Black Bunker BM8 - Foldable survival airgun
Break-barrel air rifles have been around for quite some time. The first modern airgun with a rifled barrel was developed in 1905 by the British company BSA, however, the earliest air rifles with a volute spring date all the way back to the 1840s.
Since then, break-barrel airguns have come a long way - some can be cocked using an under-barrel or side lever, some rifles by Gamo feature a 10-round magazine, some are even fitted with a working sound moderator. The most significant upgrade, however, is definitely the replacement of the classic coil spring by a gas operated nitro piston, which we'll discuss shortly.
Black Bunker
The Black Bunker brand has been on the market for a relatively short time. However, it is owned by the American company Kore Outdoor, which has years of experience with shooting equipment.
Shortly after foundation, they received a lot of attention by introducing an innovative foldable break-barrel air rifle at IWA 2023, the world's largest shooting and outdoor equipment exhibition. The manufacturer set out to design a reliable, air-powered rifle that would allow an individual to survive in hostile environments.
We got our hands on the BM8 a year later at the IWA 2024 show and were immediately impressed, so we added this strange gun to our product range soon after. I myself have recently had the opportunity to try it out and measure the muzzle speed and energy. But first, I had to figure out how to assemble it.
TECHNOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE
Before covering the impressive folding mechanism, I'd like to begin with an overview on how the BM8 works and what you can achieve with it.
Contrary to conventional spring-powered rifles, the BM8 features a gas-ram piston. Thanks to that, the rifle maintains high power while keeping the shock and recoil of each shot fairly low.
The manufacturer offers several power options from 7.5J, 10J, 16J, 19.9J, 21J up to 24J depending on the intended market. Since we're located in the Czech Republic, and air rifles up to 6.35mm caliber without any power limit are freely available from 18 years of age without the necessity of registration or possession of a firearms license, you will currently find only the most powerful version on our website.
Performance testing
While testing both available calibers, I indeed measured an average muzzle energy of 24 Joules with the 4.5mm version with JSB Exact 0.547g pellets and muzzle velocity settling at 300 m/s with negligible deviations.
However, I was surprised by the 5.5mm caliber, where after firing a few shots and thus the nitro pistol being properly seated, the JSB Exact Jumbo 1.030g pellets were travelling at 240 m/s, which equates to a whopping 29 Joules. Different weight of pellets can result in slightly different performance but also accuracy. I'll leave a detailed accuracy test using various types of pellets to more experienced shooters, though.
Whether it's 24 or 29 Joules, such power is more than sufficient for break-barrel airguns, sometimes even redundant. During the 15th shot with the 4.5 caliber, I was already getting tired. The subsequent 5.5 caliber measurements were even more challenging. I can safely say if you're planning to do some fun shooting in the garden, you definitely don't need anything stronger.
FOLDING MECHANISM
And now, let's finally get to what makes the BM8 air rifle so special. Thanks to the sophisticated division into 3 articulated sections - the barrel, the main block and the stock - it can be "folded" into a triangular shape.
How to unfold it
Since the air rifle is transported in its folded form, let me tell you how to unfold it first.
The very first step is to find the tiny metal safety lock located inside the buttstock frame and push it to the side. This will free the barrel and stock from each other, while releasing the plastic case that has been securely held in place by the air rifle.
Straightening the stock is easy, just turn it until it snaps into the rear of the main block. To straighten the barrel, simply swing it up like you're used to with regular break-barrel rifles.
The last part that remains loose is the metal rail which you need to hinge inside the forearm and twist the rotating safety located on either side. And the "rail" now acts as a piston compression lever when you cock the barrel.
How to fold it
Folding the air rifle back into the triangle is almost identical to the unfolding, except for one small detail.
The rotary safety needs to be unlocked first, which is done by pressing the tiny button in front of the safety located on the left side. And the rest is the same - just in reverse.
PURPOSE
As mentioned above, the air rifle was created with the aim of "survival in hostile environments". At least that's what the manufacturer claims, along with a slogan mentioning wars, pandemics, energy crises, etc. and that the BM8 will help you survive all of these situations.
It might make you laugh at first, but after some thoughts, I have to admit that there is a bit of truth to it after all. Don't get me wrong, the air rifle is certainly not meant for a wild west shootout, it will never surpass a real firearm. Where it excels, however, is in the possibility to obtain food - strictly in theory - in a lawless, post-apocalyptic world, by hunting a rabbit, chicken, or rodent. Compared to firearms, it requires little to no maintenance, it is much more quiet (though not noiseless), and it is compatible with any airgun pellet of given caliber.
With that in mind, the manufacturer opted for gas ram piston technology. Traditional springs can soften over time and lose performance, PCP airguns need to be filled with compressors, air tanks (or heaven forbid, a hand pump), and CO2 airguns rely on disposable carbon dioxide cartridges. I can't imagine carrying something like that in the natural or urban wilderness. Fortunately, the BM8 doesn't need anything like that - all you need is the airgun itself and lead pellets.
Workmanship
In terms of the processing quality, I can't complain. Some may argue that the air rifle is "all plastic" and that it will break immediately. This is where I have to disagree. All major elements are of course made of metal, and only the external structure is made of high quality polymer. I'm not usually a fan of stocks and other gun components made of plastic, but with the BM8, the omnipresent plastic has a good reason. First, it protects the majority of the important parts from mechanical damage, corrosion, and the like; second, the airgun is much lighter than if it were made entirely of metal; and third, the polymer is highly weather resistant. A wooden stock (especially in our fictional post-apocalyptic world) can crack and deform in other ways over time.
The plastic components were produced by Recover Tactical, a company known for developing conversion platforms for firearms such as Glock, Beretta, Sig Sauer and others, meaning you can rely on the quality of workmanship. The air rifle doesn't rattle at all when folded or unfolded and gives an overall solid and sturdy feel.
OTHER FEATURES
Plenty of modern air rifles today come without mechanical sights and you are forced to purchase a rifle scope. BM8, with survival purposes in mind, is equipped with a classic fixed front sight and a fully adjustable rear sight. The only minor disadvantage is the abence of the popular light-guiding optical fibers, but hey, it's better than nothing.
And if you plan to equip the rifle with a rifle scope, it comes with a 23,5cm long Weaver / Picatinny rail. I strongly suggest you don't cheap out on the optics though. Every single break-barrel air rifle suffers from recoil and shock during firing, which can irreversibly damage a cheap scope. And the higher the muzzle energy, the greater the impact force on the riflescope.
Two more rails are located on the sides of the forearm, on which you can attach a flashlight, laser or a bipod. When holding the air rifle for some time, the rails get uncomfortably embedded in my palm - however, the manufacturer has also kept this in mind and you can simply detach the rails by removing the two Allen screws.
The metal trigger might not be adjustable in any way, but there's no reason for that. During testing, I was impressed by the low trigger weight, possibly the lowest I've ever experienced in a break-barrel rifle.
Just in front of the trigger, there is a metal safety that engages every time the barrel is cocked. Again, I have no complaints, I find the automatic safety a welcome feature.
COLOR OPTIONS
The BM8 air rifle is available in two color schemes - Full Black and Coyote Tan. The color of the included plastic case is always the opposite from the color of your chosen air rifle.
Personally I like the Coyote version of the airgun more, the individual parts contrast together pretty well and it makes the rifle look a bit more engaging than the black one. But, to each their own.
What's inside
The rifle is transported in its folded form inside an unusual triangular cardboard box properly filled with foam, so there's really no risk of it getting damaged during transport.
After opening the box, you'll find the airgun and an empty waterproof case - as I said - of the opposite color. Although the manufacturer offers variants of the BM8 with the so-called "survival kit", where the case contains a bayonet and some other accessories instead of a mere foam, we currently offer only the version with an empty case. After all, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to mount a bayonet on an air rifle whose barrel can swing towards the owner.
Should you find the bayonet useful anyway, you can purchase it separately.
The package also includes rubber end caps to protect the muzzle and chamber from dust and dirt when the air rifle is folded and of course you will also get a user manual and instructions for folding / unfolding the air rifle.
CONCLUSION
It is time for some brief evaluation. At the beginning I made it my goal to find out if the Black Bunker BM8 air rifle is indeed suitable for the previously mentioned "survival purposes" in hostile environments and if it can help in all kinds of world crises. And in fact, yes, it can. In the hypothetical post-apocalyptic world, it will definitely help you to hunt small game and save your life, while at the same time, thanks to the technology used and the durable materials, it will last for a really long time. I myself was surprised by the excellent manufacturing quality and the emphasis on keeping the maintenance as simple as possible.
The folding mechanism is also an interesting feature and many people will find it useful. Even without it, however, this would still be a perfectly crafted, full-featured and powerful break-barrel air rifle with a reasonable price tag.
