Shadow Hunter Pro

[dank]

I don't read much about this gun in fact I don't see much on it at all.
I got it from Sports Authority, is it a special made gun from Gamo for them?
Any one own one?
Any comments?

[vinceb]

It's just a gussied-up Gamo breakbarrel, using the same basic mechanicals as the other "1200fps with PBA" guns (ack!)

[dank]

Whats that mean?
You know? It's a good looking gun but It lacks soul. I'm more entertained by my cheap Chinese guns.
I can't put my finger on it.
Maybe there is some things I can do to make it more entertaining.

[PeakChick]

The single best and by far the easiest thing you can do to your Gamo to make it more pleasurable to shoot is to install a GRT-III trigger. Trust me, it will be the best $32.00 you ever spend on an air rifle. I have one in all my Gamo rifles.

[longislandhunter]

I must agree with Stephanie,,,, if you've got a GAMO then get that trigger,, you will not be sorry.

Jeff

[vinceb]

A polished blued steel barrel just seems... well, more real. Yes, plastic doesn't rust and it's lighter (although the Gamo's were always light to begin with), and I can tolerate it on something more toyish like the Delta or Sporter 500.

I also know that it is easier to take care of (no rust), but frankly I find the oily-rag wipedown a relaxing activity...

[dank]

I think because it was one of the first guns I bought and well over $200 00 I didn't think it would need any work. I believe I took it out of the box and shot it till I was frustrated.
Lots of twang and creepy trigger combined destroyed my beginners  not so good to begin with aim  so  I  put it away not knowing about tweaks.
After a few Crosman 22xx's that are great out of the box especially if you custom order them.  I discovered the Chinese brands.
When I buy a $50  rifle I'm more accepting of the fact that I have to nearly tear it down and work on it.
I guess all guns need some tuning in one area or another.
I think I'll take the Gamo out today and do some tinkering.
I guess I'm looking for some tips?

[rkr]

Shrink tube tuning the rear guide and tophat will get rid of that twanginess.  As mentioned Charlie's trigger is good. There was also lower cost trigger insert available somewhere or you can DIY the trigger for true two stage action. Charlie's website has pretty good article about tuning these guns.

 Edit: Da*n it, we have a library on the banner above. Find the article there. B19 is essentially a clone of Gamo.

[vinceb]

When I got my first Gamo (Shadow), I paid $125 at Walmart. When I heard that the more expensive 220, 440, and 890 were all the same gun... well, I didn't believe it at first.

Gamo's a good gun in a certain price range. But it can quickly get OUT of that price range when the marketing gimics start in...

[dank]

Sorry it's just a Hunter Pro.
fluted Shrouded barrel, wood checkered stock and a nice illuminated scope. Is that what I paid $185.00 for over the
Shadow? or are there other differences?
I just picked up a Shadow 1000 at walmart for $74.00

[vinceb]

Barrel, powerplant, trigger are pretty much the same. The extra is for the scope and stock. I seriously doubt that the shrouded barrel costs more to make - I suspect it costs less.

If you pop your Shadow and Hunter Pro's action out of their stocks, I believe you'll find that they interchange. If you try it, though, make sure the rear sight won't get damaged by hitting the stock when you cock it.

The Shadow at $74 is a dynamite buy. Another really good buy is the wood-stock model 440 at Natchez for $120.

[CharlieDaTuna]

For what it's worth  

The concept of using heat shrink on spring guides and tophats has been around for many years. Many have used it for long periods of time and it does remove the twang but few if any realize or have given any thought to other resulting factors. It’s often referred to as a “poor mans tune” and I too have used it in the past and did a lot of testing using it 5-6 years ago on both a B-19 and a B-4-2. The end results would apply to any springer though.  

The only value that it has it that it does reduce spring twang but at the same time, there is a price to pay for doing it. More often than not it is improperly installed and/ or the wrong heat shrink material is used. Even if the installation procedure is correct and the right material is used, it does create other problems.

When it is used, the spring usually fits extremely tight over either the spring guide or tophat or both causing a very high resistance which in turn can cause a considerable velocity loss because of the excessive drag.  :0

It also does not allow the spring to rotate freely at the top of the spring guide creating additional torque in the gun. You now only have one free rotating surface instead of two or three.  :0

 Plus, because of the resistance during the spring compressing, it can, depending on how tight is, have a tendency to cause the spring to want to cant (bend) during the initial cocking stroke. It can cause a permanent cant and a canted spring is not good. In addition, because of the canting, it causes additional pressure on the heat shrink at the leading edge of the spring guide causing it to sometimes wear or tear at that point.  :0

Also, more often than not, even when properly installed, the heat shrink can eventually but not always come loose and ball up. Using Kodak photo adhesive during installation can help resolve that problem.  It can ball up at either at the top of the guide or in the bottom of the piston. That does not cause any additional harm providing that it does not flake into pieces and get into the trigger mechanism or latching slot in the piston. That can be a dangerous condition.  :0  

So like any other “quick fix” or “Band-Aid repair”, one must really evaluate the merits of using this approach and is it really worth it?   It's kinda like taking one step forward and two or three steps back... or robbing Peter to pay Paul. Personally, in my opinion, you are just as well or better off living with the spring twang.  

So.... there's my nickels worth.....

[dank]

So what are if any , proper tuning procedures are there to tame the twang in these guns?
In the past I've removed factory grease and replaced with quality grease, polished  and shimmed the spring with marginal but noticeable results.
Is it worth it on the shadow series guns?
What else?

[rkr]

As Charlie's reply to shrink tube tune shows the principle is valid. The tolerance between spring ID and guide OD is typically 1mm or even more. This causes the twang when the gun is fired - at least this is how I understand it. Cheap fix is shrink tube, but if you have a lathe you can easily turn out new guide + tophat combo that fits the spring. About that shrink tube, you shouldn't make it too tight, but leave it loose enough so you can push in the guide without an effort and leave some room for spring ends.

[CharlieDaTuna]

When it come to basics of tuning the gun, regardless of what gun it is, to achieve the best results, the spring and seal should be of good quality in conjunction with a fitted spring guide and top hat. Not sure what you mean about quality grease but there are very few greases out there that work well in a springer and that can be called quality lubes in springer applications. Lubing a springer is a big part of the final end result and not many people really understand the lubing process. If you do use incorrect lubes and lubing procedures, (along with other critical and important procedures), you can't expect anything more than  "marginal" results.   I use as many as seven different lubes in a gun as Gene can attest to. Lubing with incorrect lubes is a waste of time and certainly does not benefit the gun, it's consistency or accuracy and can actually shorten the life span of the gun components.

There are one or two people that seem to promote using the Chinese Crosman parts. As far as using the Crosman spring and top hat and seals, they will work but isn't something that I would ever use or promote if one expects quality results. The fix might be cheap but so are the results for the most part with the results being far less than I or any of my customers would expect out of a tune and certainly not to my standards. Especially long term. It would seem to me that spending a few dollars more would be much wiser in the long run.

The bottomline is if you are going to put the time into it, do a little research, get the correct lubes and parts and do it right. Take your time and have patience. You will probably not do the perfect job as that takes a lot of experience and equipment. But in the end, you  can  have pride with the end results knowing that you did the best you could.