My Gamo Big Cat 1200

[speedturtle]

I just bought this Gamo Big Cat (Wally World version) yesterday as a replacement to my previous Crosman G-1 Extreme and Gamo Whisper. the Gamo Whisper lasted only for about 2 days on me. I can't seem to agree with its performance (just my personal experience) with respect to two main things: 1 - the very high vibration i felt whenever I fire making it hard for me to find a decent hold to make consistent shots and 2 - that very long creep on the first stage of the Whisper's trigger. Since I have this thought in the back of my mind that it might seem that Whisper is not for me I simply made a definite decision to return it after two days. I only fired about 100 shots through it. I know, it's not enough to make a good judgment about its potential considering I only fired 100 shots but that impression that the Whisper would be like a wild beast for me to tame and cooperate is such a thought that I can't seem to agree with. So off it goes back to Dick's with everything intact. they were so nice to give me a full refund and so I decided to look for another option.

As I have said from my previous posts I usually look and read the reviews here from GTA to influence my decision (since I don't have any affiliation to any airgun clubs nor know much guys around to where I live that owns one) in buying the next airgun that I will own. The nearest type of airgun that I'm considering was the Gamo Big Cat. Although I don't have any idea if it has that same wild vibration that I felt with the Whisper and that creepy triigger action I just decided to give it a serious look. I have two options actually. Dick's is selling the Big Cat for $139.99 with a 4x32 non AO gamo scope with a single piece mount and Wally World has its own version also but with an included non AO 3-9x40 scope. I decided to pass with the Dick's version and bought the Walmart version. The big difference on the scope is what influenced my decision to take the walmart's version. The packaging is not the same. You can actually be fooled by the Walmart's version because the scope mount pictured on the box is more of like a cheap scope mount but when I opened my Box that nice single piece mount is the one included and not the cheap one advertised with the box. The Dick's version has a more professional look on the box. Even the color reproduction on the Dick's box advertisement is more attractive than the printing on the walmart's version.

Now going on with the Big Cat, When I opened it right out of the box the first thing that impressed me is the weight of the airgun. It's a little bit heavier than the Gamo Whisper but just perfectly right for me. It does not come with an included front and rear sight (which makes a neat looking piece of air gun in my opinion) that is why it's a good thing that Gamo decided to include a nice 3-9X40 scope with it.

The distance between the trigger and rubber buttplate fits me well. The next thing that I really appreciate with the Gamo Big Cat is the trigger. I think this is a much better stock trigger compared to the one supplied with the Whisper. It was not until today that I first fired my Big Cat but it did not  disappoint me with my initial impression about the trigger. I can immediately feel some confidence in taking my shots because the 2nd stage is predictable. The 1st stage creep is just right. Even if I still haven't installed my GRT-III trigger into it I didn't have a problem using the supplied trigger. I just pull the trigger, feel the 1st stage creep, and then fully press it to take the shot. It's that simple. I remember my experience with the Gamo Whisper, Pull...pull..pull... where the heck is that 2nd stage? That's how I would describe that trigger. With the Gamo Big Cat it's just right (again my personal opinion). Compared to my old G-1 the 1st and 2nd stage of the trigger acts just like one (when I installed the GRT-III in to it. The original G-1 trigger also has a slight long 1st stage but not as long as with the Whisper's trigger) so when I see the target align with the crosshairs of the scope I just pull the trigger and confidently make the shot. The Big Cat for me share the same accuracy that I experienced with the G-1 Extreme when the G-1 was already broken in. I started to have that grin again in my face when I fired my shots.

Since this is a new airgun I decided to install the scope but in a different approach. I think it was Mick who posted a reply to Gene's thread about "Setting Up a Scope and Dialing Them In" wherein He said that He would prefer to just pick up the rifle and rotate the scope to where the horizontal line would align with an intended target and use that alignment as his set-up. I decided to give it a try (but still with a back-up of a hanging plumb bob for comparison).

So first things first, I wiped the rail and the scope mount with alcohol to take away any oil residues and after 20 seconds installed the one piece mount to the dovetail railing of the airgun. After securely tightening the 3 mount screws I placed the scope into the half moon rings and installed the upper half rings but loosely. Moving the body of the scope front to back I found the right location for a comfortable look on the lens which is about 2.5" away from the surface of the lens. When I rotated the scope and told myself that I am comfortable enough to say that the crosshairs are aligned with my sight I decided to tighten the ring screws a little bit just to keep it from moving. Next, I aimed it at the hanging plumb bob that I prepared. The difference between my "estimated" alignment compared to the vertical reticle alignment using a plumb bob is small. I don't know how to exactly measure it but it's really pretty close. I decided not to go with the "perfect" alignment since I want to experiment with Mick's idea. The reason why is that on one book about air rifles that I'm reading there was a portion in there that discusses that "many shooters have a natural cant when they hold their rifle. When they use this natural cant and take their shot they can be pretty accurate with it. However most target shooters since they have the leverage of using a bench rest to eliminate much of the variables involve in a rifle hold they are sometimes too technical as to go with the perfect alignment of the scope using bubble levels before taking their shot. Both are OK given the right circumstances. If you take your shot using a bench rest then take the bubble alignment approach. But in field shooting or hunting using your natural hold cant usually works best."

I did not fiddle with the scope's vertical and horizontal adjustment yet. I decided to keep the manufacturer's scope settings and see how close it was on the scope "center". So with my friend's permission we decided to test my new Gamo Big Cat. Sad to say He was the one who fired the first shot. Hahaha! He is more excited than me to try it! I think it's because He has the same opinion with both the Whisper and the Big Cat. For us the Whisper was a bit wild and powerful (Maybe it's just that air gun that I got that has this tendency to really go wild with its vibration when fired). But with the Big Cat he immediately said "This one is more predictable". We did not use any paper targets to sight in the scope, we just fire at the sycamore tree from 20 yards distance and use its hanging seeds (is that what you call it? that round brown thing that is about 1" - 1.25" in diameter?). After about 30 shots we are hitting that sycamore tree seeds pretty nice. Mind you, this is a brand new rifle with just 30 shots fired through it and yet right out of the box you can immediately see its potential. I remember my first experience handling that Suzuki GSXR-250R racing bike (they called them pocket rockets because it's only a 250CC bike and yet it can rev as high as 20,000RPM!) That bike is wild but controllable, you just have to rev it high to feel its potential. Once you feel the urge to take a higher gear then just simply go for it. That's my similar feeling with the Big Cat, once I started giving it more pellets I'm pretty sure it will give me a better groupings and satisfactory shots.

The temp is getting colder so we decided to call it quits. When I got back home I decided to test how close we are in our sight in. When I fired my paper targets we are just off my about 3/8" up and 1/4" to the left. Pretty close i should say without using any paper targets! So at this time I adjusted its elevation and windage settings. I decided to take my shots at 5 yards and 10 yards respectively. Since I don't have a Chrony I just assumed the approximate muzzle velocity of my Big Cat. I gave it an average velocity of 920 FPS and entered it to Babbin Perry's Holdover/Holdunder simulation and I got an approximate -0.998" at 5 yards and -0.555" at 10 yards. I decided to sight in using the 5 yards data since -0.998" is already almost -1.0"

After 10 pellets I was already dialed in. I've used about 120 pellets indoors and the Big Cat is giving me pretty good results. I'd say much better than my initial experience with my G-1. With the Big Cat I'm already having 3/8" groupings at 10 yards even though it's not fully broken in yet. Now that's what I call potential. I'm happy with it. I'm OK with my decision to part ways with the Whisper and take the Big Cat instead. Now, all that I need to do is to wait for the weather to get better and off I go for some target shooting again!

Attached are my Big Cat pics and some sample shots that  I made with it.

Speedturtle

[geewhiz380]

great results u got from your cat so u went with gut uh ,great choice and excellent observation.u could post this at the airgun review givin hope to other cat users.lookin forward to your future post regarding your cat ....GOD BLESS US ALL.....jorge lopez..

[speedturtle]

Thanks Jorge. Yeah, I just followed my intuition but of course the previous review by PeakChick helped a lot. It's the benefit of posting your honest opinion about a certain matter - there will definitely be someone that will benefit with that information in his decision making.

With regards to posting it at the airgun review I have no idea whatsoever on how to do it. Hahaha. Besides i'm just a newbie here. LOL.

[geewhiz380]

we r all newbies because we learn everyday something new no matter how many years people shoot or purchase or tune there is always something new that u may know that others don,t. good review i enjoy it makes me think bout owning one myself....jorge...

[crazy4salmon]

Congrats on the new shooter Willie. Looks like you got a good one. Nice shooting.

[speedturtle]

Thanks Dan.

[longislandhunter]

Looks like you and that Big Cat have come together well

Congrats on some fine shooting.  Enjoy your new shooter..  

Jeff

[speedturtle]

Yup! Just a happy Gamo user now. Hehehe. Right now I'm just feeding her pellets and practicing indoors.

If I was very happy indeed with the previous performance of my Crosman G-1 the Gamo Big Cat in my own experience superseded all my expectations of her. I just installed the GRT-III trigger in it and I was able to achieve a single hole grouping for the first time. I'm quite pleased with its performance. Hope the Big Cat will stay reliable with me mechanically for a long time. If I have the opportunity my next upgrade would be an AO scope. I seem to appreciate the advantages of an AO scope more than the fixed one.

Speedturtle

[backyardsniper]

I have a question for you.  In your original post you said that the Whisper had a lot of vibration.  What is the vibration of the Big Cat like compared to the Whisper.  I also have a Big Cat.  Once the GRT-III trigger is in that gun it is completely different.  I thought the Big Cat stock trigger was absolutely horrible.  I packed my stock with foam, but it still does seem to vibrate quite a bit.  Just wondered if the Whisper vibration is the same as the Big Cat.  I think they use the same power plant.  I love my Big Cat.  It is a great hunting rifle as well.

[speedturtle]

Hello Scott. I'll try to answer your question to the best way I can.

There are variations in our experiences with the Whisper. Personally the Gamo Whisper is my first Gamo airgun that I have used and I must admit I was in it for a treat! Probably since I have "psyched" myself in thinking that the Whisper is what it really is to be - "an airgun with a totally new refined performance" compared to other springers I had a very high expectation of it. My previous airgun is a Crosman G-1 Extreme that has the same 1000FPS claimed speed using standard pellets (not the PBA's) and also using the synthetic stock. Being able to use both a Crosman and Gamo I'd say that I can tolerate the vibration with the Crosman compared to the Whisper (not to the Gamo per se because that would mean that I'm generally saying that all Gamo vibrates a lot).

Here is my take of the matter:

The Crosman is heavy even without the scope attached so I would assume that it somehow makes the spring vibration to be modest or mildly noticeable. As usual all airguns after about 2000 shots tends to lessen the vibration since the spring and all the other mechanism have been broken in somehow. With the Gamo Whisper I'd say that since it is a very light airgun that lightness in weight seems to "amplify" the experience of that vibration and twang more. I am not an authority with airgun nor springers but I presume that the Whisper's lightweight feature seem to have a big effect on the aspect of vibration. But being an observant individual what I did notice too was that the spring inside the Gamo Whisper that I bought seems to have a "wild" play inside her after I pulled the trigger. I actually assumed that it was just that particular Whisper that I picked that must have had a bad spring inside because almost all of the other Whisper's owner here at GTA did not complain much about that vibration. I must admit that I got disappointed. For me the Whisper (though it has a lot of whistles into it) does not seem to agree with my preferences and style of shooting. My friend also tried it and He commented the same thing about it - He can't make a consistent grouping even after 20 shots because of that wild vibration from the spring. Before I fire any airgun that I have I usually make it sure that all the stock screws are tightly screwed and I have markers on the scope mount and body so I would know if the scope moved or not. After about 200 pellets I've made a decision that I did not want to continue to use the Whisper and just exchange it for something else. Sometimes in a personal level you just know when to agree and when to disagree if a thing works for you or not. In my case I decided to part ways with the Whisper.

Now with respect to the Gamo Big Cat I would assume that they have the same powerplant (1000FPS pellet 1200FPS PBA's) but If you have an experience using a Gamo Whisper before you would immediately notice that the 2 rifle does not have the same trigger mechanism. With the Whisper the 1st stage if the trigger is long compared to the Big Cat. Also in my opinion the Big Cat's trigger mechanism has a more "crisper" feel into it than the Whisper. Having said that I can have more confidence finishing my shot with the Big Cat compared to the Whisper. I have installed the GRT-III trigger on both airgun and it made a very big improvement on its accuracy during target shooting.

Regarding the vibration aspect, since I now have experienced (even for a limited time) using the Gamo Whisper and both my new Gamo Big Cat I'd say that I can tolearate the Big Cat's recoil and vibration compared to the Whisper. I did an experiment one time to validate my curiosity. Using an open palm to hold the stock and barely touching the cheekplate with my cheek and lightly holding the trigger I fired the Whisper on a target paper at 10 yards indoors. Using a follow through (keeping my 2 eyes open and trying to maintain my sight of the target even after the trigger was pulled) I could actually see and notice that my previous Gamo Whisper exhibited an almost noticeable "jump" causing my pellets to go a far as 1" to 2" outward from the bulls area in different directions. With the Big Cat when I did the same experiment what I did notice is that the deviation is not as big compared to the Whisper. The deviation is more like in the 1" area compared to the 2" area on the Whisper. I guess they probably just have installed a "funky" spring inside on the Whisper compared to the Big Cat that I had.

I don't have a lot of money to burn to tune that Whisper immediately nor spend some more cash to change that creepy scope mount and the scope. I just want an affordable airgun that I can just shoot right out of the box without much hassle and then becoming better and better as you fire more pellets into it.

We all differ in our personal encounters with our airguns. Sometimes out of necessity we just "adapt" with what we have. In my case since I have the opportunity to return the Whisper in case I dislike it I just did it and came out happy replacing it with the Gamo Big Cat. I'm happy with my Big Cat right now, my only complain with it is that the included 3-9X40 non AO scope has a loose magnification adjustment ring into it. Once I fired about 40 - 50 pellets you can actually notice its magnification indicator slipping! Together with this observation I also noticed that my pellet location also shifted incrementally. If I keep its location to 3X mag I don't have a problem since that's the end of the adjustment at the lowest magnification.

Since I don't have much opportunity to shoot outdoors anymore I can only practice indoors and the farthest that I can go is about 9 - 10 yards. I don't zero in my Big Cat at 10 yards because it won't give me a longer zero yardage (you can check it out using www.arld1.com's holdover/under feature or using a Chairgun software) instead I keep it zero at 20 yards. In that case I can predict that with a CPHP from 15  to 35 yards my P.O.I. will only deviate a max of 0.33" from the target. If I want an accuracy of 1" i can go from 10 yards (-0.56" P.O.I.) up to 40 yards (-0.43" P.O.I.) and still be happy with it without touching the adjustment turrets.

If I'm done practicing with paper targets I try to put up some green toy soldiers at 10 yards and just take out their heads in as much as I can. It's a challenging target. Sometimes if I ran out toy soldier targets I just stand them up again one at a time and just aim for their arm and take them out again without hitting the body. The Gamo Big Cat (and any other airgun when properly sighted in) can be pretty accurate once you get used to it. Last night just for fun I lit up a small birthday candle and set it up against my pellet trap and just try to shoot the wick holding the flame. The candle is small (only about 1/4" in diameter) and the wick is barely a millimeter in thickness. I find it quite challenging because what I noticed is that even with a 1000FPS airgun you can't take out the flame if you missed the wick even by as much as 1/4" from it! You can only put out the flame once you hit the wick dead on or you hit the body of the candle. I find hitting the wick and not the body more challenging. 2 out of 5 shots I can do it. Hehehe.

I just ordered a Leaper 3-9X50 A.O. scope and hopefully I could receive it soon so I can mount it on the Big Cat. I prefer a scope with an A.O. since I don't have sharp eyes (I have presbyopia and astigmatism).

I think for its price the Gamo Big Cat is a steal. It is also lightweight and that's a plus. Sometimes if I had the chance I shoot at the sycamore tree seeds from 20 to 40 yards with just me leaning on my van and using it as a support. I can't use a target table anymore since it a tedious chore bringing it and packing it every time I go to my friend's house for target shooting.

Good luck on your Big Cat! Let's hope that it will serve us a long time before the spring or the seal gives up on us. LOL!

Speedturtle

[speedturtle]

This is the link to my youtube videos demonstrating my Gamo Big Cat air gun hitting the toy soldier targets beheading them (hehehe) and blowing out a birthday candle at 10 yards indoors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHsa_qwNr7M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSRIjunVJHQ

With the candle, the candle's size is about 3/16" in diameter. The first shot was intentionally missed to prove that you can't blow out a candle if you did not hit the wick directly. The first shot was about 1/4" to the left and 1/8" up from the wick. The second one was a hit but I hit it a bit low causing the shot to fully cut off a top portion of the candle by 1/8". The 3rd shot was the true shot. I just hit the wick only causing the flame to blow out.

With the toy soldier I just decided to behead it to make the target more challenging. The toy soldier's head is about 1/4" high by 3/16" wide. Same distance of 10 yards indoors.

I hope you enjoy it.

[tjk]

Way to go Willie,....Got that BC roaring!!!!!!! Great Pix! tjk

[speedturtle]

Thanks Thom, how was your squirrels doing? still hugging the corns? Hehehe. just kiddin.

[pgsmith]

Speedturtle,

What are you using for a pellet trap in the videos?

[speedturtle]

My pellet trap simply consists of 4 layers of "better homes" magazines. Simple isn't it? Hehehe. The only time that I was able to fully penetrate those 4 layers of mags is when I'm hitting the same 1/4" target area with about 20 -30 pellets. Other than that you're totally safe. Hope this helps.