Is Your Gun a Clone?
There is a growing number of excellent guns coming from China that are very good clones of some European-made offerings. There are some advantages to these Chinese offerings in that you can have a similar-performing gun for a much reduced cost to you the consumer. In many cases, the performance is on par with the European equivalents.
Not all of these guns mentioned below are carried by Airgun Depot, but I thought a good list would be of assistance to you, the loyal reader of this blog provided by Airgun Depot. Even if the actual air gun in question is not carried by Airgun Depot, the ammunition for it certainly is, and you can keep your clone fed with quality ammo from Airgun Depot.
There are a number of Chinese factories offering similar guns, and this list is by no means exhaustive. It's just a quick reference to some of the offerings out there that may help you make up your mind on just what to buy.
In the PCP arena, you have the following:
B-50/51 - cloned from the Daystate Huntsman
In the spring-piston category, the number of offerings vastly increases:
B-25 - cloned from the RWS/Diana 34
B-26 - cloned from the Beeman R9
B-28 - clone from the RWS 350
B-30 - clone from the RWS/Diana 48
B-40 - cloned from the Air Arms TX200
TF-21 - cloned from the RWS/Diana 48
Pneumatic guns include:
Marksman 2004, 2005, 2006 - cloned from the Beeman P3
CO2 Guns-
QB-78 - a close copy of the Crosman 160
Some airguns you see from well-known makers are imported and subsequently re-branded for sale in the USA. There is no effort to deceive as the origin of each gun is clearly stamped on the gun somewhere. Several of the Beeman Sportsman series guns are of this type, while the "R" series are German-made.
There are some more extensive lists available on the internet of what model Chinese gun coincides with the European model is seeks to emulate. But the above list is a good place to start with some of the current models being offered for sale.
In addition to the Chinese clones, there are clones now coming from Turkey as well. Perhaps in the future, we'll take a look at some of these offerings to further broaden our airgun knowledge.
'Til next time.....
