First Look: Umarex Hammer .50-Caliber Air Rifle

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posted on January 30, 2018
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Designed, engineered and built in the USA, the largest production air rifle on the planet is here from Umarex USA. The all-new Umarex Hammer is a .50-caliber air rifle capable of launching a 550-grain lead slug at 760 feet per second, producing 705 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.

“We continually look for products that we can make right here in the USA and more specifically, within the walls of our building in Fort Smith, AR," said Adam Blalock, CEO of Umarex USA. "The Hammer represents powerful innovation in air rifles, and I couldn’t be more excited that we’re equipped to build it right here.”

Over the course of two years, Umarex USA worked on the development of the Hammer, producing a patent-pending air valve called the Lightspeed. This new valve arrangement allows for an instantaneous pulse of air measuring 3,000 PSI, producing enough energy to propel a heavy lead slug downrange at 760 fps. To produce this kind of energy, an on-board air tank made from carbon fiber provides storage for 24 cubic inches of air pressurized to 4,500 PSI. With this on-board storage, the Umarex Hammer has the ability to fire three full-power shots with each topped-off tank.

Despite all this power, the Hammer is designed to be incredibly easy and safe to operate. The airgun uses an on-board chamber magazine combined with a short bolt-action mechanism to load the next round. To advance a new lead pellet to the chamber, the bolt requires a 2-inch throw that only takes 2 pounds of pressure to actuate. In terms of safety, the gun will not fire without a magazine inserted, and when the safety selector is switched on, the gun provides a hammer block and a trigger block to prevent the airgun from discharging unintentionally.

"You won’t find safety mechanisms to this extent on any other big bores," said Steve Lamboy, Umarex USA senior director of strategic development. "The Umarex Hammer is the most powerful production air rifle in the world, so we charged our engineers, from the beginning, to incorporate safety mechanisms that would help prevent unintended discharges."

Umarex teamed up with PolyOne to construct the Hammer using the most rugged polymers available today. Many of the main components, such as the stock and fore-end, are constructed from Nymax, designed specifically to stand up to harsh environments encountered by field users of the Hammer. In addition, the airgun incorporates three M-Lok accessory-attachment slots along the forearm, as well as a sling-swivel stud located on the underside of the stock.

Other features of the Umarex Hammer include a Magpul AR-15 pistol grip, quick-detach Foster fitting for refilling the on-board air tank, external pressure gauge, an 8.5-inch Picatinny rail for mounting optics and a button-rifled barrel for enhanced accuracy. The suggested retail price on the Hammer is $799.99.

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