QB78 or XS78 for Hunting?

[beatingisbest]

As the title says im thinking about purchasing a QB78 for hunting purposes. Does anyone on here have one and whats it like in the power and accuracy department? Enough power for taking any airgun quarry at about 30 yards and less?

[beatingisbest]

BUMP!

[steve3562]

yhpm

 

 

steve :blink:

[greyrider]

As the title says im thinking about purchasing a QB78 for hunting purposes. Does anyone on here have one and whats it like in the power and accuracy department? Enough power for taking any airgun quarry at about 30 yards and less?

They vary a lot of of the box, some can, apparantly, be over the legal limit, most well under - a mate had one running at 4ft/lb!!

After tuning they can be excellent, I've a QB79 giving me 10.5ft/lb and with the accuracy of the things - pellet on pellet at 30 yards, no problem - yes, fine for 30 yards or less. Get one run through a chrono and if it's got the power, you should be OK. If not, you need to either tune it or find someone who will - costwise, they're expensive to use compared to a decent springer by the time you've bought a silencer, scope, tune etc,..........

[steve3562]

i think there a ok rifle heard a lot about them good and bad points. like under powered like the above post states. although if u getting pellet on pellet at 30 yards they would make i nice hunter

 

 

all the best let me know how u get on

 

 

steve :blink:

[will1992]

Iv heard they would make quite a good short range hunter

 

Will

[king ratcatcher]

There was a test on one a while back in the airgunworld magazine, he shot a few ferals with one, so id say, yes, they are ok for hunting, but only short range, why not get something like a hw95k, i have one and is a pucker little gun might even sell soon as i am after another 97k .22

[fiiish1987]

I've had one and personally i wouldnt hunt with it. they look good on paper. esecially with the silencer as they are deadly quiet. however if you want to hunt with them you'll have to a) make sure it has a decent poundage and if you think its powerfull enough you should then open it up and clean it up. i was amazed at how poorly made mine was. Think of a lada's engine and your in the right area. bits of swarf and rough enges everywhere. some of the seals were already corroded. they are exellent plinkers but your wallet will start to feel the pain as they guzzle co2 like theres no tommorow. imo save up for a decent springer. you'll have to save a bit more but you'll be glad of it and in the long run you will save money by not having to by co2.

[Biffo1262]

I have an XS78 purely because it's a very light gun with no recoil and suits my neck disability. I too had heard all sorts of horror stories about SMK (usually about springers) so I set about researching the XS78 or QB78 as it is also known. This rifle has a large cult following in the USA and is widely used for hunting in the USA where they are tuned to above 16ftlbs regularly. It is capable of many mods to enhance it's relaibility and it's bling factor. I thought best to buy face to face then I could try the actual gun I was to purchase. To be honest I needn't have worried as the first gun I picked up was beautifully finished with the new dark stock instead of the light coloured one and has the deep rubber butt pad. The blueing was fine and I have to say the gun was finished to a much higher standard than the Crosman Rabbitstopper on which it is modelled. The bolt was somewhat stiff but cleaning, lubrication and a few hundred pellets and it is as smooth as silk. My particular gun chrono'd at 10.2 ftlbs new but after cleaning, lubrication and the aforementioned few hundred pellets it now shoots Bisley LRG .22 at 11ftlbs at ambient temperature and must really getting to near the limit on a hot day. The cost of CO2 12g cartridges can be reduced by buying in bulk. I buy from 'tyreinflators' 50 at a time and use a drop of silicone oil on the pierced end before inserting. The other way is to use bulk CO2. All you need is a MaxZbulk offset manifold, a paint ball remote lead and quick release kit and a CO2 source. I use a Sodastream at £3.50 per refill rom my local Tesco. You can leave the lead and bottle attached (slung round the waist) and keep the pressure pretty constant or use the quick release to detach it, keeping it topped upon a regular basis; something you can't do with the 12g powerlets. The gun is beautifully balanced (without the bulk kit attached) until you attach the standard SMK silencer - way too heavy. I shall be buying an aluminium one at the first opportunity. Accuracy with my fitted 3-9x40 mildot scope is excellent; hitting a 25mm spinner outside at 40m with monotonous regularity. The only time accuracy is affected is when using 12g powerlets and the pressure starts dropping after about 35 shots (.22). This isn't a problem when CO2 bulked or topped up from bulk. As a hunter I would have no qualms whatsoever. My gun packs a very accurate punch out to 40 metres and even beyond using quality, lubricated pellets. Some of my fellow gun club members have shot my gun over the last few weeks and have have been very pleasantly surprised considering all they had heard about them, but as I said earlier in the post, this experience usually relates to the springers. There are a plethora of tune up kits and goodies for this gun and if you want to see some very nice guns try here QB78 Gallery

 

The SMK XS78 is imported from China and reassembled in this country by their own staff as opposed to the direct imports that go under other variations of the name '78', and of late SMK seem to have improved their act somewhat. I certainly wasn't disappointed by it quality and finish.

 

My advice is visit a gun club and see if anyone is shooting one and have a go or at the very least buy face to face and not off the internet. I got mine in Warrington Market Hall at White's Sports Shop for £69.99; a price that more than matches the internet. Just don't be too influenced by the Chinese Springer horror stories until you have seen and tried the XS78, you will find you will be pleasantly surprised given it's 'out of the box' CO2 limitations.

[cartridge]

i did have one sold it though had gone up a level to shotguns lol

its nice but a copy of the crossman rabbit stopper try them

[Evil Elvis]

You do need to be careful with these, my friend has one, stripped it down, polished it etc...i chronoed it at 14ftlbs....so be warned they can exceed the limit....and to be honest i was suprised how accurate it was, I took out a few pigeons with it and hes shot bunnies with it.....detuned of course!!!

[bunny buster]

My QB78 gives out 11.3 on the crono so no probs in the hunting department and is very acruate a good gun for the money

[naymo]

hi, i myself have a qb78, but keep toying with the idea of a bulk fill. Does anyone know where i could find these, i have searched and searched and i see plenty of pictures but nowhere where i could buy one.??

[Biffo1262]

hi, i myself have a qb78, but keep toying with the idea of a bulk fill. Does anyone know where i could find these, i have searched and searched and i see plenty of pictures but nowhere where i could buy one.??

 

Your bulk fill adapter will have to come from http://www.archerairguns.com/Bulk-Fill-Cap-p/ibbfc.htm Just buy the standard bulk fill adapter as shown (NOT the full bulk fill kit they sell - it isn't suitable for what you want) and then order a Paintball Remote with slidecheck and a fill nipple from http://www.lpspaintball.biz/acatalog/Co2_S...m_Fittings.html

You will then need a CO2 tank. The most readily available for most people is the Sodastream bottle from Tesco at £12.99 initial purchase and then £3.99 for an exchange refill. However the tap on the remote lead is designed to be used with a paintball tank and will need to be adapted (easy to do). You will need two cold water tap washers and then punch a large hole through the middle of both. The probe will need to be extended very slightly as it is too short to operate the pin valve. Do this by cutting a short piece round bar 4mm in diameter and about 6mm long. Drill a small hole in the end to slip over the tap probe. Round the other end off with a file to sit on the pin valve properly and job done - 10 minutes work.

 

Filling is another matter. If you leave the bottle attached and use a waist or shoulder sling to carry it - no problem. If you want to remove the bottle after filling you will have to take some simple precautions. The gun MUST be cool AND at a lower temperature than the donor bottle (Sodasteam) otherwise all that will happen is the liquid CO2 will gas off and the pressures will equalise giving you only about 10 shots max. With the gun cool and the bottle warmer invert the bottle (it doesn't have a siphon tube so you need to invert it to get liquid CO2 into the gun) and the gun will fill slowly. How much you put in is going to be down to experience but don't overdo it. A gun full of liquid CO2 with little room for expansion is a veritable bomb when it gets warm. You will soon learn by trial and error. If you can get to the stage where you can find a supplier of Pubgas as I do, you can buy your own fill station (less than £22 + del and duty - Ebay from the USA) and refill your Sodastream for as little as 30p in theory. I say theory as that figure is based purely on the volume of both tanks, whereas you are bound to get some wastage. Whatever, if you and some friends say use CO2 regularly you can make some massive savings and even make some profit. I charge £1 to refill a Sodastream at my club and everyone is happy. I recover my costs, the club makes some money and save £3 + travel costs on a single refill!

 

You can read some good advice on filling here - http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/gasses/fill.shtml

 

 

I hope this has been of some help to you and good luck.

 

Steve

 

PS Access to a chrono is a must with a bulked and tuned XS78!

Edited January 7, 2008 by Biffo1262

[tanksbids]

Hi

Been using our QB78 on CO2 - hardly used as range = U/S, but it is quiet.

However last Sunday inserted two new co2 & it leaked out chilling the barrel between barel & cylinder tube.

Its now strippedas far as I can take it

Two questions - Does the barrel come away from the cylinder bit - if so how, or is the seal I need to change the one that is between the brass & alloy bit that was in the far end of the cyliner tube?

I'm tempted by the upgrading as I've a FAC which includes high powered air guns, just did'nt appreciate that what I had could be improved.

Thanks, any advice appreciated.

[TaxiDriver]

Hi

Been using our QB78 on CO2 - hardly used as range = U/S, but it is quiet.

However last Sunday inserted two new co2 & it leaked out chilling the barrel between barel & cylinder tube.

Its now strippedas far as I can take it

Two questions - Does the barrel come away from the cylinder bit - if so how, or is the seal I need to change the one that is between the brass & alloy bit that was in the far end of the cyliner tube?

I'm tempted by the upgrading as I've a FAC which includes high powered air guns, just did'nt appreciate that what I had could be improved.

Thanks, any advice appreciated.

have a look on youtube.com there's a whole lot of tips on tuning and fettling xb's

[snarepeg]

Hi

Been using our QB78 on CO2 - hardly used as range = U/S, but it is quiet.

However last Sunday inserted two new co2 & it leaked out chilling the barrel between barel & cylinder tube.

Its now strippedas far as I can take it

Two questions - Does the barrel come away from the cylinder bit - if so how, or is the seal I need to change the one that is between the brass & alloy bit that was in the far end of the cyliner tube?

I'm tempted by the upgrading as I've a FAC which includes high powered air guns, just did'nt appreciate that what I had could be improved.

Thanks, any advice appreciated.

To remove the barrel,unscrew small allen stud in top of housing above barrel breach, slacken screw in barrel band and the barrel slides out but will need coaxing.

 

The big screw now visible comes out screw at back end and the breach housing lifts of, watch the 2 upright postes where each one fits.

 

Which end did it leak from?? muzzle end its an o ring easy fix. john

[danimal]

i have one of these that has been converted to bulk fill, is it possible to convert it back to take standard co2 air source cylinders?

[TaxiDriver]

If anyone is interested in bulk fill,

I have a converted fire extinguisher made to hold bulk CO2, (I used to use it for growing aquarium plants)

I used to get it refilled by a firm who service fire extinguishers etc.

 

Would need the valving sorted out to enable running a gun or refilling a smaller cylinder as it is currently set upto trickle CO2 very slowly into an aquarium.

 

Worth noting, with CO2 there are different grades, Food grade (pure. clean) and non food grade (can contain recovered/recycled CO2)

[greywolf1958]

If these guns were PCP there'd be little problem but using one all year, as I do, CO2 pressures vary greatly between seasons. (Interesting fact: CO2 maintains the same pressure for a given temperature so long as there is liquid gas in the reservoir. Only when the liquid gas has all evaporated, will the pressure drop. Unless of course, you've taken a few shots in quick succession, when the effect is to cool the gas reservoir, thus reducing the local temperature and therefore the gas pressure too). All this makes it difficult to shoot consistently over 30 or so yards.

 

I did used to tune up for the winter (to around 11.5ftlbs with Verminpells - they are my favourite pellet for knocking down squirrels) on the basis that it would stay legal in the frigid air. However reading various posts suggests that if my gun was taken off for testing, it would likely be done at indoor-temperatures ie. about 20c and this increase in temperature would immediately render it illegal. Consequently I tuned it at 20c for safety and went out and bought a springer (Hatsan 85TH) for winter shooting!

 

If tuning up yourself, it's very easy (check out YouTube, that's how I learnt) - I found the biggest improvement was to enlarge the transfer port to the barrel and replace the bolt probe (mainly because I knackered the original!) with a different shaped one (see pic, you can also see how rough the machining is on this gun). Reshaping the internal gas valve may well help a bit too, as will shimming the hammer spring a bit (though that makes the bolt quite heavy to operate and I ended up removing the shims). A very easy gun to work on, I would say, and the only 'special' tool I had at the time was a small pillar drill. (Now I work in a school and have access to lathes and a milling machine :o) But as has been said several times previously, you MUST get a chrono to keep it all legal. Maybe one day I'll do a bulk conversion, though as intimated in my opening, a PCP conversion would be much more useful.

 

One last comment - this gun definitely prefers heavier pellets for maximum power. Bisley Magnums work a treat, are very accurate and in full tune can go very illegal, very easily, so beware! (That said, I don't think it would be any value as an FAC weapon - go and buy a PCP or a rimfire .22 instead!)

Edited May 26, 2011 by greywolf1958

[greywolf1958]

Your bulk fill adapter will have to come from http://www.archerairguns.com/Bulk-Fill-Cap-p/ibbfc.htm Just buy the standard bulk fill adapter as shown (NOT the full bulk fill kit they sell - it isn't suitable for what you want) and then order a Paintball Remote with slidecheck and a fill nipple from http://www.lpspaintball.biz/acatalog/Co2_S...m_Fittings.html

You will then need a CO2 tank. The most readily available for most people is the Sodastream bottle from Tesco at £12.99 initial purchase and then £3.99 for an exchange refill. However the tap on the remote lead is designed to be used with a paintball tank and will need to be adapted (easy to do). You will need two cold water tap washers and then punch a large hole through the middle of both. The probe will need to be extended very slightly as it is too short to operate the pin valve. Do this by cutting a short piece round bar 4mm in diameter and about 6mm long. Drill a small hole in the end to slip over the tap probe. Round the other end off with a file to sit on the pin valve properly and job done - 10 minutes work.

 

Filling is another matter. If you leave the bottle attached and use a waist or shoulder sling to carry it - no problem. If you want to remove the bottle after filling you will have to take some simple precautions. The gun MUST be cool AND at a lower temperature than the donor bottle (Sodasteam) otherwise all that will happen is the liquid CO2 will gas off and the pressures will equalise giving you only about 10 shots max. With the gun cool and the bottle warmer invert the bottle (it doesn't have a siphon tube so you need to invert it to get liquid CO2 into the gun) and the gun will fill slowly. How much you put in is going to be down to experience but don't overdo it. A gun full of liquid CO2 with little room for expansion is a veritable bomb when it gets warm. You will soon learn by trial and error. If you can get to the stage where you can find a supplier of Pubgas as I do, you can buy your own fill station (less than £22 + del and duty - Ebay from the USA) and refill your Sodastream for as little as 30p in theory. I say theory as that figure is based purely on the volume of both tanks, whereas you are bound to get some wastage. Whatever, if you and some friends say use CO2 regularly you can make some massive savings and even make some profit. I charge £1 to refill a Sodastream at my club and everyone is happy. I recover my costs, the club makes some money and save £3 + travel costs on a single refill!

 

You can read some good advice on filling here - http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/gasses/fill.shtml

 

 

I hope this has been of some help to you and good luck.

 

Steve

 

PS Access to a chrono is a must with a bulked and tuned XS78!

 

Excellent advice, thanks, Steve

[greywolf1958]

If these guns were PCP there'd be little problem but using one all year, as I do, CO2 pressures vary greatly between seasons. (Interesting fact: CO2 maintains the same pressure for a given temperature so long as there is liquid gas in the reservoir. Only when the liquid gas has all evaporated, will the pressure drop. Unless of course, you've taken a few shots in quick succession, when the effect is to cool the gas reservoir, thus reducing the local temperature and therefore the gas pressure too). All this makes it difficult to shoot consistently over 30 or so yards.

 

I did used to tune up for the winter (to around 11.5ftlbs with Verminpells - they are my favourite pellet for knocking down squirrels) on the basis that it would stay legal in the frigid air. However reading various posts suggests that if my gun was taken off for testing, it would likely be done at indoor-temperatures ie. about 20c and this increase in temperature would immediately render it illegal. Consequently I tuned it at 20c for safety and went out and bought a springer (Hatsan 85TH) for winter shooting!

 

If tuning up yourself, it's very easy (check out YouTube, that's how I learnt) - I found the biggest improvement was to enlarge the transfer port to the barrel and replace the bolt probe (mainly because I knackered the original!) with a different shaped one (see pic, you can also see how rough the machining is on this gun). Reshaping the internal gas valve may well help a bit too, as will shimming the hammer spring a bit (though that makes the bolt quite heavy to operate and I ended up removing the shims). A very easy gun to work on, I would say, and the only 'special' tool I had at the time was a small pillar drill. (Now I work in a school and have access to lathes and a milling machine But as has been said several times previously, you MUST get a chrono to keep it all legal. Maybe one day I'll do a bulk conversion, though as intimated in my opening, a PCP conversion would be much more useful.

 

One last comment - this gun definitely prefers heavier pellets for maximum power. Bisley Magnums work a treat, are very accurate and in full tune can go very illegal, very easily, so beware! (That said, I don't think it would be any value as an FAC weapon - go and buy a PCP or a rimfire .22 instead!)

[Welsh Andy]

Hi

Been using our QB78 on CO2 - hardly used as range = U/S, but it is quiet.

However last Sunday inserted two new co2 & it leaked out chilling the barrel between barel & cylinder tube.

Its now strippedas far as I can take it

Two questions - Does the barrel come away from the cylinder bit - if so how, or is the seal I need to change the one that is between the brass & alloy bit that was in the far end of the cyliner tube?

I'm tempted by the upgrading as I've a FAC which includes high powered air guns, just did'nt appreciate that what I had could be improved.

Thanks, any advice appreciated.

 

The gas leak is probably the rubber ring between the cylinder and the endcap. Mine that was leant out, went in this way last week. It is important to get the replacement ring just the right size, so if going to a local merchant take the old one with you. I think these guns are good for what they are, and thats a cheap licht weight gun accurate to 30 yds. I wouldnt choose one of these to be my FAC rifle.

 

They are good guns just chrono each one and check grouping before using it.

 

Andy

[welshwarrior]

I have a 78 with an extended CO2 tube and webley thumbhole stock and big fire extinguisher for fill if anyone is interested in it PM me

[slingshot]

get one and tune it they are great

Edited December 30, 2011 by slingshot