PRECIHOLE SPORTS ATHENA KARBIN

Precihole Sports, for those who haven’t been paying attention, is India’s leading airgun manufacturer, and they are now enjoying global distribution through Air Arms. I’ve already tested their indoor match rifles, which proved highly capable and great value for money, but I have been keen to get my hands on the break-barrel models sitting in the line-up.

It’s a gas
One of these is the Precihole Sports Athena Karbin, on test here, and when I heard it was winging its way to me for review, I was genuinely excited. The reason is the power plant, as the Athena Karbin sports a ‘Nitro Piston’ gas-ram instead of a conventional mainspring. I’ve had a soft spot for gas-rams ever since the idea was conceived back in the ‘80s by the Theoben boys, and whilst I’m the first to admit that many incarnations of their brilliant idea have proved somewhat crude, slightly defeating the point of the exercise, several have succeeded along the way. So, we’ll see how the Athena shapes up in this regard shortly.
For those new to this game, the gas-ram principle simply sees the mainspring replaced by a sealed chamber of gas or air. On firing, the gas in this sealed chamber rapidly expands, powering the piston, which then compresses air ahead of it to power the pellet.

First impressions
Precihole’s packaging is comprehensive, and the Athena comes in a cosy foam protective box. It comes complete with a separately stowed silencer, Allen keys, an instruction/safety leaflet, and a padlock. First impressions are definitely favourable, and whilst the chemical bluing applied to the barrel and cylinder doesn’t have as deep or rich a lustre as some rivals, the build quality, machining, and overall level of refinement are all pretty impressive, especially given this model’s RRP.
The black synthetic stock looks smart and shows plenty of detail, with crisply moulded chequering around the grip and fore-end. It’s a sleek little number for sure, what with that subtly arched fore-end and pleasingly thinned-down pistol grip. Indeed, the grip itself reminds me of my treasured FWB Mastersport grip—perfectly thinned but with a subtle palm swell. The stock is ambidextrous as well, making it easy to handle by all, in theory, and if we’re training novices, this is a big bonus.

Sighting up
The Athena Karbin is a full-powered break-barrel model that comes complete with open sights, meaning it is ready to go straight from the box. The all-metal rear sight has clearly marked finger wheels for windage and elevation, and the sights work well. However, whilst I would normally say stick with them initially, especially for youngsters and novices, in this case, we need to acknowledge that the carbine (‘Karbin’) has a short barrel, resulting in significant cocking effort. Therefore, I would suggest treating the Athena as an adults-only model and fitting the silencer from the outset, as this will significantly reduce the cocking effort thanks to the added leverage. I say silencer, but there are no baffles, and the barrel is only a couple of inches back from the rim, so consider it a cocking aid. The front sight comes straight off once the grub screw is loosened. Then, slide the ‘silencer’ into position and fasten the two grub screws along the body. Scoping up is easy, given the generous run of dovetails and the arrestor stud hole on the receiver.

In the shoulder
OK, let’s get hands-on. Gripping the silencer and breaking the barrel open is fairly easy. The subsequent cocking stroke is classic gas-ram. Be half-hearted or stop halfway, and the effort seems greater. Complete the job in one positive sweeping stroke, and it’s no big deal. Indeed, cocking the Athena proved super smooth, and with a pellet pushed home, flush at the breech, the barrel then locks back up with a satisfying click.
With the action cocked, an automatic safety engages, and this requires the silver tab to be nudged forward to free the trigger. On test, I found it a little stiff, so a gentle pinch of the tab against the trigger guard proved the way forward. As for the trigger, I love the broad, near-straight blade, and whilst it’s not super light, it felt crisp and predictable on test. Where adjustment is concerned, there’s no mention in the instructions. For the record, I did try a tweak of the main screw underneath, but it seemed a little slack, so I then left it well alone. That aside, this trigger is still way above average in this price sector.
Negative observations? Well, the cheekpiece, while well-defined, could be a little higher for scope use, and the inside edges around the moulded fore-end tip are just a little sharp to the touch. Overall, the Athena has a mature feel in the shoulder that belies its asking price.

Performance
On the range, I was keen to see what the Athena could do, and it did prove pellet-fussy. Precihole manufactures its own barrels, and this one seemed a little tight. That’s not a criticism, simply an observation. Harder pellets, such as Weihrauch F&T Special, proved a bit tight, so pushing them flush at the breech wasn’t easy. Switching to softer JSB derivatives soon had me smiling, though.
The firing cycle has that classic quick snap so characteristic of a gas-ram setup, and with no spring to resonate, it proved satisfying and efficient. Yes, there’s still plenty of recoil, but the internals feel surprisingly sophisticated.
Indeed, using Air Arms Diabolo Express pellets over 30 yards, groups of 0.25” c-t-c are hard to fault, shot from my old FT sitting position, I must add, allowing the action to recoil naturally. That’s serious accuracy, and well up to hunting duties, making the Athena a great all-rounder.

Verdict
Satisfying results then - all from a rifle currently priced at around £235. As mentioned, I’ve always found the idea of gas-rams highly appealing in principle, and this Precihole Sports Athena Karbin is a great example. It’s well-executed and slickly presented. GM