Definitive Guide to Umarex Gauntlet 2 SL30

The Umarex Gauntlet 2 SL features an all-weather synthetic stock with an adjustable cheekpiece and quick-release sling mount in the buttstock. The removable foregrip incorporates M-LOK channels to mount accessories such as lights, lasers, foregrip, or bipod. It's a simple, functional design that looks great, keeps the weight down, and works well.

Starting from the rear of the gun, we find our first significant difference between the original Gauntlet and the new G2. The receiver includes an 11mm and slotted scope rail directly incorporated into the part. Unlike some other guns that have screwed-in top rails, having the optics rail as part of the receiver makes scope mounting more rigid.

Under the receiver, you'll find the adjustable single-stage trigger. The trigger setup from the factory has a lot to be desired. In our opinion, the seer engagement is way too long and crunchy, and there's also an unnecessary amount of overtravel. It works fine and breaks at between 2 and 3 pounds, but it could be so much better. This has been the case with all the Gauntlet variants. Fortunately, the trigger is fully adjustable as long as you are willing to take the action out of the stock to make the adjustments.

To adjust the trigger, you must first remove the forestock, followed by the safety lever. You'll need to remove the side stock screws and the rear stock screw to allow the action to come free from the stock. The bottle is not supposed to be removed from the gun, so you can't completely remove the stock, but you can get enough room to remove the side plate to expose the trigger components. Here, you'll find three main adjustments. There's an Allen screw at the very bottom that adjusts for pull weight. Moving up the back of the trigger, you'll find the middle screw, which can be set to limit overtravel. The top screw adjusts the seer engagement. You mustn't overadjust the seer engagement to be too light. Doing so can leave the gun in an unsafe condition where it could accidentally discharge if dropped or bumped. If you don't know what you are doing or you are not willing to take full responsibility for the adjustment, get professional help so that you have a better trigger experience that's also safe.

We'll save the star of the show for last, so let's continue to move forward and take a look at the magazine well. The Gauntlet 2 .30 SL air rifle ships with two seven-shot magazines and a single-shot tray that fits easily in the receiver. They all "click" into place so shooters have tactile feedback that everything's secure and ready to go.

Continuing forward, you'll find a barrel support followed by another barrel support area in the forestock. The "support" in the forestock is not "active" but rather passive and prevents the barrel from moving too far in any direction.

At the end of the barrel, you'll find a 1/2 UNF threaded endcap for accessories. The 28.25 rifled steel barrel is surrounded by an aluminum shroud, which incorporates an integrated moderator with baffles to help reduce the report of the rifle.

Now, going back to the right side of the receiver, let's talk about the most important change found in this iteration of the Umarex Gauntlet series, and that's the new side-lever. Not only is there a 15% decrease in the required force to cock the gun, but it's also noticeably smoother and easier to operate. It's hard to express just how much this simple design change has completely transformed the usability of the Gauntlet 2 SL30 pellet gun, and we are very excited to hear that it's trickled down to the .22 and .25. That's awesome.

Setup and Operation

Getting the Gauntlet 2 SL30 pellet rifle set up and ready to go will require filling the 24 cubic inch aluminum air bottle to 4500 PSI. We highly recommend using a personal compressor for this task. If you use a bottle, you will only ever equalize the pressure between the two air sources. So, if you start with a 4500 PSI carbon fiber tank, then you won't even get a single fill into your G2. It will close, but you'll not be at 4500 PSI unless your fill source is over 4500 psi to start. Fortunately, we have many options on our site that will get you up to that 4500 PSI mark. Just reach out if you have questions or need help picking the right solution.

Once you've got air in the bottle, you'll need to fill your mags. These work just like all the Gauntlet mags, which are just like the Benjamin Marauder mags and the Air Venturi Avenger mags. There's no mystery here. The .30 cal can hold 7 rounds, the .25 holds 8 rounds, and the .22 holds 10 rounds.

There's one last thing you'll need to have done before you can head to the range, and that's pick an optic. This Gauntlet 2 SL does not ship with a scope, so you'll need to make sure you have that part of the equation solved right up front. Our advice is that you not skimp on your glass. As you will see, the G2 delivers power and accuracy at range. You'll want to pick some quality glass for this one.

Now, let's get some lead headed down range. First off, make sure your safety is set to the safe position. Next, open the bolt with the new side lever action, insert your magazine, and close the lever. The rifle's now ready to fire. Aim at your intended target, release the safety, and gently squeeze the trigger. To take another shot, pull back on the side lever and then return it forward. You're all set to take your next shot. Just repeat the process until the magazine is empty. The side lever will NOT return forward after your final shot.

Performance and Accuracy

The original G2 .30 put up some impressive numbers, and we are pleased to report that the SL model continues down the same path. The regulator comes dialed into about 2800 PSI, so you can expect to get at least 14 shots on the reg. The specs tell us that we should get a max of 25 shots, but we found our model to drop off the reg after shot 19. You can keep shooting, but there's a measurable drop in FPS as you continue forward.

Across the first 19 shots, we had an extreme spread of 16 FPS. That's exceptional out of a big-bore airgun. The fact that this is a very affordable big-bore airgun makes it even more impressive. The average velocity was well over 1000 FPS, and every shot pushed past 100 FPE.

For our tests, we fired the 44.75-grain JSB pellets, the 50.15-grain JSB pellets, and the 56-grain ZAN pellets. The Zan pellets did alright at 50 yards, and the 51.15-grain pellets fell way behind, leaving the 44.75s as the standout performers at 50 yards. If conditions had been better, we would have loved to stretch things out to 75 and 100 yards. We shot steel at those ranges and could get sub-2" groups at 100 yards without trying too hard. Given some time to find the best ammo and set it up in the right conditions, we could see the Gauntlet 2 .30 SL as a serious 100-yard hunting airgun.

7-Shots with 56-grain ZAN pellets at 50 Yards

7-Shots with 44.75-grain JSB pellets at 50 yards

Summing Up

It's always a pleasure to shoot an airgun that just works. Out of the box, our Gauntlet 2 SL30 performed exceptionally well. We wish Umarex would do something about the trigger setup so that customers didn't have to take the time to adjust it, but if that's all that we need to do, then it's a small price to pay. Our results were all shot with the SL30 in its stock configuration. So, these results were before any adjustments to the trigger. These are right out-of-the-box results.

We would love to do some more testing with the SL just to see what it can do after we have some more time behind the trigger. We may be able to bring some more data to you all down the line, but for now, we can happily state that the Gauntlet 2 side lever is a massive step forward. And as mentioned above, we are very happy to see that Umarex has brought the side lever action to the rest of the Gauntlet 2 SL PCP rifle line.

If you have more questions or need help picking the best accessories and ammo for your next airgun, please don't hesitate to give us a call. We are always here to help.