Umarex Markpoint air pistol.
This report covers:
- The tests
- RWS Hobby
- Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
- Darts
- Discharge
- Trigger pull
- Oil the piston seal
- Beartrap?
- Summary
Today we look at the velocity of the new Umarex Markpoint breakbarrel pellet pistol. I’m very interested in how this one performs because we will also be testing it as a dart shooter. In fact, the capability to shoot darts was the main reason I was attracted to the pistol to begin with.
The tests
I’ll test the pistol with conventional lead pellets and also with lighter lead-free pellets. I’ll also test it with both feathered darts and with bolts.
RWS Hobby
I started the test with the RWS Hobby wadcutter. At 7 grains this pellet is a lightweight among lead pellets, but it also has a wider skirt that sometimes influences the outcome. I will check that in this test.
Sometimes the first shot with a spring-piston airgun will be slower than the average, so I recorded it. In the case of the Markpoint pistol it was the fastest shot in the string. Let’s look now.
Shot………..Vel
1…………….313
2…………….287
3…………….303
4…………….280
5…………….290
6…………….271
7…………….289
8…………….298
9…………….292
10…………..283
The average for this string is 291 f.p.s. The low was 271 and the high was 313 f.p.s. That’s a 42 f.p.s. difference.
Since Hobbys have larger skirts they sometimes go faster when seated deep in the breech, so I seated one deep and got 293 f.p.s. Because of that I think deep seating doesn’t matter with this Markpoint.
Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
Now we’ll see how well the pistol does with lighter pellets. I shot the Sig Match Ballistic Alloy wadcutter for this one.
The first shot went out at 392 f.p.s. I have found that when changing pellets in spring-piston airguns I sometimes need to give the gun a chance to become comfortable with the new pellet. So I disregarded that first shot after seeing the following 10 shots all going much faster.
Shot………..Vel
1…………….425
2…………….432
3…………….444
4…………….422
5…………….428
6…………….432
7…………….427
8…………….427
9…………….428
10…………..434
The average for this string is 430 f.p.s. That means the Markpoint being tested is considerably more powerful than advertised. We were told to expect 395 f.p.s. with lightweight lead-free pellets.
The low was 422 and the high was 444 f.p.s. That’s a difference of 22 f.p.s. Do you see why I disregarded that first shot at 392 f.p.s.?
Darts
Now I tried feathered darts. The first one went out at 187 f.p.s. That’s a good speed for a dart. I hope it means we can test for accuracy at 5 meters or so. Just to see if there was any consistency I fired a second one. It went out at 191 f.p.s. Feathered darts are very consistent!
I tried bolts next. One worked but did not record through the chronograph. The other two dropped straight through the barrel, so I’m declaring bolts to be unworkable in this Markpoint pistol.
Discharge
The test pistol discharged with a sound that was 96.1 dB .
Trigger pull
The trigger pull of the test pistol is around 9 pounds. That’s too heavy for me to shoot accurately, though I’ll give it my best try. I’m thinking of disassembling the pistol and removing that spring that reader Will S. told us is behind the trigger.
Oil the piston seal
Since the Markpoint is a spring-piston airgun the question arises of how to oil the piston seal. I broke it open to show you.
The air transfer port is where you would expect it to be—behind the breech. Oil there directly or drop oil down the barrel and stand the pistol up for several hours.
Beartrap?
Reader shootski asked whether there is an anti-beartrap device in the Markpoint. Yes, there is. So the barrel has to be closed or the pistol will not fire. It cannot be manually uncocked. If it is cocked it must be fired.
He also asked whether the grip safety needed to be depressed fully or just partially. It has to be all the way in for the trigger to work.
Summary
That’s how the Markpoint test pistol performed for power. The first accuracy test will be next, but if I lighten the trigger I think it will need a retest afterward.
There is quite a lot to like with the Markpoint. I really had no idea when we started this series, but now I’m thinking this is a good one for those wanting an inexpensive spring-piston air pistol.
Tom,
The breech and body are made of engineering plastic? I suppose there is thin metal tube for the piston. What oil do you recommend for this pistol?
Siraniko
PS Section Beartrap
“So there is no closing the barrel after cocking. It must be fired.”
Is this how a Beartrap supposed to work?
Siraniko,
Yes. To prevent firing with the barrel open and possible injuring fingers the anti-beartrap device make it impossible to shoot until the barrel is closed.
BB
BB,
I think Siraniko has trouble with how it was worded. Your comment made it sound as though you had to fire the pistol to close it.
RR,
Oh. I see that now after reading what you said. It needs a few more words.
Thanks,
BB
B.B.
9 pounds, YIKES.
My trigger finger hurts just thinking about that.
Have a nice weekend everybody,
-Yogi
Ah, you get used to it after a while, Yogi. I managed to on my Umarex Ruger Mk.IV.
OP,
I never would, and if I could it would ruin my trigger finger for other triggers.
Maybe if you used two fingers on the trigger?? or three…
-Y
Nine Pounds!!! That is a big fat baby.
Yogi,
Yes, I was also surprised.
BB
Yogi,
Think about the 25 Lbs. of Cocking Effort!
Have a great weekend as well,
shootski
Yes, but at least it has a long barrel. If the first time I shot a pistol it had a 9 lbs trigger pull, I would never shoot another pistol ever again!
It will ruin any experience that a novice might have. Great way to turn people AWAY from pistols.
-Y
BB,
One cannot expect perfection at this price point. Nine-pound trigger pull? Fixed by removing a part? You would think Umarex would figure that one out. What else does that spring do?
P.S. Summary – last sentence
I really had no idea when we stated (started?) this series, but now I’m thinking this is a good one for those wanting an inexpensive spring-piston air pistol. – What are you trying to say about this series?
“What else does that spring do?”
Help prevent class action lawsuits?
;o)
No doubt, RG. The way to prevent frivolous lawsuits of any kind is to make those who sue pay all costs associated with the lawsuit, including the defendant’s, if they lose the case. Believe the Trump administration is trying to get us there. The tort system in the US is badly in need of reform.
Respectfully disagree with you, FM, that ALL plaintiffs should ALWAYS pay all parties’ fees if they lose. Litigation is super expensive. What if you were legitimately injured and could no longer work? You may not even be able to afford your own litigation expenses, not to mention your own attorneys fees, let alone perhaps multiple defendants costs and fees from teams of attorneys from the most expensive law firms. You may not risk your house and bankruptcy to pursue your real injury claims. Where would that leave you and your family? Should the negligent party not compensate you because you can’t risk bringing your claim to court? Do you see that there is more than one side of this coin? There may be a lot of unnecessary, even frivolous litigation, but not in comparison to legitimate claims. A balanced approach seems better to me. Anyway, there are a bunch of pretrial procedures like certificated of merit, motions to dismiss, motions for summary judgment, etc. to get rid of frivolous cases before they get too expensive. It’s a multi-faceted problem with no easy solution.
Understand your point of view, RG. Was thinking in terms of doing this for lawsuits deemed frivolous. It may not be easy to define what a “frivolous lawsuit” is, but believe rational, reasonable, common-sense equipped people can recognize frivolity when they see it.
This is just FM’s reaction about the cascade of ambulance-chasers’ ads on TV lately. “As Seen On TV!” Yes, that’s the problem.
FM,
The biggest problem with ‘common sense’ is that it tends to be not that common.
People or corporations that tend to be litigious quite often have deep pockets, and the outcome doesn’t necessarily mean anything to them, they just ‘wind up’ their legal team and inflict them upon their opponent. (The outcome doesn’t matter, they just want to punish the opposing party.)
I think that everyone deserves their day in court, regardless of income.
Enjoy a non-conflicted day.
Bill
Roamin Greco,
I agree that it is a multifaceted problem. The one item that you have not apparently considered is the VERY LARGE injury law firms; in past days they would have been called “ambulance chasers” but that is no longer the reality of how they obtain cases. Most are able to advertise that: “If we don’t win you pay nothing!” You may wonder how they can do that. They can do that because in most states it is the TAX PAYERS that bear (pay for) the RISK.
A possible fix is to have the injury law firms bear the TOTAL RISK or at a minimum a substantial portion of the costs of the defendant’s litigation defence costs.
Do realize the Injury Law Firms are highly PROFITABLE ventures because they only RISK their own cost of doing business.
.
I suspect the Airgun and Firearm related industries fully comprehend the above. Add to that the International Anti Gun Crowd, certain Governmental Bureaucrats, Political Hacks, and Liberal/Leftist Administrations for a real “Can of Worms” for our Sport and/or Hobby.
shootski
Shootski
Seems to me that there is a good reason for VERY LARGE injury law firms,, and the major one would be VERY LARGE corporations that cause harm to ,,, well ,, anyone that isn’t a VERY LARGE corporation.
We have arrived at a time in our country when fighting Goliath takes another Goliath. Certainly our legal system could use some “work”, but anything that removes the ability of the “everyman” to seek the remedy of the court is a step in the wrong direction in my opinion.
As for frivolous cases,, well, that IS why we have judges. They can and do toss those regularly. The ones seen on daytime TV are the ones that didn’t even make it that far because it would be too embarrassing for any attorney to take the case (and that is placing the bar VERY low).
Ed
edlee
But not every fight involves a Goliath; sometimes it is individuals or small businesses that are bankrupted trying to fight the LARGE injury law firms.
A s i said it is the Taxpayer that gets burned, the victims often get next to nothing, innocent folks are victimized by legal defense costs (lawyers win again) but the lawyers/firms all get richer regardless of the outcome.
My concern is about the perversion of the US Tort Law.
It is complex and often painful for all but the lawyers.
shootski
PS: In the early years the legislatures were overwhelmingly controlled by the landed and Real Property was the focus of most of the legislation. Then came the lawyers who became wealthy protecting the landowners. The lawyers soon overwhelmed the legislatures and suddenly we became a country that made Constitutional Amendments, an explosion of new regulations/laws, and new interpretation(s) of old laws.
The game is self serving POWER as it always has been and will be.
RR,
I don’t yet know enough about the Markpoint to say it’s a real winner. So far it is and if it’s also reasonably accurate then it will be a world-beater for a starter air pistol. Something that’s equal to the Beeman P17 — not in accuracy but with all features considered.
Could be worse, RR. Then again, FM is certain neither you nor he will ever consider signing up with the NYPD. Wouldn’t be surprised if at some point they were further hobbled with the “Barney Fife One-Cartridge Only” rule.
https://www.police1.com/police-training/articles/nypd-to-give-new-recruits-guns-with-lighter-trigger-pulls-for-improved-accuracy-wv2XnYZzEpfDa2DH/
FM,
Yes, I guess it could be worse. But as you said, that is not a likely scenario.
The truth is, I could not be in law enforcement. Very likely I would become tempted at times to be judge, jury and executioner. There is a very real possibility that when faced with a real scumbag I might just pull that twelve-pound trigger.
B.B.,
Thank you for the specific checks and answers.
I now suspect that the Grip Safety may be part of the heavy trigger.
I wonder if any appropriate targeted lubrication was used during assembly of the full trigger group.
shootski
BB,
Equal to the Beeman P17, “With all features considered” ?
Except for the adjustable sights, not having a sprinkle of dayglow orange, a great trigger-pull and one of the best pistol grips out there.
But what do i know. I put my Ruger MkIV someplace out of sight when I left my home three dayys age and am still looking for it.
the weather won’t cooperate until friday for testing, but i think my sighting issues are from a bent right fork on the compression tube of my mtr77. judging by the wear of the bluing, it’s probably a factory defect. i have replaced the plastic barrel washers with brass (sanded OD down, took a bit), hit the left fork a few times with a hammer (2×4 scrap square between hammer and tube fork), some attempted manual pressure to force barrel/ forks to the right, as well as two aluminum can shims on the left compression tube fork. this coming friday’s test will tell for sure but i don’t expect much change. my assumption is additional/ more precise bending will be required. hopefully though the adjustments will get the iron sights where they should be. worst case scenario is i borrow the green/red dot sight from my m4177 pumper and switch the iron sights over to that.i really hoped and still do that the iron sights can work on the mtr. i think i’ve had it apart four times now. for the first test next friday i have taken the rear sight shims out. if needed i will use them again, and if necessary i have some to shim the front sight to the left, even if i have to put it on backwards. i’ve always thought the front sight looks better slanted forwards anyway. but we’ll see how it signs in with what i’ve done for now
springman3000,
Glad you found out why it was shooting too far from your point of aim. Hope you are able to iron out the project.
Siraniko
Springman3000,
Good luck in getting it to shoot well. We’ll need a pic of the finished piece with a target!
Regards,
Will
Somehow, this thing looks like a 90s-2000s computer addon