GTA
General Discussion To Gateway To Airguns => Gamo Gate => : December 11, 2006, 10:17:58 AM
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Hi, my boyfriend & I shoot highpower & hunt... I was going to get a nice little air rifle for the holidays to round out our collection, but had no idea how involved they are (and how cool they can be!).
I'd love some quick advice for a rank novice if anyone has the time.
After some reading, I've settled on Gamo for a starter rifle. I'm wavering between the Shadow 1000, Hunter 220 and Hunter Elite. I'm looking for accuracy, ergonomics, power & aesthetics (in that order). The goal will be for some serious plinking, hours of shooting, and hopefully small game (but not likely as we live in NJ).
I've read that the Shadow is extremely impressive for what it is, but is cumbersome to load, and I hate the synthetic stock. I hear that the 220 is quite smart looking, but has a crummy trigger and the spring is questionable.
I have no experience with airguns, and will not have the option of checking them out before I buy one - so I'm just making a blind leap and hoping for the best.
So here are my questions:
1) of the three, which might serve me best?
2) should I get the optics package or get another scope & mounting hardware (any advice welcomed)
3) is there a particular round I should make sure to have when figuring out what it likes?
Finally, I'd LOVE to get our new rifle tuned, and CharlieDaTuna sounds great... but does anyone know if i'm allowed to ship an air rifle from NJ (and receive) for service? I know I can't order one and have it delivered to NJ.... (of course I can check up on this, just figured I'd ask as long as I was typing anyhow)
many many many thanks for any advice. and have a wonderful holiday season.... - buck
btw.... read the thread about wives... funny stuff... I must be odd though, I have three fly rods for every pocketbook I own... : )
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I bought the Hunter 220 about 2 months ago and I'm happy with it. The trigger did stink until I ordered Charlie Da Tuna's trigger.
It did come with a scope that I just upgraded. If you have the option of getting it without the scope I would do that and get the $27 Tasco
3 -9- 32 listed in the Bargain Gate. I did and its much better than the one that came with it.
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Well since all three have the same power plant and trigger and are rated at the same power level.
I guess it's up to which one you like the looks of most, and the one you can get the best deal on money wise.
I just finishing up on a Quest tune and sending it back to N.J. in the morning. A dealer can not send a rifle to you in New Jersey but a private party can as far as I know. I send and receive rifles all the time here in Michigan which is the same as N.J. about a dealer sending new rifles to this state.
I went to the sheriff’s office and talked to the officer who handles pistol registrations and he knew of no law that prohibits it as long as the persons are of age and able to purchase a rifle legaly in the state.
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gamo's are nice guns that if tuned become super nice ,but keep your opp's open look at beeman and rws also .One more thingfor a starter gun a scope package would be a good thing
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stoli, thanks! I emailed Charlie as well, and he just kindly replied.... sadly, he doesn't work on guns from NJ...
thanks for the heads up on the 220... I like good optics, and after some reading around here, got some tips too.
I think a 220 might be it.... sounds servicable & sound, a good place to start.
I just would need to get this trigger worked on (not before xmas of course, but soon after)... both my bf and I are trigger 'snobs' and like them hairy w/no travel or slop.
Peter, interesting... do you use UPS? I visited your site... would you be able to tune up a 220 for me? I'd just want to check with UPS before I commit to shipping anything anywhere.... my Benelli rabbit gun needed service recently and I was able to send that to the manuf. and they sent it back to me via UPS no prob.
threeguns, thanks so much... yeah I was quite shocked to find a whole nother world in airrifles... until just now, I basically thought they were either plastic toys or $2000 match rifles, never knew about the 'tweeners. I don't have time now to do too much comparison shopping, though I did more reading and might want to seriously consider a CFX while I'm at it (any advice? : 0 :o )
If we love the air rifle thing, I'm sure we'll grow into it and make mistakes & learn like everyone else. At the very least, we won't go broke shooting all day!!
Hey, thanks everyone, nice warm welcome here and I appreciate y'all taking the time to help me out.
Like I said, 220 looks like it, tho gonna check into the CFX once more too... then gotta find someone in NJ that can get it for me ...
have a wonderful holiday everyone and many thanks again.
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Peter, I lumped my reply in one statement, but wanted to make sure you know that I appreciate your taking the time, and may be in contact with you. thankyou.
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threeguns, thankyou too for taking the time, much appreciated....
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Buck1173,
Since I'm from the (not so) great state of NJ also I feel your pain. Yes, you can send air rifles out of state, I 've done it several times. The problem you may run into is that some privately owned places such as Staples won't do it (at least in my area) even though it's through UPS. Actually, Charlie had done two of mine a couple of years ago.....he does great work.
All three rifles load the same way, so you might be talking about the CFX in that it is a little more difficult to load because of the rotary breech. When it comes to optics packages you have to be careful. Some of those scopes are basically a .22 rim fire scope with a parallax setting at 50 yards. A lot of time you can get a better quality scope for reasonable price with a good strong integral mount. Don't skimp on the mount, these guns pack a good amount of forward and reverse recoil and usually make normal mounts slide. Just something else to think about. Since you hate the sythetic stock, your choice would be the 220 and hunter elite, I personally like the new hunters but that might be more than you are willing to pay, at least to start out, try the 220 or if you can find one the 440, a little nicer, but based on the same internals as the others.
BTW, are you from the north or the southern part of NJ????
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keep an eye on the classified ads here and on other places alot nof times you can get a gently used and professionally tuned airrifle for the amount of a new gun .GOOD LUCK THREEGUNS
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Sound's like your off to a good start and the member's here are nothing but helpfull. Calamity jane was handy with a gun too and it's nice to know that there are still some gun packing gals out there. :) Again welcome,GTA is a great place to be. Ed
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Mark, thanks! Aw, Jersey's ok... I can't think of too many other states where you can deer hunt in the am, trout fish in the afternoon, and hit the beach for stripers in the evening... and stand a chance of doing reasonably well! If you can afford to live here any more that is : (
Thanks, ok, I was trying to sort out why the CFX fell into a dif. category, didn't realize that about the er, action... I'll keep it simple for now and try to get my hands on a 220 or an elite... I actually called Gamo today to get their advice... the rep told me to just keep with a 220, that an elite is just more snazzy looking, no more... I like the bullbarrel though, always did like them..... dunno, gotta sleep on it.
Thanks too for the advice on the mounts... I did a little more reading here, its neat, I didn't expect these little buggars to actually kick... I think this will be kinda fun!
I ran into the same trouble when returing my benelli... went to local 'ups stores' and actually had one guy throw the box back at me and toss me out of his store when he found out it was a shotgun... I felt so crummy, like a criminal or something... but the actual ups locations, guys are great.
and I live in both the north & south... NYC for work, Phili & AC for fun
thanks again so much!!!
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thanks ed, you guys are really helpful here, thanks again
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I work in Philly (that's where I am now).
NJ is a bit strange with regards to shipping. UPS has officially informed me that they have no problem shipping air guns into or out of NJ, although private UPS shippers like Staples have the right not to take packages. But you can print UPS pre-paid shipping labels online and then arrange for UPS driver pickup or give them directly to a driver if you happen to run into one. And if you have a prepaid label, some outfits like Staples or other "UPS stores" will let you drop off the package without even asking what's in it.
Oddly enough, you can do the same with the Postal Service. I've shipped air rifles (again, using prepaid labels I printed online) directly from the Post Office. They ask if the contents poses a risk to mail handlers, which of course an uncocked air rifle does not. So I say "No".
Once I had the lady ask me what was in the box. I just smiled. She asked me if I KNEW what was in the box, and I said "Yup.". She then asked me the "official" question (which is all she can legally ask, I believe) about mail handler risk, and I replied in the negative. So she took the box.
As for receiving air guns, some vendors will ship to NJ and some won't. It's a voluntary thing on their part. Again, UPS told me they don't care. From those that are willing to ship here - I've had no problem whatsoever getting them shipped to my house. But, at least I do have a FID card that lets me own long guns.
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If they ask what's in the package tell them sporting goods, that works also.
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Hi Buck
I know you've made your short list, but I would still suggest a CFX in whichever calibre you prefer. I know break barrels have been around since the dawn of time, but in my opinion, they are not the best engineering solution. A fixed barrel is just that - fixed. The CFX is also a superb gun in it's own right. The Gamo trigger is possibly not as bad as some make out, but a mod, by Rich from Mich or CDT would no doubt improve it a lot ( I'm waiting for the mailman to deliver my mod). Whichever way you decide, good shooting!
PS. Don't go for an all in optics package unless you are sure that the scope on offer is OK. Probably better to purchase a scope separately, but be sure it is rated for recoiling airguns. They are far more vicious than .22lr!
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haha. thanks... well I've settled on a hunter elite for starters...... gamo themselves did tell me that the only real upgrade is the bullbarrel, but I do like the looks of it.
anyhow, now just trying to get one before the holiday.... I could kick myself for having left this to the last minute like this, but i honestly never thought I'd get so into it.... so, trying to see if my shop can get one in for me, if not I'm going to try to see if he'll be agreeable to receiving shipment of one on my behalf.... and if THAT doesn't work... well, I've got my eye on a nice puma knife for the ol man that will just have to do instead and we can talk about the air rifle thing again....
wish me luck, and thanks alot!
peter, if I do get this, and you can service/upgrade the trigger on a hunter elite for me, and you can ship it to me in nj... I just might be contacting you around mid-jan... thanks again!
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Hey derek, thanks for the advice... at this point, I'm so late to the party that I might have to be happy with my initial choice... I've settled on a hunter elite and now driving my gun guys nuts trying to find one for me to put under the tree.... being a lady and all, I can't prove the old sayings right and keep changing my mind every 5 minutes : )
anyhow, I do hope to get one, and if I do, I'm not sure where this whole air rifle thing is going to go for us.... might be a neat addition to our toy collection, might be a new found passion.... it sure is tempting though as it looks like a lot of fun for a fraction of the cost of highpower, etc. ammo is just insane these days.
And its pretty cool too, these seem to have some decent knock down power and are tuneable like our other toys, so we can spend hours at the range, tuning and blasting holes in little things like cans, etc, (and still have some change in our pockets).
If this does become a new found hobby (adding to the list!!!) I'm sure we won't stop at just one... thanks again !
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...in NJ:
airgunexpress.com
southsummit.com
natchezss.com
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I had some change in my pocket when I started airgunning, spent on airgun goodies he he. That's ok it's a blast so have some fun . :D Ed
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VINCE YOU RULE! thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I think the real issue is having the FAID card so that you legally can purchase in NJ. The last one I got at the sports store I filled out a "certificate of elligebillity", which basically was for my personal info, ID card # and several questions (that someone would have to be a complete moron to answer the wrong way) I got a copy of that form and the store retained a copy...nothing is sent to the state for registration like a regular firearm, so even though they are sort of classified as a "firearm" they aren't really handled the same within the system.
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I had gotten one from Airgun express about 2 years ago, but since then Pyramid Air has joined with them. Do they still ship to NJ or does Pyramid control that now (wont allow shipping to NJ)?
Also, did you make the purchase online, or do you have to call directly?
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Excellent choice. Thats a beautiful gun!
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hey derek... if you could put any optics & mount on a cfx royal, what would you put on? I've got leupold on my highpower, but not going crazy for an AR.... is the BSA 3-12x40 any good?
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Mark, thanks, yep FID card is no prob by me.
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Buck
Look at the Hunter 440, It is the exact same rifle as the Shadow. It has the Beach Wood Stock which is n my opion a very nice stock. Send it off to CDT and get a Turbo Tune with GRT-III trigger and you will be set for anything you want to do.
I have 12 Gamo's and love all of them. But prefer the Shadow 1000 Synthetic .20 and my CFX Synthetic .177.. Great shooters and I would of had to pay over $500.00 for one that may not even come close to there quality after CDT did the Tune and Trigger.
Good Luck on your decision
Gene
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I got an air rifle from airgunexpress.com early this past summer.
Natchez told me over the phone that they wouldn't ship to NJ, but when I put in an order online (late Sep or early Oct) it went through no problem and was delivered to my house. In addition, I've gotten returned "warranty claim" rifles shipped back to me directly from Gamo as recently as yesterday.
I've shipped a gun out, oh, probably about 4-5 times via UPS and USPS in NJ.
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Its the initial purchase that is the snafu. Ive sent air rifles back for warranty replacement also (Gamo and Crosman) and had gotten new rifles in return no problems. As long as you send them one, they aren't selling you one directly and that seems to be the difference. Like I had said, the state of NJ doesn't have a registration per se, for air rifles ( air pistols are different) just a form/questionaire (certificate of elligibility)that is filled out each time you purchase one...nothing is sent to the state, it's just kept in the store for records. The guy I deal with at my local sports store told me that they wont even send copies of their FA license to anyone....so that pretty sinks any chance of me ordering from companies on the net that will send to a local store so long as they have a copy of the dealers license on file. Of course that also mean that I pay a premium price for air rifles, case in point Gamo Delta $80.00 Gamo Recon $100.00, check the prices on the net (w free shipping no less) and you'll see why I'm just a little disgruntled. Even though I am a holder of a valid FAID in NJ which allows me to purchase and possess long guns, I can't get most companies to send me a BB or pellet rifle....I don't get it. These guys in other states just don't know how good they got it
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ooooh... I get it.... shucks, thats was I was hoping to do... if my guy couldn't get one for me, I was going to ask if he could receive one for me.......... hmmm, this might be harder than I thought....
thanks so much for the heads up.
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Hopefully the gun guy you purchase from would be willing to send a copy of the FA dealer license to these places on the net....Cabelas, Pyramid Air, etc. If so, then you'll be fine, they will send air rifles to NJ dealers with no problem if they have a copy of the FA dealer license for their records. My gun guy won't do it. I was hoping that since I've purchase uh, lets see, 7 air rifles from him in the last 2 1/2 years he'd be willing to help me out with that....store policy he say's, can't send it. Tough living in the bottom end of the state :0
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...that NJ has no authority to tell a business in another state how they are to conduct their affairs. They can't demand that Compasseco or Dauven's or Midsouth or anyone else retain a copy of anything or have anyone fill out a questionaire.
And meanwhile my local police are telling me that my FID automatically means that any long guns in my posession are legal (except for assault weapons, of course). So the whole thing doesn't seem to make any sense, nor does it appear to be even remotely enforceable.
Oh, well... at least all these nit-picky gun laws have given NJ the blessings of an extremely low murder and violent crime rate and... oh, wait - no they haven't!
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LMAO, I was thinking the same thing about the crime rate! About the businesses in other states....I had the same question in mind. For instance, I purchased a Shadow for a relative last year. I had gone to Pa on vacation, went to a Walmart and bought one...no questions asked ( really weird feeling, he he he). Now I bring it back to NJ (I have a FAID card so I'm not worried) so what is the difference??? When you purchase on the net, you are purchasing out of state and instead of delivering it yourself, someone in the brown truck brings it too you. If I don't have a FAID and I make the purchase, then I would be the one who would have to worry about making an illegal purchase (by NJ standards anyway)...I don't see how a buisness should really care either way. It ultimately would be the buyer problem if he was doing something illegal. I realize that all this won't change a blessed thing...just venting my frustrations.
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Hi Buck,
Difficult to give any precise suggestions about scopes as the pricing policies in the States are so much different from the UK. Also, over here, we seem to have quite a bit of "price snobbery", meaning that if you don't possess 4 or 5 high end scopes, you are somewhat lacking. (Sad crowd sometimes, the Brits!)
BSA have a good reputation, but it's worth bearing in mind that most scopes of modest cost nearly all come out of the same few Chinese factories and are simply branded and then priced accordingly. We have retailers selling "own name" scopes thet are identical to big names but at less than half the price. I'm not 100% certain, but I would guess that "Leapers" is a take off on "Leupold"! Your own countrymen (and gals) should be able to point you to reliable names at sensible prices over there.
The important things are, that the scope is manufactured especially for air guns, due to the hard double recoil and also make sure that it is parellaxed for 35yards. I understand that many scopes for powder burners are set for 50 and 100yards, which is no good for airgun hunting. The other point is that you really need very solid one piece scope mounts, preferably with a stop pin, again because of the recoil. Less than solid mounts will simply walk off the rear of the gun after a few shots!
These suggestions go for any full power air rifle, not just the CFX.
In my case I'm waiting for an AGS 3-9 X 40, which has been suggested by more experienced friends as a good scope at modest price ($68 in UK). I haven't got it yet, as it is to be a Christmas pressy from my daughters!
Happy shooting whichever rifle you get. It will probably be the start of a collection.
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thanks for responding! i ended up getting the package set anyhow... it comes with a 3-9x50. The folks at Gamo told me that the new elite's mount is a good one, one piece... so I'll give it a run. If we do love airgunning I'm sure we'll figure out if the scope is holding us back. Thanks again.
Sorry, didn't realize you were in the UK. It seems as if airgunning is very popular there and elsewhere in europe... can you shoot centerfire rifles in the UK (for hunting I mean)? Or do you have the same problem we do in NJ: too many people + not enough open hunting land = no highpower allowed.
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Hi Buck
I'm sure you will enjoy yourself with the Hunter; good luck with it.
Yes airguns and airgun hunting is popular in the UK, but as a nation, we are not as at ease with guns of any sort as you are. Many people here would like to ban even air guns. Air guns are not licenced, but we are only allowed to carry them in public, closed in a case or gunslip, from our homes, to a club or private land where we have (preferably written) permission to shoot. Such land is difficult to find.
Hunting with .22lr has a following too, but there we need a Firearm Certificate from the local police, involving criminal record investigations and proof of need for the gun etc. etc. Not impossible, but a hassle. Every round of ammo has to be entered on the cert. and I think that even the location where you will use the gun has to be entered as well. Again, transport only from A to B, not via C!
Regards centrefire; it does exist here, for hunting deer and I think the odd wild pig, but the limitations are same as or worse than .22 and it is VERY expensive, both for the guns and the ammo. Not popular therefore.
We live in a free country, where you can say whatever you like as long as it does not upset the government or people of other races or religions or sexual orientation. All handguns (except air) have been banned, the police are generally unarmed and so normally only the criminals systematically carry guns. A fools paradise???
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Oh how facinating. I used to travel throughout the UK and western europe quite a bit years ago - much for business, but also for holidays, it was cheaper to spend a weekend in London or week in Amsterdam than it was to visit most cities in my own country!
I always marvelled at how europeans loved the 'cowboy' idea of americans - it just always made me laugh, as there are so few real ones left. But now its clearer. We think our gun laws are tight here, but compared to you (registering every round of ammo!) we really indeed must seem like a nation of cowboys.
My dearest friend growing up was from Marlborough in the UK, I used to spend summers over there with her family when I was a kid. We met up a few years ago in NYC and she kept going on about wanting to move to the US, how we're so free & healthy. I almost choked to death laughing! I had told her how I wanted to move to the UK! Europeans seem to have a better grip on what it is to really live - valuing quality of life and not getting as wrapped up as we are with the rat race - and everyone is so much more laid back, especially the police.
I had a friend once from Paris that was here for a while. I lent him my car to drive around once, and he got pulled over by a cop. He said it was the most terrifying experience of his life, being surprised in the dark, chased down, then yelled at until he was shaking. He couldnt wait to get home.
Oh well, grass always seems greener someplace else. Thanks for the info, its very interesign.