A few months ago I got a hankering for a Semi-auto air rifle to go with my stable of FXs. I posted in this sub-forum asking for opinions on the three listed above. There were a number of responses, and I eventually purchased, through a series of events I discussed in that thread, a Edgun Leshiy 2 in .25 Very shortly after I came on an opportunity to pick up a Steyr Pro X, so I did. Then last month, after selling my two FX Wildcat MK3s in the classifieds, I was in Boston to visit my son and stopped on the way home at New England Airguns. Somehow, I walked away from that encounter with a Huben K1 in .22
I figured I would do a follow up post on my experience and perspective on the three guns in the hopes that it may help someone else who is pondering the same questions around which to buy and how they differ. To be clear, these are my Views, not Reviews
Huben K1
Huben K1 2021 build, walnut stock, .22 caliber
View attachment 174373 The Huben K1 has really great ergonomics. The gun is easy to hold and easy to shoot offhand. As a bull pup it’s not quite as easy from the bench, but still gets high marks. Very clean exterior. Light, handy, powerful, lots of shots, what’s not to love?
I LOVE the power. The rifle is extremely flexible and adjustable. Without touching the regulator (150 bar) I have dialed in from 30 Ft Lbs energy all the way up to 65 Ft Lbs. Seems to shoot everything well, from JSB 18.1s up JSB Beasts at 34 grains. The Huben slugs (35 gr) do very well, as do the JSB KnockOut slugs (25.39gr).
It has decent efficiency. I get 2-3 magazines (38-57 shots) depending on the power level before I have to refill. I never have to worry about how high I fill it since it is good to 5000 PSI, which is more than my 9L CF tank will bear (4500 PSI). So, I just plug the probe in and fill from the tank until it won’t push any more air in and then go shoot.
It has a really surprising trigger, probably the best of my three semi-autos. It’s easy to shoot it well. It’s also easy to shoot fast. The gun will cycle as fast as I can pull the trigger. I have had no problems with jams, no matter the pellet or slug I am using.
The Huben is not a tack driver like my FX Impacts or Crowns, but it is more than good enough at 25 and 50 yards. I haven’t taken it further yet. I have had no issues with fliers and the speeds that I get are quite consistent, even across a full magazine of 19 shots.
I wish the power adjustment had some indication as to what power was dialed in. The only real way to know is to reduce the power to zero, then count as one turns to dial to power up. If one is raising the power, the dial just keeps going without any stop.
The magazine is not difficult to load, but it is tedious. Reloading is not quick. Thankfully it holds 19 rounds, but I would really have noting to complain about if this gun had a removable magazine. I don’t know why Huben (or LCS for that matter) couldn’t manage a magazine system that would work with a semi-auto. The Steyr Pro X works very well with the 10 round removable magazine and the EdGun Leshiy 2 does as well (8 round), so a removable magazine is possible.
All in all, a great airgun. It is everything a Semi-Auto should be, and with a removable magazine it would be pretty close to perfect. I love it so much that I am being tempted to buy another one in .25
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Leshiy 2
Edgun Leshiy 2 350mm barrel, .25 caliber
View attachment 174379 The Edgun Leshiy 2 is a wonderful little gun. It is quite compact (at least in the 250 and 350mm barrel form) with a folding stock that allows it to be carried in a small bag or pack. It simply FEELS solid. It has great ergonomics, at least for me (long arms, big hands, 5’ 10” 170 lbs). With the right scope, such as something light, or a LPVO or Red Dot, it is light and easy to handle. It feels tight and powerful, although in stock tune it is not exactly a powerhouse. Don’t get me wrong, it is quite possible to tune it to shoot at higher power levels, but in the factory tune out of the box the .25 caliber 350mm barrel is delivering power in the mid to upper 40s FPE range.
It is also a really good looking gun. Everyone who sees it goes “wow, that’s a cool looking gun”. The red accents from the magazine, and the grip just add a certain something (as the French say, a certain “Je ne sais quoi”).
The trigger takes a little use before one gets accustomed to it. This is not a match trigger in any sense fo the word. It is nowhere as light as the trigger on a FX Crown, or Impact, or actually any of my FX guns. It’s also not as light nor as crisp as either my Huben K1 or my Steyr Pro X. As a result, it really is not a bench/target gun, at least as compared to the bolt/manual action guns mentioned above. However, offhand, it simply rips. Despite the trigger not being the equal of the other guns, once one gets the hang of it, practical accuracy is simply outstanding. It is easy to rip off 8 fairly quick shots at 2” swingers 25 yards away and go 5 for 5, again and again. The key, at least for me, is to grip the gun firmly, and squeeze the trigger with a deliberate, strong, continuous squeeze.
The gun is reasonably efficient. I get about 5 magazines from at 275 bar fill on the 300cc bottle. Because of the design it is easy to find attachment pits for slings and the like, but I prefer not to have too many things hanging off my L2 since I feel that it takes away from the elemental nature of the gun, a light, easy handling offhand shooter with rapid follow up shots on tap.
My one gripe, I wish that I didn’t have to open the action every time I wanted to reload, and I wish that the magazines held more than 8 rounds. That may not be an issue for hunters, but as someone who primarily shoots Paper or reactive targets (swingers, steel plates, etc.) a higher mag capacity would be a distinct plus. I now often don’t remove the magazine and swap in a loaded one, but rather use one of my many Speedloaders to reload the magazine as it sits in the action. It is still a pain to have to open the action, remove the magnet, use the Speedloader, replace the magnet and close the action every 8 shots, but its better than the opening part plus having to fiddle to get the magazine off, place the new one (without buggering up the little roller thingy at the bottom) and the close again.
In summary, a definite keeper. Not a gun to adjust daily, but quite flexible, with multiple barrel options, power levels (combination of barrel lengths, jets and reg pressure) and looks.
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Steyr Pro X Standard .22
View attachment 174386 The Steyr Pro X really is the odd one out in this stable of semi-auto airguns. It only comes in .22 and is not particularly powerful, maxing out at about 30 FPE. It is actually pretty heavy, but is pretty well balanced, with most of the weight in the rear, so it handles nicely. It is what it is. In other words, it is not adjustable for power (it is, but within a very small range, after which cycling is affected) and you can’t change caliber, or barrel length, or pretty much anything about the gun.
It has a good, but not great trigger. Crisp, clean, but a tad heavier than I would like. It is eye wateringly expensive, the most of the three guns described here, and the magazines are also very expensive. Each 10 round magazine costs $100 or so.
It is un-shrouded, and quite loud in its native state. This is a combination of the muzzle report, which is loud. Not Leshiy 2 loud, but loud nonetheless. In addition the hammer/action is also sounds loud to the ear and the combination of the two is not something I enjoy, especially indoors in my basement. I was able to buy a 1/2 UNF adapter from Krale, and to attach a 0dB silencer to the gun. This made quite a difference and, interestingly, once the muzzle blast was tamed the hammer/action noise also seems less intrusive.
So, why do I still have it? That was a question I asked myself for the first week or two of ownership. And yet…. Every time I shot the darned thing I would stand on my deck and shoot the 1-2” spinners I have set up at 25 yards until I ran out of air. Hit after hoot after hit after hit. No drama. No fuss. No adjusting my hold. Just ping, ping, ping, ping, ping. 5 for 5 every time. I would go to my USPSA Steel silhouette at 50 yards. Ten headshots in a row. No fuss, no drama. Then I finally sat down to shoot targets from a rest. 25 yards one hole groups. A small hole for 5 shots, only slightly larger for 10. Then I would smile
This gun just does what it is designed to do, every day, all day.
It has the absolute best magazine system of the bunch. The 10 round mags are inserted at the top of the action in the back. They then have to be rotated by hand for 10 clicks. It’s easy to do, you don’t even have to count. Just push on the knurled surface until it stops going round and you are good to go. Cycling is flawless. Shoot 10, remove, reload, push and shoot again. I generally shoot 5 mags (50 rounds) before refilling the cylinder. If either of the other two guns had this magazine system they would, in their own ways, be perfect, and if the Steyr had a 19 round capacity like the Huben, it would be perfect. But right now its pretty damned close.
It’s not a hunter, its not a powerhouse, but it is simply a delight to shoot. So it stays.
Chris
