Introduction
Landing in Puerto Rico, the first thing that hits you is the heat. It doesn’t ease in—it’s immediate. The air is heavy, the light is different being so close to the equator vs. the 45th parallel where I live in Northern Michigan. Iguanas aren’t something you have to look for here. They’re everywhere. On rooftops, on fence lines, in the treetops. They’ve become a part of the landscape—and a serious problem.
After grabbing my bags from the airport baggage area I ran outside to the pickup area with a level of excitement I haven’t had in awhile as I was in a totally new environment on a hunting trip. My pickup ride, host, and hunting partner for the week was with Abner Almenas, founder of Puerto Rico Xtreme Outdoors. His hunting guide service is based right in the heart of iguana country—and it’s one of the few operations that takes the invasive species issue seriously from both a conservation and technical shooting perspective.
Puerto Rico Xtreme Outdoors focuses specifically on guided iguana hunts for both visiting airgunners and locals alike. These aren’t casual outings. They’re organized, purposeful hunts that serve two goals: thinning invasive populations and showcasing the capabilities of modern precision air rifles in real-world conditions. Abner brings local knowledge, access to high-density hunting zones, and a deep understanding of how iguanas move and behave—especially in terrain that shifts from urban edge to jungle canopy in a matter of minutes.
I came packed with all my gear, but this trip wasn’t simply to be a product demo or a photoshoot. I was here to meet Abner, test two new rifles from Karma Airguns, and see how they held up under real pressure. Donny from Karma Airguns had sent us the Karma EQ rifles directly for this purpose. We were the first to run them in the field as the final production version had just arrived. It was up to us to put them to the final test before they went live for the airgunner community. The plan: one full day of setup and zeroing, followed by two full days of live hunting in conditions that leave no room for gear that isn’t dialed.
What follows is a breakdown of how the Karma SLS and Karma EQ from Karma Airguns performed when tested the right way—in the field, under pressure, on live targets.
Day 1 – Gear Setup and Zeroing
Before we ever fired a shot at a live target, we spent the entire first day focused on setup. These weren’t rifles pulled off a shelf—we were the first to take them into the field. Donny from Karma Airguns had sent the Karma EQ and Karma SLS specifically for this hunt. The goal was to get honest, real-world data on how they performed in actual hunting conditions—not just from a bench, but under pressure in heat, dust / dirt, and jungle terrain.
We wanted to make sure we were dialed in before starting any live hunting. We took our time to zero both rifles and confirm stability under the same conditions we'd face in the field. Iguana hunting in Puerto Rico isn’t something you go into with gear that isn’t perfectly set up—and when you’re testing new platforms for the first time, that goes double. Head shots are the name of the game so dime sized groups is your goal during tuning and zeroing. Gathering ballistics data with velocity and BC performance with the FX True Ballistics Radar and setting up our Element Optics Ballistic App to pair with the Element Range Finder Module was all part of the process. For shots beyond our near and far zero, that range finder was going to be crucial.
The Karma SLS, in .22 caliber, was set up with an Element Immersive Series 5x30 optic and was shooting 18 grain pellets at 920 FPS. I set a 25-yard near zero and confirmed a 50-yard far zero, giving me a clean, flat trajectory for shots ranging from jungle floor to canopy. From the first few groups, the rifle was stacking shots. The point of impact stayed locked in through several mags. Good to go.
The Karma EQ, in .25 caliber, was running 33.95 grain JSB King Heavies at 940 FPS with a 500cc aluminum bottle. I used the same 25/50 yard zeroing profile. After running a few strings at both distances, the EQ was grouping tight with no shift in POI. Velocity stayed consistent. No pressure creep. No wandering zero. We tested the AEA 38 gr. Slugs too, which were stacking, but with high angle shots like we would be taking I like to use pellets.
We didn’t rush this process. Day 1 was strictly about making sure the rifles were ready and collecting data. We confirmed accuracy, shot count, velocity, and system stability. No tuning was really necessary other than backing the Karma EQ down a bit as it wanted to push those 34 gr. Pellets hard. It is always good to keep pellets in that 850-920 FPS velocity range. Once both rifles were zeroed, we knew we were ready to put them to work.
This was the first time the Karma EQ had been used in a live field setting—and from that first setup day, it was clear Karma Airguns built these rifles for serious conditions.
Day 2 – First Day of Hunting with the Karma SLS
The first hunting day started before the sun was up. We left the mountains where Puerto Rico Xtreme Outdoors is headquartered and headed toward the coast. That drive down is something I won’t forget—tight jungle corridors giving way to open stretches with ocean in the distance, all lit by early morning haze and filtered sun cutting through the green. The farther we got from the hills, the more iguanas we started seeing— rooftops, and tree limbs along the roadside.
Before getting to the first property, we made a quick stop for breakfast at a small local spot—one of those places that doesn’t need a sign. Fresh empanadillas, café con leche, and hot pan de agua straight from the oven. That quick meal would carry us for the long, hot hours ahead. Fueled up and already sweating, we hit the first field.
The terrain we hunted was dense and varied—everything from overgrown fencelines to trees, fallen concrete structures, and low canopy groves. The Karma SLS made moving through it all manageable. Throughout the day, I took a TON of iguanas with the SLS with the semi auto followup. The shots ranged from 15 yards out to 45 yards, many of them through narrow shooting lanes in the trees.
Most were angled up into trees, where I would get pellet strikes against branches needing a fast followup shot. One technique Abner showd me was to intentionally shoot a branch next to the iguana’s head if you didn’t have a clear shot to right behind the eye. They would move their head from the first pelet strike against the branch and the Karma SLS semi auto feature gave me an immediate light out follow-up shot.
By the time we called it for the day, I had full confidence in the platform after dropping dozens of iguanna. The Karma SLS isn’t just compact—it’s surgical. It’s fast to deploy, light to carry, and devastatingly effective in real-world field conditions when every shot counts.
Day 3 – Long-Range with the Karma EQ
For Day 3, we planned to stretch the legs on the Karma EQ. We were moving out of the jungle canopy and into more open farmland—fields, fencelines, and treelines that gave us better opportunities for long-range engagements. I was running the Karma EQ in .25, pushing 33.95 grain JSB King Heavies at 940 FPS, and topped it off with the Element Helix optic, paired with the Element Optics Laser Rangefinder Module mounted on the top with a diving board scope ring attachment. That module linked directly to the Element ballistic app on my phone and gave me exact holdovers and dials based on real-time ranging. No guessing. No fumbling with charts. Just get the range, read the number, dial or hold, and send it!
As soon as we pulled into the property, we glassed a bright orange iguana way up in the treetops. He was just under 75 yards out, moving from one limb to another, trying to position himself in the morning sun. I propped the Karma EQ onto my Primos Trigger sticks, dialed in the range after ranging to it with the range finder module. Wind was light—nothing dramatic, so I held just to the right of the eye in the Element Helix reticle and broke the shot. The King Heavy found its mark with a solid impact. The iguana tumbled and fell hard onto a metal roof of a horse stable. Clean and fast lights out shot.
That shot summed up everything the Karma EQ was meant to do—power and precision. The regulator stayed locked in all day even the beating sun from hunting in the open fields. Pressure readings didn’t drift, and I never saw POI shift throughout multiple mags. Every shot I took was consistent and right where I was expecting.
Over the course of the day, I dropped dozens of iguanas, all between 20 and 80 yards. The EQ performed exactly as tuned—no surprises, no issues. The pairing of the Helix and the Element rangefinder module allowed me to confidently take shots and made first round impacts WAAAAY more often as compared to visual range estimation or guessing.
The Karma EQ proved to be a legitimate field hunting platform, with the shot placement and consistency needed to ethically engage live targets in dynamic environments. From prone to tripod, the airgun is on the heavier side, but was balanced well, tracked naturally, and hit like a hammer.
Conclusion
After three days in Puerto Rico—one for setup and two in the field—I can say this without hesitation: both the Karma SLS and Karma EQ from Karma Airguns brought serious capability to the hunt. But beyond raw performance, it was their design decisions and field-ready features that really stood out.
The Karma SLS is a purpose-built semi-auto designed for mobility and real-time response. The lightweight build made it easy to carry all day, and the folding buttstock was a standout feature—it collapsed down far enough to fit into a large hiking pack. That matters when you’re navigating dense terrain or need to move fast and light. Even under pressure, the semi-auto function never failed. Not once did I need to switch over to the side-cocking mode. If I were back on the bench shooting groups, maybe I’d toggle it, but for hunting, it stayed in semi-auto the entire time—and it worked flawlessly.
The Arca rail also came into play more than I expected. We did several high-angle shots from a tripod using a Two Vets Tripod system, and the SLS locked in stable. For fast target acquisition in awkward positions, that combination delivered. Compact, stable, and responsive—this platform checks all the boxes for a semi-auto hunting rig.
The Karma EQ, on the other hand, is a different animal entirely. It wants to run hot and hard, and for my style of hunting, that’s exactly what I want. I typically run heavy-for-caliber projectiles, and this rifle is tuned for that. The 38 grain AEA slugs were downright nasty—precision matched with power and great BC. Sub-MOA accuracy wasn’t an exception; it was the norm. The 34 grain JSBs and AEAs were even more surgical, giving me single-hole groups at 50 yards without effort.
Despite its heft, the EQ is still carryable in the field, especially if you pair it with a compact optic. I ran it on Primos Trigger Sticks for extra stability after long hours of off-hand shooting, and it made a big difference. If you want to run a bipod or tripod system full time, adding a Saber Tactical bottle clamp with Arca or Picatinny adapter is the move. The rifle’s beefy design really shined when things got rough. It’s built like a tank—and in the jungle, that matters.
What both rifles share is a seriously overbuilt level of barrel rigidity, thanks to the Karma Precision Barrel System. Combined with the 360-degree transfer port, this design gives you not only repeatability but also the kind of consistency across shot strings that precision hunters demand. The high-capacity magazine system on the EQ—meant I spent more time shooting and less time reloading, which is exactly what you want in field conditions when pesting iguana or other furry critters.
Bottom line: Karma Airguns built both of these rifles for real-world use, not just bench bragging or safe queens you’re afraid to get dirty. They are tools for a job. They held zero, delivered consistent shot-to-shot performance, and handled everything we threw at them—from tight jungle stalks to long range shooting across open fields.
They both get the UpNorth Airgunner two thumbs up—no question. From northern Michigan to the southern jungles of Puerto Rico, these rigs proved they belong in the field.
