Gamo Varmint Hunter .177 - Review

[RemyBolt 420]

When your wife says she'll buy you a new gun, your can't help but to smile. So she gave me £150 to get a little fun gun. Turns out this fun gun was much better than expected.

 

With only £150 available (I wasn't allowed to add my own cash apparently, as she wanted to buy me the whole thing) I was limited for choice. So at Sportsman Gun Centre, I had a look at the Gamo and thought "Looks good, and I love a good springer. Need to go back to basics, so let's give it a go." After I parted with £0.00, and my wife parting with the whole cost of the rifle, I was happy with my/her new purchase.

 

The Varmint Hunter is a break action springer, punching well below the 12ft/lbs mark. Made in Spain (which is a scary thought, but not proven a problem yet...fingers crossed for me).

 

When we got home I started putting pellets down the garden. Wow it was inaccurate! If I'd not stuck with it, I'd have sold it about an hour later. If I was able to get a group the size of a postcard I would have been singing and dancing. I was grouping just below an A4 sheet of paper. What can I say? I am quite the marksman! haha

 

After getting increasingly frustrated I assumed, as all "High Quality" shooters do, the problem was the gun, and obviously not me (a workman blames the tools, and all that...)! So I changed the scope...then I put through another few hundred pellets in the course of the next month, then I changed the scope again and put another few hundred pellets through. Woo, I was grouping closer to a small post-it note, down from my postcard. Then, after about a tin and a half of pellets, the rifle was consistent. Now that I've put about 2 tins through this gun it's running a dream. Happily making a 10p group at 35-40 yards, 30-35 it's sometimes popping a 5p group (not always, but now and again) but I'm sure that in the hands of a better shooter it'd consistently be smaller grouping's at larger ranges.

 

Whether that's me not being used to a springer, or the rifle bedding in, or probably a bit of both, I cannot tell. But that's how it's grouping at the moment.

 

So, pretending I'm a great shot, that gives you an idea of how long it takes to bed in the rifle.

 

But now that it's bedded in, how's it running?

 

Performance wise, it's happily able to drop a rabbit, stone dead, at 40 yards, I'd be happy taking shots at 45 yards, but have not had that opportunity on a rabbit yet. Beyond that....I'm not confident enough in my grouping's to be taking those shots (would need more time punching paper that range until I'm happy to hunt to that distance), so I can't give any guidance on that. I'll get a chrono sometime and will check the ft/lbs and will get back to you with it. But over the bank holiday I've taken 3 shots and killed 3 rabbits (technically it's 6 shots as I always put a second shot through the head when up close, just in case...I like to guarantee no suffering, only take a clean shot, and take a second just to make sure).

 

Pellet wise, RWS Superdome Field's. With the Accu-Pell, they'll give equal grouping, but about an inch lower, at 35 yards. Switching to the RWS's gave me another 5 yard range with the same groupings. So a 35 yard zero using Accu-Pell's, provides a 40 yard zero with RWS's. Is this good news? Well, if I have a rabbit around 34 yards, I'll pop in an Accu-Pell and get a perfect headshot, while if it's a rabbit at 40 yards, I'll just use an RWS. This means I don't need to touch the scope or use any mil-dot's to compensate. Yes, I know, it's a lazy way to shoot, but it works for me.

 

For the moderator shaped/thick barrel, don't be fooled, it's still pretty loud, but dead bunnies don't hear much. Just don't expect there to be many rabbits around after your first shot. If you miss the first shot, you'll be left waiting for a while.

 

The only problem I have with the rifle is that to get the zero, spot on, it takes a hell of a lot of scope compensation to the right. Which may well mean the rail is out, but I'm very happy with how it's shooting.

 

For less than £150, you get a pretty capable gun that I've found to be beautifully accurate.

 

For plinking, it's brilliant fun and fits the bill fine. For hunting...works for me, so should be okay for you too. I'd recommend it more for new-starters and anyone not wanting to spend much money on a springer. In no way, shape, or form, am I pretending it's going to step up against any HW rifles. They are definitely in different leagues. But for a low budget springer, I'd say it's a good choice.