Brocock Atomic XR Pistol/Carbine FULL REVIEW
It arrived in it’s pistol configuration with the Air Superiority hammer adjuster in place. Sure, it’s a big pistol…but not so big that it’s unmanageable. I mounted a Hawke Vantage Red Dot and went to work in the chrono room. My demo is a .22 caliber, and I was surprised to find that the claims of 20ft-lb were true! What’s more is that using the hammer adjuster and transfer port adjuster, I was able to tune it all the way down to about 3ft-lb. “Impressive!”…I thought to myself. Then I took it out to the Baker property and shot some tin cans with it. It was precisely here that I fell in love with the Atomic XR. This thing is a BLAST to play with in pistol mode. But could such a diminutive package, even with the collapsible AR style stock attached, really keep up with today’s high performance airguns? Below is the link to the video that accompanies this written review. I suggest taking both in for the answer.
I’m not going to address shot count very much in this review. No different than any adjustable airgun, you’ll get less when it’s cranked up than you will when it’s cranked down. I tried hard to find the capacity of the reservoir…quite unsuccessfully. By taking external measurements of the air tube and using our trusty right cylinder volume equation, (V=pi*r^2*h), we get about 116cc. That’s not the actual volume though because there are things inside the cylinder. Still, it’s probably safe to say that it’s less than 100cc. I also find the claimed “30 shots on high power” a VERY ambitious number. My testing gave me about 15 on the reg at full power. This doesn’t bother me, as it’s plenty of shots for most any hunting situation. If you’re just plinking, turn the power down and you’ll get more shots. The average extreme spread for my strings (on the reg) were very good, at <15fps.
What did concern me greatly is accuracy. How accurate could this diminutive package with a roughly 10″ barrel possibly be? For this I mounted the carbine stock, a bipod, a 0dB Short moderator, and an Aztec Emerald 5-25×50 scope. The process to attach the stock is simple and only takes a few minutes. The Air Superiority hammer adjuster must be removed for this to occur. I took the Atomic XR and some JSB 18.13gr pellets out to the 50 yard range. I set up a target, sat down, and shot the 5 shot group that you see below. All subsequent groups were about the same size despite some heavy wind. My love for the Atomic XR was reaffirmed, if not strengthened. This thing will shoot!
When I say that this gun is diminutive…I mean it. In the pistol configuration it’s about 15″ long and weighs about 4 pounds. In the carbine configuration it’s about 23″ long (fully collapsed) and weighs a mere 4.6 pounds. It is small, light, and very capable in either form…though it is a large pistol by comparison. It has a good fully adjustable two stage trigger that pulls at about 1.5 pounds out of the box. I can think of numerous applications for Atomic XR. In .177 it would be a great Field Target pistol platform or all around plinker. In .22 it would be a great small and lightweight hunting package. Fully collapsed in carbine mode you could very comfortably carry it in a backpack or as a “truck gun.” As a pistol it would be even more comfortable and easy to do so.
Rest assured, whatever it is that you want to do with the Atomic XR…it will probably do. It is a top quality airgun with some very attractive features. It’s highly accurate, highly adjustable, and plenty powerful enough for most small game. I had a great time plinking tin cans with it in pistol mode. I also had a great time shooting tiny groups with it in carbine mode. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to do any hunting or pesting with it…but I REALLY REALLY want to! I’m sure I’d enjoy that even more…and I’m betting that you would too. The Brocock Atomic XR easily gets the Donnie Reed stamp of approval for awesomeness…and that’s in either mode. It’s a blast, and I hope you get the chance to shoot one.
Donnie Reed is our Sales/Product Manager and general airgun guru here at Baker Airguns. He was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, and qualified as both a Rifle Expert and Pistol Expert. Donnie is now a competitive airgun shooter, focusing primarily on field target and benchrest competitions. He has won both PCP and piston class field target matches, as well as local benchrest competitions. Donnie also runs the Youtube channel and Facebook group ALL THINGS AIRGUN. His first college degree is in Mathematics and Sciences, but he is still pursuing another in Physics and Astronomy.
