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In our Scope – AGT Vixen

This month we are setting our crosshairs on the AGT Vixen. Unique, compact, and balanced the Vixen is produced by Czech Manufacturers, AGT, and are imported into the UK by Regael. Released in early 2021 the Vixen soon became one of AGT’s best-selling rifles overtaking the Vulcan & Uragan.

The AGT range has proven very popular here at Pellpax, hence why we thought we would focus on one of their rifles. Airgun Technology was founded in 2013 and is based in the city of Praha (Prague), the capital city of the Czech Republic.

Light, Accurate & Reliable

The AGT Vixen is one of the newest rifles in AGTs’ range. They are available in two variations, the Vixen or the Vixen Long. The Vixen has a barrel length of 250mm, an overall length of 770mm, and a weight of 2.2kg, whilst the Vixen long has a barrel length of 400mm, an overall length of 920mm, and a weight of 2.4kg. These specifications make the AGT Vixen one of the lightest rifles on the market today.

To ensure the high-quality finish is not compromised, the AGT Vixen comes standard with a 250CC carbon fibre bottle which, is fitted with a neoprene sleeve to act as a stock. The butt pad has a height adjustment feature to ensure the rifle fits comfortably in any shooters’ shoulder.

Packed with features

One thing that is worth mentioning is the ability to change the side of which the cocking arm is on. It is as simple as removing two screws, changing the side, and replacing the screws. Taking around 3-5 minutes in total this is a smart move from AGT as it caters for the left-handed market too. The trigger is incredibly smooth and can have the pull weight adjusted. I personally prefer a light pull however, it’s nice to have the option. I must also praise the positioning of the safety switch. Being located just north of the trigger this can easily be engaged and disengaged whilst you are shouldered and looking down the scope. Again, just a small design feature that goes a long way for me. The switch has a red indicator to make it obvious that the safety is either on, or off.

Filling the AGT Vixen

The compact, custom-made pressure gauge is well located. One of my pet hates includes pressure gauges that are located under the end of the barrel, as I feel uncomfortable having a barrel pointed at my face whilst filling the rifle. The block that the pressure gauge is located on houses the regulator, and you can also find both the air discharge port and the filling port here.

AGT Vixen – additional accessories

**The magazine holder is sold separately**

I really like the AR-Grip on the vixen which, is produced by IMI Defence. The magazines are easy to load and are 15 shots in .177 or 12 shots in .22. An additional accessory, that many owners choose to buy, is the magazine holder. This polymer housing will hold two magazines and attaches to the rifle via a small weaver rail located in front of the trigger guard.

The features go on…

The Vixen is equipped with a weaver rail measuring 195mm. Traditionally, air rifles use a 9-11mm rail, and Weaver / Picatinny rails are more frequently seen on Rimfire / Centrefire rifles however these are becoming increasingly popular amongst the airgun community.

A few, final thoughts

Finally, I would like to mention the shrouded barrel. This again is a feature that is becoming more frequent on airguns these days. The sound moderator is built within this and measures around 90mm. Although there is no option for an additional moderator, I don’t feel the vixen needs one. When I took it out shooting, I was very pleased with the level of noise and wouldn’t feel a moderator would provide much more of an advantage.

The real test

After doing all my research on this gun, I decided to take it out to see what all the fuss was about. I wanted to know whether the Vixen really was worth the £1499.99 price tag and what made this rifle, one of AGT’s most popular. My set-up was kept simple, I used a 3 ltr hydrotec bottle to fill the Vixen, mounted a Hawke Fast mount 6-24×50 AO IR using Hawke Weaver mounts, and set out to see if the Vixen, really lived up to what I had read.

Testing with target shooting pellets

Firstly, I thought I would try a target pellet for those looking to do some casual plinking either at home or down their local gun club. I used the H&N field target trophy .177. I love H&N as a brand simply because I find their quality is always top-notch and they perform in any rifle I put them through. Weighing 8.64 gr I set my targets up around the 25-yard mark.

The Result

Although I’m not Chris Kyle, I managed to get a 25mm grouping, which for comparison is about the size of a 2p coin. Considering I’m a clay shooter and don’t tend to do much airgun shooting, I was very pleased with this result. I’m confident that a dedicated shooter could get this grouping down to a 20mm grouping, which is around a 1p coin. For those of you, who prefer a larger calibre the H&N field target trophy is also available in .22.

Testing with hunting pellets

Next, I thought I would try a hunting pellet for those of you who carry out pest control. For this, I went for my go-to hunting pellet, the H&N Baracuda Hunter .177. Now as I previously mentioned I’m a clay shooter and only shoot airguns a handful of times outside of work however, even with my lack of practice I still manage to hit rabbits at good distances with these. Weighing slightly heavier than the H&N field target trophy, the Baracuda hunters are advertised at 10.49gr. I like these pellets as the hollow point ensures enough stopping power to counter the higher velocities of the .177 without affecting the flight of the pellet too much.

The Result

Once again, I set my target out at the 25-yard mark, and the results were the same. This time I got a 28mm grouping however, this could be down to the hollow point creating drag or could be down to the absents of my skills with an airgun. Like I mentioned previous I’m confident when I say a more experience airgun shooter could lower this group, but even at 28mm, it’s accurate enough to headshot a rabbit and/or rat. Once again for those of you who prefer the larger calibre, these pellets are available in a .22 calibre here.

My conclusion of the AGT Vixen

Overall, the Vixen is packed with many attractive features that any airgun enthusiast would be looking for when purchasing a rifle. Ok, the price for one is £1499.99 but this is really an investment as the rifle will last you years to come, and the quality of the AGT Vixen easily warrants the price tag. As standard AGT provides 2 magazines, a filling station, spare O-rings, a user manual, some souvenirs, and a soft case. If you would like to check out the Vixen and the Vixens’ accessories, please click here.

What is an Air Gun?

Many of you will think of an air gun as anything that fires a projectile from a smooth-bore or rifled barrel using the power of air.

This is the standard definition that can be found across the internet. But air guns are so much more than that today, as some use compressed air, others CO₂ gas, and some a spring and piston, which still all come under the umbrella of air guns. As a rule of thumb, the term air gun is generally used to refer to any type of gun that uses compressed gas as the propellant, as opposed to burning powder, as in rifles and shotguns. And you should always consider the right air gun pellet for your needs as well.

Spring Power

Probably one of the oldest air gun mechanisms to still be around today is the spring-and-piston type, with the first examples of their existence going back to the late 1800s.

The principle of a spring-powered air rifle is that a spring is cocked by means of a lever; it’s often the barrel that doubles for this job, but some guns are a side- or underlever type, which allows the barrel to be fixed in place. This lever then compresses the spring, which has a piston in front of it, with a washer on the front. This washer used to be made from leather, but today they tend to be made from plastic. This washer creates a near air-tight seal, so that when the spring’s tension is released, the piston compresses the air in front of it, which is then forced through a port into the barrel, propelling the projectile forward.

The Stinger Starter UL Tactical Kit is a great spring rifle for target shooting and plinking.

As this mechanism has very few moving parts, it’s probably the most reliable type of air gun, especially as so many models from nearly 100 years ago are still working flawlessly today!

One slight downside of this system is that the spring wears over time, causing power loss, but a gunsmith can easily replace the spring to get the power back up to where it should be. Spring air rifles come in a wide range of prices from choices such as the Stinger UL Tactical Starter Kit .22, right up to the top-of-the-range, state-of-the-art Air Arms Pro-Sport Walnut Stock .177, which offers some of the best accuracy and consistency straight out of the box.

Choose from the best Spring Powered airgun brands

Gas Ram

An upgrade on the standard spring airgun is the gas ram system, which is very similar in its principles to a spring air rifle, except the spring is replaced with a gas strut. For those of you who can’t picture a gas strut, it’s basically a larger version of what holds a car boot open. The gas strut doesn’t suffer the same downfalls as a spring does, such as spring fatigue, meaning that the power stays the same for longer. The gas strut also offers better shot-to-shot consistency, as the compression of the gas is more consistent and accurate than that of a spring would be. Again, prices vary in the gas ram range, from the e Webley VMX D-Ram .22 – Black Synthetic, right up to the Weihrauch HW90K .177.

Choose from the best Gas Ram powered airguns

CO2 Powered

The next step up from spring and gas ram air rifles are CO2-powered rifles, which use either the small 12g capsules, or the larger 88g cylinders. Both are filled with compressed CO2, and once loaded into the rifle, the gas flows through a valve, eventually being released into the barrel to propel the pellet when the trigger is pulled and the hammer strikes the valve. This system is completely recoil-less, so it’s a lot easier to get better accuracy with one of these rifles straight out of the box.

CO2 does have its disadvantages though, as it’s very dependent on temperature, so it’ll be a bit more powerful on a warm day, but less powerful on a cold day. Spring and gas ram don’t experience this fluctuation by comparison. CO2 are a lot quieter though, as they don’t have much internal movement going on, so with a suppressor fitted, they are close to silent.

Choices start from the Rat Sniper .22 CO2 Air Rifle, which is a great rifle for those looking for a bit of target shooting and light pest control, up to the all-bells-and-whistles Umarex 850 Air Magnum XT .22 Deluxe Kit, which offers multi-shot, full-power shooting.

Choose from the best CO2 powered airguns

PCP Powered

The Zbroia Hortisia Bolt Action PCP Rifle is an excellent starting point

PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) rifles are the next step up from CO2 and offer the best in accuracy and consistency out of all the airgun types currently on the market.

PCP rifles use high pressure air – some running at pressures of up to 300 BAR – to propel the pellets along the barrel. The advantage of high-pressure air is that it doesn’t change power as the temperature varies, and is also a lot more stable than CO2, giving much better results when firing pellets. The principle is similar to the workings of a CO2 gun, with the air held in a reservoir, which is recharged via a diving cylinder or a stirrup pump. This air is then released into the barrel via a valve, which is struck by a hammer when the trigger is pulled.

PCP rifles are available in all shapes and sizes, with both single-shot and multi-shot actions available.

Some good starting points would be the Zbroia Hortitsia .22 – Black or the Daystate Griffin .177, with prices varying anywhere in between, depending on your budget!

Choose from the best PCP Powered airguns

An airgun is not just a gun that uses air to fire pellets. It’s much more than that today, with some top-end rifles even utilizing electronic actions to fire the pellets! There are still many new advances to come, but I hope this blog post has helped explain some of the different types.

Club Focus: North Walsham Rifle and Pistol Club

This month, we take a look at the work of North Walsham Rifle & Pistol Club in Norfolk…..

Shooting with Rifles — The club demonstrate shooting with rifles

Founded in 1934, with a current membership of over 200, North Walsham Rifle & Pistol Club is one of the most progressive target shooting clubs in the country. Development Officer Mike Kirkham, who has been shooting since he was 15 years old, says, “The key to our success has been to change our club culture to think more like a sports club, and to actively promote and market what we offer.”

Safety First

The UK has the toughest gun regulations in the world – and that explains the safety of the sport in this country. Each new member joins NWRPC as a probationer. After six months (and at least 12 shooting sessions), the probationary member graduates to full membership on condition that two committee members declare that he / she is safe to shoot. The new member must then sign to say that he / she has read and understood the range rules, which are displayed on a wall in the clubhouse.

Below the range rules is the signing-in book. Every member must sign in and out on every visit. This is not only a security measure, but also a record that can be referred to in the event of a new licence application – evidence of regular shooting is an advantage to an applicant.

Ranges & Competitions

The NWRPC offers three types of shooting. The .22 target range has 10 firing points (two of which are designed for disabled users) at 25 yards, 50 metres, and 100 yards. (The discrepancy in measurement is a shooting convention.) The air range, with 12 firing points, offers sporting knock-down targets at 40 yards and 70 yards, as well as 10-metre air rifle and air pistol competition shooting. There is also a 25-yard black powder pistol gallery.

Competitive spirit is lively at this club. Some competitions (Norfolk County League, Bedfordshire League, Perthshire League, Somerset League, Hendon League, Eastern Region League) are conducted via mail; participants shoot at pre-labelled targets and send away these targets (score cards), which must be signed by an independent witness – in most cases another club member.

Charles Cain, 73 (and I must stress – a young 73), is an experienced competitor and coach. In the 1980s, he won the English Championship, and won a silver medal for England in the Commonwealth Games. The weekend before I visited the club, Charles had won the Norfolk Summer Championship in Corpusty, a competition that consisted of 80 shots: four targets at 50 yards, 10 times, and four targets at 100 yards, 10 times. Mike Kirkham came third.

Fabian Halstead (club Treasurer) told me that shooting competitions began about 100 years ago. One of the first trophies in circulation is still around today and has been won, on several occasions, by members of the North Walsham Rifle and Pistol Club. It’s a solid silver trophy, awarded to the individual with the highest score in the Norfolk Winter and Summer Outdoor County Meetings, and is housed in an enormous white cabinet – hence the affectionate nickname, ‘The Fridge’.

Funding & Future

North Walsham Gun Club receives substantial support from lottery-funded sporting bodies. Active Norfolk is the County Sports Partnership (CSP) for Norfolk, working in partnership with Norfolk’s local authorities and Sport England to increase participation in sport and physical activity. Another organisation, Sportivate, offers six to eight weeks’ free or subsidised coaching to young people between the ages of 11 and 25, with particular emphasis on individuals with a disability or from a low-income family.

The club’s key aim is to encourage youngsters in the sport. The provision of range facilities for scout groups – the main source of new members – plays an important role in the progressive development of the club. Mike Kirkham hopes that it won’t be too long before young Norfolk target shooters are competing at an international level.

The NWRPC, which is open to members from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 364 days in the year, had over 5,500 visits from members in the last 12 months. If you are interested in becoming a member, contact Oliver Crysell (Chairman) on 01692 581997 or head to http://www.nwrpc.co.uk for more information. To find out more about Active Norfolk head to their website.