Bullpup airguns offer a super-compact solution for shooting who want a short gun for easy handling is confined spaces – they also appeal to people who just happen to like the look of stubby airguns. Whatever the reason, more and more people are opting for bullpups and Reximex is offering them a very affordable option in the shape of the Lyra BP, which has a recommended retail price of just £420.
Previous Lyra models have won much praise for their combination of reliable performance and budget pricing. The BP model definitely scores in terms of hitting a very affordable price, so I was eager to see just how good this sub-£500 really was in terms of build quality and accurate shooting.
Thanks to its bullpup design, the Reximex Lyra BP is a mere 635mm long. Apart from being very short, it is also comparatively light, tipping the scales at under 3.2kg. A stubby gun like this is perfect for shooting in tight spaces such as inside farm buildings and small hides, and even for controlling pests from the cab of a truck. The comparatively light Lyra BP is also comfortable to carry on long roving sessions in pursuit of quarry such as rabbits or if you have a long walk across the fields to a woodland permission.
It has to be said that cheap bullpup airguns can be ugly. That is not the case with this one; it is a very nice looking little gun, and I really like the flash-free finish of its ambidextrous Turkish walnut stock.
Apart from looking good, the stock also functions as a very good handle. The forend is sufficiently long to create a sufficient hold point for your leading hand, and is also adorned with a removable Picatinny accessory rail and a QD stud for sling or bipod attachment.
Below top: The Reximex Lyra BP is a compact and good looking bullpup airgun
Below bottom: The forend is adorned with a removable Picatinny rail and QD stud for accessory attachment
I like how the trigger guard is incorporated into the woodwork of the stock. This feature is sometimes criticised for creating a weak point but it seems to be perfectly strong in the care of the Lyra BP.
The integral trigger guard flows back into a very functional pistol grip. The steep grip ensures great trigger attack and its contours provide a very comfortable fit. It’s even adorned with neat, grippy stippling on both sides – a feature that looks good and also makes for a secure hold. Behind the grip the stock is straight until you reach that distinctive Lyra curve at the butt. At the back, you’ve got a no-frills hard rubber butt pad which feels very good in the shoulder. There is also a rear QD stud fitted at the base of the butt. Pre-fitted studs are always a nice touch because they save you the trepidation of having to take a drill to a brand new airgun.
Above the butt section is a plastic cheek support which makes for a comfortable enough contact point. The cheekpiece incorporates a clever adjustment mechanism; give the button at the front a squeeze and you can shift it back and forth along the Picatinny rail on which it sits to achieve your preferred position. Slacken off the brass screw at the rear of the cheekpiece and there is also some height adjustment. I actually found it a little too high when using lower scope mounts, even on its lowest setting. However, I managed to achieve a lower head position by completely removing the plastic cheekpiece. Using the rail as my contact point was not uncomfortable though it might feel a bit cold on chilly winter days.
Below top: The steep pistol grip set Mat up very well for the trigger
Below bottom: The butt section incorporates a QD stud and adjustable cheek support
The Reximex Lyra BP might be what many shooters consider to be a cheap bullpup airgun, but its low price doesn’t appear to result in any obvious corner-cutting in terms of build quality. It feels like a robust little airgun and its metalwork has a tidy black anodised finish which, like the stock, is matt and won’t attract unwanted attention from your quarry. Up top, you’ve got a Picatinny-type scope rail which gives about 220mm of clamping space. I did initially wonder about just how stable it would be with so much forward reach from such a small rear contact point. However, it felt very rigid when I applied pressure to it and I didn’t notice any anomalies in scope alignment during my accuracy testing.
The Lyra BP’s barrel shroud gives it a pleasing, chunky appearance but doesn’t provide much sound suppression – this little gun has quite a bark! That’s not a problem, though, as there is a half-inch UNF thread up front so you can easily screw on a silencer to hush it down for covert hunting or discreet backyard plinking. You might find yourself having to remove wider silencers to create sufficient clearance for the removal of the cylinder cap when refilling with air. I did this a few times during my testing and it didn’t affect zero.
Below: The Reximex Lyra BP's tidy metalwork incudes a generous Picatinny rail for scope attachment
You get a single shot tray and two magazines, which each hold 14 shots in the .177 version, supplied with the Lyra BP. This bullpup is also available in .22 calibre and I think there could be a .25 in the pipeline. The magazine is not bad for a sub-£500 airgun; it has a shot counter, is gentle on ammo and it’s not difficult to load. All you do is rotate the clear plate clockwise until it stops then drop a pellet nose-first into the first chamber to hold it under spring tension. You then turn the plate back the way it came from, dropping a pellet into each chamber all the way back until it’s full.
The cocking a loading cycle is driven by a very positive sidelever action which has a nice long dropdown handle. It can’t be reversed and this gun’s configuration does mean that it is positioned quite far back. Despite its positioning, I found the sidelever comfortable enough to use and, most importantly, it delivered swift cocking and loading without any hiccups during my weeks of testing.
Bullpup triggers can be a bit disappointing because of their extended linkage, which can make them feel spongy. This problem is usually most apparent on cheaper guns, but I’m pleased to say the Lyra BP trigger is actually very good. It has a match-type blade that can be adjusted for height and angle and the two-stage mechanism is better than some on much more expensive bullpups. On its factory setting, the first stage is quite short, but the stop point is clear enough and the second stage break is light, clean and predictable.
The safety switch is positioned just in front of the trigger blade. As I’ve said before, I prefer safety catches to be located away from the trigger, but I can’t argue about the ease of accessing it where it is. You draw it back into the safe position and flick it forward when you’re ready to shoot.
Below top: The Reximex Lyra BP comes with two magazines and a single-shot tray
Below bottom: The trigger features an adjustable blade and delivers a clean two-stage release
The Lyra BP is a cylinder airgun and maximum fill pressure is 200 bar. Onboard pressure is shown on a nice clear gauge on the righthand side of the gun. Filling is a very simple procedure – just snap the cap off the front of the cylinder to expose the inlet and then couple up with the supplied connector.
The air cylinder on the Lyra BP is not massive – because this airgun has been designed for compact handling over large air reserves – but you can still expect around 100 shots per fill in .177 and about 115 in .22. The test gun was running at around 11.2 ft/lb at full output. It doesn’t have a regulator so there is a subtle power curve with a sweet spot of optimum performance. Nonetheless, I recorded consistency within eight feet per second over a ten-shot string during my testing. The Lyra BP has a power adjustment dial positioned just in front of the magazine. That feature could prove useful if you want to wind down the muzzle energy for very close-range ratting or backyard plinking in smaller gardens.
Below: Power is adjusted via the dial between the magazine slot and the air pressure gauge
I have been very impressed with the Lyra in its previous guises, so I was expecting good things from this one on the range. The BP didn’t disappoint and it is certainly accurate enough for humane pest control over the usual sensible sub-12 airgun ranges. Running Crosman Domed pellets and shooting from the support of a bench, the test gun was producing cloverleaf groups at 30m and clobbering 30mm steel targets at 40m.
To sum up, the Reximex Lyra BP, or Bullpup, is a tough and very pointable little Turkish airgun delivering fast handling for just over £400. It’s a decent looking airgun too and, with its clean, predictable trigger, offers a level of performance that exceeds its modest price. If you want a very compact PCP airgun for pest control or informal target shooting, and don’t want to spend big money, this could be just what you’re after.
MAKER: Reximex
MODEL: Lyra BP (bullpup)
UK DISTRIBUTOR: Range Right
RRP: £420
TYPE: Budget bullpup PCP
LENGTH: 635mm (25in)
WEIGHT: 3.2kg (7lb)
MAX FILL PRESSURE: 200 bar
SHOTS PER FILL: 100 in .177, 115 in .22
Article first published December 15th 2025
