Thoughts on the Gamo Swarn break barrel rifle

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There is a simple beauty to a tin of pellets and a decent spring or piston gun. No hoses, no pumps, no connectors . I get it; grab gun and pellets and go shoot. 

The swarm is better reviewed than the .agnum swarm, iirc. That may be in part to the more mild piston is easier to shoot consistantly. I think it is good to have shot a spring gun to keep the PCP wunder-guns in perspective.

#1 rule of piston guns = dont dry fire
 
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I see that you have an FX Impact that had a 175 yard one shot kill.

You are not going to be happy with the Gamo Swarm Maxxim at all

and for the price the Gamo Urban for $199 should at least give you a grin.

CA
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I respectfully disagree. PCPs and ‘springers’ are a totally different animal. Both are a lot of fun in their own way. Thus one should not compare them directly, as this will be like comparing apples and oranges.

The Gamo Swarm Maxxim is an excellent airgun. The accuracy is nothing short of awesome. See Steve’s great review on AEAC, he shows the capabilities of it. For the price it is offered on the 12 days of Christmas it is a total steal! (But you gotta use the ‘right’ pellets to unlock it’s full potential! JSB heavies or one type of H&Ns (the brass colored ones, also in Steve’s UT vid)

Really the only negative thing about it... is the included scope. It is only good for beercan type plinking, but consider it a freebie extra that comes in the box. Get a descent quality scope (bugbuster type) -WITH- AO or sidefocus and you can easily approximate PCP accuracy with the Swarm!
 
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I read all of the prior posts. Different strokes for different folks applies here, as it relates to having different personal experiences with various air guns.

I have the Swarm Maxim in .22 caliber. Yes, I like the 10 shot rotary on a break barrel. Not crazy about the stock trigger and recoil, for me anyway. I also replaced the BSA scope with a Hawk Airmax 30. Had issues with getting elevation dialed in and also had to get a different rail.

I have shot lots of various pellets through it and while I agree with Martin on the two brands he mentioned (also in Steve’s review) in terms of having some success with accuracy, I personally don’t find the gun accurate.

I also read your other post on one shot, one kill at 175 yards. Accuracy does appear to be very important to you as it is to most of us, so I kind of see and agree with Cold Air on this one.

Im going to sell mine and save up for a TX MKll or a Weihrauch HW 97. I would rather have a decent high end Springer than continue and not use my Swarm.
 
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If you don’t own any other springers, I highly recommend a good quality German gun. I had a Gamo (not the one you want) and the scope was shot in just one or two days. It kicked like a mule. It was pretty accurate out to 30 yards, but I had to put a lot into my form and hold etc. But that accuracy was shot lived. I can’t hit a barn door with it now unless I walk up and use the Gamo as a bat. It now sits in my workshop as a doorstop. 

Depending on what you want the gun for, there are several guns out there that will probably serve you a lifetime and you can pass on to future generations. 

HW30, 50, 77, 95, 97, 98. 

Walther LGV (I own 2 of these) Check out my threads if you like. 

Air Arms TX200/Prosport






 
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I'm an unabashed Swarm Maxxim fan. I've had two, both in .22 caliber. At fifteen yards, I do consider the accuracy better than expected, and equal to, maybe a little better, than the TX200 I just bought...although the TX isn't thoroughly broken in yet, and I expect that to change. I agree that the scope is absolute garbage, so I mounted a Hammers 3-9X32 AO scope on it, much better.

The reason I have had two is because a neighbor broke the feeding mechanism one night, and I shoot so often that I didn't want to be without the rifle, so I trotted down to Big 5 right then and bought another. I was concerned that the second one wouldn't be as accurate as the first, but after a cleaning of the barrel...the second one wasn't as filthy as the first...and moving the Hammers scope over to it, it was shooting every bit as accurately as the first one.

I got the replacement feeder from Gamo under warranty, put it on the first Swarm, bought another Hammers scope, and sold it all to another neighbor for the price that I had paid for it all, and bought the TX! I pull out the Swarm almost every shooting session, since it's just so much fun to shoot.

I've read all the comments and reviews regarding how inaccurate the rifle is. Admittedly, my experience has been with only two rifles, but both were purchased off the shelf, nothing fancy about them, and they are both just about tackdrivers. So, for those folks who complain about inaccuracy, I've just gotta wonder that it's the human element that's the issue here... not the rifle.

Before I handed the first Swarm over to my neighbor, I sighted in the new scope I bought for it, got it printing great groups at fifteen yards, and let him have at. His targets look like a .410 shotgun! I've instructed him in what works for me in that rifle, I've observed him, but I can't look down that scope with him. He looks to be doing everything right...but he can't shoot up to the potential of the gun.

Long story short...I'm a fan of the Swarm Maxxim. Another neighbor bought one in .177, just loves it, but he also can't shoot it as well as mine prints. I've shot it, and I know that it's also accurate. It's just the human element at issue here, and part of that element is the fun you have with the rifle, and all three of us are just having a ball! A great and fun rifle for the price!
 
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Thank you all for your comments. I know that a break barrel won’t ever have the distance and accuracy as a PCP, especially like my FX Impact. But, I like to collect guns and I would like to add a decent break barrel to my collection. I like the fact that I can just go out in the woods and just shoot and not have to worry about running out of air out in the field. Plus it would be a perfect rifle for my 10yr old daughter to shoot. 

Other than some of the mentioned break barrels, what would you consider a top of the line? 
 
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The only springer that I have shot past 100 yards that gave me good results is the RWS 54 in 22 caliber.

On a calm day off of a good rifle rest you can expect groups ranging anywhere between 2 1/4 inches to just over an inch. Under an inch once in a blue moon.

You should be able to plink at soda pop cans out to 135 yards and a coffee can out to160 yards. Tried it at 200 but they won't hit all the time.

It is heavy, semi recoilless, loud, and a bit difficult to cock magnum powered spring gun that is easy to shoot accurately in anyones hands due to its howitzer type anti recoil device. 

If I had to grab any springer to make that 100 yard money shot on a bet then the RWS 54 will be it.

Otherwise I would grab a PCP.

CA
 
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I don’t shoot long distance, so can’t help you there, maybe some others can. 

I think with springers you will find there will be a sweet spot between a bench gun (think Diana 56 TH) that are too heavy but will probably shoot accurately further out and a woods gun, think HW30 that is a low powered very portable gun. 

My Walther LGV shoots 0.5” groups at 30 yards. I’m sure I can stretch it out if I hd the range. It’s a bit heavy, but I would have no problem trekking with it personally. I use my HW30 for close up work. Say 15 yards. 

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/intenseaty22s-walther-lgv-master-pro-177/

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/intenseaty22s-22-lgv-master-pro/

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/intenseaty22s-hw30s-urban-pro/

One of the guys here that owns both the LGV & the LGU said that the LGU, being a fixed barrel is ever so slightly more accurate than the LGV. 

If budget is a problem, I would not hesitate to get the HW97K from Krale. Price can’t be beat. 

Hopefully you can get different opinions from other guys here and confuse you, I mean, help you some more.
 
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Airgunner343 I to love to shoot long distances with my springers. If hunting I won’t shoot at anything past 40 metres for humane reasons. My rifles are accurate but I wouldn’t want to injure a rabbit or pest bird and have them disappear into the bush.

I own a LGV, HW77 and two Benjamin Trails. One of the Trails is 177 cal and the rest of my rifles are 22 cal. I’m fortunate enough to be able to plink at targets at long distances. I haven’t owned a Gamo but I know my German rifles are very accurate and well worth the money. But in saying that my two Trails are also accurate and fun to shoot at long distance. I’ve attached a couple of videos on shooting my Trails and HW77 at longer distances.

I agree with CA about groups at long distances but if you practice enough those blue moon 🌑 moments come around more frequently.



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3PMNhTf29aE

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vPJzNAYfEXo

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LfGpQcBNefE



Gary






 
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No worries, I just wanted to identify that not all big box airrifles are inaccurate. Sure you will get some duds but a little work on them and a lot of practice most times gets you there. I really love my German rifles and rightly so the better the breed most often produces the better results, but when you get there with a big box one it makes it so worthwhile.

If you do settle on a Trail let us know how it performs.

Gary
 
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I love my Gamo Swarm but I certainly didn't fall in love overnight. Crushed 3 scopes before I found one that is (for now) holding up, and by that time I had put enough pellets down the barrel to get it broke in good. Now it is a fine squirrel rifle out to 45-50 yards and I truly enjoy shooting it.

If I had owned a plethora of other decent guns when I had first bought the Swarm then I probably wouldn't have stuck with it long enough to get everything lined out, and I suspect that is the case with most negative reviews. It is a beast that doesn't just automatically behave fresh out of the box.....It needs to be tamed.

And for me it took awhile to learn (and develop muscle memory) for the trigger.

I think that alot of airgun enthusiasts shoot too many different guns. If you stick with one and shoot it enough you'll get good with it.
 
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