Well, it's been a while since my last journal, but I've longed to start writing again on my HPA Adventures! No better way to show my renewed excitement than to write about my experience with the NEW Umarex Notos CRK .22 caliber. New for 2023.
The air gun comes standard as a PISTOL or a Carbine. Meaning, you can install the stock and it becomes a carbine or, install a set of (SOLD SEPARATELY) pistol grips and viola, you have a pistol. Grips are available at UmarexUSA.com. As of now, the air gun is available only in 22 caliber. My particular NoTos is making 20 FPE which is 780 FPS (peak) using 14.5 gr RWS Superdomes. The regulator is set from the factory at 1900 psi. It also has a hammer spring adjuster. To get to that, if you have the rifle stock attached, you will have to remove it as the adjuster is in the lower rear of the receiver. The Moderator is also NON-REMOVABLE! The Air tube comes with a pressure gauge on the end and is easy to read. Just below that is the fill port that allows easy air tube fills via the included probe. The trigger is also adjustable and has a block on it which acts as the safety. The air gun also come with ONE 7 shot magazine. Others can be ordered through any outlet that carries the NoTos including UmarexUSA. The sidelever cocking handle is just aft the magazine on the left side of the receiver. It has a recess in the receiver that allows for your finger to access the handle. PROBLEM!? Not at all! While the handle is flat, UmarexUSA definitely thought this one out! Looks are deceiving! The Carbine also comes standard with an AR15 multilocation buttstock.
The Notos, as advertised on the box put up chrony numbers of 780 fps with 14.3-14.5 grs Domed pellets, My goal was to strictly shoot JSB Hades pellets at 15.89 grs. They posted a speed of around 760 fps! Most 18 gr pellets will travel a tad over 700 fps. This gives you a rough estimate of the gun potential and valving. It hits right at 20 fpe from its 11.75" .22 cal barrel and is accurate with a host of pellets. In my opinion, weight of projectiles should be kept 18 grs and under. That doesn't mean it cant shoot heavier projectiles, but, you get the best speed to power ration to keep the flight of the pellet flat. Its is afterall a low powered airgun. And YES, it will shoot 20+ gr slugs!
HUNTING:
The Notos was flawless in the field just as I hoped it would be! Its main purpose was to pest feral pigeons in which it performed perfectly but, it had no problem taking ground squirrels out to 50 yrds. The carbine was a joy to hold/carry while walking the permissions. Its so light and compact and shoulder extremely well. Its so accurate, I literally had no misses the entire day. Where you point, you hit!
MAGAZINE UPGRADE:
Carm Magazines for the Umarex Notos is my newest upgrade
The one and only issue I have with the Air gun is the magazine. First, you only get one. The 2nd and final is that it has feeding issues of some sort. Its not every time you cycle the action but, its often enough to cause concern with reliability when you need it most. Easiest solution is to pick up a few CARM magazines like pictured above. You even get them in colors of your choice. Well, any of the colors he provides that is!
FINAL THOUGHTS: Simply put, I love everything about this air gun except the magazine. It has the looks, its compact, perfectly light and balanced, its regulated and has adjustable power, it has an adjustable stock and trigger, it has a pressure gauge. Its sidelever cocking and has plenty of picatinny rail to install just about any optic and accessory you could possibly need. Red Dot scopes and compact regular scopes are ideal for this size carbine/pistol. The Umarex Notos is well priced at $260 and If you don't have one by now, your missing out!
In my quest to find a reliable, well engineered, strong and fast compressor, I feel I have found "THE ONE". Names such as AireTex, NuAir, Bauer and Sheldon have always been at the forefront of my top pics. But like most, over the years, I let cheaper compressors dictate what I buy. Why? Because they were cheap and more of my went towards MORE airguns. That is a bad way of thinking but, its typical. Its like scopes and guns, many people buy very expensive rifles and only want to spend $200 (MAX) on a scope. In the back of my mind, I knew this mentality would have to change. And many cheap compressor failures backed this theory.
COMPRESSOR PAST: To date, I have owned 1st a Shoe Box, then a Altaros and then an Air Venturi compressor. The Shoe Box always filled my tanks but its main downfall is that it was always time to "rebuild" the compressor which consisted of replacing worn o-rings throughout the unit and piston guides. And it was slow. The ShoeBox served me well but, I then bought the Altaros thinking its would be much better but to know avail, it broke within 6 months of ownership. Back to using the ShoeBox until something better came along. The above 2 mentioned compressors also relied on a shop compressor to make them work. They required a minimum of 90 psi Input from an external source. So, it wasn't just the cost of the airgun compressors but, they needed life support which also obviously COST! Once the Altaros broke, it was time for something better, bigger and something that did not require a separate compressor input. Something that could compress air all by itself. And the Air Venturi 4500 psi compressor came along. The AV compressor looked like a REAL compressor and at $1200, I thought it was worth it. The 1st Air Venturi I owned, didn't last 6 months. Thank God it was still under warranty so, I returned it for a replacement. Upon inspection by the AV tech, he found the connecting rods to be broken and the motor frozen as a result of it. The unit was replaced. I have now had the replacement AV compressor for over 2 years and she still works well. I cant afford to be without a compressor so, even though the AV is still working after 2 years, the fear of it going out like the 1st one, dredged in the back of my mind. After my buddy Doug Noble started selling Alkin Compressors, it was time for me to finally purchase what we airgunners call a "high dollar" compressor. It was time to look into ALKIN. And research I did.
SHOEBOX COMPRESSOR
ALTAROS COMPRESSOR (booster pump)
Air Venturi compressor
Why Alkin? A better question is, WHY NOT ALKIN? With their history and reputation, its hard to find something BETTER. They were established in 1990 and are one of the worlds leaders in compressors. So the point is, your buying ONE OF THE BEST! Nuff said! I contacted my buddy Doug and gave him the go ahead to order. And it didn't take long to arrive. So far, so good.
So, lets get right down to business. Do you want MORE to this story? Do you want to see some fill times on various SCBA tanks. Would you like to hear it run? Check out my Youtube video for the rest of the story on this magnificent compressor.
If your interested in picking up a ALKIN Compressor, don't hesitate to contact my buddy Doug Noble for a great deal: Dyotat100@aol.com
Got to 1st thank Doug Russell at MadDog Custom Rifle Stocks (http://www.maddogcrs.com/) and Chad Simon of Lethal Air (https://lethalair.net/). Doug for making my .17 HMaiR mkIIs new RJ-6A Recon stock to spec and Chad for dipping the stock in Carbon Fiber. The Carbon Fiber look turned out amazing and Doug's work and attention to detail on the stock were on point. I can't thank either of them enough! For specs on the 17 HMaiR mkII look at the last post before this one. For more on the stock, look on..................
New Stock starting life at the MadDog factory
A swatch carbon fiber pattern I settled on from the Lethal Air Shop
Mix the MadDog Stock with the Carbon Fiber and VIOLA!
I couldn't be happier with the way this project turned out. Its my 1st Carbon Fiber wrapped gun-stock and certainly won't be my last. Same holds true for the MadDog stock. Not my 1st and won't be my last. I also have to give both gentlemen props on going the extra mile in their own ways. Doug did some special additions for me on this gun-stock that he does not offer and when I told Chad that I had no idea of what went well with my guns BLUE frame (see post below), in an instant, Chad suggested Carbon Fiber. It was like he was waiting for me to ask the question. And when Chad said "CF", I was instantly in love with the idea.
the gun PRE Stock
Introducing the .17 HMaiR mkII
A big THANK YOU to Doug Noble, Doug Russell and Chad Simon again for doing such fantastic work. I am so happy with this build overall. From muzzle to butt pad. I'm in love. The MKII is the way my original 17 HMaiR was meant to be built. I have had so many issues in the past that kept me from doing this build and instead, settling for my MROD version .17 HMaiR. Enough typing, its time to get out and shoot! See you guys and gals on the next one.
.17 HMaiR fitted with 27-5/8" .172 cal TJ Enterprises barrel, Boyds Stock, OEM Benjamin 22 cal Valve and various Hill Airgun parts
So, the build discussed here forward is version/mark 2. The second version to the ever popular and successful .17 HMaiR (pictured above). This time, it is built off of a much more powerful platform, the Airforce Condor. The Airforce line of air rifles are known for being some of the MOST powerful if not, THE MOST POWERFUL airguns because of the direct valve these air rifles are powered with. Unlike other airguns which have multiple 90 degree turns the air must take before it even hits the projectile, the Airforce valves are not only INLINE with the base of the projectile but are within about 1" of the base of the projectile. This format, equals POWER! Or the ability to make power!
She started life as an Airforce Condor frame and a 0DB LDC
Add a Green Mountain Barrel, Carbon Fiber 4500 psi bottle, Eagle Vision Rings and a Athlon Scope
Add a little Carbon Fiber to the barrel to wick away the shine and VOILA
Doug Noble did all the machine work to make this girl a screamer. Not only did he machine the barrel but he also made me a custom 1 of a kind hammer, valve, valve stem and valve body. As well as a custom breech to match the goods. The plan this time was to push the .172 round fast and hard. I mean, the rifle is named after the infamous .17 HMR rim-fire round and while compressed air cant equal what gun powder can do, we still can push pretty fast. My original .17 HMaiR posted at the top of the page, shot a 24.5 gr HP at 950+ fps which was fantastic but, that gun was limited due to mainly the limited capacity of the guns 212 cc airtube and its fill pressure of 3000 psi. It can push a 24.5 gr slug as fast as 1025-1030 FPS max but only for 1 shot then it dropped consistently after that. The new mkII version wears a 500cc Carbon Fiber bottle that can fill up to 4500 psi which may not sound like a big increase but, in HPA terms, THAT'S HUGE GAINS!! Double the air capacity and an additional 1500 psi! I can now push those same 24.5 gr HPs at virtually any speed up to OVER 1250 FPS! There is still more testing to be done though on all out power, power setting (for accuracy) and shot string numbers.
PERFORMANCE and STATS:
500cc Carbon Fiber 4500 psi Bottle
25" Green Mountain .172 cal Barrel
Airforce Condor Frame
0db LDC
Athlon Argos 8-32x56mm FFP Mil Scope
Eagle Vision Scope Rings, 30mm
Dovetail to Picatinny rail
Custom Hammer
Custom Valve
Custom Breech
Capable of 102 FPE (33 grs at 1179 fps)
Stay Tuned!
More information coming very soon on this Blue Gem!
NSA, the acronym for Nielsen Specialty Ammo is synonymous with the words QUALITY and ACCURACY. You can even throw in the word (s) COMPETITIVELY priced because, a box of his ammo in some calibers cost the same or, they are even cheaper than pellets. Before we get into all of the technical stuff (as much as i'm allowed to tell), lets go back to the beginning. NSA officially started in 2015 but Nick of NSA was casting and swaging lead projectiles before that. I happened to meet Nick on a popular Air Gun Forum and I had already been casting my own projectiles at that time. We talked airguns and we also talked casting. I remember Nicks enthusiasm when he talked of buying casting and swaging equipment so he could try and make accurate ammo for his own airguns. In doing so, making ammo slowly became an obsession because in his mind, it also became about making quality ammo that was also very accurate in airguns as well as keeping the price affordable/competitive. We talked for days on accuracy and what it took to achieve this from airguns. I remember him saying back then, "why has no one made swage ammo already for airguns? Its the next evolution in airgun accuracy"! Nick dedicated himself in a lot of ways to achieve his goals. He spent countless hours searching the net and countless dollars on equipment as well as giving away A LOT of ammo to testers (he still does all this) in his never ending quest to be and sell the best.
Today, NSA has become a family run business with his wife and boys and even one of the boys girlfriend at the helm. Each member with a specific duty that they each perform very well. The family dogs can even be found at the main office at times should you decide to visit. I did say, "family run business".
PRICE: So, we won't get into how NSA keeps their ammo competitively priced but, we can show examples of how they are competitive. Search any popular airgun web store for pellets (this is exactly how I buy tins of pellets) and take note of price. Lets pick 25 caliber. A can of 25.39 grain domed (round nose) pellets in 350 count cost roughly $18.99 each. On NSA's website, 26.8 grain HPs in 325 count cost the same $18.99. Another example is, HP hunting pellets vs HP Slugs. A tin of only 150 ct special tipped HPs cost $15.99. That's for 150 ct! Again, NSA has a similar weight for $18.99 but, at 325 ct. AND HERE IS THE BONUS, no matter how many slugs you buy, shipping is ONLY $7. This is where you will really save compared to pellets because no other shop can match NSA on shipping cost. And when you get to bigger caliber pellets like .30 cal, the savings are even more. I will also add that NSA's selection per weight offering per caliber is unmatched compared to pellets. There is something for everyone and every gun!
NOTE: When I say competitive, you MUST take in the fact that these are specialty made hunting slugs that are in HP form with special bases that outperform traditional pellets.
QUALITY: While I can't mention alloy material, I can assure you that Nick keeps his lead mixture under tight scrutiny and won't settle for different alloys/mixtures to be on his shelves. This keeps his slugs very consistent which means you won't get varying performance with the same gun from batch to batch of slugs. NSA uses a special process to coat and clean his slugs before they are shipped to you (refer to video above). I will lastly add that NSA ammo is held to very strict weight and size tolerances. Like, a box of NSA ammo will vary no more than 1% of their suggested weight. Now, this is just a TOLERANCE that they adhere to as a "standard", often though, you can pick any caliber, any weight and grab 25 random slugs and the weights will often vary no more than .1 or .2 or a grain. That's TENTHS LADIES AND GENTS! Most Diabolo pellets can often weight 2-3 grains in variance.
ACCURACY: Again, Nick has dedicated a ton of resources to finding out what works best. He even list on his website, the BC and tells you what ammo performs best in what air guns. No one has ever done this. He sends ammo to "testers" such as myself that actually give real world feed back on a host of airguns. Custom and OEM. 2 such example are my full custom 30 Americana which absolutely loves his .30 caliber 47.2 gr HP's and my Uragan 30 which loves his 49.5 gr HPs. The Americana uses a TJ's .30 cal barrel liner and the Uragan .30 uses a CZ barrel. One is choked and the other is not! It matters!
One such example of me testing 3 different slugs Nick designed in early 2019
INNOVATIVE:
A new concept for some of their caliber offerings. The "Knurled" bullet.
NSA is my favorite airgun slug manufacturer because not only do they make great airgun ammo, its also their passion for the sport, the people and the future. They are leaders, they are innovators, they are family!
I've spent quiet some time trying to figure out what 30 cal air rifle I wanted. My top choice was the RAW (Rapid Air Weapons) 30 caliber. And after a year or so thinking it over, I wanted something just a little different than my normal since I owned a Theoben Rapid 25 previously. I wanted something I was NOT familiar with and something no one or not too many people owned. Something that wasn't so public. After scouring the internet for 30 cal air rifles, I ran acrossed the Airgun Technologies URAGAN 30 cal. Hmmmmm, I thought, I'm interested. The rifle is actually a semi bull pup that is carbon fiber bottled and features a side cocking lever. Ok, now i'm paying attention. WHY? Again, i wanted something different than my norm which includes full sized or even over-sized airguns and something not too many people owned.
As far as "different", this rifle fits the bill
DETAILS:
50 shots
85 FPE factory setting
2-9 shot magazines
Shrouded barrel
Regulated
32" OAL
530cc CF Air Reservoir
300 bar fill
22.5" CZ barrel
2 Stage Adjustable trigger
7.7 lbs weight
Side lever cocking (left or right side)
Adjustable butt pad
Picatinny Scope Rail
Pressure Gauge (no regulated pressure gauge)
For Glass, I choose the Discovery Optics VT Series of scopes in 30mm. For Scope Rings, I prefer the adjustable Eagle Vision brand
The Discovery 4-16x50mm SVFP FFP installed. Scope may change in the future
INITIAL PERFORMANCE: After filling the rifle to its recommended 300 bar and installing the scope, it was time to see if the gun truly got 50 shots at 85 FPE. The pellets of choice are the JSB 44.75 grs Diabolos. 1st shot was 913 fps and the 51st shot was 916 fps. That's 82-83 FPE which honestly is, CLOSE ENOUGH. I actually shot 4 more shots for a total of 55 shots before the Uragan fell off the reg. Factory claims are spot on and to be honest, I never expect them to be exact. Testing in the Czech Republic is going to be a little different than testing here in the States. But for me to get 83 fpe out of a claimed 85 fpe is hardly worth nitpicking. When testing certain NSA slugs, i saw exactly 85 FPE on a couple of weights. This tells me that Airgun Technologies has done very well in the design and claim numbers. Initial groups at 60 yards came in at .410" CtC and .6" Ctc with 44.75 and 50.15 gr Pellets respectively. We are off to a good start and don't worry, accuracy and slug testing will be the focus of my next post on the AT Uragan.
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