It's probably because it's manufactured in China (like alot of other products these days :0 ) where labor rates and manufacturing expenses are much lower than here in the states. Beeman products used to be manufactured predominantly, if not exclusively in Germany, in the not too distant past. But recently, Beeman along with a few other airgun manufacturers/brands started having their AG's produced in China due to the availability of cheaper labor. The Chinese guns had received initially (maybe earned) somewhat of a bad rap from a quality standpoint, but from what I've been hearing and reading the quality definitely seems to have gotten better in recent yrs.
Some China sourced guns are actually more or less direct copies/clones of some of the Beeman rifles. (Others can chime in as to which ones crossover to the Bams.) As far as the Mach 12.5 goes, the specs sound impressive, but I'm unaware if it too is a clone of another rifle or just part of the recent Beeman/Chinese produced offerings. I actually have a Daisy 1000ws that was made in China and for $80...I think that it's a pretty good value. It shoots in the upper 900's and is pretty accurate also. But, don't get me wrong, it's no HW or RWS! Hope this helps! :emoticon:
