I often have people ask me what is more powerful in terms of one gun over another and which Airguns have more raw power, BB versus, Pellet, versus Airsoft, versus Paintball?
Well in this indoor field test shooting video I compare all of the above head to head to see which Airgun not only has the most raw power but also how well they perform on a target setup 30 feet down range since after all what does it matter how powerful a gun is if it can not hit the target!
The Airguns I used in this head to head shooting performance test where as follows:
Keep in mind the ammunition for each Airgun is very different not just in terms of materials but also their weight which will have a big effect on the energy they produce. For example for this test I used 4.6 grain 4.5mm Steel BBs, 4.6 grain 6mm Aluminum Airsoft BB’s. 6.9 grain .177 cal. Lead Pellets and 17.7 grain .50 cal. Rubber Paintballs.
Watch my YouTube Video to see how well each Airgun did in this comparison shooting test!
For this Field Test Shooting Video I actually had to go outside and use my field so in order to have an appropriate amount of distance to properly test the Umarex AirJavelin Archery CO2 Arrow Rifle. My Indoor Airgun Shooting Range is only 30 feet long and my metal backstop was simply not usable for the arrows.
I setup a make ship arrow backstop using a large bag of bark mulch with a rubber matt over top. This setup seemed to work really well for the Umarex AirJavelin Archery CO2 Arrow Rifle allowing the arrows to stick in most of the way. My target was setup around 55 feet away and I was using rested but standing shooting position for my testing.
I decided to combine the Chromo and Accuracy portion of my Field Test Shooting Video for the Umarex AirJavelin Archery CO2 Arrow Rifle by recording each shot on my chronograph while I placed shots on target, why not right? I placed 6 arrows on target with 5 of my shots being recorded by the chronograph. The average fps was only 156, the highest being 183 and lowest being 136. I did experience a bit of a CO2 leak when I first placed my 88 gram CO2 in the Umarex AirJavelin Archery CO2 Arrow Rifle. I believe this was because I did not pull the bolt back which allowed the valve mechanism to be open slightly. I realized this fairly quickly and pulled the bolt back which saved most of the CO2 but I did lose a some. This may have lowered the fps a little bit but I was surprise that the Umarex AirJavelin Archery CO2 Arrow Rifle was recording about half the fps claimed by Umarex. That said the effectiveness of the arrows and penetration into the backstop would for sure get the job done if I was trying to eradicate some small to medium sized pests.
In terms of accuracy I was very impressed with the Umarex AirJavelin Archery CO2 Arrow Rifle. At 55 feet or so I was able to get 5 of the arrows all within 2-3 inches of each other, I did have one arrow drop a little bit lower than the main grouping. I’m not sure if I would want to shoot a pest out at 50-60 feet but it could be done with the Umarex AirJavelin Archery CO2 Arrow Rifle especially if you where to add a nice red dot or optical sight to it. I would think the Umarex AirJavelin Archery CO2 Arrow Rifle would be best suited shooting small to medium game at 30-40 feet which should allow for sub 2 inch groupings.
Type: Archery. Manufacturer: Umarex. Model:AirJavelin & AirSaber. Materials: Metal & polymer construction. Weight: 3.9 pounds / 6.3 pounds no scope. Foot Pounds Energy: 34 ft/lbs / 124 ft/lbs. Total Length: 34 inches / 41 inches. Propulsion: 88 gram CO2 x1 / PCP 3625 PSI, 250 cc. Action: Bolt single action. Ammunition Type: Carbon fiber 190 grain / 350 grain arrows (Field tip can be swapped over to broad-head) Ammunition Capacity: 1 Arrow. Max FPS: 300 / 450.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on both the Umarex AirJavelin and the Umarex AirSaber are both single action that require the bolts to be pulled back in order to shoot them. The Umarex AirJavelin trigger is not as short, light or crisp as the Umarex AirSaber, the Umarex AirSaber for sure feels higher quality as expected.
Accuracy: This is going to be very interesting as I have never shot anything like this before but from what I was told at SHOT Show this year I can expect very accuracy results from both the Umarex AirJavelin and the Umarex AirSaber Archery CO2 and PCP Arrow Rifles. I’m not sure if I will test the Umarex AirSaber unless I can make a safe shooting range for it, luckily I live out on average so as long as I can setup a good backstop I should be able to test them both.
Build Quality: The build quality of the Umarex AirJavelin and the Umarex AirSaber Archery CO2 and PCP Arrow Rifles is very good overall, the Umarex AirJavelin is mostly plastic and is not very heavy but the fit and finish is good all round. The Umarex AirSaber on the other hand has a lot of metal used in the construction, the only real plastic found on the Umarex AirSaber would be in the stock. The Umarex AirSaber is for sure a step up in quality over the Umarex AirJavelin but will cost you almost double in the end.
Realism: This is going to be pretty short section since both the Umarex AirJavelin and the Umarex AirSaber Archery CO2 and PCP Arrow Rifles are not replicas of any actual gun in production. Their primary use is going to be for hunting and or pest control I would say.
Pros:
Only Canada non PAL Airguns with enough power to hunt medium and larger game.
Overall price point is good, nothing like this to compare to.
Arrows are propelled from the front, no archers paradox when aiming.
Arrows come with field tip arrows but can be unscrewed and replaced with broad tip arrows for hunting.
Easy to use cross bolt safeties.
Pistol grips allow for easy hold and control.
Fit and finish is very good and excellent on the AirSaber.
AirJavelin: 88 Gram CO2 for quick easy use.
AirSaber: PCP for more power and larger game options.
AirJavelin: White dot up front with fully adjustable peep sight on back.
AirJavelin: M-Lock on sides for adding accessories.
AirSaber: Picatinny rails on top for scope, sides and bottom for accessories.
AirJavelin: Adjustable AR-style rear stock.
AirJavelin: Rubber buttplate for added comfort.
Cons:
No scope or sights with base model AirSaber so you will need to get one for it.
Not a lot of shots per 88 gram CO2, will need a pump for the PCP AirSaber.
Arrows are not cheap so make sure of your shots.
Comments: The Umarex AirJavelin and Umarex AirSaber Archery CO2 and PCP Arrow Rifles are very interesting in that they are really the only Canada legal “firearms” that can actually put down small, medium and even large game without requiring a firearms license (PAL). This is because they do not exceed 500 fps, they do exceed the foot pound energy limit of 4.2 foot pounds but since both of these rifles do not exceed the 500 fps limit they do not exceed both requirements to place them in the regulated firearms category that requires a firearms license. This is great news for anyone in Canada without a PAL license that wants to be able to hunt various game or take care of pests humanly. Umarex has also been kind enough to bring us two variations on this design. The Umarex AirJavelin more economical and easier to use CO2 powered version designed for small to medium sized game and the Umarex AirSaber higher quality PCP powered big brother version designed to be used even for larger game. Both are great, all you need to do is pick which one is right for you!
My Table Top Review for the Umarex AirJavelin and AirSaber Archery CO2 and PCP Arrow Rifles:
The Umarex T4E TR50 .50 Caliber Paintball Revolver is an interesting Paintball pistol, it has a very different look and also uses .50 caliber Paintballs which are a little bit less common than the .68 and .43 caliber paintball gun I have been reviewing up until now. The Umarex T4E TR50 .50 Caliber Paintball Revolver is some countries is marketed as a self defense gun but those versions do have a little bit more fps and foot pounds of energy. The version I am testing is not marketed here in Canada or the US as self defense products but rather as more of a training Paintball Gun.
Starting with my Chronograph velocity test I placed 5 Rubber Balls through my Chronograph using a brand new CO2. The Rubber balls I am going to say are a little bit heavier than standard Paintballs and Umarex claims the Umarex T4E TR50 .50 Caliber Paintball Revolver is capable of hitting around 360 fps so with the heavier rubber balls I was expecting a little bit under the max fps. I was able to get an average of 328 fps so not bad at all.
Moving on to my accuracy test. I need up placing 10 of my 12 rounds into the paper target as I had two rounds that went off in what I am going to call an uncontrolled manor. The 10 rubber paintball rounds that did hit my paper target that was setup 30 feet down range all hit within about 6 inches of each other daily well centered left and right and a little bit low on the target. Gettin back to the uncontrolled shots, I had a situation where I pulled the trigger and the Umarex T4E TR50 .50 Caliber Paintball Revolver went click as you would expect but no CO2 was expelled and so no round was shot. I thought perhaps the cylinder was caught up so I went to wiggle it to try and free it up. As I did so the gun went off without my finger anywhere near the trigger. I am glad I was using rubber balls since the rubber ball hit my cabinet leaning a biota a mark but really causing any damage. This happened twice with the same cylinder, the second time I was bit more prepared for it and had the gun pointed well downrange. I was not able to recreate this problem again so perhaps the cylinder magazine was not seated properly but this still concerns me a bit.
Overall I really like the Umarex T4E TR50 .50 Caliber Paintball Revolver, it’s a pretty cool looking Paintball Gun with decent accuracy and power, you can even feel a little push back and barrel lift when you shoot it. I also like that you can preload a CO2 and puncture it whenever hypo are ready to shoot with a quick smack on the bottom of the grip. Just made sure to put the CO2 in the right way :)
