36 AIRGUN WORLD http://www.airgunshooting.co.uk
One of the great benefits of the original
Winchester underlever rifle was that it used a
pistol cartridge. This meant that cowboys only
had to keep one type of ammunition about
their person, to be used in both revolver and
rifle. The same apples to the Umarex Legends
Cowboy rifle. It also uses cartridges that are
compatible with some CO2-powered BB
revolvers. Again, this just makes sense and
allows the happy owner to use BB carridges in
both types of gun, but talking of the BB
cartridges, there is an issue here.CATCH THEM IF YOU CAN
Unlike firearm ‘empties’, there is an absoloute
need to recover them for further use. If not,
ownership of this rifle would become
prohibitively expensive. One great feature of
this BB gun is the way that the ejected
cartridges are thrown out and away from the
breech when the ever action (over action?) is
operated. This, of course, is part of the extreme
realism of the Legends Cowboy rifle and the
thrill of shooting it.The downside is – you’ve
guessed it already – finding the BB cartridges
again after a shooting session. It’s bad enough
indoors because they seem magically drawn to
land in the most inaccessible places, but
outdoors, many will be lost forever, particularly
if you’re shooting in long grass, and they will
need to be cleaned and the crud removed
before re-using them for more fun shooting. Oh
well, it’s a small price to pay for such realism.
The wise owner will certainly buy a supply of
spare cartridges, along with plenty of BBs and
CO2 capsules for this gun.PRICE AND PROVENANCE
In the US, this amazingly realistic BB gun sells
for $200 plus Sales Tax. I would tell you what
that is in good old British quid, but it would be
wrong immediately due to ever-changing
exchange rates.
However, $200 is around par for the course
for the increasing number of CO2-powered
replica long guns over here, in the same way
that $100 is the general benchmark price for
replica air pistols, so the price is attractive, too.
For a BB gun that’s as American as it gets,
though, there’s a sting in the tail. The Umarex
Legends Cowboy rifle is made in Taiwan! Stephen Archer is Publisher of the premier
US online airgun magazine, Hard Air
Magazine. http://www.hardairmagazine.com.AIRGUNS IN THE U.S.
time, there’s a lever-action carbine replica that
uses individual BB ‘cartridges’ that are loaded
through the side gate and ejected through the
top of the receiver when the lever action is
operated.
The Legends Cowboy rifle was first shown at the
2017 SHOT Show. Since then, it’s actually been
introduced in the UK and other countries, before
being launched in its spiritual home, the USA.
For most customers, the wait has been
worthwhile. The 2017 spec’s listed a rather
puny 410fps muzzle velocity. This has
increased to a much more satisfactory 600fps
in the finally shipping product.
In fact, the Legends Cowboy rifle that we’ve
been testing gave 580fps at a cool 59 degree
Farenheit ambient temperature. As the muzzle
velocity of CO2-powered airguns typically
increases by 2fps per degree F, that translates
to around 640fps at 90 degrees F. It’s plenty
powerful for a BB gun!
Clearly there’s been some clever engineering
work expended on valve design because this
high muzzle velocity is combined with a very
decent shot count.
LOTS OF SHOTS, LOTS OF
ACCURACY
We achieved 110 good shots from two CO2
capsules before velocity dropped below
300fps. That’s 55 shots per capsule and at the
strong muzzle velocity is particularly
impressive. Of course, there’s no blow-back
action to drain CO2 as there is in so many
pistols (and the Legends MP40).
Even more impressive is that the Legends
Cowboy rifle gave us outstanding accuracy. We
saw 3/4-inch, 10-shot groups at 10 yards using
ASG Blaster 5.32 rain BBs. That’s the most
accurate replica BB gun I’ve ever shot!IS IT WOOD?
Then there’s the stock. Yes, it’s synthetic, both
parts, but I haven’t yet met anyone who doesn’t
think it’s real tree wood, at least until they’ve
handled it somewhat. The quality of the
moulding, is absoloutely incredible. I’ve never
seen anything like it before. This stock
appearance is another great leap forward from
the original samples. It’s not that they were bad,
just that the production guns are so much better.Two CO2 capsules fit back-to-back in the butt,
with a long spacer to keep them in place.BB-holding
cartridges are
thumbed in
through the side
loading gate.The empty BB
cartridge can be
seen, briefly,
before it flies out
of the action.The sights are good, but the replica
wood is amazingly realistic.Those empties fly
everywhere. I’ve
lost a few already!The lever action is remarkably
effective and realistic.