Milbro Tracker Hunter

Millard Brothers, or Milbro as they are better known, is a brand name synonymous with airgun production for many years, and I remember the name being around ever since my involvement in airguns, so since the late 70s. The company has been through several stages, morphing along the way, and the Milbro brand name now forms part of the Sportsmarketing (SMK) portfolio. On test here is one of the modern-day models - the Milbro Tracker Hunter. It’s a conventional break barrel, spring-powered sporter, and it’s a basic no-frills introduction to our world, at a no-frills RRP.

Inside the box
Like many offerings in the SMK stable, this model should come complete with a 4x32 scope and mounts, along with a silencer, but the scope was actually missing from the box of my test rifle. To be honest, though, I’m rarely a fan of these bargain-end optics, and would normally recommend sourcing an alternative, given the number of great value scopes around. Anyway, basic instructions come supplied, and the silencer is packaged separately from the gun.

Pleasant hue
Starting with the stock, the wood-to-metal fit is excellent, and that attractive woodwork that forms the sleek sporter configuration is apparently beech.  A lengthy single-piece cocking linkage is utilized up front, and that necessitates a larger cocking slot underneath, but everything feels solid and robust regardless. The laser-cut chequering applied to the pistol grip is admittedly shallow, but it looks the part, and can only help. I love the sleek forend and well-shaped tip, and there’s enough grain pattern on show through the pleasant hue of the lacquer, so it’s just the low cheek (a regular fault on this grade of rifle) that perhaps gets a negative at this stage.
The cylinder looks above average length, no doubt giving the manufacturers scope for increased swept volume/uprated power depending on the country the rifle is sold in. As it stands, the chemical bluing to all the metalwork is of a good standard and evenly applied. As for non-metal components, that’s confined to the trigger guard, shoe, and safety housing. The smart branding of “Milbro Tracker Hunter” is laser etched across the right side of the cylinder, and likewise, the calibre across the breech block completes the highly appealing visuals.

Get set
And so to work. The first quick task is to spin the silencer into position via the standard ½” UNF thread up front. Now, we need to scope up, and here the task is made foolproof given the built-in arrestor block that’s clamped to the end of the cylinder/dovetail rail. With the kit scope missing, I bolted on a trusted Hawke Panorama 3-9x40 AO model.

In the aim
The breech proved quite stiff to break open on the test gun, so breaking over the knee was the way forward. This will almost certainly ease up over time, and it has to be better than a sloppy lock-up.
As for the cocking stroke itself, this was reasonable and unsurprising, given the significant leverage afforded by the barrel and lengthy silencer. The stroke was fairly smooth, but some ‘graunchiness’ could be heard from the sprung internals. Thumb a pellet into the breech, ensuring it’s nice and flush to avoid skirt deformation, then lock the barrel back into position.
This Milbro is designed with an automatic safety catch, which sets as the mechanism is cocked. The sizeable catch at the rear of the cylinder then needs to be pulled rearwards to show red for live, before the shot is taken. On test, and with a scope in position, this proved a tad fiddly where clearance is concerned, but no big deal.
In the aim, the shaped forend tip sits perfectly in the hand. And whilst a higher cheekpiece would help a more solid anchor at the cheek, as it stands, the woodwork does its job. Squeezing the shot involves taking up the first stage of the pseudo-two-stage trigger, but I can’t be too critical, given that the synthetic blade/shoe feels really comfortable in action. The fact that the blade is fairly broad really aids feel, and whilst it’s a small detail, it’s the difference between a wholly acceptable trigger and a fairly nasty one! The first stage is light, and then a predictable amount of further pressure trips the system. Basic, fairly crude, but still above average for many triggers in this price sector.
As for the shot cycle itself, there is plenty of spring bounce, but whilst recoil is significant, accompanied by a hollow ‘thwock’ sound, I wouldn’t call it harsh.

Chronograph check
Over the chronograph, using the newly relaunched Wasp pellets, figures were quite remarkable. With no weight marked up on the tin, I decided to weigh a sample of 10 pellets on my scales, and the consistency of the Wasps, averaging 15.1-grains, was in itself impressive. Feeding these into the Milbro Tracker Hunter returned a ten-shot string with a total velocity spread of just 3 fps. Quite superb, and unlikely to be bettered by any springer on the market. That equated to an energy figure of just under 11 ft/lbs too.
Sadly, the accuracy wasn’t so satisfying, with groups shot over 30 yards measuring around the 2” mark. I would say though, that the quality of barrels in this price sector is a big factor in what separates the top-end brands from more general-purpose fayre, and barrels varying across the range is quite common. What I’m saying is another example of the same gun may well perform differently. As it stands, my test gun was still well up to back yard plinking and tin can bashing with gusto!

Milbro’s longevity
Milbro may be largely just a name in the SMK stable these days, but there’s still something heartening about seeing the famous old brand carrying on the tradition after so many decades in the business. Sleek and slimline best describes the Tracker Hunter, and for those in the market for a robust knockabout starter model that won’t break the bank, it’s certainly one to consider.

Thanks to Range & Country Shooting Supplies in Sleaford, Lincs., for the kind loan of this rifle.