{"id":6755,"date":"2022-02-25T08:25:43","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T15:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/?p=6755"},"modified":"2022-02-25T08:25:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T15:25:43","slug":"the-umarex-gauntlet-2-is-now-at-aoa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/the-umarex-gauntlet-2-is-now-at-aoa.html","title":{"rendered":"The Umarex Gauntlet 2 Is Now At AoA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Gauntlet has been around for some years, so – now that the Umarex Gauntlet 2<\/a> is in stock at Airguns of Arizona – let\u2019s look at the new model in some depth and understand how it compares to the original Gauntlet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Umarex Gauntlet 2 continues in the tradition of the original Gauntlet. It redefines the PCP air rifle market in terms of price\/performance \u2013 again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original Gauntlet set the PCP world alight because of its combination of features, including  a consistent, regulated shot count at an unmatched price point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First off – there\u2019s the new stock color and design. It\u2019s a lot more stylish in my opinion and uses many less small parts. The breech now has Picatinny rails for scope mounting, in line with the current trend. In fact, the breech IS the same as the original Gauntlet with the Picatinny rails mounted on top as separate parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The scope ring you can see in the photograph above is a UTG POI ring<\/a>. They’re manufactured by Leapers and I find they give good results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we have an even more oversized bolt handle. It\u2019s steel and knurled to provide good grip for operation. Actually, it works very well.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even with this larger bolt handle, the cocking effort for the Gauntlet 2 is very high. All Gauntlet models have the heaviest bolt action I’ve ever tested!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why so tough to cock? Well, undoubtedly the design of the Umarex Gauntlet needs a heavy hammer spring to achieve its power levels. That hammer spring need to be cocked before firing and you supply the effort to tension that spring when pulling back on the bolt handle.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be sure, it\u2019s far from impossible to cock. And it\u2019s something that the owner will become used to. It\u2019s also slightly easier than the original version. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most will likely find it a very acceptable part trade-off for the significantly increased power of the second generation Gauntlet.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the Gauntlet 2 is available in .22 and .25 calibers only. There\u2019s no longer a .177 model. This is not surprising as sales of .177 cal PCPs in the US market have become very restricted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that this comparison is based on the .22 caliber Gauntlet. There are differences in specs between the .22 and .25 caliber models in both the \u201cGen 1\u201d and \u201cGen 2\u201d Gauntlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The regulator pressure for the .22 caliber gun has been increased from the original 1,100 PSI to 1,900 PSI. That\u2019s an increase of 73%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also a different HPA bottle supplied with the Gauntlet 2. This offers a whopping 85% increase in capacity from 13 Cubic Inches of the Gen 1 model to 24 Cubic Inches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not only that, but the maximum fill pressure for the Gen 2 bottle has been increased, too. Now it\u2019s up to 4,500 PSI from the original 3,000 PSI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an interesting commentary on the capability of the basic Gauntlet platform that it has proved to be capable of such significant power increases while still retaining the same overall design as the original Gen 1 model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what were the results?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using mid-weight (13.43 Grain) .22 caliber pellets, the muzzle energy has jumped from 20.42 Ft\/Lbs in the Gen 1 gun to 33.18 Ft\/Lbs. That\u2019s an increase of 62%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of consistent shots per fill for the Gauntlet 2 fell by 16% (from 74 to 62). However, if we take the number of consistent shots and multiply it my the muzzle energy per shot for each gun, we find that there\u2019s a 36% increase in the total muzzle energy obtained from one fill of HPA. As follows\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen 1 Gauntlet. 20.42 Ft\/Lbs x 74 shots = 1,510 Ft\/Lbs.
Gen 2 Gauntlet. 33.18 Ft\/Lbs x 62 shots = 2,057 Ft\/Lbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As is expected from any PCP, the Gauntlet 2\u2019s power level increases with pellet weight. Starting at the 30 Ft\/Lbs level with ultra-light 10.03 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy Green alloys, it rises to over 45 Ft\/Lbs with JSB 25.39 Grain Jumbo Monsters. Now we\u2019re talking!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is in .22 caliber, remember. So the Gauntlet 2\u2019s 45 Ft\/Lbs of Muzzle Energy matches that of the original Gauntlet in .25 caliber. That\u2019s a significant increase in power!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure it\u2019s well down from the power of a .22 caliber Daystate Red Wolf HP<\/a>. And the sophistication of the Gauntlet is nowhere near that of the Daystate. But for a $410 PCP, it\u2019s very creditable and – after all – it is about $2,400 lower in price than the Red Wolf too\u2026
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that the Umarex Gauntlet 2 is a large air rifle. Overall length is 47 Inches, which is longer than most PCPs. The all-up weight of the rig I tested was 11 Lbs 0 Oz, including the scope. This \u2013 in itself \u2013 is not exceptional. However the long front-mounted HPA tank brings the center of gravity well forward.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s manageable, but could be a tough proposition for smaller shooters to hold steady.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new and improved stock design of the Umarex Gauntlet 2 does, however, allow for a bipod to be fitted. M-Lok slots are incorporated in the upper sides and base of the forend.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For testing, I mounted a bipod to a Picatinny rail adapter installed in the M-Lok slots. The result was solid and sturdy. This is another improvement compared to the original Gauntlet, which did not have provision for mounting a bipod.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shooting from a bipod was found to be comfortable and stable. If you can, this is the best way to shoot the Gauntlet 2.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the Umarex Gauntlet 2 gives you a ton of gun for the money – in every respect!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power, accuracy and consistency were all outstanding in the sample I tested. The consistent shot count is good, too. Yes, the Gauntlet 2 is more expensive than the original Gauntlet, but it’s easy to see why, given this stellar performance.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downsides are the sheer length of the gun, the muzzle-heavy weight distribution and the very heavy, rather rough bolt action. But – if you can live with these drawbacks – there’s nothing in the market today to touch the Umarex Gauntlet 2<\/a> for value.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Gauntlet has been around for some years, so – now that the Umarex Gauntlet 2 is in stock at Airguns of Arizona – let\u2019s look at the new model in some depth and understand how it compares to the original Gauntlet. The Umarex Gauntlet 2 continues in the tradition of the original Gauntlet. It…»<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6755"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6767,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6755\/revisions\/6767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}