Brocock Concept Lite Test Review .177 Caliber

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Brocock Concept Lite is a recently introduced member of the company’s semi-bullpup PCP platform that was started with the (still available) Compatto a few years back.

With a Street Price of $1,200, it’s clearly not a low cost air rifle. However this pricing is at the lower end of the “quality” PCP market.

Given the quality of results and finish – not to mention the considerable customisability of the Concept Lite – it’s clearly great value for the price being asked. HAM Tester Doug Rogers, who’s used to high end air rifles, commented “I really like this gun” in his testing notes. That’s a definite recommendation!

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Brocock Concept Lite

SPEED AND ACCURACY

The Brocock Concept Lite tested by HAM achieved a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 1096.20 FPS with the lightest Gamo Platinum pellets in our standard test suite. The highest achieved with lead pellets was 989.30 FPS with 7.0 Grain RWS Hobbys.

However, most purchasers of this air rifle will be far less interested in these numbers than the 970-ish FPS that’s achieved with mid-weight domed lead pellets. This is a more suitable velocity for practical accuracy. Indeed, many knowledgeable owners may turn the power adjustment down a notch to obtain slightly slower numbers – at least in .177 caliber.

Overall accuracy displayed by the Brocock Concept tested by HAM was excellent. Moreover, it was excellent with a wide range of pellets. That’s very unusual and a significant benefit for many shooters. It means that the gun will likely work well with their existing favorite pellets, rather than require an extensive search to find a new “perfect pellet”.

HAM Tester Doug Rogers is convinced that the fliers on his 25-yard target below are the result of the “heavy looking” FFP reticle making it difficult for him to consistently find the bull. That tight group of 7 shots represents – he is convinced – the real accuracy of the air rifle.

That group has a Center-To-Center width of 0.2 Inches and a vertical CTC of 0.43 Inches. Pretty good! Obviously Doug had left the scope elevation turret unchanged after shooting the 10-Yard targets with the same H&N Baracuda Match pellets.

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

Trigger Pull Weight of the Brocock Concept Lite tested by HAM averaged just less than 2 Lbs 6 Oz. The first stage of the sample reviewed by HAM had an extremely light first stage. The second stage was very well defined and quite crisp. However, the average Trigger Pull Weight of 2 Lbs 6 Oz is clearly set for hunting use rather than target shooting.

The trigger is adjustable, so the pull weight could be lightened. However HAM always tests airguns with the trigger set as received, so we didn’t experiment with that.

The manual safety uses a side-to-side “paddle” lever for operation. This works very well for right-handed shooters. However, it’s less convenient for left-handers who will need to change their grip on the gun to knock off the safety before firing.

HAM Tester Doug Rogers really liked the the slick cocking action. The large, perforated bolt handle won his approval too. Doug thought that this was one of the best features of the gun from an operational perspective.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

The manufacturer claims that the Brocock Concept Lite combines considerable versatility in configuration with high quality and light weight. That’s clearly been achieved!

Maximum power in .177 caliber is specified as 18 Ft/Lbs. The gun tested by HAM exceeded this with 18.37 Ft/Lbs using heavy H&N Baracuda Match pellets.

CONSISTENCY

The Brocock Concept Lite tested by HAM demonstrated excellent consistency in a number of ways.

First was the consistently excellent accuracy across multiple pellet types, as demonstrated by the test targets.

Next was the extremely low average Standard Deviation (the measure of shot-to-shot consistency within a string). This was just 3.34 FPS across the whole range of HAM test pellets. This is – we think – the best figure ever recorded.

Then there’s the trigger. The average Pull Weight was 2 Lbs 5.9 Ozs. The highest and lowest Pull Weights we recorded on test varied by only 1.5 Ounces. This is an entirely imperceptible level of variation and, again, is extremely low compared to almost any other air rifle HAM has tested.

As we can see from the shot count chart below, the Concept Lite tested by HAM produced 60 regulated shots from one fill of its small, 150 cc (9 cubic Inch) tank. Using JSB 7.87 Grain pellets, the average was 965 FPS for 60 shots, with a low of 955 FPS and a high of 974 FPS.

The Huma regulator’s set pressure was clearly reached at around shot 60. After this, the Muzzle Velocity declined steadily with decreasing HPA pressure as expected.

The gently – but steadily – increasing trend of increasing FPS across the shot string clearly indicates that the Concept Lite has been tuned at the factory for maximum shot count. (See HAM Technical Editor Bob Sterne’s post on Using Hammer Strike To Control PCP Power for more details). That explains the excellent shot count from a relatively small HPA tank.

NOISE LEVEL

The Concept Lite has a shrouded barrel that provides a quiet report when fired – especially considering the relatively short length and small diameter of the shroud. So it’s “backyard friendly” in factory condition and would – of course – be even quieter at lower power settings.

However the front of the shroud includes a threaded muzzle nut that can be removed if required to add additional silencing equipment. Alternatively, the Brocock Muzzle Brake would make a great-looking replacement!

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

For this test review, we installed an MTC Cobra F1 4-16×50 First Focal Plane scope. MTC Optics and Brocock are part of the same group of companies, so this seemed like a logical combination. We used a pair of UTG Pro scope rings from Leapers too.

Overall, this proved to be a great combination that balanced well in use both for offhand and rested shooting.

This was HAM Tester Doug Rogers first serious time using a FFP scope. He felt that it would be great for hunting, but was less suitable for target shooting as the reticle tended to block out the bull at higher magnifications – as described above. Of course, this is a characteristic of all FFP scopes.

SHOOTABILITY

The Brocock Concept Lite impressed the HAM testers with its shootability! Doug Rogers’ testing notes read “Easy to shoot. Comfortable.”

It’s a compact, chunky-feeling air rifle that has that “just right” feeling at the shoulder. This is largely due to the very solid Aluminum chassis that forms the “lower” of the action. Of course, the collapsible AR15-style stock allows for a wide range of pull lengths and that’s very useful.

If this was the personal property of either of the HAM testers, we would further improve it by adding an AR15 stock cheek riser. They’re readily available and would improve the cheek weld – both of us have long necks!

An alternative would be to remove the scope rail extension and mount the rings directly onto the receiver. However that would require the use of a scope with a much shorter eye relief than we need for comfortable shooting.

The balance of the Brocock Concept is muzzle heavy, but not unpleasantly so. In fact, the testers felt that this slight muzzle-heaviness made freehand shooting more enjoyable and accurate.

The magazine was easy to load and mount. It gave flawless feeding during the course of our tests.

The single shot tray also proved good to use. Unusually, it can be inserted into the breech from either side, not just the left as with the magazine. This is the first the HAM Team has seen with this capability.

All-up weight of the Brocock Concept Lite as tested by HAM was 8Lbs 5 Oz. That’s including the side Picatinny rails and the mounted scope. Weight of the “bare” rifle is just 6 1/2 Lbs.

The overall length of 35 Inches – with the stock extended – closes down to less than 32 1/2 Inches with it collapsed. This makes carrying in the field very convenient. It would be even more so if a sling were to be fitted using the slot in the stock and an additional sling swivel attached to a front accessory rail.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

The HAM Team likes the look of the Brocock Concept Lite. It’s slim and lightweight without looking gangly. The modular, “black gun” look is executed well and harmoniously.

The side Picatinny rails can be removed if preferred. This shaves a little weight and size and would be beneficial if you prefer a thinner forend to grasp with your leading hand.

High quality machining and finish was apparent on all external parts. This is in common with all the other Brocock air rifles we’ve examined.

In particular, the black anodized finish of the receiver and lower gives every indication of being durable over the long haul and rough handling.

Given that the Brocock Concept Lite uses an AR15 stock and AK47 pistol grip, there’s plenty of aftermarket alternatives available. Combined with the three front Picatinny rails and multiple scope mounting options, this means that there’s a huge number of ways to personalize this air rifle to fit you needs.

All that versatility means that the looks can be very different, too.

BUYING AND OWNING

The Brocock Concept Lite is available from Airguns of Arizona and Precision Airgun Distribution dealers across the USA. It’s supported by a 3-year warranty through Precision Airgun Distribution.

The gun ships complete with one 10-shot rotary magazine, a single shot tray and fill probe. Four replacement fill probe O rings are also included with the gun.

Unfortunately the fill probe requires an adapter to fit the female quick disconnect that you’ll undoubtedly have on your HPA tank or compressor. Don’t forget to order one if you don’t have a Brocock or Daystate air rifle already!

The fill probe cover rotates to reveal the HPA fill port. It’s then rotated back to prevent the possible ingress of dirt, dust and junk that could otherwise cause problems in use.

Additional magazines are available too, at $79 each. They are the same as are used in other current-production Brocock models.

The magazines are easy to load with pellets. They also fit easily into the breech. There’s a red indicator dot that shows when the magazine is empty. However, this magazine design does not block the gun from being fired on an empty chamber, so you’ll need to pay attention to that indicator to avoid firing unintentional blanks.

The pressure gauge is clear and easy to read. However – as always – the HAM Team dislikes having a pressure gauge at the end of the HPA tube. It’s not a great idea to have to almost look down the barrel in order to check the pressure: in our opinion, at least!

The Owner’s Handbook is nicely-printed in color and has clear instructions. It is, however, of the “generic” type, covering multiple models. So it’s necessary – for example – to know that the Concept Lite is actually a “Compatto” model and that the fill pressure is, thus, 3,340 PSI and not higher.

TEST TARGETS

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Brocock Concept Lite

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