Is the Kral Empire XS a good rifle? I want something really short and stealthy.

I've been thinking of getting a new rifle. I think that the Kral Empire XS looks absolute superb in the laminate finishes and the ultra short design is perfect for ratting out of my bedroom window - my current PCP is too long/unwieldly and requires hanging out of the window which is sure to end up with somebody calling the Police.

I've beed reading about issues with the shroud - pellets clipping it and ending up as flyers going who knows where - definitely not something I could risk. I'm hoping to get some feedback on this here.

I'd want to put a Weihrauch XLK on it to quieten it down and I've also been looking at Zulus scopes.

Can any of you tell me more about this rifle or suggest it?

Daedalus said:

I've been thinking of getting a new rifle. I think that the Kral Empire XS looks absolute superb in the laminate finishes and the ultra short design is perfect for ratting out of my bedroom window - my current PCP is too long/unwieldly and requires hanging out of the window which is sure to end up with somebody calling the Police.

I've beed reading about issues with the shroud - pellets clipping it and ending up as flyers going who knows where - definitely not something I could risk. I'm hoping to get some feedback on this here.

I'd want to put a Weihrauch XLK on it to quieten it down and I've also been looking at Zulus scopes.

Can any of you tell me more about this rifle or suggest it?

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I have an early one with the very short barrel. It had issues with the shroud, mainly due to it being oval rather than round which caused alignment issues with another moderator attached. Removed shroud and fitted an o-ring in the barrel support (the shroud has a lip that goes into the support that needs to be replaced or the barrel fkexes when cocking). Bunged a HW moderator on and all good. Used in the same way as your planned usage. The newer ones have a slightly longer barrel which apparently resolves the shroud issues

In a word 'Yes'

I had a .177 one from the Wolfman a later model with slightly longer barrel.

I dumped the shroud fitted a Hogan Decimetre up front with a Sytong HT60 up top.

A HW XLK will be too heavy imo.

I used QYS Streamline as the Kral mag didn't like soft pellets like JSB.

Used for night hunting for a couple of years, it was spot on every time.

I replaced the original mags with ones from Knibbs, for some reason they just performed better.

In a word 'Yes'

I had a .177 one from the Wolfman a later model with slightly longer barrel.

I dumped the shroud fitted a Hogan Decimetre up front with a Sytong HT60 up top.

A HW XLK will be too heavy imo.

I used QYS Streamline as the Kral mag didn't like soft pellets like JSB.

Used for night hunting for a couple of years, it was spot on every time.

I replaced the original mags with ones from Knibbs, for some reason they just performed better.

Cracking little rifles, but a bit of a chunk to carry around.
Late ones don't have the clipping problem, but easy enough to sort out on a second hand one.
Easy to work on and spares availability is excellent.
Definitely benefit from a bit of tweaking to optimise for 12 ftlb.

I agree with all the above. They also pair well with a Zulus or thermnight.
If you shoot right-handed consider moving the cocking to the left and fitting an oversize handle....That will allow you to operate the action without taking your eye from the Zulus.

I had one as my first bullpup.

It was a bit of a looker with its wood grip and the spec seemed to be exactly what I wanted. At that time, I had 2x NP02 and in many ways, I was home from home knowing what to expect.

For me, there was a few let downs. It was a chunky beast. It is heavy so it felt like doing a gym session. Over a few hours of ratting, your wrist will ache for loading nearly all the 4kg on one hand (inc NV or sights). In time, I sold both NP02 and the Empire as the pistol grip (something I normally prefer) was straining my wrist due to the angle and weight.

Although it was nice, they all share the same DNA (blocky, chunky, weighty, long LOP). Some complained of the Length Of Pull for the NP02 with its bottle.

I also found the XS also long. I ended up removing the butt pad and replaced it with a neoprene foam stick-on. I also removed the finger pad to reduce finger reach and the hard cheek pad and replaced it with another piece of neoprene. One big plus was shaping the lever around for left hand cocking so I can maintain trigger hold during cycling, Do try out the handling first as spec alone can never show you good fit. If these are not issues, they are certainly great value for money.

Been looking at bullpups of all varieties the last couple of days.

A Brocock Ghost Carbine or Plus is also very tempting. I'm going to take a drive to solware tomorrow and just take a look at everything in person. Hopefully I'll end up walking out with a rifle.

alexall said:

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The silver/nickel ones looks great.
Still considering the Kral too, hopefully they have some options in the shop tomorrow.