Epic Airguns TWO Review .22 Caliber

VALUE FOR MONEY

Epic Airguns is a fairly new brand of PCP that’s closely-associated, yet different, from Taipan. Also we need to say that the Czech-based Epic Airguns is no relation to the Epoch air rifle from US company Skout Airguns, even though the names are quite similar!

The Epic Airguns TWO is playing in the upper echelons of the PCP air rifle market. It’s available in multiple versions, with different barrel lengths. There’s also a choice of bottle and tube HPA supplies. Plus, there’s versions with a collapsible metal stock/chassis, compared to the good old Walnut “tree wood” of the sample here.

Of course, there’s a choice of caliber also. The review gun is in .22 cal, but you can specify .177 or .25 caliber instead.

Priced at $2,250, the gun on test here has the Walnut stock and the short, 300 mm (11.8 Inch) barrel. It also has Epic Airguns own silencer at an additional $95.00.

So, is it good value for money?

Well, the TWO has the cachet of being a somewhat unusual gun in the market. Plus it performs well and this walnut stocked-model is spectacularly beautiful. Oh, and it is a joy to shoot too.

If you’re in the market for an air rifle of this price, the TWO has a lot of attractions!

BUY FROM EdGun West:
Epic Airguns TWO Walnut

SPEED AND ACCURACY

As expected, in this short-barrel configuration, the Epic Airguns TWO air rifle in this configuration is not the most powerful we have ever reviewed.

Tested Muzzle Velocities ranged from 1,038 FPS to 745 FPS. The resulting Muzzle Energies start at 24.03 Ft/Lbs and peak at 31.16 Ft/Lbs, according to the standardized HAM test protocol.

Barrels are manufactured by CZ and are un-choked. There are 12 lands and a 1 in 17.7 twist rate. That should be good news for shooting both pellets and slugs.

Below is a 10-shot group shot at 25 Yards with H&N Baracuda Match pellets which performed best in this particular gun.

Overall, this confirmed the potential of the TWO for excellent accuracy. It would certainly repay some experimentation and tuning with heavier pellets and slugs beyond the standard HAM test ammo to find its ideal diet for accurate long range shooting.

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

The trigger of the Epic Airguns TWO tested by Hard Air Magazine was simply superb. “I loved the trigger,” wrote HAM Tester Doug Rogers in his test notes.

The two-stage trigger had an average pull weight of just 13.1 Ounces. Yes, that’s 0 Lbs 13.1 Oz. So obviously it’s very light. The release is excellent, too. It’s clear when the break point for the second stage is reached and the sear release is predictable and convenient.

In fact, Epic Airguns says that this is a completely modular trigger. Held in place by two screws, the complete trigger mechanism can be swapped with another with different settings. This would enable a “hunting” trigger configuration and a “target” trigger to be pre-set and changed easily by the user, if required.

The trigger has an adjustable first stage, combined with an adjustable pull weight for the second stage. There’s also an overtravel adjustment capability and the trigger shoe can easily be adjusted, too.

The sidelever cocking mechanism is equally delightful to operate!

Pulling back on the cocking lever requires an absolute minimum of effort. There’s just a brief “heavy” section at the extreme end of the pull as the lever clicks right back into place.

Pushing the side lever forward is again incredibly easy to do. The whole action is superbly smooth and enjoyable to operate. “I love the cocking action, too”, Doug Rogers wrote!

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

The power level specification is for a maximum of 30 Ft/Lbs Muzzle Energy. The sample tested by HAM exceeded this with a maximum of 31.36 Ft/Lbs (and perhaps more with heavier pellets or slugs).

Interestingly, Epic Airguns does not give a specification for consistent shot count. HAM testing achieved 25 shots, as you can read below.

Of course, this Epic Airguns TWO is all about compactness and great handling. If you want more power and shots, there’s options with longer barrels and larger HPA bottles.

CONSISTENCY

Interestingly, the gun here has a tiny HPA capacity of just 90 cc. This is combined with a 70 cc plenum, however, and a 300 bar (4,350 PSI) fill pressure.

The results is – as we can see below – a total of 25 shots per fill, before the regulator set point kicks-in. True, this is not a large number. However, there are multiple configurations of the Epic TWO with larger HPA capacities should you want a higher shot count.

The shootdown graph shows a reasonably-consistent behavior. However, it does not demonstrate the “slow second shot” phenomenon that can be seen in the chrony printouts of several of our test targets below.

Those gave an average Standard Deviation of 6.56 FPS for the range of standard HAM test pellets which is somewhat higher than we would expect for an air rifle of this price and otherwise-demonstrated quality.

The trigger pull was extremely consistent, with an extreme spread of just 2.1 Ozs between the lightest and heaviest pulls measured in this test. This would be a completely imperceptible difference for the vast majority of users.

NOISE LEVEL

The Epic Airguns TWO tested by HAM was supplied complete with Epic’s own silencer. So that’s how we are reviewing it.

The silencer is of Epic’s own design. It’s compact, beautifully-finished and integrates well into the overall appearance of the gun, as you would expect.

The result was a very backyard-friendly report, even in combination with the shorty – 300 mm – barrel of the review gun. Not only that, but the handling was not impaired by adding the silencer, as can be the can with some aftermarket implementations.

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

A quality air rifle requires a quality riflescope. So the HAM testers mounted a Hawke Frontier 30 FFP 5-25 x 56 riflescope for sighting.

Announced in May 2024, this latest Hawke Frontier 30 FFP scope features the company’s new H7 optics. The lenses are manufactured from low dispersion Crown glass and are fully multi-coated with 21 layers to provide increased clarity and light transmission.

The image was clear and bright. Plus, the Frontier 30 balanced well with the Epic Airguns TWO and did not overwhelm the gun. Yes, we did install the extra-long Hawke lens hood. This added next to no weight but definitely helps in achieving high contrast images in the field.

Those rings are Hawke Tactical Ring Mounts, by the way. They certainly give a solid way to mount a high magnification, long range scope such as this.

Overall the finish of the scope, rings and gun blended together well and imparted a quality appearance.

The Epic Airguns TWO has a 30 MOA droop machined-in for the Picatinny scope rail. This is of assistance with scope sighting for long range shooting.

The short breech provides a sufficient length of Picatinny rail for scope mounting. However, mounting could be somewhat tight in extreme combinations of shooter eye relief and scope length.

SHOOTABILITY

As is clear, “our” TWO has the shortest – 300 mm – barrel, combined with the compact HPA tube. This produces an immediate feeling of superb handling and “shootability” for the TWO.

In addition, the action is very short and compact. The sidelever is set to the right, but can be changed for left-handed operation.

The low protrusion of the magazine above the top of the receiver allowed the scope’s eyeliner to be kept relatively low – definitely a benefit. It could have been even lower on our test gun if we had Medium mounts available instead of High…

More shootability benefits for the Epic Airguns TWO are the adjustable cheekpiece and variable length of pull. The rubber buttpad is adjustable for elevation and cant, too.

These adjustments mean that all shooters are likely to find an ideal buttstock configuration for their use. As always, a comfortable, easily-acquired shooting stance is an excellent practical enhancement to accurate shooting in the field.

In addition, there’s an Anschutz UIT rail in the base of the forearm to allow the addition of a sling swivel or other stabilizing device. It’s perfectly machined and fitted, just like the remainder of the gun!

It has to be said that the HAM Testers do not like the fill probe system. Although the TWO is filled using a fill probe, it is one of the best probes we have ever tested, displaying no tendency to work back out of the tube when filling. There’s also a practical and convenient sliding cover that rotates to keep junk out of the HPA tube when it’s not being filled.

Another feature we do not like is the pressure gauge location in the end of the HPA tube. Particularly with a short-barrelled gun such as this, it can be tough to gain an accurate gauge reading without positioning one’s face dangerously close to the barrel.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

To me, this is one of the most beautiful air rifles I have ever had the privilege to handle! Typically, I favor the “black gun” look with chassis stock.

However the Epic Airguns TWO Walnut is different. The stock absolutely oozed quality in both design and finish.

Superb grain is to be seen everywhere, as is the perfectly-executed stippling. There’s gorgeous tiger-striping too, although that’s tough (for me) to photograph well.

Plus, you can still smell the oiled finish that had been applied to the walnut. This is the first airgun I can recall where I actually loved the smell of it, too!

So here we have beauty, quality, style and practicality combined in the outstanding craftsmanship of the stock. Wood lovers are really going to love this stock…

The Walnut stock is manufactured by Klinsky. As with CZ and Epic Airguns, it’s another quality-first company based in the Czech Republic. So this really is an all-Czech air rifle.

Then there’s the metal parts. These too have a perfect machined finish, combined with an equally-perfect, uniform black surface finish.

In combination with the carbon fiber shroud, the quality of finish certainly equals that of any other top-of-the-range air rifle the HAM Team has tested.

All-in-all, the Epic Airguns TWO has an appearance and finish to equal or better that of almost any other air rifle in the market today.

BUYING AND OWNING

In the USA, the Epic Airguns TWO is available from EDgun West in California. EDgun West also provides warranty coverage – 12 months only – service and parts support for the product.

Included with the gun is a superbly-illustrated, color instruction manual in English only. One magazine (11 shot capacity in .22 caliber), a fill probe and a regulator adjustment tool are supplied. There’s also a high quality hard synthetic case that holds the gun plus a mounted scope.

In use, the metal magazine is able to accept 14mm long slugs. Loading was quite straightforward. However some pellets required a finger to be held below the magazine to prevent falling-through until they could be held in place by the mag’s spring tension.

Additional mags are available, if required.

The curiously-shaped nut at the rear of the receiver is actually the hammer spring tensioner. It requires to be levered round using a small Allen (hex) wrench.

The HAM Team felt that a simple hex-head screw would have achieved the same result and could also be easier to adjust…

That odd thing shown in the photograph below is actually the regulator adjustment control. It’s operated by a special key that’s supplied with the gun.

TEST TARGETS

BUY FROM EdGun West:
Epic Airguns TWO Walnut

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