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Are Gamos really all “JUNK”?

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R

racolon

Member
Oct 18, 2018
325
19
AZ, United States
So I have a few PCP rifles and just recently bought a HW97KT which I absolutely love. Not as quiet, light weight or powerful as the PCPs but really accurate and fun to shoot.

went to wallyworld and saw a few light weight Gamos there and thought I’d give them a shot. Even bought their 230$ in .22 and in 177. All together I tried 5 different Gamos. None of them I could get to group at 20 yards. 

I thought it was the scopes so I took the scope off my hw97kt and tried that with no luck either. Put the Gamo scopes on my hw97 and they work great. Tried iron sights on the Gamos and same problem, no grouping at all. 

Thank God for their return policy as they took them all back. I sure wanted to keep one of them to have laying around getting beat up in my work truck for those slow times. 

Any input or tips on why this things are just not accurate? Or is it me not shooting them right? I can shoot pretty well with my HW97KT and I did try all kinds of different JSB pellets. Tried the 16gr, 14gr, 18gr, 25gr, crosssman Walmart pellets I think premier?! And a few H&Ns. 
 
Mileage will vary. I have one, serves as a doorstop now. I got it based on a review from a YouTuber that I realized too late he kinda pimps Gamo. Anyway, it was my entry drug, and was actually pretty accurate, although it kicked like a mule. Then one day, it just would not group 3 inches at 30, so I moved on, and learned on. 

Now I have 2 Walther LGVs 1 HW30 2 Kalibrguns and 1 Taipan. No regrets, but I would have loved to have known and avoided the expensive lesson. 
 
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I purchased a Gamo Urban about 2 months ago, at 30 yards it was and still is very accurate using JSB pellets. This gun got me hooked on air rifles so much that I dove all the way in and got me an FX Impact x. However my Gamo Urban did exactly what I needed it for, pesting squirrels between 20-30 yards. The short period I used it, it is and still a solid gun from my experience.




 
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I have shot a few gamo coyotes and they are very accurate at this price point , they a bit low on power but can be tuned to get 30fpe

I used to shoot gamo springers many years ago out of box they were not very shootable i remember installing charlie tuna triggers and polishing barrels and they were a very accurate gun for what it was a $150 gun in .177

Many of the sub $500 guns are accurate with a bit of tuning , and many can shoot 1 inch or less at 50 yards which is great at this price point , IMO
 
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Purchased a Gamo Hornet Maxxim in 22 cal. That rifle hated every pellet, except for one - the Predator GTO. It would throw 2” groups at 25 with all other pellets, but could produce 1/2” groups at 25 with relative ease if I fed it the GTO’s.

Too pellet picky for my liking. Didn’t use it for more than a couple months. Although it would have made a great pest rifle, considering the low price and light weight (when compared to my 97 and 54).

If you are willing to test a LOT of pellets through the rifle - it has potential.
 
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I own a few of these and in my opinion, none of the .177 springers from Walmart or Bass Pro are going to give less than 1.5" groups at 20 yards. They shoot too hot for a .177 combined with a cheap Spanish or Chinese barrel. The cheaper Gamo will sometimes have plastic in pivot points. The New $300 magnum models are the exception. For the cheap stuff I'm happy with my .22 Crosman Prowler is at least well made and it broke in after 700 pellets. My groups are still double the size I would need to shoot AAHFT, but it's a nice plinker once you throw away the OEM scope and mod the trigger. Mine is a keeper, unless somebody offers me $75 so I can buy one of those RWS 34 sales or an HW77/97K.

There is a PB guy who is new to springers who has the same Prowler with less than a tin of pellets through his and he hates it. So your mileage may vary.

I would say the Nova Liberty would be my #1 truck gun if I owned a pump. and the RWS 34 if I didn't. There is also a Pyramid black Friday Urban deal out there.
 
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I had one and have shot several and most are junk. One exception is an underlever that my nephew owns, I believe it is the CFR .177 and it shoots nice tight groups. He said he originally purchased it in .22 and it was crap and returned it. It is several years old now so I don't even know if they make it anymore.

I believe that Gamo's big downfall is that they push power over accuracy. Their big selling point to the ignorant masses is "Over 1000 fps!", which the discerning members of this forum know just means an unstable diabolo pellet. 
 
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I have a GAMO Swarm Maxxim .22 Caliber. I have shot it a lot since buying at the beginning of the year. It was a pure impulse buy at BassPro, when I was actually buying a new Bass rod. Bear in mind, these are just my opinions and may not reflect others, nor their experiences either. I will be selling it and the Hawk Airmax 30 scope I purchased from PA soon. 

Pros:

  • 10 shot rotary magazine for a break barrel is nice. Have not had any issues with magazines and I have four mags all told

Cons:

  • Trigger can be adjusted, but do not really like it out of the box, and it does affect my ability to shoot accurately
  • Very, very pellet finicky - Mine shot alloys better than led, but still not accurate enough for me
  • Cannot get tight groups at 20 or 25 yards. I probably lucked out once maybe with a 7 or 10 shot group at 20-25 yards that may have been 1 or 1/1/2 inches, but I shot a lot of led with this gun at my local indoor shooting academy and also from my backyard deck into woods beyond
  • Had barrel droop issues with mine, and replaced scope because not enough MOA/MIL on original Gamo scope
  • Not good for hunting for me, because of my lack of confidence on precise and humane shot placement for squirrels, coons, possums or pest birds






 
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Yep that’s basically what I have been thinking. They are just not accurate at all. And I have tried a bunch of different pellets. If I could get a 2 inch group at 25-30 yards I would be happy. I thought maybe buying their expensive ones would get better but not even that way. I do also have the Gamo Urban PCP .22 and while I do like the way it looks, and it’s not as inaccurate, why keep another PCP? I do like the fact that I can pump it on the go without having a tank but it’s just not accurate enough. So I guess I’ll have to have a Gamo sale pretty soon. A Gamo Whisper Fusion Elite in .22 and the Urban .22 both almost new in the box and hopefully find a local guy that wants to adopt these guys. 
 
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Depends on what you do with it...I have a Gamo Bone Collector Bull Whisper .177, shoots consistent 1 -1.5 inch groups at 40 yards...Cleaned barrel thoroughly with JB Bore Compound, I found the piston had a little too much play, so buttoned the piston, polished the cylinder, burnished the moving parts with Moly, lubricated parts, cleaned up trigger...Now its a sweet shooter...

I feed it H&N Baracuda Match 10.65, heavier pellets bring the speed under control and aid accuracy...

Its a good little hunter and competes against my Terrus for accuracy...
 
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???Why oh why on Earth are you trying to mess around with Gamo springers when you already have a winner- the Weihrauch HW97k???

The only things you should be even thinking of buying from Walmart are the Crosman CPHPs from Walmart or the CP Domes and a Beeman P17 while you are at it.

Instead of spending all that money on Gamo springers I would just save up for Nova Freedom or Seneca Aspen in 177. Trust me on this one!

You may even consider selling your HW97k after you shoot one. I don't shoot any of my Weihrauch/Beeman, FWB, RWS or Walther spring rifles since I got my Nova Freedom in 177 as a matter of fact I pretty much shoot it on a daily basis, I hardly shoot any of my other airguns for that matter and just grab the Nova Freedom when I feel the sudden urge to go shooting. It is now my "GO-TO" gun.

The next gun may be a 22 version possibly the Seneca Aspen which is supposed to be the same as the Nova Freedom but does not have open sights as the Nova Freedom has so it is worth mentioning. It comes with a packaged throw in scope included but you know how crappy those things ususally are. I would appreciate a lower cost less the scope so I can choose my own better quality scope.

Not all Gamos are junk, the PCPs that have the BSA barrels on them are fine.

If you can return the other Gamo springers (even for credit for using towards Crosman Premier CPHPs and a Beeman P17) then I would suggest doing so. Perhaps even a range finder which would be very useful too.


CA




 
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I do have the Gamo PCP. The Urban .22. I did look at the Nova Freedom. So heavy! So bulky. Feels like I’m holding an RPG and I’ve seen the reviews on the nova freedom. I can probably throw pellets with my left hand and group better. I’m right handed. And I do have 2 Brocock Bantam Snipers those are my go to guns. I just wanted something cheap to beat up. 
 
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....no.... not ALL junk....but most of them , yeah... gamo 440 , 890 , and 220 variations are pretty good , actually.....but they were made back when gamo was taking the us by storm....i was working at bass pro around atlanta then (1999), ..... about the only thing plastic then was the trigger guard....i still for life of me do not know how they get away with so much plastic on the barrel and barrel block areas...i tried one of the .22 gamo maxims for $120 last year...had the gas ram , cat trigger, decent 3-9x40 scope....damn thing was almost all plastic , but it was raining that day , anyway.... chrono'ed a good consistent 760 fps with premiers....broke in thru the 'run in' period in less than 200 shots...it was really light weight... it may have been more accurate if it werent so light....it was quiet , too....decent deal for $120....and what got me was that it had a 3 yr warranty.....but i took mine back the next day... i like the .25 big cats , which have all metal barrel and barrel block ( maybe it's just me , but i think that the lock up area should be all steel - no plastic washers or barrel shims, either ) . even more so than the .25 socom extreme , the 440 is my favorite gamo - easy to tune, very easy to cock and shoot, and those gold triggers really do magik on a real (old-style) gamo air rifle... i still have not had one of the old style in .22 , but i will... those older cfx underlevers are supposed to really cool , too. ........i mean , think about it.... the chinese clones of the 220 / 440 (b18 , b19) are EVERYWHERE ! that is hands down, the most abundant style of breakbarrel , by far....i just got finished tuning a swiss arms (the one at walmart for $120) for a friend ......b19 / gamo 440 clone...... but the older spainish barrels are just sooo much better.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEiV2PgApNw
 
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