Recently one of our retail partners relayed a story to us about one of their customers.  Said customer came in and bought a full PCP set-up made up of a rifle, HPA compressor, ammo and optics.  He took this all home and... decided it wasn’t for him. He went back to the store to discuss with their staff and what ended up being the solution?  The $200 Umarex Komplete. 

This customer gets it, our retail partners get it, and most people, when given the right analogy, certainly get the idea of why something like the Komplete is a winner. Let me give it a shot. Around 17 years ago phones were just gaining the ability to take a decent photograph. Most people still owned a point-and-shoot camera for capturing birthdays and such.  Those who took their photography seriously probably owned a digital SLR style camera. Even lower end DSLRs of that era cost around $2,000 with a lens. Then, as years went by, the cameras installed on cell phones became both better and more prolific. By 2013 people are documenting every aspect of their lives with the camera phone. Today most consumers have completely abandoned point-and-shoot cameras altogether.  Even consumer and prosumer DSLR and mirrorless camera sales are suffering because of the camera made into your cellular phone. 

The phone based camera isn’t perfect, but for 98% of the pictures a person needs to take, it does the trick.  It also essentially didn’t exist just a short time ago, relatively speaking. 

Paradigm Shift? Definite Maybe

In terms of a paradigm shifting technology, the Komplete and the NitroAir concept isn’t going to move the world, but it certainly is capable of shifting the paradigm of airgunning as a category. 

How so? For starters, many people aren’t crazy about shooting spring powered air rifles. Breaking some air rifles over for loading can be quite a bit of work. Many older airgun shooters just don’t have the shoulder and arm strength needed to shoot this type of air rifle as age has taken their strength. 

So, logically, one might suggest using a CO2 powered air rifle and that would be an acceptable solution for some shooters except that CO2 rifles don’t make the power that a spring powered air rifle can make. Nor do they have the range or effectiveness that high-end pre-charged pneumatic air rifles display when it comes to dispatching pests or small game hunting at longer ranges.

For these shooters, Umarex Airguns has chosen to light a candle for you rather than curse the darkness.  The Komplete takes the best attributes of both traditional airguns and pre-charged pneumatics and puts them into one attractive product. 

The Komplete is affordable. This has to be stated up front. Most break barrel rifles, especially top-featured break barrel rifles are priced in the neighborhood of $200. The Komplete gives the shooter those top features like multi-shot auto-indexing magazines and a highly ergonomic stock for about the same price as a nice break barrel rifle.  

Borrowing from the PCP world, the Komplete combines the virtually recoil-free shooting experience with exceptional accuracy, but also with substantial power– power that has traditionally been associated with break barrel rifles or PCPs. 

What is missing from the Komplete?

Missing from the Komplete is the slow, strenuous cocking procedure associated with break barrel air rifles. Also missing is the need to buy an expensive electric compressor.  PCP compressors cost, at a minimum, $350 and better quality units sell for $700-$3,000. Yes, manual hand pumps are available for much less money, but most airgunners are put-off by the exertion required to fill a PCP air tank manually. 

The Komplete eliminates a huge initial cost, physical exertion, and lack-luster performance in combination with its power source, the NitroAir cartridge. The NitroAir cartridge holds 32 grams of nitrogen pressurized at 3600 PSI. The NitroAir cartridge paired with the regulated Komplete rifle produces 45 shots that will be within a few feet per second of each other. You can safely take several more shots after the pressure in the cartridge falls below the regulator pressure, but it is wise to swap out the cartridge before a pellet can get lodged in the barrel. 

NitroAir cartridges are sold in a two-pack for about $25 MSRP and are very easy to change out. You will want to bleed off the remaining pressure from the degassing screw located on the bottom of the rifle. Once the old cartridge is empty, tighten the degassing screw before installing a fresh NitroAir cartridge. 

Change is a Certainty

The beauty of the Komplete is that if it meets your airgunning needs, you can keep it and use it as long as you need to. If you find that it’s flipped a switch in your airgunning brain, you can look at upgrading into a full-blown PCP system.  Remember what I said about phone cameras earlier?  Many people stopped using point-and-shoot cameras when the phone camera evolved into something that was so good and useful for everyday life. Some people even stepped away from heavy and expensive professional style cameras to just use their phone based camera.. Then there’s the people who discovered a love for photography with their phone and they have upgraded to a professional style camera.   

Umarex’s innovation isn’t trying to drive you into something you don’t want or need. We want to have a full line of products that meet you where you are in your journey through life.  Considering the vastness of our catalog and how we’ve been filling in the gaps over the years, the Komplete is there for you when you are ready for it. And if you don’t need it, feel free to check out our full line of air rifles.