SNOWPEAK PR900 AIR RIFLES. Finding good quality Airguns on a budget can always be a gamble, purely as the two words don’t usually go hand in hand. However, there is always the possibility of finding a bargain if you look hard enough. Thankfully, at Just Airguns, we do that hard work for you. This month, we’ll be taking a look at such a product, the Snowpeak PR900 Air Rifles.
Chambered in both .177 and .22, the Snowpeak PR900 is available in both a wood finish and a synthetic finish. Coming out of Snowpeak’s Chinese factory, the PR900 appears to be an adaption of a CO2-powered airgun. While its finish reflects its entry price point, exemplified by the ‘thick’ lacquering on the wood variant and a number of thinly anodised cast components, which may easily mark with usage, the overall finish of the product is serviceable, if not surprisingly good for the money.
Coming in at a very light 2.4kg, the PR900 is perfect for younger shooters or beginners who aren’t used to the weight of a heavier product. It comes with screwdriver-adjustable open sights, a baffled silencer, a no-tools-required, single-shot tray adaptor to replace the plastic magazine, a plug-in charging probe and spare seals. The mag is a 7-shot for the .22 (the calibre we tested); the .177’s a 9-shot. It automatically indexes around with a throw of the side-bolt, and the first pellet is inserted backwards.
Interestingly, you cannot split the rifle without undoing the underbelly gauge with a special tool. If we were to hazard a guess, we would assume this has been done to ensure the PR900 passes the AMTA’s anti-tamper protocol – a voluntary test that the UK’s PCP gunmakers and distributors have agreed to be bound by to ensure gun owners do not break the law unknowingly. However, this does present some potential issues, specifically in the wood variant, in which water or moisture could get trapped under the cylinder, ultimately providing the potential for rust, which could compromise its structural integrity.
Looking at the rifle’s performance, the onboard air gauge has a colour-coded face – keep the needle in the green – which is a good move as it’s confusingly marked in units of Megapascals, rather than the usual psi or BAR that we have all become so used to.
To prevent any bias on our side, we looked at a range of reviews on the PR900 regarding its performance, and the overall consensus was good. Airgun Magazine did, however, point out the fact that the PR900 sat close to the UK’s 12ft/lb legal limit when tested with SMK’s 14.4 grain BS55 Black Flat Target Pellets (tested on the .22 variant of the PR900). Regarding accuracy, again, reports seemed good, with testing generally pointing to good groupings over a variety of different ranges.
In closing, Snowpeak has been able to produce a brilliant entry-level PCP rifle in the PR900. While it does have a few shortcomings regarding overall finish, the rifle presents the perfect option for air gunners who do not have deep pockets or those who want to pick up a beginner’s rifle for their first foray into the air gunning world.
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