Craftsman VIT Bullpup Stock Conversion Kit

Blackpool Air Rifles were one of the first gun shops to fully embrace (what at the time could only be tagged as) ‘The Bullpup Revolution.’ I’m sure some readers will remember the exact year certain production rifles of this type hit the shelves, which in turn paved the way for an influx of these unique airguns to flood the UK market, which continues, albeit at a slower pace, to this day. In that respect, not surprisingly the shop has sourced what is the most ingenious and cost-effective way of turning a rifle you already own into a ‘true’ bullpup. Even more surprising, is how easy these ‘conversion kits’ are to fit.

What a fit up!

So, with in-house ‘BAR’ gunsmith/co-manager Sean acting as my ‘stunt double’ for the ‘transformation’ (in other words he did the work, while I took photos!) what you’ll see is the ideal solution for those who are unsure whether to add another rifle to their armoury. I say this, because many who purchase a ‘Craftsman VIT Bullpup Stock Conversion Kit’ do so because they can use the action of a standard PCP they own. Therefore, if hide shooting or indoor ratting or feral culling, they can put the action in the Bullpup Stock, therefore having the perfect ‘tool’ for the job. Then when they prefer the handling ‘characteristics’ of the rifle in its sporter or carbine livery, it’s only a five-minute job to put the action back into the original woodwork.

The Conversion Kit consists of a walnut thumbhole stock, trigger linkage/scope extender rail and all fittings, whilst the air rifle here being ‘converted’ is an Air Arms S400 Carbine PCP.

Immediately upon seeing an ‘established’ air rifle action such as this in ‘bullpup configuration’, you can’t help but be impressed by how natural it looks; there’s nothing in the slightest way out of place. Upon ‘hands-on’ use, it immediately displays all the characteristics of a bullpup, superb balance and handling, is much lighter than most production ‘pups’, plus, the rifle comes much more quickly into the shoulder for fast target acquisition. The ‘dummy’ trigger attached to the original feels very much like the one it replaces. The blade is broad and nicely curved and is easy to make full contact with from the pistol grip.

At present, stocks are available for the following popular PCPs: the Air Arms S400/410, S400/410K series, the Air Arms S500/510 and ‘K’ versions, Weihrauch HW100/100K, Hatsan AT44-10 and the Benjamin Marauder.

Hopefully, I’ll be testing one of my rifle actions in a suitable conversion kit and will report back on how it performs.

An average VIT Bullpup stock weighs 3.4lb. The stocks differ in length, depending on if you are converting a standard-length rifle or a carbine. The stock for standard rifles is 21-inches in length, while the carbine is a mere 17-inches.

Now, the really amazing bit; before the conversion, the Air Arms S400 Carbine pushed the tape to 40-inches, including the tapered muzzle weight supplied as standard. After ‘The Stock Exchange’ it measured 27-inches!