The Christmas shopping season has officially begun. Yes, it’s still well before Thanksgiving, but, and for logical reasons, it is wise to get a jump on your Holiday shopping. No, this isn’t about the commercialization of one of the year's most revered days, but about budgeting so that you don’t miss one of your loved ones, and you are able to give exactly like you desire to your family and friends. Starting too late leads to blowing budgets and it leads to a huge wallop on your pocketbook that might feel a lot like buyer’s remorse at the end of the season.
The strongest growing segment in the airgun world for the last 10 years has been Pre-Charged Pneumatics. Every year PCPs have become more affordable and better. PCPs, as they are commonly known, are fun to shoot, very accurate, and, in most cases, fairly quiet. For some people the difference between traditional airguns and PCPs is like the difference between a go-cart and a luxury car. For many airgun fans, however, the view is a bit more nuanced: PCP airguns are the right answer for the right situation. Are you ready to take the step into PCP airgunning? Have you already made the jump and are looking for a new gun or a gun from a different category? Follow along with this blog to see the hottest PCP’s in the Umarex catalog (in no particular order) for 2026.
10 Umarex Gauntlet 2 SL’s in .22 and .25 Caliber or Gauntlet SL30
In its third iteration, the Gauntlet platform is still a solid choice for airgunners. These guns are powerful, yet customizable, and ideal for recreational shooting, hunting, or even competition. With a side lever, multi-shot auto-indexing magazine, adjustable hammer spring, and a generous 27 inch barrel, the Gauntlets are still an excellent choice for airgunners. The Gauntlets are available in .22, .25, and .30 calibers. Top the rifle with your favorite scope and hit the range for some precision shooting! Check out the .22 caliber Gauntlet here, the .25 caliber version here, and the .30 caliber version here!
9 Umarex AirJavelin FISHR
Pre-Charged Pneumatic airgunning is making its way into other sporting categories. The latest place where PCP technology has shown up is in the bowfishing world. Umarex introduced the AirJavelin FISHR last year and bowfishers across the country have adopted this unique airgun enthusiastically. Like a bowfishing bow, the shooter can mount a bowfishing reel to the FISHR. The airtube is also optimized for bowfishing with a wrap capstan on the end to allow you to pull against really heavy rays or fish. With sufficient air in the tank for 70+ shots, the AirJavelin FISHR is a special device for a special group of people. Take a look at the FISHR here.
8 Umarex Origin
We introduced the Origin about 6 years ago specifically to attract airgunners to try PCP airgunning in the most all-in-one way possible. The Origin is a powerful, accurate, multi-shot PCP air rifle that has two very cool things going for it. The first thing is the on-board tank system. The Origin uses a pre-pressurized tank called the Ever-Pressure tank. What this system does is allow the tank to develop full pressure before it reaches full capacity. Confused? Don’t be. Imagine a tank that with as few as 13 pumps is fully pressurized, but expands with each additional pump keeping the pressure at the same level until the tank is completely full. This happens at around 130 strokes of the pump if filling the rifle from empty. The second really awesome thing about the Origin is that it comes with a hand pump. Right out of the box you can take the Origin to the range and shoot. Well, you will need to pick up some .22 caliber ammo, but you get the point. The Origin is the original no-excuses try PCP airgunning air rifle. And this rifle still gets people into PCP airgunning in 2026! Learn more about the Origin PCP here!
7 Umarex Notos G2 and Notos (OG)
The Notos has without a doubt been one of the biggest success stories in the PCP airgun world. There has never before been a PCP airgun that has been so universally loved and adopted by airgunners. What the Notos is and what it is not: The Notos is super compact, convertible, accurate, quiet, and affordable. It is not a super powerful, complex, or heavy air rifle. With people being people, and the general rule of more power, more everything= more better, the Notos does none of that but, oddly enough, people love it. Right now, both the original Notos and the updated (bigger tank, better stock, ambidextrous cocking lever, and improved SilencAir device) Gen 2 versions are available. Combine either Notos with our N2 Fill Station and you can have your cake and eat it too!
6 Primal 20 20 Gauge PCP Shotgun
From one end of the power spectrum to the other- the Primal 20 is a PCP 20 gauge shotgun that can shoot either shot cups or slugs. If you have a hunter who wants a new challenge in the turkey woods or in pursuit of wild hogs, point them in the direction of the Primal 20. The Primal 20 has a big 24 cubic inch tank that has a maximum fill pressure of 4,000 psi. This makes launching the 395 grain slugs from the big .62 caliber (20 Gauge) barrel a momentous occasion. The Primal 20 is versitile, powerful and more affordable than you might imagine a PCP of this caliber (so to speak). Check out the Primal 20 here!
5.Umarex NitroJavelin
Umarex has been exploring air archery for the better part of the last decade. The next step in that evolution is to move to the NitroAir N2 power cartridge. Technically, the NitroJavelin isn’t a PCP, but it operates exactly the same. The difference is in the power source. NitroAir cartridge is pre-pressurized to 3600 PSI with clean, dry Nitrogen gas. It’s just like a PCP except when you need more air, you change out the cartridge for a new one. For hunters who want to get into PCP airgunning but don't want to invest in an expensive high pressure pump, the NitroAir system found in the NitroJavelin is for you. The NitroJavelin shoots a 235 grain arrow at 450 feet per second and makes about 100 ft-lbs of energy. You can use the NitroJavelin on feral hogs, coyotes, and deer in some locations. Learn more about the NitroJavelin here!
4 Umarex Gauntlet Limited Editions in .22, .25, and .30 Calibers
What could make the Gauntlet series better? We could think of a few things. In fact, we did a few things! All three caliber offerings are available (for a little while at least) in a Limited Edition format. The Limited Edition package includes a nice laminate stock, carbon fiber bottle, and carbon fiber barrel shroud. All together, this makes for one sweet rifle. The Gauntlet SL 22 LE can be found here, the Gauntlet SL 25 LE can be found here, and the Gauntlet SL30 LE can be found here.
3. Umarex Hammer
The Hammer is the big bore powerhouse that started it all for Umarex. When it was released it was the only two-shot big bore on the market and it was the most powerful rifle as well. Year after year the Hammer is the big bore PCP that hunters turn to when they decide to go big bore PCP hunting. The Hammer has a large 24 cubic inch main air tank with an 8 cubic inch shot tank. This means you can get 3 full power shots before you need to top off the tank. The Hammer makes serious hunting power and can shoot .50 caliber (.510 diameter) slugs from 250 grains all the way up to 550 grains. Learn more about the Hammer here!
2 Umarex AirSaber
With big power on our minds, the AirSaber is the next logical airgun for this list. This fall we have moved lots of AirSaber air archery guns. Hunters in states where air archery is allowed have flocked to the AirSaber for many reasons. Chief among those reasons is the power generated by the AirSaber. With a 376 grain arrow, the AirSaber makes over 160 ft-lbs of energy, placing it much more powerful than any traditional vertical bow. Hunters have installed heavier broadheads and weights and tackled dangerous game in Africa with the AirSaber! This air archery gun is definitely worth your attention. Learn more about the AirSaber here.
1 Umarex Zelos in .22 and .25 calibers
The Zelos rifles are unique in the Umarex catalog in that they are bullpup designs. As such, a bullpup gun offers the shooter a full length barrel but a shorter overall gun. Since airguns love longer barrels, the bullpup design offers maximum performance with minimal silhouette. If you are looking for a smooth handling, compact PCP rifle that has maximum performance and accuracy potential, look no further than the Zelos in either .22 caliber or.25 caliber. Both of these rifles can be tuned for your particular usage, or, in case you like to tinker with your airguns, the aftermarket has picked up on making various parts for them, including bottle conversions, add-on plenums, modified valve bodies, and modified hammers. Not to mention grips, stocks, single shot trays, and bipod mounts are all available as well. To learn more about the Zelos .22, click here. To learn more about the Zelos .25, click here.
Mark Davis, avid outdoorsman, family man, and outdoors writer is the eCommerce Marketing Manager for Umarex USA.