AirMaks Arms Krait MKII review: bullpup PCP air rifle tested

At this year’s British Shooting Show I popped onto the AirMaks stand to see Chris Roberts, who is an integral part of the AirMaks UK team. He was quick to usher me behind a drawn curtain to show me this latest addition to the Krait family. The rifle I’m reviewing here is actually Chris’ own rifle, and the very same one that he had at the show, albeit with the new innards fitted, of which there are many.

At the time of writing, the new MKII Krait rifles are being shipped to the UK, and they may well already have landed by the time you are reading this.

The new Krait MKII brings the family of Krait rifles to a whopping 20 different formats, including the Krait, Krait-T, Krait Pro, Krait MKII, Krait MKII Pro and Krait Lite versions, with different specifications for each of those models – Standard, Long, Long High Power and Extra High Power. Quite a collection, I’m sure you’ll agree.

There are four models available in the Krait MKII range at present, including the Standard on test here, the Long, Long High Power and Extra High Power versions.

The Krait MKII Standard I have here in .177 has a 400mm barrel and 300cc carbon bottle. There’s a 15cc plenum at the rear, but also an extra 70cc pre-plenum in front of the regulator, which means you’ve actually got around 370cc of air at your disposal. As far as shot count goes, this set up actually gives around 10 per cent more shots than the original Krait, so in the case of this .177 version that’s around 275.

All the barrel lengths are available choked or unchoked and have a 1:17.7 twist. All models also feature a modular shroud CZ barrel system, which at sub-12ft/lb gives the rifle a very quiet report from the muzzle, even when used without a 1/2in UNF threaded moderator.

Another great addition are the small Picatinny rails. There’s one in front of the trigger guard to take a bipod, but there are another two where the barrel joins the block, one either side of it in fact, which will be handy for adding an IR torch or regular lamp – or both!

Prices are RRP at the time of publication and may have changed since.

New internals

This new Krait MKII features a newly designed block as well as a brand-new regulator, which AirMaks have designed themselves, plus a new valve and anti-bounce hammer system. Both the regulator and hammer spring are easily adjustable – even the UK sub-12ft/lb versions can be tuned. There’s a clicking wheel at the rear of the stock, which allows you to adjust the hammer spring really easily, so there’s no more fiddling about with Allen keys.

Straight from Hawke Optics, the regulator is set to around 70 bar, but this can be adjusted from between 50 to 110 bar. This can now be achieved with the rifle still under pressure, unlike previous incarnations that had to be drained of air first. You can also adjust the hammer spring yourself if you so wish.

Great trigger

The adjustable trigger on this rifle is great. It features a gently curved trigger blade, which is two-stage adjustable for length and weight. I like the fact that the blade itself is quite wide too, it sits really nicely on the pad of your trigger finger.

There is a manual AR15-style safety lever immediately above and behind the trigger unit, which can also be swapped out from left to right with the aid of a flathead screwdriver if required.

Chris obviously likes a relatively long first stage pull, which this test rifle has. The first stage comes to an abrupt halt and then it requires minimal pressure for it to release.

Fully adjustable

Everything about the new Krait MKII has been engineered to an extremely high standard, and the machined components are produced to ridiculously high tolerances. The level of craftsmanship is superb, and everything feels great as soon as you pick one up. What’s more, they are completely customisable, right off the shelf. For instance, the length of pull can be adjusted via the two Allen screws to extend the length of the butt stock.

The cheekpiece is a new feature too, and whereas before it was adjustable for height plus slant, you can now slide it along the horizontal plane too – a superb idea to help you get the perfect eye/scope alignment. It’s all easily adjusted via four flathead Allen bolts spaced 25mm apart on two brackets. For the height and slant, adjusting both screws to the same height allows the cheekpiece to be raised up or down, but if you loosen just one of them you can tilt the cheekpiece up from the front or from the rear. For the cheek position on the stock, simply undo the two flathead bolts that are countersunk into the cheekpiece and slide it horizontally to where you want it, then tighten it all up.

Up top there’s an extended 250mm-long Picatinny scope rail that has a 20 MOA gradient integrated into it. While I’m on the subject of the top rail, I would highly suggest that you opt for medium or high mounts when attaching a scope. They just give that little extra height (around 6mm) and make the whole thing more comfortable to achieve perfect eye/scope alignment.

When it comes to filling the rifle with air there’s a male Foster fitting on the right-hand side of the action. Just connect your female Foster whip and fill it to 300 bar.

New grip and side-lever

The pistol grip on the MKII has changed, too. It’s a more comfortable, rubberised ambidextrous FAB Defence grip, which is slightly more upright compared to the AR15-type grip on the original Krait. I really like it. It is manufactured from reinforced polymer with a textured rubber coating on the outside and feels great to hold.

I love the short stroke side-lever on all the Krait rifles, it cocks the rifle with just over a 90 degree pull with very little effort, then slides back into position with a positive muffled click. The 55mm long drop handle is chunky and feels great in your hand when cocking. The side-lever can also be swapped from right to left in a matter of seconds for those who shoot left-handed.

New magazines

AirMaks has upgraded its spring-loaded alloy magazines to hold projectiles measuring 14mm long. Each magazine now features a magnetic faceplate, which you simply pull off to reveal the rotary drum underneath. It’s a “drop in” type magazine and very easy to use, and once filled you simply drop the faceplate back into position and it snaps in place with a satisfying “click” thanks to the super strong magnets.

The .177 magazine holds 18 pellets, while the .22 holds 16, which is more than enough for most hunting situations. The magazine can only be inserted into the rifle one way, and that is from right to left. It slots in with a positive “click” and is held in place via a sprung ball bearing system.

These magazines also feature an “anti-double feed” system, which eliminates the possibility of double loading – something many manufacturers often overlook.

Great performance

As per usual I headed off to my local club range with this rifle, and it didn’t disappoint – I mean, why would it? As expected, it is absolutely pellet on pellet out to 30m, and at 40m I was punching groups in the paper targets the size of my fingernail from the bench. The far wall of this range is set at 53m, and even out there the Krait MKII performed seamlessly, hitting the spinners with ease.

This latest addition to the Krait family is a true all-rounder and is equally at home on a club range – like mine at Range & Country in Sleaford – as it will be in the field knocking over rabbits. The ease of use, reliable performance and pinpoint accuracy dictates that.

Whether you’re a hunter, club shooter or competition shooter, the new AirMaks Arms Krait MKII is absolutely everything you’re ever going to need in a rifle.