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CO2 Umarex MORPH 3X CO2 BB pistol and rifle: Part 1

Umarex MORPH 3X CO2 BB pistol and rifle: Part 1

by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier

Happy New Year!

I have a couple updates to pass along. The blog readers can’t see what’s going on behind the scenes, and these updates will inform you of the progress I’m making in certain tests.

Update 1. Cometa Fusion Premier Star
I know there are several readers waiting for the final accuracy report of the Cometa Fusion Premier Star .22-caliber breakbarrel rifle. The problem I’m having is one of sights. The test rifle has a lot of droop, and I need a suitable scope that has a droop-compensating mount; but the scope stop holes on this rifle are too small to accept the arresting pins of all scope mounts with vertical scope stop pins. Three times I’ve attempted to test the rifle for you and the scope has moved.

The last time was yesterday with a BKL scope mount whose base jaws proved too large to grab the Cometa scope grooves tightly enough to stop it. Normally, a BKL mount will grab and hold but not when the jaws are so large and the grooves so close together. And remember — I need a droop-compensating mount. I have plenty of drooper mounts that fit the gun, but the vertical pins are too large to fit the rifle’s tiny arresting holes.

I also tried grinding down a scope stop pin, but it didn’t hold the mount. When I tightened the scope mount down, the high arch of the spring tube must have pressed the mount upward and pulled the pin out of the hole.

There is a solution. If I can wedge a vertical pin in one of the holes and butt the back of a mount up to it (with the pin being outside the mount to the rear) and then tighten it down, it might work. I tried that yesterday, however, and the pin I used did not sit deep enough into the vertical hole to stay in place. It was gone on the third shot.

Update 2. Benjanin Titan GP with Nitro Piston accuracy test
There are two problems with the Benjamin Titan GP air rifle with Nitro Piston test. First, the Centerpoint scope that’s furnished with the rifle is unsuited for shooting at 25 yards. The image is too vague and blurry for me to expect good results.

Second, this rifle is also a drooper. So, I need to use a drooper mount. As it is, the rifle hits 12 inches below the aim point at 25 yards, and I can’t compensate for that.

I’ll find a suitable scope and drooper mount and get on with this test as soon as possible. I can tell you that the trigger, while it is heavy and has a long pull, doesn’t seem to be a problem when shooting from a rest.

Umarex MORPH 3X CO2 BB Pistol and Rifle

Umarex MORPH 3X Rifle
The Umarex MORPH 3X is many airguns in one!

Today, we’ll begin looking at the Umarex MORPH 3X pistol and rifle.

Huh? It’s BOTH a pistol and a rifle?

Yes.

It’s really three things — a pistol, and something with no name that could be called a Buntline pistol and also a carbine — all in one. All the parts come in the box, so you can make the gun whatever you want it to be. It shoots steel BBs only, and the power source is CO2.

There’s a lot going on with this gun, and I think to avoid confusion it would be best if I review the gun from a standpoint of the three configurations. Because there’s so much to look at, I’m breaking this introductory look into two parts. Actually with all this gun offers, I think there are going to be several more parts to the report than the usual three.

The pistol
The base gun is the pistol that operates self-sufficiently. It contains all the operational parts needed, which include the BB magazine as well as the firing mechanism, the trigger, the safety and the power-adjustment screw.

Umarex MORPH 3X Pistol
The pistol is the heart of the whole system.

Yes, the power is adjustable, via a screw in the rear of the pistol frame. A rubber plug is picked out of its hole at the top rear of the gun frame, and the slotted screw is located about a quarter-inch deep inside the hole. According to the owner’s manual, this screw increases the gun’s power by being turned outward (counterclockwise) 1.5 turns or inward (clockwise) to lower the power. There are two discrete power settings — high and low. The screw is not an infinite adjustment but simply a switch to go from high to low and back, again. When I test velocity, I’ll do so on both power settings.

Umarex MORPH 3X pistol power adjustment
A rubber plug in the back of the pistol pops out, giving access to the power adjustment screw.

The sights on the pistol are fiberoptics, front and rear. They lie extremely low to the top of the gun and do not offer the possibility of a post and notch type of sight picture. It’s either use the three colored dots or not! To see both sights, a groove has been made through the scope rail on top of the frame.

Umarex MORPH 3X Pistol front sight
The front fiberoptic sight lies low against the top of the gun and needs a groove so the rear sight can acquire the front.

Of course the entire top of the pistol is a scope rail or base that will accept Weaver sights, which is how I suspect many owners will set up their guns. Therefore I will also shoot the gun with a dot sight — just to fit in.

Trigger
The trigger is a double-action pull with some slop at the start. It’s definitely cocking the striker as the trigger is pulled to the rear. The pull is reasonably light and stacks (increases in pressure) just before it releases. Once you get used to it, you should be able to control it very well.

The safety is a sliding button on the right side of the frame. To operate it, you push in and slide it forward for safe and rearward to fire. It works easily and is just a smidgeon too far forward for me to operate with my trigger finger.

Umarex MORPH 3X Pistol safety
Press in on the safety switch and slide in the direction desired.

Loading a CO2 cartridge
Th MORPH 3X offers yet another new way of accessing the CO2 cartridge chamber. You press in on a button located at the bottom of the grip and simultaneously slide down the backstrap. The effort required is major, and it’ll take some getting used to. Don’t expect children to be able to do it.

Umarex MORPH 3X Pistol CO2 compartment
The CO2 compartment isn’t easy to access. A button is pressed while sliding the backstrap down and off the grip.

Loading BBs
BBs are contained in an onboard spring-loaded BB magazine on the left side of the gun. Loading is easy, through an enlarged hole, and the follower stays locked and out of the way until you’re ready for it.

Umarex MORPH 3X Pistol BB magazine
The BB magazine is on the left side of the pistol. It’s easy to load and holds up to 30 BBs.

A lot more to come
This isn’t the end of the description, but it is the end of this report. There are still two more shooting configurations to address, plus the fact that the barrel extension is unusual, to say the least. After that, I can get on with the testing.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

57 thoughts on “Umarex MORPH 3X CO2 BB pistol and rifle: Part 1”

  1. Chuck first to reply to your previous 6post ”Happy New Year” or ‘ Sretna Nova Godina’ -you were right on the spot ;),you should teach me English ‘beterer ‘lol and I will teach you my language …in Fact Happy first day of New Year to you alll….Chuck time line and that …time line -who cares 🙂 time is relative 😉 … since i am an Orthodox Christian i have Christmas still to come and one more New Year ! lol
    All the best my friends -my mom is doing great ,tnx for asking buddy !
    Now I have to fight for my rights to own air rifle here ,and i will fight for it no matter what 🙂 (with an arguments an law off off curse ….)

    • Milan,

      Glad to hear your Mom is OK and good luck in fighting for your rights!
      Happy New Year, Happy first day and we both yet have a Christmas to celebrate 😉

      duskwight

    • Milan,
      Glad to hear your mom is doing good. I just found out today that until 1752 we celebrated New Year’s Day on March 25th. Then the English adopted the Gregorian calendar so they could get drunk two months earlier. I think some of them still get drunk on March 25th too. I think, this day and age, some of them even stay drunk until the 25th. Ya gotta love those English.
      -Chuckj

    • Thank you guys ,first i need to say thank you, and second God bless you all ,third let this be the best year for every one off you ,you guys are the best !:)
      Duskwight -Yeah we have to ‘endure ‘ more celebrations ,poor us 🙂 Happy New year buddy -all the best -all the best to you all!
      B.B. Happy New Year and keep up with this wonderful blog ! All the best !

  2. Happy first day everyone!

    Well this Umarex Morph looks an finctions exactly like good old trusted MP-651 pistol, although the latter can also shoot pellets from a cylinder clip with a good degree of accuracy. It’s even built after the same principle and composition – over-barrel BB magazine, “rifle” skin and even rear-sliding grip/cover for CO2 compartment! I wonder if this is just a convergency, or someone spent some time studying IzhMech design…

    duskwight

    • TT,

      Yes, it is depressing when I have to work so hard, just to get something to do what it is supposed to be able to do. I can always count on that when testing a powerful breakbarrel, and often when testing a breakbarrel of any kind. It makes those vintage rifles seem that much better.

      B.B.

      • But the manufacturers KNOW we want more speed, even when we tell them differently. Who cares if you cannot hit the broad side of a barn while standing inside. That pellet has to produce a supersonic crack.

        Actually the main problem is us. We want oodles of power in a cheap package. The sproinger can give you that, but because of Newton’s Laws accuracy suffers.

        So far as my very limited experience has shown me, the only way to achieve the power and accuracy we desire is with a PCP. Unfortunately, the cost of accessories seem to be prohibitive to most people. It was to me for a long time. But since I have finally taken the plunge, I slap my forehead and wonder why I did not go there in the first place.

        I hand pump. I have found that I can shoot my Talon SS for a couple of hours before I need to recharge. Then I just leisurely pump it up while watching the boob tube that evening. The same with my Edge.

        Eventually I will spring for a Shoebox compressor, but that will likely be a few years down the road unless I stumble on a deal I just cannot walk away from.

        • I see that “more power” thing all the time on the forum. People wanting to boost the power of their CO2 blowback BB gun or springer rifles, when you ask for what purpose they say they just want MORE POWER but they don’t seem to know why.
          When someone explains to them that more power will likely ruin theirs blowback gun or that they may have to work harder to squeeze the accuracy out of their springer they complain and say it can’t be so and that a friend of the cousin of his brother in law neighbor did it and is shooting .177 pellets at 2200fps thru an engine block and will stack pellet after pellet thru the same hole… off hand… at 100 yards.

          J-F

          • And then it’s always, “I got a bad barrel, trigger, scope, etc…” Kind of like the guy after sliding into a ditch with his Audi on an slick road…. “My traction control is malfunctioning….” (Personally, I think it has a loose nut between the gas pedal and the steering wheel,… Or the trigger and the sights…)

            /Dave

              • Never thought of it that way, but, YES! …. Just kidding, TT! It was aimed at the people who get the bestest, fastest, mostest and think it’ll make them better marksmen. Or drivers. Then blame the equipment for their own shortcomings, lack of experience, etc. As you already know, it won’t. Nice equipment helps to a small degree, then it’s up to the individual to practice and perfect. Or maybe I got that backwards… Perfect practice…!

                Happy New Year!
                /Dave

                • There is nothing wrong with buying a piece of equipment (gun, car, etc.) that exceeds your ability to get the most out of it.

                  It is called an opportunity to improve your skills.

                  If your new gun will shoot only as accurately as you are able to shoot when you buy it, it can never help you to shoot better.

                  But if you work to bring your skill up to the level the gun is capable of producing, you will get better.

                  A new, more precision gun should be considered a learning opportunity.

                  If you keep shooting the same old guns you’ve already mastered, then that is the level you are apt to remain at.

                  Les

      • BB,

        Excess droop is the one thing that I cannot see a manufacturer not correcting before a design is put into production. On the lower powered guns of the past it was not so noticeable since most were shot with open sights. With a contemporary 800 fps-plus springer it should just not be tolerated at the factory. How many new shooters buy an airgun and then give up because they cannot hit anything using the scope? Why is it even an issue these days? Are the companies that pressed for time or money that they cannot finish testing before production? On the other hand, my HW77 has had excess droop from day one!

        Paul in Liberty County

          • B.B.

            I have had them so bad that it was obvious from looking at the rifle from the side that you would have to stack drooper mounts to use a scope.
            In one case, about a third of the droop was caused by too thick of a breech seal. Talk about vertical stringing !!!!

            twotalon

          • B.B., If YOU are having this much trouble with the Cometa, imagine what an average buyer would suffer with it. Why don’t you send it back?

            I used to write productivity software reviews. I got a certain number of software products that promised the moon but were so poorly written that they were better used as doorstops. At first I thought there was something wrong either with me or my computer. Eventually I simply returned the programs with a note saying I’d be happy to write a review of their product when they got it to work.

            Surely there are airguns awaiting your testing that do more than waste your valuable time.

            Or am I missing something?

            • Joe B in Marin,

              I like this airgun blog over all other airgun sites because:

              1-B.B. rarely sends guns back but instead works through the issues (manufacturers oversights/screw ups) integrating multiple techniques used with other guns that had similar problems. Although the techniques may not work on every airgun they’re wonderful tips to keep in our arsenal of possible fixes for other airguns with similar issues.

              2-This blog is organized by model of airgun and the parts (part 1-3 usually) are easy to access to read not only the evolution of B.B.’s testing but the comments that follow each part. By comparison, trying to search and find information on other airgun sites about a certain model and then mentally joining them together to make sense is tremendous mental gymnastics at best and a daytime nightmare usually.

              3-There can’t be ultimate, long range accuracy testing of any airgun until you find proper scope mounting solution. It takes time to work through tougher scope mounting challenges like the cometa fusion is presenting. B.B. hasn’t given up. He’s admitted to having a trick or two up his sleeve.

              4-Accuracy testing is almost always the “DEAL or NO DEAL” for me on B.B.’s new tests. Let’s assume, once a scope can be securely mounted on the cometa fusion, that it proves itself an accurate airgun. In that event, even with extra effort B.B.will have provided us with a scope mounting solution when most other cometa fusion owners have given up. They may have sent their guns back (now used airguns that the retailer must sell) or they stuck them in their closet out of frustration. Those of us that have learned about this scope mounting solution can buy these used bargains with confidence. Great gun deals many times appear from disgruntled owners that have not taken the time to find solutions to manufacturers oversights or great gun deals appear as “slighly used returns”. Of course they’re only bargains if the guns are accurate. I hope B.B. finds an adequate scope mounting solution so we can find out if this gun is accurate or not.

              kevin

  3. I also have had difficulty in finding a sight with my reduced velocity Titan. I found that my first thought of putting on a dot sight did not work out too well and am awaiting an AO 2-7 scope to get it going at short range.

    Recoil on the reduced power Titan is short in duration, but pretty snappy. I wonder if the sharp recoil will affect long term durability.

    I also started wondering about some of the selling points of the Nitro piston. Do they really have better cold weather performance than a metal spring? At what temperature is this an issue? While they don’t break, how often do they leak?

    Meanwhile, I am back to my Bronco which has become a big favorite since it is such a pleasure to shoot indoors. I have used various now vintage air rifles through the years, and it seems to me that this is as a good shooter as many I have used. I am interested to see how well it holds up over time in comparison to the nitro piston gun. It sure will be a challenge to work up the gumption to shoot the nitro piston gun as often as the Bronco.

  4. BB,

    Regarding the Cometa Fusion… Have you considered having the scope stop pin for the drooper mount ground down to fit the pin stop hole for the fusion for about half its lenghth and left the original diameter for half its length? That should result in a pin that fits in the slot and still (sort of) fits the scope mounts. Or is that what you already tried?

    J

      • Tom,

        Frustrating.

        Here’s what I’ve done when my vertical stop pins wouldn’t fit.

        Rather than ruin the oem stop pin that came in the mount I remove it. I use steel round stock that the local hardware store carries. Don’t remember if I used 3/8″ or 1/4″ since I have both on my bench. Probably 1/4″. These come in 3 foot lengths at my hardware store and cost about $4.00. I cut a 3″-4″ length off and chuck it up in a drill. I put the drill in my vise since I don’t have a drill press or a lathe. I dress one end with a narrow coarse file and finish it with the edge of a small fine sharpening stone to fit the hole in the gun. I then move next to this spot I just ground off the rod stock and grind the next adjacent area to fit the mount. If I were Vince I would thread this end to screw into the mount but I’m not Vince. What I do is measure the mount hole with my calipers and then grind the area to fit the mount smaller than the mount hole so I can wrap duct tape around it and fit it snugly into the mount without ruining the threads in the mount. This allows me to re-insert and re-use the original oem vertical stop pin at a later date. I then cut the new vertical stop pin to length by taking it out of the drill and putting the virgin steel round stock in the vise. Quick, dirty and cheap but it works for me.

        kevin

          • Tom,

            Never had much luck decreasing the diameter of an OEM stop pin since they’re so short. Nothing to grab onto to reduce the diameter evenly.

            For what it’s worth, reports on other sites about the cometa fusion state that the only mount that has worked is the hawke dovetail to weaver which has droop compensation ability and tightens to the rail with 4 allen screws (two on each side) for extreme clamping pressure. These mounts also have a vertical stop pin with a grub screw that locks it in place but no one is using the stop pin since it’s too big. The clamping pressure alone from this mount is what’s keeping it in place on these guns. As a comparison the UTG dovetail to weaver adapter only has two screws and they’re only on one side of the mount and won’t hold on the cometa fusion.

            Do you have one of these hawke adapters that isn’t already mounted on one of your guns?

            kevin

  5. I am not a collector. I don’t know how to use this venue. There is no “contact us” button. I recently acquired three A.B.T. (Adler Bechtol Tratsch, Chicago, 12, IL) air rifles. The metal parts are heavly painted black. I removed enough paint to expose the Mfg. name and four patent dates. The first one was applied for in 1940 and issued in 1942. My query is, do I wait for the next Chicago “gun buy back” or are these of some value to a collector? How do I contact one? Help? farmerinthedell@wowway.com

  6. BB,
    Did you try the Leapers 1-piece — I don’t know if they have a drooper, but you could always shim it. The Accushot mount I have has a reversible clamp jaw that looks like it would accommodate different widths of groove. It holds on everything (so far, and nothing I have has a stop pin) — its original purpose was the 36-2 pre-tune, but it has spent a lot of time on the Glenfield 60 which will sling scopes also.

  7. It’s really three things — a pistol, and something with no name that could be called a Buntline pistol and also a carbine — all in one.

    Why is my mind flashing onto original Star Trek phasers… The black “pocket” phaser snaps into the top of the “pistol” phaser (and that ancient “technical reference” extrapolated that to snapping the pistol model into a rifle model — each supposedly used to pump the next power level).

    Either your camera white-balance glitched, or this pistol is not using hard-to-see red for the front fiber optic.

    I’ve never figured out where the practice of front red, rear green, came from… The eye is so sensitive to green that having a pair of green dots on the rear site just glares out, making a red dot on the front almost impossible to see (my experience — especially with the optional open sights for the AirForce series)

  8. Sounds like a fun gun for someone that doesn’t take shooting or accuracy very seriously. I’m finding as I get older that my tastes are getting more refined and I’m walking away from these kinds of guns. But I will give them an “A” for innovation in plastic.

    • Mikey,

      You only need to ask a question once on this blog.

      The Morph is a real BB gun that shoots steel BBs. What you are referring to are airsoft ammunition. They are called BBs mistakenly by their Asian manufacturers, but they are larger than real steel BBs and will not work in the Morph.

      B.B.

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