Well the cat is out of the bag at this point. We’ve been in Vegas for the past week along with the entire Shooting Sports industry talking about our new gear that is slated for release this year. We’ve also been jawing with some of our favorite content creators like Airgun Detectives, The Dollar Sportsman, Cory Brossman, Airgun Hobbyist, and Tom Claycomb. It was great, it was loud, it was fun, and it is over.
There’s a sweet, relaxing feeling when nearly 96 hours of constant noise, lights, and activity come to a halt. This feeling fleeting as what usually follows is 12 sweet hours of uninterrupted sleep once the plane lands and we get home. That is if you are lucky. Enough yammering around, let’s rehash SOME of the highlights from this year’s show.
And Now for Something Completely Different
It had to happen. Bowfishing is HAWT right now and since we make some of the best and coolest air powered arrow devices, the Umarex AirJavelin FishR fits right in with the existing AirSabers and AirJavelins. The FishR launches a proprietary bowfishing-style arrow, produced by Sullivan Industries which leaves the pneumatic gun at 100 FPS, a perfect speed for penetrating water and harvesting non-game fish. The AirJavelin FishR fills up with 4,500 PSI of high pressure air and will provide the user with over 65 regulated shots on a full fill. Attach your favorite bowfishing reel and hit the water. The AirJavelin FishR is specifically prohibited in a few states, but there are many states that do not prohibit such devices or specifically allow pneumatic devices like this. Please check with your state’s game and fish regulations for clarification.
On the Side
This one got out well before Christmas, but that was OK. We wanted it out in your hands as soon as possible so a SHOT Show debut was not needed. This would be the Gauntlet SL30 .30 caliber PCP. The most up-to-date news regarding this development is that we now have the Gauntlet available as a side lever in .22 and 25 calibers. I don’t need to go on about how much an improvement this is to the Gauntlet line. It’s pretty self evident. Other good to know stuff – all the same magazines will fit in the appropriate gun. You’ll get the same hard-hitting performance, but there will be one small change. The .22 and .25 caliber rifles will get an exterior threaded muzzle. Yeah, it’s cool and every kid needs one or two.
Redefining Entry Level
We get it. PCPs are just expensive. For some airgun shooters, the barrier to shooting just comes down to the bottom line and that is the bottom line of the household budget. What we have done with the Iconix PCP rifle is really quite remarkable. Not only is it a very affordable rifle with an MSRP under $200, it is also just-the-right-size. You see, the whole family needs to get on-board with airgunning and by creating a PCP that fits more shooter’s bodies and more shooter’s budgets we think the Iconix will be a big hit. The crazy thing is we’ve seen everyone from sub-five foot adolescents to 6’ 5” sales representatives absolutely send it with the Iconix. In fact, it was hard to peel some of these folks away from it. Here’s some quick facts: .22 caliber only, 10 shot rotary magazine, side lever, threaded muzzle, 6.1 cubic inch tank that pressurizes at 3,000 psi, and 1,000 FPS with alloy, shorter LOP stock (between a true youth and full size), lightweight design. It’s a hit. Trust me.
99.44 Percent Pure FUN!
There’s nothing we love more than good old fashioned clean full-auto fun and this year we are hammering down on full-auto and fun with the AER-16. The Umarex AER-16 is a full-auto .177 caliber BB carbine (yeah it’s been done before) except that this fun-switch equipped carbine doesn’t need CO2 cartridges. No, it’s not nuclear fission that powers the AER-16, but good old fashioned canned lightning! You see, the issue with full-auto BB guns and CO2 is that the valve can freeze up in humid or cooler conditions and stop working. This can be frustrating and put the kibosh on the airgun party. With the AER-16’s battery power source, there’s just the matter of the battery’s charge to consider. Well, the charge and your BB cache. If you are familiar with AEG (electric) airsoft guns, you have the idea. Since we know a little bit about the electric airsoft game (cough, Elite Force Airsoft, cough), this was a no brainer and you will see this EVERYWHERE when it comes out to the public.
Optics Ready Air!
Yes, the airgun industry is usually a bit behind the firearm industry when it comes to replicas. This replica, however, is worth the wait. A few years ago Walther came out with the PDP series of centerfire handguns. Out of the gate this evolution from the PPQ line was hot! Most notably, the PDP had a slide that accommodated an optics plate for the attachment of pistol reflex style optics. So here we are with the PDP Compact .177 BB pistol which, or course, comes ready for optics installation. Good old fashioned 12g CO2 power, firearm holster fit, and a great MSRP (under $80) this will be a hit with replica fans, Walther fans, and anyone who appreciates the coolest airguns on the planet.
Yes, there was more at the show. We just wanted to highlight a few items from various areas that we thought you would be interested in. Speaking of more– there will be more to learn later on in the year and we think you will be pretty excited about it. Time will tell. Thank you for tagging along this far and happy shooting! Seriously, get out and shoot when you get a chance.