Air Venturi Avenge-X Classic PCP Air Rifle: Full Review

Many American hunters began shooting with an air rifle, and that’s both a blessing and a curse for the air gun industry. This familiarity with air rifles makes many hunters and shooters open to the idea of carrying an air rifle in the field, but because many hunters associate air rifles with the underpowered and underperforming guns they shot when they were young there’s a belief that air rifles air beginner guns.

Quickly run through the list of air gun offerings available today from companies like Pyramyd AIR and you’ll quickly see that today’s pellet guns are far more effective than air rifles from just a few years ago. One of the most appealing of Pyramyd AIR’s many pellet gun offerings is the Avenge-X, a modular, multi-caliber air rifle that allows you to switch between .177, .22, and .25-caliber pellets.

Clearing the Air

Before we take a deep dive into the finer details of the Avenge-X it’s worth running down some of the basic features of the rifle that some hunters may not know are available on air guns. The Avenge-X by Air Venturi is a pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifle, which means compressed air is stored in a tube or tank and that reserve of air is used to fire pellets. This means there’s no need to ready by pumping a lever. Instead, you simply pull back on the reversible side lever and press it forward to load a pellet in the chamber, and that means you can fire these air rifles in rapid succession.

Air Venturi offers both single pellet tray and rotary magazine options, and with the rotary magazine, you can fire multiple shots in rapid succession so long as you have air remaining in the tank. The 210cc air tube supplies power for about 110 shots with .177 pellets, 80 shots with .22 pellets, and 55 shots with .25 pellets, and you can expect roughly double that many shots with the 400cc tank. Max fill pressure for the Avenge-X is 4,351 psi. .177 pellets can achieve a maximum velocity of 1,160 fps with 29 FPE of energy. At the top end of the power scale you have the .25 rifle that can fire a 25.4-grain pellet at 980 fps and can produce energy levels that are twice that of the .177 version.

What this means to hunters is that modern pellet rifles are suitable for taking small predators at close to moderate ranges. The Avenge-X is even more appealing because in a matter of minutes you can transform the rifle from .177 caliber to .22 or .25 in a matter of minutes. All that is required is a conversion kit.

Air Venturi rifles offer ample power for small game and vermin and the accuracy required to hit these targets, but another distinct advantage of air rifles is that they ship directly to the buyer’s door without the need to fill out a 4473 form. You can also buy pellets and other accessories without some of the restrictions that are in place when purchasing rimfire or centerfire ammunition. Plus, with the low cost of pellets compared to loaded cartridges you can shoot more and pay less.

The Brilliance of the Avenge-X

The Avenge-X is an outstanding air rifle that comes with your choice of a wood or polymer adjustable stock and either a 210cc air tube or 400cc air tank. The version I tested came with a polymer stock, and I ordered the kit to transform the rifle from .22 caliber to .25 caliber.

Not all “simple conversion kits” live up to their billing, but the Avenge-X is truly as simple to operate as advertised. For their part, Air Venturi offers an easy-to-follow video tutorial that walks you through the process step by step, but I will explain the major steps involved.

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First, make certain that the rifle is unloaded. The gun doesn’t have to be degassed (a process that requires loosening a hex head nut in the left side of the rifle), but since the process is simple and straightforward I went ahead and emptied the tank before swapping from .22 to .25 caliber.

The barrel and barrel shroud assembly must be removed, and this is accomplished by loosening two screws on top of the breech. The barrel assembly can then be pulled forward through the barrel ring and replaced with the new barrel. The pellet probe (small metal rod that presses the pellet into the chamber) must also be changed out, but the process takes no more than a couple of minutes. There’s an indexing notch and post on the barrel and receiver (respectively) to make certain that the barrel is properly positioned.

After removing and replacing the barrel you can loosen and remove the pellet probe and replace it with the new one and the transformation is complete. The process is astoundingly simple and fast, and even someone with very little mechanical skill will be able to complete caliber changes in a matter of minutes. One important piece of advice, though, is to keep the supplied wrenches close at hand since they are the primary tools required for routine care and maintenance of the rifle. The Avenge-X’s barrel has a ½-20 threaded cap and comes with a baffle that helps properly align the barrel.

The air gauge on the left side measures regulator pressure while the right-side valve measures fill pressure so you’ll always be able to estimate how much air remains in the gun. The tube or tank has a male quick connect point for adding air (I used the Air Venturi ROVAir 4500 compressor which kept the gun running without any issues) and the two-position transfer port is externally adjustable. The two-stage trigger is also adjustable, as is the comb and buttpad. Top and bottom rail sections allow you to attach a variety of optics and accessories to the rifle.

MAP (minimum advertised price) for the Air Venturi Avenge-X rifle as tested is set at $499, which is a great deal considering how versatile this gun truly is.

The Practicality of Air Rifles in the Field

I’ve grown to truly appreciate all that air rifles like the Avenge-X offer hunters. For starters, these rifles are much less expensive to shoot than rimfires while still offering similar (or even greater) terminal performance on small game. Additionally, PCP rifles like the Avenge-X allow hunters to head afield with a tin full of pellets and a tank of air and shoot dozens if not hundreds of times.

Pellet rifles now offer many of the same features as rimfire and centerfire rifles. The Avenge-X’s top and bottom Picatinny rails make it easy to mount optics and accessories on the gun. I chose to add a Viridian RFX25 green dot sight to the rifle’s top rear rail section because I knew that I would be swapping out barrels and that requires access to the front rail. But you could mount a scope on this quickly and easily if you’d prefer. A bipod stabilizes the rifle effectively and enhances accuracy. The two-stage trigger is also exceptionally good and better than you’ll find on some rimfire rifles.

All of this combines to make the Avenge-X and similar air rifles from Pyramyd AIR suitable guns for hunting a broad array of small game. But they’re also a fun and affordable way to practice, and because they are much quieter than rimfire guns you can shoot air rifles like the Avenge-X in your backyard without offending the neighbors.

If you haven’t hunted with a modern air rifle now is the time, and Pyramyd AIR is going to have the gun and accessories that you need. I think you’ll find that modern, sophisticated air rifles are far more functional than the gun you carried as a youngster.

For more information, visit: pyramydair.com

Air Venturi Avenge-X Air Rifle Specs

• Caliber: .177, .22. .25 (interchangeable)
• Energy Source: PCP
• Max PSI: 4,351
• Max Velocity: 1,160 fps (.177)
• Trigger: Two-stage adjustable
• Optics: Weaver/Picatinny Rail
• Barrel: Two-piece shrouded, ½-20 threads, 22.8 inch
• Overall length: 43.75 inches
• Weight: 7.7 to 7.75 pounds
• MSRP: $499