[SHOT 2022] New Umarex Airsaber Elite X2 and Airjavelin Pro PCP First Shots

Give em both barrels with the Airsaber Elite X2

This year at SHOT Show 2022, Umarex came with a ton of new product.  Their main campaign this year is that 2022 is “The Year of the Airgun Hunter”.  Backing that up is their new 20 Gauge Primal slug, and on the Airbow side, their Double barreled Airsaber Elite X2 and updated PCP powered Airjavelin airbows.

I had plenty of time to get shots on target with the Airbows, and they are no slouch.  First up is the double barreled powerhouse, the Airsaber Elite X2.  Specs are below, per Umarex:

Umarex’s AirSaber is flinging arrows with no strings attached! The Umarex AirSaber uses high-pressure air to propel a 376-grain arrow at velocities up to 450 feet per second with a fully charged air tank. Arrows shot from a full tank reach energy levels over 169 ft-lbs. This is more than enough for hunting big game and is, in fact, legal in 10 states for deer and most states allow for predator/feral species hunting with devices of this kind. The AirSaber uses a special carbon-fiber arrow that weighs 276 grains by itself. These arrows accept standard and mechanical broadheads and are easily changed out. Shooters can expect to get 25 shot at big game lethal energy on one fill or 30 shots of predator lethal energy. The tank pressurizes at 3,625 PSI and the AirSaber comes with a Foster fitting fill probe for easy fills with an HPA compressor, hand-pump, or SCBA tank. The AirSaber is accurate out to 70 yards and has a top Picatinny rail for mounting an optic of your choice. Unlike other arrow shooting rifles the AirSaber has a sleek form and a price that’s hard to beat

• 450 FPS with 376 Grain Arrow
• 169 ft-lbs of Energy
• Pre-Charged Pneumatic Powered (high-pressure air)
• Up to 25 big game lethal shots per fill
• Max Tank Pressure of 3,625 PSI
• Two-Stage Trigger
• Manual Safety
• Multiple Picatinny Accessory Rails
• Comes with (3) Field Tipped Arrows

TRIGGER ACTION	Single
VELOCITY	450 FPS
BARREL LENGTH	23 inches
SAFETY	Manual
CAPACITY	1
SIGHTS	No Sights
CALIBER	Air Archery
LENGTH OF PULL	14.5 Inches
WEIGHT	6.3 LBS
ACTION	Bolt Action

Airsaber Shooting Impressions:

The Airsaber was an absolute joy to shoot.  Loading the Airsaber-specific Air Archery Arrows was simple, sliding them onto each air tube until they clicked into place at the base.  Then, for a right handed shooter they suggest to have the barrel selector on the left barrel first.  Cock the non-ambidextrous cocking lever on the right hand side of the receiver and fire.  Then it’s a quick process to push the selector through to the right barrel, re-cock the action, and fire the second shot.

Accuracy was excellent, with the arrows flying straight to the aiming point each time.  Of course theres no recoil, but the report on the Airsaber is slightly louder than that of the Airjavelin, due to the large hollow sleeve that protects both barrels.  This is something to keep in mind when hunting game, as Umarex reps showed me slow motion video of Javelina ducking its back a bit at the report of the shot.

Precharged Power with the Airjavelin PRO PCP

Also new for this year is the Airjavelin PRO PCP.  Featuring a 70pfs improvement over the 88gram CO2 powered Airjavelin, the PCP version can be charged for 15 full power shots.  Per Umarex:

The world’s most fun air archery gun just got more–More Velocity, More Power, More Air! The Umarex AirJavelin Pro adds pro-level features to the original AirJavelin platform to create a compact, lightweight, and surprisingly powerful pneumatic arrow launching device. The AirJavelin Pro is powered by an onboard 7.4 cubic inch tank that accepts a maximum fill volume of 4,500 psi. This tank is regulated at 1,500 psi which leaves 25 effective shots. Expect 15 full power shots before the pressure drops below the regulator limit. Arrows will launch at 370 FPS and generate 52 ft-lbs of energy. No fill probe is needed as the tank is fitted with a male Foster-style quick connect fitting on the end and optics can be attached to the generous Picatinny rail section on top of the gun. M-LOK accessories are also easily attached to the M-LOK slots found on either side of the barrel.

• 4,500 PSI Max Fill Pressure
• 7.4 CI Tank / 121.3 cc Capacity
• 1500 PSI Regulator
• M-LOK® Rail on Forend
• Full Length Picatinny Rail on Top of Barrel
• (3) 170 Grain Arrows Included
• 52 ft-lbs Energy
• 370 FPS with 170 Grain Arrow
• 25 Effective Shots Per Fill
• Ambidextrous Charging Handle
• Lightweight, Adjustable Stock

ACTION	Bolt Action
CAPACITY	1 shot
OVERALL LENGTH	31″ – 34.25″
POWER SOURCE	PCP
VELOCITY	370 w/ 170 gr Arrow
WEIGHT	4.75 lbs.

Airjavelin PRO PCP Shooting impressions

The fully ambidextrous Airjavelin PRO PCP was light, handy, and very very accurate.  In fact, it was so accurate that person after person was “robin-hooding” their arrows, causing Umarex to run through quite a few arrows at the event.  I purposively aimed underneath each successive shot so as to not ruin arrows, and still was able to send them in a nice straight line down the target.  Forget standard archery targets – These airbows are very very powerful, and will pass through a hefty crossbow target if you don’t set them out far enough.

There also was zero recoil and the whole experience was extremely quiet as well, quite than most pelletguns in my experience, and all the more powerful.

Overall Initial Impressions:

Due to the positive initial experience, I could see these airbows being beneficial to a hunter who is recoil sensitive or someone who needs to control invasive/pest species (including topwater fish!) in a quiet way.  They’re accurate, extremely simple to use, easy to cock, and priced to sell.  We here at Outdoorhub hope to get a more thorough look at these Airbows sometime in the next year.  Stay tuned.

For more information, please visit Umarex.

Rusty S.

Editor of OutdoorHub. Rancher, hunter, fisherman, and fresh air addict.