Brocock’s Grand Prix pistols are PCP airguns and the line up now reflects the design influence of the parent company, Italian gunmaker Marocchi. The Grand Prix and Grand Prix Elite pistols shown at this year’s SHOT Show were 6-shot rotary magazine fed bolt action repeaters in either .177 or .22. I received a sample of their Elite model in .22 caliber and it is a beautifully executed air pistol sporting hand-filling palm swell walnut furniture with a flat base. The contours fit my hand nicely right out of the box, but for those who would wish to reshape it there is plenty of material to work with. My sample was for right handers but a left-handed version can be a special order item. The Grand Prix is the laminate stocked version and comes with basic target sights. Weight of the pistol is 3 pounds without optics and adding optics positively shifts the balance back toward the shooter’s hand which is desirable due to the barrel heaviness of the 16 inch long pistol. The Elite has a black matte finished barrel over top of a polished black reservoir making for an attractive air pistol. Internally it carries a Lothar-Walther barrel, threaded at the muzzle for attachment of a suppression device. The report was sharp, but not loud enough to warrant ear protection if shooting outside. I would say similar to a nail gun. (Sidebar: There is a movement to remove sound suppressors from under the National Firearms Act and make them legal to own without jumping through all of the current government hoops. If that movement is successful, Brocock suppressors would be available to U.S. shooters.) A built in pressure gauge resides at the end of the reservoir, which can be filled to 2900 psi/200 bar. The trigger is a two stage affair, adjustable for pull weight, with a wide trigger face connected to the exposed transfer bar that releases the sear. My Lyman trigger gauge showed a trigger pull of about 3 pounds 8 ounces out of the box. The Elite pistol ships with two magazines and a brass male probe for filling from your high pressure air source.
The Elite
As far as what it can do, using a red dot sight attached via the 11mm dovetail cut into the top of the receiver, I was able to keep pointed pellets within an inch at 60 feet off a sandbag. Mounting a dedicated pistol optic would no doubt increase the user’s capability of squeezing out the accuracy potential of this pistol and make it a great varmint hunter as well. I found the Elite seemed to like the heaviest pellet used, the H&N Barracuda Hunter at 18.21 grains. Average fps on the Hunters was 619. I also had good results with lighter pointed pellets from H&N, the Excite Copper and Vortex Super (sold under the Hatsan name).
8 shots at 60 feet
Because these airguns are produced for adults and serious shooters, they are not required to have a manual safety and do not come with one. As has been said many times, the best safety is the one between the shooter’s ears, so always bear that in mind and never relax when it comes to gun safety
MSRP on the Grand Prix runs $799.00 for the walnut stocked version and $715.00 for the laminate. Airguns of Arizona www.airgunsofarizona.com have factory trained techs to keep you Brocock’s in fine shape long past the two year warranty offered with the guns.
Grand Prix on top, Elite below