Gamo Swarm Fusion G2 10X GEN2 - New purchase, I have a few questions

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WN0912

Member
Dec 7, 2020
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Ohio, United States
After posting a few weeks ago to ask what a quiet air rifle for 'urban' use would be, I decided on the rifle in the subject heading.

I know a lot of people recommended different rifles, many suggested "spend more money and you'll be happier". Well, I guess I read enough reviews on this particular rifle to try it out. 

In general, I'm pretty happy with it. The break barrel is a new design for me, my son and I have AR-15's, trap guns, 22 long rifles, and handguns. We wanted something to use in our backyard that's a pretty rural setting but still, we have neighbors we don't want to disturb. This rifle is touted to be fairly quiet and it really is. I selected the 22 version.

Ok, so here's where I'm at. I guess I didn't realize there would be so much difference in shooting a break barrel versus the other rifles we have. Although people on Youtube jump for joy over the accuracy of this Gamo rifle, it's pathetic when compared to any other 'gunpowder' rifle we have. And, I guess perhaps the reason is because it's a 'Gamo' $300 rifle? Don't want to knock Gamo, plenty of others seem to do so without me interjecting.

I've also learned that there's a special way to hold the rifle, "artillery style", and many claim that the type of pellet makes a huge difference in the accuracy of pellet rifles in general.

So, here we go, here's my questions:

  1. Is there a link to shooting tips using a break barrel design, or can you leave a few here?
  2. What is the reasonable 'extreme' distance you can expect to shoot this rifle with a decent accuracy? Is 50 yards out of the question? The reason I ask is, right now I don't know if it's just me being a poor shot or if the rifle is not capable of this distance.
  3. Ammo selection. We're not using the gun for hunting so maybe that narrows down the choices, but there are so many choices of ammo that I'd rather get a few suggestions rather than start purchasing 100 to 55 count tins of ammo that it turns out don't work very well.
  4. Ammo selection #2 - I've seen 'slugs' advertised and tons of pellet options in general. My basic ammo question is, as long as the ammo is listed as 22 caliber pellet or slug, will all of it fit into the 10 shot magazine or do I have to be careful with what I select? Someone told me that if you use any ammo other than Gamo, the 5 yar warranty is voided, although how would they know unless the pellet is jammed into the gun when you send it back, right?
  5. Is it true that this rifle will break in and shoot more accurate after several 100 shots? I've heard on Youtube many people comment on that but I don't understand why that would make a difference.
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    Next, I hope this doesn't sound bad, but because I bought the rifle on Amazon Prime, I've got until the end of January to send it back for a full refund. There's a part of me that wants to start over and put more thought into what my top priorities are for this type of rifle. Although I started the first topic a week ago putting 'Quiet' at the top of the list of options, I'm now thinking I made a mistake. After more thought, I think that 'Long Range Accuracy' is probably the top priority. And when I say 'Long Range', of course I'm not thinking about 100's of yards, I'm thinking about maybe 50 yards.

    So here's what I like and don't like about this particular rifle.
    • I like the 10 shot magazine, although I've had some minor problems with Crossman Premium pellets while loading them. Anyone else have problems with this new 10 round magazine?
    • The break barrel design is ok for cocking, and the autoload for the pellets is nice too.
    • I'm sure the scope is worth about 10 bucks, but to be honest, it's pretty clear and seems to work fine.
    • It is definitely quiet. It's quieter than the $25 Crossman 10 pump bb gun that I've had for years.
    • I have only shot about 50 rounds but I'm disappointed in my personal accuracy with this rifle. Especially using the scope, I was expecting better, and i was not expecting to have to 'learn' how to shoot this thing after having rifles and handguns for over 40 years.

    That's it for now. Feel free to comment. If you want to call me a dumb-ass for not buying a better, more expensive, different type, that's ok too. I can take it. :)

    My bottom line is, I need to either figure out how to shoot this thing more accurate, or it's going back. And at that point, I don't know what else to buy.

    Thanks for reading and hopefully responding.
 
Great read and story, thanks for sharing!

My thoughts, in no particular order;


I have three (so far) videos of how *I* use a break-barrel (plus other goodies)...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnj7GXMed_V1UGiXLJZhyjw/videos

But that's me. You'll find what works for you through experimenting.

I think 50-100yards is quite reasonable for most air rifles, 'cept maybe co2.

Just about any air-gun, some pellets fit better. Too small, they fall out, too large, they stick. Might take a few to get to the Goldilocks-zone of pellets. :)

As far as accuracy, that will come with practice. About any break-barrel and about any ammo should get you close to 1" groups at 25-yards.

Heck, it takes my old-fart self 50 rounds just to warm up! :)



if the gun has open-sights, use those to verify you and the gun are fine. Adding scope shift and other issues will just make it frustrating.



Don't let anyone give ya crap for not spending as much as they did. And some foolishly put on their credit-card for years of debt. :)

In time you'll be out-shooting their fancy gun anyway. How much ya spend, sadly, hehe, doesn't improve one's skills.



Gamo says re: ammo "If it fits, it shoots." Me, I've found slugs to hit ME too hard and not as accurate.



Good luck in your pursuits and keep us posted!

Frank in Oregon
 
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I checked a few accuracy videos and found one on the Fusion. He was using Crosman Hollow points and managed a 1.3 inch group at 40 yards which is just OK for a springer. But he also stressed wear it in good, and get your hold figured out, before you get worried. My Diana 54 springer will do 1/2-3/4 groups, with a wide variety of ammo, at fifty yards for comparison.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPsDEFMciX8



Spring guns are pretty hard to shoot when compared to PCP and firearms. They often, but not always, require some break in time. They also require the perfect repeatable hold and a pellet they like to perform decently. These three things are all very important. So it can take awhile to get their best accuracy figured out. Springers because of their double recoil are notorious for killing scopes of all kinds and $ price points.

I have not tried slugs in my springers. I do not consider springers long range guns, so not for slugs, and usually limit them and my co2 guns to 50 yards so I can keep the groups under an inch. Although there are a few that are capable of 100 yards.

PCPs are far easier to shoot accurately but require much more costly gear to keep them aired up. But once you have the equipment set up they are much more accurate for the most part shooting groups much smaller than the average springer. I often shoot the same size groups at one-hundred yards with my Impact .25 as my Diana 54 .22 shoots at fifty.

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/shot-some-targets-50-yards-with-the-diana-54/


 
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Break barrel air guns can be difficult for most people to learn how to shoot. It takes a long time with a lot of practice and trying different pellets. I only personally like the lower powered Springers. They are much easier to shoot. And I also prefer the German made ones. I can’t tell you what to do but if it was me I would send it back. In any gun, JSB and H&N pellets in medium grain ,14-15 Is a good starting point for 22 caliber.
 
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A few suggestions:

First, treat it like you would a rimfire straight from the box, Inspect it, tighten all stock screws and thoroughly scrub the bore with a Kroil/JB blend. Remove the blend with oiled patches (I like FP-10) until they come out clean.

Next you will want to season the bore with about 50 shots. You should notice groups tightening at the end of this process. Then shoot the heck out of it with as many brands and types of pellets you can find, just as you would with a firearm. Each rifle will have its own preferences that only testing will determine. You will also find that some pellets that work ok at 25 yds do not group well at 50 yds - so give these trials the same degree of seriousness that you would with a new .22 LR at your chosen. extreme distance. Quality brands such as JSB and H&N with weights between 13.5 and 18 gr are a good place to start. Slugs may not work well in a springer because of weight, twist, power level etc. Definitely try waisted pellets first.

Scoping a rifle is an art, and quality mounts and optics make the process easier. In any event, degrease all screws and fasteners and use medium strength, small thread loctite (purple or blue) to hold everything securely in place. You also need to check stock and scope screws regularly to assure they are "hand tight". A loose stock or scope will shred any hopes you have for accuracy.

Yes, you have to learn the secret handshake with your stock to shoot a springer accurately. A firearms analogy would be the difficulty most riflemen have when they shoot a handgun for the first time. There is a learning curve.

Finally, have fun and remember: this is only the first of many airguns to come!
 
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 So far everybody’s information is pretty much spot on. If you think the scope is only worth 10 bucks than you might want to put a better scope on it. Springers are hard on scopes. If you don’t want to go expensive, a UTG scope in my opinion would be the way to go.They are not very expensive but will handle heavy recoil. I have three of them and they have worked fine for me. And yes you must make sure the stock screws are tight and of course the scope and mounts. You can buy sample packs of pellets, that way you won’t have to buy a whole tin. But don’t do what I did and keep trying different scopes and different pellets and trying different holds and my 30 day warranty ran out. It depends on where you bought it actually in how long you got to send it back. My first Springer shot lousy after a lot of testing. My second one shot OK but still not to my liking. Then I bought a HW 50 and it shoots great. I don’t have to use an artillery hold for it to shoot accurately.
 
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Pyramyd has buy 3 get one free for pellets. If I wanted some to test that work in a lot of rifles I would order a tin each of JSB Exact 15 gr, JSB exact 18gr, H+N FTT 14.6gr, and H+N Barracuda Match. Most rifles will shoot Crosman Premiers ok though, even if not the best. Get it zeroed at 25 yards, and shooting to 50 isn't out of the question, but past 40 wind and hold sensitivity seem to go up exponetially. I would assume the scope is not good to begin with, but it takes a bit of commitment to invest in a decent scope. For airgun ranges adjustable parralax is needed, not optional. Keep trying, 50 rounds isn't enough to break it in yet.


 
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I just got the same gun but only in 177 cal.I've had pretty much the same questions as you. It's a whole new learning curve for sure.

I like the concept of the 10 rd mag but I'm not sold on how well it works. It is a bit of a pita to load imo, and I wonder if you take the loading time into account if it wouldn't be just as fast to shoot 10 rds one at a time. Plus every once in a while a pellet will jump out of the mag or get mangled for some reason. But that may be my old cheap pellets I've had around for years. I've just ordered a tin each on JSB and H&N 10 gr pellets to try out, so maybe that will improve along with accuracy.

I've read about the Gamo scope not being very good so I started with just the iron sights. I'd really like to shoot iron sights, I think it's more fun, but my eyes are such that the front sight doesn't focus very well for me with my glasses on. Without glasses I can see the front sight ok, but the target is fuzzy. I have an older (80's) Leupold 2x7 scope I took of my 10-22 and just today mounted that on the Gamo using the rings and mount that came with the gun. I'll get that sighted in and see how I like it. I may also go with a red dot like I shoot in regular gun comps on my pcc. We''ll see....
 
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Dunno if this will help, but a bit about the magazines:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ekQZmlBUoE



IMO, you're right, I've tested a bit and it takes about the same amount of time from "tin to chamber" either with a 10x magazine or a single-shot 10 rounds.

How they help most is if you have a pocket full ready-to-go while on the move. No stopping and reloading for how many ever mags ya wanna carry. :)



Some pellets are less favorable in the magazines, just a matter of trying a few different tins for your situation.



Keep us posted!





I like the concept of the 10 rd mag but I'm not sold on how well it works. It is a bit of a pita to load imo, and I wonder if you take the loading time into account if it wouldn't be just as fast to shoot 10 rds one at a time. Plus every once in a while a pellet will jump out of the mag or get mangled for some reason. But that may be my old cheap pellets I've had around for years. I've just ordered a tin each on JSB and H&N 10 gr pellets to try out, so maybe that will improve along with accuracy.
Click to expand...
 
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Although mine's a .22, here's what I've had the least problems with so far... Loads nicely, easy to insert, accuracy/consistency is great.

JSBpellets10xswarm22magazines2020a.1608531131.jpg

 
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Thanks Frank. I got a kick out of that video, It could have been condensed to 30 seconds if you eliminated the obvious, haha. But I did learn about emptying the mag.

I'm still not sure about the swarm system. I just need to give it more time and work with it, and see if the "good" pellets I ordered make a difference. I have thought of trying to take it off the rifle, but it's still to early for that. I kinda have been looking to see if someone else has done it and posted a video.
 
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Update after a week:

Thanks again for all the great responses. I'd like to give a quick overview of where I'm at with this rifle after shooting it a few times, I'm guessing I've got about 150 pellets through it now.

First off, I'm on the fence right now for either keeping it or sending it back, although after reading the Amazon return policy closer, it seems that the gun has to be in 'new condition' in order to return it. Not sure how strict they hold to that policy. The gun certainly looks new, I haven't scratched it, and i don't think they will know if I shot it or not (will they?).

Here's our background. My son and I have shot this rifle on 3 different days. My son is ex military (Air Force), and I'm a career Quality Manager at a machining / manufacturing company for many years - I'm 65 years old. Between the two of us we've got 9 handguns, 4 AR-15 rifles with scopes, red dots, and iron sites. We trap shoot, and one of my favorite rifles that I've had for 45 years is my Winchester 18 shot 22 long rifle semi with scope. The reason I laid this out is because it's been fairly frustrating with this new pellet gun. The first day was a disaster. We probably shot 50 rounds at about 25 yards. Not good. Shots were all over the place. Then I learned about the artillery hold. Hey, it got better the next time. Then, I settled down by myself and shot 4 different types of pellets I had purchased.

  • Crossman Premier Pointed 14.3 gr
  • RWS SuperDome 14.5 gr
  • Vortex Stripe dome 17.75 gr
  • Gamo Long distance - I don't have the gr's available right now but it was heavy.

Well the results of the best 5 shot clusters I could shoot were really disappointing.

The best by far was Crossman Premier, I was actually so tight that each pellet hole was touching the other ones. Maybe a 1" diameter.

RWS was crap. Doing a close visual standard of the pellets showed large hanging burrs of pellet material on the back skirt edge hanging into the skirt opening.

Vortex looked good visually but was terrible, with a diameter of probably about 3 or 4 inches.

And the worse by far was the Gamo long distance pellets. Really bad.

I repeated the 5 round test to confirm the results and sure enough, the Crossman Premier was the best.

I haven't tried the JSB pellets yet because I can't find them locally, and I'm hesitant to pay more for shipping than the price of the pellets. :)

Well, I was feeling pretty good about the Crossman Premiers, especially because they are the least expensive and available everywhere. I was excited to get together with my son to show him and let him try them. The result was terrible. The only variability I can identify is that when I was shooting alone the day before and had great results, the rifle was on my kitchen table every time I was loading pellets, and I only took it outside to shoot and then brought it back in. By the way, it's 30 degrees in Ohio. The next day when we got terrible results, we were outside on the patio and the rifle was outside for an hour in the 30 degree weather. I'm wondering if that had something to do with it.

So I've been reading articles, responses, youtubes and all I keep reading is how sensitive and finicky this break barrel is. Tighten bolts on the gun, clean the barrel, remove the grease, hold it but don't grab it. Pull the trigger without grasping the grip, don't let it touch your shoulder. Break it in, shoot the crap out of it and it gets better. And then I read one of the responses to my original post above where he said he took out his Fusion and could throw a rock at the target better than shooting this gun, until he practiced with it again. That comment really hit me. What kind of a rifle needs you to continually shoot it, or regain your accuracy if you haven't shot it for a while? Several people commented that they had 'good accuracy after the first 2 or 3 shots'. I guess my question is, if you're hunting, what good is your accuracy if it takes 2 or 3 shots to hone in? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd think you usually get one shot off before whatever you're hunting runs away.

I stopped at the local gun shop in town at lunch today and chatted with the owner. He said he has stopped selling break barrel rifles altogether and only sells PCP now. Why? Because so many people wanted to return the break barrels for lack of accuracy that he was tired of all the hassles. He did say to get at least 200 rounds through the gun and check all the bolts.

Whew!

My son wants to keep it and keep shooting it.

I guess I'm on the fence.

I'd love to try a PCP, but to be honest, I don't have that much disposable income right now to buy the rifle, the scope, the air canister and possibly an air compressor - only to find it's still not what I want.

Not sure where I'm going with this post so I guess I'll stop here.

Thanks for reading. Any comments, feel free.
 
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Hi WN, I feel your pain. I'm not quite as dissatisfied as you. I still feel like I just need to work with the rifle some more. From all the reading we have done I agree these break barrels are a different breed for sure. Two things I believe from watching different videos are that all these people that are getting these fabulous groups are experienced air gun shooters AND they have very solid rests when doing so.

I don't expect to be able to keep a group in a dime at 25yds with a $250 gun. I think that's for the higher end pcp guns, etc. I do think we should be able to have a 2" or maybe less group though. From my reading it does seem like there is some sample variance between guns, so maybe you do have a lemon. I hope not.

It is kinda frustrating that we have to go through so many pellets to find just the right one. That's a lot of time and money sort of wasted. And then we're stuck with a bunch of pellets we don't need. Someone (if one doesn't exist, idk) needs to set up some kind of pellet exchange where people could trade pellets around.

Any, good luck.

I thought I would add.-- I just shot 20 shots at 11 steps. Apart from the ones where I knew I screwed up they all were within 1 1/2", mostly 1". This was sitting in a chair with my elbow on my knee and the gun just resting in my open palm, so basically the artillery hold.Getting used to the trigger is a big part of the learning curve. I'm leaving it as is for now, BUT, I went this morning and bought two screws in a pack for 56 cents at Home Depot. These are the same screws that a youtube guy sells for ten bucks. It's a longer screw that's supposed to lighten the trigger pull. As you know from "real" guns, the trigger is everything.
 
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In my experience, the complaints of break-barrel accuracy has always been the shooter, not the gun.



But it takes practice, practice, practice. If you're new to b-barrels, don't expect to get dime-size holes at 25-yards the first days out.



Took me a year of practice to get to this...And honestly, I think I can do it with any break-barrel at that distance. At least once. :)



swarmmag22_version2.1608592193.jpg




I have a PCP, the only one I have, it's new, and I'm already ready to sell it. I'm a driver, not a friggin' mechanic! :)

pumpstuffdec2020a.1608592224.jpg




I'd take a good break-barrel over any PCP in the same price-range any day. And for under-50 yard shooting, be just as accurate.
 
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I like the gun for what it is but the scope that came with broke pretty quick resulting in groups opening up. With a scope upgrade the gun is now repeatable to 1" groups @25 yards using sticks (longer and it opens up quick). Thing is very hold sensitive so with that in mind and a longer 2nd stage adjustment screw can make it palatable as long as expectations are set that it is a 25 yard gun.

Edited to add dope using JSB 18g.

Screenshot_20201223-004934_ChairGun.1608706474.jpg


Screenshot_20201223-005052_ChairGun.1608706546.jpg

 
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I went to my gun range yesterday and sighted in the scope better. At 20 yds I could keep them in 1 1/2" just resting on my range bag. This is with some old pellets I've had for years. When I get my new heavier better quality pellets I should do better.

A side note/question. At 20 yds I'm dead on, at 30 yds I'm pretty much the same, at 10 yds I'm about 1+" low. Is this normal? I know I'll have to resight with the new pellets, but just curious.
 
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Updates and Happy New Year!

Well, I think many of you might have guessed what happened. I sent the rifle back to Amazon, real easy processs for getting the refund.

Here’s my observations. I honestly think I’m expecting too much from this rifle. I guess 40 years of shooting firearms did not prepare me for the multiple variables involved with pellet shooting. I’ve bought many different pellet types, from multiple manufacturers and found defects out of the tin that certainly cause accuracy problems. In addition, I’m tired of hearing how ‘sensitive’ the rifle is for holding it, and how I’ve got to learn how to shoot all over again. These are just my personal feelings. I know many of you or all of you specialize on pellet shooting. Not me. My preference will always be to take my AR 15, 22 long rifle, or 9mm handguns to the range. But, no way I can shoot any of them in my backyard. :)

Ugh, I tend to write too much. Sorry.

So, after shooting at least 300 pellets of various types through the Fusion, I returned it. Almost every YouTube I watch talks about ‘fliers’, or ‘oops, I didn’t hold it right’. I just don’t like that. Also, I’ve realized that many people that shoot breakbarrel (not all, but many), talk about 10, 15, and 25 yard groupings. I guess my back yard must be bigger than many. 15 yards? That’s not even 50 feet. I’m not interested in that. I really did think that 50 yards would be a reasonable distance, but for at least me, I couldn’t achieve satisfaction with groupings at that distance.

Anyway, feel free to comment, but like I said I feel that I’ve spent enough time trying to ‘learn how to shoot’ and the gun is returned. My next step is to try a PCP and see what I can do with that. From what I understand, there’s no need for ‘Artillary hold’, they seem to be accurate farther distances, and at least from what I’ve watched, the gun is more stable when pulling the trigger. I’m starting a new post in the PCP area of the forum.

Thanks for all your opinions and help. I really appreciate the comments, many of you confirmed my decisions with your comments. I just wanted to close the book on this topic and let you know where I ended up.


 
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