This level of accuracy was maintained with the first 24 shots from the CO2 capsule, after which the velocity fell and group size increased. This was achieved shooting off a small bench bag from US firm Dog-Gone-Good. Accuracy was great, with a six-shot group of just 13mm centre-to-centre at 10 yards. The irons are fixed, but thankfully offered a spot-on point of impact at six yards, with the POI only dropping 5cm at 10 yards. The main hindrance here is the sighting system, it being the same notch and post as the original. This, along with that long, rifled barrel, aids accuracy. I found Rangemaster Li diabolo to be a reliable, accurate pellet in this gun.īeing single action the gun has a surprisingly crisp trigger. Because the gun is not magazine-fed you can use whatever shape of pellet you prefer. The ammo fits into the rear of each cartridge and are held in place with a soft gasket.
Keep tightening until the hiss stops, but easy does it – there’s no need to screw it in too hard. The grip is fitted with an internal 6mm hex key which is used to screw the 12g capsule into place, piercing the gas seal you’ll hear a hiss of CO2 when doing this. The left-hand pistol grip can be prised off to reveal the CO2 loading bay. The pellet is loaded into the back of a cartridge made to resemble the. To do this, hold onto the hammer, squeeze the trigger and gently guide the hammer back to rest. The gun can only be decocked from full-cock. While it’s wonderful to have this working feature on the CO2 replica, it’s not necessary as the cases just drop out to the rear. The SAA features a spring-loaded spent case ejector rod lying underneath the barrel – this was necessary on the original to remove. The loading gate on the right-hand side of the action can now be swung away and the cartridges removed. Make sure the safety’s off then set the gun to half-cock by pulling back the hammer until you hear the first click. The instruction book would have you load a CO2 capsule at this point, but as the gun comes with all six cartridges already loaded in the cylinder I’d recommend unloading the gun first so you can be absolutely certain it’s safe. The safety can only be engaged when the hammer is in the uncocked position it works by blocking the trigger and preventing the hammer from being operated. Like the original, the hammer can be brought to half-cock for loading and unloading, and, of course, to full-cock for shooting. Unlike the original, the Umarex SAA has a safety catch, but it’s been discreetly placed in front of the trigger guard and can’t easily be seen unless the gun is flipped upside down. The pistol must be at half-cock before the loading gate can be swung open so the cartridges can be ejected, ready for more pellets Think very carefully before doing this to your own gun, though! I’ve heard of some people following this up with a gentle application of dark brown shoe polish. If it was mine I’d remove the grips and very lightly sand them to eradicate the high-gloss finish. The gun seen here is a review sample and has to go back. Screw or no screw, the grips are acceptable rather than great, yet it would have been nice for a gun of this high quality to have been supplied with grips made from real wood. I’m no SAA expert, but from the guns I’ve seen, including one used by the 7th Cavalry, it appears that early examples did not have the screw present – that was a later addition. The grips are made of shiny plastic with a dark wood pattern and a non-functioning screw in the middle. Straight out of the box it’s even, dark and glorious. But the bluing on the SAA is top notch as far as looks go. Bluing has been something of an Achilles’ heel for Umarex in the past, with that on a Beretta M 92 FS I owned being particularly poor and patchy. My first impression on seeing the pistol concerned the quality and lustre of the blued finish. Nevertheless, the controls are similar, and for a CO2-powered gun this is pretty much as close as you’re going to get to the real thing. It weighs in at 997 grams, while the real 7.5-inch SAA was a shade heavier at 1,048g. 177 pellet firer and available in either blued or nickel finishes.
While the US military may have given up on it 125 years ago, interest has never waned.Ĭolt still makes the Single Action Army today, and Umarex has delivered it into the hands of airgun shooters, initially with a five-inch barrel but now with the longer 7.5-inch cavalry tube. 45 Colt, was adopted as the standard military service revolver from 1873 until 1892. This single-action pistol, initially chambered in. Whatever you want to call it, this handgun is an iconic piece of Americana. Better known as the Peacemaker, the Colt. Umarex has done a great job of replicating the Colt SAA with discreet pellet-calibre information and safety catch – it’s just a shame about those glossy plastic grips.įinish: Blued gun metal (nickel also available)