Are Gamo guns good?

[jackhockett94]

Me and a friend recently went to a few shops and we had one shop tell us that Gamo are great!
They will give you a good start and be reliable. We thought great we will go see if we can get any better prices, so we went to the next shop and the guy says Gamo are crap! Who do we believe so what’s your opinions?

[lonewolf]

believe the second shop.

[where's it gone]

What were you looking at, rifle or pistol ? If you were looking at new, have a look at the second hand section. Really can't help more without more info, like rifle or pistol, paper target, plinking or hunting, novice or experienced etc ?

[Thamesides]

Your in Rayleigh so go to http://www.theairguncentre.com/ a bit dear , but free service for as long as you own the rifle/gun http://www.theairguncentre.com/free-...-and-servicing

[bhodge]

Well...
Are Gamo great, no.
Are Gamo crap, no.
So they're somewhere between to two...but closer to crap than they are to great. Just my personal opinion of course. Think hard before opening your wallet.

[Gareth W-B]

Well...
Are Gamo great, no.
Are Gamo crap, no.
So they're somewhere between to two...but closer to crap than they are to great. Just my personal opinion of course. Think hard before opening your wallet.

But do you like BSA springers? If you do, there is your answer, as Gamo own BSA, and so (notwithstanding their PCPs and springer 'specials') all Gamo and all BSA springers are made overseas in the same factories ... Does that help answer the O-P's opening question any?

[Phil Russell]

Crap or not?
Might depend on what you want it for and expect it to do. Do I assume you are looking at springers? Are they universally crap? In my opinion, no, but do not expect to go out onto an HFT course and beat all the top end springers that most likely cost 2, 3, or 4 times as much as your Gamo. Are they a good rifle for a bit of fun / plinking/ short range ratting? I guess so, if you do your bit. Will the build quality equal that of a £300 - £500 rifle and have similar accuracy? No, do not expect this but what you could get will be a pretty reliable mechanism that is great fun and a good introduction to air rifle shooting.
The advice about buying 2nd hand is good ... but only if you know what you are doing as it is too easy to buy a rifle with unseen faults that an experienced shooter may well notice. For instance I have recently seen a cosmetically excellent good quality rifle that to all intents and purposes was a dream. But over the chrono it was only putting out about half the specified power. The fix was pretty easy, but maybe not if you have no knowledge of what to do or, the inclination to do it. And of course, parts must be factored into the equation and they are not the cheapest items ... maybe £20 for a mainspring, £8 for a piston seal and £5 for a breech seal (all most likely including postage). Buying from an RFD may, or should, remove these worries, but not always.
Sometimes buying new is worth it for peace of mind.
Cheers, Phil

[Geezer]

Both dealers are right.

Compared to more expensive guns, Gamos are a bit crude, built down to a price, and don't perform as well.

But they are also inexpensive, robust, starter or barn guns.

Assuming you are looking at springer rifles, other options in the same price bracket that might be worth considering and arguably a bit better are the Hatsan 55/65, the Remington Express, and the Chinese copies of the Diana 34 sold under various names, including the XS208.

Second-hand rifles from higher-quality makes are definitely worth a look, but only if you trust the seller/dealer that you are getting a good one at a decent price, not an overpriced lemon.

[secretagentmole]

The Coyote and Phox (aka BSA Ultra XL) are good!

[clarky]

Me and a friend recently went to a few shops and we had one shop tell us that Gamo are great!
They will give you a good start and be reliable. We thought great we will go see if we can get any better prices, so we went to the next shop and the guy says Gamo are crap! Who do we believe so what’s your opinions?

IMO crap

[Bruno27]

Only have experience with cfx: barrel seal shaving off on the one I had, so crap by design IMHO

[Gamocfx]

I have a Gamo or two (my user name may give this away) and obviously I like them. The Gamo 440 is a great buy and with a Welsh Willy trigger it will be transformed. Most of the comments above are correct but with the new trigger (Is it now Woodfield guns?) and maybe a tuning kit you will definately be punching (targets) above your weight. Go for it if you are after some fun and you will surprise people who have paid a lot more for their rifles.

[Mekon88]

Definitely good little starter rifles, plenty of shops do starter kits with a B2 , scope and bag for about 100 quid or a whisper sting for about 130... i know which i would buy! You can look at remingtons but they are rather heavy IMO, if you want to start out in PCP the 2nd gen Phox with removable silencer is pretty much the best value kit on the market so again a fantastic brand for entry level new gear, i agree they arent as refined as some others but solid reliable gear that doesnt break the bank so for plinking fun or inexperienced shooters they make a great starting place

[angrybear]

They're better than they were a few years back, but don't seem to get much credit for it.

[gingernut]

Indeed
I bought the Maxima Elite which has a much better multi shot system than the old BSA Goldstar.