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Airsoft is fun. I was introduced to airsoft almost two decades ago, in my brother-in-law’s back yard. I took on a few well-armed six-year-olds, and realized just how out of shape I was. I had the advantage, I thought, as I could aim well and had a sound strategy. They had stamina. They won. Ever since, I've been a proponent of force-on-force training. But airsoft guns have increased in power, and I won’t play with my nephews any more. They can shoot, too, and it hurts. And I still can't keep up with them, which is another topic.

SHOT Show is the biggest event in the firearms industry. Companies from all over the world compete for attention on the show floor in Las Vegas, Nevada. While most of the participants are there for traditional firearms, air guns are well represented. Umarex, once again, is leading that segment of the industry.

Odds are you are already familiar with Ruger®’s 10/22®. The gun has been in production since 1964 and there are more than 5 million of them out in the wild. There are countless variations of the rifle, so a new model is rarely headline-worthy. This is an exception. Ruger has now teamed up with Umarex to produce an air gun version of their most iconic rifle.

The world of airgunning has had many choices for a long time.  What has filtered into most shooters hands out of convenience and economic feasibility has been spring powered rifles. PCP’s have been around… for a really long time, but due to their appetite for extremely high-pressure air, and the costs associated with building both the pumps and rifles, PCP shooting was typically reserved for activities where the utmost precision was required.  

I’m a sucker for a good prototype. There is something about putting your hands on a gun before it is in production that feels like a glimpse of the future. So when Umarex invited me out to test out the Synergis, I jumped at the chance.

For many of us who work a longer afternoon shift, we’ve been coming home in the dark for months now. Even as we approached spring, there were only precious few minutes of light left to do any chores outside and zero time for outdoor recreation. If there was any shooting to do, it had to wait to the weekend, in between all the other winter chores, activities, and weather that can work to divert your attention.

When Umarex began work on The Gauntlet, they set out to change the way air gun shooters think about pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifles. The goal was to produce a gun that provided uncompromising performance without the sky-high price that most stand-out PCPs command. The .177 and .22 versions were both a success, and now they’re debuting a .25.

Thursday of SHOT Show started off as busy as Tuesday. Our booth buzzed with interest shortly after the show floor opened. Today the interests were spread out a bit more evenly amongst all the new products. After six days of desert dry air, the brutal winds during Industry Day at the Range and long days some of us were feeling a bit worn out.

As Vegas awakes in the morning light those working and attending SHOT Show are moving about getting coffee, breakfast and looking for the day’s copy of SHOT Daily. It’s a quick read of ads and editorial that’s located in the foyer of the exhibit hall where company employees, sales representatives, buyers, and media can get a glimpse of the newest items being promoted.

For those us of from the Central Time zone who have not quite adjusted to the Pacific time zone in Vegas, we were up by 5 am on day four of SHOT Show week. When that happens we may as well get to work. After a shower and a walk to the convention center. I was on the show floor by 6:20.