Pellet guns step up air pistol accuracy and velocity to the competition 10-meter range. For Umarex, the Beretta 92 FS pellet gun has been a standard for over 15 years, and it has remained the company’s flagship pellet gun with the greatest variety of model variations and accessories. The latest 92 FS with all the options (except wood grips) is shown with the Walther MRS red-dot sight bridge-mounted to the slide and an Umarex rail-mounted red laser. This is the full-on target version that’s ideally suited for 10 meters.

High End

Pellet guns are pricier, with the Umarex 92 FS holding an MSRP of $249 plus accessories, but you get vastly improved accuracy. The tradeoff for use in remedial training is a totally different loading and operation system that is technically more akin to a revolver than an auto.

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The 92 FS tips the scales at 44.4 ounces without accessories, making it heavier than a 9mm model, but the payback is in accuracy. At 10 meters, firing from a standing position using a two-handed hold, I placed eight shots less than 0.75 inches from center to center. From a table rest, I fired two 8-shot groups, with shots hitting within 0.625 inches in the X-bull.

Why eight shots? The Umarex-designed rotary magazine. It fits into the slide, which is opened by dropping the takedown lever, at which point the slide splits and moves forward at the juncture just behind the lever. The mag is inserted and the slide pushed closed. In reality, the Beretta air pistol (and all air pistols using this design) is a revolver internally.

Smooth Operator

A standard 12-gram CO2 capsule fits inside the magazine well and is accessed by depressing the magazine release, which springs open the right-side grip panel. It sets onto a threaded platform under tension from what appears to be the bottom of a Beretta 9mm magazine. This actually cantilevers down, and after the capsule is adjusted into locked position, closing the base seats it, puncturing the seal and allowing the compressed CO2 to be drawn off in the required amount with each shot. Press the grip panel back in place and you’re good to go.

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Range tests revealed consistent power and accuracy for up to a dozen 8-shot magazines before air pressure begins to drop off, evident both by the sound of the hits on target and a slow but continual drop from the point of aim.

For more information, visit http://www.umarexusa.com