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VALUE FOR MONEY
This is really easy!
At a Street Price of $49.99 for a magazine-fed, CO2-powered pistol with adjustable open sights, upper and lower Picatinny rails and semi-target grips, the Avera has to be a bargain. Oh, plus it includes no less than three magazines. That makes it even better.
All you need is to buy some 12 Gram CO2 cartridges, pellets and you’re ready for serious plinking!
As you can see from the photo above, I added a Leapers UTG OP3 Micro Green Dot Sight. Doug Wall has better eyes than me so he shot the gun with open sights for testing.
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Umarex Avera CO2 Air Pistol 0.177
SPEED AND ACCURACY
The Umarex Avera CO2 pistol tested by Hard Air Magazine produced a maximum average Muzzle Velocity of 366 FPS over 10 shots with H&N Field Target Trophy Green alloy pellets at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
| Pellet | Average Muzzle Velocity | Average Muzzle Energy | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| H&N Field Target Trophy Green 5.56 Grain | 366 FPS | 1.65 Ft/Lbs | Very Good |
| RWS Hobby | 295 FPS | 1.35 Ft/Lbs | Very Good |
| RWS Meisterkugeln Pistol 7.0 Grain | 314 FPS | 1.53 Ft/Lbs | Very Good |
| Crosman Premier HP 7.9 Grain | 295 FPS | 1.52 Ft/Lbs | Very Good. |
| H&N Field Target Trophy 8.64 Grain | 264 FPS | 1.33 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. Best Tested |
Best accuracy was demonstrated by the H&N Field Target Trophy (not Green), lead pellets. These proved to be very accurate at our standard 6 Yards pistol test range and still well within “minute of soda can” at 10 Yards, as we can see from the test target below.
This target was shot with open sights. A little adjustment would clearly have brought all of the hits into the soda can area.
However, the power level of the Avera is very low. It’s fine for engaging paper targets and feral soda cans, but please do not use it for any kind of hunting. Even at close range, it’s likely only to wound even a small animal, not kill it humanely. If you want to hunt, please look for a higher-powered airgun.
TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT
OK, this is where all the sadness happens :-(
We tested this Umarex Avera trigger time-after-time and never did our trusty Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge record a trigger pull weight. It was always over the 12 Lbs maximum for the device.
To say that we were disappointed in this would be a great understatement!
The Avera is actually a double action revolver. Pulling the trigger rotates the rotary pellet magazine, cocks the hammer and – finally – releases the sear, causing the gun to fire.
Yes, we understand that there’s a lot of mechanical stuff happening there. We also understand that a double action trigger is usually heavy – that’s why there’s usually a lighter, single action option for most revolvers. The Avera is double action only.
But this trigger pull weight is, unfortunately, a real issue, even for HAM Tester Doug Wall who is very experienced with heavy triggers. Doug described the trigger as rough, heavy and very hard to use. (But we should note that he was able to achieve some pretty good groups in spite of that. Great shooting, Doug!).
There’s a simple, but effective manual safety. It uses the trigger block system, with the block being molded into the frame of the gun.
But we can also see below that the hammer has no spur. This is a clear indication that the Umarex Avera air pistol cannot be fired single action. It’s double-action only, which is a great shame given the heavy trigger pull weight.
COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
The main claim made by the manufacturer for the Avera is the inevitable one for Muzzle Velocity. It’s right there on the box, 380 FPS with pellet weight unspecified.
As described above, in our 68 degree F, basement range, the HAM Team recorded a maximum of 366 FPS for a 10-shot string. That’s firing at a consistent, measured pace.
Typically, the Muzzle Velocity of CO2-powered airguns changes by about 2 FPS per degree Farenheit. This means that at 90 degrees, the test gun would shoot at around 410 FPS. That’s well above the manufacturer’s specification.
CONSISTENCY
The Umarex Avera CO2 pistol tested by HAM displayed relatively poor shot-to-shot consistency. The average Standard Deviation of the HAM test targets was 21.38 FPS, which is high. However, allowing for the extremely attractive price point and the CO2 power source, it’s not disastrous – as Doug’s test targets demonstrate.
More impressive is the number of shots achieved from one 12 Gram CO2 cartridge. No less than 170 shots were achieved before the Muzzle Velocity fell to 212 FPS with 7.9 Grain Crosman Premier HP pellets. That is incredible and the highest shot count Hard Air Magazine has ever achieved from one 12 Gram CO2 cartridge!
NOISE LEVEL
As a low-powered CO2 air pistol, we were expecting the Umarex Avera to be quiet. And it is! This is definitely backyard-friendly (or Winter basement-friendly) from a noise perspective.
Oh, but note the location of the barrel in the photograph below. The elaborate “air stripper” molding is just for show, not an indication of the real barrel location.
SIGHTS AND SCOPE
The Umarex Avera is supplied with a decent set of open sights. Sure, they’re plastic, but the square-cut notch in the rear sight matches the front post well.
Plus, the rear sight is readily-adjustable for a large amount of windage. It slides in the dovetail slot you can see below and is held in the desired position using a setscrew. (You’ll need a 1.5 mm Allen key for this).
There’s a fixed front post molded into the top of the “frame”. There’s no sign of fiber optic inserts, but their omission is no big deal, in our opinion.
Unlike the related Umarex MarkPoint spring/piston pistol, the Avera has functional molded Picatinny rails both on top of the frame and below it. This enables a red-dot sight to be fitted if required, as is shown above.
SHOOTABILITY
If it wasn’t for the trigger, the Umarex Avera would be a very pleasant air pistol to shoot!
As you would expect from the all-plastic construction, it’s fairly light. But it balances well and is very “pointable”.
The pistol grip is surprisingly sophisticated in design for such a low cost unit. It fitted our hands quite well. Plus, you can add a laser sight or flashlight to the lower Picatinny rail for exciting, low light operations!
Being supplied with no less than three magazines and with such an incredible shot count, the Avera is designed for plenty of shooting.
The synthetic, eight-wound magazines have surprisingly tight (and very consistent) clearances in the surrounding molded frame. That’s probably intended to restrict CO2 loss when firing which can be endemic with some other CO2-powered airguns using a similar rotary magazine concept. Good!
The bright red/orange slider is pulled forward to allow the mags to be inserted and removed. So loading and unloading is very easy to accomplish.
APPEARANCE AND FINISH
With its somewhat gaudy “gray with orange accents” color scheme, the Umarex Avera could come across as just a toy. But – in fact – that’s definitely not the case. It’s clear that here we have a serious air pistol that needs to be treated responsibly.
The overall look and feel of the Avera is that of a “real” air pistol. As with the related Umarex MarkPoint, my impression was that the quality of the external moldings was extremely high. Of course, much of this gun is comprised of synthetic moldings. But the finish is waaaaay better that anyone has a right to expect at this price.
The mold seams are apparent but minimized and well controlled. The areas of raised “checkering” on the pistol grip are well executed too.
BUYING AND OWNING
Umarex wisely includes an additional two 8-round magazines (for a total of three) with the Avera. That’s a great move as multiple mags can be pre-loaded for shooting or in case of inadvertent loss. Additional magazines are also available in three-packs as an accessory purchase.
In addition, our gun had two spare locking keys for the pistol grip, as shown in the photograph below. Another great move. Thanks Umarex!
Unsurprisingly, the 12 Gram CO2 cartridge is located in the pistol grip of the Umarex Avera air pistol. However, the installation method is slightly unusual.
First the pistol grip is removed by unscrewing the above-mentioned locking key. The 12 Gram CO2 cartridge is then inserted and pierced using a regular, flat-blade screwdriver (or, possibly, the end of the locking key.
The three-packs of additional magazines are just $7.29, so it makes sense to buy some at the same time as the pistol, CO2 cartridges and pellets.
The Umarex Avera is supported by a 12-month warranty that’s provided by Umarex USA from their Fort Smith, AR headquarters.
6 YARD TEST TARGETS
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Umarex Avera CO2 Air Pistol 0.177
This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.
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