I was hesitant to order this air rifle because of the Gamo name and some of the review comments on the rifle and the scope. I have owned similar air rifles from Benjamin, Crossman and Ruger but never a Gamo. Anyway, based on the features and the price point I decided to try it out. This review is based on the fact that it is a $120 air rifle, not one costing 2-3 times as much. With that said, it has performed better than my $250 Benjamin Trail NP in a number of ways and is head and shoulders better than my Ruger .22.
First, the stock is clean and attractive and the entire rifle is surprisingly light. Unlike wood stock rifles, this is easy to carry and hold and the composite stock has a look and feel of good durability. Second, the scope is obviously a budget one with minimal frills and no adjustable magnification. But, it went on easy and the image and sight picture are more than adequate for casual shooting. I did not expect a competition level air rifle for this price but the accuracy astounded me.
I had a tin of Crosman Premier 7.4 gr, pointed pellets on hand and I shot my first 5 rounds to test. I did not not clean the barrel so I expected some level of dieseling, erratic accuracy and louder than normal noise. I set up a target at 35 yards and all 5 shots stayed within a 1" circle with the spread being about .8", For a new uncleaned rifle with the scope at factory settings and no adjustments, this blew me away. I put the rifle away with the intent of doing some fine tuning later but, before I could, an annoying dove showed up and perched on a power line at the corner of my yrd. The pole was an easy 40 yds away and the bird was up at least 30 ft. I took a dead center aim and dropped it with the first shot.
So, at this point, I am still waiting to complete my 50 rd, break in period but this inexpensive air rifle has impressed me completely. Noise level before break in is well below what my Benjamin and Crosman were and the accuracy is way beyond expectations.
I highly recommend this to anyone. At some point I will replace the scope as I have done with my other air rifles but, for now, it is performing like a champ right out of the box.
UPDATE: The gun continues to perform well but I am having issues with the scope mounts working loose. The design of the rings and how they mount to the dovetail seem to be the issue so I ordered a set of these rings which have solid reviews and I am mounting them with blue screw lock adhesive.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYBMQCY9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I am confident this will correct the problem. I mention this because there are some negative comments about the scope but I find the optics to be just fine and I don't see a need to change the scope if a set of decent $10 rings will solve the issue.
| Brand Name | Gamo |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Gamo |
| Style | Air Rifle + Pellets Combo Pack.177 |
| Size | .177 Caliber |
