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The new Gen 3 Benjamin Marauder PCP air rifle was launched at the IWA OutdoorClassics show 2026, in Nuremberg, Germany. This new model is a completely different gun from any previous Marauder. There’s almost no parts in common – so far as I understand – with the previous, long-running Gen 2 version. Instead we have side lever-cocking, higher-capacity magazines, an adjustable regulator, higher-capacity HPA bottle and a higher operating pressure. There’s also a completely new look! Product Manager Phillip Guadalupe showed me the new Gen 3 Benjamin Marauder and confirmed that it should be available at retail very soon – like within a couple of months! The Gen 3 Marauder will be initially available in .22 and .25 calibers. The .22...

The Diana Skyhawk Gen 2 Bullpup PCP air rifle is not exactly new. It’s been around for several years. However, it’s an interesting gun and we’ll take a look at it today to see if it is deserving of more attention in 2026… Immediate impressions are that this is a compact, chunky and good-looking airgun. At just 29-Inches long overall, it’s definitely among the shorter bullpup air rifles in the market at the present time. However the barrel length is still good at 17.7 Inches. There’s a satisfactory level of weight too. Complete with scope and loaded magazine, the Skyhawk here weighs-in at 7 Lbs 15 Oz. That gives a solid feeling, combined with excellent balance. As has been the case with some other compact air rifles, I mounted a...

There’s a new SIG pellet pistol available! To be precise, it’s the SIG SAUER P320 Spectre Comp Blackout CO2 Pellet Pistol. Snappy name… This new P320 model is a race gun version of the company’s pellet pistol platform. Hard Air Magazine reviewed the P320 M17 military version back in 2019. At that time, the M17 version sold for $120 when new, so the new model is very well priced by Pyramyd at $106. As can be seen in the photograph above, the SIG SAUER P320 Spectre Comp Blackout CO2 Pellet Pistol has a full blowback action. That metal slide is an important part of the realistic feel and handling that the model offers. It’s paired with a single port compensated barrel to complete that “high speed” look. This new SIG pellet pistol...

VALUE FOR MONEY Let’s start with price. At just $549.99, the Airacuda PRS Max is extremely attractively-priced for a dedicated, benchrest “chassis gun”. It is a new version of the existing Airacuda Max incorporating an Aluminum chassis. The result is a PCP that will be an attractive proposition for many who are starting to tip their toes into benchrest and PRS-style competitions. It’s available in a choice of .22, .25 and .30 calibers, with the latter two, in particular, being attractive for long-range shooting. I can see many of these guns being fielded by benchrest competitors at the 2026 Pyramyd Cup! Finally the chassis itself is available in a range of colors. “Our” gun is red, but there’s green, silver and good old black...

The new Umarex Gauntlet Limited Edition is a post-SHOT Show surprise. It shows how the platform is still capable of creating surprises in the market! The Limited Edition majors on two big, new changes. One is the appearance of a laminated wood stock. The second is the inclusion of a carbon fiber HPA bottle. Oh, there’s a carbon fiber barrel shroud, too. That’s another new improvement with this model. The laminated stock is – in my opinion – by far the best-looking stock that has appeared on a Gauntlet. The laminate colors look classy: not garish but immediately eye-catching. There’s plenty of laser checkering on the forend, plus there’s a Picatinny rail for mounting a bipod. The adjustable cheek piece looks both stylish and...

Well it’s happened! After being rumored around the industry for some days, it has just been announced that the FX Airguns US distributor changes again… As is well known, Airguns of Arizona was the original FX Airguns US distributor. Indeed, that was the case for many, many years. Then – in 2017 – AoA was replaced by a new distributor FX Airguns USA. However, by October 2023, things were obviously not going well. On October 3, 2023, a law suit was filed in the General Court of Justice, Superior Court Division, State of North Carolina, County of Wake. Case Number 2023CVS27939. In it, the plaintiff requests that a general receiver be appointed for FX Airguns USA, to take control of the company. This is public record. We can all read it...

MicroStrike tuning is a big part of the product attraction. You can easily change the regulator setting and hammer spring tension settings. Plus, it’s easy to de-gas the gun in order to make reg setting changes. Everyone will want to tune their MicroStrike. But how, exactly? That’s what we are covering in this article. Air Venturi MicroStrike Tuning – Before Starting Let’s start with some real basics… You cannot tune a PCP air rifle without a Chronograph to capture the Muzzle Velocity. So – if you don’t have one – buy one. Preferably a good one. Don’t even think of trying to tune an airgun without one! Secondly you need a way to record and compare the data you generate. This can be as simple as writing things down with a pen and...

Although the product is not due to be available until April 2026, Avenge-XL parts availability is already being planned and implemented by Air Venturi. YES! Let’s take a look at how this outstanding product support is being implemented. At an “accessory level”, additional magazines are already listed on the Pyramyd website, as are caliber-change kits in all three calibers – .22, .25 and .30. But there’s more. Much more! A little research reveals that the Pyramyd website already contains a comprehensive collection of detailed parts diagrams. And these are not just simple PDF files. There’s a comprehensive, interactive webpage that allows parts selection and ordering simply by clicking on the part number. For example, in the...

Western Airguns has introduced a new range of Anti-Venom airgun silencers. In fact, there’s four models, with a range of lengths and tube diameters. But why the name “Anti-Venom”? To answer that burning question, I telephoned Airguns of Arizona and talked to Lauren Parsons. After all, a multi-international-competition-winning lady airgun shooter should know these things! And, of course, she did… It’s all completely logical, Lauren explained to me. Western Airguns has a range of airguns and they all carry names of fierce desert critters with a nasty – venomous – bite. You know, Rattler, Sidewinder, Mordax and so on. Western Airguns Anti-Venom airgun silencers are designed to suppress the bark of these powerful PCP airguns. And...

This new NSA Slug Sampler will be a popular choice for many air gunners who want to experiment with shooting slugs in their air rifles. Why A Slug Sampler? It’s true that shooting slugs – that is non-diablo (waisted) airgun ammo – has come a long way in the past few years. However there’s often still a large element of testing to be done in order to find the slug/barrel combination that will give optimum accuracy. That experimentation and testing can become expensive if you need to keep buying multiple packs of slugs. After two or three dozen shots, it’s probably clear if a specific slug will work well or not. If they work well – great! You’ll buy a ton of them. So then, what do you do with all those slugs you found were not a...

So what Is The Airgun Sporting Association? And why should I care? Observant readers of Hard Air Magazine may have noticed a bold new banner ad that’s appeared on our Home Page. It says “Airgun Sporting Association. The industry working for you.” Many airgunners have heard of Ed Schultz. He’s a lifelong airgun shooting enthusiast who has worked for almost 30 years in airgun product development at Crosman, SIG, then to Crosman again. In addition – as of May 15, 2024, Ed became President and CEO of the ASA. It’s a well-deserved appointment! You may have read the HAM story about this from 2024. With Ed’s lifetime of interest and passion for airguns, nobody’s going to argue that he does not bring a wealth of knowledge to the ASA. He’s...

Pyramyd has recently introduced a couple of useful PCP accessories that can be attractive for many owners. They’re both manufactured by AirMarksman. First we’ll look at the AirMarksman Quickie Foster Fill Valve. This is a fast and simple way to connect between a HPA tank and PCP air rifle. It allows for filling without the need rotate the tank valve open, then wait for the air hose to fill before the air transfer takes place. Likewise – but in reverse plus the air pressure “bleed” step – after filling is complete. In the case of the Quickie, air flow is achieved by simply pressing the release lever, then letting go when completed. That’s it! The Quickie connects to standard, “Foster-style” 1/8-Inch NPT quick disconnects. The long...

Right now, you can save money when you trade-in at Airguns of Arizona. But the offer only lasts until February 15, 2026. So what’s the big deal? Read on and we’ll explain… Airguns of Arizona sells a HUGE amount of pre-owned airguns. And they’re always looking for more! People either trade-in one gun to buy another, or they want AoA to buy-out their gun for cash. So how does this work? Well, first you phone AoA on 480-461-1113. Alternatively send them an email to sales@airgunsofarizona.com. Tell them what you have and they will send you an offer. And here’s where the deal comes in. Until February 15th 2026, they will also send you a pre-paid UPS shipping label so that your gun ships to them for free. Given the current exorbitant...

Now we have details of more new Umarex airguns from the 2026 SHOT Show. The company definitely needs to be congratulated. They launched more new products than the rest of the industry put together! More New Umarex Airguns – Replica BB Gun OK, so here’s one that everyone has been waiting for! Although it’s been some time since Umarex launched a new Legends replica, the company has come-in with a great new introduction. The CO2-powered, BB-firing Legends Thompson M1A1 has long been a desirable reproduction for many US collectors and shooters. It earned a HAM Gold Award when we reviewed in back in 2020. The new version comes complete with a 450-round drum magazine. This is combined with the semi- and full-auto action and high degree...

There was a TON of new Umarex PCP products launched at the recent SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas. Let’s take a look at them in this post… New Umarex PCP Products – NitroAir Hard Air Magazine has applauded the Umarex NitroAir concept since it was first introduced in 2024. Airgun buyers obviously agree. Thanks to the sales success of the NitroAir-powered Komplete, Umarex Airguns is increasing the number of small-game hunting rifles that do not require a high-pressure air compressor. The original Komplete in .177 and .22 calibers continues to be available and is a Hard Air Magazine Gold Award winner and overall favorite. So in 2026, Umarex Airguns is introducing dual power (N2 and PCP) options for select PCP air rifles. They allow...

Now there’s A New Beeman Chief PCP air rifle. The Chief III Plus-S was launched at the 2026 SHOT Show and joins the company’s range. In fact, there’s now as many as six different Beeman Chief models available on the Pyramyd web site! The original Beeman Chief – now designated the Beeman QB Chief – was tested by Hard Air Magazine back in 2017. We liked the gun and it earned a HAM Gold Award. However, it has an unregulated single-shot bolt action and time has moved-on. Surprisingly, the “QB Chief” is still available on the Pyramyd website, together with more recent, magazine-fed models like the “Chief II”. In fact, all Chief models are priced very similarly at between $199.99 and $249.99. The Chief II is available in both wood and...

A new pair of 34-mm tube Hawke Vantage HD 34 riflescopes were launched at the 2026 SHOT Show. And they’re already online for you to order at Pyramyd! The two models both have wide, 5 X, zoom ranges. There’s a large objective 5-25 x 56 and a more compact 3-15 x 44 model. Both are FFP (First Focal Plane) scopes and both have a choice of MOA and MIL reticle subtensions. The reticle is Hawke’s FFP Pro II reticle. The diagram below shows the MIL version. The MOA reticle is similar. Both are of the same”Christmas Tree” type and have red and green illumination with a stepped brightness control Hawke says that these reticles were developed specifically for first focal plane optical systems. The bright center cross gives a sharp aim point...

The Air Venturi Ascent is a new version of the built-in pump PCP air rifle. It was formally announced just a few days ago at the 2026 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The Ascent is a PCP air rifle that never runs out of air. It achieves this feat through the built-in High Pressure Air pump that’s an integral part of the gun. That large grip in front of the trigger is the pump handle. Yes, the Ascent can be pumped-up by hand from empty. But that’s not really where it shines. The real benefit of the Ascent is found if the gun is filled with HPA first from a compressor or tank. Then – after firing the gun – take a few quick pumps to top-up the pressure and fire again. Pump three or four times more and fire again. And so on. Operated in this...

Around 700 participants from over 55 nations competed in the 2026 H&N Cup. This is the first major shooting event of the season for 10 Meter airgun competition. It’s also a major sponsorship by H&N Sport. As one of the world’s top manufacturers of airgun pellets and slugs, the company sponsors this major airgun shooting competition every year. Thanks H&N! For many competitors, the annual H&N Cup is the first “stress test” in the new Olympic shooting sport year. It’s the initial major event for the 2026 ISSF season and is run as always – by the Bayerischer Sportschützenbund e.V. (Bavarian Shooting Federation). This 10-Meter Olympic air rifle and air pistol shooting took place in Munich, Germany, between January 21th and 25th, 2026...

For everyone interested, I strongly suggest watching Tyler Patner’s 2026 SHOT Show video. It’s 45 minutes of very worthwhile viewing… Tyler covers most all of the things I would have covered, had I been there. And he pulls-out just the points and stories I would have looked-for too. Here’s some of the highlights. Scroll to the foot of this post to watch the video yourself. 2026 SHOT Show Video – Air Venturi Understandably, Tyler start-out at the Air Venturi booth. There he covers the bottle versions of the new HAM Gold Award-winning Air Venturi Alpha. The other new air rifle is the Air Venturi Ascent. This is a “Generation 2” version of another HAM Gold Award-winner. In this case, the American Tactical Nova Freedom/Seneca Aspen...