Well, plinky time did happen, just not quite how I thought it'd go...
Whilst we were rushing about this morning, 'er indoors said that she could do with taking something back to Ikea and how did I fancy going to "that place in Rotherham". That place being the Idleback Range. Range duly booked for an hour. However, by the time we got home from all the chasing about the clock was ticking to get there in time......
The rifle I wanted to take was the Vantage, which has had hardly any use since Steve Pope serviced it for me a couple of years ago. I thought a little pellet testing sesh would go down well. But, the Gamo was more accessible and some pellet testing with that was also called for.
Well, although it was quite enjoyable one thing that trying to shoot tight groups on paper at longer range highlighted in a big way was how utterly dire the trigger really is. Not an issue down the garden and it didn't even seem to manifest itself much at The Hollow, but the creep, and inconsistent nature of that creep, made it bloody hard work. Used some Domes, Air Arms Fields and FTTs and not much in it at all, maybe nodding a slight wink to the FTTs. But, at 25 yards the tightest groups measured about 20mm. Some did one hole, but that's the c-t-c for pellets widest apart in the groups. And a far cry from the TX and every HW I've taken there.
So, it may be 25mm, it may not boing now and feel pretty refined, the firing cycle may be very mild mannered and cocking effort ridiculously low, but that sort of trigger performance, for me, puts it firmly into the category of ideal cheap garden plinker and short range ratter (if I get a ratty perm one day) which is exactly how I saw the little Gamo when I was first given it.
Next time it WILL be The Vantage.
