Precihole Match Pro pistol

Precihole Sports has emerged as the number one airgun brand in India. Apparently, its home market is huge, which makes sense given the size of the country, yet getting the word out about quality and value for money farther afield can take time and resources.

The recent tie up with Air Arms, now signed up as its global distributor, looks to be a shrewd move for both parties. Precihole gets an instant flag up throughout the Air Arms network of dealers, while Air Arms has plans for an additional range of models, (made cheaper by Precihole), which gets a host of new shooters into the Air Arms family.

The news broke at last year’s British Shooting Show, and I was intrigued to handle the merchandise early on. I’ve now tested the two indoor match rifles — the Club Pro Junior and the Match Pro Rifle — and both were an eye opener, and a satisfying introduction to the brand.

Is the Percihole Match Pro good for 10-metre targets?

On test here is the Match Pro pistol, and again, this model is aimed fairly and squarely at the indoor fraternity. Stop to consider the 10-metre target shooting scene, and it soon becomes clear that top match-grade PCP pistols, from the big players such as Feinwerkbau, Walther, Steyr and the like, will set us back between £1,500-£2,400. The brand will be keen to explain how it really is no cheaper producing a pistol compared to a rifle (requiring all the same number of processes and components), which is true enough. That’s still an eye-watering outlay though in anyone’s book, and not something to be taken on lightly by any novice looking to try their arm in this arm of our wonderful sport. Check out the cost of this Precihole, and sub £700 looks a lot more favourable. So let’s take a look and see how it shapes up, in this ultra competitive arena.

A smart padded hard case comes included with the pistol, and alongside this, we get a probe-style filing adaptor, security padlock, barrel safety flag, tools and instructions. The Match Pro is a PCP as mentioned, and since indoor pistols are set to a maximum energy of 6ft/lb, that means shot count is fairly generous, as we’ll see shortly.

I love the bold styling of this pistol, and with a long sight line and a totally floating barrel (so no contact with the cylinder) the integrity of the system is assured.

The filler valve is a neat design, being basically a straight line “stick”. One end acts as the probe, inserting straight into the pistol’s inlet valve, and the other snaps straight into a Foster female connector. With Foster a common fitting to be found, this is a big help. However, on test, the adaptor did prove an irritatingly tight fit into the valve. Recommended fill pressure is 160 bar with this pistol, which is nice and low in the big scheme of things, so I stuck to that. Charge slowly, remove the probe, then twist closed the neat dust cover on the valve.

How do you cock the Precihole Match Pro’s action?

The next job concerns those synthetic grips. It’s a clever design, ambidextrous, yet with sufficient palm swell and thumb / finger shelves all part of the ergonomic configuration, it’s massively impressive in the aim. The palm shelf is removable and adjustable, so it can be fixed to either side. Just set the height to support the hand in the aim, and you’ll feel the benefit immediately. One negative here is the sharp edges — firstly under the centre of the rear section, then the left edges top and bottom of the palm shelf plate. These could do with rounding and smoothing in production, but it’s a minor thing I know. Indeed, if this were my pistol, I’d take a hot knife to it.

To cock the action, pull back the side-mounted cocking arm, and lift up to 90 degrees, to set the trigger. Roll a pellet into the loading channel and press down the lever.

The two-stage trigger on this Match Pro is quite simply excellent. It came set to perfection. A short first stage, reasonable weight, then a light crisp second stage release — so I didn’t make any changes. It is, however, fully adjustable; for length of first pull, weight of first pull, over-travel, weight of second stage and release point. Oh, and the blade can also slide along its carrier.

The all-metal rear sight comes with screw adjusters for windage and elevation, although, here, no numbers are shown and movement is a little vague. The rear notch “leaf” is reversible, however, and, of course, once set, that is normally it for the duration.

What is the Precihole Match Pro like to shoot?

As for the firing cycle, the action feels quick, with the shot a quick snap release, as the ported muzzle brake goes about its business. There is a small amount of resonance from the action, but it’s near as damn it recoilless, and all very satisfying nonetheless. One final detail at this stage worth mentioning is that the Match Pro has a dry-fire facility. Pull up the cocking arm, then press the silver button on the right side, close the lever down, and the trigger can then be pulled for sensation, with no air released. Cock and repeat.

One hundred and forty shots are claimed, and I managed that from the recommended 160 bar fill pressure, taking me down to a residual 60 bar on the pistol’s manometer. Analysing consistency is interesting here, and looking at my recorded figures, the first 40 shots come in with a total spread of 38fps, which is reasonable. However, discount the first 40 shots, and there’s then a run of 80 shots within 24fps, so clearly charging to a lower pressure will be beneficial and deliver a very consistent shot string. Take it from me, you wont detect an impact change with a total variation of 20fps, and certainly not over 10 yards. The Match Pro has bags of potential, just do your homework with the aid of a chronograph.

Is the Precihole Match Pro worth the money?

As for accuracy, four-shot groups that can support a pellet says it all. Yes, they were shot from a rest as I’m no pistol shot these days. But I know a decent piece of serious hardware when I see it, and this Match Pro is just bang on the money. Slickly made, well presented, and all the features are here, making it the perfect introduction to the disciplined world of indoor target shooting.

Precihole Match Pro pistol technical specifications

Model: Precihole Sports Match Pro Pistol
Manufacturer: Precihole Sports, India
Type: 10m PCP target pistol
Calibre: .177 only
Weight: 2.2lbs
Length: 16.5in
Barrel: 9.7in
Stock: Ambidextrous anatomical composite target configuration, with adjustable palm shelf
Power source: External pump or divers bottle
Trigger: Two-stage adjustable
Fill pressure: 160 bar recommended maximum
Shot count: 140 shots recorded on test using Air Arms Diabolo Express pellets, shot down to a residual 60 bar
Velocity: First 40 shots/ over 140 shots
High 489fps/ High 515fps
Low 451fps/ Low 451fps
Ave 470fps/ Ave 483fps
Total spread 38fps/ Total spread 64fps
Energy: 3.9ft/lb ave 4.1ft/lb
RRP: £674 as shown, including filling adaptor, Allen keys and dedicated hard case
Website: air-arms.co.uk