More big airgun news from IWA 2017 was the announcement of the SIG SAUER ASP20 air rifle and X-Five ASP air pistol. And the Star Wars characters? We’ll get to those shortly…
The SIG SAUER ASP20 is the company’s take on a breakbarrel air rifle. And – as you might expect – it includes a number of key features making it stand out from the herd. But it was rather difficult to photograph, for me, at least.
The SIG SAUER ASP20 is clearly in the magnum power class, with a claimed Muzzle Energy of up to 20 Ft/Lbs. That would be close to 1,100 FPS with a 7.9 Grain pellet in .177 caliber. There’s also to be a .22 caliber version offered.
So far, fairly normal. But the SIG SAUER ASP20 attacks three big issues found with most breakbarrel air rifles head-on, with Patent-pending technology, as General Manager Joe Huston and Product Manager Dani Navickas explained to me. These are barrel lockup, cocking effort and trigger adjustability.
The SIG SAUER ASP20 uses a wedge lock system to achieve barrel lockup. This is said to eliminate barrel droop and to improve accuracy by bringing the barrel back to exactly the same position every time.
The company is also aiming for a “best in class” two-stage trigger, says SIG SAUER. The SIG SAUER ASP20 is claimed to offer a 2 Lb pull weight on the first stage and just 1 Lb for the second stage. Not only that, but SIG SAUER tells me that the pull weight will be easily adjustable in 6 steps, using a setscrew easily accessible at the REAR of the compression tube. That’s another real novelty!
The “Easy Glide” cocking system is claimed to use a true 35 Lb cocking effort. The company claims that the SIG SAUER ASP20 will beat competitive gas ram guns by 33% in this area.
Dani also showed me a second new product – the SIG SAUER X-Five ASP air pistol (above).
The SIG SAUER X-Five ASP will have the company’s new 30-round magazine and an MSRP of $169.99. As you’d expect, it’s a great replica of the X-Five firearm and has a strong blowback action, I’m told.
Look for both the SIG SAUER ASP20 and X-Five models to appear in the Fourth Quarter of 2017.
And now back to the Star Wars theme…
There was lots of excitement at the Umarex booth with the European launch of the Umarex Legends MP replica submachine gun.
Enthusiasts -and there were many – could pose with the Umarex MP and have their photograph taken with the Star Wars characters! On a more down-to-earth level, I’m told by Umarex that the MP will fire full auto for most markets – including the US – and that it has a very realistic, slowish rate or fire. Just like the original MP40 firearm.
The Carl Walther division of Umarex has an active and flourishing custom shop at their German headquarters. Above we see Matthias Schulzendorf – the Manager of this high end customizing facility – displaying a Walther PCP target rifle in the style of the US-flag. They can make one like this for you too!
Below, Matthias demonstrates some of the traditional craftsmanship that his organization brings to stock design and finishing. Thanks Matthias!
Over at JSB, it’s a year of expanding production capacity to meet overwhelming demand for the company’s range of pellets, without compromising on quality, as joint owner Pavel Kolebac (below), explained to me.
Pavel’s holding the beautiful new 2017 JSB pellets catalog. He also told me about the redesign the company has undertaken to further improve the performance of JSB Exact Jumbo Monster Diabolo pellets.
No, JSB’s not moving into the beer market, but they did display an aspect of European culture that would not be expected at the SHOT Show in the USA. Beer was available for attendees at any time on their booth. And, of course, it had to be Czech!
Another of JSB’s ever-friendly joint owners, Hana Polednikova, was ready to pour me a glass, as you can see below. It was way too early in the day for a beer for me. But I’ll be back…
One of the great things about the IWA and SHOT Shows is that you never know who you’ll meet…
Well, actually you do!
Here on the FX booth were three YouTube stars in deep conversation. Giles Barry, Matt Dubber and Ted Bier were having a great time. Talking about the FX Crown, of course!
Stay tuned for more HAM news from the very interesting show!
The post New SIG SAUER ASP20 Air Rifle Launched, Plus More IWA 2017 News. appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.