AOA Blog

The title is just a play on words to describe the 0dB .30 caliber silencer recently sent to me by AofA to test out. Obviously, silencers don’t completely eliminate the report of a shot, even on airguns. Although, shooting heavier pellets at subsonic speeds through a well-made silencer mounted on a PCP air rifle can reduce them to the level of a mouse fart.

I happen to be working with the .25 caliber Daystate Delta Wolf that AofA was kind enough to loan me in order to write about it. A barrel adapter was needed for its M20x1 metric threads in order to use my DonnyFL UNF threaded silencer so I requested for one. Only  expecting the adapter, when the package arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find a new product, the Magnum 0dB silencer in .30 caliber inside.

For the larger bore Delta Wolfs, the standard thread size on the muzzle is the metric M20x1 thread. This is approximately three-quarters inch across as opposed to the standard one-half inch seen on airgun silencers found here in the states. In order to keep with the tactical styling of the DW, this new Magnum model silencer has a matte black finish and is beefy without being very heavy. I wasn’t able to weigh the Magnum and the specs were not available at this time, however, the additional weight was not really noticeable once it was installed and it looks fantastic mounted on the DW.

Upon taking it out of its box and looking over the simple instruction sheet included I discovered that the adapter sold by AofA is actually not needed with this particular silencer. There is already a removeable “built-in” adapter that nests inside the M20x1 female threads so the silencer fits standard ½ x 20 UNF threads right out of the box. Spanner holes are located on either side of the face of the insert to provide a way to remove it and have access to the M20 threads required by the Daystate. No spanner wrench is included with the silencer but that is not a big deal as two small allen wrenches or nails could be used if needed to loosen the adapter.

While the DW’s shrouded barrel didn’t need additional help for the subsonic shots, lead-frees and lighter lead pellets could easily top 1100fps unless the DW was tuned down; and who wants less powerful shots? The Magnum only comes in a .30 caliber bore configuration and it did its work very well. I don’t have a decibel/sound level meter so my comments are subjective and yet I believe it was highly effective at taming the bark of the Delta Wolf sending 19 grainers at supersonic speeds. Of course, the Magnum will work on any .25 or .30 caliber air rifle you have with a threaded muzzle. It was, however, designed for the .30 caliber Delta Wolf with its capability of developing over 90fpe. Daystate claims extreme effectiveness in suppressing the DWs report and the Magnum gave no reason to doubt that claim.

Here is a link to the AofA website page for 0dB silencers although the Magnum is so new it is not showing there quite yet. Once the new Magnum appears on the page it will be listed at $279. If you have questions or can’t wait to get your hands on this impressive piece of kit, please contact the great people at AofA at: 480-461-1113.

I realize Steven Archer has already provided his thoughts on the new Daystate Delta Wolf in his July posting.  Additionally, a background blurb was posted in March. Yet, as I have been provided with a loaner Delta Wolf in .25 caliber by the great people at Airguns of Arizona for articles in other publications, it seemed prudent not to let this opportunity go by.

               Anyone following the storied history of the maker knows they’ve been at the PCP game over 40 years. PCPs are all they make and the Delta Wolf is the culmination of their years of experimentation and experience at building some of the finest air rifles out there. And, while Delta Wolf is a nice, strong name for this new airgun, if Daystate had me working in their marketing department, I’d have pressed for the name “Sans Kitchen Sink” model because they’ve thrown in everything but the kitchen sink!

               Just to recap, in case you haven’t read the aforementioned posts, the Delta Wolf is an ambidextrous bullpup design sporting AR styling. It is the world’s first all electronically operated/controlled air rifle. That means the trigger control, hammer strike and dwell time on the valve are all controlled via a built-in computer and settable/programmable by the end user through an on-board touch screen. Air pressure is controlled by a Huma regulator that is easily adjusted by the shooter. The Delta Wolf is relatively light at 8 pounds and adding the new MTC King Cobra FFP 6-24x 50mm scope added another 1.8 pounds. Its picatinny scope rail is reminiscent of the carry handle on the original M16s with a built-in 3 degree slope and it is adjustable forward and back if the eye relief isn’t quite right. It uses an all metal flip open, easy-loading rotary magazine that has strong magnets to hold it in place. The magazine holds 10 rounds of .25 and easily accommodates long skirted or polymer-tipped pellets and slugs. Magazines can be inserted from either side of the rifle and that feature lends itself to another nifty trick of the Delta Wolf; two mags can be inserted – one on each side. Once one runs dry, the other can be pushed into place to continue shooting. Those Daystate engineers really had their thinking caps on!

               Additional cool features include a metal trigger shoe that is adjustable vertically and for cant. It is connected to a fully adjustable match trigger which was breaking out of the box at a hair-trigger 6.9 ounces according to my trigger gauge. The cheekpiece is adjustable forward or back and the rubber buttpad can be adjusted vertically. The 480cc carbon fiber wrapped air reservoir is removeable and safe working pressure is 250 bar. An ambidextrous safety lever that will feel familiar to AR users also controls turning the LCD touch screen on if it has gone to sleep. Filling is accomplished from the bottom of the rifle via a male nipple that is protected by a neat little magnetic cover plate. The long, female quick-connect needed is provided with the rifle. The cocking handle is large, easily manipulated and smooth as butter. It is also easily swappable to the other side. A true carbon fiber barrel shroud surrounds the 23-inch German-made barrel optimized by Daystate A.R.T. – Accuracy Research Team – efforts, to give unparalleled results. The muzzle is threaded, yet requires an adapter in order to use a DonnyFL, 0dB (Zero decibel) or other suppressor. Since this thing is capable of launching heavy pellets at supersonic speeds, sound suppression might be a good investment if you are going for the upwards of 100 foot-pounds this beast is capable of.

               The Delta Wolf is available in three other calibers: .177, .22 and .30, or the barrels can be purchased along with matching bolt probes and magazines and swapped out easily making this a most versatile platform.

               Several factory settings are permanently stored in the onboard computer with the capability of user-input settings that can be saved in the Advanced Mode of operation..  Additionally, AofA pre-programs five settings in each rifle that goes out with one having the clever acronym WARP – With All Reserve Power – as in warp speed, because it maximizes the Delta Wolf’s tuning automatically. How? By using the chronograph that is built into the carbon fiber shroud! Yep, the Delta Wolf has an onboard chronograph, but you can’t tell it’s there. The velocity of each shot displays on the LCD screen as long as the unit is turned on. The results are not recorded or reviewable as the info is used by the computer to calculate consistent shots based on the user input. Still, it is a built-in chronograph! How cool is that?

Everything is powered by a rechargeable Li-Po battery held in the buttstock.  It can be recharged using the supplied USB–C cable and any cell phone portable charging pack, wall charger or computer. Lastly, a Bluetooth module is incorporated to provide for future additional features and updates.

As you might have surmised, this kind of bleeding edge tech and engineering does not come cheap. AofA is the exclusive U.S. distributor for Daystate and Delta Wolfs are shipping now for $3395 as fast as they can get them in the door. It includes a 5-year warranty in the U.S., and comes in a nice, hard-side padded case with the aforementioned quick-connect fill adapter and 0-round magazine, a charging cord and package of O-rings. This new Delta Wolf air rifle has now set the bar for others to follow.

               As with practically every other industry in the world, Covid-19 rocked the airgun world as it pertains to parts shortages, production halts, transportation delays and so forth. One of the few bright spots was Umarex’s ability to intro the second generation of their extremely successful Gauntlet PCP rifle. That model led the charge for bringing accurate and affordable PCPs to the market.

               This new Gauntlet2 offers multiple upgrades and design changes while coming in at the same weight of 8.5 pounds. Starting at the back, there is a thicker black hard rubber buttpad attached to a new precision-shooting style Flat Dark Earth color stock. An adjustable cheek riser in contrasting black is also part of the stock. This was redesigned to be adjustable via two hex head screws as opposed to the original Gauntlet which required loosening of the rear sling stud to adjust the cheek rest. The new stock has a thinner cross-section up to the point where it flares to accommodate the pressure gauge and new, larger 24 cubic inch air tank. This new air tank also handles 4500psi compared to the 3000psi tank on the first-generation Gauntlet. Coupled with the regulated valve set to 1900psi, this combination yields over 50% more power than the original. The drawback is that the longer bottle makes the Gauntlet2 more muzzle-heavy. The cover that doubles as a forearm now incorporates several M-Lok slots on the sides and bottom for accessory mounting.  

The aircraft aluminum receiver houses an improved hammer and spring, reducing the cocking force by 15% according to Umarex. The hammer spring is still quite stiff and cocking effort remains stout on this model so Umarex added a knurled, oversized cocking knob in order to aid in cocking. For the additional power, most buyers would find this acceptable. It is currently available in .22 and .25 calibers, both using a spring-loaded rotary magazine. The magazine in .22 holds 10 rounds and two are provided with the rifle. For those who purchased a first-generation Gauntlet, those magazines will work fine in the Gauntlet2. However, if you regularly shoot Predator Polymags or longer waisted pellets, they will be too long for the magazine and you’ll have to revert to using the provided single-shot tray.

The barrel is rifled steel and 28.25 inches long. It is surrounded by a shroud incorporating a new four baffle design to make the Gauntlet2 even more quiet than the original, which it does quite effectively. When shooting outdoors it should not be necessary for the shooter to wear hearing protection. No provision is made for attaching additional suppression; however, the original Gauntlet spawned a bunch of aftermarket mods included threaded barrel adapters. Some of those mods may work on the Gauntlet2 and if they don’t, I’m certain it won’t be long before a slew of mods are available for this version. At an overall length of 47-inches, additional suppression may or may not be desirable.

The trigger is the same single-stage as on the original Gauntlet with adjustments for overtravel, weight and sear engagement. The average trigger pull on my sample gun was a mere one pound, 15.9 ounces out of the box! Since adjusting the trigger requires removal of the action from the stock, I was glad no adjustment was necessary as I prefer not to disassemble loaner guns. The safety is a rotary type in the front of the trigger guard and disengages the trigger. It is easily manipulated by the trigger finger, at least for right-handers.

              The Gauntlet2 comes without any sights, as was true with the original. An MTC King Cobra FFP 6×24-50mm with Illuminated Reticle scope reviewed here last month was installed on the 7.5-inch combination dovetail/picatinny rail using a no-name mono-mount in my possession being mindful that the rotary magazine projects above the receiver by ½-inch.  At 14.4 inches long, the 30mm tube gathers additional light, yet added 25 ounces to an already long and heavy rifle, but was manageable. It is a very nice scope that works well with this more powerful air rifle and even though I was not able to reach out past 25 yards during my testing, this combo should work well for Field Target or long-distance precision shooting.

AofA was kind enough to provide some of the new Norma pellets that they just started carrying (so new they do not have them up on the website yet). The Gauntlet2 seemed to like all but the Superpointstrike pointed pellets. Umarex touts this air rifle as capable of sending .22 lead pellets over 1000fps and that was my experience with the Normas under 16 grains. The Golden Trophy FT domed pellets at 15.9 grains averaged 1017fps with excellent accuracy. The Norma S-Target Match Flat points at 14 grains travelled at 1061fps and yielded very good accuracy. These “mid-range” pellets yielded over 35 foot-pounds of energy. Several of the heavier pellets tried generally exhibited excellent accuracy as did lightweight Predator flat point lead-free GTOs at 11.75. The drawback with the lightweight pellets is that they break the sound barrier at 1118fps, increasing the crack of the rifle and making it less backyard friendly.

The MSRP lists out at $449. AofA does not currently show this model on their Gauntlet page as Umarex is just now able to start filling backorders due to the aforementioned Covid-related problems. However, I’m sure they can advise customers as they come back into inventory.