Today’s post is an introduction to our review of the revolutionary Air Venturi Ascent PCP air rifle.
Why is it revolutionary? Well this is a PCP airgun that does not require you to buy a HPA pump or any other accessories. That’s an unique value proposition which is unmatched by any other airgun in the market today.
And – at a price of just $299.99 including a 4×20 riflescope – it’s amazing value. Want to know more? Let’s explore this remarkable product…
Air Venturi Ascent PCP Air Rifle Background
Remarkably, the Ascent is actually a radically-improved Version Two of this product concept. So it’s not new. Hard Air Magazine readers first read about it as far back as 2017!
In those days, the “Gen One” model was introduced into the USA as the “American Tactical Nova Freedom”. HAM reviewed it in 2018 and we liked it a lot. In fact, it received a Gold Award for its performance on test.
I still have the test gun. It still works as intended.
And back then, the price was $380 with open sights but no scope! That’s a price reduction of more than 20% – in spite of inflation, exchange rate changes, yes and tariffs too. Wow!
Since then the manufacturer has continued development and the new model delivers the same fundamental benefits, but with considerably-improved performance – as we will see here.
In fact, the Ascent – and previous versions – was designed by my friend Mr Zhu. In the photograph below, we see him showing me a prototype of this new version at the IWA OutdoorClassics exhibition in Germany. He is a nice guy, a VERY smart engineer and this product is his baby!
Perhaps too, I have learned to understand his product better over time. Now I can explain its benefits in a more coherent manner!
Air Venturi Ascent PCP Air Rifle Benefits
The key benefit of the Ascent is that it offers an “infinite” shot count. This overcomes the inevitable air anxiety (“Do I have enough air?”) that every PCP owner has experienced at one time or another. That’s HUGE!
The real benefit of the Ascent is found if the gun is filled with High Pressure Air first from a compressor or tank. Then – after firing the gun – take a few quick strokes of the built-in HPA pump to top-up the pressure again.
Operated in this way, the Ascent can be permanently kept full of High Pressure Air. You could say that it has an effectively limitless HPA capacity. It never runs out of air!
All-in-all the Ascent makes a compelling proposition for the airgun hunter who fears straying too far from a tank or compressor HPA source.
Over time, I have learned to shoot it freehand with my forward hand grasping the pump handle. This makes for an extremely stable hold when taking snap shots when standing. Much more so than grasping the forend in a conventional manner.
It functions something like a “hamster” that’s fitted to top-grade Field Target guns. Hunters will love it!
This independence from a separate air supply means that the Ascent could well be the PCP that many break barrel owners have been waiting for. It’s powerful, it works and it’s competitively-priced against many “Zillion FPS” springers. (Personal comment. It’s a “no brainer” in favor of the Ascent in my opinion).
Air Venturi Ascent PCP Air Rifle Shot Count
OK, so here’s where we see a major change in the Ascent over the original Nova Freedom model. The power delivery is greatly improved.
Remember that – unlike almost all current PCP air rifles – the Ascent is un-regulated. This means that there is a distinct “curve” of Muzzle Velocities, dependent on the pressure remaining in the gun. My first task was to establish what that shot curve looks like.
So I filled the Ascent to maximum pressure (250 bar or 3,625 PSI) and started shooting. For pellets, I chose 15.89 Grain JSB Hades. After all, this is a hunting gun and the Hades are a very popular and effective quality pellet choice.
The results are shown in the graph below.
Here we see a typical unregulated PCP shot curve. Until shot 29, at least. Then the characteristic behavior for this platform kicks-in.
Shot 30 shows a sudden, massive drop of 100 FPS. Shot 31 (not displayed) falls even further to 577 FPS and Shot 32 was 0 FPS. The pellet was stuck in the barrel, but simply removed with a clearing rod.
But note that peak power was a very respectable 38.9 Ft/Lbs (Shots 10 and 13) which is definitely high for a .22 caliber PCP air rifle shooting relatively-light, 15.89 Grain pellets. This was achieved using the factory hammer spring setting. As always, HAM tests products as received, with no changes.
To see the improvement of the Ascent compared to the original “Gen One” version, let’s now compare that shot curve with that for the .22 caliber Nova Freedom I measured back in 2018.
Now that’s what I call an improvement! Great work Mr Zhu
As we can see, the Air Venturi Ascent gives around 3X the shot count than the 2028 model set to “High Power Mode”.
There’s no similar mode change feature on the 2026 gun, yet it has a shot count approximately 3X that of the original and demonstrates higher Muzzle Velocity even though shooting heavier pellets.
From an engineering perspective: “WOW”!
Air Venturi Ascent PCP Air Rifle – The Human Regulator
So why does the Ascent not have a regulator?
A little thought concludes that there’s simply no room for it, together with it’s associated (and required) plenum. It’s also because the shooter is actually the regulator!
Huh?
Yes, let’s remember that the recommended method of using the Ascent is to take a few quick strokes of the built-in HPA pump regularly to top-up the pressure again. That repeated top-up pumping is going to keep the Muzzle Velocity quite consistent, if you do your part. Effectively you are keeping the HPA pressure (relatively) constant: just like a regulator.
So is the “human regulator” adjustable?
Sure is! Within reason, it’s possible to have the Ascent shooting at pretty-well any pressure between 3,625 and about 2,500 PSI, depending on what you want to achieve (less pumping or more power). And as with many other PCPs, the power level can also be adjusted by making changes to the hammer spring tension.
But how often to pump the Ascent and how much?
That’s what we will find out next.
Air Venturi Ascent PCP Air Rifle With Consistent Occasional Pumping
I decided to aim for a maximum power pressure/pumping combination. Looking at the Ascent shot curve above, and consulting my notes of pressure gauge reading and shots fired, it was clear that maximum power was being achieved at around 3,000 PSI.
So I filled the gun to 3,000 PSI on the gauge and estimated – well, OK, guessed – that 4 pumps between shots should keep the Muzzle Velocity approximately consistent.
Below we see the results of that plan. Yes, the Muzzle Velocity remained pretty consistent in the 1,025 to 1,050 FPS range. However the pressure had fallen slightly to 2,700 PSI by the end of 30 shots.
Probably 5 pumps between each shot would have kept the pressure completely constant. Then we would have achieved the Holy Grail of “infinite shot count” with this PCP air rifle.
This was a full power effort, of course. Selecting a lower working pressure would produce less FPS, but also require less pumps between shots. It’s your choice.
However, the chart below clearly shows that the Ascent can produce a creditably-consistent Muzzle Velocity. That’s the “human regulator” in action!
The Standard Deviation across these 30 shots was 7.8 FPS. The average Muzzle Velocity was 1,043 FPS and the Muzzle Energy 38.39 Ft/Lbs. These are very respectable figures for a PCP air rifle and I was definitely satisfied for my first attempt…
If we now compare the shot curves with and without pumping between shots, the benefits are very clear.
So how hard is it to pump the Air Venturi Ascent?
Yes, it’s an effort, however not an unreasonable one. It definitely requires much less strain than it takes to cock a similarly-priced “Zillion FPS” breakbarrel air rifle that – incidentally – also likely generates significantly less Muzzle Energy and kicks like a mule when fired!
I hope that this explanation justifies why I feel the Ascent is such a revolutionary air rifle. Next, we’ll move forward to a full HAM test review to explore it further.
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Air Venturi Ascent PCP Air Rifle 0.22
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