Gamo .177 break barrel

[horse sence]

We have a problem with squirrels and rabbits this year ,they are every where! I decided to buy a pump pellet gun only to find out it is almost impossible to find a good one i California !
I went into a little local gun shop and the lady ...yep lady! Said have you tried the break barrels? I told her they were a joke and the one i bought 20 years ago was. She said you havent tried these yet ! It was a Gamo 177 swarm ! Got it for $140 ,took it home and set out to sight it in . It has a 10 shot mag and loads very easily and quickly .
First shot really surprised me ,really hard hitting at 1300 feet per second ! It only took me 8 shots to zero it at 50 feet . I could put pellet inside pellet with a good rest .
I tried it free hand and it hit 3 inches to high ,i figured i moved so i tried again and hit right beside the first free hand shot ,two more shots at the very same place and i decided to re sight free handed . Yep pellet inside of pellet free handed! I figure it jumps free handed and since i will be free hand shooting i left it that way. 30 shots free hand at 50 feet with most of the shots stacked or in the same hole says its right on . 35 squirrels and 20 rabbits later ...and there is many many more, i have to say this thing is remarkable! Now i want the Magnum 22 caliber ,did i mention they are 10× ? Thats one pump equals 10 ,i really cant believe the power !

 

[nickyb]

Good to hear your getting the vermin population down.
From a no nothing bout guns guy why do they call them break barrels?

 

[horse sence]

I have only tried two types of pellets ,Gamo Red Fire ,and Premier hollow point from Crosman and the Crosman Premier are way more accurate!
My target is an old refridgerator ,about 20 gauge sheet metal and the pellets punch through with the Premiers !

 

[horse sence]

Good to hear your getting the vermin population down.
From a no nothing bout guns guy why do they call them break barrels?

Breaking the barrel cocks it ,its some where around 45 lbs to cock so it does wear you out after a bit of shooting . The 10 shot magazine makes it a lot easier and way faster between shots

 

[horse sence]

My best shots so far are around 250 feet ,got a squirrel on top of a branch and a rabbit in front of a wood pile ,really surprised me how accurate !

 

[nickyb]

Ok I now know why it's call that . Kind of like the pump bb pistols we had as kids.
Are those rabbits, squirrels edible?

 

[horse sence]

Rabbits are cotton tail so yes ,squirrels are ground squirrels but if you would like some i will save them for you !

 

[Ronin38]

Nice rifle! That Gamo is light-years ahead of the old break-barrel Winchester I learned to shoot with! Still have it, too.
I've had squirrel stew a few times, a lot of work for a little meat, but it's not bad.

 

[Bullitt347]

We have a problem with squirrels and rabbits this year ,they are every where! I decided to buy a pump pellet gun only to find out it is almost impossible to find a good one i California !
I went into a little local gun shop and the lady ...yep lady! Said have you tried the break barrels? I told her they were a joke and the one i bought 20 years ago was. She said you havent tried these yet ! It was a Gamo 177 swarm ! Got it for $140 ,took it home and set out to sight it in . It has a 10 shot mag and loads very easily and quickly .
First shot really surprised me ,really hard hitting at 1300 feet per second ! It only took me 8 shots to zero it at 50 feet . I could put pellet inside pellet with a good rest .
I tried it free hand and it hit 3 inches to high ,i figured i moved so i tried again and hit right beside the first free hand shot ,two more shots at the very same place and i decided to re sight free handed . Yep pellet inside of pellet free handed! I figure it jumps free handed and since i will be free hand shooting i left it that way. 30 shots free hand at 50 feet with most of the shots stacked or in the same hole says its right on . 35 squirrels and 20 rabbits later ...and there is many many more, i have to say this thing is remarkable! Now i want the Magnum 22 caliber ,did i mention they are 10× ? Thats one pump equals 10 ,i really cant believe the power !

At 1,300 feet per second, how loud is it?
My AR15 in 22LR with sub sonic ammo is pretty quiet.
Stick a silencer on the end of it and all you can hear is the trigger action and the bullet hitting the target.

 

[horse sence]

Has a pretty good pop ,but also has a built in suppressor. I dont think its as loud as my old Benjamin pump was

 

[horse sence]

Damn squirrels ,when i dont have the pellet gun with me i can walk right up to them .

 

[horse sence]

Ok ,after a couple of hundred shots ,the loader has quit working ,to bad because i liked it when it worked! Checked a couple of forums and it seems to be a common problem .
After about 100 shots watching what it is doing i figured out the spring that attaches the loader to the gun and loads the pelet while cocking the gun is streatching out ! Its like the spring has no temper ,you can easily bend it . I bent it back a couple of times allowing the loader to work correctly for a few shots then the spring bends again and just lets the pellets fall out of the magazine , in all the guns is the most accurate pellet gun i think i ever shot but the loader is a piece of junk if the spring had the proper temper it would work great ! Now the gun can still be loaded by hand one at a time but when the loader worked it was a lot of fun to shoot .,i am wondering if there was someway to temper that spring once i got it back in working order ? Kind of hard to make out in this pic but the spring bends at the coiled portion inside the loader.

 

[horse sence]

I wasnt kidding when i said you can stack pellets with this thing ! Took the dog for a walk and stopped to look at my target ,right center of a bulls eye i found two pellets ,one stuck inside the other ,you can just make out the the tail flairs haha! I am going to see if there is some way to retemper that spring after i get it bent correctly again.

 

[Ronin38]

There has to be a source, either online or a local hardware store, that would have the (good) proper springs for it... ??

 

[horse sence]

Its a special spring ,couldnt get it at a hardware store

 

[Noobz347]

SpringsRus

 

[Noobz347]

I know you're in Commifornia and all but have they already outlawed 22 Long Rifle?

 

[horse sence]

I know you're in Commifornia and all but have they already outlawed 22 Long Rifle?

I dont even know any more ,afraid to ask ,ATF may lock my ass up just for asking ,i was afraid to buy a pellet gun !

 

[Noobz347]

I dont even know any more ,afraid to ask ,ATF may lock my ass up just for asking ,i was afraid to buy a pellet gun !

When you have the opportunity to shop:

Classic Lever Action .22 | Henry Repeating Arms

The Henry Lever Action is a classic Western-style lever action rifle, and one of the most popular .22's on the market today. The reason for its popularity is because it shoots great, looks great and is remarkably affordable - about half the price of the competition's rifles. The Henry Lever...

www.henryusa.com

The "Large Loop" is perfect IMO. You can shoot with or without gloves and mount any scope desire.

 

[Noobz347]

Here is an image with the large loop lever: