Reximex Regime

Turkish brand, Reximex, continues to make a splash on the airgun scene with their radically styled, features-laden PCPs, and the Regime on test here, is the bullpup model in that line-up. Sadly, this model no longer comes with a free hard case, but open the protective box, and that bold, aggressive profile is still every bit an assault on the senses.

Appreciation

But take a deep breath, calm down, and begin to assimilate and appreciate just what is on offer here, and the Regime’s quirky, yet thorough design, begins to hit home. The synthetic stock is actually two parts, and with that beefy, boxy section up front, and extensive ambidextrous thumbhole layout, it manages to totally encase the action, save for the raised Picatinny scope rail. The image projected is modern and militaristic for sure but will undoubtedly appeal to a sizeable section of its intended market. 

We are, of course, as mentioned, talking about a bullpup configuration, where the action is positioned right to the back of the stock, and devotees of this route to handling and performance will surely welcome the perfect positioning of that biathlon-style side-lever. For unlike several rivals, who have simply used a conventional action, and repositioned it, the Regime is, in bullpup terms, the real deal. Pull it up into the aim, and for the duration, that mid-positioned side-lever can just be worked and cycled with ease, until the mag is empty.

Negatives

OK, let’s get my negative thoughts on the table at the outset, and then we can return to the good stuff. Basically, I can’t test the Regime and fail to mention my unease at having to have the eye so close to the magazine and breech area. It’s a common occurrence with bullpup airguns, but if a breech seal should fail, it could be an unpleasant experience. Some form of shielded cheekpiece should be incorporated as standard, but as it stands, I would use something soft to wrap over the area, offering a cushion from the magazine in the process.

Setting up - stage 1

As for the positives, the Regime is fitted with a conventional air cylinder with a 310cc capacity, and whilst fill pressure is 250 bar, placing all the components under less stress with a rather more civilized 200 bar fill, will still return plenty of shots. Charging the system is via the probe-style adaptor supplied, which needs to be connected to the airline, and then the probe is inserted into the air valve at the front of the cylinder. Twisting the valve cover revealed that only one side of the aperture allowed the probe to enter. Charge slowly, withdraw and close the cover.

There’s a nice clear manometer too, colour-coded to make everything obvious. 100 bar as the suggested lower pressure, is in yellow, under which a refill is required. Then, 250 bar is shown as the safe limit of the green section. As usual, I would recommend going by the gauge on the filling equipment, but a rifle-mounted gauge is always welcome.

Filling the cassette-style magazine comes next, and these offer 12 shots in the tested .22 calibre, and 14 shots in .177. Just twist the clear cover anti-clockwise, all the way around, against spring pressure, then drop the first pellet nose first from the front. Thereafter, gently twist the cover back and drop a pellet into each chamber in turn until full. Cock the side-lever and push the mag into the slot within the action from the left side, until it snaps into place. A little fiddly at first, requiring the guide strip to be located into its groove. Practice speeds up the process for sure.

Setting up - stage 2

Right, time to focus attention on the 2-stage trigger, which offers some basic adjustment. As per the instructions, the ‘sensitivity’ can be altered by first removing the bottom of the stock grip, and then tweaking the Allen key. To be honest, I left it well alone, as the standard release was commendably light to start with. There is, of course, that added brilliant feature of an adjustable trigger shoe, and here, if deemed necessary, take the small Allen key supplied, slacken the screw, and the shoe can be moved around its axis.

The in-guard safety catch is neat and manual. So basically, it’s there if you need it, and it’s no source of irritation if you don’t. Just as it should be.

One final bit of prep work requires the adjustable rubber butt pad to be set to the required height. It’s a task which is well worth spending some time over, as the end result, effectively setting eye/scope alignment, leads to better, more consistent shooting, with less muscle fatigue and stress. Reximex utilizes their now familiar system, so just push the button and move the pad up or down to suit.

Tricks up the sleeve

So, we’ve primed and readied the action. One final task is, of course, to mount some glassware, and here we get to see the first of several tricks up the Regime’s sleeve, so to speak. The inclusion of an adjustable scope rail, for height and especially angle, both front and back, is, I have to say, something of an inspired move, given that, firstly, zeroing some scopes can get awkward, and secondly, the bullpup configuration per se throws up unusual mounting requirements. We are effectively sighting over the action at the rear, and that often necessitates the scope being set higher still. Windage shouldn’t normally cause a problem, but gaining enough height can often lead to a scope running out of turret adjustment. This is a problem I’ve experienced a few times over the years, but one which Reximex cleverly circumvent with the Regime. Gently slacken off the bolt heads on each side of the rail, front and back, leaving just some friction, and move it up and down to suit. There are even a couple of spirit levels pre-fitted, with one in the rail and one along the top of the butt section, so I think we can safely say the Reximex designers have put some thought into the layout and finer details.

This model incorporates a power adjuster, but unlike its stablemates, where you just turn the small red knob, the Regime shows a slot that needs a tool to turn it. In theory, the design team have been creative, given that the drop-down biathlon cocking lever unscrews, doubling up as the screwdriver. Theory is a wonderful thing. In practice, not only could I not manage to turn the slot head on the power adjuster, but the cocking lever all too easily unscrews in use! So, it is nearly a brilliant idea. Never mind. Just nip up the lever hard, and thereafter, use a screwdriver to adjust the power!

Range card

So, what of the power settings? Well, for the record, set to the midpoint, velocity using the RWS Superfield 15.9-grain pellets was around 524 fps, whilst the lowest setting produced around 335 fps. So, 9.7 ft/lbs and 4 ft/lbs respectively. I’m stating the obvious, but set to the minimum, the shot count will increase significantly. This is a big bonus when it comes to plinking on the range. Set back to full power for the chrono check, I was intrigued to see just how many shots the Regime could produce. At this point, we should make clear that obviously, charge to the absolute max of 250 bar, and you will get more shots overall. As mentioned, my preference is to maintain that more civilized 200 bar, which is perfectly adequate, and more forgiving over time to the internals. From this initial fill pressure, and using RWS Superfield .22 ammo, I recorded 72 shots, all within a total spread of 28 fps. Very acceptable and highly useable. Stretching to just over eight mags worth (102 shots), the velocity spread became 51 fps, so there’s plenty of firepower for extended sessions if necessary. Just bear in mind the tasks set and limit the shots accordingly.

The muzzle report is very acceptable, probably partly due to the calming effects of that full-length barrel shroud, and whilst the cheek section, as mentioned (I know I said I wouldn’t!) is slightly irritating, given the magazine’s protrusion, the Regime is still fun to shoot. From the sweet cycling side-lever to the subtle feel of the adjustable 2-stage trigger, this Regime has oodles of feel and performance where it matters. Accuracy was bang on the money too, with tight groups easy to come by with a variety of ammunition, suggesting that my test gun was anything but pellet fussy. Groups measuring around ¼” c-t-c over 30 yards are fairly representative, and that’s sizzling performance in anyone’s book.

Living with the regime

OK, the Regime is a big, bold, ‘in yer face’ sort of airgun, and many will have blanked this review on looks alone. If those military lines do appeal though, it’s a cracking rifle, for all the reasons mentioned.

Thanks to Range & Country Shooting Supplies in Sleaford, Lincs., for the kind loan of this rifle.