Gamo Carbines

[PeakChick]

I know Gamo seems a bit out of touch with the American market, or maybe it's just their sales hype marketing guys that drive what they produce and sell here, but I wonder how responsive they would be to the market asking for more carbine size, full power hunting rifles?  

I know I would love the have a carbine length, full power CFX. I'd imagine it being a carbine stock (I think they could easily loose a few inches in the front of the stock), not much smaller than the current stock and a shorter barrel and cocking arm (yep, I'd put up with a bit higher cocking effort), and about 40-42" in OAL.

PS; I know they have the Stutzen. But the synth. stock on the CFX would be nicer for a true hunting carbine, less money too.

[r1derbike]

Good point, Steph! I was wondering that myself, after playing masked marauder with my CX4 today.  I'd buy one if it was lighter and shorter.

Charles

[leftcoast1]

What barrel length do you think would be ideal? I was thinking maybe 14". I've seen them cut to 12" but I think the cocking would be a bit awkward.

[PeakChick]

The stock barrel is 20", a .177 rifle does not need a 20" barrel. I think 14-15" would be ideal.

[PeakChick]

Maybe I should just buy another .177 CFX and find someone to cut the barrel and recrown it, cut the cocking lever to a corresponding length and have Gene spin me up a muzzel brake.

[leftcoast1]

That's not a bad idea especially if you can find a refurbished one.

[PeakChick]

I was shooting my .177 CFX (kinda multitasking between a movie, the forum and shooting this evening). I just tried a little experiment for cocking force. I grabbed the cocking lever about 5-6" down from the end, it really isn't bad at all................ Hmmmm, this has me thinkin'  

[SDale]

See...you can cut the barrel and the cocking lever down with no problems at all with cocking effort. Just make the cocking handle into a telescoping type and you can make it cock even easier than from the factory.  Add a spring to the end of the extension (the inner part) so that when it's in the closed position it has some force to push out & lock into the lug on the factory muzzle brake.

[kirby999]

Great idea Sam ! I like it . If I were to start cutting a barrel on a springer though , I'd go ahead and cut it down to 7" and the add a shroud to lengthen the barrel to what ever length I preferred. IMO , a shorter barrel helps with accuracy with the pellet getting out of the barrel before I have a chance to mess up. Of course I'd want someone to add a choke to the end of that barrel along with a nice crown. Spring piston guns lose very little velocity with a shorter barrel. Are the barrel on Gamos choked? kirby

[SDale]

I don't think they are?

It wouldn't be hard to choke the barrel either... A short length o rope and a medium sized tree maybe? LoL
Seriously though, I was wondering about how to choke a barrel properly. The only way I've been able to think of is using a knurling tool (with a plain roller instead of a knurl) chucked up in the lathe.

How do the folks at Lothar Walther do it?

[Gene_SC]

Great Idea Stephanie. Now that would be an awesome project to consider working on.. Need to find a used CFX cheap first.. Ya Sam is absolutely on the mark with the extension cocking lever. It would not be that hard to fabricate either. I all ready have a L/W choked and rifled 14" barrel on one of my S1K's which I have not shot much but it is a great target shooter, but you can tell a definite difference when cocking it compared to a stock length barrel.. Fits great at the shoulder and is a bit liter than my other 3.. or is it 4.. hehe If I can ever get out from under all these boxes here, I may look into a CFX mod... I even have a L/W .20 cal choked and rifled barrel laying around.. Thanks for all the ideas guys and gals... Gene

[PeakChick]

I did a little more thinking on the CFX carbine idea. The biggest obsctacle actually turns out to be the cocking arm. I pulled the latch off my .177 to see what the mechanism underneath is like. It is a simple, elegant piece of engineering. The cocking rod is turned down to a slightly smaller diameter to act as the guide rod for the latch. The spring for the latch sits a recess in the end of the rod. The rod is drilled out and tapped for the retaining screw about an inch or a bit more on the turned down section. This works well and is simple, but would require that the rod be machined down and drilled and tapped again once cut.

All this would be easy enough to do if one had a lathe and drill press, I don't. The other altenative is to cut the very end of the rod off at the end of the turned down section, or just behind and then have it welded back on the rod once cut to length for the shorter set up, but once again, I am no welder and don't have the equipment. I'm sure I could find several places in town that could do the machine work or welding for me, but then, up goes the cost.

Oh well, it was a nice idea.

[PeakChick]

LOL Paul, actually I want it in .177. Stock barrel is 20", over all length of the rifle is is almost 46" I want 6" off the barrel down to 14" and 40" OAL. Of course the cocking rod has to be cut to a corresponding length and remachined to accept the latch. That would make my perfect .177 CFX carbine. Those specs clear enough?  

[PeakChick]

Oh, almost forgot, goes without saying of course, but the barrel has to be properly recrowned once cut.

[PeakChick]

OK, the more I think about it............ I have to buy another .177 CFX.  I gotta pay Paul to do the machine work, Charlie to tune it, Gene to make me a sweet new brake to fit this CFX carbine.............. I'm thinkin' a TX 200 HC is starting to look attractive.........