rev_phoenix_ts_12-07.. - Phoenix Air Guns Ltd.

Factory visit: Pax Guns
A PASSION FOR
PERFECTION
MARK CAMOCCIO meets the man behind
the radically different Phoenix MKII
AN IMPORTANT aspect of the
fascination that air rifles hold for
me is the sheer ingenuity of many
designs. The humble spring piston
blueprint may have been with us
for generations, but consider for a
moment the alternatives: sliding
sledge-mounted rifles to counteract
recoil; Whiscombe’s masterpiece
with its Giss-Contra-style opposing
pistons; the Park Rifle using a bicycle
chain, of all things; CO2; conventional bolt-action PCPs; single-stroke
pneumatics, and so it goes on: a
plethora of designs, and evidence
that the air rifle scene is surely one
of the most vibrant and innovative
sectors of the shooting market.
Behind all these designs that
we take for granted lies hours of
research and development from the
back room boffins. Obviously they
don’t always get it right first time,
and much testing, trial and error, and
further modification has to take place
before a final spec hits the shops.
So designing a rifle from scratch
is no small undertaking. But what
if you could sniff out an intriguing current design, and acquire the
operation with a view to improvement? That’s just what Hugh Earl from
Pax Guns in London did. If that name
sounds familiar, it’s because Hugh is
the chap behind a rather successful
pellet production facility, producing
the old Prometheus pellet (still sold
in great quantities to the Germans);
the Logun Penetrator; the Dynamic;
and his latest heavyweight hunting
pellet, the Piledriver; among others.
Adding a rifle design to Hugh’s portfolio was the next logical step, and
the Phoenix operation sits well with
the rest of the business.
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Hugh Earl
The two part stocks are well finished
This intriguing cut-away action illustrates the complexity of design
To be successful in any marketplace,
you need to either compete on quality with the conventional, or offer
something genuinely unusual. The
Phoenix falls into the latter category, being radically different. It’s
a pre-charged pneumatic – but has
no bolt. It carries a charge of compressed air, yet no cylinder is visible.
Intrigued? Who wouldn’t be?!
Originally designed by industry
maverick Graham Bluck (who was
initially kept on as consultant to
the project), the Phoenix on closer
inspection displays a fairly intricate
and complex mechanism. Hugh
could see the air rifle’s potential, and
while appreciating the clever operation, knew that just about every area
of the original concept could be effectively fine-tuned and improved.
Largely modelled on a full-bore
stalking rifle, the Phoenix offers a
fast-fire repeating action that uses
the classic Winchester style underlever. Shots are available just
as fast as that lever can be cycled,
meaning the Phoenix is great fun to
shoot, once you are familiar with the
system.
A 10-shot magazine is supplied
with each rifle (this was originally the
standard BSA production magazine,
which are now all made in-house at
the factory). It also comes supplied
with spare seals and a charging
adaptor, etc.
Weighing in at 7.5lb in the rifle
version, and 7lb for the carbine, the
Phoenix is a mid-weight rifle, offering
between 60 and 100 shots, depending on specification.
The air cylinder is concealed in the
butt, and once the butt pad has
been removed the bottle can be
unscrewed using a special concealed
bar, and withdrawn from the action
– all very neat, and in keeping with
the streamlined, uncluttered profile
afforded by this original gun.
With the business having been
acquired in 2003, production was
moved from Birmingham to a new
dedicated factory in North London.
My visit to the factory was always
going to be a fascinating affair, and
I was most struck with the attention
to detail I found there, and by the
high level of testing undertaken.
Hugh now employs five dedicated members of staff, who are
employed to manufacture, build and
fully test the rifles. Most components are produced in-house, other
than the barrels and stocks.
The barrel blanks are bought in
from Lothar Walther (the industry
standard, after all), and then sent
for external grinding; the ground
blanks are then finish-machined inhouse before being sent for blacking. Hugh has learnt that keeping
a tight control on the production
methods is the only way to ensure
consistent results, and his drive
for improvement has seen the rifle
virtually re-designed since the earlier models.
Passion for perfection
One glance at the company website at www.phoenixairguns.co.uk
says it all. A Passion for Perfection is
the Phoenix mission statement, and
having seen the factory set-up for
myself, I don’t doubt the sincerity
behind it.
TARGET SPORTS
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FACTORY VISIT: PAX GUNS
The two-part woodwork is sourced
from Italy, as are many on the market
these days, but the finish and quality
are spot-on.
Hugh’s enthusiasm is infectious,
and he seems determined to push
his new baby to the limits. With
his background in precision pellet
production, he’s not wasted any time
in tailoring the Phoenix to shoot his
special ammunition with ease. The
loading probe on the MKII will now
incorporate a much more refined tip
to actually seat into the back of the
pellet, avoiding any deformation of
the skirt.
Once the machined parts are
assembled, the actions are first
tested for power using a specially
constructed sealed chronograph unit
linked to a computer. The operator
can cycle an action while the computer logs all the data, displaying each
shot’s output and running averages
and standard deviation.
I saw an FAC-rated Phoenix action being evaluated in this manner,
and the action comfortably returned
the claimed 30 shots at 20ft/lb energy. In fact, on-test output was nearer
24ft/lb, but a minimum claim is set at
the lower figure.
Accuracy was also impressive,
but the really surprising aspect was
just how consistently the Phoenix
grouped in .177 calibre using a variety of pellets. Don’t forget that the average air rifle generating FAC power
levels in the smaller calibre will often
distort pellets with the greater blast
of air at the outset. Quite how the
Phoenix was able to return tight clusters with JSB, Logun Penetrators and
the Piledriver I’m not entirely sure,
but Hugh reckons the modified probe
plays a key part in the process.
The .22 FAC model should give
nearer 30ft/lbs, because of the greater efficiency of the larger calibre.
Another reassuring feature of
the factory is that they have a 50yd
still-air test facility, to carry out
specialised tests when required. How
many other manufacturers can boast
as much?
The on-board 190cc compressed
air cylinder concealed in the stock
will now be produced in-house, giving further control on tolerances and
overall quality; with a fill pressure
of 250-bar and a burst pressure in
excess of 600-bar, safety margins are
encouraging. A new quick-fill option
for the cylinder is also planned.
The 50yd still-air test facility
The cylinder uses an easily replaced
Schrader valve
The FAC Phoenix gives consistent performance with a variety of pellets
The internal wizardry of the
Phantom silencer
The new probe seats the
pellet perfectly
Custom options
Finally, custom options are on
offer to the more discerning
customer who wants a Phoenix
rifle with some special additions
and is prepared to pay for the
privilege. Gold plating and gold
inlaid logos are just some of the
myriad options, and Hugh is only
too pleased to discuss any special
requirements.
Accuracy testing is carried out using a specialised bench
Silencers are another field where
Hugh has experience, and his popular Phantom model has an ultralight carbon fibre body, housing a
clever ‘reverse-thrust’ design that
forces the excess gases to twist in
the opposite direction to the rifling.
Hugh makes silencers for other
companies, too, so you may be unwittingly using a derivative of the
Pax Guns model.
All things considered, with Hugh
Earl at the helm and a dedicated
enthusiastic team behind him, the
future of the Phoenix looks assured.
A full test of the latest model
will feature in a future article.
For more information, contact
Hugh Earl at Pax Guns:
T: 0208 3403039
W: www.phoenixairguns.co.uk
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