Chinese Air Rifles

adeptitus · Jul 27, 2014

I've recently acquired an "Industry Brand" (Shanghai) B3-1 Air Rifle for $20 used. It's a relatively low powered .177 and came with a plastic tin of pellets. After some research, I found that Chinese made Air Rifles are popular with some air rifle fans in North America and England. Was wondering if anyone else here collect them?

The B3-1 that I purchased was previously owned but rarely used. The exterior is very clean but the barrel is another story. Been trying to clean it with bore snake + wet patch but it appears to have rust. Next step is to spray WD40 into barrel and hang it with a rag tied to the muzzle. X_X

Also, as I understand it, air rifles and pellets are not permitted for general sale in China, except for sporting schools (China has very strong 10 meter air rifle team). Most of these were made for export abroad to English speaking countries (US, Canada, England). Yet the box was labelled entirely in Chinese ?_?

luhai · Jul 27, 2014

They completely legal in China, I remember own more than 5 BB guns and 1 Pellet gun while I was in China. At the time (late 80s, early 90s), bird and rat shooting (yes, rat shooting was a thing) was a popular past time in China, and the latter was encourage as pest control. However, bird shooting was made illegal in the mid-90s, and development has made rats disappear from urban landscape. So they are less visible.

Pellet guns are controlled items in China, you need to apply for a license to get them. Also they are quite popular at parks and tourist areas, which shooting pellet gun at balloons is quite popular.

Blackstone · Jul 27, 2014

adeptitus said:
I've recently acquired an "Industry Brand" (Shanghai) B3-1 Air Rifle for $20 used. It's a relatively low powered .177 and came with a plastic tin of pellets. After some research, I found that Chinese made Air Rifles are popular with some air rifle fans in North America and England. Was wondering if anyone else here collect them?

The B3-1 that I purchased was previously owned but rarely used. The exterior is very clean but the barrel is another story. Been trying to clean it with bore snake + wet patch but it appears to have rust. Next step is to spray WD40 into barrel and hang it with a rag tied to the muzzle. X_X

Also, as I understand it, air rifles and pellets are not permitted for general sale in China, except for sporting schools (China has very strong 10 meter air rifle team). Most of these were made for export abroad to English speaking countries (US, Canada, England). Yet the box was labelled entirely in Chinese ?_?

How's the fit, finish, performance, and overall quality of the air rifle?

adeptitus · Jul 27, 2014

Blackstone said:
How's the fit, finish, performance, and overall quality of the air rifle?

The fit & finish a bit rough, but it's a $20 air rifle and you get what you paid for. Accuracy inside my garage is acceptable, but it's too loud to test in my backyard. So I cannot comment on accuracy at distance until I take it to a range. The trigger is pretty snappy and not too heavy. This air rifle will require taking apart for tuning if you want a smooth shooter. I do not own a spring compressor so will prolly not mess with it.

I would not recommend this air rifle for kids. It looks too close to a SKS at distance, and cops these days are "tactically trained" to shoot kids playing with airsoft. Loading pellets requires you to put your fingers in harm's way. You should never let go of the under-lever while loading, or use a pellet pen and keep your fingers out of the breech. Or, you can install your own breech safety pin:

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This thing is made of real hardwood and metal, not like those Walmart specials. It has dovetail like scope grooves, the 4x15 scope from Daisy Powerline 880S will mount perfectly on the B3-1, but the Crosman 4x15 scope and Tasco 3-7x20 will not fit with their bundled scope mounts. The B3-1 does come with adjustable rear sights, but mine is mounted in a crooked way. QC was not very tight, LoL.

adeptitus · Jul 30, 2014

I installed a cheap Gamo 4x32 scope on the B3-1 and did a quick 5 shot test @ 10 yards indoor. Cheap Daisy .177 flat head pellets & cardboard pellet trap. The shot to lower right corner (4 O'clock position) is my fault, the trigger was a bit heavy and I messed up.

I used a sandbag type bench rest on a laundry basket. Until more testing is done, I cannot determine if the B3-1 will be more accurate with artillery hold or from bench rest. Also I read that the pointed pellets included with the B3-1 box is more accurate, but I didn't want to risk penetration so I used Daisy flat heads. Need more time to test different pellets.

Right now I'd say it shoots quarter sized groups or better. With more time and testing, the accuracy can be improved with the right pellet.

I'd also note that the B3-1 does NOT have a safety. This model, along with many older imports from China are no longer sold by major US mail order retailers due to safety concerns. For example, this is what Pyramid Air had to say about the Tech Force 89:

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"The safety, which is a short blade in front of the trigger, is automatic; but by cocking the barrel lightly, you can actually cock the gun without setting the safety. If that happens, it means there’s no anti-beartrap device; so it’s imperative that you hold the muzzle when loading the rifle. If you put your finger near the trigger when the barrel is open, the action could snap shut faster than you can react and damage or even remove digits from your hand."

Latter Chinese imports have added better anti-bear trap and safety features. I bought the B3-1 for $20 and have seen well used ones sold for $15 at local air gun shop. It's cheap, it's fun, it's loud, but it's not safe to use your fingers to reload. Use a pellet pen and pellet seater! They're $10 on Amazon.

Also, this is a 6 FPE air rifle, so not suitable for hunting small game humanely unless if you're a really good shot.

shen · Aug 3, 2014

unless you have the equipment and know how to take a spring gun apart and tune it, you probably won't get better accuracy from a $20 rifle. is it smoking from the barrel?

but for not a lot of money, you can get some very nice Chinese air rifles.

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adeptitus · Aug 3, 2014

shen said:
unless you have the equipment and know how to take a spring gun apart and tune it, you probably won't get better accuracy from a $20 rifle. is it smoking from the barrel?
but for not a lot of money, you can get some very nice Chinese air rifles.

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I cleaned the barrel with KryTech Wax (a bike chain lubricant) with bore snake and patch, and applied valve & pivot oil (Mac1's "Secret Sauce") to moving parts. It did not smoke from the barrel but the patches were very dirty.

Since I don't own a spring compressor, it's not safe for me to take it apart. Considering the amount of effort required to cut spring and tune this thing with questionable results, it's probably easier to just buy a new SX46U. Also, Mrod-air got a new shipment side-folder B5's for $90 ea shipped.

Personally, I'm iffy about putting my finger in the breech to load the pellet, so I always use a pellet pen with my B3-1. I took the B3-1 to the local indoor range today (they looked at sideways for bringing an air rifle) and tested it with 5 different pellets:

Industry Brand B3-1
Gamo 4x32 Scope
Pointed pellets in a plastic white container that came with the B3-1
Daisy .177 flat-head ($1.72 for box of 500 on Amazon)
Crosman Premiere .177 domed
Crosman Premiere .177 hollow point
Crosman SSP alloy .177 (lead free)

I ran the target to 10 yard distance and zero'd in the scope. I shot from bench rest position with the built-in front rest at the range (no rear rest). The B3 has relatively heavy trigger but at least it was snappy. The only pellet that produced consistent performance was the cheap Daisy .177 flat head. I've attached a pic with 3 shots at 10 yards. I can consistently shoot quarter sized groups or better. I actually ordered 60 boxes of these at $1.72 ea, so I have a stockpile of 30,000 pellets in a small box.

The pointed pellets that came the rifle, along with Crosman Premieres were all over the board and not worth reporting. The Crosman SSP (Silver Eagle Hollow point) was inconsistent, but when it performed, it was a tact driver. I've attached a pic with 5 shots, note 3 shots went into same hole while the other 2 were fliers. I could not get consistent performance from the SSP and will need more time to figure out why.

When I ran the target to 15-20 yards, I could not shoot a consistent group. Had to leave the range because it was getting packed and didn't want to hog the lane. It occurred to me that the lane rental ($18) costs about the same as the rifle. The B3 is a fun toy, but I wouldn't recommend it for kids due to lack of safety features (it has no safety!), and that it looks too much like a SKS at distance.

(Image on left is Crosman SSP, to right is Daisy flat head pellets)

shen · Aug 5, 2014

adeptitus said:
I cleaned the barrel with KryTech Wax (a bike chain lubricant) with bore snake and patch, and applied valve & pivot oil (Mac1's "Secret Sauce") to moving parts. It did not smoke from the barrel but the patches were very dirty.

Since I don't own a spring compressor, it's not safe for me to take it apart. Considering the amount of effort required to cut spring and tune this thing with questionable results, it's probably easier to just buy a new SX46U. Also, Mrod-air got a new shipment side-folder B5's for $90 ea shipped.

Personally, I'm iffy about putting my finger in the breech to load the pellet, so I always use a pellet pen with my B3-1. I took the B3-1 to the local indoor range today (they looked at sideways for bringing an air rifle) and tested it with 5 different pellets:

Industry Brand B3-1
Gamo 4x32 Scope
Pointed pellets in a plastic white container that came with the B3-1
Daisy .177 flat-head ($1.72 for box of 500 on Amazon)
Crosman Premiere .177 domed
Crosman Premiere .177 hollow point
Crosman SSP alloy .177 (lead free)

I ran the target to 10 yard distance and zero'd in the scope. I shot from bench rest position with the built-in front rest at the range (no rear rest). The B3 has relatively heavy trigger but at least it was snappy. The only pellet that produced consistent performance was the cheap Daisy .177 flat head. I've attached a pic with 3 shots at 10 yards. I can consistently shoot quarter sized groups or better. I actually ordered 60 boxes of these at $1.72 ea, so I have a stockpile of 30,000 pellets in a small box.

The pointed pellets that came the rifle, along with Crosman Premieres were all over the board and not worth reporting. The Crosman SSP (Silver Eagle Hollow point) was inconsistent, but when it performed, it was a tact driver. I've attached a pic with 5 shots, note 3 shots went into same hole while the other 2 were fliers. I could not get consistent performance from the SSP and will need more time to figure out why.

When I ran the target to 15-20 yards, I could not shoot a consistent group. Had to leave the range because it was getting packed and didn't want to hog the lane. It occurred to me that the lane rental ($18) costs about the same as the rifle. The B3 is a fun toy, but I wouldn't recommend it for kids due to lack of safety features (it has no safety!), and that it looks too much like a SKS at distance.

View attachment 10174 View attachment 10175
(Image on left is Crosman SSP, to right is Daisy flat head pellets)

Do you have experience shooting springers?

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adeptitus · Aug 9, 2014

shen said:
Do you have experience shooting springers?

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Very little. Have shot pneumatic pumpers mostly, Sheridan Blue Streak (.20) and Crosman 2100 (.177).

I did purchase a RWS Diana 34 (.22) earlier this year, it's really nice but too loud/powerful to play in the yard. I have pay money every time I want to shoot it at the local range. My preference for pumpers is the ability to adjust power (# of pumps) and loudness, versus break-barrel rifles do not have that option.

I have an old Crosman Trap Master 1100 CO2 powered skeet gun currently being refurbished. Will write about it when I get it back.

Chinese Air Rifles

adeptitus

Captain

luhai

Banned Idiot

Blackstone

Brigadier

adeptitus

Captain

adeptitus

Captain

shen

Senior Member

adeptitus

Captain

shen

Senior Member

adeptitus

Captain