The Snowpeak M60 is a bolt action, bullpup, PCP (Pre-charged Pneumatic) air rifle. Rather than CO2 or muscle-power, it uses a very high pressure air tank. PCP air rifles like the Snowpeak give good pressure, consistent accuracy, and with a special compressor they’re pretty easy to charge back up. A buddy of mine bought this rifle and asked if I wanted to review it. Although I have plenty of experience with more inexpensive CO2 or break/pump air guns, this is the first PCP rifle I’ve had my hands on so I’m a bit inexperienced when it comes to these.
The Snowpeak M60B is a PCP air rifle aimed at shooters who want a compact package with modern features: adjustable trigger, AR-style grip, magnet-retained magazines, and an adjustable buttpad. It’s ideal if you want a pleasant, accurate plinker for the yard or a quiet pest rifle for short-range gophers and you won’t need to break the bank to try one: my copy ran about $950 CAD.
Snowpeak M60B Specifications
- Comes in 4.5 (.177), 5.5mm (.22), 6.35mm, 7.62mm (.30), and 9mm pellet sizes
- Muzzle velocities of 1050, 1000, 900, 850, or 650fps depending on pellet size
- Mag capacity of 24, 20, 18, 14, or 12 shots depending on pellet size
- M60 comes with a 205cc bottle, while M60B can come with stock 350cc aluminum bottle or 300cc carbon fibre (as shown)
- Max fill pressure of 250 bar (3600psi)
- 3.1kg (6.8lbs)
- Includes built-in, adjustable regulator
- AR grip
- Adjustable buttpad (goes up or down)
Shooting the M60B
Shooting the M60B is really a treat. It’s got a light, 2-5lb adjustable trigger, the weight is very rearward due to the bullpup design, the bottle makes for a good enough forend, and shots are nice and quiet. The side bolt action is very easy to use (as a rightie), but I can’t imagine it’d be that great for a leftie.
At 50 meters, I was seeing 0.5″ groups, which is pretty incredible.
Refilling the air bottle is also fairly stress free because:
- You can “reload” the air with spare bottles, which can be removed under pressure
- You can also refill the bottle while it’s still on the gun
You will need a fancier air compressor to get up to that 3500 psi.
Features of the Snowpeak M60B (overview)
Here are the headline features I experienced and the practical impression they gave me:
- Bullpup design: very compact overall length while retaining a reasonable barrel length.
- Adjustable buttpad: lets you set length-of-pull for comfort.
- Very low cheekwell: low comb height keeps the head position relaxed; combined with the bullpup layout this makes for quick, natural pointing.
- AR-style pistol grip: comfortable and familiar control for many shooters.
- Adjustable trigger: you can tune pull weight and adjust vertical position of the trigger for finger placement.
- Trigger feel: very nice in my experience.
- Safety placement: conveniently right by the trigger.
- Magazines with magnetic retention: mags stick in place with magnets (neat system).
- Loading the magazine: tedious; it’s a chore compared to single-shot loading.
- Small picatinny rail: a little rail (purpose unclear) useful for a small light, laser, or micro-accessory if you want.
- Fun to shoot: light, maneuverable, and engaging.
Good for close-range pest control (gophers) and for relaxed plinking/target practice.
From my experience with this particular rifle/configuration, it is not a fully reversible bullpup, bullpup designs commonly favour one-sided controls. The low cheek weld and general ergonomics make it comfortable for right-handed shooters.
How loud is it?
The M60B is very quiet in comparison to a .22. In markets where you can add a suppressor (like the US), adding one will noticeably reduce report and make backyard plinking and pest work much quieter. Without a moderator it has the typical air-rifle “pop” making it loud enough to be obvious outdoors, but far quieter than a firearm.
Accuracy
This was a highlight: very accurate. In my testing I was able to get roughly ½ inch groups at 50 meters, which works out to about 1 MOA. Excellent for a rifle in this price range. That makes it a capable little target gun at typical airgun ranges, and more than good enough for small-game/pest work inside sensible ranges. However, you don’t want to shoot anything too far as pellets will drop far.
Air tank performance
In my run with this rifle the air tank gave about 40 shots (per fill) which made it practical for a session of plinking or short pest control work. Your shot count will vary with pellet weight, calibre, power setting, and how hard you push each shot.
Final thoughts
The Snowpeak M60B punches way above its weight for the money. For CAD 950 you’re getting a compact, accurate, comfortable PCP with an excellent adjustable trigger, a surprising feature set (magnetic magazines, adjustable buttpad, bullpup convenience), and real-world usefulness for target shooting and short-range pest control. It’s not the easiest rifle to load magazine, but if you want a relaxing, accurate, fun-to-shoot rifle that won’t break the bank, this one is a solid pick.
