Reximex Myth reviewed
The Reximex Myth combines sharp tactical looks with an innovative dual-air supply system. Rich Saunders takes a closer look.
Looking at the Reximex Myth
Turkey has been a hotbed for new air rifles in recent years, many pitched at the low to middle end of the PCP financial spectrum. Manufacturers like Hatsan and Kral have hit on a winning combination of good-looking rifles matched to reliable actions sold at reasonable prices. (More on PCP air rifles here.)
If you’re looking for leading edge, ground-breaking technological innovation, it’s fair to say that Turkish companies are, on the whole, going to disappoint.
But you know what? Fancy gadgets, electronic trickery and double-regulated actions simply don’t do it for many. Some are put off by the price all this commands, while others don’t trust it.
A solid, dependable rifle that performs well and doesn’t cost the earth will do very nicely. But we’re a fickle lot and regardless of price, we expect a certain level of refinement.
The reality is that today there are very few truly bad or inaccurate PCPs. Of course, some are better than others, but as a general rule, most will deliver more than acceptable levels of accuracy. So, you could argue, what’s the point of spending thousands of pounds if a £500 rifle will be accurate enough?
The answer is that accuracy is one thing, but we’re attracted by plenty of other attributes like aesthetics, handling, fit, engineering quality, reliability – the list goes on. The question is, if you are spending to a budget, how far are you prepared to compromise on those attributes?
In other words, how far are you prepared to go to find the point where desirability and price meet?
Much will depend on the individual’s budget of course, but Turkish companies seem to have a better appreciation of this sweet spot than most.
And that’s where Reximex comes in; yet another Turkish company that most of us haven’t heard of and has seemingly been hiding its PCP light under a bush. Now, thanks to exclusive UK importer and distributor Range Right, our choices just got a little bit harder.
Over here, the rifles we’ll get to purchase in .22 and .177 calibre are the Regime, Pretensis and Reximex Myth. Back in Turkey, they are branded the Apex, Daystar and Tormenta respectively. The pistol is sold in Turkey as the RPA, but is branded as the Mito over here. Carrying a price tag of £599, we’ve got the Myth to take a closer look at, which has two onboard air cylinders.
Reximex Myth Key specs
Make: Reximex (www.reximex.com) Model: Myth UK distributor: Range Right Ltd (www.range-right.co.uk) Price: £599 Type: Multi-shot PCP with integrated regulator Barrel finish: Rifled black steel Calibre: .177 and .22 (tested) Magazine: Two cassette magazines Capacity: 14 pellets in .177, 12 in .22 Overall length: 840mm without moderator Barrel length: 380mm Weight: 2.8kg without scope and moderator Stock: Ambidextrous synthetic Sights: Hybrid dovetail/Picatinny rail Length of pull: 380mm (adjustable) Trigger: Two-stage Safety: Manual Muzzle energy: 11.4 foot pounds
Taking Stock
Turkish rifles are usually associated with walnut stocks. Not so on the Reximex line-up. The black synthetic handle on the Reximex Myth is ambidextrous and durable; it’s the kind of rifle you’d be happy clambering around farmyards with and taking into battle against gates and fences.
Weighing 2.8kg without a scope and measuring 840mm without a silencer, it’s light and compact and comes with a set of sling studs and a Picatinny rail. A 250cc steel air bottle serves as the rifle butt and provides a pull length that can be adjusted.
A plastic sleeve fits over the bottle. If you need to, you can lengthen the pull length by slackening off a grub screw and moving the sleeve back. There’s no height adjustment on the comb, not that you need it because eye alignment to a scope is fine, but the recoil pad can be adjusted for height by pushing in a sprung button.
The pistol grip is equally comfortable for left- and right-handers with a large flat bottom that bench shooters will like.
And although it looks like there’s a trap door put in place for a storage compartment, there actually isn’t – so don’t be tempted to poke it with a knife and scratch the plastic. In any case, a slot just forward of the trigger guard will handily store your spare magazine.
The pistol grip has shelves on both sides to accommodate your thumb and guide your trigger finger, making a wraparound grip the most comfortable. Moulded stippling, which is also present on the cheek rest and fore end, adds texture and aids grip.
The fore end extends over most of the 130cc air cylinder, which is housed under the barrel and works in partnership with the rear air bottle to provide a combined 380cc of air. The overall effect is a rifle that comes quickly and naturally to the aim position and is comfortable to hold there.
The Mechanicals
The post and shoe design on the Reximex Myth can be adjusted for height and angle simply by loosening an Allen screw. Weight and length of pull can also be adjusted, but requires the removal of the stock, which also necessitates removing the safety catch.
Whilst I found twiddling with the settings adjusted the let-off, I couldn’t achieve any change in first- or second-stage travel. Now there’s a challenge for all you fettlers out there.
Having said that, although I couldn’t describe the trigger as silky smooth, it did let off very crisply and predictably with a second stage similar to that of a single-stage match trigger.
Located above, but outside of the trigger guard is the cross-bolt safety catch. Push through from the left to lock up the trigger and through from the right with your trigger finger when ready to take a shot.
Above that is the sidelever which looks similar to those on many Kral rifles. In fact several components look familiar, such as the magazine and muzzle cap, which can be removed to access a ½ inch UNF silencer thread. I’m guessing there’s a parts manufacturer doing a roaring trade.
Mounted on the right side with no facility to swap for lefties, the lever is sprung for the first stage and requires only a light pull to cock the action.
Pushing it forward again cycles a pellet through the 12-shot .22 magazine or 14-shot .177 mag. Two are supplied of the drum type. Filling requires a plastic faceplate to be rotated clockwise to load a spring and then returned anti-clockwise.
Inserting the magazine into the breech from the right-hand side requires a knack, but is easy once acquired. Numbers on the magazine are visible as you look down the rifle to tell you how many shots you have left, and once empty, the sidelever won’t return.
Speaking of air, the combined 380cc supply from the butt bottle and front cylinder will, according to Reximex, take a 250 bar fill.
However, Range Right recommends a more modest 200 bar fill for optimum performance and says you can expect a return of around 210 shots in .22 and 150 in .177. The cylinder is fitted with a rupture/burst disc in the event your hand slips on the dive bottle and you overfill to a dangerous level.
Pulling a plastic cap off the front of the cylinder exposes the fill port into which the supplied probe is inserted. The overall fill pressure is indicated on a dial located on the side of the cylinder next to the breech rather than under the muzzle – another tick from me.
Clear markings include yellow, green and red zones to make it easy to see how much air you have left.
Behind the gauge is a red power adjuster. The pointer in the upright position indicates full power and there are no fewer than nine just about distinguishable stops for different power levels.
As always, the ability to adjust power output is more relevant for high power models; other than for garden plinking, most UK shooters will probably turn the dial to the max and leave it there.
On The Range
There’s no denying the Reximeth Myth is a handsome and purposeful looking rifle and ticks a number of boxes: plenty of shot count, an adjustable stock and pleasing ergonomics that translate into a pointable rifle that is comfortable in the shoulder.
All of that is of course important, but no one likes a great looking rifle that shoots poorly. Thanks to the kind people at Reading Air Target Shooting club, I had the run of the range for a testing session.
The conditions were nigh on perfect as I worked through a large selection of .22 pellets, including Air Arms Diabolo Field (16gr), JSB Exact Jumbo (15.89gr), H&N Baracuda (18.13gr) and JSB Hades (15.89gr).
Shooting from a bench position with the Myth rested on a bag, all four pellets performed well, although the Air Arms and JSB Jumbos had the edge, returning sub-10p coin-sized groups at 30 yards.
On the chrono, the Myth returned a very consistent 11.4 ft-lb with an impressive variance of just five feet per second over a 30-shot string with the Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets. With the power switch in the mid-point range, output dropped to 10.6 ft-lb, and the lowest setting recorded 7.9 ft-lb.
I’m always keen to try out manufacturers’ claims regarding their guns’ shot count. It turned out that Range Right’s promise of 210 shots from a 200 bar fill is actually a pretty accurate one; I’d just about reached 100 bar with 200 shots when the Myth’s accuracy finally started to tail off.