Umarex USA has officially announced the introduction of the Umarex Hammer, the American-made .50 caliber air rifle that has become the most powerful production airgun on the planet.
The Hammer has been conceived, designed and engineered in America and is being made in the U.S.A. Its assembly will take place in Fort Smith, Arkansas within the facility of Umarex USA. Adam Blalock, CEO of Umarex USA, Inc. said, “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, Arkansas. The Umarex Hammer represents powerful innovation in air rifles and I couldn’t be more excited that we’re equipped to build it right here.”
The company says that the huge Muzzle Energy and three full-power shots delivered by the .50 caliber Umarex Hammer is achieved by its proprietary, patent-pending, Lightspeed valve. The innovative engineering used to design this internal mechanism coupled with a .50 caliber, 550 grain lead slug is responsible for the generation of its 705 Ft/Lbs of energy at the muzzle.
Almost as impressive, it only takes two pounds of effort to operate its straight-pull bolt, Umarex tells us. This short, effortless, two-inch action is all it takes to cock the rifle and advance the magazine.
Umarex USA’s engineers produced multiple prototypes of various mechanisms for the Hammer during nearly a two-year process that has resulted in a most innovative production big bore hunting air rifle. The soul of the Umarex Hammer is powered by 4,500 PSI of compressed air, held in its on-board, 24 cubic inch carbon fiber cylinder.
The Hammer’s Lightspeed valve, coupled with a precision regulator instantly pulses a measure of air compressed to 3,000 psi, behind the projectile. This innovative patent-pending system efficiently propels a .50 caliber 550 grain lead slug at a muzzle velocity of 760 FPS and a 250 grain slug at over 1,000 FPS.
In addition to being such a powerful airgun delivering three regulated, full-power shots, the Umarex Hammer is the only production big bore air rifle that offers multiple shots from its patent-pending chamber magazine, says the manufacturer. Other big bore air rifles require the insertion of a round into its chamber after every shot fired.
Unique to the Hammer is the utilization of three safeties—a conventional hammer block, a magazine lockout that prevents it from discharging without a magazine inserted, and a trigger block safety.
Umarex USA claims that you won’t find safety mechanisms to this extent on any other big bores. The Umarex Hammer is the most powerful production air rifle in the world, so they charged their engineers, from the beginning, to incorporate safety mechanisms that would help prevent unintended discharges, says the company.
Umarex USA collaborated with PolyOne Corporation, a premier provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions, in the design, engineering and material selection for the stock of the Umarex Hammer air rifle. As a result, the stock, forearm and other key polymer components are produced from Nymax, an advanced polymer that withstands the rugged trials of outdoor hunting and shooting.
Designers from the IQ Design group at PolyOne added three locations into the rifle’s forearm that accept M-LOK accessories, and incorporated a sling stud into the lower half of the rear stock. Together, the advanced polymer materials and innovative design, including smooth edges and tight-fitting joints, form a modern and functional stock for the Hammer rifle that is both shooter-friendly and made to last.
Richard Turner, President of Umarex USA, Inc, said, “In working with PolyOne, we targeted certain design and performance aspects of the polymer portions of the Hammer. The PolyOne team embraced our concept and the performance targets and worked hand-in-hand with our product development team to develop specific options that met our design, weight and most importantly performance goals.”
The Umarex Hammer is equipped with additional features that include a standard AR Magpul grip, Quick Disconnect Foster fitting to fill the onboard air cylinder, externally visible air pressure gauge, a button-rifled .50 caliber barrel, and 8.5-inches of Picatinny rail. MSRP $799.99.
Umarex Hammer Muzzle Energy Examples
Weight (Grains)MaterialFPSFt/Lbs180Umarex ARX1,100484200Lead1,055495250Lead1,000555275Lead945545300Lead930576330Lead (Lyman)935641350Lead (Lyman)875595550Lead760705
Umarex Hammer Features and Specifications – Made in the USA – Most powerful production air rifle on the planet – Delivers 760 Ft/Lbs of energy – Shoots a 550 grain lead slug at 790 FPS – Places 3 rounds of 350 grain lead slugs within an inch at 50 yards – Straight-pull bolt with 2 Lbs. cocking effort and just 2 Inches of travel – Delivers 3 full-power shots per fill – Patent-pending Lightspeed valve – 24 cubic inch HPA carbon fiber tank holds 4,500 PSI – Regulated to 3,000 psi per shot – Utilizes Quick Disconnect Foster fitting for filling – Standard Magpul AR grip – Machined Picatinny Rail 8.5-inch in length with 20 slots – Modern stock designed and manufactured by PolyOne – Three slots incorporated in forearm for M-LOK attachment – Rear sling stud built-in – 43.75-inch overall length – 8.5 pound overall weight unloaded without scope – 29.5-inch barrel length with full length composite shroud – 3 Lbs. trigger pull weight – Three safeties: hammer block, magazine lock-out, trigger block
