A Quick Performance Test of the New QB58 Air Rifle

Here's the results of a brief "real world" performance test of the new QB58 air rifle. This gun is very similar mechanically to the QB57, but the QB58 in a fixed stock format instead of the "take down" and bullpup configuration of the QB57.


I pulled 3 QB58s of each caliber out of the rack - making no selection - and measured the muzzle velocities and weights of each.

The .22 caliber QB58s are all quite dry - much like the QB36-2s I tested a few days ago (see the following post). The .177s, however, had much more oil on them from manufacture and there was a fair amount of dieseling. The muzzle velocities should be understood in that light. As before, these are obviously not "broken in" numbers.

In .22 caliber the QB58s ran an average of close to 600fps with "The Peak" wadcutters. Maximum muzzle velocity recorded was 609fps, minimum was 576fps. At 13.86 Grains weight and an average muzzle velocity of 600fps, this makes the muzzle energy around 11 ft/lbs. The manufacturer's official spec for the QB58 is 580fps, so these guns were performing fairly well above that claim.

As the.177 caliber models were dieseling, there was a greater spread of muzzle velocities. The maximum recorded individual shot was 792fps, the slowest came in at 669fps. Average muzzle velocity would be in the 730 fps range with "The Peak" wadcutters pellets. At 8.6 Grains average weight, the muzzle energy is around 9.5 ft/lbs. The factory spec is 750 fps, so this time the manufacturer's numbers may be a little optimistic, but probably not by very much.

As for weights, the .22s came in between 7lbs 2 oz and 7 lbs 4oz each. The .177s were in the range from 7 lbs 6 oz to 7lbs 7oz.

So, that's what I'm finding with these new QB58s. The finish looks good, cocking is not too heavy, the anti-beartrap features seem to work well and the triggers and safeties worked fine. Although I was not specifically shooting for accuracy, the groups on my test target suggest that the QB58 is accurate and not particularly hold-sensitive, either.

As with the QB36-2s I reviewed a few days ago, I'd say these are fine air rifles for the modest price being asked.

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Quick Test of the New QB36-2 Air Rifle

In order to answer a question on the Chinese Airgun Forum, I pulled 3 QB36-2s of each caliber out of the rack - making no selection - and measured the muzzle velocities and weights of each. As the results are quite interesting, they seemed worth posting here, too :-)

The guns are new (of course!) but were not dieseling much. I'd rate them as quite dry compared to most Shanghai springers I test. The muzzle velocities should, of course, be understood in that light. These are obviously not "broken in" numbers. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised at the consistency of muzzle velocities (only about +/- 20fps between highest and lowest in each caliber for 5 shots through each gun), this tends to confirm my thought that there's not much dieseling happening here.

The .22 caliber guns ran an average of 750fps with RWS Superpoints. At 14.5 Grains weight, this makes the muzzle energy just over 18 ft/lbs. The manufacturer's official spec is 675fps, so these guns were performing fairly well above that claim.

In .177 caliber, the average muzzle velocity was 990 fps with "The Peak" pointed pellets. At 8.05 Grains average weight, the muzzle energy is around 17.5 ft/lbs. The spec here is 900 fps, so again the manufacturer's numbers are handily beaten.

And for actual weights of the guns...

The .22s came in between 8lbs 8 oz and 8 lbs 11oz each. The .177s (always heavier because there's more metal left in the barrels) were in the range from 8 lbs 12 oz to 8lbs 15oz. The difference in weights between apparently identical guns is due to the stocks - presumably the density of the wood used.

So, that's what I'm finding with these new QB36-2s. The finish looks good, cocking is surprisingly light and the triggers (except on one of the .177s) were much lighter than I expected, too. I didn't measure trigger pull weights, neither did I shoot for accuracy: not enough time!

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How to use Just one Powerlet in a QB78

QB78 family air rifles are designed to be used with two x 12 Powerlets at one time. But what if you want a short shooting session (up to 20 - 25 shots) and just want to load one?

The answer to this is quite simple. Load one "live" Powerlet into the gun and then put an empty Powerlet in, too, facing towards the front. Tighten the tube cap as usual and the gun will fire just as normal but with only one Powerlet's worth of gas.

OK, we're actually using two Powerlets in the gun like this, but only one is full of gas and this is what people often actually want to do. I hope this simple trick is useful!

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More About Our Visit to the Shanghai Airgun Factory

Many people have asked for more photos about the Shanghai Airguns Factory, so here’s a second part to our factory visit report...

Here's the Testing Department - Test Range is at the back of the room.




Above - It's me again (at left).

Along with improved product quality, there’s a focus on marketing, with “Industry Brand” being retained for existing products - such as the QB78 family - but with newer, more up-scale models being given a new “SAG” (Shanghai Airgun Factory) brand.

Below, another assembly area.


And as everyone knows, much can be known about people’s real interests from the desktop and/or screen saver that they have on their computer. Well, the VP of Product Development has a very interesting screen saver. It’s a photograph of a heavily tricked-out M16 with every known accessory loaded on it. This gentlemen is obviously really interested in guns and that has to be good for us as they introduce new airguns in future!

The current factory is one third larger than the previous one, which was located much closer to the city center - in Pudong. The factory move took place in 2007 as the area in which it was located is being re-developed as the home for the Shanghai “Expo 2010”, a HUGE international exhibition that is expected to generate 70 million visitors flocking to Shanghai. You can read more about Expo 2010 at http://en.expo2010.cn.

Below: modern Pudong, in Downtown Shanghai. The Head Office is near here.

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