Umarex MarkPoint Pricing And Background
So far as I can see, the Umarex MarkPoint is the cheapest airgun in the market today. The MSRP for this air pistol is just MSRP is just $34.95. That’s fantastic. But is it any good?
First of all, when you consider the costs involved in bringing any product to market, to sell ANY airgun for just $34.95 in 2025 is nothing short of amazing!
So full marks to Umarex for giving us the MarkPoint. At this price, literally anyone can afford to shoot an airgun!
OK, so now that we have overcome our excitement about the price, what does your $34.95 actually buy you? Is it worth the money – even if it’s less than 35 Bucks?
The MarkPoint was actually launched at the 2024 IWA OutdoorClassics show in Germany. I was there, but confess that I missed the product. Of course, I was distracted by the dazzling array of new PCPs: it will probably happen again this year…
The Umarex MarkPoint is actually a .177 caliber single-shot, break barrel, spring/piston air pistol. This is airgunning reduced to its basics: 100% simplicity. All you need is the gun and a tin of pellets.
In fact MarkPoint is the product name used in the USA by Umarex USA. It’s actually sold under a different name in Europe. There it’s called the Umarex SPA 100. (There’s also a SPA 60 version with a shorter barrel, but otherwise identical).
I’m guessing that “SPA” indicates manufacture by SnowPeak Airguns, the world’s largest airgun manufacturer and a major supplier to Umarex. But don’t quote me on that.
Umarex MarkPoint First Impressions
Wow it’s big! That was my first thought as I opened the shipping box the gun arrived in. Yes, the MarkPoint is no less than 17 Inches long, with the 10 1/2-Inch long barrel being responsible for much of that.
Yes it’s big, but it’s not heavy. Just 1 Lb 12.6 Oz. That makes it a pleasant weight, with a muzzle-heaviness that leads to hope for target shooting accuracy.
My next 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 minimized and very well controlled. The raised “checkering” on the pistol grip is well executed and the design is actually not bad.
On first sight, I was put off by the color scheme. The primarily gray with bright orange highlights looked rather “toy-like” to me at first. But now I’ve got over that and appreciate the design much more.
Shooting The Umarex MarkPoint
First we need to be clear on one thing. I am the world’s WORST pistol shot. In fact, I would be more accurate throwing the gun at a target than trying to shoot it!
So, as HAM Specialist Pistol Tester Doug Wall is enjoying a well-earned vacation, we’ll have to do without a meaningful accuracy assessment. However, here’s what I can tell you…
The MarkPoint started-off with a spell of Dieseling – as you would expect for any self-respecting springer. That seemed to wear off after 40 or 50 shots, however.
From that point, I was seeing Muzzle Velocities in the 310 to 330 FPS range when shooting 7.0 Grain RWS Hobby pellets. Umarex claims a maximum of 300 FPS with lead pellets, plus a blistering 395 FPS when shooting alloys
But seriously, who is gong to shoot expensive alloy pellets with the cheapest airgun on the market? The Markpoint is likely to be fed a diet of cheapest-possible pellets, so that’s what I used too.
At least I can tell you that all the shots I took with the Hobbys hit a Letter-size target at 10 Yards. And before you ask, no I did not clean the barrel before shooting. Most customers for the MarkPoint will surely not do this, so I did not either.
But a smaller number of shots taken with higher-quality pellets – HAM Gold Award-winning RWS Meisterkugeln Pistol – were around “Minute of Soda can” accuracy. Doug Wall would undoubtedly do better. So here we likely have a fun plinker.
Noise-wise, the MarkPoint is definitely not loud. There’s a pleasant crack when the gun is fired. However it didn’t seem loud in my basement range and would definitely be “backyard friendly” outdoors. (If I ever get to see mine again, without a ton of snow and accompanying bone-chilling temperatures).
Then there’s the trigger. The sample I tested registered an average Trigger Pull Weight of no less than 9 Lbs. Ouch!
Surprisingly, the single-stage trigger actually didn’t feel that bad. Sure it was heavy, but it was actually fairly predictable in release – certainly better than I had expected for that sub-$35.00 price.
Sighting comes courtesy of non-adjustable open sights. These comprise a tall front sight matched by a very deep rear notch.
Again I was surprised to discover that the Point-Of-Impact was very well regulated. The MarkPoint shot pretty well to the bull. I would say that the sights are quite good.
Cocking was surprisingly easy – you see, I keep using that “surprising” word”. The effort also seemed to decrease with a little breaking-in, although this was not a formal, structured HAM test so I didn’t measure it.
One thing that didn’t seem to ease was the side-mounted, sliding manual safety. That was far too heavy for me to consider using for every shot. Well, actually I found it too tight to use at all! However this was mitigated by the provision of an excellent – orange – grip safety.
This grip safety was natural to use and blocked the trigger effectively until engaged.
The main potential issue was that I inevitably depressed the grip safety when cocking the gun. Of course, there’s no anti-beartrap mechanism but I know how to cock and load a springer safely and so experienced no issues.
Below. I jammed the butt of the pistol grip against my hip and held the barrel tightly when loading a pellet.
However I would like to see the slide safety made easier to operate. The one on this gun was almost inoperable. Owners will be far more likely to use it if it’s easy to do. I certainly would.
That’s it. There’s no other controls. You just cock, load, point and shoot!
Umarex MarkPoint Potential
Now here’s where it could get interesting…
As with all airguns, there’s a good number of enthusiasts who will want to tinker with this “diamond in the rough”.
Interestingly, Umarex Europe publishes both a parts diagram and parts list for their “SPA 60/100” model. Sadly this is not included in the – otherwise useful – US owner’s manual for the MarkPoint.
So let’s take a look!
There’s high resolution images on the European Umarex website here.
As we can see, the design is very simple. The spring/piston mechanism is enclosed in a metal compression chamber assembly that fits into the synthetic clam shell sides. Basically, there’s only the trigger/safety mechanism and the barrel/cocking lever adding to that.
So here could be the entrée to a little careful tuning. Take a look, there’s already a couple of such videos in YouTube for the SPA60/100. I’m guessing that a little love and knowledgeable attention could go a long way with the MarkPoint…
Umarex MarkPoint Conclusions
For the money, I don’t see how you can go wrong with this gun!
The MarkPoint could be a competent Winter indoor paper-puncher for basement ranges of 10 Yards or less. In better weather, it could be a great plinker for engaging those feral soda cans and similar targets outdoors.
Plus, it could make an interesting introduction to the art of tuning spring/piston airguns.
You see, I actually enjoyed shooting the MarkPoint. I think you may do so, too.
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
Umarex MarkPoint Air Pistol 0.177
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