Being new to PCP's, I have done some research regarding various .22 rifles below $340 and have narrowed my search down to the DAR Gen II and the Umarex Gauntlet. The only thing that would keep me from choosing the DAR is the barrel length (about 6 inches shorter than the Umarex) which I assume could possibly affect accuracy/range. Currently, I shot a Crosman Diamondback NPE .22 which has performed well; however, it is a slow process to reload if I miss, and the recoil + weight causes me to miss more than I would like. I considered .25 for larger game, but the pellets cost 3-4x as much and I have more than 1,500 rounds of .22 that would go to waste. Please let me know any thoughts and/or opinions on either of these. Thanks.
DAR Gen II vs. Umarex Gauntlet
- Thread starter cmhughes
- Start date
I'm not sure what you plan on using it for. A bench gun for target shooting, or something you will be carrying and hunting with?
I have both guns in .25
A Gen 1 Gauntlet and a Gen 2 DAR.
I know they aren't .22's, but they are very similar in size and feel as the same guns in .22.
The Gauntlet 1 is a boat anchor! Couple that with lousy sling stud placement and you have a big bulky rifle that is really no fun to carry around and hunt with.
If you are going to carry it to a blind or some place where you will be mostly stationary while shooting it, then OK. Basically, in my opinion it's a bench gun.
It is accurate though and pretty powerful too. The build quality of the Gen 1 Gauntlets isn't that great. I'm just not impressed with the bolt operation. It's rough as a cob.
The finish is rough too. For what you pay for it, that's to be expected, I guess.
The Gen 2 DAR is another story. For $300 shipped with 1 magazine they are certainly affordable. Don't let the price fool you. The build quality and finish are light years
ahead of the Gauntlet 1.
The magazine is aluminum and they only cost $20 each! They look similar to something you would find on a high end European gun. They work flawlessly and are a breeze to load.
The side lever feels solid and is smooth to operate. The wood stock is a nice touch. It feels really comfortable and it carries nicely after you install some Uncle Mikes sling studs.
I get about 25 shots on a fill on mine with JSB King 25.4 at 850 fps. I'm sure you will get more than that out of the .22
All I have done to mine is add sling studs, a sling, and mounted an Athlon Talos 3-12x40mm scope. It shoots about 5/8" 5 shot groups at 50 yards.
I would imagine the .22 would do that too. Mine is my go to hunting gun.
The whole gun feels so solid and well put together, and it is nice looking. It's a steal for $300 shipped! You can't go wrong with the DAR Gen 2.
I have both guns in .25
A Gen 1 Gauntlet and a Gen 2 DAR.
I know they aren't .22's, but they are very similar in size and feel as the same guns in .22.
The Gauntlet 1 is a boat anchor! Couple that with lousy sling stud placement and you have a big bulky rifle that is really no fun to carry around and hunt with.
If you are going to carry it to a blind or some place where you will be mostly stationary while shooting it, then OK. Basically, in my opinion it's a bench gun.
It is accurate though and pretty powerful too. The build quality of the Gen 1 Gauntlets isn't that great. I'm just not impressed with the bolt operation. It's rough as a cob.
The finish is rough too. For what you pay for it, that's to be expected, I guess.
The Gen 2 DAR is another story. For $300 shipped with 1 magazine they are certainly affordable. Don't let the price fool you. The build quality and finish are light years
ahead of the Gauntlet 1.
The magazine is aluminum and they only cost $20 each! They look similar to something you would find on a high end European gun. They work flawlessly and are a breeze to load.
The side lever feels solid and is smooth to operate. The wood stock is a nice touch. It feels really comfortable and it carries nicely after you install some Uncle Mikes sling studs.
I get about 25 shots on a fill on mine with JSB King 25.4 at 850 fps. I'm sure you will get more than that out of the .22
All I have done to mine is add sling studs, a sling, and mounted an Athlon Talos 3-12x40mm scope. It shoots about 5/8" 5 shot groups at 50 yards.
I would imagine the .22 would do that too. Mine is my go to hunting gun.
The whole gun feels so solid and well put together, and it is nice looking. It's a steal for $300 shipped! You can't go wrong with the DAR Gen 2.
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Shorter barrels are no less accurate then longer barrels, actually the opposite is more likely.
Power yeah, longer barrels help on the power department.
Power yeah, longer barrels help on the power department.
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Thanks for your insight. Have mainly been using the Diamondback for eastern gray squirrels and pigeons; however, I have thought about getting a .25 instead just in case I need to hunt larger animals for some survival in the future since the Pacific NW state I live is far down the road to Marxism/totalitarianism/gun control. I figure if things got desperate, I could use my .22 semi automatic rimfire rifle for the larger animals. I would have to do something with the 3 new tins/1,500 rounds of Crosman Premier .22's I have and spend 3-4 times as much per round on .25 ammo (which is hard to find locally here) as I want to sell the Diamondback to put money towards a PCP. The only plinking I do is when I need to sight in a rifle; otherwise, it is mainly for critter control at this point. The Diamondback has sufficient kill power, but when I miss it takes me another 10 seconds to load another round just to watch the squirrel get away. I looked into Gamo Urban and Air Venturi Avenger, but the Air Venturi would be a bite to hand pump and seems to have more QC issues than the Gauntlet.
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So much nonsense/missinformation about Handpumping ;
Ultimately it's all about the power output of the rifle and how many shots you take.
.........once you are topped up it does not matter if your gun has a 500cc tank or a 130cc tank if the guns are the same caliber and power and you take 20 shots with each gun it will take the same amount of pumping to get back to full charge.
Ultimately it's all about the power output of the rifle and how many shots you take.
.........once you are topped up it does not matter if your gun has a 500cc tank or a 130cc tank if the guns are the same caliber and power and you take 20 shots with each gun it will take the same amount of pumping to get back to full charge.
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I will have a DAR on Friday so I can update this thread then. For now I’m saying the DAR for sure. First off you have to look at the gauntlet every time you take it out. Yikes. Gen 1 gauntlet 22 is completely under powered. Gen 2 gauntlet 22 is completely over powered (at least for the average shooter). Hard pass on either gauntlet for me.
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I would also by the Dar.I have heard more positive things about that rifle than the gauntlet. Everybody said that their finish would chip off easy though which is no big deal for me. I’ve seen that happen on many lower-priced air guns and powder burners. I just refinish them and they look better and are more durable then.I would buy one right now but I can barely even buy pellets at the moment because of the inflation and having to buy heating oil through the winter.Good thing I Stocked up on pellets a while back. I have plenty enough airguns for now anyway but it never hurts to get more toys. You only live once.
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One more DAR question: on their website photos, it seems like the magazine protrudes above the dovetail more than other rifles. How much does the magazine go above the scope mount area? Also, how long is the scope mount behind the magazine (which looks like the longest part)? I assume I would have to get elevated scope mounts so the scope or open reflex sight I would use would not interfere with the magazine - how much higher would these have to be for this rifle?
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The dar 2 price jumped 200 dollars and is now 500.00. I dont think that rifle is a 500 dollar gun. 300 was pushing it. With there QC issues as of late its not a good buy as far as im concerned the umerax is the far better buy when it comes down to dollar for dollar.
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Gauntlet 2 in .25 or why not even .30 ?
Still cheaper than the DAR. Never shot a DAR but have heard iffy things and never really considered them. I shoot my Guanlet 2 .25 and .30 almost daily and only wish it had a wood stock. I will probably find a way to fit a wood stock on both of them some day -- these rifles are keepers 100%
Still cheaper than the DAR. Never shot a DAR but have heard iffy things and never really considered them. I shoot my Guanlet 2 .25 and .30 almost daily and only wish it had a wood stock. I will probably find a way to fit a wood stock on both of them some day -- these rifles are keepers 100%
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Having a ton of field use out of both I definitely prefer the DAR, much easier to carry around and the overall quality feels pretty good. The G1&2 are heavy, trigger isn't great and that bolt action is clunky as well as being difficult to cock. I really wish Umarex would have gone with a side lever design and shortened the length that imo would have made it king of the hill for the price.
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I have a DAR Gen lll in both .25 and .22 as well as a Gauntlet Gen 1 and have also owned the Gen ll DARs in .22 and .25.
There is no real comparison, the DAR's are built very well with metal and wood, no plastic and no compromises in billet machining using a saddle over the air tube etc. Did the DAR's have issues with O-rings? Yupper. I even sent 2 guns back, one for O-rings and another due to a bad barrel. The gauntlet is heavy, feels cheap and uses those horrible Mrod mags while the DAR uses all aluminum mags that just freakin WORK!
The Gauntlet sits in the closet, it has been there two years now and I pull it out every three-four months, feel that trigger and weight and put it right back in the dark!
I am however, now moving away from the DAR to AEA guns, semi auto is just too fun. I someone is looking for a tuned DAR in .25 or .22, let me know.
There is no real comparison, the DAR's are built very well with metal and wood, no plastic and no compromises in billet machining using a saddle over the air tube etc. Did the DAR's have issues with O-rings? Yupper. I even sent 2 guns back, one for O-rings and another due to a bad barrel. The gauntlet is heavy, feels cheap and uses those horrible Mrod mags while the DAR uses all aluminum mags that just freakin WORK!
The Gauntlet sits in the closet, it has been there two years now and I pull it out every three-four months, feel that trigger and weight and put it right back in the dark!
I am however, now moving away from the DAR to AEA guns, semi auto is just too fun. I someone is looking for a tuned DAR in .25 or .22, let me know.
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That's funny you like the AEA semi auto when you don't like the Guantlet trigger. I have Guantlet 2 25 and 30 and an AEA HP SS 30+. The Guantlet (especially the 30), to me is the far superior trigger.
It takes a little getting used to but once you do, you'll never achieve that accuracy with an AEA semi auto. I even find the bolt is easy to actuate one handed and keep my eye on the scope. Simply place your thumb on the back of the upper and use your fore finger on the bolt. Single loading one handed is just as easy as well.
To each their own but it's funny to me the complaints on Guantlet/G2s when its not only the best and most consistent performers in my quiver but also the most fun to shoot and the ones I spend by far the most range time with.
It takes a little getting used to but once you do, you'll never achieve that accuracy with an AEA semi auto. I even find the bolt is easy to actuate one handed and keep my eye on the scope. Simply place your thumb on the back of the upper and use your fore finger on the bolt. Single loading one handed is just as easy as well.
To each their own but it's funny to me the complaints on Guantlet/G2s when its not only the best and most consistent performers in my quiver but also the most fun to shoot and the ones I spend by far the most range time with.
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Totally different things, the AEA Carbine is super fun, it's never going to be a target gun. I have 2 Challengers for targets. Strictly DAR vs Gauntlet, the DAR is superior in every way.
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