Gamo air rifle for Christmas

[troy2000]

I had a delayed entry under the Christmas tree: a Gamo air rifle, made in Spain. I haven't played with anything air-powered since I was a kid over forty years ago. But this doesn't look like your father's Daisy BB gun, except for being .177 ca.

It weighs 6.6 lbs, came with a 3-9x40 scope and a synthetic stock with cheekpieces left and right, and has a claimed velocity of 1000 fps with lead pellets, or 1200 fps with PBA (Performance Ballistic Alloy) ammo, whatever that is. For comparison, I think a regular BB gun does about 700 fps.

It has a rifled barrel, and cocks/pumps by breaking the barrel and folding it toward the butt, just once. Then you swing it back to about the position of a top-break shotgun, drop the pellet in, and close it.

The safety is a lever in front of the trigger (inside the trigger guard) that leaves no room for your finger until you push it forward and off. And the trigger is an adjustable, two-stage trigger.

The dang thing cost more than all but a couple of my Mosins, according to the prices I looked up on the internet. Anyone have any experience with them? Any knowledge of reliability, accuracy, effective range, or any of that good stuff? This is a whole new world for me...

[bigbuddy21]

troy ,that thing will become your favorite target rifle. i have a crossman and it is VERY ACCURITE. as far as range on the instuctions to mine it said dangerous up to 600 yds. now i dont know if that is correct but with a muzzle velocity of 1000 fps it might be. have not had any problems,just put a drop of gunoil every month or so and you wont have any either.

[troy2000]

Oops; looks like there's a forum for these things. Should've looked for one before dropping into the Powder keg, I guess.

[jerry]

You will have a load of fun with it. I have the RWS, I did find a lot to like about the GAMO. The PBA is gold plated, lighter, faster. It is wicked stuff at 1200 fps. Expensive about 11-12C per round, but worth it when performance counts
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff238/C130H2/PBA.jpg

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by jerry

You will have a load of fun with it. I have the RWS, I did find a lot to like about the GAMO. The PBA is gold plated, lighter, faster. It is wicked stuff at 1200 fps. Expensive about 11-12C per round, but worth it when performance counts
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff238/C130H2/PBA.jpg

What would you consider the maximum effective range of these things for rabbits or ground squirrels, jerry? Will they do the job at fifty yards?

[jerry]

I think 50 would be a stretch Troy (for me) definitely want head shots. I'm comfortable at aout 25 yards with it.

I use mine at times for pest control at the camp ground. This yard diggi'n up rodent got thwacked at about 35 yards, but a smaller critter, easier to dispatch.
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...0H2/RWSAUG.jpg

[ArkansasHunter]

troy2000 get out and shoot your new toy !!! I bet you end up lov'in it !

Wow Jerry you put the hurt on them criters, good shoot'in feller !

[Big Dog]

It sounds like the Gamo my BIL has - he loves it.
I have an el-cheapo from Wally's, also made in Spain - but with a horrible stiff & gritty trigger. It's still accurate though - IF I can control that trigger!
These air rifles can out-shoot most .22 rifles at 25 to 50 yards. BUT - the pellet is mighty light! Not a whole lot of 'knock-down' energy. Think head-shot!

[troy2000]

I don't think I'd take a shot at a rabbit that wasn't a head shot anyway, using a rifle. I was raised by my dad, and things drilled into you as a kid die hard...I remember him being appalled at the thought of people using shotguns on rabbits: "how can they sell the pelts, with all those holes in them?!?" When he was a kid during the Depression, rabbits were both food crop and cash crop.

I spent a little time browsing around last night, and it looks like this thing should be pretty reliable at about a hundred feet/thirty five yards, if I do my part. Rabbit season in California is usually July through January, which means it's about to end here. But Arizona is across the river, and it's open season on them all year long there. I'll definitely be getting an Arizona hunting license, and a CRIT one (Colorado River Indian Tribes).

It's funny. When I was growing up out here, all anyone talked about was getting old enough to get out of town and into the world. Well, I spent forty years in the world. I don't regret it; I'd have been miserable not getting a chance to roam. But coming back here now, in my late fifties after the roaming, makes me feel like a prison escapee who not only made it home, but was pardoned after he got there. I love this area, where the Mojave and Sonoran deserts meet around the Colorado River. There's nothing quite like it in the whole world, in my opinion.

[jerry]

It is beautiful. I really enjoyed the 7 years I lived inthe SW. You sound like a happy man.

[BunnyWabbit]

Hubby and I bought a Gamo from the Cabelas Bargain Cave and something was wrong with it. Gamo has a lifetime warranty so we sent it back and got a brand new one.

He takes it squirrel hunting and has killed a possum at 40 yards. Also is a great solution for the feral cats and stray dogs. Only bad thing is I shot it in the yard once and the my former snaggle-toothed crack smoking neighbors called the cops on me and said I was shooting a hi-power rifle. So I had three cops with their guns drawn walking around my house. They thought it was cool once they saw it. Just got a lecture not to shoot it in town.

[jerry]

Danged snaggle toothed crack heads!

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by jerry

Danged snaggle toothed crack heads!

Now be nice, jerry. If they had teeth left to snaggle, they weren't that far gone...

I lived in El Monte once while attending college on the GI Bill, and the VA screwed up and didn't send my checks for several months. I lived mostly out of a large garden, and sold chip-carved redwood planters door-to-door for necessities like beer, rolling tobacco and a little meat. So I took it personally when gophers started raiding my garden, and wiped out a couple from my kitchen window with a .22.

[Big Dog]

Hmmm . . . the spring-air rifles are a tad noisy . . . but "High Powered Rifle"!? Methinks those fools were embibing their own poison. The cops SHOULD have been going thru their house!

[billy]

i keep seeing these gamos for sale.
hhmmm
do i want one?
if you like it troy i'll get one.
(i trust your judgment)

can you tell i dont need much of an excuse?

does it gotta barrel and a trigger?
ok!

[okami515]

my dad got me one last year for xmas, since I moved into town and can't get out to shoot as much can use mine around the house. Want some fun go buy some cheap plastic animals and set them around the yard. makes for a super cheap safai. and if its windy out quite a challenge

[Lepa4013]

PBA is great ammo and will make a loud crack if u've got the power in ur gun to break the sound barrier, I got yelled at a few times for using it in my RWS. I found it isn't the most accurate though. If ur going for a good target gun go thru lots of different pellets they all have different weights and advantages and disadvantages. My friend picked up a nice gamo shadow and loves it.

[mike63]

I shoot my Benjamin 392 more than any other air rifle, but the gamo shadow 1000 has taken its share of game. Not to mention taking care of a few nuisances. Some like the PBA pellets, in my gamo after a few shots it starts to look like a shotgun pattern. Mine likes gamo hunters and crosman premiers the best. When you shot it don't hold it to tight, let it bounce naturally, in fact just support the forearm don't really hold it much.And be patient, they can take practice. Also, they normally need a little break in time to smooth out. You'll notice it shooting smother and getting more acurate as it breaks in. Sure hope you enjoy it.

[CrazyIvan]

I have a Gamo Hunter, spring piston rifle, just like the one you are describing.

They are great rifles, but I did have some trouble with consistency on my shot placement. I think it was a bad scope because later, I took the scope off and it was making a rattle from inside.

I tried the rifle with the iron sites and it works fine.

I would say in calm weather, you have a strong rifle with good accuracy up to 75 yards. Whether it has much in way of penetration/inertia value against prey at that distance...I couldn't say. Any cross wind and I would shallow it to maybe 30 yards, unless you really are determined to adjust for such effects. But, even then...with the lightweigh pellets, they are tossed about in the wind pretty easily.

They will penetrate a 4x4 fencepost about 2.5 inches at 20 yards.

I have found they like round-tipped pellets best. I like hollow-points, but I think they react badly at such high velocities because of weighing so light and not having much in way of positive aerodynamics at the nose.

The barrels are fluted and it helps, but doesn't stop the tumble issues at such high speeds.

Yours is probably a little different, but I spent $229 on mine.

my dad got me one last year for xmas, since I moved into town and can't get out to shoot as much can use mine around the house. Want some fun go buy some cheap plastic animals and set them around the yard. makes for a super cheap safai. and if its windy out quite a challenge

Carefull. Some cities consider pellet/BB rifles/guns an actual "Firearm" and can charge you with unlawful discharge and wreckless endangerment if you fire them within the city.

[NRAJOE]

I went to get the Gamo Whisper at Cabela's cuz it was $100 off and all gone!