Author Topic: "Be Ye Transformed" -Gamo + CdT Trigger = Bliss on the Cheap!  (Read 2889 times)

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Although I am fond of the R-9's that I do most of my small game hunting with, I have to admit that I found much to like about the .177 Gamo Shadow during the years that I owned one.  We still have one in our household, but it is my wife's gun.

I believe that the subject of whether the R-9 or Shadow is more accurate is open for debate.  My Shadow certainly never gave cause to complain in the accuracy department, and my wife's has been a little tighter grouping than mine was from day one.  My off hand scores with her Shadow aren't much different than what I get with my .177 R-9 out to about 40 yards or so.

One thing that most people who have shot both rifles extensively will stipulate is that the R-9 is easier to shoot accurately, due in part to its slightly heavier weight, and in large measure to its vastly more refined trigger feel.

What if there was some way to bridge the gap between the crude, as-issued Gamo trigger and the excellent Rekord unit common to R-Series Beemans?  What if the solution left you with plenty of change in your pocket from two "twenty spots" and could be installed in about half the time it will take me to write this post?

Well, there is no need to ask "what if" because there is a solution, and it more than lives up to the press that hundreds of satisfied customers have already given it.

That solution is a "drop-in" replacement trigger blade marketed by Bob Werner, aka "Charlie da Tuna," the man behind Charilie's Springer Works.

In my view, the GTX trigger was one of the best products to hit the adult airgun scene since the introduction of the R-1.  Mr. Werner could have left things well enough alone, but my understanding is that the new GRT-III version will be an even further refinement, one that will accomidate manufacturing tolerances from gun to gun better in the broad spectrum of rifles that it is intended to function in.

My wife's Shadow served as the test bed.  Her rifle is slightly over two years old now, and has in excess of 7,000 shots through it's bore.  Over time, much of the "loose gravel" feel wore itself out of her trigger (thanks to use and re-assembly with moly paste).  The heavy pull weight (compared to a factory-adjusted Rekord) and unpredictable let-off, however, remained.

Prior to installing Mr. Werner's trigger blade, I measured the pull weight of the Shadow at the advertised 4.25 pounds, using an RCBS trigger pull gauge.

My trigger blade came in a heavily padded shipping envelope, along with a hex key for fine tuning and VERY DETAILED, yet easily understood instructions.  The hardest part of the installation was breaking the "Lock Tite" that I had applied to the action screws of the Shadow before shooting it for the first time.  Once that was accomplished, it was a simple and very quick case of "out with the old, in with the new."

The trigger blade is held into the housing by a large pivot pin which is retained on either side of the housing by a clip.  I removed the clip from the right-hand side of the housing (facing the breech) opposite the anti-beartrap mechanism, and drove the pin out.  Once the pin is removed, the stock trigger blade can be slipped out of the housing.  In it, there is another pin that transfers to the new GTX/GRT trigger, with the same orientation.  The next step is to remove the factory adjustment screw that remains in the trigger housing when the stock blade is removed.  Once that is accomplished, you slip the new GTX/GRT in the housing, re-install the trigger pivot pin, and replace the clip that secures it.  Next, you place the barreled action back in the stock, tighten down the stock attachment screws, and you're done!  It will take you nearly as long to read this paragraph as it does to do the actual work.

With the new trigger blade installed, the difference in feel is so dramatic that it is very difficult to comprehend how something so simple to do could yeild such a big result.

As issued, the Gamo trigger isn't a true two-stage unit.  It is a single-stage trigger made to feel like a two-stage unit with a relatively heavy trigger return spring.  With the GTX/GRT installed, the trigger functions as a true two-stage unit should, with each stage of the pull doing actual work.  Sear engagement remains more than adequate to retain the piston when the rifle is cocked.  When pulling on the new trigger, you pull through a functional first stage to a discernable "bump" where the second stage begins.  The slight application of a miniscule amount of additional pressure then trips the sear and allows the rifle to discharge.  

How slight?  Try 1.18 lbs.  That's the figure that my trigger pull gauge gave EVERY TIME I measured it.  Admittedly, though, I was pretty satisfied with measuring it three times in a row and calling it quits.

As it is, my wife's trigger requires .78 lb less force to discharge than my R-1 and R-9's do, as all of them are adjusted for a two pound pull.

The pull is very light and the let-off is now totally predictable, with the overall feel being very refined and smooth.  There is some overtravel, but it is not objectionable.  As indicated in the instructions, the trigger came pre-adjusted to a very acceptable feel, and I see no reason to mess with it beyond "just because I can" for the sake of experimenting.

Okay, so how does this modified Gamo trigger compare to a Rekord?

Rather well.  I'm in a pretty good position to tell, since I've got a pair of R-9's and a fairly new R-1 to compare it with.  How well depends on the individual guns in question and on the shooter's ability to percieve minute differences in feel.  Some will notice a slight difference, but personally, I don't think many recreational shooters would.

I'll put it to you like this....
 
I still prefer the trigger on my .20 R-9 over this modified unit in my wife's Shadow, but I DO NOT prefer it enough to make the difference that's there worth dealing with the R-Series Beeman safety, which is located in a silly spot and requires a re-cocking motion to reset.  The modified trigger on the Shadow feels so substantively similar to the trigger on my .177 R-9 that I am willing to call it a draw, while it feels BETTER and MORE REFINED than the trigger on my new and hardly used (less than a tin of pellets) .20 R-1.  That is why I can make the "depends" comment in the paragraph above.

Bear in mind that "feel" is a subjective thing.  That said, if you put ten shooters on a trigger that I think is a good one, it's probably safe to say that 8 or 9 of them will feel the same way I do about the trigger's goodness.

I've posted this here, rather than in the Gamo forum, in the hopes that those who don't yet have any pre-concieved bias or brand loyalty might be more inclined to read this before deciding to throw down on an R-9 or something else.  If you like the look of synthetic-stocked rifles (as many younger shooters and less tradition-bound folks than myself do) or find practical advantage in a synthetic stock, then a Shadow, properly scoped, with a GRT trigger, might actually meet your needs and wants better than anything else out there.

If you already own a Gamo, YOU NEED THIS TRIGGER BLADE!

Wihtout this trigger blade on the market, there may indeed be much better rifles to spend one's money on, but with this trigger blade on the market, I can say that for the hunting that I do, a Gamo (particularly the Shadow) so equipped would be pretty tough to beat.  I am so impressed with this product that I will be buying another Shadow in the near future and putting in an order for the new GRT-III trigger blade to compliment it.

In this case, "impressed" is an understatement!

I'm so enthused about this product that I added a page about it on uplandhunter.net that I'll probably keep up indefinitely.  To view it, go to the scroll down to the updates listed in red at the bottom of the homepage for uplandhunter.net, and click on the link you'll see at the bottom.

Blessings and Tight Groups,

-JP
http://www.uplandhunter.net

Offline Gene_SC

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J.P. that description of the GTX III was in my opinion the.............
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2006, 01:02:47 AM »
best of them all. I never have been able to put my description about the difference in the stock Gamo trigger and the replacement GTX III in such a descriptive manner. That was a perfect explanation on how the GTX III feels after installation. Sure glad we have someone here of your caliber with words to explain this.... :)

I not only have a GTX III on my S1K but my 1250 .22, CFX Royal .177 and CFX Synthetic .177.. When the new triggers are ready, I have the CFX Royal .22 that I will order up one and put in it.

Great Review J.P.

Thanks once again for your interest and support to the forum.

Gene

PS........ I have placed a copy of your post here on the Gamo Forum as well.
THE ONES I SLEEP WITH: BSA Lightning XL, AA TX-200, AA ProSport, BSA Ultra, HW-97K, Crosman NPSS .177, FX Cyclone, HW-30 Nicle Plated, AA-S200, Crosman Marauder, CZ-634, R-9 DG, Webley/Scott UK Tomahawk, Benji Kantana, Benji Marauder, Benji Discovery.....
....

Gene\'s Tunz n Toyz
Springer Tunin

Offline longislandhunter

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RE: "Be Ye Transformed" -Gamo + CdT Trigger = Bliss on the Cheap!
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2006, 01:57:59 AM »
Enjoyed your post very much.  I have a GTX trigger and was trying to decide which of my Gamo rifles to install it in, but now I think I'll put it in the Shadow.  After reading your post I think I'll also invest the money and order triggers for my 1250, Black Shadow and CFX when the new triggers are available.
\"If it was easy it wouldn\'t be hunting, it would be shopping.\"

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RE: "Be Ye Transformed" -Gamo + CdT Trigger = Bliss on the Cheap!
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2006, 07:52:47 PM »
I can hardly wait for the new triggers, myself.  A Shadow with one of those triggers in it, re-barreled to .20, would be all the air rifle I really need for the hunting that I do, and would cover it all....  I'd have the minimum caliber for turkey (gotta be .20 or over here in California) and I'd have the light weight for scrambling up to the rimrock where the chukar live, and plenty of flat-shooting power for everything else, all in a dynamic handling package.

What I might do instead is see if anyone still has .22 440's in stock, and simply swap the wood 440 stock with a Shadow replacement off the Gamo USA website.

Or I might start looking for a Silver Shadow Supreme in .22 on GunBroker or some such site.

I'd really rather have a .20, though, so I'll probably wind up getting a Shadow from Wal-Mart and then seeking a means to get a high quality .20 barrel fitted to it.

-JP
http://www.uplandhunter.net

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RE: "Be Ye Transformed" -Gamo + CdT Trigger = Bliss on the Cheap!
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2006, 11:29:51 PM »
Jp I don't think that re-barreling the s1k should be hard and it's been done by another forum member

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/airguns/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=361&mid=1545#M1545

Barrel
http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=7539912
 :D
Happy shooting
Bart