by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Umarex Fusion 2 CO2 repeater.
This report covers:
- The test
- Scoped
- JSB Exact RS
- Air Arms Falcon
- Magazine problems
- RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle
- H&N Baracuda Match 4.50mm heads
- Discussion
- Summary
Today we look at the accuracy of the Umarex Fusion 2 CO2 rifle.
The test
I shot the rifle from a rest at 10 meters. I wanted to give the rifle and scope an easy test, as I was actually looking for the most accurate pellets, in case I move back to shoot at 25 yards. I shot 9-shot groups with each pellet because the magazine holds 9 pellets.
Scoped
The Fusion 2 doesn’t have open sights so I scoped it. I mounted a UTG 2-7X44 Scout SWAT scope. I mounted it quickly for today’s test with the intention of shimming it at the rear for a longer range test if the Fusion 2 was accurate.
JSB Exact RS
I sighted in with JSB Exact RS domes and then shot a 9-shot group. Nine pellets went into 0.637-inches at 10 meters. That would be okay for 25 yards but it’s big for 10 meters.
Nine JSB Exact RS pellets went into 0.637-inches at 10 meters.
Air Arms Falcon
Next to be tried were Air Arms Falcon domes. They often surprise me with their accuracy. This time they turned in the smallest group of the test — 9 in 0.592-inches at 10 meters.
Nine Air Arms Falcons went into 0.592-inches at 10 meters. It was the smallest group of the test.
Falcons also jammed the magazine three times. I spent as much time trying to fix the air rifle when shooting them as I did with all the other pellets tested.
Magazine problems
I had problems with the magazine in previous tests, but I thought they were all solved by holding the rifle level. Nope. Today the mag got jammed in the action three times, requiring me to tap it out with a punch. What happens is a pellet jumps out of the mag as it is loaded into the receiver. Once that happens the mag with neither go all the way into battery, nor can it be removed easily. Hence the drift. When it comes out the damaged pellet that was jamming it can be removed from the action, though I also had to pry pieces of one pellet out of the magazine with a small pen knife.
I had to drive the magazine out of the receiver three times to clear jammed pellets!
The magazine also failed to advance several times, resulting in a blank shot. I resorted to watching it as I cocked the rifle to make certain it advanced.
RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle
I wanted to try a heavier pellet, so the RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle wadcutter was next. Nine of them went into a group that measures 0.549-inches between centers. It’s a very round group, but look at it. The pellets didn’t want to have anything to do with each other!
Yes, it looks like only 6 holes but 9 RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle pellets are in this 0.549-inch group.
H&N Baracuda Match 4.50mm heads
Now I wanted to try a really heavy pellet. Sometimes they can be very accurate in lower-powered airguns. Nine H&N Baracuda Match domes with 4.50mm heads made a 1.258-inch group at 10 meters.
Nine H&N Baracuda Match domes made a 1.258-inch group at 10 meters. It’s the largest group of the test.
Discussion
Well — phooey! The rifle doesn’t get good gas mileage, it has a defective CO2 reservoir that needs a workaround, it won’t accept the 88-gram cylinders it’s supposed to, the magazines both jammed the gun and the thing isn’t accurate. At least that was my experience with it.
Summary
There are too many air rifles that have a lot going for them for me to recommend the Fusion 2. I had high hopes at the start of this report but the test gun derailed them.
For the naysayers believing that the guns B.B. tests are cherry picked this should put a stop to their murmurings. TWO guns back to back with problems! Umarex lost its gamble with this rifle.
Siraniko
Wow! The gun is pretty much a disaster. Glad I bought a new Beeman QB78S model recently. I hope Tommight give the Diana Trailscout a test.
Enjoy your Beeman; I like QB78S other than its trigger.
About a week ago, BB said he didn’t want to test a ‘CO2’ stormrider.
Perfect rifle for,
https://i.gifer.com/FpWh.mp4
Enlil,
The real shame of it is these two gentlemen are still in the gene pool.
🙂
Well played, Umarex…
I learned early on that, “A poor mechanic blames his tools.”
In this case with a known good mechanic, indeed the tool is the problem. In my case I’m still learning to become a good mechanic. I’m grateful for B.B.’s work in sussing out these airguns. When one of them turns out to be a stinker, we can be assured that it’s the gun, not the shooter.
Dan
Congratulations Umarex!
The future candidate for the land fill, just became a current candidate for the land fill.
What a waste of resources……
-Y
Nobody asks a captain about the powerful winds, horrifying storms, or gigantic waves. At the end of the day, a captain is asked only one question, if he was able to bring his ship back to the port or not… A gun has to be accurate. Period!
BB,
🙁 ,…… again. Oh well,… onward. Maybe talk to PA and see if it would be ok to send this thing directly to RR? He really seems to like it given recent comments. 😉
Chris
Chris,
Yes, what a great idea! I’ll even put a brand new blade in my hacksaw!
I really like the looks of the silencer on this air rifle.
RidgeRunner,
Is that akin to liking the sound of the air rifle’s appearance? ;^)
There, I read a blog for the first time in about a week, made my requisite smart-alecky comment, and will go hit the pillow again. I’d been getting better until a few days ago but then I had a throbbing headache for a day and a half.
From what I gather, this air gun is a big of a headache.
Michael
Michael,
Glad to see you are still kickin’. 🙂
Chris
Chris,
Thanks!
This morning I feel pretty good, better than I have in recent memory. No symptoms. I need to not get careless and overdo it today, however. This covid thing seems not to totally go away but rather lie in the weeds and rear up again every now and then. For me the headaches are the worst. I’ve had more than a few, and they are really bad. And I am a lifelong migraine sufferer! If I say they’re bad, they are bad. I just now read an article that says a recent study — just one study and not a huge one — shows that a small percentage of young children who contract the coronavirus suffer muscular weakness, lessened reflexes and minor brain damage that might end up being permanent. Ahhhhh!
It is good to read about air guns when I can every now and then. It reminds me there is still a world out there where folks are going outside and having fun doing stuff like shooting. At the moment I can’t remember the last time I shot a pellet or BB gun. It might be months.
As soon as the clock gets to noon, I’m going to go out on the patio and hoist a cold beer. Maybe I’ll take an air pistol and some aluminum cans out with me. I have an odd Chinese underlever pellet pistol (huge, imagine a skateboard with thick orange poly slathered on it!) that is peeking out from behind a stack of magazines. Maybe that’ll be my choice for today.
Michael
I have never owned an Umarex branded airgun. Some I considered had a backward safety. The Gauntlet, which is not really theirs’s, is too b’ugly for me. The aesthetics of many would not even appeal to Buck Rogers.
I am also not a big fan of CO2. Although I know Umarex has many success stories with CO2, this is not one of them.
But I really do like the looks of that silencer! 😉
Yesh, the original Fusion, was a pretty good air rifle. Quiet, decent accuracy, single shot, so no magazine quirks.
Can we say Crash and Burn Children. Great testing and reporting BB!
Mike
Seems the Yugo has reincarnated in the form of a CO2 rifle…
Thank you for a very detailed report on this rifle, we had such high hopes for it.
Other reviewer‘s seem to like it, maybe this is just a bad one, maybe the entire run is bad.
It’s sad that a company that does so well with their replica airguns, can do so bad on a design that should be well understood, (a bolt action co2 based rifle), even at this price point…
Ian
Ian,
Well, Umarex doesn’t actually make anything. They just own companies that make things (Diana, Walther, etc.) and pay to slap their name on things made by yet other companies they don’t own (Beretta, Colt, etc.). What companies like Umarex provide is, well, uh . . . actually they don’t provide anything.
Michael
The RWS target looks like a chain fire out of a pepper box pistol.
I know they don’t actually make any of them
they import them from China and they are paying us Chinese company to produce it at a particular price point at a certain level of quality
I’m sure the first test guns from the company were acceptable quality and right on price point.
now the production run is already going and they may swap out a little lesser quality barrels some quality magazines.
but if they’re going to pay that company to produce a item at a certain level of quality, they need to hold the company accountable for the quality of the product they are sending them to be sold to their customers.
Just my opinion.
BB, If this one cost about $60, it might have it’s own website!
Keep looking.
Best,
R
B.B.,
Thank you for all your hard work on this one, but I do find it a bit sad that the same company who made my ultra-cool Peacemaker managed to flub the design on this one…in fact, I’m doubly sad as it’s such a cool looking rifle
*shout out to Umarex*
“Hey guys, for the love of God, please fix this rifle!”
I really wanted to buy one…I could live with the low mileage, if only it was accurate…and the magazines worked.
Thanking you for another great set of reports,
dave
Dave,
My brother-in-law, Bob, wanted one, too.
B.B.
Please tell him that I am sad right along side him.
Dave,
I got an e-mail from Pyramyd air that must have been designed after Part 3 but before this Part 4: “Per Tom, this CO2 shooter mimics a PCP is all kinds of ways. Is this a CO2 air rifle that will have Price Point PCPs shaking in their in affordable boots?”
Hmmm. Price Point PCPs might shake in their boots LAUGHING! In fairness to P.A., marketing mistakes like that happen to a lot of companies every now and then.
Michael
B.B. I bought one of these rifles before reading your blog. It seems to be updated from the version you tested. I only recieved it yesterday and it worked properly for approximately 3 magazines. Now i can hear co2 leaking from the barrel and breach. Is there anything I can do to fix this? I used pelgun oil on both co2s and on the co2 adapter end. Am i stuck sending it in for repair?
coolhandluke,
Welcome to the blog.
I’m afraid so. Either there is a crack in an o-ring or a piece of dirt on the valve face. Either way, it’s inside your gun and it has to come apart. If you could — POP the valve several times you might blow it off, if it’s on the valve face. That’s how I fixed hundred of slow leaks at AirForce when I was building tanks.
BB
Could you please explain how to pop the valve? Sorry im new to co2 rifles.
Dave,
Umarex doesn’t fix air guns. They just send them back to you with a note saying it works as it’s supposed to, like with my under-warranty Walther LGV Challenger.
Michael
“Umarex doesn’t fix air guns.”
Michael, that s sad; but what I should have said is I would like to see them re-design this rifle! =>
BB,
I’ve just read this,
/blog/
In the past 13 years, since this article, have you added any rifles to your list of field target springers? Would a .177 ASP20 be on that list today, for example?
TY!
Enlil,
The .177 ASP20 is too powerful to compete in field target. The limit in the U.S. is 20 foot pounds.
B.B.
So in the last decade, there has been no additions to your list then?
B.B.
At my club it is 18 fpe.
-Y
We don’t have clubs around here; I envy your town.
I think 18 fpe is reasonable, but it should make 48 / 470 / 52 / 54 owners kinda upset.
Enlil,
I have been here around 8? +? years and I can not recall a new springer coming on the scene that anyone raved about other than the ASP20. I do not have any springers (any more) and do not have an ASP20,… but that is the best I recall,…. which may be in some question,……… 😉 From what I have gathered,… SIG really tried to get the ASP20 right,… right out of the gate.
Of course,.. you have the still sold models of the older classics that are tried and true.
Chris
I am not impressed with ASP20 at all; it has too much power to have fun with it. Its .22 version would make a good hunting rifle, but as I don’t hunt, I cannot find any value in it.
And there is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYrkIOdD2wk
PS: I’m not searching for a new air rifle anymore. A 30S will have my name on it, so no more hard times, please. 😀
Enlil,
Well,… you did ask. Interesting link you provided. I have heard nothing about that,…. a modular springer. Worth a quick watch ya’ all.
Chris
Yep, I asked for it. 😀
Diana 34 EMS… Probably, won’t make it here. I’m guessing we’ll have to enjoy this one instead, /product/rws-3400-air-rifle?m=5252
With the 3400, they should at least make the fibre optics interchangable. I wonder if 34 EMS and 3400 both come with T06 triggers.
Hey BB,
Thanks for trying. Sorry you had so many problems. I hope Umarex reads this blog. Definitely missed the mark on this one. With that said, still need a quiet 10 to 12 fpe air rifle that uses a magazine. May have to wait until Christmas.
Best Regards,
Eric
BB,
I got one for you,…………. everyone complains about fiber optic sights. Why? When did they come into play? Gadgetry?,…. or did they ever have legit benefit? What about those high end open sights with tridium??? glow in the dark sights? Is that not similar in concept?
I do not use opens well,……… but I have always wondered. In theory,… they seem like a good idea.
Well?
Chris
I assume many newbie air gunners prefer the fibre optics. I bet it’s cheaper to manufacture them too. Hopefully it’s just a phase and soon will go away.
Enlil,
Phase? Think they have been around for awhile now.
Old school is fine. For me,… I want to see the split ends on a Nat’s hair. I do not want the rear fuzzy, but the front sharp (or opposite) and do not want the target fuzzy. Man size target 30′ away? Do you even need sights? There,… would opt for laser sighting.
That is just me. For me,… I do not want to guess-ta-mate my aim in any way. I like scopes.
Chris
Yeah, you’re right; I guess they’re more than a phase. 🙁
BB had actually brought up the matter before,
/blog/2015/04/walther-terrus-air-rifle-part-1/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlPylqmGWLo
For me, the best air rifle would be a pre war Diana 27, but for now I’m excited about the 30S – I’ll shoot it with a scope too, on and off…
Chris USA,
Fiber Optics have been around since the 1920’s!
First set i personally saw on a hand carried weapon was some time in the mid to late Sixties.
About the same time i saw my first Starlight Scope (AN/PVS-n) which broke after only a few rounds; they did get better with each in the series.
I don’t understand the strong objections to the Glowy Thingies! It has been proven that with a properly set up sighting system time to on target is greatly reduced; that is why competition shooters use them. Perhaps the ones used/provided on most airguns are cheap plastic and not real fiber optic? My SIG pistols both PB and Air are great.
As far as Tritium sights (late 1970’s) those should be on every Night Fighter weapon; even with Gen 3 night vision…my opinion!
shootski
They’ve been around for a long while, but not like how it’s been very recently; nowadays, almost all airguns and even rimfires come with them. Other than a few instances, the cheap airguns sold today come with cheap fibreoptics; it’s kinda marketing trend in my opinion – e.g. the cheap Dianas are equipped with fibre optics, but the premium versions have iron sights.
Shootski,
As always, thanks for the added insight. I did try to look up some quality aspects and did not come up with much. I do think I ran across something that combined fiber optic with Tritium.
Some not real? Maybe. Maybe some of it just plastic rod or weed wacker line? 😉 I see some do it yourself kits. I would think that cutting fiber optic would be somewhat specialized,.. otherwise you are just mashing up the end of the fiber with a razor blade or flush cuts.
Chris
Chris USA,
PLASTIC (Polymethyl methacrylate Fluorinated Polymer) or GLASS fiber is good. WEED WACKER string is for wackin’ weeds! You can cut with sharp scissors for plastic or glass you may stone the end if needed.
shootski
Shootski,
Well,… I don’t use opens and do not know the in’s and out’s of quality fiber optics. That said,… I would put nothing past the Chinese when it comes to taking the cheapest (knock off/faux) route.
Chris
Chris,
I don’t aim well enough to know if fiber optics are good or not, but I have bought more than a few used air rifles with BROKEN fiber optic sights. To me they seem pretty fragile, too much so to be terribly practical.
Michael
B.B.,
Maybe the dime ruined the accuracy!
😀
Ladies and Gents,
Please do not spend your hard earned money on cheap junk. Here is how it goes if you do that:
You buy a rifle like this.
The joy of owning a fancy looking gun lasts less than an hour.
Soon, you find out that the ‘space rifle’ is far from being accurate.
You end up buying another cheap rifle.
The joy of owning a fancy looking gun lasts less than an hour.
Soon, you find out that the ‘space rifle’ is far from being accurate.
You end up buying another cheap rifle…
It keeps going like this. It’s called cheap airgun cycle.
Finally, you come to your senses and realize that you’ve already spent enough funds to buy a couple of Dianas and Weihrauchs.
Buy two rifles like this CO2, then you will’ve already spent enough funds to buy a Diana 34, a rifle that will have been used by your grand kids.
Here’s something better to do with a coin.
https://steemitimages.com/p/USgKoryE83ixfuJ8VWSJmYpFpWgSgJZ3zbFau9acegvNSTsdnrJcBHDdaajhwzYqx36D9JfTVREAZJXuLYgoJm?format=match&mode=fit
Enlil,
I like that. I wonder how it would be done and not distort/ruin the stamping relief?
Chris
Chris,
One way to make rings like that is to put them on one of those mandrels for measuring rings and hammer them down with a peening hammer.
https://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/h203054tl
Michael
Enlil,
A lot of folks make guitar picks out of coins, especially U.S. Quarters from the early 1960s, which are not particularly collectible but have a decent amount of silver, which has pleasing harmonic qualities when it interacts with a nickel coated guitar string.
Michael