Gamo Air Rifle can't shoot straight.
I found out that I don't like my Gamo Bone Collector Air Rifle. It's a spring loaded type air rifle and the recoil is way to powerful for the scope and it's mounts.
Long story short stay away from these type of air rifles. They may shoot at 1200 fps but the accuracy and the precision is so bad that you can't hit nothing.
I spent hours trying to sight in this air rifle only to find out that the scope moved along the rifle's mounting groves almost every time I pulled the trigger. I could not get the screws tight enough to hold the scope in place. I even applied some of that blue glue to the threads on the screws and that didn't work either.
My old Daisy Air Rifle has much better precision and accuracy and it not hard on the scope at all.
The Gamo rifle doesn't even have iron sites on the front or back of the rifle so you can't aim it without a scope.
Stay away from these scopes too. I bought one from Gander Mountain about a year ago and saved it until today. I finally cut it out of is packaging and tried to put it on my Gamo Air riles. Well one of the mounting screws was already stripped and would not tighten up. I finally got it mounted by taking screws from the older Gamo Scope that came on the rifle and using them to mount the new Gamo Scope to the Rifle.
Still the scope would not shoot with precision. The groups were all over the place at 30 yards. Once I got the scope dialed in using a lazer bore sight it still would move around with every couple of shots. The point of impact on the pellets keep going higher and I kept lowering the reticle to make the point of impact come back down. I got the screws as tight as I could with a ratchet wench and then used an allen wrench to tighten 4 of the other screws that hold the scope rings onto the rifle barrel.
Bottom line is that I wish I had never bought this gun now. Waste of money and a big waste of my time.
And the packaging says to not take the gun back to the store but to return it to the manufacture in Spain. Year right. I doubt that I will do that. I'll just eat the loss and move on.
I bought this gun to take care of some pesky squirrels that were raiding my bird feeders. But I've since caught and removed three of these squirrels with my Havahart Live Animal trap and I don't have a problem with squirrels anymore.
Update on scope and Gamo Rifle
I went to EBN and got some new screws for the rifle scope. I installed them on the scope and rifle yesterday afternoon. I added the Permatex Blue Medium thread lock liquid to the screws this time. Hopefully this will keep the rifle scope locked in place. I even put the blue liquid on the scope stop screw once I got that scope stop in place. I was thinking about using some **** JB Weld in the hole where the scope stop pin fits to secure the pin in the hole better. The hole in the top of the rifle barrel is too shallow and the pin won't go down into the barrel's hole very far and keep jumping out when I shoot the rifle. The rifle is ERT but it's still got a very powerful kick that the scope stop thing can't really handle.
I'll try to sight this rifle scope in one more time and then report back on my findings. So far I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.
The new screws have a hex head on them and I used one of my metric 3 mm hex wrenchs to tighten them up. But they seem to be shorter than the ones that I had that were #15 torx heads. Some of the srcrews are longer than the others.
I contacted GAMO by email and they said that they can't tell me the size of the screws used on the rifle as they change monthly and yearly in size, head, thread pitch. I said that I would keep that in mind the next time I want to buy something from Gamo USA.
My only satisfaction is coming from the fact that I took the screws to Evansville Bolt and Nut Supply at 1701 E Columbia Street and they were able to match the threads and size and gave me ten new screws for free.
So I hope that the money I spent on the air rifle and the new scope are not wasted and these new screws help hold the rifle scope in place.
I can't keep and use an air gun who's groups are more than 12" apart. You can't kill anything with a guy that shoots that badly.
PS: I'm told that the slots on the rifle barrel are a Weaver Type scope mounting groove. They are 3/8" inch wide.
Video review of the Gamo Bone Collector and scope
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIKSyZMVep8&feature=player_detailpage[/url]
1 Attachment(s)
New Scope Stop added to rifle behind base ring
OK, I've been fooling around with this guy and rifle scope from Gamo all summer.
I ordered a scope stop from Gamo and got it in the mail today. So I added it to the back scope base ring. This base also has a vertical pin type scope stop that fits into a hole that was drilled into the top of the barrel.
Once I got the scope mounted the other day (for the fourth or fifth time) and put the Blue Thread lock on all the new screws that I got from EBN I was able to let the thread lock material dry for 24 hours. Do today at 2 pm the 24 hour period of time had elapsed.
Today was calm and I set up my targets at 20 yards and 25 yards respectively. I was able to install the new scope stop behind the ring base that came with the rifle and the original scope. It took me a while to get it to grabs the 3/8" groves but I got it tightened in place using a 2.5 MM Hex head Allen wrench. Note: the scope stop didn't come with any tools to install it. I was lucky that I already had the right sized metric Allen wrench.
I took the gun out in the back yard and started by using a laser bore sighter and the scope was almost right on the money at 10 yards.
I fired a few rounds in to the target at 25 yards and noticed that differnet ammo shot differently. I 'd zero the scope in on the 20 yard target and then when I changed from a Lead Red Point type pellet to the Gamo Gold Raptor pellet the shots placements were different. But they were precise. The groups stayed together which tells me that the rifle scope is staying where I put it and not moving ... yet!
I was able to get some Gamo Platinum pellets to group well and on the target bulls eye.
Here is a shot of the last 4 rounds after I adjusted the scope windage and elevation knobs to bring the scope on target.
Opps: the target is upside down. I didn't edit this before posting. Sorry. The last shot was a little low as I let my next door neighbor kid shoot the last three shots. My first shot was right on target in the middle of the orange circle. He put two more on the bulls eye. The last shot was actually low because the other kid came over to see what was going on and one of the little brats was standing behind the shooter and bugging him.
By this time 6 other little kids showed up to see what we were doing so I figured it was time to put the gun away. LOL.
I'll not say anything else until I have time to make sure that the rifle scope stays in place and the gun continues to shoot straight. Over time the gun's excessive recoil has a tendency to make the scope bases rings move backwards. I'm hoping that the Permatex Threadlocker Blue Medium material will keep the screws from backing out and letting the scope rings move again.
I'm hoping that this will be a permanent fix and I won't have to go though this again for a long time. But I'm not going to hold my breath based on my past experience with this Gamo Rifle.
Note 2: I spend a few hours on the web today looking for review on this Gamo rifle and the scope. I found that other people had similar experiences with this rifle and scope. That's where I got the idea on using the extra Gamo scope stop.
All is well now. Fixed the problem
I think that the rifle is working now. After installing the new scope stop behind the back rings the scope has not moved anymore. I maked the receiver with a awl and can see if the back ring has moved from it's original position and it's not moving any at all.
I got a Wheeler Engineering Fat Wrench which is a small hand held torque wrench that works really good. I had to buy a insert screw to fit the head on my ring's screws but other than that it was easy to use and work with. The Fat Wrench that is. I also have a Wheeler Engineering Profession Scope Installation kit now in case I have to mount any more rifle scopes. I can now lap the rings to fit a 1" scope and have the tools to measure the fit when done. This ensures that the rings and scope body match up perfectly together. I found that it's critical to do that for long range shooting accuracy.
I've invested in a new AR15 with a new Nikon Scope and an EOTech Hollow Graphic Weapons Site system.
I still have the Gamo Bone Collector Air Rifle and have used it to dispatch the Fox Squirrels from my Bird Feeders. The last Fox Squirrel that got into my Sunflower Seed Feeder tray got blasted off the platform from 10 ft away and I hit him right between the eyes. So the Gamo Rifle and Scope is deadly accurate now and doing the job that I bought it for. I either live trap these Fox Squirrels if possible and transport them to another area far away or shoot them if I can't trap them live. Either way they are removed and not eating me out of house and home. That bird seed is not cheap and one Fox Squirrel can eat as much bird seed in one sitting as ten Blue jays.
There are still plenty of Fox Squirrels around as I see them running around in my neighbor's yards so they will eventually figure out where my bird feeders are and I'll have to trap them or shoot them. They seem to replace themselves with new young squirrels every year so I don't think that I'll run out of targets any time soon. :)
They mate is Jan and have their young in the spring of the year and produce 4 to 6 little squirrels each year. But the next winter the little one's are ready to breed. They get in one of my trees and since it's got a lot of leaves growing all over the tree it's very hard to see them when they get up in that tree. So I really can't shoot them out of the tree and have to wait until they get in another tree that's more open.
I'm just happy that I got the Gamo working right as I paid a little over $200 for that air rifle just to be able to shoot the squirrels. I have two other Crosman 1077 Repeating Air Rifles that I loved until the seals went bad and they would not hold the CO2 in the Cartridges. Which made them useless to me. I'd have them fixed but it cost more to fix them than to buy a new one. And I don't need a new one that will go bad in a few months time. Then I'd be stuck with three useless air guns. The only reason I purchased the second one is because I purchased a adaptor for the first one to let me use the larger CO2 containers. But then later I learned that the adaptor for only used for a more modern version of my Crosman 1077 Rifle. The one I had was not able to work with the new adaptor so I figured I'd just buy a new 1077 to work with the new adaptor kit. That new rifle only worked for a short time before it's seals started leaking so bad that it would not hold any air in the system. So don't buy the Crosman 1077 Air Rifle as it' junk. Too bad they can't redesign the seals to make the system work. As if the seals hold the air the rifle is pretty cool. I think that the rotary clip holds either 12 bb's or 12 .177 lead pellets and it's a semi auto. So when it was new and working right I could fire 12 shots before reloading. I took my old 1077 to the gun smith that's a certified Crosman repair dealer and they told me it cost too much to fix them and that it's not worth fixing. So that's not something that I said that's what the guy at RAJO's gun shop said. And he is the local Crosman's Authorized Repair shop in this area.
Tree rats are back and Gamo is not shooting right again
[QUOTE=Moveon;542470]I should have said I lowered the point of impact.
I eventually purchased another stop from Gamo too add behind the Gamo Scope's rear rings with the stop built into the rear ring. So I ended up with two more sets of screws holding the scope mounted to the rifle's receiver.
And I stopped using the Blue tipped gamo pellets and went back to some match grade lead pellets. The rifle is shooting better now.
PS: with the rifle scope not holding in place on the rifle is didn't matter where I moved the scope's reticles as it was not hitting anything I aimed at with the scope until I solved the problem with the scope mounts.
I ended up live trapping the fox squirrels from my yard. I think I trapped and moved about 5 fox squirrels. And yesterday I noticed that I have a new Fox Squirrel raiding my bird seed in the feeders. These tree rats breed faster than I can shoot and trap them.[/QUOTE]
Well the Tree rats are back again. This time they are smarter than before. The last squirrel I trapped in the Havaheart live animal trap stayed in the case too long and must have told the other 3 remaining squirrels not to step on the trip mechanism. Now the remaining squirrels run right though the opened trap doors and jump over the trip mechanism over and over again. It's like they have figured out how the trap works. This has me pissed off too. :O
These pesky squirrels have outsmarted me. So I got the Gammo Air rifle back out and tried to shoot them again. I missed high big time. I could see the squirrel on the ground about 35 yards away and saw the dirt fly up above the target when I fired. So I know that at this range the Gammo is shooting High again. I'm suspecting that the retical in the scope is bad and not holding zero. I'll have to test is out again and do some target practice and get the scope sighted in again. Meanwhile the pesky squirrels are eating my bird seed at will. I"m tempted to get a big rat trap and bury it inside the sunflower seeds. I won't do that but I'm tempted to think about doing it. I don't want to trap any birds or the neighbor's cat who use to sit in the bird feeder hoping to catch a bird. I guess the young cat didn't think that the birds could see him there? Or maybe he ate too much lead paint or something. But man that cat was either stupid or desperate or both. But it was funny seeing him sitting on the sunflower seeds in the bird feeder. He barely fit under the bird feeder's roof.
Got another Gamo Whisper Fusion Elite Air Rifle
[QUOTE=Moveon;553267]Well the Tree rats are back again. This time they are smarter than before. The last squirrel I trapped in the Havaheart live animal trap stayed in the case too long and must have told the other 3 remaining squirrels not to step on the trip mechanism. Now the remaining squirrels run right though the opened trap doors and jump over the trip mechanism over and over again. It's like they have figured out how the trap works. This has me pissed off too. :O
These pesky squirrels have outsmarted me. So I got the Gammo Air rifle back out and tried to shoot them again. I missed high big time. I could see the squirrel on the ground about 35 yards away and saw the dirt fly up above the target when I fired. So I know that at this range the Gammo is shooting High again. I'm suspecting that the retical in the scope is bad and not holding zero. I'll have to test is out again and do some target practice and get the scope sighted in again. Meanwhile the pesky squirrels are eating my bird seed at will. I"m tempted to get a big rat trap and bury it inside the sunflower seeds. I won't do that but I'm tempted to think about doing it. I don't want to trap any birds or the neighbor's cat who use to sit in the bird feeder hoping to catch a bird. I guess the young cat didn't think that the birds could see him there? Or maybe he ate too much lead paint or something. But man that cat was either stupid or desperate or both. But it was funny seeing him sitting on the sunflower seeds in the bird feeder. He barely fit under the bird feeder's roof.[/QUOTE]
I broke down and bought another air rifle thinking that the squirrels would never get caught in my live animal trap again. But right after I got the new rifle the **** squirrel got caught in my Havaheart Live Animal Trap. Just my luck. Anyway I mounted the new scope on the new fusion Elite Air Rifle and used the blue lock tite compound to set the screws in place and waited a full 24 hours before messing with the scope rings and the scope itself. This new pellet gun had a base that is attached to the groves on the receiver and it's got three screws that hold the new base in place. Then there is a one piece set of rings that the scope mounts into and then mounts onto the new base with several more screws. So I had to buy some more blue lock tite to use on this new air rifle/scope.
I leveled the scope on my shooting table and then used a Wheeler Engineering Level/Level devise to level the scope and get it mounted properly. First shots were on target at 18 years down range. Then I setup another target at 28 years in a tree which was level with my barrel. My back yard slopes down and then goes back up to the roadway behind my side yard. I've used a light laser and a level to determine where in the tree it's level with my gun on my table sitting on my side driveway.
I shot a bunch of different type pellets and different weight pellets of the same brand. Each different Pellet grouped together but each type of pellet shot differently. Some were way different than the others.
I figured out that the match grade Crosman Lead Pellets shot the best and so I chose them to use to sight in the scope for 28 yards. Hopefully now I can hit that pesky squirrel the next time I get a shot at him/her.
The squirrel was back again today at 9 am. I caught his brother a couple days ago. They are everywhere and hard to get rid of when you put bird food outside. Anyway I put some peanuts inside the cage along the top of the 2x4 rail on the rail around my deck. Maybe he will stop to eat the peanuts and forget about the trip mechanism like the last squirrel and trip it and get caught. If not the new Gamo Whisper Fusion Elite Air Rifle is loaded up and ready to go. I better not miss him the next time I get a shot. I'm ready for some Fox Squirrel Stew. LOL. I know that little ******* will be fat and well fed on my sun flower seeds. So he should be real tasty
Gamo Scope 4x9x40 is junk. Don't buy this Gamo Scope
The cross hairs on my Gamo 4x9x40 scope have rotated inside the scope tube and are not straight like they were when it was new and zeroed in. These scopes are Total JUNK and will not take the abuse of the Gamo IGT rifles. They break and can't retain their zero.
[QUOTE=Moveon;554616]I broke down and bought another air rifle thinking that the squirrels would never get caught in my live animal trap again. But right after I got the new rifle the **** squirrel got caught in my Havaheart Live Animal Trap. Just my luck. Anyway I mounted the new scope on the new fusion Elite Air Rifle and used the blue lock tite compound to set the screws in place and waited a full 24 hours before messing with the scope rings and the scope itself. This new pellet gun had a base that is attached to the groves on the receiver and it's got three screws that hold the new base in place. Then there is a one piece set of rings that the scope mounts into and then mounts onto the new base with several more screws. So I had to buy some more blue lock tite to use on this new air rifle/scope.
I leveled the scope on my shooting table and then used a Wheeler Engineering Level/Level devise to level the scope and get it mounted properly. First shots were on target at 18 years down range. Then I setup another target at 28 years in a tree which was level with my barrel. My back yard slopes down and then goes back up to the roadway behind my side yard. I've used a light laser and a level to determine where in the tree it's level with my gun on my table sitting on my side driveway.
I shot a bunch of different type pellets and different weight pellets of the same brand. Each different Pellet grouped together but each type of pellet shot differently. Some were way different than the others.
I figured out that the match grade Crosman Lead Pellets shot the best and so I chose them to use to sight in the scope for 28 yards. Hopefully now I can hit that pesky squirrel the next time I get a shot at him/her.
The squirrel was back again today at 9 am. I caught his brother a couple days ago. They are everywhere and hard to get rid of when you put bird food outside. Anyway I put some peanuts inside the cage along the top of the 2x4 rail on the rail around my deck. Maybe he will stop to eat the peanuts and forget about the trip mechanism like the last squirrel and trip it and get caught. If not the new Gamo Whisper Fusion Elite Air Rifle is loaded up and ready to go. I better not miss him the next time I get a shot. I'm ready for some Fox Squirrel Stew. LOL. I know that little ******* will be fat and well fed on my sun flower seeds. So he should be real tasty[/QUOTE]