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QB78/XS78 Multi-shot magazine


Biffo1262
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The final prototype was delivered today and tested immediately. I had a small problem with the first prototype bracket in that the XS78 dovetail mounting is wider than the QB78 mounting I sent them and the bracket had to be modified with a file. That has now been rectified by making the block wider and having an extended cut in the block to make mounting more flexible and far more substantial.

 

The magazine was exactly the same as those for the S400 and the S200 and worked perfectly with Air Arms Fields and other very high quality pellets. But given that a lot of XS/QB owners don't use pellets of that quality I tested the magazine with Wasp 5.6 pellets. This resulted in the pellets sometimes hanging vertically by the skirt and then being deformed by the bolt as it was pushed home. The solution was to increase the diameter of the pellet chambers of the magazine to allow for wider skirted pellets. This has now been done and has become the standard rotary magazine.

 

The final bracket was a perfect fit on both the XS78 and the QB78 and as such will fit all the variants of this gun right through the XS/QB79's and the AR2078/9. There are other names for this gun but they are all nominally the same breech and therefore will take this magazine.

 

The ONLY fly in the ointment is that these guns are not produced to the same high standard as Air Arms and the like and on the odd occasion the factory has produced a faulty breech or two! This manifests itself in the breech flat not being horizontal and therefore pushes the magazine out of kilter. The only remedy for the gun owner is to order a new breech or get the file out! QB owners are a versatile lot, they have to be given the quality control of these guns, and a bit of filing on the occasional gun isn't likely to bring floods of tears. These guns are below par when bought but part of the attraction is that they make superb project and first guns with a bit of TLC and the availability of a multi-shot magazine has been welcomed as being long overdue by the Worldwide QB fraternity.

 

Well done Rowan Engineering for another first class product.

 

Rowan Engineering

 

Photos

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nice job how much was it if u dont mind me asking

 

I don't know how much they are going to sell for as mine are prototypes. The AA mag sells for £50 fully inc. but it really is impressively engineered. It has been a great success for the Air Arms air rifles and the price doesn't seem to have raised any eyebrows at all, but why should it? It is British made with best quality materials. I would imagine it is going to sell at the same price for the XS78/QB78 and that will cause some to moan. However the production costs of this magazine are still the same no matter what the cost of the rifle or it's quality.

 

As an aside, I tested the final modified production model over the last couple of days and it has been absolutely flawless in fit, finish and operation. For those who spend money customising their '78's, and there are many, many of us who do, this magazine is a 'must have' accessory. :blink:

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I've been wondering if there was such a thing in existance, and now, it would appear, there is. Any ideas when they're going to be on sale for the rest of us?

 

 

The final test bracket sent to me was one of a batch I believe, but at that time they hadn't sent them for anodising in case any final mods were required. I should imagine that if you get in touch by email (address on website) either Dave or Derek will give you a firm date if they are not already ready for sale. I do know that there has been a massive number of enquiries so the first batch is likely to fly out. To give you some idea of the interest, the link to my photos has had over 5,000 hits in 4 weeks. That doesn't mean that there will be that number of immediate sales of course but the interest in the QB magazine has far outstripped the initial interest in the S400 mag, as I thought it would to be honest, and that was a massive success. The main trouble for some is that whilst £50 for a magazine for the S400 seems fair it seems to be a sticking point fo rthe QB78. However it is the same magazine, the bracket is actually more substantial for the QB and labour costs are the same. The fact that the QB78 is so cheap is hardly a fair criticism on the price of the Rowans' QB magazine. If it was made in China by an engineer on 50p an hour and the design had been ripped-off instead of doing their own research and development then fair enough. I have no doubt some Chinese company will do just that eventually as they have no respect for Patents, but the quality, if they do produce a copy will be nowhere near Rowans magazine as you will find when you buy one. Make no mistake you will not regret buying the magazineforone minute. In fact I'll virtually guarantee you will follow up your first purchase with a spare rotary magazine. I keep my spare mags attached to the CO2 chamber via the retaining magnet on the mag - very handy. Remember that though it states this a six shot mag with one pellet in the breech before you insert the mag or all the chambers full but part indexed to stop it falling out, it becomes a 7 shot. Trouble is when target shooting you find yourself enjoying it so much you can empty a tin of 500 pellets in no time. I must show a little more restraint. :lol:

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