I'm no expert, but I am very happy with my Gamo Varmint and the scope that came with it.

It is not quiet, however!

 

I gave my son a Gamo Swarm Whisper for Christmas, he's gone through more than a tin of pellets so far, and it continues to shoot right where it's pointed. I won't say it's as accurate as my PCPs are, but it also doesn't require expensive support equipment to use.

That being said, I'd have got him a Parrus if they'd been on sale at the time. But I'm also a Walther fan, so I might just be fanboying a little. lol

 

If you are looking for a nice air rifle I would give a look
at the Weihrauch HW50. For a little more you can get a lot nicer and more consistent air rifle. They can be found at certain times for under $300. Are you wanting a .177 cal or .22 cal?

 

:yeahthat:

I have 2 springers, an HW30 and HW95 (both .177) awesome rifles. They do well for me...

Either can put 5 shots in the same hole at 10 meters.

:F

 

Walther is liquidating their Parrus rifles that are a bargain under $200. Go to PyramidAir and take a look. I picked one up when they were $150. They are now $180.

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Walther_Parrus_Air_Rifle_Wood/4076

 

Walther is liquidating their Parrus rifles that are a bargain under $200. Go to PyramidAir and take a look. I picked one up when they were $150. They are now $180.

People often ask around here what's a good gun for pests? This :bthumb:

Always ready to go, accurate and powerful. The .22 would be even better.

I have the Terrus with the wood stock, love it, but can't justify buying this; too similar

 

I just don't understand how people can shoot break barrel rifles. I have a gamo and the action/feedback is so abnormal. Yuck! That said, it is ~10 yo, so maybe they are better now.

 

If a Gamo is your only point of reference for a break barrel air rifle then it is understandable why you would say that.

However, try a more refined model such as one of the Weihrauchs and you might form a different opinion.

I would caveat this by saying that there have been some good Gamo air rifles and pistols, but some of their more recent offerings are just plain garbage.

Honestly, the less you pay for a springer the more likely you will be disappointed with it. Why not just buy a good one - even used? Weihrauch and Diana both make excellent rifles. The Diana 34 would be just about right on task for what you want.

Very true.

And avoid picking out your air rifle just by choosing the fastest velocity.

Totally agree with this, there are a load of spring powered air rifles advertised at 1000fps when in reality they aren't but in an attempt to achieve these velocities that attract certain elements of society, they are usually atrocious to shoot.

The biggest thing with ultra high velocity spring airguns is they allow you to miss the target quicker.

Accuracy over power any day of the week.

 

Break barrels require that you use the artillery hold for the most part. It is not brain surgery, just a well practiced procedure.

 

Benjamin NP2 22cal. more quiet etc.. Bit on the heavy side for lugging over hill n dale but good nuff for squirrels and rabbits too.

 

There are some really horrible triggers out there in cheap air rifles but I was very happy with my Gamo after I installed a Charlie da Tuna trigger and replaced the scope with one that could withstand a break-barrel air rifle. It was a bit over $200 with the scope by the time I was done. Can't remember the model and I no longer have it but it's what you find at Walmart for $125 or so.

Without the trigger upgrade, IMO it was not worth shooting.

I replaced it with an HW30 which is more money than you want to spend but is a real sweetheart of an air rifle.

 

Honestly, the less you pay for a springer the more likely you will be disappointed with it. Why not just buy a good one - even used? Weihrauch and Diana both make excellent rifles. The Diana 34 would be just about right on task for what you want.

If you still want another option, buy a rifle from Mike Mellick at Flying Dragons with a "full tune". Lots of veteran airgunners swear by his work - he's cruising past legend and headed for "airgun mystic".

And avoid picking out your air rifle just by choosing the fastest velocity. These "magnum" springers take a lot more work to shoot well, take a lot of oomph to cock, and will eat scopes like easter candy.

 

For sub $200, what are your thoughts? I'll be using this to take out backyard varmints....squirrels, moles and voles at 20-30 yards.

Is the Remington Express still available in the US?

I acquired one of these here in the UK - full package of rifle with 4x32 scope, rings and a gun bag for £150 ($203 at current exchange rates, I would expect it to be a bit lower priced in the US) and I would have to say that I am highly impressed with the rifle.

Here in the UK we have a power restriction on air rifles of 12 ft.lbs muzzle energy, which for spring guns is not horrendous, as at this energy level most perform well and this is ample power for taking small vermin at the distances quoted above.

The rifle itself is made in China and badged for Remington, but I have to say the quality is a cut above what I would expect of a Chinese air rifle.

The design itself appears to be a hybrid taking elements from the Weihrauch HW95 (not sure what Beeman model designation that would be) and a Diana break barrel air rifle:

The overall fit and finish of the rifle is pretty good, the trigger design with a little tweaking and minor fettling will match the HW Rekord trigger unit - yes seriously it will!

The re-settable safety catch is a neat thing, however, if you use the supplied scope and mounts you might not be able to use it as the eyepiece bell sits in the way of it.

However, I will say that whilst the scope as supplied is not bad, the mounts that came in the kit are complete rubbish and only fit for the bin, they do not fit the rail properly and sit too low to allow the safety to re-set.

Needless to say I binned them straight away in favour of something a bit better quality, comprising some modestly priced double screw two piece rings that fit the rail better and to date have not moved in use.

I also changed the scope for an old 3-9x40 I had lying around, not because the supplied scope was bad, just out of personal preference, this is the scope and mount set that can be seen in the above picture of my rifle.

When I first acquired the rifle it was bit noisy from the action, a quick strip found it quite dry with little grease present, so I gave it a good clean and lubed it appropriately, this made it a lot sweeter to shoot.

Accuracy wise I am easily getting around 1/2 inch at 25 yards with quality pellets.

For what I paid for this rifle I am impressed with it, it performs well above it's price bracket and with just a little work it can be extremely refined in it's performance.

By comparison I also have a custom HW95:

Despite costing quite a bit more than the Express, in terms of performance at the target, there is not much between them.

Here is a UK review of the rifle: https://www.airgunmagazine.co.uk/tests/gun-test-remington-express/

Here is a US test: https://hardairmagazine.com/reviews/airgun-test-reviews/remington-express-air-rifle-test-review-177-cal/

I have to say having read both, my experience of the rifle is far better than the US reviewers and I rate the rifle far more highly for value than they do, to me it was worth what I paid for the rifle only - as far as I was concerned the extras were a bonus (ignoring the crappy mounts of course).

 

As mentioned, if you are new to springers, SPEND the money to get one with a good trigger. It is very difficult to learn the technique of shooting piston guns with accuracy without a good trigger. A mediocre trigger will greatly spike the learning curve.

 

I bought one of the Beeman Silver Kodiak X2 Dual Caliber break barrels about a year ago at Wal-Mart. I think it was about $90 including tax. I am definitely no air rifle authority but it seem to shoot good to me. It did take a little while to get used to the artillery hold technique but, it wasn't too difficult to figure out.

The thing shoots surprisingly hard. I ordered a couple of tins of the Gamo .22 Lead Round Balls and they shoot good out of it. With the round balls it will penetrate about an inch of pine at about 15 yards.

V/r,
Rex

 

artillery hold technique

I know this thread is about a rifle, but how do you that with a break barrel pistol?

 

Ok guys, I've been researching and reading and reading and reading.....and I'm still lost. I want something new or refurb that can be ordered from a website or even bought used here. Not looking to wait around for the deal to pop up. I was recommended Gamo.by several people but after my online forums search, man Gamo has A LOT of negative feedback.

For sub $200, what are your thoughts? I'll be using this to take out backyard varmints....squirrels, moles and voles at 20-30 yards.

Thanks!

http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/

 

I'm wondering if Gamo quality has gone downhill. Mine is a great shooter, I'm plinking 1" tall silhouettes at 30' - from my sofa.

I don't know how old it is, though. I've had it many years - I think 2010/2011, and I bought it used. No serial lookup on their site.

Perhaps older ones were much better than current offerings.