Considering a Gamo SWARM .22 for hunting and target practice. Any thoughts, advice or suggestions for a better choice?
Printable View
Considering a Gamo SWARM .22 for hunting and target practice. Any thoughts, advice or suggestions for a better choice?
dverna, Thanks.
Anyone actually have one? Which pellets? Cocking effort for wife?
I have a whisper and it is fine ,shot a lot o Cotten tails. As far as for cocking can be difficult but I am a 84 year old with bad shoulder.
Freightman, thanks for the reply. I eventually got the Whisper model too. Best "bang" for the buck? I can cock it okay, but then I am just a youngster at 71. I do have to cock it for my wife. Haven't had the chance to use it on a critter yet, just paper in the basement.
I have a Gamo Whisper also, seems easy to cock next to my Hatsan 135 QE Vortex.
That takes two men, a boy and a dog to cock.
Love mine!!!!/EdQuote:
Originally Posted by Doughty
Any preferences on pellets. So far i've just been using the cheapest Crossmans I could find.
I tested a lot of pellets and found the 14.3 gr Crosmans' shot very well in both my .22 PCP's. In my "good" gun, I averaged 1/2" groups at 50 yards for 15 groups (5 shot groups). The pellets were not weight sorted but I added 20 drops of Ballistol to a tin of 500 pellets. Not sure if you can use Ballistol in a springer. Without Ballistol, I get about 3/4" groups at 50 yards.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doughty
Air guns can be "picky", so you need to test. But if the Crosman's work in your gun it is silly to spend three times as much to get another 1/4" improvement in plinking/varmint accuracy.
I do not know much about the gun you have or its accuracy potential. Maybe others have tested it and will chime in. From what I have seen in other forums, most people seem satisfied with 1" groups at 25 yards with guns like that.
Well right now it's 11 yards offhand in the basement.
Since you plan to shoot critters, going for the .22 was a wise choice. You'll need to let the rifle tell you which pellet it is going to like.
From my experience, I'd suggest you stay below 18 grain pellets. It's a spring piston type so likely to be hold sensitive. Once you find
the pellet AND the hold it likes, I'd expect better than one inch groups at 25 yards. If you can get consistent half inch groups at 25
yards, you should be ecstatic
Talk of groups at 25 and even 50 yards with an air rifle is beyond what I have ever thought of. It seems "It's a spring piston type so likely to be hold sensitive". So offhand and bench? Maybe someone could expound on this a little; a place to start? I've always wanted to be ecstatic!
This should help you out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doughty
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...tail&FORM=VIRE
I had a good quality RWS springer and it could not match what I can do with a PCP air gun. Now, it may have been me, but I have no regrets going to PCP's.
Shooting is the only hobby I have and it is fun to shoot 1/2" groups at 50 yards for $15/1000. Investing in a really good air gun was worth it to me.
Shooting is one of my many hobbies, but it seems all my hobbies are related to shooting in one form or another.Quote:
Originally Posted by dverna
Springers that are too light for the power are increasingly hold sensitive. Most cheaper springers are way too light for the power, because higher FPS sells. So they pack as strong a spring as they can into w/e they make.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doughty
I find springers are very practical for me, when the fps/power is modest. I'm talking about levels that are attainable with a Crosman 2100, but without pumping ten times. I have a lot of spring rifles that I've added weight to the muzzle with shrouds. But at higher power levels, you're stuck with a bench rest behemoth or poor practical accuracy. That's where PCP would be preferred.
I don't have boars and gophers invading my backyard, so I'm good with my mix of low powered springers and powder burners.
The link to the video Don posted is an excellent explanation.
The first hold demonstrated is probably the easiest to master because you have the trigger guard and heel of you palm as
references. Makes it easier to place you hand exactly the same every time.
The second hold, under the cocking mechanism I find more difficult to get my hand exactly positioned every shot.
Keep in mind, let YOUR gun tell you what IT likes.
A third option that I like a lot is placing your hand at the far end of the stock. Let your middle finger rest inside the split under
the stock, with your index and ring fingers curled lightly around the farthest part of the stock. In this way the second knuckles
of your index and ring fingers become reference points with the front part of your stock and your palm stays centered the same.
Pick a hold and stick to it while trying out pellets until you find one YOUR gun likes. Now you're ready to experiment more with
different holds if you feel a need.
I have not found switching holds for different pellets beneficial but maybe I'm just not a good enough marksman to tell the difference
For shooting live stuff JSB Hades have la reputation for accuracy and expanding well. Most hollow point pellets have low long range accuracy but these are consistent.
Another good pellet in .22 is H&N Barracuda 18. They are really accurate in a lot of my guns.
Black Beard, thanks for the tip.