Before starting this Air Venturi Ascent Multi-Pump PCP air rifle review, it’s useful to read two previous Hard Air Magazine posts that give some background detail to this very interesting model.
There’s some history of the concept and it’s development in this first story.
Then we deal in detail with the specs and technology in this deep dive.
AIR VENTURI ASCENT VALUE FOR MONEY
Firstly, let’s be clear. The Air Venturi Ascent is a very unusual air rifle. It’s a PCP with a built-in hand pump.
Yes, there have been a few other airguns of a similar configuration in the market in the past. But there’s certainly been nothing remotely comparable in the $300 price range of the current product.
The built-in hand pump definitely works. It means that owners of the Ascent can do without the cost and inconvenience of a separate High Pressure Air hand pump. (It can also be filled from an external tank or HPA compressor if required, however, but neither device is required).
It also – and perhaps more importantly – means that the user is able to re-fill the gun while in the field. This overcomes the inevitable air anxiety (“Do I have enough air?”) that every PCP owner has experienced at one time or another.
The downside is an increase in bulk and weight. Hey, nothing’s for free, right?
This independence from a separate air supply means that the Air Venturi Ascent could well be the PCP that many break barrel owners have been waiting for. It’s powerful, it works, no extra equipment is required and it’s great value!
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Air Venturi Ascent PCP Air Rifle 0.22
AIR VENTURI ASCENT SPEED AND ACCURACY
My recommended method of using the Ascent is to take a few quick strokes of the built-in HPA pump rafter each shot to top-up the pressure again. That repeated top-up pumping is going to keep the Muzzle Velocity remarkably consistent, if you do your part.
Effectively you are keeping the HPA pressure (relatively) constant: just like a regulator. Now the shooter actually is the regulator!
But what “regulator pressure” to choose?
First, I made a “shootdown test” to understand the characteristics of the Ascent here for review. The following graph showed that the Muzzle Velocity was at its peak – and relatively constant – between shots 8 and 20.
Then I made another test to find out how many pumps were required between each shot to keep the Muzzle Velocity consistent. As the next graph shows, it was four.
In other words, making four pumps between each shot keeps the Muzzle Velocity very consistent. It also provides an infinite shot count. Yes, read that again – an infinite shot count!
If you keep pumping between shots, you will never run out of air…
Going back to the first graph I decided to test the test Ascent at a pressure of 2,500 PSI. That’s well below the peak fill pressure of 3,625 PSI: my guess was that should be in that “flat” peak of performance and consistency indicated in the first graph.
So the Ascent was filled it to 2,500 PSI using an electric High Pressure Air compressor. From then-on, the pressure was topped-up after every shot to keep it there. That’s the human regulator at work!
Here’s the results.
| Pellet | Average Muzzle Velocity | Average Muzzle Energy | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| H&N Field Target Trophy Green 10.03 Grain | 1,193 FPS | 31.72 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| Predator GTO 11.75 Grain | 1,131 FPS | 33.37 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| RWS Hobby 11.9 Grain | 1,119 FPS | 33.12 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| Crosman Premier HP 14.3 Grain | 1,054 FPS | 35.26 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| JSB Jumbo Express 14.35 Grain | 1,064 FPS | 36.10 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| H&N Field Target Trophy 14.66 Grain | 1,053 FPS | 36.07 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| NSA Hollowpoint Slugs 20.2 Grain | 920 FPS | 37.96 Ft/Lbs | Very Poor. |
| H&N Baracuda Match 21.14 Grain | 940 FPS | 41.48 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| JSB Jumbo Monster 25.39 Grain | 873 FPS | 42.98 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. Best Tested. |
As we can see, the Air Venturi Ascent tested by HAM was a very strong gun, producing up to 42.98 Ft/Lbs Muzzle Energy. In fact, it will probably be best to use heavy pellets in order to bring the Muzzle Velocity down to reasonable (sub-1,000 FPS) levels.
Tested accuracy with pellets was uniformly excellent. But this is clearly not a slug barrel.
Check out this this 25-Yard test target. That’s about as good as I can shoot…
Note. With all the test targets shown in this review, I paused for a while between shots. I can shake well enough without the added results of pumping the Acsent!
AIR VENTURI ASCENT TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT
The action of the side lever itself is reasonably smooth, if a little heavy. However, it’s easy to operate and benefits from having a non-rotating handle.
There’s a clear, easy-to-use safety below the cocking lever. This is well-placed for right-handed shooters (at least) and functions effectively. The trigger itself has a comfortably-contoured metal blade. As always, HAM shot the gun with the trigger “as received”.
The Ascent we tested had a trigger pull weight that averaged 2 Lbs 9.3 Oz. However, for some reason, it felt lighter than that. Although a little heavy for target work, this is fine for hunting use, which is how the rifle will probably be used by many owners.
The trigger is a two-stage design, but the first stage was almost undetectable, feeling more like a little slack on a single-stage trigger. However, the trigger release was quite predictable and consistent.
Overall, the trigger will probably be acceptable for most users “as is”.
Adjustments for sear engagement, pull weight and pull length are all available for the knowledgeable owner. These are accessed from the outside of the gun using an Allen wrench. The instruction manual supplied with the Ascent gives clear instructions for making trigger adjustments, should the owner feel competent to do so.
AIR VENTURI ASCENT COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
Air Venturi claims that the Ascent will achieve a Muzzle Velocity of 1,100 FPS in .22 caliber. The sample tested by HAM exceeded that claim with the pellets in our standard test suite weighting 11.9 Grains or less.
Maximum Muzzle Energy in .22 caliber is listed as 38 Ft/Lbs. In HAM testing, this was significantly exceeded by the 42.98 Ft/Lbs that was delivered using 42.98 Grain JSB Jumbo Monster Redesigned pellets.
The manufacturer also claims up to 24 shots per fill in .22 caliber. That was – again – easily exceeded in our shootdown test listed above. We saw 29 shots, although not at a consistent velocity.
But – of course – the real number of shots per fill is “Infinity”. Using the “shoot and four pumps” methodology we propose, your Ascent will never run out of High Pressure Air!
AIR VENTURI ASCENT CONSISTENCY
The Ascent tested by HAM was very consistent in its behavior.
Trigger pull weight was extremely consistent, varying by no more than 3 ounces either side of the 2 Lbs 10 Oz average.
Tested accuracy was also very consistent. In fact, I cannot remember testing another air rifle that produced such consistently excellent results with pellets. This Ascent is definitely not a pellet-picky air rifle!
But it’s fair to say that I was equally impressed with the Standard Deviation – the measurement of shot-to-shot variation of FPS in a string.
As the Ascent is a relative of the Air Venturi Avenger/Avenge-X family, we know from previous tests that Standard Deviation from these guns can be very good. But somehow I did not expect that to translate to my “pump and shoot” regime as the human regulator.
I was wrong!
In fact, the average Standard Deviation across the whole test suite of HAM pellets was just 3.50 FPS. That’s right up there with top-end “straight” PCP airguns. The best recorded – a Standard Deviation of just 1.41 FPS across 10 shots of H&N Baracuda Match pellets.
And remember that this outstanding consistency was demonstrated by an air rifle containing its own pump and bundled with a scope, selling for one Cent less than $300.00. That’s remarkable!
AIR VENTURI ASCENT NOISE LEVEL
The Ascent is fully shrouded. This makes it tolerably quiet. Subjectively, the HAM Team finds it to be rather louder than the Benjamin Marauder – our gold standard for sound levels. But it’s not very loud and most should find it to be backyard-friendly.
The major audible issue is the loud ping made when the gun is fired – particularly at lower fill pressures. If you thought that the Marauder ping was loud, you’ve heard nothing yet!
AIR VENTURI ASCENT SIGHTS AND SCOPE
As with many other air rifles, the Ascent is bundled with a 4×32 fixed-parallax riflescope. In common with similar scopes of this type tested by HAM, the quality was dismal in every respect.
Yes, the scope’s cost must be very cheap but you deserve better. The Ascent also deserves some decent glass to demonstrate its accuracy!
So – as always before testing a gun supplied with such a scope – we laid it aside and fitted an appropriate alternative. In this case it was the Mantis 4-12 x 40 AO scope mounted in Leapers UTG rings. Phew! That’s a big improvement…
There’s no open sights fitted to the Ascent. Nor is there provision for any.
AIR VENTURI ASCENT SHOOTABILITY
Judging from look alone, you might expect the Ascent to be rather “clunky” and unsatisfactory to shoot – entirely because of the built-in pump. But that’s actually not the case.
In fact, I found it comfortable and very stable to shoot the Ascent offhand by holding on to the pump handle and bracing the upper arm against my chest. It’s something like using a Field Target “hamster”. The pump handle can be locked closed to avoid inadvertent operation in this kind of of use.
This meant that the pump actually did not cause us an issue in handling and shooting the gun.
The 10-shot magazine is the same as that found on the Avenger and Avenge-X. It works well, is easy to load and blocks firing after all pellets have been fired.
The all-up weight of the rig as tested was 9 Lbs 14 Oz. Yes, it’s a little heavy, but when you think of the benefits of the Ascent, it’s unlikely to be a critical issue for many buyers.
AIR VENTURI ASCENT APPEARANCE AND FINISH
There’s no way around it. The built-in pump makes the Ascent look somewhat tubby. This is never going to be a beautiful air rifle – at least in the HAM Team’s opinion.
So this is definitely a case to bring out the old saying “handsome is as handsome does”!
The stock’s plastic molding is fair for the price range. There’s some visible seams that tend to spoil the effect. Metal part finish is very descent.
One point of note is the excellent gauge face plate. This is clearly marked and easy to read.
Overall, the Ascent is well finished for a PCP air rifle in this price range.
AIR VENTURI ASCENT BUYING AND OWNING
The Ascent is readily available online from major dealers such as Pyramyd and Airgun Depot. As Air Venturi expands its distribution breadth, it’s also likely to become available at some physical big box stores.
The gun is supplied with two magazines of the appropriate caliber, a single shot tray, a fill probe and a selection of O rings and seals.
The instruction manual is clearly-written and illustrated. It’s in English only.
Air Venturi also has caliber change kits and a full inventory of parts available for the Ascent. This should give additional security to potential purchasers.
But one area where the Air Venturi Ascent falls behind the big name airgun manufacturers is in the warranty period provided. This is one year, at a time when Crosman, Gamo and Umarex are moving to 3- or 5-year warranties on air rifles. Warranty is provided in the USA by Air Venturi in Ohio and full details are provided in the instruction manual.
In addition to using the built-in pump, the Ascent can be charged from a compressor, HPA tank or even a hand pump using the probe fill port in the side of the action. (Below).
The designers of the Ascent are obviously aware of the tendency for pump air rifles to be over-pumped in search of extra power. So they have built a pressure release valve (burst disk) into the gun to prevent the worst destructive effects should the gun be over-pumped. Good move!
There’s also a degassing (depressurization) capability that’s accessed below the pump handle rest position. HAM feels that a degassing capability is a desirable safety feature on any PCP air rifle. It allows the gun to be made safe in case of an emergency, such as a jammed pellet, or for any other situation where it’s necessary to be 100% sure that there’s no air in the gun.
Well, almost no air in the gun. Read on below…
I am going to advise you NEVER to try to repair the Ascent yourself, except for very minor changes such as changing bolt probe O rings, for example. I can tell you that – in spite of my strong level of PCP airgun knowledge – I would definitely not try to make repairs to this gun myself.
Why? There’s actually two reasons. Firstly the Ascent is a very complex air rifle. Second is the fact that the gun still has considerable internal HPA pressure in the tube EVEN WHEN THE GUN HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DE-GASSED!
In simple terms, the HPA air tube has a pre-set “counter pressure” at one end. This is filled and set at the factory to a pressure in the region of 2,000 PSI. (This is the source of the “ping” when firing we discussed earlier).
The point to understand is that this significant “counter pressure” is always in the gun. Even when you have degassed the Ascent and the pressure gauge shows zero, that counter pressure (~2,000 PSI) is still there! It cannot be released without a special tool and jig that are not available for purchase.
Clearly that gives the potential for any repair attempts for the Ascent to become very dangerous very quickly! Again, I strongly urge that you do not attempt to repair the Ascent, in the unlikely event that a problem occurs.
My strong recommendation is that you add Pyramyd Air’s two-year Service Contract when buying your Ascent. That lets you leave any repairs to the professionals. In my opinion, it’s a bargain at $35.99!
AIR VENTURI ASCENT TEST TARGETS
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Air Venturi Ascent PCP Air Rifle 0.22
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