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Brocock Commander Magnum .25 Full Review

This last Shot Show in Las Vegas brought many new Airguns to market including the New Brocock Commander. This was a rifle that caught my eye due to it’s folding stock and tactical ergonomics that looked to make for a great field gun. I reached out to Airguns Of Arizona and was finally able to settle them to send me the Commander HP model with the desert Tan Cerakote. They kindly offered to sponsor this review that would help me get into the field for several days and to video my adventures with the Commander. The rifle arrived packed very well with all the necessary components such as extended male fill adaptor, extra o’rings, users manual, single shot tray and 10 shot rotary magazine.

I immediately mounted the Hawke Vantage 3-12×44 SF scope as well as the Accu-Tac SR-5 G2 bipod that looked simply amazing on the Commander. To quiet down the bark of the 55+fpe I mounted a DonnyFL Tatsu moderator, it’s lightweight, short and very durable.

BROCOCK COMMANDER HP .25 STATS

Built for heavy duty field use and long range target performance the Brocock Commander High Power satisfies the most discerning rifle enthusiast and is purpose built in this magnum version. The Commander HP impresses, with innovation and precision engineering throughout its tactical design and industrial grade build quality. Made to last a lifetime Brocock is confident to include a three year warranty on this high specification shooting instrument. The side bolt cocking and loading system that cycles the 10 shot magazine is made to withstand fast hard use and complements  the rugged style of the Commander. All versions of the Commander share the HUMA regulated air delivery system that works in harmony with a new adjustable hammer and valve to provide the highest level of consistent shots per fill from the  rifles carbon Hi-Lite bottle or aluminum cylinder. A dual gauge stack provides regulator pressure set and air supply state of fill. A power adjuster to select multiple velocities is ergonomically located on the right hand side of the breech block for on demand tuning capabilities. The Brocock Commander is fitted with a picatinny scope and bipod rail  and an optional dual side rail to enhance the rifles tactical applications. The genius of the Commanders design is the use of AR-15 compatible butt stock and trigger guard components and a AK-47 fitted grip. Version available are a folding or fixed butt stock in black or coyote tan with a Cerakote or black action finish. The Commanders muzzle report is reduced by the large diameter barrel shroud system that is finished with muzzle brake to reduce recoil to almost zero. Additional noise reduction can be added by removing the brake to expose 1/2 UNF threads and fitting a sound moderator of choice. Long range accuracy is provided from the Lothar Walther high specification Polygonal barrel and two stage adjustable trigger. The Brocock Commander HP has been designed and built by one of the leading gun makers in Europe to quench the thirst of the USA shooter.

Caliber .25
Max Velocity  900+fps
Muzzle Energy 55+ ft/lbs
Loudness Medium
Barrel Length 22.5″
Overall Length 39.5″
Shot Capacity 10
Barrel Rifled LW Polygonal
Front Sight none
Rear Sight none
Scopeable Picatinny
Trigger Two-stage adjustable
Buttplate Adjustable/Folding
Suggested for Hunting/Plinking
Action Bolt Action
Safety Manual
Powerplant Pre-charged pneumatic
Function Repeater
Max Shots per Fill 50+ Regulated
Body Type Rifle/Tactical
Adj. power Multiple settings
Weight 7.15 lbs
Cylinder Size 480 cc
Shrouded Yes with 1/2 UNF

NOTE The Brocock Commander comes with a 3 year warranty

 

After looking over the rifle I was impressed with the overall fit and finish of the Commander, looked to be very well built.
First I looked over the obvious feature such as the folding stock that makes the Brocock much more compact for traveling. Beyond just folding the stock I was able to adjust the length to really fine tune the gun to my own prefered length of pull. Folded the gun is 34.5″ and does fit nicely onto my hunting pack.
Next I looked over the gauges that are conveniently located on the right side of the rifle, both fill pressure and regulator pressures are easily within view.
The Commander has a top and bottom picatinny rail for mounting a variety of optics and accessories. Brocock has incorporated a great two stage trigger into this rifle that gave a nice break at 9.2 oz.
The safety is a paddle type that’s located inside the trigger guard just in front of the trigger blade, simple and easy to use with my index finger.
The Commander like most Brococks has an external power adjustment wheel that gives 5 increments of adjustment. This is a feature that I personally would never need but can see how it may be useful in a pesting situation where lower power may be a necessity such as to not penetrate a backstop.
Next I looked at the bolt action, the Commander has a very robust bolt handle that looks and feels very durable. The bolt pulls back very easily and cycles very well with no hold ups. The rifle came with one beautifully made 10 shot magazine that’s easy to load, insert and remove.
Moving along I took a look at the barrel system and wanted to see how it was all put together. The Commander is fitted with a shroud that houses the 22.5″ LW Polygonal barrel.
The shroud has 1/2″UNF threading on the end to be able to mount a variety of moderators very easily. The Polygonal barrels are some of the most accurate in the world and have been proven on paper, this one excites me because the power level allows me to use slugs out of it.
We will get into this discussion more at the range! The fact that the shroud removes so easily will make cleaning the barrel super simple, happy they made it easy. Under the Commander is the male foster fitting fill port that has a great little magnetic dust cap to keep everything clean during field use.
Right behind the fill port is a small hole that makes it possible for the regulator to be externally adjusted.
This is a great feature for being able to easily tune the gun to achieve power levels close to 60 fpe in .25 caliber. Beyond the regulator adjustment we can adjust the hammer spring just as easily by a convenient port just behind the receiver, this port can be seen when the stock is folded closed.
To adjust the hammer simply insert an allen wrench and adjust clockwise for more/counter clockwise for less. The Commander is one of the easiest guns I have ever encountered to tune. These are more advanced features that they typical end user does not need to mess with. Over the next few days I had planned to set out in the motorhome to film for this review. Here is my adventure through written form that I hope some may enjoy.

Today Marley and I left at 5:30am to drive several hours North of us to a familiar location high in the mountains.

This is a sub alpine desert environment that gets some snow in the winter months with temperatures getting well up over 100+ degrees in the Summer. I had decided this time to bring the motorhome because it had much more room for all my gear as well as a coffee maker and refrigerator for several days of food. Marley and I arrived and had a very slow drive on a small dirt trail that weaves back through a very remote canyon.
Here I had planned to do some target shooting and to set the gun up properly for two days of hunting. The spot we parked was near some large pine trees that I had hoped would give us some small amount of shade throughout the day. This area is great for shooting out to 100 yards and does offer some great practice in the wind. I was eager to learn more about the Brocock Commander and how it performed at various ranges.
My first action was to set up camp for the day and to bring out the chronograph to test speed of various pellets and slugs.
The gun was sent to me set up to shoot the .25 25.39gr JSB’s and was spitting them out at about 47 fpe, great for a more conservative shot count but I wanted more power. I wanted to really buck the wind so I tried the 33.95gr JSB’s and found them to be very accurate, just to slow at just over 50 fpe. The gun came to me with the regulator set to 150 BAR so I started out by increasing the regulator pressure in small increments testing the speed through the chronograph. I set the regulator to 170 BAR and increased the hammer by close to 4.5 turns clockwise.
This tune at a 250 BAR fill gave me over 60 fpe with plenty of shots for an all day hunt. Next I set up a target out to 100 yards along with several cameras to capture the action for the video portion of this review.
The Commander shoots amazing in the prone position due to it’s tactical ergonomics. The Accu-Tac bipod really works well as it has good amounts of adjustments as well as camber. I spent a good part of the morning practicing and dialing in my scope before I was able to shoot a beautiful 10 shot group at 100 yards.
Even in the wind the 33.95gr JSB’s fared well against it, the polygonal barrel matched with the HUMA regulator worked phenomenally. After taking a lunch break Marley and I packed up the motorhome and moved down to another location that was more suited to longer ranges.
I had brought an assortment of .25 slugs from Nielsen Specialty Ammo that I wanted to try out. Several people have requested that I test to see what slugs work well out of the Commander, so I was excited to try.
I spent a good several hours testing several different models of slugs and was finally settled on a NSA 35gr HP with dished base.
These were going a bit slower than the 33.95 gr JSB’s but hold a much higher BC than the diabolo pellets. I was slinging these out to 150 yards hitting tiny little rocks with ease, consistently too. I know many guys are getting out much further but I think the key is to be able to hit the target consistently every time, flinging lead blindly is not my goal. I had some water bottles so I decided to set them out to 150 yards, thought it would make for some fun on camera.
In all fairness it wasn’t to hard hitting them due to known range and the fact that I had been shooting tiny rocks for about and hour prior. haha By this time it was getting HOT, like REALLY HOT!!!
I felt bad wasting water by shooting the bottles but I simply had nothing else to shoot.
I was very pleased that the Commander shot pellets and slugs so well at longer ranges, I would have liked to spend some more time shooting but the heat was killing us. Marley and I headed back to the comfort of the motorhome to enjoy some A/C and relax time. Later that evening we drove another 20 minutes down the road to a property we would be spending the next few days hunting.
By this time it was late evening and had finally cooled down enough to enjoy the sunset.
I wanted to take a few moments to discuss how important it is to clean the barrel after a hard session of use. Today I put several hundred rounds down range and know from experience that accuracy can fall off if these barrels are not cleaned.
I spent my time and removed the shroud to run some patches through the barrel as well as wiping down the outside of debris. The dusty conditions of this terrain makes this a very important step in holding good accuracy. The following morning we would be getting up early to spend the day hunting jackrabbits.
The following morning I woke up early and made myself a cup of coffee, one of my favorite things about the motorhome.
Today Marley and I would hike about a mile away from camp to an overlook that has a great elevated view. I like hunting from higher ground as it’s much easier to see the jackrabbits movement in the thick sagebrush.
The time was 7:00am and it looked to be another scorching hot day here. Early morning is usually always the best time to hunt Jackrabbits, it’s cooler and they move about much more.
We sat on the overlook for about 30 minutes when I spotted two Jackrabbits with one leaving me an open shot at 147 yards. The shot went to far right and landed just behind, sending him into a sprint and far out of reach for an airgun. Shooting the Commander from the prone position is ideal for these types of hunting situations, the camber adjustment on the Accu-Tac coupled with the BKL bubble level on my scope really helped. Marley and I moved a bit in the Northern direction to a flatter area that had a hill on one side. My hopes were to flush a few Jackrabbits away from us and up the hillside leaving a clear shot.
The sagebrush is so thick in this area that it’s really difficult to spot movement, the key is to move very slow and stop frequently. As we weaved through the thick brush I spotted the elusive amber ears moving through the brush and away from us. With some careful planning I was able to set up for a great shot on a very large Jackrabbit at 45 yards as it crouched down in some grass.
The Commander fed the jack a 35gr NSA that gave out a very distinct catchers mitt THWACK!! Marley was happy to recover what looked more like a kangaroo than a Jackrabbit.
Very pleased with our first jackrabbit with the Brocock Commander, I really like the DonnyFL on this gun. This moderator quiets down the bark very well and allows me to take multiple shots without being heard from a distance. After a short break in the shade Marley and I continued down a small animal trail that paralleled a road that heads into the property. I was able to spot two Jackrabbits moving through an open area with one stopping just next to a fence.
We moved down into an area that had a little shade and to where I had planned to film a little for the enclosed video.
With the temperatures being so high we have entered Rattlesnake season here in CA. During Summer months I keep very aware of these dangers for not only myself but Marley. I usually don’t allow her to recover in thick brush and for the most part keep her as close to me as possible. Most times she’s just behind me, my worst nightmare is for her to get bitten by a Rattlesnake.
During our hike the day before I spotted one out in the open and it’s always a great reminder of the dangers of this rugged terrain. By this time it was getting close to 11:00am and the temperature was now approaching 100 degrees. When it’s this hot it’s very important to bring plenty of water for not only myself but marley. We slowly made way back to the motorhome where thankfully the A/C and refrigerator full of cold water made things easier. The plan was to spend another day in the field but with the heat I felt it was just to much. I was very pleased that we had taken several Jackrabbits in this area that’s one of the more difficult locations to hunt. The Commander worked flawlessly in this very rugged terrain and has no doubt passed the durability test. I really appreciate Airguns Of Arizona for sponsoring me to bring this review. This is no doubt one great hunting rifle and can only hope this review may help those looking to buy. I will enclose my final honest thoughts of this rifle along with the review in video form.
         PROS 
  • Durable
  • Accurate with both pellets and slugs
  • Externally tunable
  • Regulated
  • Great shot count
  • Easy to use Safety
  • Easy to load magazine (accepts slugs)
  • Folding stock (great for packing)
  • 1/2 UNF for easy mounting of moderators
  • Easy to remove shroud for cleaning
        CONS
  • Bolt action allows for double loads if not careful
  • A bit heavy (Single point sling would help)
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