A Different Calibre: September 2014

UPDATE: These are no longer being imported into the UK.

We have a few of these left but are 'sold as seen' with no warranty etc as Evanix UK are no longer importing.

Contact us here

The new version has a longer stock and the valve is now discreetly underneath instead of out to the side. Please refer to the new photos at the end of the review.
Please get your orders in if you want one as our last batch sold out very quickly.

Out and about with 'my' Evanix GTL480 Semi-Auto air rifle. I 'borrowed' the demo model of this gun we have in the shop and I have to say I am fairly impressed.

In the UK we are not legally allowed to have semi-auto rifles of any type, except in .22 rimfire (as in bullet firing). However we are allowed to have them if they have a smooth bore. Strangely (according to BASC) it would seem that it isn't illegal to own a rifled version, but it is to sell them. Figure that one out for yourselves. Working with our suppliers at AC Guns in Hastings we had Korean company Evanix make up this especially to be legal for the UK market.

Evanix GTL480S Semi Automatic Air Rifle

The styling is very military, almost 'starship troopers' or 'aliens' in it's looks. This might not be to everyones' taste but you soon forget about it when using it.

Not quite a colonial marine's weapon.

The smooth bore barrel doesn't seem to make much difference regarding accuracy. I was getting good groupings at 30 yards with no problems and provided you want this gun for close pest control and plinking it will serve you well. Obviously with the smooth bore you will get 'flyers' but this was acceptable (see my accuracy report below). I can't see many serious target clubs allowing this to be used, but it really isn't built for that market.

Please be aware that some RFD's are claiming that semi-auto with a rifled barrel is okay to sell. Our legal team and importers have checked this with the home office and BASC and this is not the case.

Do you really need semi-auto?
For most of the shooting I do, a semi-auto isn't required at all and I would assume that for most airgunners, the same is true. This gun comes down to want rather than need! In short, this is a fun piece of kit to use. Evanix also make the GTL in full auto...but not legal in the UK in any guise I'm afraid.
The action on this is very smooth, it is cycled by an electro-mechanical system with the battery capable of 4000 shots before needing a recharge (Mains pack supplied with the gun).

The GTL has numerous accessory rails for attachments such as sights and lights. I have mounted a Hawke laser/torch combo foregrip on this one for fast action rat shooting which works really well. The laser also allows rapid firing from the hip (frowned upon by the more 'mature' members of our shop team but good plinking fun!)

Currently I have a BSA Majestic 6.5-20x44 scope mounted. This has a 30mm tube and the light gathering ability is more than adequate for evening shooting. The LED light is good and goes out to 150 yards with no issues. The red laser combo is a nice idea, but it takes a bit of effort to zero it in. We zeroed the laser at 20 yards for close action but I found the light of more use.

There's a video of this in action on our website and youtube channel , although this is made by Evanix and shows the rifled version.

I'll be putting some video of this one in use up soon on some targets and on some pest control (rats) as soon as possible to give you a better idea of what it is capable of.

Weighing in at 3.9Kg, this is not light gun despite being fairly short and compact, but it is fairly well balanced and with the added foregrip gives a stable platform. It works equally well using a bipod and the quick release screws on both means a change can be made in minutes and without tools.
Evanix have done a really good job with the composite air bottle to reduce the weight and the big bottle is needed (at least when you first get it) due to the large amounts of pellets you will unleash.

The stock and frame are made from aluminium to help with the weight and this means you don't have to worry about rust. The magazine holds 10 pellets in .22, which I find is adequate, but to begin with you do tend to fire as fast as you can so will run out quickly. I found that BSA Storm Pellets worked perfectly well as do Crosman pointed.

The big 480cc bottle will do you 300 shots before needing a refill. (Evanix states 60 but the UK version is rated at 12ftlb so does a lot more.) Filling off a dive bottle is easy enough, the valve is on the underside of the gun and uses the same push fitting as most UK Daystate air rifles. The pressure gauge is accurate. I found a noticable drop with the pellets as the pressure was towards the lower end as many air rifles do.

Side filling valve -Note Redesign 2015
valve is now underneath.

The magazine holds 11 pellets and can be loaded from either side of the gun. It is a bit fiddly to load and you need to use something to seat the pellets properly (end of an allen key is fine). Having said that the mag rotates freely to allow easy loading and I haven't found it all that of an issue having to push them in slightly. I didn't have any issues with the magazine when he gun was in use, it all works nicely with no jams.
Evanix do make a double magazine for 22 pellets however they are not yet available in the UK.

Electric off switch.

It has two safety buttons, one is the electric on/off switch in red, the other is a standard trigger locking switch. A story doing the rounds is that a technician at Evanix put his finger in the breech and the gun fired on full auto. As it's auto cycling the air pipe that pushes the pellet into the barrel acted like a hole punch on his finger! It might well just be a story or some Korean urban legend but either way it's something to be aware of.
The battery pack is easy to get to. The rubber end of the stock pulls away and it just slides out ready to be recharged.

Battery slides out no problem

Overall length is 915mm, you can put an additional silencer on the end as well, but I found that the already shrouded barrel works very well considering how short it is. The two stage trigger is fairly good but isn't adjustable and neither is the stock length, which is a shame as other Evanix rifles such as the Sniper do have these features. The trigger linkage however is smooth enough for accuracy, has a good tactile response and goes off at under 3lbs of pressure. It has quite a short trigger pull but there isn't any noticable delay in it's response once you hit the second stage, which has been an issue on some electro-mechanical actions on other airguns. Notably though it does take a few shots to get used to the whiring noise by your head, as the first stage pull cycles the mag and the second fires off the pellet.

Accuracy
The pictures below are of a standard 'small' competition target with 'splash' marking when hit.

Our first target shown here is us zeroing for the first time. You can see the first two shots that were to the left moving up, followed by a higher tight grouping after adjustment. This was then taken down for the second grouping clustered in the black. These shots were taken at 30 yards firing slowly.

GTL480S Zeroing and scope adjustment

The second target shown is rapid fire action of all 11 pellets in one go, again at 30 yards. The grouping is still pretty good, but started to go wide towards the last few. First shots are towards the bullseye with wider ones towards the end of the magazine. I was fairly pleased with this, it being my first go with it. Out on the pest control you would never need to fire off this many shots in such a short space of time, so if multiple hits and 'next target' shots are what you want then this will work really well for rapid fire of 2 to 3 shots. Again this comes down to what you want the rifle for. As yet we haven't tested it for longer ranges, will try to get that on video in the next week or so.

GTL480 on rapid fire -All 11 pellets in one go.

The current price is £1599 and we now have these in stock at our shop in Letchworth. Please be aware that we cannot send these out by mail order.

As for GTL480S.....well the 480 refers to the size of the 480cc air bottle. The S is for Semi-Auto. The GTL? Giant Tactical Lightweight would be my guess but feel free to make up your own name.

We have had a bit of time to use it out on pest control, now that the crops have been cut we are getting a fair few rats pushed our way. Here's a few pictures of Andrew. He has his hood up as we really thought it would be unfair for his face to detract from the rifle...?!....Video to follow soon on our youtube channel.

Andrew in the woods shooting right handed for once. It works fine for both left and right handed shots.

Hawke forgrip with laser/torch combo on the front.

Andrew shooting left handed is more usual for him.

Rainstorm Bullpup -An alternative

For those who like the 'futuristic' styling but are on a tighter budget and don't need/want the semi-auto feature, the Rainstorm Bullpup at £699 would be a good alternative, this is a side lever action multi-shot and has had excellent reviews in some of the airgun magazines.This also takes a front mounted fore-grip or bipod.

If you like the Evanix actions but prefer a more traditional looking gun then there is the Blizzard S10 or the Windy City.

Overall the GTL is a good, well made, fun air rifle but it won't suit everyones' taste and won't suit every airgunner's shooting 'methods' either. Although Andrew (the boss) who prefers a more traditional long range rifle enjoyed using it...and he shoots left handed, so it is ambidextrous.

If used as intended it is an excellent piece of kit and I am certainly going to use it out in the field more (if I'm allowed).

Rats don't stand a chance with the semi-auto action.

Pros

Semi-automatic
Responsive trigger
Large air capacity
Easy to fill
Military styling*
2 way safety system
Lots of accessory rails
Quiet
Ambidextrous
Accurate for pest control
Additional silencer available

Cons

A bit on the heavy side.
Smooth Bore
'Flyers'
Military styling*
Lack of adjustment
Not a target rifle.
Price

NEW NOTES ETC:

For those asking the modifications for the new model are shown below. A longer rear stock is much more comfortable and the underside valve is much more discreet. It is only available in .22 calibre and cannot be tuned to 'fac' power legally.