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Gunpower Hellcat

Gunpower Hellcat

Gunpower airguns go down a storm in the States and their potential for huge foot poundage no doubt holds much of the appeal to our American friends. Of course there’s much more to it than that, for this UK brand have a truly unique feel.

Military styling is a big part of the company blueprint, but with all the Gunpower models to date, styled upon similar lines, that slightly futuristic chassis at their heart, must have something to do with it.

Compact

On test here is one of the latest releases, known as the Hellcat, and it’s an unusual airgun for sure; being a super compact, ultra lightweight rifle, that can be broken down, then shot as a pistol! It’s a pre-charged pneumatic, and features a removable buddy bottle, two-stage trigger, two-part polymer stock, and integral accessory rails.

‘Modular’ best describes Gunpower products, with the idea being that shooters can upgrade and alter their guns as and when required, further down the line. As originally specified, the Hellcat features a full-length action crafted form aircraft grade aluminium, and a 210cc buddy bottle - but Gunpower offer a host of optional extras, to adapt the gun, and enhance performance.

Power with this style of gun, lies with the bottle of course, and assembly is simply a matter of carefully screwing it into position, at the rear of the action. The two part polymer stock includes a nicely contoured fore-end piece, and a drop-down pistol grip. Both sections have a satisfying rubbery feel which is nice to the touch and sufficiently ‘grippy’.

My test model came supplied from Gunpower with a host of add-ons, including their silencer, and shoulder stock and with these in place, both looks and balance are transformed. The silencer again just screws into the muzzle, once the protective knurled cap has been removed; whilst the shoulder stock frame simply slides over the bottle and clamps into place, once the desired length of pull is established. Neat, well engineered simplicity is the name of the game here, and Gunpower deserve credit for the design overall.

Preparation

Charging the buddy bottle to the prescribed 200bar requires the vessel to be unscrewed from the action, then connected directly to a divers bottle, via the charging adaptor. Charging an extra £35 for this essential fitting is curious marketing in my book, but it has been a feature of these guns for a while now. Once filled, the bottle is simply screwed back into place, which is straight forward at least.

With a full-length dovetail accessory rail running along the top of the muzzle, a short accessory rail underneath, and a main elevated scope /sighting rail further back, the options for fitting scopes and accessories couldn’t be better.

I chose to fit Gunpower’s own fibre optic open sights initially, since, despite being another optional extra, they were supplied for the test. A bold military style fore-sight offers a red element, along with a neat ramped rear sight complete with twin green elements. Both just clamp in position along the rail, and the sight picture afforded is extremely good. The rear-sight is effectively adjustable by slackening off a tiny screw and moving the small sub-assembly up and down its own rail, raising and lowering the sight line accordingly. Deciding upon the distance between the two proved easy, and I soon found my spot, and relative zero.

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An enlarged ragged hole at 10yds soon proved their worth too, after familiarity with the basic, but pleasantly light two-stage trigger. One negative though, has to be the rather irritating automatic safety catch, that takes the form of a metal tab, set inside the front of the trigger guard. The natural thing to do is to nudge it off with the back of the trigger finger, prior to taking the shot, but I just found it a little uncomfortable on the finger, over a prolonged session.

Direct Feed

Another regular feature throughout the range is the distinctive sliding breech, and to cock the action, just push the foam rubber coated knob forwards until the internal mechanism engages, chamber a pellet directly into the rifling, and pull the breech closed again, ready for action. Being able to feel how good a fit each pellet is, is a big advantage in my book, and that’s a big feature of these guns. The breech lock up could be more positive for peace of mind, but the system works fine nonetheless.

Switching to a telescopic sight soon had 3/4inch clusters forming on average at 30yds, occasionally better) using the ubiquitous Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets, and I was more than satisfied overall.

Shot count seems a little vague with Gunpower and whilst my test model produced around 85 before the power dropped right off, having spoken to the factory, they seem very relaxed at the figures; so expect variation and far higher shot counts from other examples.

Versatility

The ‘take down’ approach, also means that these guns can be dismantled into their main constituent parts within seconds, and stored in ultra small boxes, rather than the usual full length rifle bag. With the main action block unscrewed from the 210cc air bottle, and the silencer removed, the Hellcat can be stowed away inside a case measuring just 19inches across. Compact indeed, and when the situation dictates the need for a subtle approach, and a low profile hunting trip, this model is just about ideal.

Tipping the scales at under 4lbs, with the shoulder stock in place, means the Hellcat can also be classed as a super lightweight, and means this model could also double as an ideal starter gun for ladies and junior shooters, for its easy handling alone. Bear in mind that your average springer comes in at around 6.5-7lbs, and the advantage here is clear.

As an aside, it should be noted that, given the length of the action, the Hellcat still qualifies as a carbine even in its shortest form by virtue of its overall dimensions. At 608mm in length with the silencer and stock removed, this particular Gunpower is still over the maximum 60cm ruling for an air pistol.

Conclusion

Love them or loathe them, there’s a distinctive look going on, that whilst undoubtedly divides opinion, has earned Gunpower an army of fans to date. The Hellcat represents a worthy addition to the range, and with all the accessories in tow, it’s an incredibly versatile product, well up to a variety of tasks.

PRICE: £450
OPTIONS:
Hellcat silencer £40, Bipod £49, Filling adaptor £35, Fibre optic sights £75, Shoulder stock £50, Hellcat Lazer £35 Brass reducer £9, QD swivels £40

  • Gunpower Hellcat - image {image:count}

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  • Gunpower Hellcat - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Gunpower Hellcat - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Gunpower Hellcat - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Gunpower Hellcat - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Gunpower Hellcat - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Gunpower Hellcat - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

gun
features

  • Model: Hellcat
  • Country of Origin: UK
  • Type: Take-down PCP carbine
  • Calibre: .22 on test (.177 available)
  • Weight: 4lbs including shoulder stock & without silencer
  • Overall Length: 34.75inches with silencer & stock
  • Barrel Length: 12inches excl. silencer
  • Stock: Ambidextrous synthetic 2-piece
  • Power Source: 210cc buddy bottle
  • Trigger: 2-stage adjustable
  • Fill Pressure: 200bar
  • Shot Count: 85 on test in .22 but potentially many more. .177, .20 and .25 available
  • Average Velocity: 535fps
  • Max. Spread: 70fps
  • Energy: 11ft/lbs (10.2ft/lbs on test)
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