Western Airguns Western Mordax Venom, first impressions, and eventual ongoing review.

Last winter I got a hankering for another semiauto pcp airgun. I was kind of leaning towards buying a pistol and that would have been a Huben GK1 V3, except I contacted two dealers and one called back once and answered my questions but when I called to order it a few months later, even after another two calls, he didn't return a call back to me. Okay???
The other I messaged here on AGN and no reply back.
Alrighty then, maybe some day I'll try to get one again, but maybe not, and not from them.

For some reason I didn't find out about the Western Mordax until this spring, somehow I had missed it's small size thinking of their bigger pcp's which I wasn't interested in?? So I looked into it.
Removeable 15 shot mags, check.
Small enough to be used as a pistol, check.
Pic rail on top for easy optics mounting, check.
But not a great shot count so I held off ordering one and wasn't sure what I'd do at that point.

Enter the Mordax Venom with 300cc bottle that just became available, and with higher shot count, so now it became much more appealing to me! I had to have one so I talked to Lauren of AOA and got one ordered. She had it shipped out as soon as it was ready to and it was at my door two days later via UPS.

Pistol, or Pifle, how is this Mordax to be described??, so I'll just leave that to the opinions of others?? However I'll be using it as a pistol and a pifle - both ways.
I've had a lot of PB pistols, BIG heavy ones and sometimes long too, so shooting a Mordax as a pistol is fine with me and thus accepted it's large size in pistol form. It is what it is, right. I found out it doesn't fit in my pocket well, lol, who'd a thought, no biggy because I have the right tool for that job already for duties should it ever be needed.
What I haven't had much of is SBR-ish guns this small, airgun or PB, so that'l be fun to try out with the Venom.

Onto my first impressions.
Mine is a 22 caliber since it'll be used for plinking more than hunting and little desire to bump up the power but might go down in power some later on.
I just opened the box.

Wow nice case! IMHO It's aspects like this that greatly improves the ownership experience. One less thing to have to buy, also a backpack, or normal carry for keeping the nice gun inside from getting scratched up, out of the weather, or you name it, and with lot's storage. I'm already envisioning going on long E-MTB rides with it while seeing, then havesting, tree squirrels in the fall as I'm riding along. Have to get the Wifey to make some soup which I found out can be delicious.
20250731_073922.jpg

AOA must have made sure the Venom was in good working order since there is the blue tape showing some stats they wrote down. I like it that they put this extra effort in.
20250731_081649.jpg

Other than reading the instructions the first things I did were getting a feel of the gun, both with the folding stock deployed as a SBR, then folded as a pistol, then the folder removed. Man this gun is light and light enough to be used as a pistol just fine which was a concern of mine beforehand. So far so good - I like the feel of it. In pistol form most likely will just take the folder off since it's just loosening one screw to take it off. Everything seems high qaulity and there's no play in the folder system as well easy to fold and unfold.

Next installing the Holosun Green Dot/GD. I like larger dots and this one is 8 moa which is great for shooting fast. Eh I'll try it and if it's too big I've got RD's with smaller dots to use too. Not sure I'll put a rifle scope on it but who knows it could also happen.
See how things pan out.
I got lucky because of the fact I have small cheeks and I can put my face on the stock and see straight down the GD perfectly.

20250731_083845.jpg


Well at this point there's what could be considered bad news, and it is that I'm waiting to shoot the Venom until late next week while on my annual camping trip up north in Wyoming, so I'll get back on this thread around that time to share the news.

Though a VERY positive thumbs up so far! I hope it shoots as good as it looks and feels!!!
 
Last edited:
Really good news and really bad news!

The good - Man I love shooting this Venom! I got a quick zero at 30Y using the Holosun with the 8 moa green dot sight and one group was an inch or so which is hard to do without a fine dot or reticle. Then I set up 15 of my mid size to larger steel knockover plates on the ground which were of various sizes from 1.5" to 4" going out from 10Y to 30Y, smaller ones were closer, larger as distance increased, and shot them offhand fast but trying for precision vs all out speed. This was just what I wanted the Venom for and it was a success. Also there were no malfunctions until....

The bad - I'll just spit it out and honestly I don't know how I managed to do what I did since I knew better but I overfilled the gun because I was looking at the regulator gauge "not moving" instead of the bottle gauge which messed something up causing the guns magazine to quit advancing properly. So I sadly just put the gun back in the case. It's only supposed to be filled it to 300 bar max and I filled to to 311 bar.
I think I'll stop around 290 bar after I get it back repaired. Lesson learned the hard way, darn it!

My plan was to put my March 1-10 on the Venom to see how precise it is and will do this later.
Was also going to take the folder off and shoot it as a pistol.

Sorry for the bad news so I'll revisit this thread in a couple more weeks with hopefully more good news.

Thankfully I had brought four other airguns to shoot so I enjoyed them. Also had such a great time with my family camping 12 yards off the Greys river, with near perfect temperatures, and got to know my 2 year old grandson a lot better.

My son bought a drone so maybe I can get him to take some footage of me doing some shooting with the Venom which would be fun to watch.

The thing I found the most interesting is the place we go to to camp is one of the prettiest I've seen and for most of the 5 days we were there we had it all to ourselves?!
Thanks Lord for your grace, mercy, kindness and such a fun time, in spite of my mistakes.

This is what it looks like there.
20240629_102413.jpg
 
Nice review and I'm glad you like it, but I highly doubt your mag advancement issue has anything to do with the slight over fill of the gun . . . and what a beautiful spot!

I don't have a Mordax, but I do have a Sidewinder and Huben K1 (both in .22) and both had mag advancement issues for different reasons. The Sidewinder was an early mechanical failure of the mechanism after about 1000 shots, and it took a new part that AoA sent me to fix it (the Huben was a spring that went weak after over 15K shots).

The mag advancement mechanism only sees regulated pressure, and a slight overfill would not lead to any unusual spike in the pressure that it sees. I think you need to look elsewhere for the cause. Don't forget that the ~11 bar you overfilled is well within the pressure swings the gun could see from temperature changes, and it would have been designed to accommodate that . . .

When my Sidewinder went bad, it started failing to advance on occasion, and slowly got worse. I fgured it might be a lube issue, so I blew out all the lube I could with compressed air, lubed it with a light silicone oil and blew all that out to flush it, and then with Krytox oil. It worked fine then for a few mags but then went back to failing to advance. I reached out to AoA and they walked me through a few things that did not change anything then recommended the part swap. That cured it, and it is still good two years later (although it does not get shot as much as the Huben).

Good luck with it, but I'd reach out to AoA, or wherever you bought it . . . .
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your advice Alan.

You'd know more than I about this kind of thing. I can't wait to get it fixed and when the warranty is up I'd like to learn how to work on it.

In the instructions it states not to fill over 300 bar or the gun can be damaged and since this was my first fill I'm fairly certain the problem was my fault this time.

I hope this Venom turns out more reliable than my Skout EVO is. I guess I'm getting used to airgun problems because of the EVO, problems I didn't cause.
 
I called up AOA a couple days ago and asked if I could bring my Venom down to have them look at it to see what was wrong. It took all of 2 minutes for Don, one of the airgun smiths, to diagnose the problem. He said well I'll tell you one thing right off, and I said what's that, then he told me the barrel was too tight against the magazine, so he showed me how to fix that.

Just loosen the 4 screws on top of the shroud that hold the barrel, then snug the barrel lightly up to the magazine, then back it off 1/8th of turn, and retighten those screws. Then he showed me that the mag was now turning every shot.

I went to their/AOA test range, shot a couple mags worth, it worked perfectly, and I got a good zero with the green dot sight.

I also bought 10 more tins of the Range Master 16 grainers and two more Mordax 22 cal mags so I have 3 now.

I'm trying to remember if the magazine was tight the day I got the Venom and I think it was a little tight because it was tricky getting the magazine centered on the cross pin that holds the mag in and centered?? It's not now though however does take a little finesse which isn't difficult once you've done it a few times.
Right before I shot the Venom originally up in WY my dog knocked it off my 3 gallon bucket I had it sitting on but it was a soft landing in some grass. I suppose that pushed the barrel back a tiny bit just enough to exacerbate that problem but why did it work fine for 3 mags??

I had over filled it as mentioned so I thought that was the problem and it still could have made things worse, who knows. Plus I had done that fix thing that Darren told me about which probably fixed that problem, I don't know and it'll never be known??

8/23/25 EDIT!! After thinking about it a day it occurred to me that the barrel has to be threaded (I looked it up yes threaded indeed) and therefore screwed into the receiver, so how far back could it have been knocked back into the gun, not much maybe a few .001"s??! A few thou could be the make or break I suppose??
It's puzzling, but no matter at this point I guess.
If you got a Mordax that wasn't functioning I suggest you look into this foremost.

Anyway it works great now!

Offhand plinking today on my steel I put 180 pellets through it and all I gotta say is MAN this gun is so much fun for this kind of stuff!!!

Yes I tried the three mags in full auto mode too. Even at 15 yards all of them stayed inside 6" or so and many of them were making a group towards the center of this paper target.

Those are the knockover steel I was talking about earlier in the thread.

Yeah two more mags and approx 7300 16 grainers to have fun with.
20250822_130318.jpg
20250822_142314.jpg

5 shots offhand in semi mode at 25y.

The other with all the holes was in full auto at 15Y.



20250822_155549.jpg
20250822_155602.jpg
 
Last edited:
Another 200 or so 16's down the Venom barrel this morning. The word for today is indeed 'FUN"!!!!!!

First I shot this bigger steel you see on the sawhorse at 12 yards about as fast as I could offhand, slowing just enough not to miss. After 3 times I could get em all in 2.5 seconds or so if I were to guess. Oh that was fun! Could probably get that down to sub 2 seconds after some practice. This is where a large green dot shines/pun intended 'which is in faster sight acquisition'. From the onset this particular way of shooting was a BIG motive to me for buying the Venom and I'm pleased with the outcome to say the least.
20250823_082556.jpg


Then after long last I took the folder off the Venom to try it as a pistol. Wow not bad at all! It's a little front heavy but honestly I was fine with it and unhindered. Offhand as before like one would normally shoot a combat pistol I started at the same steel as above. Interesting that the reg gauge is placed just right to make a great thumb rest for my left hand and that the trigger guard happens to sit well on my left pointing finger for support, both those do help steady the pistol.
Easy peezy at 12Y and fast too, almost as fast as in SBR form.
Next I shot at the 2.5" circles. Slowed down a tad and still got them all, set em up again and repeated.
Next the 2" circles, same same.
Next the 1.5", same same.
Okay next were the 1", trying hard I still missed 3 times but only missed two on the 2nd attempt. That's getting tough to do and the green dot is actually around the same size as the steel is at this distance.
Uh I'm pretty impressed with the venom used as a pistol!! It's nearly a 'what more could one want' situation if considering the gun's overall versatility?! It's not small, nor optimal(yes big for a pistol), but plenty doable being shot in pistol form.
As an example I own a Steyr LP5 semi auto Olympic match pistol and today I doubt I could have done any better with it!
20250823_082858.jpg
20250823_083145.jpg
20250823_085154.jpg
20250823_094430.jpg

Next I took the green dot off and put my March shorty 1-10x28 DFP LPVO on the Venom to start testing precision capabilities. Wow this scope is perfect for this gun!!! Got a quick zero at 25Y, rested my elbows and the grip on the wobbly glass table, and didn't miss the 1"ers at 12y, 25Y, and only missed one low at 30Y because of wind and drop so I aimed high and left at the edge of the steel so all was good, tink, tink, tink.......

Wanting another cup of coffee I did one last thing and that was shooting at this 3" SHOOTINGTARGETS7 spinner at 74Y. I missed a few times but once I figured out where that was I was nailing it no problem over and over again. Needed was 2.5" right for windage and 3.5 mils high.
Yuh know that's just impressive for a little semi like this and these low BC pellets!!!!
20250823_100620.jpg


Additional comments while it's fresh in my mind.
That folder is basically an adjustable cheek rest that slides up and down on the rail it attaches to which is a bonus for sure!
I love that the mags have that cap which prevent pellets going aft into something they shouldn't.
Speaking of these mags it should be mentioned that they are super well made and the pellets I'm using fit perfectly, no exageration either, perfect!
As well I can sqeak out 5 mags just barely. I have the tank handy so been refilling at 3 mags if serious or 4 mags if shooting on the larger steel.

The trigger, ok it's not a match trigger but it's really well designed for this gun and application. I found when shooting fast I could pre stage the trigger for the next shot and this was predictabley done. Personally I wouldn't want it lighter weight for safety reasons nore would want it heavier either. I'm a trigger snob if there ever was one and Western Airguns happened to put the correct amount of positive attributes into the trigger feel to compliment the Venom space of use.

Still running like a top too.

For sure, no mistaking it, and without a doubt, the "funnest" (there's that word again) gun I've ever shot and I can do it right in my own yard. THIS THING IS A BLAST!!!

Problem is I want to keep this scope on the Venom, oh no what now for my poor AR???!!!

I'll keep updating here as I use the Venom.
20250823_094343.jpg
 
Last edited:
just got my venom in .25 a few days ago. I'm obsessed, such a fun gun and so amazingly accurate for a 9" barrel.

I'm tempted to get another Venom because it'd be fantastic for man against man comps on identical target displays. I have two racks made up just for this and a crossover pepper popper for the stop plate. These are out at a friends place but I'll get some pics of it at some point. That particular friend likes shooting fast as well so he's gonna love this gun!
 
Great read. This makes me want to pre order one in .22 as well!

This is the semi pcp I've envisioned in my fantasies going way back decades ago. That was a long wait and I'm glad the day came into reality, really glad!!!

As much as I like my Steyr ProX semi I might end up selling it because this Venom fulfills what I want out of semi more than I thought it would.

The ProX has a slightly lighter trigger although I wouldn't say it's more controllable, but the noise at my ear has always been a down side, and also the mag needs to be wound up each time.

So far with the little testing I've done the precision seems to be on par for each gun and my ProX is a good shooting gun too. I've shot more than a few 50Y groups touching with it but for a semi I don't necessarily need super precision anyway so not a top priority. Got other guns for that need.

The ProX is a bit heavy to be walking around with, is rear heavy, a little long, vs the Venom which is lightweight, short, and well balanced.

The 15 shot mags are a big draw to me with the Mordax but 10 rounds in the ProX isn't bad.

The ProX gets more shots per fill at around 60 at 28 fpe but I could put a 480cc bottle on the Venom to get the same.

Don't get me wrong that ProX is also a great gun, super reliable, and has served me well. I was never sorry I bought it!

Time will tell.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zerochance
I swapped the oDB moderator out for an impulse air and it cut report down by at least 50%.
I just saw your post in the Mordax thread. 50% is a lot.

On my property having a quiet airgun isn't essential because the neighbors are about a 100 yards from where I shoot so I'm okay with the moderator it came with but thanks for the heads up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: esd02
I just saw your post in the Mordax thread. 50% is a lot.

On my property having a quiet airgun isn't essential because the neighbors are about a 100 yards from where I shoot so I'm okay with the moderator it came with but thanks for the heads up.
i like the look of the moderator it came with way better as well..so that's great. I shoot at a barn with horses quite a bit (Loaded with ground squirrels and horse women who get angry often at anything they deem disruptive to their horse world) so quiet is critical..hahahaha
 
i like the look of the moderator it came with way better as well..so that's great. I shoot at a barn with horses quite a bit (Loaded with ground squirrels and horse women who get angry often at anything they deem disruptive to their horse world) so quiet is critical..hahahaha
I see! Nope don't want no females swarming on you for sure.
 
I got a little more serious today and attached my heavy Atlas bipod via the pic rail on the bottom of the Venom and used a rear squeeze bag on a solid bench this time. Also set up the chrono. These 16's are averaging 783 fps. I was hitting the 1/2 spinner at 25Y most of the time, same with a 35Y 1" spinner, and same with a 1.5" spinner at 50Y, this one in the photo.

Not calm out because rain was blowing in so it was tough figuring out the wind at 50Y. Hit this one 14/15, with two edge deflections onto the steel in the background and one clean miss to the left when the wind switched for that shot.

Small lightweight semi, trigger not the best for BR, and 10x scope, so I'm not disappointed. My Thomas FT is more precise for sure but I probably would have done 14/15 on this same steel because of the wind switch.

I found out yesterday late afternoon almost before dark that the illuminated dot in my March was a big help because of the dark crosshair against dark steel. I decided to paint my steel white instead so did that today.

My wife and I like to have coffee up at our barn in the morning and evening and we have old easy chairs to sit on. Yeah, yeah go ahead and laugh at our apparent hillbillyness but we like comfort, and that we are! Anyway I like to plink while sitting in these. I found another bonus feature on the Venom folder at the rear most which is the rubber Butt Pad and also that this is angled forward a bit. So I'm sitting with left knee up, leaned back into the chair, gun rested on knee and that rubber BP sitting on top of my shoulder into a pocket in between my shoulder and clavical. Since it's rubber, and the gun is lightweight, I discovered a great very comfortable and steady position to plink with up there.

Oh and am now into the next tin of 500.
20250825_130018.jpg