It's been a real hit and miss year for me with my Gamo .17, I was telling my neighbor that that I was having trouble hitting anything with it. He brought over his .22 RWS air rifle today told me to keep it for awhile, while he was here I killed 3 of these varmints............
Bert I've been considering buying one of those air rifles but haven't yet. I did try one of the Gamo's that a friend has and liked it. Not sure my wife can handle the cocking of it though so she would probably stick with her Ruger .22.
Nice thing about this RWS is that it's a lever action and it holds like 8 pellets you can shoot about 50 rounds before ya have to pump it up again......I really like it but the price tag is $400. I can't shoot the Gamo anymore, I miss about half of my shots now.
Like other rifles, pellet guns "like" some ammo better than others. Try a few different brands and see if your accuracy improves. A lot cheaper (and easier on the shoulder) doing this comparison with a pellet gun than a. 300 win mag
I picked up a Gamo air rifle a couple years ago, the accuracy is pretty terrible IMO. I think my old Crossman that you had to pump 10 times shot better. A buddy of mine has had similar issues with his single-cock air rifle, I think you have to spend $400+ to get one where accuracy isn't destroyed by all the vibrations. So I stick with a single shot .22 with CCI Standard Velocity, or CCI CB's if I want to be quiet.
I'd like to be able to shoot my .22 or .17 HMR..........too many homes around.......damm those little critters pizz me off.
I don't think that .22 shorts are any more dangerous than a high powered air rifle. Or pick up some Aguila Super Colibri, those are probably about the safest (and most quiet) thing you can shoot.
I was wondering if it would be better to pay more (usually is) to get a really good one. If they aren't accurate, they are a worthless tool. Kind of like a fellow who can throw a football or baseball a lot further than others but can't throw where the ball needs to go. Therefore, that long throw is really not so good after all.
I am having very good luck with my 40 year old Sheridan pump up ( .20 cal) I do not thick these are made any more. Maybe the Benjamin models might be ( .177 or .22). Both Benjamin and Sheridan got swallowed up by Crossman. Spring guns, like the Gamos and others take a fair bit of practice to become decent with- I never liked barrel cockers - seen too many barrels get bent. RWS 48,52,54 (.177 or .22) are great units but not cheap, the 54 has a recoil absorbtion system. All single shot- side lever for cocking. Air Arms Pro and TX 200 are a couple more as well as HW 95 ,under lever units- Hatsan ( relatively new to our market) have a couple under lever units with lesser pricing as well as a full line up. Besides the recoil those god awful triggers in the lower price brackets don't help. If you have a scope on your rifle it is possible that the reverse recoil of the gamo has shaken it apart internally- happens all the time - to the lesser priced scopes that are supposed to be air rifle friendly. Even the pricey ones tend to fail after awhile. .20 cal hits twice as hard as a.177 but with out the loopy trajectory of the .22s- but .20 cal is sort of suffering the same fate as 16 ga shotgun stateside.
The bottom gun is the .22 cal. WRS. There are a couple things I don't care for first off it's very hard to pump up second off is you can load more than one round into the chamber, but it really is a nice shooter. I really like the looks and reviews on the Hatsan riffles. It's hard for me to justify the cost, I'll sleep on this one for awhile.... But I guess it's like the old saying..........(you get what you pay for).
Actually that is a Korean rifle ( Sumatra 2500 by Eun Jin) re-badged under the RWS name - it is a PCP style ( pre-compressed pneumatic or as some say a scuba gun) it is pre-charged to apx 3000psi in the twin tanks under the barrel with a hand pump or from a scuba tank although different valves. Yes with the hand pump great cardiovascular work out. I have a few pcp units also- bark too much to be used at home. It is still available under the mfg's name but RWS/Umarex is no longer handling them. about $650 Plus either a hand pump or scuba tank system. Careful now, once one starts down that slippery slope .... if you used to do fairly well with the Gamo I would suspect the scope as the culprit.
I just went out and shot some small cans with the Gamo at about 30 yards, I hit every time, I don't get it. Maybe it's the adrenaline kicking in when I see a squirrel.
Anytime, ya don't wanna eat Nevada ground squirrels due to many diseases including Bubonic plague. I got 46 of the little bazzards last year.