Umarex Steel Strike CO2 Blowback Steel BB Rifle

Type: BB Rifle
Manufacturer: Umarex
Model: Steel Strike (AR Platform)
Materials: Plastic with metal internals
Weight: 1.72 kg (3.8 lbs)
Barrel: 228.6 mm (9 in), metal, non-rifled
Power Source: CO2 x 2
Action: Semi-automatic/6 round burst, blowback, single-action only
Ammo Type: 4.5mm steel BBs
Ammo Capacity: 900/30 rounds
FPS: 400

Buy the magazine: UMX2252121

Trigger Pull: Single action only, so you will need to charge the rifle by pulling back the charging handle first. Once this is done, the trigger is reset and the gun is ready to shoot. The blowback operation charges the internal bolt automatically after each shot so keep this in mind as the gun is going to be live and ready to shoot until you either run out of ammo or CO2. Make sure to place it in safety mode when not in use, especially when you have CO2 in the gun.

Accuracy: First shot out of the Umarex Steel Strike BB Rifle was below 200 FPS. I think this is because the duel CO2 system needs a least a couple of shots to get primed up because the gun only seemed to get better with each shot, the opposite of what happens with most CO2 airguns. After several shots, the Steel Strike Rifle settled into a nice 390 FPS range and the temperature was only 18° Celsius or 64° Fahrenheit. In warmer conditions I would expect to get at least the 400 FPS claimed by Umarex. Moving onto the accuracy portion, I was very pleased with the results. Placing 10 semi-auto shots 30 feet down range into my paper target using a rested sitting position, I was able to get just under a 1 inch grouping. This was using the built-in flip-up non-adjustable peep sights which I do find a bit hard to use with my aging eyes. The BB rifle shot well-centered, just a little bit low and slightly to the left but very close to the bullseye. When I flipped the selector switch to 6 round burst, things did spread out a bit but this was mainly because of the vibration that caused me to pull the gun to the right with each 6 round burst.

Build Quality: The Umarex Steel Strike BB Rifle is mostly plastic on the outside with most of its metal parts on the inside. Pretty much everything you can see on the outside is going to be plastic except for the magazine release and selector switch. The plastic seems durable enough but it has just a bit too much shine for me, which I think makes it look less like metal and more like plastic. Everything seemed to function as expected but I would have liked to see more metal. Not necessarily the outer shell, but the flash hider, trigger, flip-up sights, and charging handle could've been made out of metal and would have given this BB rifle more weight and balance to it.

Realism: The Steel Strike is designed on the AR platform and is about the right size, shape, and look of an AR15/M16 type rifle. Even the selector switch, magazine release, rear adjustable stock, and charging handle function just like a real AR 15! Some parts are molded in just for looks like the bolt release, dust cover, and forward assist but at least they look the part. The plastic was the real tell here as it kind of looks like plastic whereas some plastic guns are really hard to tell they are not metal, but other than that this is a pretty decent replica of an AR rifle.

Pros:

• Decent 400 FPS rating
• 900 round hopper with 30 shots per magazine fill
• Dual CO2 configuration will get you a decent amount of shots
• 2-position adjustable stock can be removed
• Flip-up sights with optical sight top rail option
• Lots of rail space for adding accessories
• Not a bad replica of an AR platform gun
• Full-auto has a very high rate of fire
• Internal blowback gives a recoil feedback feel
• Price point is good for a fun full-auto BB rifle

Cons:

• Pop-up sights are non-adjustable
• Plastic finish could be higher grade, like what most airsoft ARs use
• More metal would've been nice and added to overall weight (switches, sights, charging handle)
• No sling mounts

Comments: The Umarex Steel Strike BB CO2 .177 Caliber Rifle looks to be an improvement over the Steel Storm and Steel Force. I like the new placement of the duel CO2 into the buffer tube and changing the location of the BBs from the upper receiver to the drop-out magazine. We also get a magazine hopper capacity of up to 900 rounds with the Steel Strike, so no having to refill it for several CO2 swap-outs. I think the overall looks have improved, and the tighter aperture of the peep sight makes getting BBs on target with more accuracy a bit easier. At the end of the day, the Umarex Steel Strike is a really fun CO2 blowback "full-auto" BB rifle that has a crazy 6 round burst rate of fire and shoots pretty hard with good accuracy. You get all of this at a pretty affordable price. Are there other full-auto capable BB rifles that look a little bit better than the Steel Strike? I’m thinking about the Crosman DPMS SBR... Sure, but in terms of performance the Umarex Steel Strike BB Rifle isn't lacking anything in this department. It may depend on your budget and if you’re simply just looking for a fun full-auto CO2 BB rifle.