The Gauntlet 2 precharged rifle from Umarex.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Meopta MeoPro Optika5 2-10X42-PA: Part 1
Part 4
Part 5
This report covers:
- The baseline
- Small gauge onboard
- Today’s test
- What just happened?
- Trigger still pings
- Trigger sticks in place
- Next time
I was all set to do an accuracy test with the FWB 600 today when I discovered that the rifle’s front sight is a running target sight. It is way too tall for the standard 10-meter target rifle and, with the rear sight adjusted as high as it will go, the rounds still hit the target 5-inches or more low. I put in a call to Scott Pilkington to see what can be done and I moved on to today’s topic — the Umarex Gauntlet 2 precharged pneumatic rifle.
Today I’m going to answer that little question of how many shots can be gotten from the Umarex Gauntlet 2 on a 3,000 psi fill. You may recall that this rifle should be filled up to 4,500 psi or 310 bar. But that presents a problem for many shooters who want to fill from a hand puimp because they don’t have a high-pressure compressor or a carbon fiber air tank that goes that high. And in Part 2 we learned that the Gauntlet 2 gets a lot of shots on a fill.
Reader Halfstep asked if I would test the rifle on a 3,000 psi fill. He also mentioned filling it that high from a hand pump, but 74-year-old BB doesn’t need to stress himself that way when he owns both a compressor and two carbon fiber air tanks. I thank several other readers for setting me straight on that one.
The baseline
When we tested the regulated Gauntlet 2 for velocity in Part 2 we found that it got 76 powerful shots from a 4,500 psi fill. Across all those shots the JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy pellet varied from a low of 846 to a high of 867 f.p.s. That is a 19 F.P.S. difference. We will use those numbers for a baseline as we look at today’s test.
Small gauge onboard
The onboard pressure gauge is too small to use when filling this rifle. I used the larger gauge on my air tank. After filling and allowing 15 minutes for the reservoir to cool down I noted that the onboard gauge read 3,000 psi. It’s too small to watch while filling, but when things aren’t rushed it does work.
Today’s test
For today’s test I used the Same JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy pellet. Here are the results.
Shot…….Velocity
1…………..871
2…………..854
3…………..873
4…………..860
5…………..860
6…………..855
7…………..866
8…………..871
9…………..863
10…………863
11…………861
12…………855
13…………858
14…………859
15…………860
16…………854
17…………854
18…………852
19…………848
20…………859
21…………857
22…………857
23…………858
24…………858
25…………864
26…………858
27…………857
28…………845
29…………858
30…………857
31…………855
32…………850
33…………856
34…………no pellet came out
At this point I removed the magazine to see if it was functioning correctly. Apparently it was because the next pellet to be fed was in line waiting for the bolt.
Shot…….Velocity
35…………850
36…………838
37…………840
38…………841
39…………did not register
40…………814
41…………829
What just happened?
There are several ways to look at this. First, we can say that a 3000 psi fill of the Gauntlet 2 gives 35 good shots. If we arbitrarily select shot number 35 as the final one, the slowest shot in the string was number 28 that went out at 845 f.p.s. The fastest shot was number 3 that went out at 873 f.p.s. that is a difference of 28 f.p.s. across 35 shots. It’s a little more variation than we saw when I filled the rifle all the way (76 shots that varied by 19 f.p.s.), but it’s still not that bad.
If 28 f.p.s. is too wide a variation you could stop at shot number 27 and then the variance would be from 848 (shot 19) and 873 (shot 3) — a difference of 25 f.p.s. It’s not really that much better and you lose 8 shots doing it.
Or you could get really anal and say that you will stop after the first 15 shots. That gives you a string where the low is 854 and the high is 873. That’s 15 shots with a variance of 19 f.p.s., which is identical to what we saw for 76 shots when the rifle was filled to 4,500 psi. If you look at it that way, maybe filling to 3000 psi doesn’t seem like such a good thing, because you only get 15 shots when a 4,500 psi fill gives 76.
What I’m explaining is there are several different ways to look at this. While achieving the Gauntlet 2’s 4,500 psi fill is restrictive for some shooters, you can get by with a 3,000 psi fill and do okay if you are willing to make allowances. And don’t overlook this — if I was to run a second string of 76+ shots on a full fill, who is to say the variance wouldn’t be greater than 19 f.p.s.?
Trigger still pings
Remember I said the trigger makes a pinging sound just before the rifle fires? That still happens, which will help me shoot the smallest groups possible.
Trigger sticks in place
Several times in today’s test the trigger blade stuck in the back position. I had to pull it back again to get it to release and go forward again.
Next time
Now that I have answered the 3,000 psi fill question I want to do another 25-yard accuracy test. The rifle comes with a single-shot tray and that’s what I want to test next.
Gee, my springers shoot more consistently than 19 fps variation. And they do it for thousands of shots…
Why won’t the trigger return to normal position? Did somebody forget to install a return spring? P P PCP’s sure are cheap.
-Y
Yogi,
As it breaks in, the variation between shots will lower some. Same thing happened to your sproingers. Also, the higher the quality, the better it works. My HM1000X is only about 5 FPS on a string. I am certain that with your sproingers, the better ones do better.
Yogi
One thing I learned from using a chrony with air guns is I don’t worry so much about fps spread.
Shoot the gun and see what it does on paper. I have had guns that had 40 fps spreads when I chronyed them shoot just as accurate as guns that shot with 12 fps. Wonder why that is.
Holy mackerel, boys! What we’ve got here is a whopping case of picky, picky, picky! Imagine what we would have thought of this gun in 2011? 2001? 76 shots? Regulated? 900fps? $430? That’s $275 in 2001. $350 in 2011. Works at 3k psi or 4.5k psi? Shrouded?
I don’t own one (yet) but if I did this would be a hunter. 75 shots?
In Eastern Oregon, a few hours from where I live, there are alfalfa fields where farmers host sage rat hunts to help put a small dent in the overwhelming population of sage rats that can hole up in colonies of hundreds. I’ve known people that have gotten 150-200 over a weekend hunt. This is the gun. 19 foot spread- who cares? This is a gun you shoot on paper at hunting distances and when it drops an inch, that’s your last good one.
I feel like the Gauntlet might be THE gun we’ve all been asking for because it has a little bit of everything we want. But it doesn’t come with a German engineer in a white lab coat and clipboard.
It is a $400 gun. It could be a FT rifle, or a hunting rifle, or a tuner special, or a pinker, or a LR target gun. It is a $400 gun with a lot of options. It isn’t a “Personalized, Custom Platform.” “Personalized” costs an additional $550, “Custom” adds another $1k, and “Platform” means you are going to have a drawer full of accessories you don’t use. It could be a Platform I suppose. But is this that gun?
To put I another way, Hyundai makes reliable, affordable, cars. However if you want to drag race it and win you’ve got some work to do and money to spend. And why would you? Would you build a 1000 yard rifle out of a Ruger 10/22? To me this gun screams, “just shut up and shoot.”
ROTFWL!
You got it Professor! This sounds perfect for those sage rats! Like you were saying, this is a nice $400 air rifle that can cover quite a few callings if you so desire and it doesn’t take much to get there.
Yogi is always going to find something wrong with a PCP. He is a sproinger dude. I am with you. “Just shut up and shoot.”
Ha! I love it. The folks that populate this forum are great.
Yogi- I have nothing against sproingers. I love sproingers. My trouble is I love pcps, co2 guns, pumpers, hunting guns, target guns- even problematic guns- all of them.
BB,
One must always keep in mind what is this rifle going to be used for away from the compressor. It is not a target rifle primarily but it is looking accurate enough to be interesting. It has enough power for hunting varmints. How many shots will you take while out in the field? Taking this out just for plinking will allow one to use the widest fps range. I’d be satisfied with 35 shots between fills. And this is with a relatively new PCP, once it has been used for some time I expect the fps variation to narrow down. Same problem with the trigger, it just needs to be used, maybe the cold weather is already affecting the light grease you used.
Siraniko
There are just too many good airguns out there for me! I’m wimbling!
What just happened?
Second sentence. If we arbitrarily select shot number 35 as the final one, the (the) slowest shot in the string was number…
RR,
Fixed it. Thanks,
BB
BB, is there a small riser block between the muzzle weight and front sight on your FWB 600? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a front sight made specifically for RT. You could probably also fit a rear sight riser block and shoot with a more “heads up” position. Anschutz and I think Centra make them.
Derrick,
That small riser block was the first thing I looked for. This is a one-piece high rise sight. It has to be made for running target.
BB
B.B.,
Your intro above has prompted me to make a request. In your continuation of the FWB 600 blog would you briefly explain (with a couple photos) what a running target sight is? Like a lot of us I have read of “Running Target’ versions of target air rifles, but I don’t know the differences between them and regular static target rifles. I’m assuming that’s a subject that can be covered in a paragraph or so, but if it would better be the subject of a full-length blog, I’d appreciate that instead, if you please. :^)
Michael
Michael,
Well, I show the sight tomorrow. I can add a bit about running target.
Thanks!
BB
You need to give it another go around with adjusting the trigger.
I think you got one of the back screws adjusted to far in and the other out to far.
Back them both off and screw them both equally in till you feel them touch. Then adjust your first stage leghnth of pull then the other screw for the second stage break.
Or first while you got the action out of the stock don’t adjust anything and take the side cover off the trigger and see where the 2 screws are contacting the sear. I think that will tell you the story about the sticky trigger.
GF1,
There is NO WAY I am going to mess with this trigger! It tells me exactly when it’s about to break and that’s something few triggers do.
BB
BB
I know where your coming from with the ping warning for the shot going off.
But the trigger sticking back is just not right.
And as I said. Don’t adjust the trigger but pull the side cover off and take a look see.
And if your trigger is adjusted like the picture in part 3 I believe it is. That’s why this trigger is hanging after the shot.
Remember this trigger has that rotating sear. And as you know there is a spring on the rotating sear. You might of stretched that spring out of shape when you couldn’t get the trigger to work the first time when you was messing with the trigger.
Sorry but I think you better send the gun back to PA because I’m thinking your heading for trigger trouble pretty soon.
As it goes. Time will tell.
Gunfun1,
B.B. wants to keep the PING!
I find the two schools of thought on triggers interesting. The one school wants to know exactly when the trigger is going to break (let off) and the other wants the let off to be a complete surprise.
Hopefully the cause of the trigger hanging up goes away and doesn’t get worse; talk about annoying!
shootski
B.B.,
Did you perchance record the ending pressure readings on your shot strings?
It would help doing the math for estimating psi/shot the regulator is delivering.
I do the same for my non regulated valves also since it gives an earlier indication if something is going South before the next fill/shooting session.
shootski
shootski,
As best I can recall the ending pressure was 2200 psi. Of course that onboard gauge is just an estimate at best.
BB
B.B.,
Thank You!
Doing the arithmatic on the 4,500psi fill results in an approximate 48psi drop/shot.
The 3,000psi fill arithmatic would result in a drop of only about 29psi per shot for the 41 shots. Interestingly if you actually shot it down to about 1,100 psi it would be the same as the high pressure fill’s 48psi/shot. I can’t remember if you noted when it drops off the regulator in an earlier blog; but it looks to me like it did on the 3,000psi string.
shootski
Shootski
If I remember right the regulator on the bottle said it’s set at 1900 psi. Its easy to check. BB has a picture of the regulator on the bottle showing the labeled 1900 psi.
If that’s the case his 2200 psi is safe for the shot string. That gun should still shoot down to 1700 psi if the regulator is set right for the gun he has.
With the gun getting as many shots from a full fill down to where BB stopped the gun should get some very good usable shots on paper without pushing how low of shot pressure you can go.
This the beauty of a regulated air gun. 🙂
And read my reply to BB about the ping with the trigger. I can honestly say I never heard a trigger ping in my lifetime. Now I have had the air resivour ping (after) the shot goes off with a pcp. But I don’t think BB means that.
Gunfun1,
I vaguely remember those numbers….
Totally agree on great shot count.
I only get 8-10 shots at best out of my .25cal, 4-5 on the .308, and 2 on the .458 seems like enough shots for my uses.
Still waiting on Lead Shot and reloading components for the .410 shot pistol.
;^)
shootski
Shootski,
It is also very important to remember that “air” does not act as an ideal gas once the pressures get up above about 3200 psi. Put in simple terms, at those pressures the density of the gas becomes high enough that it no longer compresses in a linear manner, and what are known as the van der Walls forces need to be taken into account to accurately reflect the changes in intermolecular forces.
In short, for every unit of air compressed into the cylinder, the pressure will start to rise more above that level than below it. And that means that more air pressure will be used per shot above that point too, and it is non-linear – we will use more psi per shot at 4500 psi than at 4000, 3500, and 3000.
Alan
Alan,
That was a nice mini-tutorial; if you wrote a guest blog with some graphs and all, that would be cool; I think a lot of readers would like that; I surely would; thank you! 🙂
Take care,
dave
Shootski
Magic words. Shot count for how you use the gun.
BB,
When I asked for a 3000 psi refill via handpump, I didn’t mean from 0 psi. I meant from the point where it went off the regulator based on loss of velocity. Would you expect that it would be prohibitive to replace 800 psi with a handpump?
Half
Thanks for answering the 3000 psi fill question BB!
IIRC, this is a .25 caliber rifle, more a hunter than a plinker so 30-35 shots on a (SCUBA tank) fill is reasonable.
That it can be filled to 4500 psi and 76 shots if you have that capability is bonus. Carbon fiber tanks and HPA compressors are becoming more affordable so it is nice that the Gaunlet ready should the owner upgrade.
For my applications .22 is my favorite caliber, can’t help but wonder how many shots (at 3000 and 4500 psi) a .22 caliber Gauntlet would get.
Hank
Hank
Well there is only one true way to find out. Get one in .22 caliber and let’s see what happens. 🙂
GF1,
LOL, you trying to enable me ?
Already have plenty of .22 caliber airguns, no plans for more. I would have to sell to make room for another and you know how much I hate parting with one of my airguns.
Hank
Hank
Maybe so. 🙂
You don’t have a Gauntlet or Gauntlet 2 yet do you. 😉
BB, at closer ranges this rifle printed some nice groups. For hunting the spread doesn’t matter too much, but at longer ranges, I think you will notice it more. Add in some wind..and it stays a hunting rifle. A regulated gun can still have hammer bounce but I would try more valve spring to slam the poppet shut quicker, or just enjoy the power. When the shroud is off the Mrod, it looks right, and is way shorter too. Neighbors are a fact of life, so it goes back on. Oh well.
Rob
Alan
Darn physics anyway. 😉
But remember the regulator is a physics cheater in a sense. If the regulator is a efficient design that is.
I think I would have a regulated air source than not regulated for what we do with air guns anyway.
B.B. and Readership,
In a reply to a post of mine Alan (AlanMcD) makes a number of very valid points about the move of PCPs into an area where the Ideal Gas Laws start to fail us.
It is just a more topic specific continuation of the discussion about models that started here over the weekend.
I am so glad I used arithmatic instead of Mathematics in my post.
Alan is of course absolutely correct that each gas when not at STP (Standard Temperature & Pressure) has been found to not follow the Ideal Gas Laws we learned (or didn’t) in High School. During my college studies of the physics of Meteorology and later the aerodynamics of flight (at various altitudes and velocities) the reality of how science actually works things out became all to apparent; sausages come to mind.
If the PCP World wants to make real progress from this point forward it will take some dedicated study and experimentation to get more out of the higher pressures that are becoming available to us. The impacts for us work both during the compression of the gas, static storage, and during decompression of the gas during the shot cycle.
I think you all need to send more funding to the new DarkSide Studies Group, Inc. i am founding to get to the bottom of this! LOL!
shootski
B.B.,
In the Today’s Test it says, For today’s test I used the Same JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy pellet. Here are the resulkts. Guess it should be” results”.
Mike
Mike,
I fixed it. Thanks,
BB