Umarex Zelos PCP Air Rifle Test Review, .22 Caliber

VALUE FOR MONEY

At a Street Price of $600 – less one Cent – the Umarex Zelos is attractively priced for an air rifle of this type and performance. It combines the currently-popular black, “tactical” look with all the desirable PCP features in today’s market.

These include an externally-adjustable regulated action, sidelever cocking with mid-mounted handle, shrouded barrel and a decent trigger. The high, 20-round, magazine capacity in .22 caliber is another benefit, as is the three-year warranty coverage.

That combination of features, together with the performance demonstrated in this review, confirms without doubt that the Zelos offers great value for mid-tier airgun customers.

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Umarex Zelos PCP Air Rifle 0.22

SPEED AND ACCURACY

The Umarex Zelos tested by HAM delivered a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 1,107 FPS with 10.03 Grain H&N Field Target Green alloy pellets. The maximum achieved with lead pellets was 1,050 using the 11.90 Grain RWS Hobbies.

More importantly for knowledgeable airgunners, the Muzzle Energy peaked at 41.18 Ft/Lbs using JSB Jumbo Monster pellets. This is a strong performance that far exceeds the manufacturer’s claims and surprised the HAM testers.

As can be seen from the above chart, the Umarex Zelos tested by HAM achieved excellent accuracy with all the standard HAM test pellet (and slug) suite. This is definitely not a pellet-picky air rifle – another benefit to add to the many others documented in this review.

At 25 Yards, 10-shot groups from JSB Jumbo Monsters and H&N Baracuda Match pellets were pretty impressive, as you can see.

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

The Umarex Zelos is fitted with a two-stage trigger. As received, the average pull weight was a very pleasant 1 Lb 11.9 Oz. Overall the HAM Testers felt that the trigger to be quite good for a bullpup air rifle not at the top end of the price bracket.

Out of the box, the he first stage was very short and the sear release a little “draggy”. Doug Rogers commented that “I still dislike bullpup triggers, but this one I could live with. I would definitely try the adjustments.”

There’s a simple and positive manual safety. This worked well on test, however, it can only be operated from the right side of the gun.

As can be seen above, the trigger blade can be adjusted for height and cant on the trigger post.

Moving to the photograph below, the trigger connecting rod can be seen in the underside of the frame.

In fact, the trigger can be adjusted for travel, sear engagement and overtravel. However you need to be serious about making any changes, as first it’s necessary to remove no less than 12 screws, together with the cheekpiece and rear stock assembly.

Commendably, the Owner’s Manual explains all this. Thanks Umarex!

The sidelever action is smooth to use. It’s not one of those actions that brings a feeling of delight every time it’s used. But it operates well in a workmanlike manner and is not too heavy.

The Umarex Zelos can be de-cocked by holding back on the cocking lever – with the magazine removed, of course – pulling the trigger and allowing the lever to move back under control.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

Manufacturer’s claims for the Umarex Zelos include the obligatory maximum Muzzle Velocity claim of 1,100 FPS with a “12 Grain” .22 caliber pellet. The nearest HAM can get to that is 1,050 with 11.9 Grain RWS hobby pellets.

That’s within 5% of the claim. Given the adjustibility of the Zelos, we have to say that claim is justified.

Umarex USA also makes a Muzzle Energy claim of 26 Ft/Lbs: without specifying a pellet weight. Well, the gun tested by HAM exceeded that claim with all our standard test suite of ammo, except for the very lightest 10.03 Grain alloys.

In HAM testing, the maximum Muzzle Energy attained was 41.18 Ft/Lbs with the 25.39 Grain JSB Jumbo Monsters. That’s obviously a HUGE increase over the manufacturer’s claims.

CONSISTENCY

Excellent!

The Umarex Zelos air rifle tested by HAM demonstrated outstanding consistency. The trigger pull weight varied almost imperceptibly – less than 3 Ounces across the HAM tests. That’s great performance!

The lack of pellet-fussiness was another great consistency attribute, as was the Standard Deviation of just 3.11 FPS across the entire suite of standard HAM test pellets (and slug).

The shootdown test confirmed this commendable consistency. For 25 shots – until the regulator set point was reached, the Standard Deviation was just 2.40 FPS. Again, that’s outstanding!

However, the shootdown test also demonstrates that the Zelos tested by HAM delivered only 25 shots between fills. This is understandable, given the relatively small – 250 cc – HPA tube and the surprisingly high power level.

Were the HAM testers to own this gun, we would refill with both High Pressure Air and pellets after every 20 shots.

NOISE LEVEL

The Umarex Zelos has a shrouded barrel. However there is no noise reduction system built-in to this – so far as we can tell.

This means that the Zelos is quite loud, as you would expect for an air rifle of this power level. True, the manufacturer has provided a threaded muzzle for the barrel – complete with a protective nut. That’s 1/2-Inch x 20, by the way.

This means that a dedicated airgun silencer can easily be attached where legal. Undoubtedly that would tame the report to backyard-friendly levels. However it will also increase the length of the gun, which has short overall length as a prime selling point.

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

For this test review of the Umarex Zelos, we installed a Hawke Airmax 4-12 x 40 scope using Leapers Accu-Sync Cantilever Scope Rings.

This sighting combination worked well. There was plenty of space along the Picatinny rail to obtain a good eye relief for the HAM testers and the eyeline was good without any additional risers or other complications being required.

The Picatinny rail itself felt sturdy and strong enough to accept a much heavier scope, should that be required.

SHOOTABILITY

In his test notes, Doug Rogers commented that the Umarex Zelos was “light, comfortable, easy to hold and shoot. Plus, I had no problem shooting it left-handed!”

As tested, with the Hawke Airmax scope and Accu-Sync rings, the Zelos weighed-in at a very manageable 9 Lbs 1 Oz. The balance was good for freehand shooting, too.

The shrouded barrel looks rather long and unsupported. However the HAM testers did not detect any “wandering zero” as a result during our review period.

The lower Picatinny rail clamps to the HPA tube and can be positioned along its length. We mounted a Leapers Rubber Armored QD Bipod for some testing and found it a good companion to the Zelos.

Among other user-friendly features, the Umarex Zelos has an externally-adjustable regulator. There’s also a dedicated de-gassing screw.

Plus the two pressure gauges have faceplates that are a model of clarity and are easily read in poor light.

Kudos to Umarex, too, for placing the tube pressure gauge at the side – rather than at the end of – the HPA tube. That’s a good safety feature as it’s not necessary to point the muzzle at yourself when checking pressure – as it is on some PCPs.

The Zelos magazine is well-done, too. It has the relatively high capacity of 20 rounds in .22 caliber, yet the mag itself merges extremely well with the contours of the stock when engaged.

As the magazine does not protrude prominently on either side of the action, it helps the Zelos operate comfortably for both left- and right-handed shooters. This is how all magazines should be!

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

If you are among the many who like the “black gun bullpup look” for their air rifles, the Umarex Zelos will be a definite hit. The design is well-balanced and has an elegant simplicity – at least in our opinion.

Finish is at the expected level for this price point. Both metal and plastic parts were generally well done. However black paint was already flaking off of the trigger shoe, as can be seen in the trigger close-up photo above.

As already mentioned, a big positive goes for the bright, easy-to-read pressure gauges. The face plates are not too complicated and the red, green, red sequence makes comprehension easy.

Umarex deserves congratulations for indicating in the owner’s manual that the pressure gauges have an accuracy of plus or minus 10%. However both gauges on the Zelos tested by HAM matched the readings of our standard reference gauge very closely.

That degassing screw is an useful feature to have, too. It’s surprising how few PCPs – even expensive ones – have this feature.

BUYING AND OWNING

The Umarex Zelos is readily available from the usual online dealers such as Pyramyd and Airgun Depot. It also benefits from a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty. That’s about average for most air rifles nowadays.

The HAM Team was pleased to find that the Umarex Zelos is filled with High Pressure Air by means of a male quick disconnect, rather than by a probe.

There’s also a plastic cap that fits around the end of the quick disconnect. However – curiously – this does not cover the open end of the connector to prevent the ingress of dust, etc. Isn’t that what a filler cap is supposed to do?

Also, the clip sections of the cap that snap over the connector look somewhat flimsy for long-term use.

More positively, the Owner’s Manual is excellent. It contains much information and many illustrations. It’s definitely worth reading!

TEST TARGETS

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Umarex Zelos PCP Air Rifle 0.22

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