Umarex Komplete NCR First Hunt

Several weeks ago I was happy to receive one of the first New Umarex Komplete NCR Airguns in .22 caliber. This is a rifle that Umarex sent me directly to be able to field use and ultimately be able to provide a review after using it for a while.

This is a very unique regulated PCP that runs off proprietary 88gram, 3600psi nitrogen cartridges. The NCR or Nitrogen Charged Rifle is available in .177 and .22 calibers and comes in at just under $200 price point with a two pack of cartridges being about $23 and some change.

The weight of the Umarex Komplete comes in at just 5lbs and the overall length is 41.5″ with a 23.6″ rifled barrel. The power this gun produces in .22 caliber is roughly 25fpe and can yield approximately 45 regulated shots off one 88gram nitrogen gas cartridge. The cartridges insert under the forend of the stock much as a typical bottle-fed PCP Airgun.

Before installing the first cartridge it’s important to check that the degassing screw is tight, otherwise you will lose the contents of the nitrogen cartridge. This degassing screw needs to be cracked open whenever these cartridges are changed out, some pressure will be left inside making it difficult to unthread.

Now unfortunately Umarex was only able to provide me with one pack of these nitrogen filled cartridges, so I was very limited to my testing of the gun. I do find it would be somewhat impossible to give the Komplete a full review with that little amount of use, especially when testing for overall longevity of the rifles performance in the field. The Komplete does include a scope as well as two 10 shot rotary style magazines that are very simplistic in design, and easy to load.

As I would be doing some hunting with the Komplete over several days I decided to swap out the factory 4×32 scope with a Hawke Frontier that pairs very well with the Tactacam FTS that I use to capture the action on video. The Umarex Komplete NCR does front a Picatinny rail that is an excellent and secure way to mount optics.

The ten-shot magazine does load into the Komplete from the left side and doesn’t sit high enough to cause mounting issues with whatever optics you decide to use. The sidelever design is very nice touch and makes cocking much smoother from both the bench and hiking around in the field.

As mentioned being limited with only having two of the nitrogen cartridges I could not spend as much time shooting various pellets, I went with the Umarex Brimstone pellets that come in at 18.67gr and through prior experience shoot well out of most of my guns under 30fpe.

The Umarex Komplete was shooting very nice out to 30 yards where I sighted the scope to, I found the trigger to be without exaggeration one of the best I’ve used out of the box.

Having a good trigger is important to be able to achieve repeatable good accuracy from not only the bench but out in those fast-paced hunting situations. Marley and I did spend a few days in a very remote part of the mountains that does offer some excellent Jackrabbit hunting. I setup camp under some Pondarosa Pines that gave us shade and some shelter from the afternoon breeze that comes in. I was using my Pomoly Yarn Tipi tent that I have been using for a few years now, an excellent quality tent that’s perfect for extended stays.

Marley and I set out on foot up into the foothills that has some thick sagebrush with a few spots you can sit in the shade and spot these large Jackrabbits from a distance.

During the heat of the day these Jackrabbits are usually hunkered down in the shade, but you can occasionally sneak up on them. My goal was to attempt to take one of these large Hare’s within 30 yards, a good range for the Komplete at 25fpe. Marley and I found a nice spot in the shade where we had a nice panoramic view out in front of us, didn’t take long to spot one moving from one shade spot to the next.

After sitting in one spot for a while Marley and I slowly made our way along a hillside where I was able to spot a Jackrabbit moving towards us at just 15 yards away.

I made a solid chest shot that took the Jackrabbit down quickly, only making it about a few yards before collapsing. Marley had a difficult time finding it because she hadn’t realized how close we were, she went way out to try making a recovery.

This location is one of the most difficult to hunt, very rugged terrain but nonetheless and excellent testing ground for these Airguns. I did document this entire experience through video that you will find enclosed at the bottom portion of the blog.

This is the first of two Jackrabbits we took down on this trip and I will say the Umarex Komplete is off to a good start as a small game hunting rifle. I still have lots to do with the Komplete as far as testing goes but spending two days with it did give me some insights to be able to share.

I do have lots more work to do with the Umarex Komplete NCR such as testing pellet speed, consistency of the regulator, and the overall durability of this Airgun over time. Without having more of the Nitrogen Cartridges available to me I just did not feel comfortable claiming something like a “Full Review”. My only job is to provide honest feedback to the consumer, and this does take time. These are just a few things about the gun I can share definitively from my short few days out in the field.

      PROS

• Lightweight
• Accurate
• Very nice ergonomics and balance for offhand shooting
• Excellent trigger
• Regulated
• Side-lever
• Pic Rail
• Able to carry and swap extra bottles easily

      CONS

• Fairly loud even with fixed moderator
• Not very economical to shoot

Here is the full documentation of our two days in the field using the Umarex Komplete NCR Airgun: