GTA
General Discussion To Gateway To Airguns => Gamo Gate => : 454 Big Block Chevy March 04, 2009, 02:48:30 AM
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what is the deal with the viper express, is it hunting accurate with pellets??????
idc about the shottie part, but its a cheap gamo .22...
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It's a smooth bore barrel, and I've seen some "tests" on youtube with people shooting it. It seems ok in the accuracy department at short range using pellets and lead roundballs, but it's not the best. The shotgun part of it is pretty much a joke.
If you want a cheap .22, look into the Crosman Quest 800. Cheap and very accurate after a nice break in.
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it's hunting accurate only if you get within 5yrds of your intended game, "ya might as will just hit it with a stone or sumthin". it does about 4"-6" group @ 25feet with pellets. "IT STINKS!" and costs way too much to operate, 25rnds of shot shells for almost $8.
i have one, i bought it for $240+ from the sports authority store when it first came out a few years ago. the only reviews i could find then were the advertisements. so i fell for the hype. really, i should just keep my mouth shut and let people experience the burn, just too bad i'm not that cruel.
Lee.
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It's a wall hanger, check out my airgun/shotgun .:o :0 A good idea with no power behind it unless you sneak up on the critter and whack em with it. Ed
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ed, maybe its supposed to be a new kind of hunting then??? ONLY FOR THE EXTREMELY SKILLED!
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One thing for sure - it's a boat anchor or fence post. That is, resale value is nil.
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i have a viper as well... man was i disappointed...it is junk.......i spent over 200 dollars and was so mad that i gave the gun away before i threw it in the wood stove..........they should nt sell trash for that kind of money......
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I have a Shadow Express...right now I'm using it for parts. Eventually I'll rebuild it back up, but I'm in no hurry. The shot shells can be fun if you load your own, but they have a tendancy to split...and the range is 10~15 feet for decent accuracy. The novelty factor is its only attraction for me. The .22 pellet capability is nice, but its a smoothbore, so its not as accurate as a rifled bore, but its not horrible. I cant say its junk, but I would never buy another. I say save your money, and buy something else, with a rifled barrel. If they were only 50~80 bucks I think a lot of folks would probably feel ok about them...but wally world had em for 150 bucks. Thats too expensive, and the shotshells are too.
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ya know, once i have my finances in order, and i'm actually saving(so, a bit down the road) i think i'm gonna try to build one up, just to see if it can actually be useful, like gamo says it is from the factory...they're such a joke...CUSTOM WORK FOR THE WIN!
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i actually enjoy my shadow express... it is quite good with the shotgun shells for impromptu bird hunting from right under the tree, and at no more than 30 feet. Sparrows, starlings, maybe a pigeon... and the pellet function, well it is good enough for 1.5 inch 5 shot groups at 20 yards. it is extremely pellet sensitive, and believe it or not, it shoots the Daisy wadcutter .22 with extreme accuracy. i use the bead to aim, no scope, and you just need to learn how to aim it, and make sure that you are consistent with your head, eye, shoulder positioning...i can take my time and aim correctly and get head shots at 20 yards, but i know that if i bring it up to my shoulder quickly i must aim 1 inch to the left and i'll hit my target also. It has balls! knocks squirrels right off the tree and it hits coffee cans decisively. it is relatively quiet and sturdy. Not accurate with light pellets, so no hobbies RWS for my shottie. It likes also the Gamo hunters. It is not a BSA, but then my BSA could not hit a bird on take off if it lifted off 5 feet in front of me (but if it sat on a tree at 50 yards... that is another story...). look at it for what it is, is a daring attempt at something different, not perfect, but not a bad rifle...
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I havent used mine that much, but I recently read something from Jim Chapman tha he uses it to kill pigeons in barns. It was advertised on one site [ Cobra Airguns I think] for that purpose. You can take out pest birds at close range [ 10 yds ] , and not do damage to the roof.I think people thought it was supposed to be like a a real shotgun, but its not. The test on Cobra's video was 10 yards, and it did a pretty good job.I shot a 1 gallon milk jug full of water at about 12 yards at work when I first got it. I was expecting something really dramatic, but I didnt see anything happen. We all walked up to the jug and was definatly converted to a sprinkler. I wanted one real bad when I first saw it, like someone stated, it was all the advertsement. I picked it up for $ 99.00 at Sports authority.No,it is not cheap to shoot, but I will be using it this summer a bit.
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It's a fun shooting gun.
I use it to jump shoot flying grasshoppers in the backyard in preparation for quail season. You can easily reload the shells by using cotton (with a bit of wax) or can make wads out of old credit cards. I dont consider it to be hype; it's just not a 12ga.
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An interesting thread. Looks like almost a consensus thumbs down to me. At ten yd range limit, you might consider lashing a pocket knife on it, using it as a bayonet to go in for the kill after the first shot. Indoor hunting for mice without damaging the drywall? ;-)
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I disagree with you jerrycup. it is not a unanimous thumbs down, but a clear shout that whoever bought it clearly did not know what they wanted to do with it, and more clearly, what the viper can do. I have a qb 78 that could not hit an elephant at 50 yrds+. does that make it a bad rifle? absolutely not! i got it because i wanted a close to medium range bird hunter (10 to 30 yards). at that range is dead accurate and extremely effective at dispatching game. it also allows me to use open sights if i want (a lost art...). my BSA supersport in the other hand is a long range gun that at 45 yards+ is deadly and accurate. It is scoped for that purpose. You hide in the woods, and wait. anything coming within that range is done... but you need to be careful about misses and where they could end up. My viper shadow (the all blacked out one) in the other hand is awesome for other things. It helps me hone my stealth skills as i need to aproach the game til i get in effective range ( not as easy... try it.) plus i dont have to worry where the missed shots go (in shotgun form) as they disperse energy at at more rapid rate than pellets. i can use it indoors (squirrels in the attic are no longer a problem), and even if it's not dead accurate, i can get 5 pellets in a 2 inch circle at 30 yards. And it hits so hard... must be the fact that the pellet starts to tumble... it is the only rifle in my case that has been able to convince the racoons that my garbage is definetely off limits. ( a 2 inch circle is about the size of a raccoon 's head. i tried it, it hit it in the cheek (aimed behind the ear, but with open sights and at night, who knows?) and it made the animal back off about 6 feet from the cans, and drop dead.). if you dont believe me, get an old paint can, put it at 25 yards and shot it. i still do it and am amazed every time at the hole it makes... bottom line is. dont have it as your sniper rifle, but keep it as a fun, once on a while there is something cool to shoot at with a shotgun, back door gun (and keep a little jar with the adapter and some 15 gr. .22 cal pellets, in case you have uninvited guest roaming through your property...
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Maybe you are correct, Gabe. But it's about 5-1 negative on this thread, with some pretty strong words used.
Could be I am biased against Gamos. I spent a lot of time, effort, money on a Whisper, which some say is fantastic. Mine got traded to a guy who replaced the tile floors in my bathroom, and I don't miss it.
Anyway it must be an interesting gun to have. At the range limit of the Viper, I would think I could hit with my rifle nearly every time open sight and quickly - but I could be dreaming. Anyway, one of the posts called it practice for quail season. I can see that. Good luck with it, and I think anyone who wants one knows where a couple are available...;-)
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After this weekend, I love mine.
Squirrels chewed a hole in the side of my house and moved in...no way to get at them.
Hearing them chewing and running around has been driving me nuts.
Long story short, shot one in the house (came down thru a hole for plumbing and got stuck in my closet.)
No holes in the drywall (blood on some coats, though) :D
Got the other one yesterday...shot him when he was coming out of the hole....ventilated my downspout a bit but thats ok.
Both clean kills...dead before they hit the ground.
Mine likes the Daisy wadcutters as well...pretty accurate (a beer can at 30 yards)
I'd recommend one if they were cheaper, but....
Frank
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I got one for Chipmunks and tree rats, 2 tree rats, 8 chippers, 2 moles, 2 mice. this summer. Good for suburban close shots with shells and I hit cans at 20 yards with crowmags . I did get a Beeman RS 3 as now I am hooked and waiting for UPS today for a 850 Hammerli
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I like mine as well. with the shot shells I have killed small pest birds tearing up my house. and the shot did not mess up the house. My wife shot 2 chimney sweeps out of the air with it. 10 yrd max on small pests. with the pellet insert I have taken tree rats at 20 yrds. Plenty of power for that. I agree with one of the other posts, that if you accept the gun for what it is and not expect a 12 ga. you will be happy with it. It is pretty accurate with a pellet if you shoot it like a shotgun. (meaning point at your target dont aim)
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I used to own a Viper Express, and that being said....I was not thrilled with it in the accuracy department. I mean sure it got a 1inch group at 20 or so yards, but that wouldn't get me all jumpy. It's probably due to the fact that it's a smooth bore, being as that it was intended to use the special "shot shells" that GAMO manufactures. Which is a nice feature, but pretty pricey if you intend to use the shot gun feature of the rifle more than the .22 pellet.....and goodluck aiming with the bead sight if your using pellets. Not a rifle that is worth the buck in my book, however you can by all means get the somewhat downgraded version of it which is the "Shadow Express". Same thing from what I can see, just different stock. You can get one at Wally world for like $150 or something. Anyway, that's just my take on it =]
-Jarred
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I agree... and that is the one i have. the viper express is overpriced. And 1 inch groups at 20 yards witha bead is awesome. as a pest control tool is perfect. I shoot pellets to shells on a 20:1 ratio. I like how it shoots pellets due to the gaping holes that it leaves on racoons or opossums...
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I guess, but that's because I cheated in using a rifle table. Haha, I usually use my rifles open handed for target shooting =] All in all, if I wanted a .22 that was cheap and packs a punch. Then I would for sure look at the Quest 800 -- comes with a wood stock :)
-Jarred
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Just a tip...for the people who like the VE.
The little holes in the sides of the recoil pad will hold some shells and the adapter perfectly...
great for the grab-n-go-there's another squirrel in the house-type scenario.
:)
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Nice to know. Thank you!
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the viper express is garbage stay away u want a good gun get a ruger blackhawk/airhawk and save ur money on this gimmick.
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and I imagine that your opinion is based in years of comparison??? my gamo shottie got 2 raccoons notched on it's stock, both hit the deck really dead... plus is a great bird pest control gun... give it a shot, dont just dismiss it because is a smoothbore. Shoot one, beat the crap of a paint can with it, use it for pest control (it will hit a can size critter at 30 yards ALL DAY LONG and hit it real hard. Try chasing a squirrel thru tree tops with a Ruger airhawk... the bead on the shottie allows you to do that and then some... it is also really quiet...
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seems like a big gimmick
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"seems like a big gimmick"
Friend of mine throught the same thing about 22 rat shot when he was young.... until he saw what his 12 ga did to the inside of a barn AFTER hitting the rat . About half the rat went out the hole, the other half became Rat paint that his old man made him clean off the barn wall !!!!
The Viper Exp. is just a specialized tool for pest control, not a sales gimmic.
Paul.
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well said! I don't know if Gamo meant it as such, but it is a fun little rifle that will give you years of service and wont require a specialized hold, or pellet, or scope... it just shoots close enough to be effective with the pellets and is fun to drill many holes on cans standing at about 10/15 yards.... I doubt my wife will have the time or inclination to spend days trying to make "one hole groups" with the Talon, or a R7... But she sure gets a huge grin when she lifts the barrel of the shottie, points it at a soup can and sends it flying.... no effort, just rewarding fun. I can't believe people are still trying to compare the express with a rifle... the express can be had for about 150 dollars, which is not a lot in a world of 1000 dollars PCPs.
PS. it is also the least amount of maintenance required of any airgun i own... and the one that sits right next to the kitchen door (ok... there is also a sheridan there... hey , not all tree rats are sitting within 15 yards...lol)
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Have a tree rat I took today in the hunting gate, its very good at close shots