Kral Breaker

It’s been just over a year since I tested the first PCP to be produced by Turkish gun manufacturer Kral Arms. That of course was ‘The Puncher.’ A very nice price multi-shot PCP that I’d certainly recommend people consider if looking to start on the precharged air rifle trail but without having to break the bank. Soon after, the company unexpectedly followed up this release by launching the Puncher Pro. The promo blurb termed this rifle as the ‘deluxe’ version of its predecessor but if you saw my test of it you’ll know it had little in common with the original, having a ‘modified’ action and a very well-designed top-quality Turkish Walnut stock. Not content to have just the two models on offer, Kral have obviously noticed the airgun scene’s liking for bullpup rifles, as they’ve launched what I feel will be very popular, The Breaker and as you’d expect, this is the bullpup version of the Puncher family.

Totally tactical

Classed by the manufacturers as a having a Synthetic Tactical stock, the use of the ‘T’ word in relation to its overall appearance is in this case warranted, as it does have a more ‘military’ look than certain other bullpups on the market. Obviously, it follows the ‘standard’ bullpup design of having the trigger positioned forward of the magazine, but in this case, Kral have managed to configure the action and include a feature that really aids shooter comfort. Also, due to the design configuration, at the very rear of the butt section also ends in a generous full black rubber butt-pad, allowing the rifle to come effortlessly, quickly and unhindered into the shoulder, enabling you to be on aim very quickly.

I feel a ‘brief’ side-step here is needed to mention that the breech block stops short of reaching the very end of the gun, which gives it a more ‘ultracarbine’ feel, plus the addition of a synthetic raised ‘cover plate’ seen running alongside on the left and top is a simple yet highly effective cheek rest. Also, it can be adjusted laterally to suit your head position by loosening a recessed hex head grub screw to manually slide the ‘rest’ to the position you prefer.

The entire butt section of the stock is relatively slim but deep, especially where the elongated thumbhole compliments its very ergonomic steep drop down pistol grip. Also, three broad and well-defined finger ridges combine with the ‘grips’ reasonable palm swell to give a very assured hold.

The forend is short (even for a bullpup) but not to shooter detriment, as I found it naturally ‘promotes’ you to draw the rifle closer to your body, which in my opinion made it one of the fastest handling and manageable ‘pups’ I’ve used. Its well-rounded underside also shows a good amount of depth, while centrally positioned lateral recessed finger channels are found on either side for your leading hand, plus the underside has a generously sized ‘stippled effect’ oval panel. The recessed threaded brass insert plug found centrally on the underside takes a ‘swift’ sling swivel stud (as fitted to the Weihrauch HW100) and can be used for fitting a bipod – if unsure of doing any work on the gun – just ask Range- Right’s in-house gunsmith and he’ll fit one to order.

Added extra

Now there’s a very nifty design feature built-in at the very end of the fore section, this being a very discreet spare magazine holder. As unique as it is useful, this hinged compartment is accessed by pressing a rubberised button positioned on either side at the very front; this allows the end tip to ‘drop’ open to reveal a holding bay for a spare magazine, that’s held very snugly and securely inside once closed.

After much use, I must say I feel the overall stock design makes this one of the better bullpups to handle and hold on aim for any length of time. Incidentally, there are actually four stock options, plus two further models that give you the choice to have all matt nickel finish metalwork; these are given the designation ‘Marine’ and all prices and choices can be seen listed in the ‘tech spec’.

The quite slim air reservoir is set snugly into the top of the stock, while the end protrudes so you can access the fill point hidden under a rotating metal collar. A recommended fill charge of 200-bar gives approximately 120 shots in .177. and 140 in .22, as per rifle on test. There’s also a forward-facing manometer type air gauge at the very end of the reservoir, for keeping track of your air status.

Bit on the side

The Breaker uses an action very like the Puncher, but the sidelever on the right of the block is shorter and sits neatly under the sliding cheek rest. It operates very positively and runs a familiar Perspex fronted sprung autoindexing magazine as seen on the Puncher Pro. This functions very precisely and is easy to load once removed from its housing. It has a unique ‘sprung’ inner rotor, because like its siblings, it holds 14-pellets in .177 calibre and 12-pellets in .22-calibre.

A few other features seen on the original are still evident on the action block – those being the rocker style trigger safety lever found rear right and the serrated brass dial (power adjuster) is located at the front and configured to correspond to a small +/- Vernier on the opposite side. Again, it only works on FAC-rated models, so keep it set to the highest setting, because even on 12ft/ lb legal limit guns it will have a small effect on reducing the power output – so don’t touch!

A raised alloy scope rail is fitted for holding an optic of choice, its two attachment points from the rifle can clearly be seen to follow the contours of the air reservoir before disappearing past and below your ‘tank’, where they secure to the rifle chassis. This very secure and ideally positioned fitment doesn’t raise the scope too high above the action and the top has a lengthy run of Weaver rail.

For test, I used a Richter Optik 3 - 9 x 50AOE in Weaver 2-piece Sportsmatch mounts, and once fitted for correct eye-relief, it didn’t affect the rifle’s inherent handling characteristics in the slightest.

Quattro quality

The trigger unit is the now recognised ‘Quattro,’ this 2-stage adjustable mechanism has certainly now established itself in the airgun industry, as it’s fitted to many springers and PCPs to come from certain overseas gun manufacturers. Those familiar with it will know it has an appropriate level of adjustment and breaks quite cleanly. The anodised blade is nicely curved and quite broad on the front edge, so gives a sure feel for the pad of your forefinger to contact.

The quite lengthy semifree- floating tube comes with a removable stylish muzzle weight that protects its ½-inch UNF threads for fitting a can of choice and it’s also well protected at the forward section by a solid barrel band. I used an old compact silencer I had and there’s no doubt this is a rifle that can easily be quietened to a mere whisper on discharge. After zeroing and getting used to the rifles’handling characteristics, taking freehand shots proved very enjoyable and the accuracy potential it displayed was impressive, soon showing its worth, as it produced sub ¾-inch groups at 25-yards, which only expanded to 1-inch clusters as I pushed out to 35- to 40-yards. This would be a fine choice as a highly effective pest control tool in enclosed spaces, hide shooting or when shooting from a vehicle.

Kral have certainly come a long way in the manufacture of air rifles (particularly PCPs) in a short space of time and due to the quality of the ones I’ve tested I can only imagine there’ll be more interesting ‘kit’ to follow. However, with three on the roster already (though all based on a similar action) they’ve cleverly managed to modify each model to cover all the bases and suit most tastes and usage.

Conclusion

In that respect, the Kral Breaker MS PCP is a little gem; it’s light, very well designed, handles and balances superbly and is as accurate as some ‘pup’s costing considerably more.

Personally, I hope it doesn’t get over-looked as, although this sector of the market does seem to be slowing in the number of new models being released, it’s up against some stiff competition; some already now popular sellers and manufactured by very well-established and respected air rifle manufacturers.

However, if you’re one who usually goes straight for top-end brands, I recommend you try ‘breaking the habit’ because the Kral Breaker MS PCP Bullpup is a quality manufactured air rifle that’s well worth considering.