The Big Clone Purveyors: Does Umarex have the fewest problems?

[harleyflhxi]

Compared to Crosman/Benjamin, Stoeger (and anyone else who I've forgotten at the current moment)?  And if so, is it because they have greater control over the manufacturing process, or because they are cloning better-designed guns, in the first place?

Crosman and Stoeger are using old Gamo clones or derivatives thereof, and Umarex clones RWS guns.

What say ye?

[LAalex]

Both my Crosmans have served me well, but they needed GRTIII triggers to shine.  Sounds like they're going downhill as far as quality though--plastic breech blocks and a different barrel lockup design.  The Ruger Blackhawk shows up as a refurb as much as anything else, so apparently a lot of those get returned.  I think if Hatsan gets its act together as far as providing spare parts, they will cut into the Chinese business pretty good.  The Chinese guns have the advantage of being @ WalMart and the other big chains and carrying American names, but if the quality continues to decline I think they'll get a smaller share of the hobbyist trade.  JMO.

Scotty

[mikeiniowa]

the quality in the Umarex stuff is were Umarex wants it to be, the factory builds them to umarex specs...I have seen some really top shelf stuff at the factory, they just haven't gotten around to getting the good stuff out, takes awhile to do it right and they are all pushed right now due to demand...

[pappa]

Blackhawks show up as refurbs mostly from the fact that they are cheaper than most new rifles so they are are purchased, usually by newbies that don't have an inkling as to how to use them properly, and then return them as a 'bad' rifle because they couldn't make them perform.   I have purchased at least 8 refurbished Blackhawks in the last 2 years and they have ALL been 100% good. The 2 that I list on my postings have been tuned with good replacement parts and I'll put either one up against any RWS34 made. They have cleanly taken more game from squirrels to raccoons than all of my other rifles combined.

So, please, don't hold up the Blackhawks as inferior rifles just because they are made in China or sold by Umarex. In fact, I recently had to replace a broken plastic RWS350 trigger and the only replacement metal trigger that I could find that worked was from a spare Blackhawk trigger I had in my parts bin. Umarex could only supply a replacement PLASTIC trigger.