III. Firearm Information by Type

The QB-36 is advertised at 900 fps, but has been clocked at 100= 0 fps, with accuracy that's

"hard to beat." It's grooved for scope, has adjustable sights and the = unique feature of an automatic reset trigger safety, and a beautifully fi= nished stock. It's quite a handful, though; weighing in at 7.6 pounds wit= hout a scope, it measures a full 43". It is the cheapest of the new high-= performance rifles, running around $40 dealer cost. Neoprene seals, micro= -adjustable sights, and an additional breech safety sweeten the pot. Evid= ently, the .22 version that is now available is being marketed as a much = different rifle; Tom Arnold ordered one, and says:

These include the original TS-45 series, the TS-45-2 (XS-B3, th= e author's rifle) the QB-88, and the B4-1, which is basically the TS-45 w= ith a more robust adult stock, and an action grooved for scope.

The TS-45 is a side-lever rifle, with SKS-sty= le sights, the front post can be adjusted using

SKS/AK tool and the rear is adjustable in meter increments. The TS-45 = was the first rifle introduced in the states, and remains an excellent va= lue, having many variants also available. Just recently, a safety switch = and action grooved for scope were introduced as standard features of the = TS-45. Adjustable sights, Monte Carlo hardwood stock with rubber buttplat= e and 850 fps are what constitutes the TS-45 that is available today, qui= te a departure from the spartan rifle that it was as little as a year ago= =2E

The XS-B3, (TS-45-2) bears a strong resembl= ance the AK rifle, and differs from the TS-45 in

that it has a stamped metal receiver, maple pistol grip and forend, an= d an very well-built metal skeleton folder stock, reminiscent of the RPK'= s hinge. As I own this particular model, and there is a great deal of con= fusion between it and the QB-6, excuse my imminent verbosity. This is the= actual AK trainer used by the China Youth Brigade, and for a while a sho= rtage was perceived, making prices rocket to around $80. Word had it that= Bubba's Crime Bill had caused even Chinese airguns to be frozen on the d= ocks, but after a while the supply returned, and no problems since. As al= ways, "get 'em while you can," you see what happened to people who though= t that the cheap Maadi's and Euro-AK clones would always be around... The= Edge Co. (who venture to call it a Chinese "air assault rifle") and othe= rs still adhere to this price, but dealers actually pay around $40.00. Th= e TS-45 series all feature side-lever one-stroke cocking, varnished maple= wood, blued parts, and all components are either stamped, die-cast, or m= illed steel.

There isn't any plastic on these rifles, except for the removable Bake= lite stock inserts that come on the TS-45-2's folding stock. On the TS-45= -2, two large screws hold the action to the receiver; one smaller screw w= ith washer is on the bottom of the wooden fore-end and screws into the pa= rts of the action where the barrel goes into the main assembly, the other= screw is much larger and is on the rear top of the action, going through= the part that went airborne as described later, and goes into a steel sq= uare in the rear of the receiver. The receiver holds the M-16 style safet= y on the right, which is cast from an old die, and the trigger guard. The= trigger and cocking mechanism is part of the action, which separates upo= n the removal of the two screws. The TS-45-2, (The "Pioneer" XS-B3 as spe= cified by the pamphlet included) is the same as the TS-45 only in its bol= t system, which is simply a stainless steel bolt with an extremely powerf= ul spring behind it (as the author learned when he disassembled the rifle= , only to have the rear, milled part of the action fly off the gun and ma= ke a large dent in the wall when he removed the rear pin) which powers a = piston within the bolt which, upon pulling the trigger, flies forward and= powers air down the barrel, which has a plastic seal with the bolt. To l= oad, the pellet is placed directly in the barrel when the side-lever is d= rawn back, then the side-lever is pushed forward again and the lever lock= s against the side of the receiver on a notch and the rifle is ready to f= ire.

Upon pulling the trigger, which is rough and heavy, the piston's impac= t actually creates recoil, and an audible report, unlike your typical Cro= sman pump gun. The TS-45 series is also much more accurate than even a to= p-of-the-line Crosman with a scope no less, as the author learned when sh= ooting the pair simultaneously. The TS-45-2 that the author purchased nee= ded no sight adjustments to out-shoot the Crosman, by printing groups wel= l under an inch at 45 feet. The TS-45-2 that the author purchased from Th= e Edge Co. for 79.95 a few years ago came with a color pamphlet, complete= with Chinese and something that resembled English instructions. Document= s included with Chinese products are always good for comic relief, and of= ten not much else. It will be interesting to see when the enthusiasm for = these guns is sufficient for some enterprising merchant to start offering= the spare parts that are so meticulously catalogued in the instruction m= anuals...

Recent additions to the TS-45-2 include a scope mount; simply a groove= in the tope of the receiver tube for you to mount your 1" rings to. Muzz= le velocity is around 800 fps, and accuracy is uncompromising. I highly r= ecommend this, my first Chinese air gun. It is now more commonly known as= the XS-B3, presumably because Shanghai Air Gun Factory is making nearly = all the guns coming into this country.

The XS-B8 (pictured here with a scope mou= nted) is an interesting derivative of the TS-45-2,

and is a real winner- it has looks, power, and a true-to-life feed sys= tem unlike any other repeater. It is identical to the XS-B3 in all ways, = save the addition of a 10-shot detachable clip magazine to what was built= as a breech-fed single shot rifle. This enhances the "AK" look of the gu= n, and in no way impedes performance. The box magazine, which attaches pe= rpendicular to the receiver, directly opposite the hole in the top of the= breech, is detachable, and the rifle is a repeater. However, it fires a = special type of "auto-feed" pellet, which is unique in that it has no ski= rt- it looks like a very small .177 can, which allows the clip's internal= mechanism to keep hold of it. Regular pellets can be individually hand-l= oaded into the barrel. Tom Arnold shares his first impression of the rifl= e:

The TS-41 (AR-6241S) is what has been = widely described as the "new and improved" TS-45. Exterior refinements in= clude a competition-style Monte Carlo stock with butt plate, and an actio= n grooved for scope. The rifle features side lever cocking, a breech safe= ty, trigger safety, and 800 fps. Barrel length is 18". The TS-41 i= s actually what most merchants are now selling as the TS-45. Presumab= ly some of the older TS-45's are still in warehouses, so the distinction = had to be made.

The QB-6 appears to be the TS-45-2 action fit= ted to a black composite stock, the only

improvement being the addition of micro-adjustable sights. The folder = stock collapses under the action with the press of a button and the rifle= has trigger safety. It is thought-provoking to note that some parts on t= hese air guns appear to have come right off of the AK/SKS production line= =2E I haven't had the opportunity to examine this gun, but one wonders ho= w similar the under-folder's works are to that on the old Norinco AK clon= es... No word on accuracy, though I would assume, due to appearances, tha= t it's identical to the TS-45-2. Velocity is the same, an advertised 850 = fps. The Edge Co. calls it the "Stinger Rifle" and sells it for about $70= , while dealer cost is same as the XS-B3.

The QB-88 seems to be the only departure amon= g side-cockers from the TS-45 platform, and

from all reports, is a great success. Mr. Kenneth D. Judd says that

It has all the trappings of a competition air rifle; safety switch, ad= justable sights, adjustable trigger, breech safety, and Monte Carlo stock= with rubber butt plate. It is an entirely unique rifle, and hasn't spawn= ed any variants; there really isn't much to improve on. Dealer cost is ar= ound $60. Trigger failure at ~1000 rounds was experienced by Andres Meos, as detailed below:

Tom Arnold is a b= ig fan of the QB-88, among other models:

The BS-4 is by far the most intriguing = addition to the B series- it's entirely unlike any other Industry rifle, = and is capable of C-T-C 0.05 accuracy. Employing a unique recoilless vers= ion of the usual spring piston technology, the action slides back, while = the sight picture is left undisturbed. Mr. Judd emailed me in March '95 a= bout the rifle, before it was publicly available.

This 10.8 lb. rifle comes with micro-adjustable competition sights, an= adjustable trigger, carrying case, and has 6.0 FP of muzzle energy, maki= ng 640 fps. It is the only rifle that is exclusively available from Compa= sseco, and at last check was on sale for $355.00.

Pistols are generally low-quality break-barrels, with the e= xception of the SS2, the recent recoilless complement to the BS-4. The ac= tions are generally scaled-down rifle actions, with a not-too-impressive = result. I bought what is advertised as the "Chi-Com Military Police Pisto= l" (#S-100) from The Edge Co. and was thoroughly disappointed- standard w= adcutters could barely penetrate a Coke can at 5 yards, if they even reac= hed their target. Accuracy and power were abysmal. Stick with the rifles,= Shanghai has yet to perfect this genre. The Europeans seem to be making = much more headway with the super-realistic RWS clone of a Sig-Sauer handg= un, and Gamo's new .177 snubbie, both CO2-powered.

The Tech Force 8 is the name given by = Compasseco to an otherwise unidentifiable air pistol in their '96 catalog= =2E It has a black composite frame, and is virtually indistinguishable fr= om CZ's Slavia Tex. It's advertised as being "made to European standards,= " and having 400 fps. Adaptable to left or right-hand shooting, it's a br= eak-barrel spring piston action, is grooved for a sight, and has detachab= le front & back adjustable sights. However, whether or not the piece = is actually made in Europe is notably unspecified. A stealth Chinese gun?= Caveat Emptor...

The AP-4 (S2-1) appears to be identical to Com= passeco's Tech Force S2-1, and is advertised at the usual 400 fps.= It has a finished hardwood (presumably maple) stock, adjustable sights, = and is grooved for scope.

The QS-35 appears to be identical to Compasse= co's Tech Force 35, and has under-lever

cocking, instead of the AP-4's break-barrel design. The rear sight is = micro-adjustable for windage and elevation, and the pistol is grooved for= scope and has a trigger safety, with the standard hardwood stock. A = neat feature is that it loads via a slide-out sleeve.

The QS-24 is very similar to the AP-4, a medi= ocre break-barrel design. The price of this pistol has steadily dropped, = and is now at a dealer low of around $20.00.

The SS2 is the companion to the new BS-4 compet= ition rifle- employing the same recoilless technology as its big brother,= it reputedly achieves "pin-point accuracy." Unlike all other pistol, the= stock does not encase the action, and is simply a contoured pistol-grip = attached to the blued receiver. Trigger appears to be nearly flush to the= back of the trigger frame. The side-lever cocking spring-piston action i= s mounted on a rail to nullify recoil. It shoots at a constant 520 fps, a= nd features fully adjustable sights, with the front sight capable of carr= ying a variety of inserts, and a match adjustable trigger. Muzzle energy = 4.0 FP, accuracy C-T-C 0.05. Includes a carrying case.

-it is basically indestructible, but if it breaks, there's = little chance of getting spare parts
-there's only so many types out there; different merchants will ca= ll the same rifle very different things, or even assign them wacky names,= at a hype factor that is always directly proportional to the mark-up -don't expect to pay dealer prices mentioned throughout the articl= e; those are prices paid by dealers with state resale licenses, that buy = in bulk to sell at a profit. Those prices are included because I feel the= consumer has a right to know, and there's a lot of unnecessary price gou= ging going on right now. They don't include the cost of shipping the rifl= es to the customer and from the distributor, absorbing returns, and maint= aining inventory

-carries the latest versions of all models in all c= alibers, in addition to genuine Chinese pellets, scopes, etc.
-in business on the WWW since 1996, now with on-line ordering! Lowest-pri= ce/Satisfaction guaranteed!

The Shanghai Slayer(tm)

Compas= seco

The Edge C= o.