Advice Needed

What caliber and what pellets were you using?

While (spring/gas) piston guns aren't always super quiet, they usually sound similar to a nailgun to those close by (20-30 yards or so). There will be some initial "dieseling" of factory lubes, which can cause supersonic velocities (and a supersonic crack). Usually should stop within the first 10-15 shots or so. If you have a .177, you need to use pellets in the 10.5gr range to keep shots subsonic with that gun (after initial shots). In .22 most light non-lead pellets will go supersonic also... You wanted and purchased a Magnum

To be truthful, you really don't need a "magnum" for squirrels in the back yard/garden. That airgun has the power to potentially take a g-hog... at 50-60 yards or slightly better, provided you could properly place the pellet in the fusebox, haha. If you want, make a cheap quiet trap by filling a cardboard box with denim and/or old rags and shoot into it from about a foot away (won't get a sonic crack) to burn off factory lubes. You'll need a minimum (recommended) 10" depth and packed tight, also make sure behind box has a backstop incase of passthrough. This can be done in garage or basement, to avoid unwanted attention. There will always be noise from the action, but muzzle report should be fairly low or basically non-existent (if you got a pickle at the muzzle).

I can't speak of the Notos pcp, but you can get hpa hand pumps for pcp's on amazon for as little as $40-$50 or so.

drederick said:

Hello, ladies and gents. First time poster here. I need some advice. I'm new to air rifles and was looking for a quiet backyard shooter that is capable of killing squirrels. Damn critters are constantly digging through my garden. I live in a residential area, so it's very important that the rifle needs to be quiet. At first, I was looking at the Umarex Notos, but found out later that my workshop air compressor isn't capable of filling up PCP air rifles. I also didn't want to spend more money buying an air compressor to fill up PCP's, so I decided to check out break barrels. After reading various reviews and watching various videos, I settled on the Gamo Swarm Magnum 10X GEN3i. Some reviews mentioned that the rifle is fairly quiet. The rifle also seemed fairly quiet in some videos. The rifle came in a few days ago and I finally shot the rifle today at my squirrel-feeder that has a backstop, and boy, was it loud as hell. I had to run back inside the house in fear that someone would call the police on me. So, my questions are:

1) I raised a ticket with Gamo. They haven't responded yet. Do you think Gamo would accept a return of the Gamo Swarm Magnum even though I have fired the rifle once? If Gamo doesn't accept the return, what should I do with the rifle? I have zero use for this rifle. It's way too loud. It almost sounded like a real gun. How and where should I sell the rifle?

2) Should I have just gotten an Umarex Notos instead and picked up a hand pump?

Thanks in advance.

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Couple of thoughts… buy a used break barrel like hw97 and add a moderator to it via an adapter or search our classifieds here for a Sub12 FPE someone tuned for field target. Way quieter and easier on scopes… magnums bust scopes quickly
For a pcp you can hand pump… just get a tube version

I agree, my HW97 is probably one of my quietest 'piston' guns, even at full power. These days they're awfully pricey though. All Weihrauch's seem to have climbed up in price the last few years (like everything else)... But we're talking $500-$600 for the rifle only, that's a lot of sticker shock for someone new to airguns...

Sorry cavedweller, I missed the buying used part (read your post too fast, Lol)

drederick said:

That is over my budget. My budget is around $300. I got the Magnum on sale for around $290 from the Gamo web site. I should've just went with my initial gut feeling and went for something less powerful and more quiet in the Umarex Notos. I never knew hand-pumping is a viable option for the Notos. If I had known, I would've gotten the Notos. I just hope Gamo will accept the return.

I just don't get why in this video (30:41) his rifle is so quiet. Is my wooden backstop (~10 yards) causing most of the noise? Are my pellets increasing the noise? I'm using Gamo .22 rocket pellets at 14.5 gr. My rifle sounded like a gun blast. I'm afraid to test fire some more in case it lessens the chances for a return.

I have another question. I'm totally new to shooting. Is weight on an air rifle a positive or negative? The Magnum is heavier than I would like. I would think I can keep more still on a target if the rifle weighs less.

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Your wooden backstop will create a lot of the noise you are hearing.

+1 on new springers dieseling. You just got to burn off the excess lubrication. Which will be a bit loud until you do.

Have a look at a Crosman 362 pump rifle. They are .22’s and have variable power from 3 to 8 pumps. Excellent for back yard squirreling. Also, eveyrone recognizes a pump rifle and most non airgunners think they are toys!

I don't know the proper term, but microphones have a high volume "limit" that reduces the sound recorded if too loud. This can sometimes lead to deceptively quiet impressions. Sometimes reviewers will use a meter to record decibel levels which is nice. Also, not having structures in the vicinity reduces any echo and pellets hitting solid objects can be quite loud too. As mentioned previously, dieseling of factory lubes in the compression chamber can cause pellets to exceed the speed of sound for the first handful of shots. With gas/spring piston guns you have the piston hitting the end of the compression chamber, the more powerful the gun the louder the action noise will be. The fellow at Airgun detectives did a review of the model you have and got "72db" during testing... I'd take that with a grain of salt, but these airguns should be quieter than a rimfire...

I'd still recommend the Notos, it's lightweight, 20fpe, accurate to 50y, easy to hand pump, easy to mod.

I agree, the Notos and a hand pump will get you what you're looking for. You can also clean the barrel of your Gamo with some Ballistol. Run patches through the barrel until clean. This will remove the lube used in shipping and eliminate the dieseling. Shooting it should not impact your ability to return any airgun. You have to use it to determine if it works properly. Also, being new to the airgun world, I would consider purchasing from Pyrimyd Air or Airgun Depot. They are affiliated and both have excellent customer service and are easy to work with if you do have a problem or need to return an airgun for any reason. Look for a hand pump on Amazon, they are fairly inexpensive and there is a good variety to choose from. Just be sure it's made for PCP and will fill to 4500 psi.

drederick said:

That is over my budget. My budget is around $300. I got the Magnum on sale for around $290 from the Gamo web site. I should've just went with my initial gut feeling and went for something less powerful and more quiet in the Umarex Notos. I never knew hand-pumping is a viable option for the Notos. If I had known, I would've gotten the Notos. I just hope Gamo will accept the return.

I just don't get why in this video (30:41) his rifle is so quiet. Is my wooden backstop (~10 yards) causing most of the noise? Are my pellets increasing the noise? I'm using Gamo .22 rocket pellets at 14.5 gr. My rifle sounded like a gun blast. I'm afraid to test fire some more in case it lessens the chances for a return.

I have another question. I'm totally new to shooting. Is weight on an air rifle a positive or negative? The Magnum is heavier than I would like. I would think I can keep more still on a target if the rifle weighs less.

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Put around 20 pellets through it indoors and see if it quiets down . Try some 18gr pellets also .

drederick said:

Hello, ladies and gents. First time poster here. I need some advice. I'm new to air rifles and was looking for a quiet backyard shooter that is capable of killing squirrels. Damn critters are constantly digging through my garden. I live in a residential area, so it's very important that the rifle needs to be quiet. At first, I was looking at the Umarex Notos, but found out later that my workshop air compressor isn't capable of filling up PCP air rifles. I also didn't want to spend more money buying an air compressor to fill up PCP's, so I decided to check out break barrels. After reading various reviews and watching various videos, I settled on the Gamo Swarm Magnum 10X GEN3i. Some reviews mentioned that the rifle is fairly quiet. The rifle also seemed fairly quiet in some videos. The rifle came in a few days ago and I finally shot the rifle today at my squirrel-feeder that has a backstop, and boy, was it loud as hell. I had to run back inside the house in fear that someone would call the police on me. So, my questions are:

1) I raised a ticket with Gamo. They haven't responded yet. Do you think Gamo would accept a return of the Gamo Swarm Magnum even though I have fired the rifle once? If Gamo doesn't accept the return, what should I do with the rifle? I have zero use for this rifle. It's way too loud. It almost sounded like a real gun. How and where should I sell the rifle?

2) Should I have just gotten an Umarex Notos instead and picked up a hand pump?

Thanks in advance.

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Have you given any thought, on simply eliminating the squirrel feeder ?
That would probably cure the problem in the garden.
Is $300 your absolute budget?
If so, I would recommend a inexpensive, multi pump airgun... in .177 caliber.
If your budget were to increase to say $500, Id recommend the Notos and a Young Heng compressor.

Guys always want the Magnums but find out later they don't fit .

drederick said:

Hello, ladies and gents. First time poster here. I need some advice. I'm new to air rifles and was looking for a quiet backyard shooter that is capable of killing squirrels. Damn critters are constantly digging through my garden. I live in a residential area, so it's very important that the rifle needs to be quiet. At first, I was looking at the Umarex Notos, but found out later that my workshop air compressor isn't capable of filling up PCP air rifles. I also didn't want to spend more money buying an air compressor to fill up PCP's, so I decided to check out break barrels. After reading various reviews and watching various videos, I settled on the Gamo Swarm Magnum 10X GEN3i. Some reviews mentioned that the rifle is fairly quiet. The rifle also seemed fairly quiet in some videos. The rifle came in a few days ago and I finally shot the rifle today at my squirrel-feeder that has a backstop, and boy, was it loud as hell. I had to run back inside the house in fear that someone would call the police on me. So, my questions are:

1) I raised a ticket with Gamo. They haven't responded yet. Do you think Gamo would accept a return of the Gamo Swarm Magnum even though I have fired the rifle once? If Gamo doesn't accept the return, what should I do with the rifle? I have zero use for this rifle. It's way too loud. It almost sounded like a real gun. How and where should I sell the rifle?

2) Should I have just gotten an Umarex Notos instead and picked up a hand pump?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I just bought the Notos for back yard plinking and it's perfect for me! My other pcp is a .30 Vulcan 3 @ 115 ft lbs, way to loud and powerful for the back yard. The Notos is more than enough for rabbits and it's quiet as hell. It shoots the 15.89 gr hades @ 754 fps and I'm now shooting 23gn slugs, the NSA .217 and it loves them.

I like to think I'm a pretty decent shot and I can't shoot a springer well at all. My longest shooting session was with my Son's Crosman nitro piston testing different pellets. A 3/4 inch group at 25 yards is about the best I could do. With my PCPs I can get 1/4 inch groups and sometimes less. I am sure better shooters than me could get more out of a springer but my point is that most of us find them harder to shoot accurately. I would get rid of it. I don't know why you would return it to Gamo, however, can't you return it to the establishment you purchased it from (or was that Gamo). The way to find out if a return is a problem is to ask. I sometimes buy things from Amazon just because they are so easy to work with on returns. I would not make it easy to tell you no. You need to ask confidently implying they should accept the return. If you can send it to them looking like a new gun with everything in the box they can sell it to somebody else and won't be out anything other than a little effort in sending it to you.

I've done a bunch of measurements of pellets hitting a pellet trap. My traps use rubber mulch inside a box with a front of cardboard that then gets a target on top. The mulch doesn't make much noise but just a pellet hitting a paper target makes about 85 db of noise. That is plenty noticable in a quiet neighborhood. If somebody is mowing or operating other tools it would probably drown it out but if nothing is going on, the pellet impact will be able to be heard by neighbors. I don't know much about springers but my PCPs are sometimes a little under 85db but the least noise I remember measuring was still upper 70 db range (i.e. close to 80 db). So the pellet impact can indeed be louder than the gun report. I found that when testing moderators I had to shoot at something in the distance so the pellet impact would be quiet and I could actually measure the gun. A pellet hitting a squirrel will make a noticable sound too. It seems to vary more with many but not all impacts quieter than a pellet hitting a paper target.

If you can return the springer I would get a PCP of some sort just because they are easier to shoot accurately. But if your desire is for a gun that is so quiet your neighbors cannot hear it then I wouldn't get one. I don't think that level of quiet really exists. Powder burning guns are so loud that even one shot without hearing protection can permanently damage hearing. 130-140 db is common. By comparison airguns are very quiet. But they still can be over 100 db and ones that are honestly pretty quiet will be 80-90 db. Occasionally you might find one in the upper 70s. I have never shot a Notos but my guess it would be one of the many 80-90 db airguns. It does not hold a lot of air so it should be pretty easy to air up with a hand pump. You can air up any airgun with a hand pump but the more air they take and the higher the pressure they need are the factors that determine how easy it is to fill it with a hand pump. The Notos can store air at 250 bar which is typical but fairly high but the regulator is much lower. You just need to fill it above the regulator to get a few shots.

How friendly are you with your neighbors? I asked all of mine if they would mind me shooting in the back yard and they all said it would be ok as long as I don't shoot at their house. Haha. I am still a bit self conscious about it though, at least until it cools off and people start closing their windows. I typically wait until I know some of them are gone for the weekend, or go out during the day if I have a day off from work.

I am also known to be running saws and hammering a lot on the weekends, so the "nailgun" comparison (that I agree with!) wouldn't really make anyone suspect something was up unless they actually saw me.

The Notos and a $50 handpump would a good choice for what you want. The Gamo Magnum is overkill and more power than you really should want. Personally, I'd go for an HW30/Beeman R7. It's got more than enough power to kill squirrels with headshots, it's very accurate, very quiet and doesn't blow your budget completely out of the water. A low powered gun is what I would want if I were in your shoes. With your neighbors in close proximity, the last thing you want to have to worry about is a rifle that shoots right through your backstop or has enough power to kill a large dog with a chest shot.

One of the MOST FLEXIBLE air guns i own ... Crosman multi pump PC77 woodswalker.
Fitted with a TKO small ldc it is ridiculously quiet. Pump it 3 to 10 times pending power wanted.
Just a sublime occasional shot yard gun !

drederick said:

Hello, ladies and gents. First time poster here. I need some advice. I'm new to air rifles and was looking for a quiet backyard shooter that is capable of killing squirrels. Damn critters are constantly digging through my garden. I live in a residential area, so it's very important that the rifle needs to be quiet. At first, I was looking at the Umarex Notos, but found out later that my workshop air compressor isn't capable of filling up PCP air rifles. I also didn't want to spend more money buying an air compressor to fill up PCP's, so I decided to check out break barrels. After reading various reviews and watching various videos, I settled on the Gamo Swarm Magnum 10X GEN3i. Some reviews mentioned that the rifle is fairly quiet. The rifle also seemed fairly quiet in some videos. The rifle came in a few days ago and I finally shot the rifle today at my squirrel-feeder that has a backstop, and boy, was it loud as hell. I had to run back inside the house in fear that someone would call the police on me. So, my questions are:

1) I raised a ticket with Gamo. They haven't responded yet. Do you think Gamo would accept a return of the Gamo Swarm Magnum even though I have fired the rifle once? If Gamo doesn't accept the return, what should I do with the rifle? I have zero use for this rifle. It's way too loud. It almost sounded like a real gun. How and where should I sell the rifle?

2) Should I have just gotten an Umarex Notos instead and picked up a hand pump?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

yes. you should have gotten the notos and a 70$ hand pump. from 0psi to 3625psi might be a small task but pumping from 2000psi to 3625psi will take about two minutes of fully extended pumping stroke cycles(fully up, fully down). i’m almost certain that the notos comes to your door either fully charged or at least half way charged.