Hello --
Back in March 2020 I bought an Umarex Gauntlet .25 cal at the local gun shop. Those guys didn't know too much about them, so was up to me do some research. Reviews seemed favorable, with much information on performance, potential mods, and seemed popular in the AG community. Why not get back into shooting sports? We gonna be spending a lot of time around the house. I made the purchase, Leupold scope, hand pump...they cut me a little bit of a deal. Just as I was pulling out my wallet, oh, that's right, need pellets. The shop had no .25 cal ammo. WTH? Top it off, the shop would not even call another gun shop up the hill see if they had any .25 cal available. I had to go outside and call. Anyway, day or two later I was in my yard shooting.
The Gauntlet shot fair out to 25 YD. I just need some practice. Used it to finish clearing out a large warren of mongoose in the brush on my fence line, the last 8 or 10 of about 25 total. It was loud though. Couple weeks in thought I might polish out the mating surfaces in the trigger group, tune for nicer pull. Cracked open the trigger and find all the moly paste mashed into the safety plunger well, all else bone dry. OK. Then find the sear post bent. UGH. Called Umarex, and their rep merely told me replacement trigger is $19.95 + $10 shipping. Soooo....placed the order. Reluctantly.
The gun still being loud, about mid-April ordered a short shroud/moderator kit. Took a while to arrive with viral pandemic kicking into full gear. Pulled the shroud, and while at it pulled the barrel for thorough cleaning. I found the barrel in the condition seen in below photos. Contacted Umarex. They were not even going to offer a shipping label. Took a second call to get a shipping label out of them. Swapped the junk trigger back on and shipped it out. Meanwhile, the shroud/mod kit arrived. I am thinking maybe the barrel is clipping pellets, thus the shotgun pattern on groups beyond 30 YDS. Photos of "striated" muzzle and dented up breech end.
Well, Gauntlet #2 arrives. I open the cartons and find pretty much everything in order. Except, for some reason, the forestock/bottle shroud was not assembled to the gun. No problem, I can handle. Oops, the gauge glass is shattered. Have to call them about that. Swapped out the trigger for the replacement I bought. Proceeded to pull the shroud for swapping in the short shroud/suppressor kit. Gauntlet owners, you know the o-ring on the air stripper? How it creates a bit of friction when pulling the shroud? Yeah, this was just enough friction to pull the barrel right out of the breech. On inspection there appeared no evidence that the two grub screws had even been turned down onto the barrel. Well, that sucks, but, hey I can handle. I was gonna clean the barrel anyway. This is where i figured out that the threading for the barrel grub screws was never dressed interior of breech, hence every barrel o-ring sliding past the grub screw holes were getting sliced and diced. I found the same thing on the Gauntlet #1. Maybe that's why gun is so loud? All the lead fouling in the mag well?
Back to that detached forestock/bottle shroud. There was evidence of damage around threaded hole on the tang through which the sling stud passes as a fastener. Hmmm. So, I was not able to re-attach that forestock. Figured then that someone tried to assemble gun, gave up, bagged the parts, put in carton and shipped. The fitment was so far off, there was no way this gun would fully assemble. OK, Gauntlet #2 is going back to Umarex. This is really messed up, to put it politely. Several emails to Umarex and no response. Finally, couple weeks later I am able to secure another shipping label and sent it back.
I corresponded with a guy who has tuned and modded hundreds of these Gauntlets. He told me that of a large shipment he may have a few guns that exhibit these flaws I have described on individual guns. Not all of these issues on a single gun. WTH?
Week or so later I get an email with Fedex tracker. Hey that was quick, maybe they going take care of me. Day or two later the tracker is invalid, Umarex having pulled the shipment. Week later the Fedex tracker shows up in my email, and I am thinking, maybe they took their time and made sure I get a good gun? Nope. They were busy taking detail photos of Gauntlet #3, and composing a nasty letter to me refuting any of my claims, with responses saying I had "gotten into the gun" and damaged on my own. They also state they will no longer warranty the gun they sent me. Yes, they sent me a gun that they will not cover under warranty. That's Gauntlet #3. Six months.
Umarex will never, EVER, get my money again. This whole story is rife with little red flags its entire length. Two lemons, and a third gun I do not even want to look at. What a waste of my time and resources.
Back in March 2020 I bought an Umarex Gauntlet .25 cal at the local gun shop. Those guys didn't know too much about them, so was up to me do some research. Reviews seemed favorable, with much information on performance, potential mods, and seemed popular in the AG community. Why not get back into shooting sports? We gonna be spending a lot of time around the house. I made the purchase, Leupold scope, hand pump...they cut me a little bit of a deal. Just as I was pulling out my wallet, oh, that's right, need pellets. The shop had no .25 cal ammo. WTH? Top it off, the shop would not even call another gun shop up the hill see if they had any .25 cal available. I had to go outside and call. Anyway, day or two later I was in my yard shooting.
The Gauntlet shot fair out to 25 YD. I just need some practice. Used it to finish clearing out a large warren of mongoose in the brush on my fence line, the last 8 or 10 of about 25 total. It was loud though. Couple weeks in thought I might polish out the mating surfaces in the trigger group, tune for nicer pull. Cracked open the trigger and find all the moly paste mashed into the safety plunger well, all else bone dry. OK. Then find the sear post bent. UGH. Called Umarex, and their rep merely told me replacement trigger is $19.95 + $10 shipping. Soooo....placed the order. Reluctantly.
The gun still being loud, about mid-April ordered a short shroud/moderator kit. Took a while to arrive with viral pandemic kicking into full gear. Pulled the shroud, and while at it pulled the barrel for thorough cleaning. I found the barrel in the condition seen in below photos. Contacted Umarex. They were not even going to offer a shipping label. Took a second call to get a shipping label out of them. Swapped the junk trigger back on and shipped it out. Meanwhile, the shroud/mod kit arrived. I am thinking maybe the barrel is clipping pellets, thus the shotgun pattern on groups beyond 30 YDS. Photos of "striated" muzzle and dented up breech end.
Well, Gauntlet #2 arrives. I open the cartons and find pretty much everything in order. Except, for some reason, the forestock/bottle shroud was not assembled to the gun. No problem, I can handle. Oops, the gauge glass is shattered. Have to call them about that. Swapped out the trigger for the replacement I bought. Proceeded to pull the shroud for swapping in the short shroud/suppressor kit. Gauntlet owners, you know the o-ring on the air stripper? How it creates a bit of friction when pulling the shroud? Yeah, this was just enough friction to pull the barrel right out of the breech. On inspection there appeared no evidence that the two grub screws had even been turned down onto the barrel. Well, that sucks, but, hey I can handle. I was gonna clean the barrel anyway. This is where i figured out that the threading for the barrel grub screws was never dressed interior of breech, hence every barrel o-ring sliding past the grub screw holes were getting sliced and diced. I found the same thing on the Gauntlet #1. Maybe that's why gun is so loud? All the lead fouling in the mag well?
Back to that detached forestock/bottle shroud. There was evidence of damage around threaded hole on the tang through which the sling stud passes as a fastener. Hmmm. So, I was not able to re-attach that forestock. Figured then that someone tried to assemble gun, gave up, bagged the parts, put in carton and shipped. The fitment was so far off, there was no way this gun would fully assemble. OK, Gauntlet #2 is going back to Umarex. This is really messed up, to put it politely. Several emails to Umarex and no response. Finally, couple weeks later I am able to secure another shipping label and sent it back.
I corresponded with a guy who has tuned and modded hundreds of these Gauntlets. He told me that of a large shipment he may have a few guns that exhibit these flaws I have described on individual guns. Not all of these issues on a single gun. WTH?
Week or so later I get an email with Fedex tracker. Hey that was quick, maybe they going take care of me. Day or two later the tracker is invalid, Umarex having pulled the shipment. Week later the Fedex tracker shows up in my email, and I am thinking, maybe they took their time and made sure I get a good gun? Nope. They were busy taking detail photos of Gauntlet #3, and composing a nasty letter to me refuting any of my claims, with responses saying I had "gotten into the gun" and damaged on my own. They also state they will no longer warranty the gun they sent me. Yes, they sent me a gun that they will not cover under warranty. That's Gauntlet #3. Six months.
Umarex will never, EVER, get my money again. This whole story is rife with little red flags its entire length. Two lemons, and a third gun I do not even want to look at. What a waste of my time and resources.
