VALUE FOR MONEY
At an MSRP of $189.99, the Umarex Iconix is a sidelever PCP air rifle that uses the existing, common, Gauntlet magazine. Like many other recent PCP introductions, it’s available in .22 caliber only – a sure indication of how .177 cal is fading from the PCP scene.
At a sub $200 price point – the Iconix is an entry-level PCP. However, in spite of being un-regulated – it has many aspects that are not “minimum cost”.
For example, apart from the multiple magazines and sidelever action already mentioned, the Umarex Iconix PCP includes a burst disk on the HPA tube. There’s also a degassing screw. In the box you will find two magazines and a single shot tray.
So the Iconix scores a 100% for value. There’s no doubt of that.
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Umarex Iconix PCP Air Rifle 0.22
SPEED AND ACCURACY
The Umarex Iconix tested by HAM achieved a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 1,100 FPS when shooting 10.03 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy Green pellets. Fastest lead pellets were – of course – the 11.9 Grain RWS Hobbys at 1,030 FPS.
While FPS may be an understandable metric to many buyers, serious airgunners understand that Muzzle Energy is far more important as a determinant of useful performance.
Here the Iconix scores well with a maximum Muzzle Energy on test of 36.45 Ft/Lbs when shooting 25.39 Grain JSB Monster redesigned pellets.
| Pellet | Average Muzzle Velocity | Average Muzzle Energy | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| H&N Field Target Trophy Green 10.03 Grain | 1,100.29 FPS | 26.96 Ft/Lbs | Good. |
| Predator GTO 11.75 Grain | 1,043.99 FPS | 28.44 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| RWS Hobby 11.9 Grain | 1,030.64 FPS | 28.07 Ft/Lbs | Good. |
| Crosman Premier HP 14.3 Grain | 987.68 FPS | 31.00 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| JSB Jumbo Exact 14.35 Grain | 993.14 FPS | 31.43 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| H&N Field Target Trophy 14.66 Grain | 982.13 FPS | 31.40 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| Datstate Howler Slugs 20.3 Grain | 868.48 FPS | 33.89 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| H&N Baracuda Match 21.14 Grain | 874.66 FPS | 35.95 Ft/Lbs | Excellent. |
| JSB Jumbo Monster 25.39 Grain | 804.33 FPS | 36.45Ft/Lbs | Excellent. Best Tested. |
At 25 Yards, the heavy JSB Jumbo Monsters generated a surprisingly tight group. I was pretty proud of that when contending with that 8 1/2 Lb trigger pull weight!
However, by comparison, groups from the Crosman Premiers and Daystate Howler slugs opened-up somewhat.
TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT
OK, so this is where things fell apart for the Umarex Iconix tested by HAM. The trigger is – frankly – poor!
The second stage is long and creepy. The pull weight is over half a Pound. Yes, the average trigger pull weight in HAM tests was 8 Lbs 8.7 Oz!
Now we have not dismantled the Iconix we received for testing, but there’s no obvious reason why the trigger pull weight should be so high. After all, the similarly-priced Umarex Komplete has an excellent trigger with a pull weight of just 1 Lb 9.6 Oz.
It’s not clear to me why the trigger pull weight should be so high. Indeed it’s difficult to think of a design reason for it. However Umarex USA confirms that there is nothing unusual about the readings we obtained.
There’s a manual safety that is operated by a slider under the trigger guard. Engaging it brings a major blocking piece right in front of the trigger. It’s agricultural and clunky – but it certainly works!
I found that the safety could be pushed “off” using my trigger finger. This was good and more convenient than having to use the slider below the trigger guard.
Likewise, the sidelever action is very acceptable. Of course, it’s not in the “buttery” league to operate. How could it be at this price? But it works well and effectively.
I found it best to operate the sidelever rapidly as that seemed to give the best feeling in operation. There’s no ground for complaint with this…
COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
The manufacturer makes the usual number of claims for the Umarex Iconix.
First, Muzzle Velocity. Here the claim is very precise. A maximum of 1,030 FPS when shooting 11.9 Grain lead pellets. The Ixonix tested by HAM met that claim exactly. It shot at an average of precisely 1,030 FPS for the first 10 shots using RWS Hobby pellets.
It’s extremely rare that we see manufacturer’s specifications matched so accurately on test. Congratulations Umarex!
Next we’ll consider shot count. Umarex claims 25 shots per fill of the Iconix’s HPA tube. As you can see below, HAM testing achieved 27 shots per fill. But note that when we tried for shot 28, the pellet stuck in the barrel as the pressure had fallen too low.
So, yes, 25 shots per fill is definitely correct for a claim. But we recommend not taking any more unless you are prepared to rod-out the barrel.
Now Muzzle Energy. Umarex claims 26.43 Ft/Lbs with 11.9 Grain pellets. HAM’s calculations make it 28.07 Ft/Lbs with the same pellets and Muzzle Velocity. So, again, the specification was at least matched.
But what is most surprising is that Umarex chooses not to stress the power of which the Iconix is truly capable.
In HAM testing, we achieved a maximum of 36.45 Ft/Lbs when shooting 25.39 Grain JSB Jumbo Monster Redesigned pellets. As (almost) all PCPs deliver higher energy when firing heavier ammo, HAM feels Umarex could – and should – make a much higher Muzzle Energy claim for the Iconix.
(The same situation applied with the Umarex Zelos tested recently by HAM).
CONSISTENCY
The Umarex Iconix has a small – 100cc capacity – High Pressure Air tube. While this limits the number of shots available from one fill, it also makes the Iconix very practical to fill from a hand pump – particularly as the maximum fill pressure is “only” 3,000 PSI.
Of course, the gun has no regulator. However the shot curve is quite well contained and is much better than that for some other unregulated PCPs we have seen.
Looking at the shootdown chart (plus the 10-Yard “data” targets), we see that the maximum FPS is achieved with the first or second shot. There’s no requirement to determine the best fill pressure. It is the full 3,000 PSI.
Muzzle Velocity falls reasonably uniformly on a shot-to-shot basis until about shot 22. After that, it plummets until – at shot 28 – there was not enough pressure to force the pellet out of the barrel. Out with the cleaning rod!
As an Iconix owner, I would be sure to re-fill with High Pressure Air after a maximum of 20 shots – two full magazines – of shooting. That way, I would keep to a reasonable Muzzle Velocity and avoid the risk of a pellet jam in the barrel.
Taking the standard HAM metric of 40 FPS Extreme Spread as “consistent”, the Iconix gave us 10 consistent shots per fill. Conveniently, that’s one magazine full. If looking for the best accuracy – and easy re-fill pumping – I would top-up the pressure after each magazine of shooting.
NOISE LEVEL
OK, the Umarex Iconix tested by HAM was loud. It may be backyard-friendly for some, but not in our backyard!
Again, this is not really surprising…
Here we have a quite powerful little air rifle that’s capable of producing 36 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy. With a relatively short barrel length of 20.75 Inches, no built-in sound suppression and no capability to add an airgun silencer, there’s no way that it could be very quiet.
So the Iconix is probably best suited to shooters who are not restricted in noise levels. And no, that’s not a removable barrel nut at the end protecting a threaded muzzle. I tried to remove it. It doesn’t budge and the barrel’s muzzle is not threaded.
SIGHTS AND SCOPE
Another way that the Iconix mirrors current trends is that it is not supplied with open sights. A scope or red dot sight is therefore a mandatory purchase.
Searching for a suitable optic for this light, easy-to-handle air rifle, we chose the Mantis 3-9 x 32 AO scope, mounting it to the gun with Leapers Picatinny rings.
At $69.99, the Mantis scope is obviously not a top-end optic. However it has AO with parallax adjustment down to 10 Yards. Plus it has a Mil-dot reticle for controlled aiming-off. In practical use and testing, these two make a good combination.
Including the mounted scope, the all-up weight was exactly 6 Lbs 0 Oz. (The “bare” weight of the gun alone is just 5.0 Lbs).
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Mantis 3-9×32 AO Rifle Scope, Mil-Dot Reticle, 1/4 MOA, 1 Tube
As can be seen from the photograph above, the Iconix provides a good length of scope mounting rails. The total from end-to-end is no less than 8 Inches. That’s a very generous provision that makes for easy scope mounting.
It also exceeds the rail length provided on some much more expensive air rifles!
SHOOTABILITY
With the exception of that heavy trigger, the Umarex Iconix was very pleasant to shoot. Its light weight and compact form factor made it easy to hold and point. The rubber buttpad gripped well, too.
The ridged swell in the stock ahead of the trigger is in just the right place and is natural to use as a grasping point. It’s also right at the point-of-balance for the gun. Very good!
Of course, the provision of a sidelever action and magazine feed on an airgun of this price would have been unimaginable even just three years ago. These are HUGE shootability benefits that definitely should not be overlooked in any analysis of the Iconix.
I am definitely not taking them for granted…
Finally, the buttstock design and safety mean that the Iconix is definitely left-hand shooter friendly.
APPEARANCE AND FINISH
As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I struggled to love the look of the Umarex Iconix. However – to me – it does look better “in the flesh” than in photographs.
The majority of the exterior of the Umarex Iconix is formed of two clamshell halves. The mold quality of these is very high and the seam between them not objectionable.
The finish of the steel pressure tube looks good as well. Plus, the gun is obviously well put together.
Overall, the perceived quality of the Iconix is high for an air rifle at this price.
BUYING AND OWNING
The gun that arrived at the HAM offices is a regular production model. It included two magazines, a single shot tray, a fill probe and a set of spare O rings.
However, as a clamshell-type design but with screw heads visible on both sides, I would certainly want some guidance before going inside to replace any of those O rings!
Up-front we see the burst disk, degassing key and fill port with rotating cover. As always, I would prefer to have a “Foster type” quick disconnect for air filling rather than a fill probe. It’s one more thing to get lost and without it, you can’t fill the gun.
Ahead of that – as we saw in an earlier photograph – the pressure gauge is located at the end of the HPA tube. Again, I would prefer to not see the gauge in this location as it’s tough to read without pointing the muzzle at your face.
The inclusion of a single shot tray (the same as used in the Umarex Gauntlet) will be welcomed by some knowledgeable owners. However, I suspect that the inclusion of two 10-shot magazines will be more valuable to many.
As always, the Owner’s Manual included with the Umarex Iconix is very good. There’s plenty of information and many illustrations. It’s also in English, French and Spanish.
Umarex USA’s distribution muscle means that we can expect to see the Iconix become available at a wide variety of bricks-and-mortar stores, as well as online. However it is disappointing to see that the warranty is for just 12 months.
TEST TARGETS
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Umarex Iconix PCP Air Rifle 0.22
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