Kral Empire XS, inexpensive, fun gun

[MikeVV]

Finally received my little (23.9" lg.) Empire XS today. Much thanks to the nice folks at Kral.
I did a little oiling of moving parts (cocking and trigger), checked the barrel i.d., loaded some air into it. I gave it a once over. Oil from the factory, everywhere for protection to wipe off.

I know that this will get lost here, but for those of you, that may be looking for a nice, inexpensive rifle, the Empire X and the XS are really nice little guns (so far !).

Initial impressions -
You can find the guns specs. in the website, or sales pages.
The stock is really nice. Fits me well, looks good. No blemishes in the wood surface. Looks to be just oiled. I like the overall look of the gun.
The XS shoulders very...nicely. The stock pad is adjustable for height. Firmly at the shoulder, just resting on my left hand on the foregrip. There's hardly any gun in front of the trigger, so there is very little nose weight. The cocking action is smooth and even loading. Some higher end guns are better, but not by much. The trigger is...a bit odd. It's got three "steps" to it. I don't know what's going on yet, but yeah, I'll look into it here soon. It is adjustable for weight, and pull length. Not a top of the line rigger, but I worked with worse !
But even with the funny trigger, I'm amazed how easy it is to hold (free-hand shooting) on target, AND, actually HIT...the point of aim. Only took four (two down, one up, one to the left) shots to get my Primary Arms, 1x Cyclops sight set.
Short gun...short sight !

It's only a 200 bar fill, and yes...there is no regulator, but one is available for it if you feel that you need one (Lane). I'm not going to take away any air volume with one. The pressure gauge seems to be fairly accurate per my fill bottles gauge. While there is a shroud over the end of the barrel, and there is a baffle of sorts inside of the shroud, it's still a bit loud. I installed my, mostly disliked, Donny Fatboy to see how it works on this gun. Actually not too bad. It takes a notable bite out of the sound. I'll leave it for now, but I see a Huma in its future. The magazine, I guess is like a couple other Kral guns (comes with two). Once I figured out the loading, it's pretty simple (no paper manual !). It's a very tight fit into the action of the gun. Smooth, but tight.
No checking of the pellet speed yet, and measuring the sound...correctly...is WAY more money than I'll ever have. I also don't have a way to measure the trigger pull.
With as far apart as I had it, and the YouTube videos, any o-ring replacement (rebuilding) appears pretty simple. So far at about 12 hours, holding air well.

In watching a couple of YouTube videos on the XS and X, with guys shooting to 50yrds and more, I was a little surprised how accurate the gun is for being a more inexpensive gun. And like I said above, it does shoot well, very easily.

So...there's a first day with a very nice little actual...bullpup (under 24"). Will do more shooting and then dig into the trigger pull down the road a little.

It's defiantly on the "keeper" list.

Mike

 

[Vetmx]

I’ve had one for a couple months. I had the gun completely disassembled before the UPS guy made his next delivery. Unfortunately my owned it for a couple minutes review or first impressions would be a little different than yours. Everything is fixed now and mods have been completed. I like the gun now. I do have some good news for you. Your gun also has adjustable LOP.

 

[darylm]

Polish your barrel and get some CARM mags for it.

 

[MikeVV]

After adjusting the trigger today, it's MUCH better than it was yesterday.
Still not "match grade", as if you'd expect a $500 gun to HAVE...a match grade trigger ! But it's plenty nice. I was expecting to have to remove the bits and pieces of the mechanism and do some polishing. But after watching a video on the way that this guy did his adjustment, I did the same thing, This adjustment made it a whole new gun out if it.

A nice first stage (easily adjusted), smooth. The "original" second stage was pretty bad. It felt like there was two additional, gritty steps to pull through. With the simple adjustment, that's ALL, gone. It's now smooth and crisp, with a very nice let-off. Much like many of my other..."higher priced"...guns.
So that tells me that the trigger was originally adjusted to it's full extent...in the wrong direction. Making the moving parts slide in areas where they weren't meant to even touch.

I see everything that moves to do nothing, but get better and better with use. OR, I could take it apart and polish everything now...na ! I'll let the moving, sliding parts complete their own break-in procedure on their own. Then maybe later, with witness marks, I'll go in and polish the parts and not worry about messing up the angles, that they WANT to be.

I'll look into the barrel a little closer (as recommended above) to see what the surface looks like. To see IF...it needs any human intervention.

Mike

 

[Vetmx]

Not sure what pressure range you’re going to focus your fill and refill or if you’re going to try for 3 mags or two. With my gun, I noticed the trigger pull changed as the pressure dropped. When I had it set great at 190b, it became a hair trigger when I was on my third mag. So I had to set the trigger pull for when I was approaching refill time. A little stiff on a full fill now but at least the gun is safe.

 

[MikeVV]

Interesting observation Vetmx.
Will pay attention to that, see how mine feels.

Thanks

Mike

 

[Scotay42]

Not had the trigger issue, I get 3mags on a 200bar fill, with an excellent trigger feel all the way through. My empire xs loves crossman hps and can stack them at 50yds braced off my porch rail, from a knee at 70 i get about a 1.5in group. I absolutley love it. It makes me doubt spending any more on anything that only shoots pellets. My .22 slug shooter is a Reximex throne.

 

[MikeVV]

Not had the trigger issue, I get 3mags on a 200bar fill, with an excellent trigger feel all the way through. My empire xs loves crossman hps and can stack them at 50yds braced off my porch rail, from a knee at 70 i get about a 1.5in group. I absolutley love it. It makes me doubt spending any more on anything that only shoots pellets. My .22 slug shooter is a Reximex throne.

Agreed. Pretty cool little gun. And in my case, it's a true bullpup. Not just a rear mounted receiver gun with an overall length of 31" or more !

Is my Impact M3, or RTI Prophet, or my Taipan or...worth three or almost four times the money as my XS...I'm thinking, not really !
Is the trigger THAT much better in the above guns, no, I don't think so. Once properly adjusted, equal to many !
Is the cocking THAT much better in the above guns, no, I don't think so. Equal to many, better than some.
Feel at my shoulder, that much better in the above guns, no. I don't think so. Equal to many, better than some.
And last but no least, the accuracy, (in my case), no, I don't think so. Na, not past 75yrds, 100yrds, I'd bet.
Although...does the XS have the changeability, or long distance (past 75 or 100yrds) accuracy, and capability of modification as all of the above, no, I don't think so.

I even just ordered a little better sight/scope for it, the Primary Arms, 3X Cyclops.

Mike

 

[Vetmx]

Not sure if you’re doing a Kral commercial Mike but my M3, RTI and Taipan are noticeably better guns because I’ve had them all in pieces and didn’t have to clean things up internally like I did with the little Kral. Now are those upper tier guns more fun than my XS? No, it’s a neat little gun and I know what my first shot velocity is going to be if the gun sits for weeks. Mine came empty and I took it apart before I even tried to fill it. I don’t think it would have held air because a good many orings were nicked. I think if a buyer isn’t a power monger and is willing to take what the gun is willing to give with a little hammer spring tuning, it’s a worthwhile purchase. If you’re willing and capable of doing some surgery on the gun, it’s capable of some respectable power. I would rather shoot it offhand than my Taipan to the point that there‘s no comparison. Even though my XS is only shooting 15.89’s the speed my Taipan shoots 18.1’s, if I’m going to stalk around and shoot, it’s the XS all the way. Now from a bench going 50+, Taipan.

 

[Scotay42]

Not sure if you’re doing a Kral commercial Mike but my M3, RTI and Taipan are noticeably better guns because I’ve had them all in pieces and didn’t have to clean things up internally like I did with the little Kral. Now are those upper tier guns more fun than my XS? No, it’s a neat little gun and I know what my first shot velocity is going to be if the gun sits for weeks. Mine came empty and I took it apart before I even tried to fill it. I don’t think it would have held air because a good many orings were nicked. I think if a buyer isn’t a power monger and is willing to take what the gun is willing to give with a little hammer spring tuning, it’s a worthwhile purchase. If you’re willing and capable of doing some surgery on the gun, it’s capable of some respectable power. I would rather shoot it offhand than my Taipan to the point that there‘s no comparison. Even though my XS is only shooting 15.89’s the speed my Taipan shoots 18.1’s, if I’m going to stalk around and shoot, it’s the XS all the way. Now from a bench going 50+, Taipan.

I plan to shoot my Reximex Throne from the bench this year. It slings .218 24.8g slugs around 960fps and is very accurate out to 70yds so far. Able to get a 1/4" group with a terrible brace, i cant wait to clear out my property a bit more to stretch it out to 150.

 

[MikeVV]

Not sure if you’re doing a Kral commercial Mike but my M3, RTI and Taipan are noticeably better guns because I’ve had them all in pieces and didn’t have to clean things up internally like I did with the little Kral. Now are those upper tier guns more fun than my XS? No, it’s a neat little gun and I know what my first shot velocity is going to be if the gun sits for weeks. Mine came empty and I took it apart before I even tried to fill it. I don’t think it would have held air because a good many orings were nicked. I think if a buyer isn’t a power monger and is willing to take what the gun is willing to give with a little hammer spring tuning, it’s a worthwhile purchase. If you’re willing and capable of doing some surgery on the gun, it’s capable of some respectable power. I would rather shoot it offhand than my Taipan to the point that there‘s no comparison. Even though my XS is only shooting 15.89’s the speed my Taipan shoots 18.1’s, if I’m going to stalk around and shoot, it’s the XS all the way. Now from a bench going 50+, Taipan.

Better, yeah, sure, no doubt. But three and four "times"...better. That's a HUGE jump.
For the masses, I'm not really sure, maybe don't think so.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

I plan to shoot my Reximex Throne from the bench this year. It slings .218 24.8g slugs around 960fps and is very accurate out to 70yds so far. Able to get a 1/4" group with a terrible brace, i cant wait to clear out my property a bit more to stretch it out to 150.

Better be careful, its a bullpup MikeVV will tell you youre wrong for shooting it off a bench.

 

[Scotay42]

I just want to smoke a few guys with expensive toys using my cheapie. Lmao, i have done the same in some precision rimfire local, 20/10 vision helps cheap glass work well also.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

I just want to smoke a few guys with expensive toys using my cheapie. Lmao, i have done the same in some precision rimfire local, 20/10 vision helps cheap glass work well also.

Its cool to do so, I love the idea of the underdog and have exercised winning with "inferior" equipment (particularly in auto racing when I was in my early 20s) . I do also understand why things cost what they cost though. I love my match grade trigger on my Taipan and simplicity while achieving this consistency. Bear in mind, this is out of the box, no tuning, no nothing, no weighing of ammo either, EVERYTHING out of the box. You won't get this from a Kral.

 

[MikeVV]

Better be careful, its a bullpup MikeVV will tell you youre wrong for shooting it off a bunch.

Funny...but that would be "bench"...not "bunch". !
Details matter, completely different word.

But yeah !!

Mike

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

Funny...but that would be "bench"...not "bunch". !
Details matter, completely different word.

But yeah !!

Mike

Fantastic reply . Thanks for pointing out a typo

 

[Scotay42]

I want to sling slugs down range and the throne does it very well. I am no tuner i just shoot what i have as it arrives. Previous owner swears it was junk, but i do very well with it, with different ammo that i just asked around what works best for the barrel. My base empire is for 50yds and under, shoots cheap crossmans very well, the fluxuations just do not matter at that range. The throne on the other hand may not be as consistent in the deviation range as highend, but if i can lay them downrange where i want, i just cannot justify the extra expense. I am also an experienced mechanic working on everything from hondas to bmws, and tractors to airplanes. I appreciate products being able to work on versus having to have to send it to a dealer due to expensive and alot of times not needed extra parts and specialty dealer only tools.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

I appreciate products being able to work on versus having to have to send it to a dealer due to expensive and alot of times not needed extra parts and specialty dealer only tools.

Taipans your best bet then lol, Ill splurge that out every time. Best line ever when it comes to Taipans came from @Vetmx himself. "Taipans are very boring, mine has been doing the same thing for the last 4 (maybe it was 5) years with no change" or something to that ring.

 

[pochopov]

Finally received my little (23.9" lg.) Empire XS today. Much thanks to the nice folks at Kral.
I did a little oiling of moving parts (cocking and trigger), checked the barrel i.d., loaded some air into it. I gave it a once over. Oil from the factory, everywhere for protection to wipe off.

I know that this will get lost here, but for those of you, that may be looking for a nice, inexpensive rifle, the Empire X and the XS are really nice little guns (so far !).

Initial impressions -
You can find the guns specs. in the website, or sales pages.
The stock is really nice. Fits me well, looks good. No blemishes in the wood surface. Looks to be just oiled. I like the overall look of the gun.
The XS shoulders very...nicely. The stock pad is adjustable for height. Firmly at the shoulder, just resting on my left hand on the foregrip. There's hardly any gun in front of the trigger, so there is very little nose weight. The cocking action is smooth and even loading. Some higher end guns are better, but not by much. The trigger is...a bit odd. It's got three "steps" to it. I don't know what's going on yet, but yeah, I'll look into it here soon. It is adjustable for weight, and pull length. Not a top of the line rigger, but I worked with worse !
But even with the funny trigger, I'm amazed how easy it is to hold (free-hand shooting) on target, AND, actually HIT...the point of aim. Only took four (two down, one up, one to the left) shots to get my Primary Arms, 1x Cyclops sight set.
Short gun...short sight !

It's only a 200 bar fill, and yes...there is no regulator, but one is available for it if you feel that you need one (Lane). I'm not going to take away any air volume with one. The pressure gauge seems to be fairly accurate per my fill bottles gauge. While there is a shroud over the end of the barrel, and there is a baffle of sorts inside of the shroud, it's still a bit loud. I installed my, mostly disliked, Donny Fatboy to see how it works on this gun. Actually not too bad. It takes a notable bite out of the sound. I'll leave it for now, but I see a Huma in its future. The magazine, I guess is like a couple other Kral guns (comes with two). Once I figured out the loading, it's pretty simple (no paper manual !). It's a very tight fit into the action of the gun. Smooth, but tight.
No checking of the pellet speed yet, and measuring the sound...correctly...is WAY more money than I'll ever have. I also don't have a way to measure the trigger pull.
With as far apart as I had it, and the YouTube videos, any o-ring replacement (rebuilding) appears pretty simple. So far at about 12 hours, holding air well.

In watching a couple of YouTube videos on the XS and X, with guys shooting to 50yrds and more, I was a little surprised how accurate the gun is for being a more inexpensive gun. And like I said above, it does shoot well, very easily.

So...there's a first day with a very nice little actual...bullpup (under 24"). Will do more shooting and then dig into the trigger pull down the road a little.

It's defiantly on the "keeper" list.

Mike

Finally received my little (23.9" lg.) Empire XS today. Much thanks to the nice folks at Kral.
I did a little oiling of moving parts (cocking and trigger), checked the barrel i.d., loaded some air into it. I gave it a once over. Oil from the factory, everywhere for protection to wipe off.

I know that this will get lost here, but for those of you, that may be looking for a nice, inexpensive rifle, the Empire X and the XS are really nice little guns (so far !).

Initial impressions -
You can find the guns specs. in the website, or sales pages.
The stock is really nice. Fits me well, looks good. No blemishes in the wood surface. Looks to be just oiled. I like the overall look of the gun.
The XS shoulders very...nicely. The stock pad is adjustable for height. Firmly at the shoulder, just resting on my left hand on the foregrip. There's hardly any gun in front of the trigger, so there is very little nose weight. The cocking action is smooth and even loading. Some higher end guns are better, but not by much. The trigger is...a bit odd. It's got three "steps" to it. I don't know what's going on yet, but yeah, I'll look into it here soon. It is adjustable for weight, and pull length. Not a top of the line rigger, but I worked with worse !
But even with the funny trigger, I'm amazed how easy it is to hold (free-hand shooting) on target, AND, actually HIT...the point of aim. Only took four (two down, one up, one to the left) shots to get my Primary Arms, 1x Cyclops sight set.
Short gun...short sight !

It's only a 200 bar fill, and yes...there is no regulator, but one is available for it if you feel that you need one (Lane). I'm not going to take away any air volume with one. The pressure gauge seems to be fairly accurate per my fill bottles gauge. While there is a shroud over the end of the barrel, and there is a baffle of sorts inside of the shroud, it's still a bit loud. I installed my, mostly disliked, Donny Fatboy to see how it works on this gun. Actually not too bad. It takes a notable bite out of the sound. I'll leave it for now, but I see a Huma in its future. The magazine, I guess is like a couple other Kral guns (comes with two). Once I figured out the loading, it's pretty simple (no paper manual !). It's a very tight fit into the action of the gun. Smooth, but tight.
No checking of the pellet speed yet, and measuring the sound...correctly...is WAY more money than I'll ever have. I also don't have a way to measure the trigger pull.
With as far apart as I had it, and the YouTube videos, any o-ring replacement (rebuilding) appears pretty simple. So far at about 12 hours, holding air well.

In watching a couple of YouTube videos on the XS and X, with guys shooting to 50yrds and more, I was a little surprised how accurate the gun is for being a more inexpensive gun. And like I said above, it does shoot well, very easily.

So...there's a first day with a very nice little actual...bullpup (under 24"). Will do more shooting and then dig into the trigger pull down the road a little.

It's defiantly on the "keeper" list.

Mike

Hi, I bought this same gun used and looking to make it quieter but can't seem to find the right size shroud. What size is the empire xs shroud?

 

[Mike_Lenardon]

Should have had a 1/2x20 adapter on it already.