Umarex Sports Weapons GmbH is a German manufacturer founded in 1972 and headquartered in Arnsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, whose main products include air guns, tear gas guns and signal pistols, as well as PAINT guns and airsoft guns under the RAM brand. Since the United States is its largest market, the company has set up a subsidiary in the United States, headquartered in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and now most of the company's new products are first sold by the American subsidiary, so it is often mistaken for Umarex is an American company.
Logo of Umarex Sporting Arms Co., Ltd
Umarex is well known in the airsoft world because it has always been the first to push the limits of the human mind for airsoft guns. For example, the company's large-caliber PCP air guns such as the Umarex Hammer are extraordinaryly powerful, and can even deal with large prey as dangerous as the South African buffalo. In the last two years, the company has made breakthroughs in a new field, that is, the development and sales of air crossbows, you heard it right - it is the air crossbow, literally called "air bow" or "archery gun". Unlike crossbows or compound hunting bows with complex pulley and wire string combinations, the principle of air crossbows is closer to that of an air gun, using the force of high-pressure gas to propel specially designed arrows and give them enough speed to kill deer, wild boars, or other prey.
The series of air crossbows launched by Umarex are mainly aimed at the hunting supplies market
In late 2019, Umarex launched the Air Saber, which was first publicly displayed at the 2020 SHOT Show on January 21, 2020. The Air Saber is a PCP air crossbow that is mainly used for hunting. Using the carbon fiber "direct flight technology" arrow designed by the company with a total weight of 24.4 grams, the initial speed of the "air saber" can reach 137 m / s (up to 145.7 m / s) and the initial kinetic energy of 229.1 joules (up to 240.6 joules), whether hunting small and medium-sized animals, can show the greatest penetration and lethality.
The "Air Saber" continues the proven technology of the Umarex PCP airsoft gun
The Air Saber continues the proven air release technology widely used on other PCP airsoft guns in the Umarex, using a bolt-ready method that continuously and stably releases high-pressure airflow, while using a two-stage trigger, manual safety and an olive-green synthetic stock with thumb holes. It is designed with Picatinny rails on top of the crossbow for mounting the scopes, and 3 short rails at the front as accessory mounting points. Equipped with 4 horizontally divided Axeon optical archery sights with an interior, the precise range can reach 64 meters. Except for firing arrows with a guide rod instead of a lead bullet with the barrel, it differs little from the other PCP airsoft guns of the Umarex.
The pressure gauge position design of the "Air Saber" is more reasonable
The Air Saber uses a repeatable high-pressure gas tank as the source of the launch energy, with a maximum inflation pressure of 24.9 MPa. The air crossbow has a built-in inflatable joint with a quick disconnect device, which can be connected to an external air compressor, manual air pump and large cylinder to facilitate the replenishment of compressed air at any time. The pressure gauge is located at the bottom of the stock, in front of the trigger, which avoids the danger of looking at the air pressure when the air pressure is placed under the barrel. Umarex claims that at maximum power, i.e. maximum initial velocity, a fully charged gas tank can support 25 to 30 consecutive launches. For general hunting, the pressure only needs to reach 20.7 MPa, and most people can fill this pressure level with a manual air pump.
From the loading method, the "air saber" is obviously different from PCP, and the arrow needs to be inserted backwards from the "muzzle" direction - from front to back on the guide rod - until the tail of the arrow is stuck by an "O" shaped circle. Of course, throughout the filling process, it must be ensured that the manual insurance is always in the insurance position. After loading, if you no longer need to fire, first pull the gun back and hold it completely, then pull the trigger, hear the release of the "click", then push the bolt forward, close the safety again, and then remove the arrow from the guide rod forward.
The arrow loading method of the "Air Saber" is from front to back, attached to the guide rod
The "direct flight technology" arrow used by the "Air Saber" is the key to its sufficient accuracy and lethality. They are similar in appearance to ordinary arrows, but not universal, their carbon fiber arrow shaft itself weighs 17.9 grams, more robust than ordinary arrows, the rod body is hollow, the end is open, and its inner diameter can make the arrow body slip freely outside the guide rod, and the sealed end is used to install the arrow. When fired, the high-pressure air ejected from the front of the guide rod directly hits the top of the inner sealed end of the shaft, and the thrust acts on the front of the arrow, while the traditional bow and arrow includes the crossbow, and the thrust is loaded on the tail of the arrow. Therefore, in the initial flight stage, the "direct flight technology" arrow will not bend or swing like a traditional arrow, but fly straight according to the throwing curve with higher accuracy. In terms of arrows, the "direct flying technique" arrow has good versatility and can be easily converted between the traditional field arrow and the blade hunting arrow, as long as the arrow weight is 6.48 grams.
The "Air Saber" uses a specially designed "direct flight technology" carbon fiber arrow
Almost at the same time as the launch of the Air Saber, Umarex also unveiled one of its "cousins", the carbon dioxide-powered Air Javelin, who first made a public appearance at the Athlon outdoor party in 2019 and officially launched at the end of January 2020.
The "Air Javelin" is very avant-garde in appearance and has a strong sense of science fiction
Although both are air crossbows, there is a big difference between the "air javelin" and the "air saber". The former not only positions the hunting supplies market, but also covers the practitioners of the air crossbow, especially the youth population. Unlike the "Air Saber" similar to the traditional PCP appearance, the "Air Javelin" design is more sci-fi and trendy, and the oversized handguard gives it an almost "space weapon" visual effect. The front end of the handguard equipped with M-LOK slots on both sides actually hides the power source of the "air javelin". With the simple pressing of a button, the front of the handguard slides forward, allowing the user to screw into an 88-gram CO2 cylinder in it. Using a patent-pending precharge valve system, the Air Javelin is capable of firing an 11-gram carbon fiber "direct flying technology" arrow at a speed of more than 91.4 m/s, with an initial kinetic energy of about 46.1 joules, comparable to the arrows fired by a normal compound bow, and can shoot through a 6.35 mm thick plywood at 68.6 meters, with the ability to cleanly shoot down any small prey common in North America. According to manufacturers, a new 88-gram cylinder is enough for dozens of launches. Considering the characteristics of carbon dioxide, this energy conversion effect of the "air javelin" is quite impressive.
The "Air Javelin" uses an 88-gram carbon dioxide cylinder as the firing power
The "Air Javelin" has a comfortable pistol grip, an AR stock of adjustable length, and a floating barrel guard, all made the entire airbow light, weighing only 1.77 kg, and on the other hand, anyone who had used an AR rifle would immediately become familiar with its operation. In addition, the levers are interchangeable left and right, and the standard push-button safety side is located above the trigger, making it easy to get used to. The standard configuration of the "Air Javelin" is a detachable open mechanical sight, but the crossbow body has a full-length Picatinny rail on the top, and a small guide under the muzzle, and the shooter can add a red dot sight or other sight on his own. In tests using the Axeon Trisyclon red dot sight, its best accuracy can be guaranteed at a distance of 22.9 meters, with 3 arrows shot in the center of the target and 3 arrows spreading no more than 31.8 mm at a distance of 45.7 meters.
The loading process of the "Air Javelin" is also front to back
The "Air Javelin" has excellent accuracy and energy conversion rate
On January 7 this year, U.S. subsidiary of Umarex released a new generation of air crossbow products called "Air Sabre: Elite X2". As the name suggests, it is a development model of the "Air Saber". The innovation of the Elite X2 is that it increases the guide rod from 1 to 2 side-by-side, and if needed, it can shoot two equally powerful arrows in less than 2 seconds in a row. At the rear of the guide rod, above the crossbow body, there is a large cross-channel selection button through which the shooter can choose whether to shoot with the left guide rod or the right guide rod. For example, a right-handed shooter who first fires the first arrow with the left guide bar can be replaced by lightning if the target is not hit or if there is a need to make up another shot. Left-handed shooters, on the other hand, can make the first shot with the right barrel and then switch to the left to quickly shoot a second arrow. While the Elite X2 isn't a 100% "two-handed dexterity" design (the side-pull waiting stick is set on the right), it's not hard to operate with either hand. With a little practice, the switch can be completed in 2 seconds.
The stock and stick of air saber: elite 2 is significantly different from the original air saber
The Elite 2 uses two guide rods side by side, which can be mounted separately with arrows
Although the number of guide rods has doubled, the size of the "Elite X2" has not increased much, with a total length of 1079.5 mm, the guide rod length of 508 mm, the outer guard length of 546.1 mm, and the total weight including the scope is 3.95 kg. The model of the arrow used has also not changed, and all the existing 22.7-24.4 g arrows available for the "Air Saber" on the market can be used well with the new version of the air crossbow. There are two differences, the "Air Saber" adopts the bolt-action standby method, and the "Elite X2" uses the side lever standby method, which is relatively easier to use. The "Elite X2" uses a gas cylinder with a capacity of 240 ml and a maximum filling pressure of 27.6 MPa, which is 2.76 MPa higher than the original "Air Saber". Umarex said that it expects the arrows to be fired at a speed of about 137.2 m/s and an initial energy of 229.1 joules during the first 5 shots, at which point the precise firing distance of the arrows will reach 68.6 meters. Within the range of power required by humanitarian hunting, the cylinder is large enough to support 25 shots. But for most hunters, there are generally only a few effective shooting opportunities per hunt, so it is enough to use.
The Elite 2 uses a traversal selector to choose which side of the guide rod to fire
In terms of price, the Air Saber is bundled with a bundled 4×32 Axeon optical archery sight, together with three 24.4-gram carbon fiber arrows, for a suggested retail price of $369.99, or $319.99 if the scope is not needed. As for the "direct flying technology" arrows, for each of the 6 in a group, the suggested retail price is $39.99. For ease of use, the Air Saber can also be fitted with a side arrow rack, and a Jumper UTG bipod can also be installed under the front support. Of course, these all require additional payments. The Air Javelin is much cheaper, containing three 11-gram carbon fiber arrows each and retailing for just $170. If you have an optional adapter worth $29.99, you can also replace the 88-gram cylinder with a pair of standard 12-gram capacity cylinders for short shooting or practice. Air Saber: Elite X2 includes an air crossbow, three 24.4-gram carbon fiber arrows, and a 4×32 Axeon archery sight and filled probe for a suggested retail price of $499.99. Considering its ability to quickly replenish fire, it is more advantageous for a hunter to buy the Air Saber: Elite X2.
Of the three air crossbows of the Umarex, the Air Javelin is the least powerful and the most inexpensive
In addition to providing a new shooting experience, the air crossbow also has a lot of loopholes in the law. Despite its great power and range, in the United States it is considered to be on par with bows and arrows and front-loading black powder guns, enjoying a longer hunting season (starting 10 days in advance) with few regulatory restrictions. In fact, most states allow the use of this weapon to hunt wild animals, and even 10 states use it to hunt deer. Hunting organizations such as the Airsoft Hunting Corps and the International Hunting Club acknowledge the record of prey caught with it. In addition, compared with the PCP air gun, the Umarex air crossbow can not be called "quiet", but its firing sound is not large enough to protect hearing, and the rear seat is also mild. Coupled with the relatively friendly prices, in addition to hunting, these air crossbows will also be a great choice for family parent-child shooting. Therefore, although the air crossbow is a new thing produced by the superposition of fields, it is receiving more and more attention and accelerating its popularity.