AIRGUN TECHNOLOGY MANUL

Airgun Technology (AGT) is based in the Czech Republic and is known for its range of robust, high-grade pre-charged pneumatics. Up until now, its output has consisted of various bullpups and rifles, but under review here is a new addition to its line-up: the Manul. As can be seen, this model represents AGT’s first foray into the world of pistols.

In the box
Named after a small wild cat, the Manul certainly looks the part. Open the padded box, and alongside the pistol itself, you’ll find a single-shot tray, quick-fill adaptor, spare seals, air release pin, and instructions. First impressions are of a super-sleek, modern-looking pistol, with plenty of features built in. The magazine, for example, is part of a mini assembly that comes pre-fitted, and the rotary design offers six shots in .22, as with my test gun, and seven shots in .177.
Open sights are fitted, along with a two-stage trigger, side-lever action, Picatinny scope rail, and manometer. Everything feels very well-machined, and with a matte black finish throughout and all-metal construction (save for the side-lever handle and grips), there’s a refined air about the Manul. The barrel is manufactured by CZ too, which is always good to hear, given its standing within the industry.

Charging
AGT supplies this new air pistol with a neat push-fit probe adaptor, and it’s designed to snap straight into a Foster connector from the air supply, whether that’s a dedicated pump or a diver’s bottle. That part worked a treat, but just as I began to get overexcited, the probe refused to play ball. Twist open the dust cover at the front of the cylinder, and the probe should just insert into the valve. On my test gun, the front O-ring on the probe proved just slightly slack, and that was enough to block entry. Luckily, AGT supplies some spare O-rings, so after I removed the offending item and nudged a new seal into position, the probe finally worked. I should note that the probe is a bit too tight a fit in any case, making the job irritating and fiddly, but I got there in the end. The fill pressure is 250bar, which is quite high, but it should deliver a high shot count.

Firing cycle
Before making any other changes, it always pays to get familiar with the firing cycle. To cock the action, the slimline cocking lever just to the left of the breech needs to be pulled up and backwards, just over a 90-degree arc. This sets the hammer and trigger. Interestingly, the instructions didn’t cover filling the mag, but I arrived at the following procedure: In multi-shot mode, the mag cannot be removed, so it must be filled in-situ. With the lever up and breech open, insert a pellet into the visible chambers, then twist the mag anti-clockwise, filling each chamber in turn and twisting as necessary. Ensure the magazine is fully twisted anti-clockwise, then close the side-lever, and six shots are ready to go.
Fancy going single-shot? To fit the single-shot tray, the magazine assembly (the mag and block) first needs to be removed via the two small star-headed socket screws, and then the single-shot tray can be fixed into place in the same manner. No tool was included for this, and my star tool proved too wide for the job, so I stuck with the magazine for the duration!

Sight adjustment
Open sights are fitted as standard, and unusually, the foresight element is adjustable for height. Using the correct Allen key, the blade can be angled down or up. As for the rear sight, the small retaining screw needs to be slackened off, and then the sight block can be adjusted left or right. Not the most user-friendly design, but once set, these sights work well. The angled foresight catches the light, effectively creating a different coloured element, so the bead looks light grey between the dark black notch of the rear sight. A small detail, but a huge improvement on many rival designs.

In use
The two-stage trigger is adjustable, but again, there’s not so much as a passing comment in the instructions. However, my test gun arrived with the trigger about as perfect as I could wish for. I love the broad blade, and after a short first stage, the trigger trips crisply and predictably. The Manul generates a fair crack, and there’s no provision for a silencer. Up front, there is a small air stripper inside the chassis, and some vented air can be felt escaping from the tiny holes along each side of the upper section.
One slight negative concerns the side-lever. Operate it with any speed, and the left hand brushes across the sharper edges of the magazine. Basically, the lever is just a little too close to the action with the magazine installed. A minor irritation, but definitely one I am duty-bound to highlight. Switch to the single-shot tray, and it won’t be an issue.
As for using alternative sighting systems, this is straightforward since the Manul sports a large integral Picatinny rail up top.

Performance
I began with open sights, and over 10 yards with a mild rest, I could easily manage penny-sized groups. But with the lure of some other sighting system, I was itching to see what the Manul was capable of. Using my trusty 2x20 SMK pistol scope and Picatinny mount adaptor, the 10-yard groups soon shrank to the size of a 5p coin. Moving targets out to 20 yards proved a more realistic test for the Manul, and here, satisfying groups around the size of a 2p coin were my reward. Pretty impressive for a pistol, yet given that the 2x optic is hardly stretching things, I reckon the Manul has even greater potential.
And so, to the chrono. From a 250bar fill, I recorded 138 shots on test, shot down to a residual 100bar. That’s a great shot count from such a compact cylinder. Energy topped out at 5.8ft/lbs, with an average of just under 5ft/lbs, and when you bear in mind the legal limit for an air pistol is 6ft/lbs, this pistol is fairly pokey.

Verdict
The Manul is a tidy piece of PCP hardware from a manufacturer that’s fast gaining ground in the marketplace. It’s not cheap, for sure, but I’m definitely in the camp that appreciates that producing a PCP pistol can involve just as many processes as a rifle, just in a scaled-down format. So why should it be significantly cheaper than its larger stablemate?
The Manul is, in short, a very likeable pistol. Yes, the rather cramped cocking lever arrangement is mildly irritating, and the instructions are curiously half-baked but look beyond these flaws, and this pistol has so much to offer. The firing cycle is very close to dead, and this pistol features a great trigger, a slick action, plenty of power on tap, and a multitude of accurate shots to play with. I love the styling and sleek profile too, so overall, a big thumbs up from me.