Gun test: Accumax-S1 break-barrel

Accumax is the own-brand name that Anglo Spanish Imports (ASI) use for airguns, and I first encountered their brand new Accumax break-barrel springer at the British Shooting Show earlier in the year. I’ve loved the atmosphere of shooting and country shows, from an early age, and whilst chatting to Trevor Dolman, one of the sales reps on the ASI stand, it was clear that he really was enthusiastic for this new model range, so I wasted no time in arranging for a test model to be 
sent through.

My gun on show here is the Accumax-S1, the cheapest of the lot at £150, but there are two others in the line-up; the W1 denoting Wood Finish at £178, and the C1 denoting Camo for £228. So three different stock choices, but all three visually follow the same profile and share exactly the same spring-piston, break-barrel action. Much of ASI’s glowing recommendation over this model concerned a supposedly super-smooth action and great performance, so I was eager to see how it shaped up in reality.

First Impressions

I’ll start by confirming that this is firmly ‘budget rifle’ territory, so let’s not get carried away. First impressions are of a super-sleek, stylish profile, though, with all unnecessary weight pared off at the design stage. The black synthetic stock here looks the part, with a slimmed out fore end, and contoured grip. That rear section did strike me as a little low in the cheek when I first saw it, and more of that in a moment. The super-soft rubber pad is great, and fibre-optic open sights also come as standard.  

All the metalwork gets a chemical blue finish, although this is a bit lack lustre and almost certainly an area where costs are saved, of course. Build quality on my test rifle, was a little questionable, with the synthetic stock swollen slightly out of shape up front, but again, remember the RRP here. 

Open Sights

You’ll notice that the green fore sight element is integrated into the muzzle/cocking aid assembly, and the rear sight comes supplied separate from the gun, to be assembled as and when. I thought I’d start with the open sights; to fix it into position, the plastic sight base first needs to be widened with a screwdriver. Gently force apart the plastic clamp, enough so the unit can be snapped over the dovetails and slid into position. Gently tighten the two bolts, and we’re in business. OK, the process is a little crude, but once the sight’s in position, the sight picture is good, and dual finger-wheels allow for easy adjustment.

Handling And Feel

Cocking effort is very modest, and undoubtedly, the stroke is smooth to complete. There’s an automatic safety catch and also anti-bear trap system, so that means the barrel can’t fly up  accidentally, whilst cocking the gun. The downside is that de-cocking the action, isn’t possible. No big deal, but worth mentioning. One minor source of irritation concerns the lip of the barrel, where due to a chamfer, any pellet will drop straight in. Handy to prevent pellet deformation, but it does mean the barrel needs to be kept pointing down slightly, to avoid pellets dropping out whilst closing the barrel.

Low cheek configuration

So to the range. After some impressive groups with open sights, it was time to switch to a scope, and here, that super-low cheek configuration did feel a bit shallow for full support. Initial  groups of around 1.25 inches over 25 yards, were fairly acceptable for this grade of gun, to be fair, but the fact that my face felt little support from the cheekpiece set me thinking that padding up that cheek area to create proper support  had to be worth some experimentation.

A simple cheap fix is never far away these days, and dedicated cheek padding sets can be bought for £20-£30. I had one in the cupboard, from a company called Tourbon, and I was eager to try it. This is simple stuff – just pull the neoprene sleeve over the butt section, and then squeeze in one of the foam inserts to gain desired height. The process needs patience, but the results can be amazing. 
With the padding in place, I could now feel proper support, and groups instantly tightened dramatically to half an  inch. Blimey! What a difference! 

Firing Cycle

The pseudo two-stage trigger is basic and non-adjustable, but squeeze through the creep, and it’s quite acceptable. As for the firing cycle, there is a fair amount of felt recoil, but the smooth internals feel like a spring guide is calming things down somewhat – definitely impressive for the money. Velocity over the chronograph showed respectable consistency, too, with a 10-shot string using Weihrauch FT Exact Jumbo pellets giving a total spread of 24fps. Testing with SMK Black Pointed, trimmed that to just 10fps, which is excellent, to be fair.

Conclusion

Overall, I think we have to conclude that the Accumax-S1 is a capable little springer. Maybe not quite the wonder gun that ASI’s sales team would have me believe, but a stylish little rifle with great potential, nonetheless. It is smooth, and it certainly proved accurate once the cheek area had been remedied, so I can’t really complain. It’s the perfect starter gun, backed up by ASI’s Lifteime Warranty, too. 

Tech specs

Model: Accumax-S1
Manufacturer: ASI, Turkey
Type: Break-barrel, spring-powered
Calibre: .22 on test, .177 available
Weight: 5.75lbs    
Length: 44”
Barrel: 17”
Stock: Synthetic sporter
Velocity: Over 10-shot string using: 
Weihrauch FT Exact Jumbo pellets /
SMK Black BS55 Pointed
High 582fps    High 590fps
Low 558fps                Low 580fps
Ave 572fps        Ave 585fps
Spread 24fps     Spread 10fps
Energy: 11.5 ft.lbs/11.7 ft.lbs.
Trigger: Two-stage non-adjustable
Price: £150
Options: W1 Wood Finish stock  £178: C1 Camo stock £228
Contact: Anglo Spanish Imports 
www.a-s-i.co.uk 
PRICE: From £150