VALUE FOR MONEY
At a Street Price of $450, the Barra 250z air rifle continues the company’s strategy of offering high performance, yet individual products at a very attractive price.
This has certainly been the case with other Barra products reviewed by HAM. For example, the 1100z PCP, 400e AEG – the most accurate BB gun HAM has ever reviewed – and the Schofield No. 3 CO2 replica pistol have all been HAM Gold Award winners.
The 250z continues this trend by Barra. Here we have a bolt action PCP with a HPA reservoir around the tube. It certainly makes an interesting-looking model, with no tube or bottle apparently in sight.
Of course, all the expected features are there, too. Multi-shot magazine operation, adjustable hammer spring tension, externally-adjustable regulator, Picatinny rail and M-Lok slots, AR pistol grip and collapsible stock.
So the Barra 250z air rifle is a comprehensive, innovative product. It’s also powerful, accurate and consistent.
Great value!
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Barra 250z PCP Air Rifle 0.22
SPEED AND ACCURACY
The Barra 250z air rifle tested by HAM delivered a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 1,167 FPS with the lightest – 10.03 Grain – H&N Field Target Trophy Green alloy pellets. The maximum with lead pellets was 1,119 FPS, achieved with the light 11.9 Grain RWS Hobby pellets, of course.
| Pellet | Average Muzzle Velocity | Average Muzzle Energy | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| H&N Field Target Trophy Green 10.03 Grain | 1,167.24 FPS | 30.35 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
| Predator GTO 11.75 Grain | 1,129.04 FPS | 33.26 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| RWS Hobby 11.9 Grain | 1,119.09 FPS | 33.10 Ft/Lbs | Poor. |
| Crosman Premier HP 14.3 Grain | 1,067.50 FPS | 36.19 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| JSB Jumbo Exact 14.35 Grain | 1,065.31 FPS | 36.17 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| H&N Field Target Trophy 14.66 Grain | 1,065.49 FPS | 36.96 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| Datstate Howler Slugs 20.3 Grain | 949.08 FPS | 40.61 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| H&N Baracuda Match 21.14 Grain | 952.69 FPS | 42.61 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| JSB Jumbo Monster 25.39 Grain | 898.37 FPS | 45.51 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. Best Tested. |
Much more important for the knowledgeable airgunner is the Muzzle Energy achieved by the gun. Here the test gun demonstrated a maximum of 45.51 Ft/Lbs when shooting 25.39 Grain JSB Jumbo Monster pellets at 898 FPS.
Best accuracy was achieved using the Jumbo Monsters. But multiple other pellets gave groups that were not far behind. However, both the lead-free pellets and the Daystate Howler slugs provoked hard loading when used in the 250z.
The 250z tested by HAM felt to “jump” a little with recoil each time it was shot. However this was a consistent effect and thus did not seem to impair accuracy.
The manufacturer’s website specifies that the Barra 250z air rifle has a rifled barrel with a 1:18 twist rate. They also state that the barrel is un-choked. That may indicate that good performance could be obtained shooting slugs.
At 25 Yards, the Barra 250z air rifle tested by HAM delivered this approximately 0.6-Inch Center-To-Center group for 10 shots. Pretty impressive!
Given that – for the only time I can ever remember – there was absolutely NO WIND on the test range, I also shot the following 10-shot group at 50 Yards.
Comparing the 50-Yard group to the shape of the 25-Yard group, it’s very tempting to call that one “high” shot at 50 Yards a flyer. If so, the group size at 50 Yards becomes approximately 1.30 Inches C-T-C for 9 (or maybe 10?) shots.
I’ll leave each reader to make your own call on that!
Note that, as with all HAM test targets, un-selected ammo was used, straight from the tin. The elevation and windage settings on the scope were the same – unchanged – for both targets. The “Plinker Grade” shooter was the same too…
TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT
The Barra 250z air rifles tested by HAM had an average trigger pull weight of 1 Lb 15 Oz. This is a two-stage trigger. The first stage is light and the second stage easily identified. There’s a push-across manual safety that’s large and easy to use.
The second stage is acceptable in out-of the box condition. There’s no “glass break” feeling, but it would be fine for hunting use. However, HAM Tester Doug Rogers would definitely want to try some adjustments, were it his own gun.
As we can see below, there are adjustment screws for both first stage and second stage lengths of pull.
Then there’s that bolt action. At a time when almost every new PCP – plus many not-so-new – have sidelever cocking actions, the Barra 250z air rifle goes retro with a chunky bolt action.
Yes, it’s old-fashioned, but it’s different today and more’s to the point, is very satisfying to operate. Sure, the bolt action requires some effort to cock, but it’s enjoyable effort.
Both HAM testers enjoyed re-discovering a bolt action air rifle after shooting so many sidelever actions. We’re guessing that you will, too!
COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
The Barra 250z air rifle tested by HAM was a pre-production model. So there needs to be a little “wiggle room” allowed for the results we achieved in this test as the gun was not set to exactly the final production specification.
The manufacturer’s website claims that the Barra 250z in .22 caliber is capable of firing pellets at up to 1000 FPS or over 50 Ft/Lbs.
While the pre-production gun tested by HAM cleared the FPS specification comfortably, it was a little light on the maximum power level, achieving 45.5 Ft/Lbs. However, given the capabilities inherent in the regulator and hammer spring adjustment capability, it’s clear to the HAM testers that 50 Ft/Lbs is definitely achievable by this gun.
Barra claims that the 250z “delivers the accuracy and power needed for long-range target practice or small game hunting.” HAM agrees that this is an appropriate assessment of the gun’s capabilities.
This is probably a good point to mention that the Barra 250z air rifle has design elements that are covered by a US Patent. The patent number – 10161703-B2 – is marked on the underside of the air tube.
There we find that this patent covers the design of a PCP air rifle with the HPA air reservoir around the barrel. The parent was filed in 2017 and issued on 25 December 2018, so it’s not a new concept.
The inventor is named as Mr Xu from Shaoxing Lingfeng Air Gun Manufacturing Co. Ltd in China. That’s Snowpeak Airguns to you and me…
CONSISTENCY
Stellar! The level of consistency demonstrated by the Barra 250z air rifle during it’s HAM testing was truly outstanding.
Take a look at the shootdown curve shown below. It shows an exceptionally-consistent Muzzle Velocity with an Extreme Spread of only 20 FPS across the 40 consistent shots before the regulator set pressure was reached.
That’s a Standard Deviation of only 4.04 FPS across the 40 shots and reinforces the average of the 10-shot Standard Deviations from the HAM standard test ammo of just 2.35 FPS for 10-shot groups.
The HAM testers have rarely seen a better shot curve. And – by the way – it’s many more shots than we were expecting from a small (322 cc) HPA reservoir and a fill pressure of 3,625 PSI.
Before starting this part of the test, we had 25 – 30 consistent shots in mind as a maximum shot count. The 250z proved us wrong and we’re glad of it!
Moving to consistency of trigger pull weight, the 250z tested by HAM recorded a variation of less than 2 Ounces from the average of 1 Lb 15 Oz. Again that’s outstanding and would do credit to an air rifle four or five times more expensive than the Barra 250z.
NOISE LEVEL
The Barra 250z air rifle is a powerful PCP. Because of the round the barrel HPA reservoir, it has no built-in silencer. The result can be only one thing. It’s loud!
Yes, there’s a threaded muzzle to the barrel, so an aftermarket silencer can be attached. However that will make the gun longer and – probably – more cumbersome to carry and shoot.
Unless you’re going to attach a dedicated air rifle silencer – where legal – the 250z is really not going to be backyard-friendly for many airgunners.
SIGHTS AND SCOPE
The Barra 250z air rifle includes a Picatinny rail for scope mounting. With a total “toothed” length of no less than 10 Inches, there’s plenty of space to mount just about any riflescope you might want to consider.
For this HAM test review, we installed a favorite Sightron S-TAC 3-16×42 scope using Leapers UTG PRO high rings. This combination handled well and weighed-in at a very reasonable total weight of 8 Lbs 8 Oz.
SHOOTABILITY
“The 250z fits me well and was easy to hold.” That’s HAM Tester Doug Rogers’ overall impression of this Barra air rifle.
The gun balances well and is comfortable to shoot. The slightly-grippy AR15-style pistol grip is very pleasant to use. It also allows for fitting any or a wide variety of alternatives, should it not be exactly to your choice.
The adjustable buttstock has multiple available length selections. Combined with the multi-position adjustable comb, there’s few people who will not be able to get comfortable behind the Barra 250z air rifle.
Oh, the buttpad is pleasantly deformable too. It’s not just a solid, hard plastic molding. That’s another sign that the manufacturer is trying hard and not just using the cheapest possible parts…
There’s fill pressure and regulator pressure gauges in the underside of the 250z’s stock.
Yes, we would like to see larger diameter gauges. However these have well-designed face plates and are very easy to read in practice. That brass setscrew between the gauges is the external adjustment control for the regulator setting.
As usual, it’s necessary to degass the gun when reducing the regulator set pressure. The 250z has a degassing screw, but you’ll find that on the TOP of the gun.
Yes, of course! It’s there because of the barrel-surrounding HPA reservoir. But note that you’ll likely need to pop off the scope in order to use the degassing screw.
The 10-shot (in .22 caliber) magazine is easy to load. It’s nice to see a metal rotor used, instead of the plastic in most other air rifles. Even if not strictly necessary, it enhanced the impression of durability that’s found throughout the 250z.
The mag loads from the left side. This is not our preferred choice, as it usually precludes the use of a “big wheel” for scope parallax adjustment.
However, the magazine “jumps” into position delightfully when offered into the breech. That’s the result of the high-strength magnet built into each magazine. Oh, two mags are included with each gun. Good move, Barra!
Now for a shootability negative. When using the single shot tray, I fumbled loading on one occasion. The result was that the pellet fell back through the bolt aperture in the receiver. It’s arrowed below.
Yes, this was my fault and HAM Tester Doug Rogers – clearly a more expert operator – did not have this problem. But my “missing pellet” ended-up stuck in the trigger mechanism, jamming under the sear.
The result of my mistake was that the gun would not fire. At least not until I popped the stock off and rectified the problem. But I knew what to do and how to do it. This could be a potential issue for the Barra 250z air rifle, so take care when using that single shot tray.
APPEARANCE AND FINISH
Of course, the key feature of the Barra 250z air rifle is that “round the barrel” HPA reservoir. This means that there is no conventional air tube or bottle under the barrel.
It’s a design feature that certainly makes the 250z look sleek, even svelte. The HAM testers both like it.
But note that some will probably think this is actually a firearm as they cannot see an air bottle or tube. Responsible handling should minimize this issue…
Even though the review gun was a pre-production model, the level of surface finish to both metal and plastic parts was very high.
Parts fit and even printing were also of a very high order. The Barra 250z air rifle certainly does not give the appearance of being built down to a price!
BUYING AND OWNING
Barra airguns are steadily becoming more widely available in both big box and online stores. This is a good thing and – of course – you can buy directly from the Barra Airguns website, should you wish.
As already mentioned. the 250z is supplied complete with two magazines and a single shot tray. The English-only manual is very well written and illustrated. These are all good things!
Should the owner want to adjust the hammer spring tension, this is easy to do. Simply unthread the buttstock’s buffer tube and you’ll find the adjustment screw…
One thing to note is that the 250z uses a probe for filling with High Pressure Air. As always, the HAM Team would prefer to have a “standard” Foster-type quick-disconnect fitting as there’s then one thing less to loose – particularly where you have multiple PCPs available.
Also there’s no cap for the fill port. We would definitely like to see one here, even though it’s another small part that would easily be lost in the field.
Finally we feel that the buttstock should be relieved around the fill port. Yes, it does work, however we’d prefer to see a little more clearance for the female quick disconnect body
The warranty is for 12 months – so long as you register online with Barra. If you fail to do this, the warranty is just 90 days: Barra is clearly giving you a message here. Don’t forget to sign-up!
TEST TARGETS
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Barra 250z PCP Air Rifle 0.22
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