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Airgun Hobbyist
There is no shortage of CO2 pistols that fire BBs,
pellets, or in some cases both. Models are available in a wide
range of styles and prices. As a result, another BB pistol is
hardly a great news story. However, one must remember
that the economy models make it possible for people to enjoy
the pleasure of shooting without having to spend money that
is needed for other things. As a result, I am glad that there
are CO2 pistols that are affordable. In fact, if such pistols
function well, I enjoy shooting them just as much as I do more
expensive models.
With this point of view, I recently spent some time
checking out the airgun display in a large “mart”. One
pistol that was new to me was labeled simply UMAREX
XGB. Outwardly, the pistol has the overall configuration of
a Walther P99 but with virtually all of the “controls” being
nonfunctioning plastic blobs. In fact, the XGB is simplicity
itself.
The XGB is a lightweight pistol that is largely made
of plastic. However, it has a generous, hand-filling size that
makes it a pleasure to hold. Not all of the BB pistols that I
have fit my hand well and have a comfortable trigger. The
XGB is as good as any in this regard.
Firing the XGB is by double action only. Pulling the
trigger moves the inner steel barrel forward against spring
pressure and when let off occurs, the barrel snaps back to
open the valve that releases gas. In this way, the pistol is
similar to several others.
However, trigger action
is much better than that
of most other pistols of
this type. In fact, the pull
is so smooth that it rivals
trigger action of some of the
striker fired firearms that
I have cycled. Some of my
BB pistols have a trigger
that is too small or which
pinches my finger against
the trigger guard. The XGB
is one of the most comfortable pistols of this type that I have.
It has a 4.25-inch barrel and measures about 6.5 inches in
length.
The XGB features an inline magazine that resides
inside the grip and holds up to 19 BBs. The grip also contains
the metal frame in which a gas cylinder is enclosed.
Access to the compartment is gained by pulling upward and
backward on the bottom of the backstrap. Piercing of the
cylinder is done in the conventional
manner. A screw with a folding wing
nut head is attached to a concave washer
that supports the gas cylinder.
Turning the screw forces the
cylinder upward to make
contact with the piercing
pin. A nice touch is that the
semicircular wing has a spring
that holds it inside a cavity in
the grip frame so the bottom of
the grip is flat.
To aid in loading BBs
in the magazine, the follower
has a ridged tab that is pulled
toward the base of the magazine which exposes
the loading port. Moreover,
when the tab is pulled fully
downward, a small catch is
engaged in the base of the
magazine to hold the follower
against the spring tension.
In that way, one does not
have to hold the follower while trying
to insert BBs. A slight push on the
catch disengages it so the magazine
follower forces the BBs upward against
the retainer. This is a simple and
inexpensive device, but it works well.
Like other inexpensive air
pistols, the XGB has a safety that is located on the right hand
side of the frame just above the
trigger. The sliding tab locks in
place when the safety is both “on”
and “off”. It is released by pushing
it inward which allows the tab
to be moved forward (the “on”
position) or to the rear (the “off”
position). This feature helps to
prevent inadvertent changing of
the safety position.
As would be expected for a
pistol of this type, the sights are simply molded on top of the
frame. The rear sight has a square notch and the front sight
is a square-topped post with a white dot in the center near
the top. Although they are rudimentary, the sights are quite
functional and provide a good sight picture.
Advertised velocity for the XGB is up to 410 ft/sec,
which makes the pistol a rather high powered model.
Of course actual velocity
depends on temperature
because the pressure inside
the cylinder increases as the
temperature increases. Rapid
firing causes the expansion of
gas which in turns cools the
cylinder.
Up to 19 BBs can be loaded in the magazine
of the XGB. The magazine is held inside the
grip frame.
The wing nut that controls
the piercing action has a
spring attached that keeps it
folded inside the bottom of
the grip.
Swinging the hinged
backstrap upward opens the
compartment where a CO2
cylinder is held.
The safety is located above the trigger
and must be pushed inward before it
can be moved forward or backward.
The front sight is a square topped post that
mates nicely with the square notch rear sight.
Retracting
the maga-
zine follower
locks it in
place so
BBs can be
loaded.
by James E. House
