Umarex Gauntlet video review by AEAC

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I think you'll exactly get what you pay for. If your lucky it's nice, if you're unlucky it'll probably suck.
There's a reason these things cost only $300. Probably assembled by unskilled workers with just one task per person in China, production of parts is just high volume, high speed, low cost production. Also the quality check will just be a visual inspection. This doesn't automatically means that the rifle will suck, it'll mean that there will be an enormous spread on the functioning of the guns. Some will run smooth and have good triggers, others will feel and sound like a cement grinding machine. This probably explains the bad trigger Steve had on his Gauntlet. Saving on quality checks will bring a lot of lemons into a product and these will come out from time to time, some will be lucky and some don't.

One of the reasons that quality manufacturers ask a great amount of money for their products is that they probably manufacture compliant to six-sigma manufacturing. This means quality checks on all incoming parts, testing in between manufacturing and testing of outgoing parts to ensure that 99.9% of the outgoing products comply with a certain standard. This means scrapping a lot of incoming parts that are faulty manufactured or do not comply to the standards, reassembling guns that do not comply and having skilled workers on the assembly and testing line. Also using quality and calibrated manufacturing tooling. All this sums up to a cost level that'll make a lot of people cringe. On top of that there's still an amount of money you're paying for certain brands.

I think it's hard to ask a lot of the Gauntlet (just like the QB78 and the marauder). They can be fun guns and might need some work to function better but for the price this is all OK. After all, $300 for a PCP airgun is already fun to have just for plinking and breaking stuff :)

And Steve, to me it sounded just like an honest review, reviewing in the outdoors is always hard. In the outdoors you'll only see it's potential but not it's full capabilities.
I wouldn't have believed you if you were telling the Gauntlet is amazing and everything runs butter smooth :p
 
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Another reason "quality manufactures" ask great money is because people will pay it.

Yes you do get what you pay for....but many times it is just the name on the side of the product.

I wanted to add an example.

I am a Watch snob.....I like "nice quality" watches....so think Omega, Rolex, Ball.....think spending $2,000+ easy on a watch.

Now the thing you need to understand is the Hello Kitty watch for $1.99 in the checkout lane at Kmart is going to keep better time then any mechanical watch from these companies.

You can also go buy a Seiko Auto 5, a cheap automatic made not in Japan....and have a watch that will run just as long....usually without the $600 service your Omega is going to require.....and that is if nothing needs replacing. The Auto 5 has a massive following, and is a very good watch at ~$150....next to a Sub that is going to run you $6k on the used market.

So the question is....is it a "better" watch......is is of lesser quality......well only you can answer that question......I will say owning all of the above watches, I can say that I am buying the name on the swiss watches.....and I am ok with that.....it is what it is and it makes me happy.....some will say I am foolish in spending that much on a watch....use your phone.....

Where I am going with this is, you may be looking at a Seiko and a Rolex in the air gun world....they both may do the exact same JOB, but you want and can justify in your little brain that the Omega is just that much better......well better is very subjective.
 
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"fpgt72"Another reason "quality manufactures" ask great money is because people will pay it.
Yes you do get what you pay for....but many times it is just the name on the side of the product.
I wanted to add an example.
I am a Watch snob.....I like "nice quality" watches....so think Omega, Rolex, Ball.....think spending $2,000+ easy on a watch.
Now the thing you need to understand is the Hello Kitty watch for $1.99 in the checkout lane at Kmart is going to keep better time then any mechanical watch from these companies.
You can also go buy a Seiko Auto 5, a cheap automatic made not in Japan....and have a watch that will run just as long....usually without the $600 service your Omega is going to require.....and that is if nothing needs replacing. The Auto 5 has a massive following, and is a very good watch at ~$150....next to a Sub that is going to run you $6k on the used market.
So the question is....is it a "better" watch......is is of lesser quality......well only you can answer that question......I will say owning all of the above watches, I can say that I am buying the name on the swiss watches.....and I am ok with that.....it is what it is and it makes me happy.....some will say I am foolish in spending that much on a watch....use your phone.....
Where I am going with this is, you may be looking at a Seiko and a Rolex in the air gun world....they both may do the exact same JOB, but you want and can justify in your little brain that the Omega is just that much better......well better is very subjective.
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I partly agree with you. At some point there is money you're paying for the brand.

But I think it's very short-sighted to say they to the exact same job. Yes they both propel a pellet up to a certain speed into a certain direction. But the feel of a bolt that's running on 30 grit sandpaper or one that's running on a nicely polished surface is a vast difference in quality and functioning. That "extra quality" will cost a lot more money. If I look at my own job, if I have to spend an hour extra on one part it's going to cost the customer a rough €110 extra on cost price. He has to sell it again and has to make money so he'll charge €150 to €200 for my €110. In this way cost is a factor that's growing exponentially while the quality is only growing linearly or via a square-root curve.
And yes, hello Kitty watches are one of the best bang for the buck products you can buy :) :p
 
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"broekzwans"
"fpgt72"Another reason "quality manufactures" ask great money is because people will pay it.
Yes you do get what you pay for....but many times it is just the name on the side of the product.
I wanted to add an example.
I am a Watch snob.....I like "nice quality" watches....so think Omega, Rolex, Ball.....think spending $2,000+ easy on a watch.
Now the thing you need to understand is the Hello Kitty watch for $1.99 in the checkout lane at Kmart is going to keep better time then any mechanical watch from these companies.
You can also go buy a Seiko Auto 5, a cheap automatic made not in Japan....and have a watch that will run just as long....usually without the $600 service your Omega is going to require.....and that is if nothing needs replacing. The Auto 5 has a massive following, and is a very good watch at ~$150....next to a Sub that is going to run you $6k on the used market.
So the question is....is it a "better" watch......is is of lesser quality......well only you can answer that question......I will say owning all of the above watches, I can say that I am buying the name on the swiss watches.....and I am ok with that.....it is what it is and it makes me happy.....some will say I am foolish in spending that much on a watch....use your phone.....
Where I am going with this is, you may be looking at a Seiko and a Rolex in the air gun world....they both may do the exact same JOB, but you want and can justify in your little brain that the Omega is just that much better......well better is very subjective.
Click to expand...
I partly agree with you. At some point there is money you're paying for the brand.
But I think it's very short-sighted to say they to the exact same job. Yes they both propel a pellet up to a certain speed into a certain direction. But the feel of a bolt that's running on 30 grit sandpaper or one that's running on a nicely polished surface is a vast difference in quality and functioning. That "extra quality" will cost a lot more money. If I look at my own job, if I have to spend an hour extra on one part it's going to cost the customer a rough €110 extra on cost price. He has to sell it again and has to make money so he'll charge €150 to €200 for my €110. In this way cost is a factor that's growing exponentially while the quality is only growing linearly or via a square-root curve.
And I think it's better to blame the retailer for the high price than the manufacturer. If I look at the huggett moderators for example, where I live they cost roughly $150 where in the USA they cost at least $250. They're bought on bulk so shipping price per piece is nothing higher than what our retailers are paying (our market is way smaller). Because they're coming from Europe to the USA so they'll have to pay taxes twice which adds about a 20% to the price. Add some export licensing and stuff (which is still quite low cost per moderator I guess). My rough estimate is that they make at least $50 profit on one of those moderators. A couple of years ago the hugget moderators were rare to find and at that time they cost the same as they do now but everybody is still happy to pay a lot of money for those things. Long story short, huggett won't gain any extra money his moderators while the retailers make use of the popularity of the brand and are happy to sell you a top priced huggett.
Not that I dislike the quality of a huggett, absolutely not, I really like his products but not for US prices. Even for the EU prices I have a hard time justifying the price but the finish and craftmanship is just second to none! I can buy moderators that weigh less, won't wear down (the felt will wear down and clog up) and look better (my personal opinion) and functioning as least as good as a hugget for less than 2/3 of the price (the ATEC Wave Carbon moderator). I've had a Huggett myself (but sold it for the ATEC) and really liked the looks of it but the price was absurd in my opinion. I know semi-custom work costs a lot more money than "simple" CNC production runs but the feeling wasn't right for me.
And yes, hello Kitty watches are one of the best bang for the buck products you can buy :) :p
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A few points.....first your side by side is not valid. Working the bolt on any of the QB's I have or have shot, and it is MANY I have never had one that felt gritty, or not functioned correctly.....Sure you can look at the inside of the channel and see rough machine marks, but you don't feel it, and it has zero effect on how the bolt works. Now I only have one Gauntlet, and one Chief, but about 5 QB's of different flavors, and have only borrowed "expensive" air guns.....so my experience is very limited in the "fancy" airgun side of things.
And really if I do buy one, I would only buy one....most likely....so my sample size would be small. In the times I have used others "high end" guns I just did not see the value in them....but that is ME.

I also think you miss the boat on the Retail end of things. Having been in the fire arms side of things, I know markup in them is not much.....there is just no margin in it. A Ruger American street price is $400....that is an amazing value at $400....and at the time my cost was not that much. Some brands have a little more markup, as the NAME on the box says it can carry that. The Ruger does not have $100 on it, where as a CZ 527 will have about $300 on an American. However you have a higher cost from the get go, so the % of the markup is about the same. We are not talking about an artificial market like De Beers and diamonds. I don't know on air guns, but I would bet the costs and % work out to be about the same....meaning that the % the retail outlet makes on different "quality " of product is going to be about the same.....but again I don't really know.

And like you said, the hello kitty watch is a great bang for the buck.....just like this new group of PCP's are in the same class.

Issue I have is when reviewers start really pulling excuses out of their........head.......thin air......well you get the idea to try to tear down a product. 4 hours on a trigger.....really....really......sorry but no way....not even if you are polishing all the parts will it take you 4 hours.
 
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It took me one hour to learn, polish, set and begin using the Gauntlet trigger. That was done about an hour after the gun first got into my booger hooks. Without a reasonable trigger, it is extremely hard to shoot any gun well. Just look at the New York trigger that the police in NYC are forced to use on their pistols. It is around 12 pounds. The records of one or two shot stops are few and far between.

Now the Gauntlet trigger rivals (still not quite as good but close) to my higher end German and English spring guns. I also polished a number of other areas while I was at it. The time spent was a labor of love and the results bring the cheap Gauntlet into what would be considered the mid priced range. The results, often take it up to a top shelf unit. Here is one of my better targets. Five shots at 40 yards. They are not all like this one but many form one hole that is a little larger.

5ed081ee77ecf2253abb600788ca3c00.jpg
 
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I usually don't start changing stuff till I get about a tin into the gun....it is pretty hard with this guy, as I really want to start seeing what it can do and start playing with pellets.....the real reason I have not is the weather here has been nutty....20-40 mph winds have been common for the past few weeks here.....so indoor shooting is really the only way to see how the thing is going to shoot....and my indoor range is 18 yards.

I have not done anything to mine past cleaning the gunk out of the barrel.
 
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"fpgt72"I usually don't start changing stuff till I get about a tin into the gun....it is pretty hard with this guy, as I really want to start seeing what it can do and start playing with pellets.....the real reason I have not is the weather here has been nutty....20-40 mph winds have been common for the past few weeks here.....so indoor shooting is really the only way to see how the thing is going to shoot....and my indoor range is 18 yards.
I have not done anything to mine past cleaning the gunk out of the barrel.
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Jus coud-dent hep my-sef, hadda du it.
cb5ada6a345ccf689dcd494bf1a0bf33.jpg
 
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"Springrrrr"
"fpgt72"I usually don't start changing stuff till I get about a tin into the gun....it is pretty hard with this guy, as I really want to start seeing what it can do and start playing with pellets.....the real reason I have not is the weather here has been nutty....20-40 mph winds have been common for the past few weeks here.....so indoor shooting is really the only way to see how the thing is going to shoot....and my indoor range is 18 yards.
I have not done anything to mine past cleaning the gunk out of the barrel.
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Jus coud-dent hep my-sef, hadda du it.
cb5ada6a345ccf689dcd494bf1a0bf33.jpg
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Oh I get ya.....and it is a real test of will power to keep from popping the sucker open.

The Hard Air review is pretty good, I would like to see them do a follow up after they start playing with the trigger....and see if it takes them 4 hours to adjust it......sorry every time I think of that it is so outrageous and funny I have to clean my keyboard.....as well as taking an entire minute....oh the horror....to make the adjustment.....how anyone can cope with that.
 
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It sounds like the Gauntlet is a great entry level PCP for 2018 just like the Marauder was a great entry level PCP in 2011. It would be interesting to see a 50 yard shooting match between a Gauntlet and Marauder pulled right out of the box, or a tuned Gauntlet vs a tuned Marauder.

It behooves the airgun industry for the Gauntlet to be successful just like the Marauder was during it's release. The Marauder led several airgun enthusiast to venture into PCP, which then led to higher end PCP airgun purchases. Think of some of the developments in the airgun industry since the release of the Marauder(Home 110 volt HPA compressors come to mind). I'm rooting for the Gauntlet, but still don't know if it will out shoot a Marauder.
 
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"Kev"It sounds like the Gauntlet is a great entry level PCP for 2018 just like the Marauder was a great entry level PCP in 2011. It would be interesting to see a 50 yard shooting match between a Gauntlet and Marauder pulled right out of the box, or a tuned Gauntlet vs a tuned Marauder.
It behooves the airgun industry for the Gauntlet to be successful just like the Marauder was during it's release. The Marauder led several airgun enthusiast to venture into PCP, which then led to higher end PCP airgun purchases. Think of some of the developments in the airgun industry since the release of the Marauder(Home 110 volt HPA compressors come to mind). I'm rooting for the Gauntlet, but still don't know if it will out shoot a Marauder.
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The new Marauder regulated .22 is here at the house now so we'll be finding out soon.

Steve
 
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"Springrrrr"It took me one hour to learn, polish, set and begin using the Gauntlet trigger. That was done about an hour after the gun first got into my booger hooks. Without a reasonable trigger, it is extremely hard to shoot any gun well. Just look at the New York trigger that the police in NYC are forced to use on their pistols. It is around 12 pounds. The records of one or two shot stops are few and far between.
Now the Gauntlet trigger rivals (still not quite as good but close) to my higher end German and English spring guns. I also polished a number of other areas while I was at it. The time spent was a labor of love and the results bring the cheap Gauntlet into what would be considered the mid priced range. The results, often take it up to a top shelf unit. Here is one of my better targets. Five shots at 40 yards. They are not all like this one but many form one hole that is a little larger.
5ed081ee77ecf2253abb600788ca3c00.jpg
Click to expand...
Indeed the Gauntlet's trigger is pretty easy to get it working good. I ended up having to loctite the adjustment screws on mine to keep it the way I wanted because it gets getting sloppy with use. It now stays at crisp 1 lb and I have since shot over 1,000 pallets and it is still good.
 
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"Kev"It sounds like the Gauntlet is a great entry level PCP for 2018 just like the Marauder was a great entry level PCP in 2011. It would be interesting to see a 50 yard shooting match between a Gauntlet and Marauder pulled right out of the box, or a tuned Gauntlet vs a tuned Marauder.
It behooves the airgun industry for the Gauntlet to be successful just like the Marauder was during it's release. The Marauder led several airgun enthusiast to venture into PCP, which then led to higher end PCP airgun purchases. Think of some of the developments in the airgun industry since the release of the Marauder(Home 110 volt HPA compressors come to mind). I'm rooting for the Gauntlet, but still don't know if it will out shoot a Marauder.
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I do agree, however the power of the anti China bias is very strong with some people....along with well it is just a QB on HPA, or a 850 with a bottle screwed on the end, or Umerex is just cashing in on what we have been doing to our QB's for years....all they did was screw a ninja bottle on the end of the thing.....bla bla bla.

No real argument with any of that....I have a QB with hours spent on it to make it HPA....who cares, look at it on its own and go from there, will over the long term it punch above its weight class, or will if fall away.....we will see.

I think the gun will be a success, sure some have had issues I do not doubt that, but many of the issues out there I really think are people trying to tear it down....looking for anything to blow way out....and just really hunting for something bad to say....like this video.

You judge each and every product on its own, then measure it against other products in its price class, if it punches above this class great. However if it does punch above its class people get worried, the old dogs get worried. If this thing does work and work well, I have a feeling it will change things.

Is it perfect for doG's sake now....it is heavy the bolt is stiff, the trigger needs work out of the box.....no it is not perfect never said that, what I am saying is it is a lot better then it should be for the price.....and that will really taint some people.....some want it to fail so they can justify spending $1000 more.
 
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"spysir"noobie, ( maybe other new folks that surf through)
Loc-tie works, vibra-tite if I'm spending your money. Not 100% certain but believe it is a 2mm nut I used for a jam nut on mine.
b4fcad802bf64eaddce688a2d8a6844c.jpg

I'll get one on the over travel as soon as I get near an acehadrware again.
John
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Now post up a pic of the innerds of a QB trigger group....it is the same thing.....the same thing we have been working with for 1000 years.....for cripes sake, this is not hard to do.....A twist of a screw there and a dabble of paste there with a rub-a-dub-dub and you have a trigger that is so great.......

Ehh broken record....I quit now....I promise (i hope) :)
 
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Many have said the Gauntlet is a QB clone of sorts and that may be so. The price is about the same and with the added work that has been discussed by many on this and other sites, mine has proven itself a contender. Matter of fact, today, I set up the chrony again. I don't have a printout unit so all I can do is repeat what the screen showed me. Using JSB Exact 8.44 / 177 pellets, here were the numbers.

875
875
876
877
876

I had to remove the barrel to get out a stuck cleaning patch and in doing so, ate the "O" rings. I replaced them with the closest I could find after careful measurements. The FPS did drop from my original 890 but with the consistency shown, I leaving it alone.

I have my eye on the Marauder from the Crosman custom shop that is regulated. Also waiting for AEAC's review of it. In January, it is supposed to be available with a Walther barrel. That may be worth the wait too if you don't mind parting with a little over another $100.

 
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Steve looking forward to your regulated .22 Marauder review. Folks with existing .22 Mrods will be able to compare group size, pellet preferences and fpe to the regged .22 Mrod along with its comparison to the Gauntlet.

Your reviews cover a wide range of manufacturers and products while you listen to feedback from your audience. Your insight and production quality are greatly appreciated. 
 
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I am looking forward to seeing Ted's review of the gauntlet....he posted up something on his vlog channel not too long ago. It is good to see him coming back....and some of the comments he made.....to me is sounded like he is looking forward to doing it, and will be doing a series on it with mods along the way.

This could be good.

On the Mrod note, I looked at a new barrel....a walther barrel, My 22 shoots well for about 10 shots then just the bottom falls out at anything past 50 yards.....however with my luck and Crosman I have a feeling they would have to mine the iron ore, for my barrel and I would be dead before it even shipped.
 
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Good review Steve!

And for what its worth, $300 only buy you so much, and it looks like they spend their money where it matters.
Just a small, personal, word on the QB trigger, it's a rotating sear mechanism, crude and simple and it works. However unlike lever style sear triggers, the entire unreleased force of the hammer/spring assembly is pushing onto the sear mechanism, making sensible adjustments tricky, but not impossible.
Is it a good trigger? Well some like it, some don't, and what I see more than not, is that people who have been exposed to good/excellent triggers, wouldn't call this a "good" trigger, but a decent one. For those who have not been handling guns with excellent triggers, there is no frame of reference, so opinions will vary.
Just my two cents.

 
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Found a chrony for a minute, seems I am averaging about 856fps w/10.3g ES on 20 shots 11fps.

fpgt,
That barrel is a custom shop part so likely wont be available at all for a good while, then available to customers who have a custom shop rig - which put's custom shop parts in all our hands, but a good 1-2 years out normally.

Not sure why Crosman waited 9 years to release the regulated marauder, had to have been a business call but I cant figure out the logic of not releasing it way back but now that regulated rigs abound they decided to make a move. It is/was ( would have been until recently ? ) a good value but now there are 5 or so regulated rifles in the same price range and these days people seem very interested in the latest greatest even if tried & true works. Dont get me wrong I want to shoot one, yes sir but as far as buying I'll take the least costly, or, top shelf no "need" for the middle ground anymore.

John

 
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