What is Everyone's Take on Gamo and The Direction They Are Going???

[Gene_SC]

Would love to hear some good solid thoughts on what is taking place with Gamo and there newer air rifles..... Do you think they are getting better or worse?

[kiwi]

Don't know for sure...
Did they change the guns to make them a bit more tamper proof..?
Or to increasse there profit margine...
Or to swallow up increasseing  costs with out raiseing prises...
Or to make sure Gamo is here selling guns next year and the year after..

But what ever the reasion it hasn't done anything for there guns..Worse

Pete

[RedFeather]

Downhill. Going more for Glamo. The new barrels with liners are, IMHO, cost-cutting and cosmetic measures. Liners are, generally, found in the cheapest air guns. It is becoming clear that, at least in the US, they are appealing to the first-time buyer, to whit, no more CFX Royals being imported, arguably one of their flagship guns.

[Jerrycup]

I've seen a few of 'em that shot well, but I had a Whisper Deluxe a couple of years ago, it had an expert tune, and it was never accurate, after all manner of trouble, several scopes and mounts, I swapped it away for some tile work. As I looked critically at it, trying to get a solid mount, and trying to reduce the thump of the hollow stock, I came to see it as cheaply constructed. I "replaced" the Whisper with a Slavia CZ-634 (about the same price) and it has been a great gun, never any problem (thanks for the tune job, Gene).

My next door neighbor's son bought a "Big Cat" and he and I have had a few sessions trying to get it shooting right. I gave him a new BSA scope and one piece Accushot mount to replace the POS that Gamo calls a scope, and John (who is quite expert at guns in general) spent hours trying to get it zeroed. Meanwhile, I would put ten pellets in a dime spot at 25 yards with my Czech. He has tried various pellets, and I believe the scope is properly sighted, but his best patterns are easily 3X the diameter of mine, not counting  flyers. I think it is still dieseling, so maybe it should really be torn down and tuned. But I think you have to buy several Gamos to find one that is accurate. I considered ordering a GRTIII trigger (after the last session last week, I laughed as he told me his trgger finger was sore after maybe 100 shots). This gun has the metal trigger group, but I am of the opinion that further efforts are dubious, he ought to remove the scope, use it for killing grackles at short range, and get a better gun.

With the change to use their own plastic trigger groups that can't be upgraded (yet), my advice is stay away.

[North Pack]

Don't really know Gene, - but from what I've read here about their new trigger, they just lost a customer. - I think whatever they're doing, in the "long run" it will benefit Crosman.

[shadow]

Kinda like watching a good ship slowly sink and no one on board want's to stop the leak or care's to. :0 Ed

[longislandhunter]

The GAMO rifles I bought several years ago are great shooters, have served me well and I would be hard pressed to part with them.  However, I don't think I'd buy any of the new ones that they are manufacturing now...  

Jeff

[Walt]

My two cents. At first I thought the polymer guns were kind of a good Idea but after owning three, two Big Cats and a Nitro with varying amounts of success I will take steel on steel in the breach area and a steel barrel with a choice of open sights or a scope resting in a solid wood stock. All three of my plastic guns got a home lube tune and Gold triggers and did what they were suppose to but not as good or as easily as my 220 or Hunter Elite. Yes I know the Elite has the polymer barrel but it's steel on steel and very solid where it counts. I think the plastic guns were on the loud side, too light and hard to shoot accurately they are also IMO very pellet picky. Of the three the Nitro was just too light, and for me was the hardest to shoot with consistent success. All three have moved on to new first time adult air gun owners without complaints. My dotted line is, I think Gamo is going the wrong way because they are taking there product line in one direction only and like Red Feather said it looks like they are aiming at first time buyers and I think the bait is  gimmicks and glitz.  I think they are going to end up with disappointed customers and less follow on business. If Gamo wanted more of my business they could bring over from Europe the Hunter 440 in .22 and the check would be in the mail. As for more plastic, I have given it a try.
W

[kiwi]

Just a thought...
wonder if the changes have anything to do with
gas ram models....Yer can bet ..with Crosman going
gas ram in such a big way...Gamo / Hatsan / Bam / Diana etc
all have gas ram guns on the drawing board....After
all they an't going to let Crosman take there market shear
with out a fight...

Pete

[djmyers]

RWS throwing together a gas ram gun would be something sweet. The power quality weight and accuracy of the 350 with the smooth quietness of gas ram. I'd like to see that.

[RedFeather]

The current design of the Diana power plants does not permit the use of a ram.

[michael90t]

Seems to me that all Gamo is doing is taking the same 1 or 2 powerplants throwing stuff at them and calling them new guns... problem is the more stuff they throw at them the cheaper the stuff they are throwing gets.....

Don't get me wrong I love the idea of synthetic stocks... for anything other then the beauty of real wood synthetic IS better.... they are very stable in the fact that they don't absorb moisture which means they don't expand and contract as much which will drastically change the harmonics of the rifle and as we all know shooting a springer is ALL about the harmonics.. Yes they are very light and could be built better but that's nothing alittle sand and foam/epoxy/bondo/whatever can'tchange..

but using all this plastic in the contact points of the breech and other high stress areas is just asking for a gun to wear out... not to mention the absolutely horrible barrels now... don't get me wrong there are PLENTY of high grade target rifles out there that use sleeves of one kind or another but every one of them use some type of tensioned sleeve setup not this thin walled tube with some plastic injection molded over it... not that there is anything wrong with a plastic shrouded barrel especially if it has some nice thick walls already a "fluted" sleeve like that will help stiffen it and doesn't look bad if you like the synthetics... but the sleeves Gamo is using is anything BUT thick walled.... Will have to give some credit to the rifling though... it seems to be crisp and deep enough for a good bite on the pellet..

and the triggers..... well we wont even go there as I dont think there is anything I can say thats not already known or been said many many times already

price.... seem the more cheap stuff they throw at them the more they charge for the gun.... they charge as much or alot morethen thecomparable all steal guns in their performance range.... I mean hell look at the daisy powerline 1000 from what everyone is saying thats a GREAT little gem(and as soon as I get back to work its one of the top 3 guns I will be picking up) hell its in the same powerclass if not edging out the Gamo's, the build quality is excelent and its sub 100 bucks.... thats less then HALF the price of a Gamo in the same class...

[RedFeather]

Yes, they seem to all be variations of the S1000 or 1250 power plants. Nothing new there. Of course, Diana does the same with their 34's but, let's face it, they have continued to come out with some new designs (350, 460, and the short 460 now dubbed 430). And Crosman is going to kill Gamo with their Nitro pistoned models. Just give them time. Who will want a Gamo at more than the cost of a Crosman combo?

While I don't EVEN need another springer, I'm thinking about finding an older Shadow 1000. It was my first "high powered" springer and I still think they are sleepers.

[Tpatner412]

Personally, I am glad I got my Gamo Whisper DX before they went to heck in a hand-basket.  My gun with the GRT-III is a fantastic gun but it is clear that with their new "upgraded" trigger they are pretty much handing over their U.S. sales to Crosman.  Makes no sense to me.  I've seen a few videos of the new plastic trigger guns and they seem to be pretty accurate but the trigger is still as bad as before.  They took what was a pretty good product for the money and turned it into a POS for the same money.

Tyler

[Gene_SC]

Red you hit my soft spot when you mentioned the old Shadow 1000 ie "S!K". It is the proven original 1000 fps power plant with steel barrel.. They truly are a diamond in the rough as CDT always claimed. I sure have done my share of tuning them and still own 3 or 4 of them. Gamo's first mistake was changing over to the poly barrels. Second mistake is the new triggers.... Gamol's marketing still rules the nest it looks likes to me. And you are 100 % right about Crosman and there new line of shooters. Crosman apparently listens to the end user where Gamo;s production is driven by marketing and increasingly higher prices. For example: Their new " Bone Collector Series ", where they have just put a sticker on a Whisper and are charging over $100.00 more.. MARKETING AGAIN...  And now I see they are putting there name on he BSA PCP's now.. Even though they own BSA it still reflects their marketing strategy. I personally think Gamo will feel the pinch from our community and what they have done to their guns.

For sure Crosman has taken a great step in the design of there new series of gas rams. They are still using steel barrels and have not increased pricing at this point for a much better product today than Gamo has.