. If you are familiar with fixed barrel s, you know that safety mechanisms to prevent a bear trap snap back of the cocking mechanism as you are reaching into the loading chamber is of utmost importance. All under lever and side lever rifles require this kind of mechanism. The safety of my Tech Force 97 gave out after only a couple of hundred shots, requiring me to disassemble the rifle and rig some repairs of my own. I don't think this will ever be a problem with the B-30-1, which uses a much improved safety mechanism than almost creates the illusion of total safety, but you can never be this complacent with any kind of . So I still like to hang on to the cocking handle with my right hand while inserting a pellet with my left, and this is a little awkward, to say the least.

The cocking handle is also a somewhat of a distraction from the potential looks of the rifle. I think this would have been a nicer looking gun in an under lever model, but Xisico wanted to clone, and therefore capitalize on the popularity of the RWS 48. Fair enough. They did a great job, but either one of these rifles will always tilt to the side that carries the extra weight of the cocking arm when you hang it in your gun rack.

Another thing you should know about cocking mechanisms is this: Of all the cocking mechanisms for springer and pump s, they are all PUSH mechanisms, in which the cocking lever pushes a piston back to compress either the spring of a chamber of air. The BAM B-30-1 being a side lever uses a PULL cocking mechanism, in which the cocking bar is used a fulcrum attached to a much thinner steel bar that pulls the piston backwards to compress the chamber. Once the cocking arm is fully pulled back, a pellet can be loaded into the chamber. Then, a safety button must be depressed before the cocking arm can be returned to its original position. And this is important, if you do not press that safety button before attempting to return the cocking arm to its original position, you could actually bend the thinner 'pull rod" of the mechanism and face some costly repairs. Also, the point of contact between the pull rod and the compression chamber is small spot weld that I imagine could give out over time, given the considerable cocking effort required. Even though the BAM B30-1 appears to be built like a tank, these are potential problems that do not exist with traditional break barrel or under lever cocking mechanisms.

In a nutshell, the Xisico BAM-B-30-1 is a must have for anyone who wants a complete collection and does not currently own a side lever rifle. It is a beautifully constructed, precision, true magnum that I am glad I added to my collection. I am pleased as punch every time I walk by my gun rack and see it hanging there.

But the true test of happiness with a gun is in shooting it, and of all the guns I own which one do I shoot the most? Well, that distinction goes to a tie between my old Daisy model 120 .177 break barrel, and the Tech Force 97 that I picked up for $79 bucks. They both shoot between 600-700fps which is more than adequate for my needs, they feel completely safe and dependable, and I don't mind beating the heck out of them the way I might were I to mar the pretty surface or weaken the springs in any of my other, more 'respectable' s.