Good evening all,
New member, and new Bantam Sniper HR owner here.
After "discovering" the rifle over the past few weeks, I wanted to revive this excellent thread with some first impressions, questions and additional information.
I thought it best to respond to this thread, instead of creating a new one, since it offered such great assistance when I was researching which rifle to purchase.
I opted for the regular Bantam Sniper HR, and not the High Power version, in .22.
I felt that approx. 30 ft/lbs of energy were more than enough for my needs, and the overall length in comparison to the High Power also proved beneficial/preferable.
I compared the Bantam Sniper HR to a variety of different air rifles in the same price category. However, as it is with everything in life, it is all relative. Residing in South Africa slightly alters one's purchasing reference frame – our currency does not enjoy a strong exchange rate and shipping generally tends to be more expensive (and very much country of origin dependent as additional duty charges, tax, etc. can be applied). This means that a Brocock Bantam Sniper HR is significantly less expensive than a Uragan Compact, for instance. At its specific price point, it is difficult to argue against all the apparent value the Brocock offers.
Taking the current global situation into account, it would have been a while before we received the new XR versions. I also speculated that they would be considerably more expensive as our currency devalued quite substantially over the past few months.
In short, I am very much impressed by the Bantam Sniper HR – it seems to be well-made, offering excellent value for money (in airgun-relative terms; jeepers, this is an expensive hobby). I paired it with a Sightron SIII 10x42, Warne QD mounts and a Huma modular moderator. It is remarkably quiet, accurate and precise.
With the Huma installed, together with the factory shroud, I was amazed how quiet it was at 30 ft/lbs. This was one of my pre-requisites and coupled with the transfer port adjuster they make the Brocock a backyard friendly plinker (on that note, my transfer port adjuster has 4 settings and not 6 as is stated in previous posts).
There are some caveats, however. For purchasers outside of the US, it does not come supplied with any picatinny rails (they can be purchased as an optional extra), and an anti-tamper sticker applied to regulator adjuster screw. I.e. “warranty void if removed”.
This was a bummer, as I believed the adjustability to be a major value-add.
Furthermore, the slingshot hammer has been replaced with a more traditional, albeit free-floating hammer and short stiff spring.
Since both the hammer and spring are free-floated, the rifle makes a spring-binding sound when cocking. It is difficult to describe the sound, and it does not happen constantly, but it is as if the hammer spring catches on the inside of the hammer when the rifle is cocked. I.e. as the hammer engages the hammer spring when the bolt is pulled back, sometimes a "boing" is heard when the spring slips into position. I’m certain this will dissipate with continued use, but it is a bit disconcerting.
Another small gripe was the amount of tooling marks on the section of the rifle that houses the regulator and where the bottle screws in. I believe this could have been finished to a higher standard (the finish on the receiver is impeccable).
I should emphasize that the above are truly minor gripes. All else being considered, I believe the rifle does offer exceptional value.
Now for some questions.
Below is a shot string – I believe the rifle is capable of better. What I find strange is the fact that the velocity decreases before regulator pressure is reached. The final 10 shot string was fired starting with a rifle pressure of 150 bar and ending above 130.
Any ideas?
Is this normal?
I have also noticed that flyers occur quite often. At 25m 4 out of 5 pellets will go through practically the same hole, followed by a flyer. Pellets were used straight from the tin (potential cause).
From previous posts, I believe the regulator pressure should be increased to about 140 bar.
For the sake of troubleshooting: Rifle has 750 pellets through it, barrel has been cleaned (twice) and no adjustment of the regulator has been attempted (anti-tamper sticker still intact). The regulator came set at 120 bar, but after around 300 shots settled at 125 bar and has not moved since.
The hammer spring adjustment hex screw was turned in (CW) to increase power for 21 gr H&N Baracuda Match, but then reset to the original setting.
) . Chrony speeds were around 830 with the 16gr. I was getting around 8-10 mags when filled to around 230bar. Since then I have increased reg pressure to 140’s and increased hammer spring tension to experiment with heavier pellets. Hopefully the 25gr pellets will have a little more stopping power on my organic food supply! 
If I find a good formula, I will post the settings for others to reference. Happy squirrel sniping!
