Umarex DX17

It’s a inexpensive single pump BB gun it’s hard to chock easy to load and shoots crooked as heck just what I expected to get for that kind of money

It shoots the bbs faster than I can spit them out of my mouth. And it may break skin if you can hit a target. I am not a big gun person, I bought this because I always attracted to the not having to use a co2 cartridge. I’m a 50+ year old woman so really I bought it to try to take care of our rat problem. This is not going to do it. I can’t even hit a target from 5 feet away with this. It would only actually kill a rat if I hit it with this gun, literally, because the bbs don’t come out nearly fast enough. It’s not so weak I would shoot at a person and not expect them to hurt themselves, it could put an eye out, you would just need to get the bb to hit the target first lol So this is not a fun to use gun because it is horribly inaccurate. And the cocking mechanism is very hard to do. The price made me buy it, but it’s not worth it… spend $10 more dollars and get a co2 gun that can hit targets. Now that’s some fun plinking!

It is a good gun worked perfectly

Okay, this is not a toy. It is not for beginners, either. This can potentially hurt somebody or something... it's not a high powered airgun but it's powered enough that it could put an eye out or lodge beneath your skin. I would not give this to a child or anyone under 18. I need cat trainers for bully cats that stop other cats in a rescue from eating... some kind of soft item that will not penetrate skin but will do more discomfort than a squirt gun. This gun is way beyond that. Do not ever point or use this on a person or animal. I recommend it for just backyard plinking and target practice at a fairly close range. If you need a prop gun for a play or just for pseudo protection in the home (won't kill a burglar, but will scare him to death) and if you don't want a real gun in your home but want something for protection... this looks like a real gun and probably would scare off intruders. I like the look and feel. It does not have a cheap feel... it feels well made. But, it is a little bulky and awkward to cock and shoot. And the safety does not work well or smoothly. Strangely enough, my real .22 Smith and Wesson is much easier to use, cock, and the safety really works. However... I paid ten times for that what I paid for this BB gun. Like I said... it's a niche gun. It works best as looking like a real gun and or simple backyard target shooting. It will penetrate a plastic package at close range, so I know it penetrates skin. Be careful. This is not a toy. This is in the twilight zone between a toy and a real gun. Not strong enough to protect you, but not weak enough to play with.

Let’s get a couple of things out of the way. I’ll be comparing this gun to its rival as produced by Marksman. Also, I bought this at around $30. I’ve seen it cheaper, but I had a promotional code that I used on other things in the order and it wasn’t too awfully pricey. It can be had for $20 or so if you are willing to wait. Finally, my gun may be slightly defective, but it’s not enough to get me to return the gun. Also, I’m a “Bad News First” kind of guy, so I’m getting the negatives out of the way first. I already touched on cost. At its cheaper $20 going rate, its price is less unpalatable. I’m just not sure it’s worth $30. Also, the slide-lockback safety on mine appears defective. On the Marksman competitor, the safety is a mock slide release that slides through, preventing the slide from moving forward and propelling ammunition downrange. My DX17’s comparable safety mimicks the design of older Marksman pistols of similar design, a mock magazine release that slides into place, locking the slide back. My gun’s safety pushes into place but won’t lock. Maybe I’m missing a step; maybe my gun is slightly defective. It’s a little worrying that the safety isn’t safe, but it’s a relatively minor issue. I don’t particularly care for the mechanism used to load pellets/BBs. I’m not talking about the idea in general (you flip up the barrel and either load the reservoir with BBs or push a light-grain .177 pellet into the barrel itself.) I’m talking about the fact that you push a fake guide rod under the barrel to flip up the barrel itself. It’s a slightly awkward system, and the barrel doesn’t stay up well. It’s also harder to clear a jam from that system than from the older style Marksman pistols, though the newer Marksman shares some of the design flaws in this regard with its Umarex competitor. Finally, and very personally, I prefer the flatter, less obtrusive grips of the Marksman. The Umarex and Marksman pistols appear to take nods from the same real gun, though I’m honestly not sure quite what gun that would be. The Umarex’s grips, however, stick out more in front. The front strap is angled and just, for me, less comfortable to hold. One more tiny negative: the Umarex gun doesn’t come with a mounting rail. I’m not saying it needs one, but the cheaper Marksman gives us a rail, which adds to te fun factor, even though its utility is limited. Now, what do I like about this gun? First of all, the trigger! The trigger on the Marksman is wiggly and often refuses to extend, which means the slide doesn’t reliably lock into place. The umarex’s trigger, on the other hand, is crisp, reliable, and consistent. It also feels better against the finger. I also like the thumb safety. On the Umarex, pushing the slide forward causes the springloaded thumb safety to click smartly into place. The Marksman’s thumb safety isn’t spring loaded, so you have to actually hold the slide forward an d push it into place. It’s a little touch, but it makes this Umarex pistol feel more premium. Speaking of slide travel, this gun’s slide has to travel less to reach the Safe forward position. This is important, particularly in comparison with the Marksman, whose slide has to travel almost an inch against spring tension to be forward enough to be put into safety. It also effects the feel of the gun when fired. The Marksman’s slide jerks forward, then bounces back, giving the gun a bouncy, unpleasant feel, as though it’s trying to escape the hand. The Umarex, on the other hand, fires and has a single bump, the equivalent of smooth recoil impulse, though much smaller. Finally, I much prefer the fit and finish of this pistol to its cheaper competitor. That cheaper competitor feels cheaply made, and while some of this is elusion, or at least remediable, the Umarex feels cleaner, crisper, more solid, more well-made, and generally smoother around the edges. The conclusion, buy it for fun, indoor or outdoor, if you have the $20 or $30 to spare. Don’t expect it to be more than it is. It’s meant for some wholesome fun, not for pest control, target work, or defense. It’s a good gun that suffers from occasional price hike.

Easy loading, has a good weight, good material. This is a good purchase for beginners. Great price!

It’s the best thing I ever got for m son he loves to shoot at his targets kid friendly

I'll be the first to admit that it's hard to expect too much from a $20 BB pistol, but the Dx17 manages to not even live up to my low expectations. It's simple to use. Release the slide, and pull it back. Tip up the barrel and put a few BB's in the hopper. Close it, and push the slide forward. It's not until the spring is cocked that the safety can be operated. -The build quality is OK for what it is. The slide and slide catch are the only external metal parts. The plastic used is rugged enough, though there is a lot of molding seams and flashing left on the gun. The trigger isn't heavy, but it's long, gritty and creepy. The worst trigger I've felt in my life. Heck, I've used Nerf guns with better. In hand ergonomics really are not too bad. -The main issue to address is the accuracy of this thing. At 15' I got 5 shot groups from 3-10 (!) inches. That is positively horrid, even for the price point. The sights, while non adjustable, are good enough. The front sight post sports a red fiber-optic insert that fails to glow and isn't even centered side to side in the post. At 20' the gun shoots some 8 inches high and 5 inches left. The further back you go, the worse the effect is. Of course, futher than 20' the group would be so bad it would be hard to tell. - Power is very, very low, but that's no secret since it's a spring powered BB pistol. Interestingly, the spring is compressed with you push the slide forward. Definitely an awkward way to cock a BB pistol. At 10' it fails to go through even one side of a coke can most of the time. In closing, the Dx17 is too inaccurate for even indoor paper punching. Most stores have the Red Ryder for under $30, and that will get you much better quality, capacity, ease of cocking, power, and accuracy. As far as air pistols go, the low priced Co2 options are a better choice by far. The housing where I live has a roach problem. At 3-4 feet the Dx17 will splatter them most of the time. that is the best use for this pistol.