The Umarex Notos.
This report covers:
- Why I didn’t return it
- Leaks
- The o-ring inside the fill port
- Was that it?
- Fill the reservoir
- Why am I doing this?
- Trigger adjustment
- Onboard gauge
- Summary
Today we see if the brand new Umarex Notos precharged pneumatic (PCP) air rifle I bought really leaks. Let’s get started.
Why I didn’t return it
Several readers thought I should return the Notos, or at least consider returning it, but my thoughts were different. When I researched the Notos online I discovered that almost all owners love their rifles. There has to be one or more good reasons for that. I also found the rifle has several problems. We already looked at the circular magazine issue and found a fix. The other common Notos fault is leaks and they will be addressed today.
Leaks
The Notos is known for having leaks in brand new rifles. It’s common enough that it should be corrected easily — and indeed it is! The most common leak report that I found online is the o-ring in the fill port. A majority of Notos owners reporting leaks were having trouble with this one seal. There is even a short video about correcting it that I’ll share with you now.
I started to follow the directions in that video and discovered than my Notos is a later version than the one in the video. My rifle has an air exhaust screw.
When I went to exhaust the air for disassembly I discovered that screw was loose! Was that the reason my rifle leaked? It could be, but I didn’t stop there. After exhausting the remaining air I removed the reservoir as shown in the film. The guy in the film just unscrewed his reservoir, but I figured he had probably done it many times to make it that loose. Nope! Mine was on hand-tight like his and came right off!
Once all the air was exhausted the reservoir came off with no tools.
The next and last step was to remove the fill port and pressure gauge assembly on the end of the reservoir tube. This assembly was also on hand-tight, but I used a large pin punch through the fill port hole to start the part turning. To access the hole I slid the fill port cover out a little.
To access the fill port hole I slide the cover forward until the hole was revealed.
I used a pin punch to start the fill port assembly rotating, but I didn’t need to. It was hand-tight as well.
The o-ring inside the fill port
With the silver fill port assembly off the reservoir tube I could look inside and see the screw that I was supposed to tighten. The only thing was — mine wasn’t loose. Has the factory corrected this in assembly?
The Notos fill port is off the reservoir.
The slotted screw inside the silver fill port assembly is the fill port seal. When I tried to tighten that screw I discovered it was already tight.
Was that it?
At this point I had done everything shown in the video, which wasn’t much. I believe the air exhaust screw being loose was my leaking problem. Now I put it all back together, making sure to apply oil to all the o-rings with silicone Super Lube before assembly.
Start to finish, including the time to take photos, was about 20 minutes. Then it was time to see if what I did made any difference.
Fill the reservoir
I filled the reservoir to 3625 psi/ 250 bar. I allowed three minutes for this process to keep the reservoir tube cool but even going that slow the tube did get slightly warm. Then I photographed the pressure gauge to see where the needle was.
Immediately after I filled the Notos, this is what the pressure gauge looked like.
I then waited 40 minutes for the air in the reservoir to cool and I photographed the gauge again.
Forty minutes after the fill this is what the pressure gauge looked like.
Then I waited two days and photographed the gauge once more. It looked like this.
Two days later this is what the gauge looked like. It’s difficult to say for certain whether the needle has moved or not.
I’m showing you the same pressure gauge that I’m seeing. Is there still a leak? Possibly, but it’s really difficult to say. The rifle is now holding air better than it ever did. I can shoot and test the rifle if this is how it’s behaving.
Why am I doing this?
I’m showing you all of this for several reasons. If you want to play with these toys you need to know how they work.
PCP owners need to be aware of how their airguns function over time. The Skout Airguns Epoch that sells for $2,150 recommends cleaning and inspecting the valve system annually for high-volume users.
From the Skout Airguns website.
If you want to compete in long-range benchrest competitions, you need to think about doing this kind of maintenance, regardless of which brand of air rifle you buy. If you just want to plink at targets and you like the idea of a handy little PCP, a rifle like the Notos is a good choice. We are going to look at it in great detail with that in mind.
If you want a reliable PCP standing by to pop varmints with precision every six months or so — consider an AirForce TalonSS.
Trigger adjustment
I heard from Henry in Texas and Elmer Fudd that the instructions in the manual about adjusting the trigger are indeed backwards. I just wanted to let you know and you can read what I said about it in Part 4 in the paragraph titled Discussion One.
Onboard gauge
I filled the Notos after the work mentioned above and compared the onboard gauge to my carbon fiber tank gauge. I found that the Notos gauge only reads about 100 psi lower than my tank gauge — not the 300 psi difference I mentioned in Part 3. This time I was able to watch both gauges carefully because I was filling very slowly.
Summary
We are looking at the Umarex Notos in great detail because so many owners think it’s a great little PCP. I have plans after the basic tests are finished to add aftermarket accessories, so this series will be a long one. I hope you are interested.
Tom,
I really do hope that the problem can be listed as solved and you can move forward in testing the Notos as usual. Hopefully it’s accuracy will be good enough that it becomes a regular for testing other pellets.
Siraniko
“…I discovered that almost all owners love their rifles.”
BB,
That’s some sound reasoning there; if they are so beloved by so many owners, they must have some sweet attributes…perhaps even ones that are hard to put into words?…sometimes, we just like things at a gut level.
Yes, this should prove to be an interesting series; thank you. 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
B.B.
Glad you mentioned the Skout Airguns Epoch. Now how about a blog series on this airgun?
-Yogi
Yogi,
What? You WANT me to write about a PCP? 😉
What made you pick the Skout?
BB
B.B.
As I have stated many times, PCP’s are great, just not for me.
However, it seems the Skout Epoch has all the latest technology and should be considered at the top of the heap! Plus, a guy at the range has one….
-Yogi
Yogi,
Okay. I had to ask because I plan to talk to Skout at the SHOT Show in January. Companies that make airguns in this category are constantly making changes and updates and if I look at one I want it to be the latest one.
BB
If you remember, this is the second time that I have asked about a review of this gun.
So, nothing new here….
-Yogi
Yogi,
I don’t remember that, but I’m sure you’re right. I don’t remember a lot of things.
I had planned to review the Skout when they first came out and asked to receive an early rifle when they began shipping but they missed their launch date by a great many months and my plans collapsed.
After seeing the interest shooters have in them at the 2024 Pyramyd Air Cup I knew I had to put them back on my d=radar.
BB
Thanks for the great report. It seems that you were able to fix the leak very easily. You haven’t shown us where the air exhaust screw is located. Please let us know, thanks. I watched the video and searched my owner’s manual trying to see if my Notos has an air exhaust screw. Apparently it doesn’t, and my owner’s manual indicates dry-firing the rifle to exhaust all of the air (like shown in the video).
It is great to be able to see how to disassemble the parts you showed us. I could be wrong, but it appears to me that the screw you checked for tightness (and found already tight) is also the check valve that lets air into (but not out of) the air cylinder. Adjacent to that screw is a small port that I would assume allows air to get to the pressure gauge.
Yes, I am very interested and “chomping at the bit” anticipating the upcoming reports on the Notos and accessories!
Very interesting article. Sometimes the fix is simple. I hope the leak is solved for good.
Off topic. I was thinking about the reader who was having trouble loading .177 pellets into his air rifle with the sliding compression chamber. I came across a fellow on EBay over the weekend who makes homemade pellet starters. I asked if he could make something that might work. He suggested a 3D printed tool. That made me think of reader 45Bravo. Ian has a 3D printer. Then I came across reader Hank’s ingenious tool here:
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2023/12/single-shot-pellet-loader/
I thought perhaps a 3D printed tool with a pellet pusher/starter combined with this type of pellet holder would be perfect. The 3D molded cover would align the pellet with the breech end of the barrel and the pusher could be pressed to start the pellet and then would spring back. Here’s a sketch I doodled on my phone (sorry about the yellow “ink”; in “dark mode,” yellow shows up well on the black background, but the file saved with a white background).
RG,
I like Hank’s idea.
BB,
I am glad I did not see one of these at the airgun show this weekend. I might have been tempted to pick one up. Apparently, owners do not wish to let these go.
After much soul searching, I decided not to go to the show. I need to sell some air rifles and a few pistols before adding to my collection and I’m very interested in this rifle BB is playing with and the AvengeX. So RR, please tell us all what you bought this weekend?
Fred formerly of the Demokratik Peeples Republik of NJ now happily in GA
Fred,
BB will likely be running my blurb about the show, hopefully real soon.
As for what you “need” to sell, let me know. Sometimes I am lucky enough to have some change to scrape together and make a halfway decent pile.
RidgeRunner of the Demokratik Peeples Republik of VA
Virginians need to dust off their state’s motto and take it to heart – through the ballot process, of course. Looking forward to the Newton show report!
FM,
“through the ballot process, of course”. If that works.
FM
“Virginia Is For Lovers”. ?????
Ed
edlee,
That is the marketing SLOGAN of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Motto: sic semper tyrannis
Was created by George Washington.
The phrase “sic semper tyrannis” is said to have originated from events in Roman history, and is attributed to Brutus after he participated in the slaying of the Kamala/Walz Ogre‡.
In contemporary usage, it can mean that tyrannical leaders will eventually be overthrown, or that bad but justified outcomes will befall tyrants.
‡Ogre, An ogre is a legendary (mythical) monster depicted as a large, hideous, human-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children.
shootski
Ed,
LOL! shootski is correct concerning the state motto. It is on our state flag. It is Latin and the exact translation is “So With Tyrants”. The flag shows a man holding a spear and standing on the chest of a dead king.
Unfortunately, the DC area, Richmond and Portsmouth are included in the state vote. The majority of people in those areas expect something for nothing, so they are easily persuaded to vote for the Communist party. This is why we have two Communist Senators in the Federal government
The state marketing slogan should be changed to “Virginia is slowly being forced to tolerate others”.
I do apologize for what may seem to some as political ranting, but I am an old, fat, baldheaded geezer who is also a veteran and is sick and tired of seeing his beloved homeland go down the drain.
RidgeRunner and other readers interested in
Vexillology,
https://www.baconsrebellion.com/state-flags-are-going-woke-is-virginias-next/
So goes this Commonwealth and who will speak for YOU when they come knocking on your door?
shootski
shootski,
The Commies can change the flag if they want to. That does not mean I will recognize it. If they raise a new WOKE flag in New Castle, I may be contacting you for bail money.
RidgeRunner,
I think i can get you out, on my recognizance, by talking to Sheriff Craddock.
shootski
Almost without exception every mechanical device I have owned has had lose screws. Not so much lose but simply not as tight as it “Could” be, or “Should” be, to my mind.
Must be a manufacturing standard. If it does not have a torque value assigned, simply tighten it till it stops spinning.
I can understand, stripped out threads could be costly in manufacturing. Always check over new items.
I would get this airgun if I did not have too many already, and just picked up an Tactical Avenge-X. It has everything I like.
Bob M,
“Must be a manufacturing standard. If it does not have a torque value assigned, simply tighten it till it stops spinning.”
I have seen a few Textron Company best practices guides with 30+ page chapters about TORQUE values for assembly as well as the combination of torque values for two threaded fasteners refered to as the TARE TORQUE…it got really complex FAST.
I can see where Airgun Manufacturing employees just do NOT get that level of training; after all they would quickly get hired away by Boeing, Airbus, MBB, SpaceX and other aerospace companies!
shootski
It would not let me reply to you above, but here in New Castle I am more likely to get a pat on the back from the sheriff than be locked up. He may have to follow what the law says, but I would likely be let out on my own recognizance around here. The rest of the citizenry around here might lynch him otherwise.
A long series on the Notos is what airgunners need!