Umarex UX Zelos PCP airgun review

Umarex has come a long way from the CO2-powered guns that many of us first associated with the name. The UX Zelos is a proper pre-charged pneumatic, and it sits a clear rung or two above the entry-level Iconix that the German firm launched a couple of seasons back. I ran it in over several sessions, first in the back garden and then down at my club range, and it made a strong case for itself straight away: a genuinely well-sorted rifle at a price that will not frighten anyone off.

What strikes you first is that Umarex has clearly studied what the leading PCPs have been doing well of late, then borrowed those ideas and tidied them up for the Zelos. It looks the business too, all tactical lines and a pared-back synthetic stock, the sort of rifle that would not look out of place slung over a shoulder on a summer evening’s rabbiting.

Umarex UX Zelos: the key specifications

Prices are RRP at the time of publication and may have changed since.

Handling a compact bullpup built from alloy

At 926mm from muzzle to butt the Zelos is a short rifle, yet Umarex has managed to fit a full 680mm of rifled barrel inside it. That is the trick of the bullpup layout, which pushes the loading port right back to the rear of the action so the barrel can run the length of the gun. The block and butt are CNC-machined from aluminium, and despite all that metal and the long barrel it stays light in the hands at 7.4lbs before you add a scope, which matters if you are carrying it round a farm for an afternoon.

The barrel is free-floating and fully shrouded, and the thing that surprised me most on that first shot in the garden was just how little noise it makes. If you want to knock it back further still there is a 1/2in UNF thread waiting at the muzzle for a moderator.

How the regulated cylinder and filling work

Sitting directly beneath the barrel is a 250cc air reservoir that takes a 250 bar (3,625psi) charge. An internal regulator meters that air out, which is what gives you roughly 180 useful shots in .22 and a few less in .177 from a single fill. There is a dial just above the pistol grip that shows the regulator pressure, so you can keep an eye on where you are without guesswork.

Topping up could hardly be simpler. Pop off the tough plastic cap on the end of the cylinder, clip on your female Foster whip, fill to 250 bar and push the cap back on. I was pleased to see the colour-coded contents gauge mounted on the left flank of the cylinder rather than tucked away on the end, because a quick glance down tells you how much air is left, which is both quicker and safer in the field.

Living with the twin rotary magazines

Two rotary magazines come in the box, and they are among the better ones I have used. The .177 holds 24 pellets and the .22 takes 20, which is plenty for a session of pest control or for anyone who likes to send a good few downrange before topping up. Losing one in the long grass will not leave you stuck either, since you always have the spare.

They are made from heavy-duty synthetic with a clear cover, and loading is refreshingly fiddle-free. Turn the cover anticlockwise, flip it over and drop a pellet in skirt-first, then turn the magazine back the right way up and feed the rest into the slots as you rotate the cover round. Each one only goes in from the right and only one way, and a pair of magnets in the rifle meets a pair on the magazine to snap it firmly into place.

The trigger, safety catch and rail options

The trigger is a real high point. A gently curved blade sits on a slim metal post, and the two-stage unit adjusts for both length and weight of pull. The blade is nicely broad so it beds into the pad of your finger, and beyond weight and reach you can also set its height and angle to suit your hold. As it leaves the factory there is a fairly long first stage that comes up against a firm stop, then breaks cleanly with no creep to speak of at around 1lb 10oz, and it is easy to call.

Just above the trigger on the right sits a solid manual safety that pulls back to fire and pushes forward to make safe, with a positive, no-doubt action. Up top you get a generous 235mm length of Picatinny rail for the scope, and a further 100mm section underneath the cylinder for a bipod. That lower rail bolts to a chunky angled block that doubles as a barrel band and stiffens the whole assembly, and a single Allen screw lets you shift or remove it.

Grip, cocking stroke and balance in the hand

An AR-15-style pistol grip, rubberised and fully ambidextrous, anchors the whole thing and feels genuinely good to hold. There is no separate foregrip, so shooting freehand means supporting the gun on the Picatinny rail, or on the cylinder itself if you take the rail off, but I never found that a hardship in practice. The rifle balances right on the aluminium trigger guard, which falls naturally into the leading hand.

The sidelever is the other pleasant surprise. It is genuinely effortless, thanks to a well-sorted linkage, and needs only about a 100-degree sweep to cock. As you work it, an alloy block stamped “Zelos” travels back and forth around the barrel and adds rigidity to the action, and running through a full magazine is a properly slick affair. The 40mm drop handle is slim and sits well in the fingers, and you can de-cock the rifle if you need to.

At the back of the stock there is a rubber butt pad that adjusts for height. Out of the box it slides up and down with nothing more than a push, no tools required, and once you have found the right spot an Allen screw at the rear locks it down.

What it does on the range and around the farm

As is my habit, I spent an hour or so getting the measure of the rifle in the garden before heading down to the club. Once I was on the range I put paper targets out at 28m and started cutting clean, single holes with the JTS Dead Center 10.4gr pellets I had already settled on while zeroing at home. Off the bench the groups came in around the size of my little fingernail, exactly as I had hoped, and stretching out to 40m made barely any difference to that.

This really is a well-built and consistent rifle. Whether it is down to the long barrel, the pellet choice or the pairing of the two, I could find no fault with the way the Zelos shoots. Even the spinners out at 50m took a steady hammering.

Where the Zelos wins and where it compromises

Strengths

• A long 680mm barrel packed into a compact 926mm bullpup
• A genuinely smooth, effortless sidelever
• Generous regulated shot count and an easy side-mounted contents gauge
• Fully adjustable trigger and a comfortable AR-15-style grip
• Consistent, repeatable accuracy for the outlay

Weaknesses

• No foregrip, so freehand shots mean holding the rail or the cylinder
• The bullpup layout and rear loading port will not be to everyone’s taste

The verdict on the Umarex UX Zelos

The UX Zelos is a capable all-rounder carrying a sensible price tag, as content punching paper on the club range as it is out on the permission keeping the rabbits and pigeons in check. Whether you shoot for sport, for the club or for the farmer, it deserves a hard look and a place near the top of the shortlist.