Ultima-X multi-shot PCP

The Ultima-X in my opinion will raise a few eyebrows and wry smiles. One look will have many associate it with a discontinued design. OK it’s slightly trimmer and shorter, yet the familiar, manually-operated, rotary, 10-shot magazine and snap-fit plastic pellet loading channel for single-shot mode are in evidence. I’m not making any comparisons or voicing judgement, as this is a new air rifle from a recently re-vamped company so I’m taking it as such…

Open the Box

When I was contacted by DGS they told me of their new rifle but not much else, except it’s a multi-shot PCP with a 10-shot payload. Immediately on opening the box my initial feeling was – I’ve tried one of these before. However no matter what it may or may not remind you of, I’ve been assured it’s been totally revamped inside and out.

Having said that, I’m sure on first seeing the rifle you’ll be impressed with the Sepatia wood stock with its unique grain configuration. This material first came to the general airgun enthusiast’s attention when Armex launched their first multi-shot PCP – the Avenger 10. However, the ambidextrous sporter design the Ultima-X action sits in has to be seen and held to fully appreciate it. The rear is dominated by the high ambidextrous cheekpiece and adjustable (sliding) rubber butt pad. Moving forwards there’s a steep, drop down pistol grip with thumb rest and a slim neck that gives you a very comfortable, stable base to operate the trigger.

Starting from the back of the metal trigger guard to the front of the action block, the rifle retains a slim profile yet is slab-sided and quite deep. At the point the semi-free floating barrel begins its journey forward, the stock swells out to form a much more rounded yet slim profile. This soon tapers to end relatively quickly, well before the end of the air reservoir, with a chunky barrel band in a stylish semi-Schnable tip.

Fill and Load

A push-fit fill probe is supplied that engages into the hole in the underside and front end of the air reservoir, where a 190-bar fill gives 45 full power shots. Operation is by a rear mounted stainless steel cocking handle, which when pulled fully back cocks the rifle and pushed back in takes a pellet from one of the chambers in the manually operated 10-shot rotary magazine system.  When preparing for the next shot, don’t forget the magazine is manually indexed, which is easy enough to do in a world of automated feed systems!Alternatively, if the magazine unit has been removed, and replaced by the ‘clip in’ friction fit ABS single shot loading tray, the Ultima-X is transformed from lightweight multi-shot hunter into a nicely balanced HFT contender.

A good bit of news for southpaw shooters is that if you want to transform this rifle into a true leftie you can – the fairly easy procedure is fully described in the manual. When all screwed back in place, the cocking handle is reversed to hang down the left side of the action making this a truly ambidextrous air rifle.

Multi-coloured Dream Scope?

I scoped up with a Leaper’s UTG 3 – 12 X 44 SWAT model that features a multi-coloured illuminated reticle – which was a first for me! With Leaper’s E-Z Tap rheostat digital switching system you can scroll through virtually all the colours of the rainbow for illuminating the Mil-Dot reticle. This ‘multi-coloured’ facility isn’t a gimmick as even I was surprised at how I favoured purple over red and even yellow when it became overcast. A full review will be run on these scopes soon, as they are as interesting as they are practical. I say that after hunting with one, so though it might seem strange now, I’m sure that you’ll appreciate the benefits once you’ve tried one.

Brand UK

The barrel is 19” long and choked at the end for added performance and threaded ½ x 20”UNF. Spinning on the recommended Soundbiter Sound Moderator only adds 3 ½” to the 37.25” overall length. I lost count during conversation with DGS of the countries that make parts for the Ultima-X. But they ensured me they only use the best gun manufacturers who also make parts for many other imported air rifles. Despite accessing components world-wide DGS takes pride in saying it’s fully assembled and tested in the UK!

The 2-stage adjustable trigger unit has a nice curve on the broad metal blade that sits safely inside the guard. Due to the well thought out grip design, control and operation shouldn’t be a concern.
Best groups with most quality ammo were sub ¾” at my .22 calibre 25-yd set zero, opening up to 3/4” groups at 35-yds shooting rested. The trigger is crisp and feels nice to the touch, the Soundbiter moddy despite its diminutive size tamed muzzle report to an acceptable level, and I didn’t feel the need to put anything larger or different up-front.

So there you have it, the Ultima-X from DGS. A lot of features are similar to a model now discontinued but the design has been changed for the better. Why not try one, it won’t break the bank and at 5.5lbs un-scoped it’s not a bad lightweight Hunter/HFT rifle. It would be well suited to newcomers on a budget and it’s got the accuracy if you’ve got the skill. An attractive rifle at an attractive price, but I can’t help feeling a touch of Déjà Vu…