The Umarex Notos.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
This report covers:
- The test
- JSB Hades
- H&N Baracuda Match with 5.53mm heads
- Reasoning behind the Baracuda
- H&N Baracuda 15
- JSB Exact Jumbo
- Air Arms 16-grain dome
- JSB Exact RS
- Discussion
Before we start I will remind you that New Year’s Day will be a holiday for me. Tuesday’s report will be up until Thursday.
Today is a continuation of the Umarex Notos accuracy test we started on Friday. Let’s start.
The test
I shot five-shot groups off a sandbag rest at 10 meters. I used the Maple Custom Products single-shot loader.
JSB Hades
The first group was five JSB Hades pellets, just to see how well I was shooting this day. In the last report five made a 0.89-inch/2.26mm group at ten meters that was the best of the day. Today five Hades pellets went into 0.396-inches/10.058mm at ten meters. There were no called pulls in this group.
Five Hades made a 0.396-inch/10.58mm group at ten meters.
H&N Baracuda Match with 5.53mm heads
The second pellet I tested was the 21.1-grain H&N Baracuda Match dome. I shot the one with a 5.53mm head. Five made a scattered group measuring 0.497-inches/12.62mm between centers at 10 meters.
Five H&N Baracuda Match pellets made this 0.497-inch/12.62mm group at ten meters.
Reasoning behind the Baracuda
I shot the heavy pellet just to see how it would do. I noticed, along with reader Yogi, that the lighter pellets seemed to do better in this rifle. This one target may not prove anything, but it sure looks that way.
H&N Baracuda 15
I tried the H&N Baracuda 15 pellet next. This is another one from Friday’s test. I thought they shoot better than the results we saw that day and today they did. Five went into 0.165-inches/4.191mm at ten meters.
The Notos put five Baracuda 15s into a 0.165-inch/4.191mm group at 10 meters.
JSB Exact Jumbo
The next pellet tested was the JSB Exact Jumbo that weighs pretty close to what the Baracuda 15 weighs. It doesn’t group as well though. Five went into a 10-meter group that measures 0.467-inches/11.86mm between centers.
The Notos put five JSB Jumbos into a 0.467-inch/11.86mm group at 10 meters.
Air Arms 16-grain dome
Then I tried five Air Arms 16-grain domes. They made a 0.293-inch/7.44mm group at ten meters. That’s better than most but not as good as I’d hoped.
Five Air Arms 16-grain domes went into 0.293-inches/7.44mm at 10 meters.
JSB Exact RS
The last pellet I tested was the JSB Exact RS. Since it is lightweight I hoped for another great group. Five went into 0.297-inches/7.54mm at ten meters which isn’t bad but also not spectacular.
The Notos put five JSB RS pellets into a 0.297-inch/7.54mm group at 10 meters.
Discussion
I wonder why I am not getting better groups than I am. Ten meters is quite close and five shots isn’t any kind of challenge. I know I can shoot better than this because I have done so with rifles like the AvengeX. And look at today’s group of Baracuda 15s. The Baracuda 15 has done well on both tests, so the Notos can group.
I don’t think it’s the Notos’ fault. It may be the scope, whose crosshairs are too fine for me to see all the time. I don’t know. This will take some pondering.
B.B.,
I still think you need to avoid resting the reservoir on the bag.
In: JSB Hades
The first group was five JSB Hades pellets, just to see how well I was shooting this day. In the last report five made a 0.89-inch/2.26mm group [should be: 0.089-inch/2.26mm] at ten meters that was the best of the day. Today five Hades pellets went into 0.396-inches/10.058mm at ten meters.
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shootski
PS: When you photograph the target groups do you maintain the targets up orientation as when shot?
Tom,
Shootski might be on to something. Maybe the Notos requires the artillery hold despite being a PCP.
Siraniko
Guys,
I will consider it. But how does the Baracuda 15 target fit in?
BB
Maybe it is pellet picky?
B.B.
Attach a bi-pod!
-Y
Yogi,
I’m considering the best way to do that.
BB
BB,
Mount an AirForce bipod on the top rail.
Gotta say, the bipod you gifted FM made a nice difference when shooting the .177 Max at 25 yards. Was thinking of suggesting a bipod for the Notos but the experts were there first – good deal. Hope Tom will tame the beast in time.
BB,
Although I hate to be critical of the shooter, I would likely blame the poor performance of today’s report on the shooter. Your hinting at possible excuses such as not being able to clearly see the scope reticle may be an indication you are not on your top form today.
It is possible it is the equipment which is at fault. Although there are some who sing the praises of the Notos, there are others who are not impressed. Some folks out there in LaLa Land sing praises of the BM8.
There may be something that is “loose” in this one. One possibility is the barrel may be shifting with some shots. Harmonics may be raising its ugly head. This thing is mostly plastic, is it not? A little bit of unnoticeable difference in pressure could cause an internal shift in things.
It could also just be the nature of the beast. You could have one of those sow’s ears instead of the silk purse that some describe.
You should keep in mind that this thing started out in Uncle Xi’s backyard, then went to the United States of Europe, then came to Ohio and then showed up in Texas. That is an awful lot of bumping and banging around.
There is another issue that I and some others have and that is the source. I am well aware that many of the airguns coming out of Uncle Xi’s backyard have been quite an improvement over the years. There had to be ore they would not have sold at all over here. I am also aware that some companies have returned some of their products to this country because of the lack of quality control and design changing for profit’s sake without notifying the said companies of such changes. Whatever happened to the Crosman Maverick?
Yes, I will admit to some prejudices, but we are talking about a serious lack of history with these companies and this country. I will admit that I am an old fogey, but I am still not sold on the label “Made in Japan”.
BB,
Just how rigid is the Picatinny rail and barrel covering in relation to the barrel/action/et cetera?
RR,
It seems to be pretty rigid.
BB
This is a good thing.
If you are looking for a solid attachment method for a bipod, I suggest a Saber Tactical 34mm bottle clamp.
https://buck-rail.com/product/34mm-clamping-accessory-rail/
It isn’t cheap and the air tube on the Notos is only about 32mm. But I can verify that it still works and is very well made and provides a solid mount for a bipod.
My suggestion regarding the variable accuracy tests results is to find a way to insure your eye position is exactly the same for each shot. I use a peep sight in conjunction with a scout scope. Another idea that I haven’t yet tried is an eyeshade for a typical scope:
https://www.pyramydair.com/product/utg-rubber-scope-eyeshade-for-36-40-41-5-43mm-eyepiece?a=5118
Thanks for another interesting report. Looking forward to the next one.
Oh, and the Saber Tactical bottle clamp should also work for the Benjamin Marauder and similar rifles with that size air tube.
BB,
I don’t think that a five-shot group is enough to determine if a projectile is good or bad. There’s just too many variables that can affect the group.
I might give up on a pellet after a couple of shots if I see instability and erratic flight (for that tune). But any projectile that shows a half-decent grouping will get at least 25 chances to prove its worth – especially if the projectiles are not weight & size sorted.
With unsorted projectiles I’m fairly tolerant and will accept that the hits that stray out of the apparent group are non-conformists to be ignored and I’ll “fill in” an extra shot or two to complete a more representative 5-shot group.
Shooting straight-from-the-tin is a good representation of what to expect in the real world but when trying to determine the accuracy potential of the airgun I prefer to use sorted projectiles. That and I don’t seriously test an airgun until it’s well broken in. I’ll shoot at least five groups of 5 to determine if that projectile has potential in that airgun with that tune.
I know that there’s usually not enough time to test an airgun the way I do but I do appreciate the testing that you do. It gives us a good idea of what to expect.
I think that the mixed reports on airgun accuracy are dependent on the range that the testing was done at. Most modern PCPs will stack (compatible) pellets at close (sub 25 yard) range. IMHO, you have to test beyond 35 yards to see what’s really happening. After all, every airgun is a tack-driver at some range… that range might be measured in inches, feet or yards. 😉
In reflection, I wonder at our/my obsession with group size. In practical perspective, most airguns are way more accurate than the average shooter. Unless you’re going through serious training and shooting competitively the “score” doesn’t matter much as long as you hit the target. Usually, 1 inch groups are enough to get the job done and often minute-of-a-tin-can accuracy fine. (As said by someone who enjoys the stress/excitement/challenges of shooting groups at longer ranges… feel free to ignore me. 🙂 )
Just my 2 cents.
Cheers!
Good info about this budget gun. I’ve seen mixed reviews about it, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the test gun, or the marksman using it, as it produced an excellent 10m group using the H&N Baracuda 15 pellets. It will be interesting to see how these pellets do at longer ranges.
The JSB Hades, JTS Dead Centers and AEA Center Punch all produced credible groups. For a $259 gun, this looks pretty good to me.
Derrick,
You think I’m being too hard on it?
BB
I think its a winner in this category. Sure, we’d like it to be as accurate as the Air Venturi, except thats another hundred bucks. This looks like a great value for the money. Its light, handy, quiet and accurate.
It looks ideal as a pesting gun. A red dot or a bug buster scope and a sling and its ready to go.
Derrick,
Okay, if we say that then we already have some pellets to test at 25 yards. I still do want to swap scopes again though because I could not see where the crosshairs were on the target.
I do think 25 yards will be the determining factor.
BB
The UTG 3X9 Bug Buster seems like a good pairing if you have one.
“I could not see where the crosshairs were on the target.”
Respectfully, there’s the likely problem. You taught us before, when sighting in a scope to use a square inside a square to help you naturally center the cross hairs. A black bullseye may be the worst target to shoot at with a scope. An open circle traced around a nickel would also be a better alternative. Or, a blob of whiteout inside the 8 or 9 scoring ring.
“And the included single shot tray allows shooters to ‘optimize’ accuracy for focused shooting”
Can the three baffle SiliencAir System be removed to check for interference or loose inserts?
I mentioned that very fine etched glass scopes were not easy to see when pesting around brush, but on a white printed target? Wow, I just noticed something. The targets are upside down, no wonder. Need to bend over and shoot between your legs 😉
You need to figure out a better scope, or sighting device / target relationship for accuracy shooting that works well with you. Perhaps a Circle / Illuminated Dot scope? or a more complicated reticle along with a modified target for better referencing?
Or … Just keep trying out more types of pellets. Twenty or thirty different ones perhaps. Might get lucky?
Those groups don’t look too bad for pesting. Just need to stick with one pellet and adjust the scope to center it. If I were new to PCP’s I would be perfectly happy with this air rifle. Currently have too many that can do the same job. Like the shorter FX Indy.
BB,
I noticed that the Pellets that used to group good with my NOTOS have started to spread out. I shot about 250 pellets when this started,so I cleaned out the barrel using a straw thru the Moderator, then pushed my pull thru and attached a patch with BALLISTOL and out came one of the dirtest patches I’ve seen.That’s what threw my groups out.
I’ve read where some say that they don’t need to clean their NOTOS barrel out that much, but some of the pellets I’ve tried must be pretty soft.
Once I find out what pellet groups best I’ll be able to tell how often to clean my barrel.
Roy