Gamo Viper IGT... is this normal?

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Scouty

Scouty

Member
Sep 6, 2019
1,310
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SD, United States
I got a Gamo Viper IGT as a gift several years ago from a cousin and just never fell in love with it. It's a shame as it probably soured and delayed me from getting into better stuff until this past year. It has been shot way less than any other air gun that we've had in the same period of time. I'm guessing only a few hundred pellets through it in the past five to six years.

I decided to get it out recently and shoot it before deciding what to do with it. 

It was shooting really bad so I gave it a thorough cleaning.

It didn't shoot much better so I decided to swap scopes. Upon removing the scope that came with it I noticed that the riser block that mounts to the rifle's dovetail had damage to it in the hole where the stud on the scope mount sits.

1584033313_7658472925e6a6e21dc3379.75344333.jpg


I also noticed that the steel stud on the underside of the scope mount also had damage. It is hard to tell from this picture but it is bent.

1584033414_21396380525e6a6e86024199.96187708.jpg


And of course the hole where the riser block screws into the rifle's dovetail is also damaged.

1584034183_14580882895e6a7187cff096.00784869.jpg


Is this normal for these guns? I believe my cousin bought it as a floor model at a local Cabelas so the only thing I ever did with the scope was slide it back in the mount for better eye relief. Is it possible the riser and scope wasn't mounted correctly originally? I don't see how that could be it since the riser block screws to the rifle and the scope mount indexes with the riser via a solid stud. The screws that tension the riser on the rifle's dovetail seemed very tight to me, as were the screws on the mount.

I tried a couple of scopes on it after cleaning and the Bugbuster I just couldn't get situated right with my available mounts and the inexpensive Hawke I tried turned out to not be springer/gas-piston rated. Regardless, I learned enough to realize that the stock scope is likely trashed.

However, it is still shooting really poorly. Nowhere near as good as it was last summer.

Is there some sort of obvious maintenance that these Gamo gas pistons require? I never got a manual or even a box with this gun so I'm off to see if I can find one online.
 
it has happen many times before on other rifles, should it happen no 

heavy recoiling guns play havoc on scopes and mounts and your is a good example of that 

if there is move put a ring stop behind the mount or cut a ring down and use that as a stop 

but you have damage and that will make the new mount harder to stop 

what the real problem is the stop pin is too small for the hole, if it were a tight fit it would have more support 

in any case good luck with your repair and if it were mine i would find a stop pin the same size as the hole and replace it in the mount 

you need to find a dog point set screw 

https://www.google.com/search?ei=jIVqXoSuEa-q0PEPiYWxqA0&q=dog+point+set+screw&oq=dog+point+set+screw&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0j0i7i30j0j0i7i30l2j0l2j0i7i30j0i30l2.9987.10834..12491...0.2..0.76.312.5......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71.z7Mq5Ka8MoY

everyone one should replace the stop screw if it is too small for the hole for better holding 
 
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So with an airgun like this is it basically impossible mount a scope direct to the gun (meaning not using what I'm called the riser) and have it be secure enough to get a good handle on how well the gun is shooting?

My Bugbuster is the only springer rated scope that I'm actually willing to put on this gun for now. I would prefer it to be much lower and much further back. I'd like to at least figure out if this rifle is shooting as bad as I think it is before spending any money on it.

I guess I could buy a set screw for the riser and mount the Bugbuster as far back as it will go and make a cheek riser with some pipe insulation and test it that way. 

I had planned to sell this gun locally after cleaning and testing it but something seems way off compared to last summer. Maybe I'll see what kind of FPS spread I'm getting before trying anything.




 
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That's a hard recoiling gun to do that much damage. Gamos tend to be light for the power they make which adds to the harshness of the shot cycle. Sounds like that gun could be a scope killer so try the open sights to see if it will group before risking a good scope.

You should be able to mount your rings or 1 piece mount directly to the gun. Most springers have the scope grooves cut into the round compression tube. If you go forward with scoping that gun, degrease the scope grooves and try to find a mount or adapter that has a stop pin and at least four mounting bolts. Run the stop pin into the hole in the gun and slide it back till it hits the back edge of the stop hole. Then snug the bolts and run the pin all the way down. You can get dovetail to picatinny adapters with offset if you need to.

Good luck!
 
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That's a hard recoiling gun to do that much damage. Gamos tend to be light for the power they make which adds to the harshness of the shot cycle. Sounds like that gun could be a scope killer so try the open sights to see if it will group before risking a good scope.

You should be able to mount your rings or 1 piece mount directly to the gun. Most springers have the scope grooves cut into the round compression tube. If you go forward with scoping that gun, degrease the scope grooves and try to find a mount or adapter that has a stop pin and at least four mounting bolts. Run the stop pin into the hole in the gun and slide it back till it hits the back edge of the stop hole. Then snug the bolts and run the pin all the way down. You can get dovetail to picatinny adapters with offset if you need to.

Good luck!
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I don't know the weight off hand but it does feel light for its length and I do believe that's part of the problem. I still can't believe this happened with hardly any shooting.

As far as the bold text above, I thought that mounts for a curved dovetail would fit on a flat dovetail but not vice versa? Do I have that wrong?

I do have a couple of offset dovetail to picatinny adapters that might help with getting the Bugbuster back where I want it. If I can mount them direct to the curved rail section that will help with the height as well.

I'll shoot some tomorrow with the open sights. I was hoping to at least getting it shooting as well as it was last summer and I'll need a scope to make that comparison but I can certainly start by shooting it with the open sights and trying to eliminate the scope as a variable.
 
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I've owned many springers and never had anything close to that happen! Did I mention..magnum springers!
Click to expand...

I just skimmed through the comments section of a Pyramydair blog about another Gamo IGT rifle & it sounds like I'm not the first to see damage in less than 500 shots.

Not sure if it was as extensive as mine, however.

Wish I had started off my adult airgun hobby with something like the HW97k or whatever the ~2014 equivalent was. 
 
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Get yourself a RRR from Gamo or an equivalent recoil reducing rail as it is actually called. They are two piece and absorb recoil. Also make sure you are not getting any petroleum products on the pellets or in the rifle. Mnay guys recommend shooting a few hundred shots before mounting a scope as they settle down quite a bit with use. If installed properly it will also take some shock away from your scope. The rear section has to be locked down super tight but the front section needs to move. The screws on the front section should be tight but not too tight as they hinder movement.
1584109929_730443445e6b9969793326.26537835.JPG

 
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