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Education / Training Gamo V3 – Part 3

Gamo V3 – Part 3

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

Happy Columbus Day! Some of you are off today, but most of you are at work.

I didn’t think there was going to be a third part to this report, but Vince asked if I thought .177 round lead balls might work better in the Gamo V3 than steel BBs because of the rifled steel barrel. The Pyramyd AIR website recommends them. I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s worth testing.

Right to the punchline
Indeed, they do seem to work better! They group tighter and they shoot exactly to the point of aim. Instead of a palm-sized group at 15 feet, I got about a 2″ group. That’s about an inch off the former size. The fact that they shoot to the aim point means you can use those combat sights and just put the center dot on the target.

What about the rifling?
Well, in this case, the rifling doesn’t seem to come into play. There were no rifling marks on the lead balls after firing. Since I use a Crosman model 850 BB trap with ballistic curtains, the balls are not deformed on impact. I couldn’t find the hint of a rifling mark on any of them. So, the Gamo bore is larger than 0.177″.

And reliability?
By using larger ammo, you risk getting a ball stuck in the bore, but in the limited testing I did that never happened. I also rolled a ball down the muzzle to see if it would roll through the bore on its own, but it stuck both times. So the fit is close, but not extremely tight.

What about velocity?
Unlike the Drozd, where .177 lead balls fly nearly as fast as steel BBs (not to mention a LOT straighter!), in the V3 the heavier lead balls are a little slower. They ranged between 363 f.p.s. and 384 f.p.s., with one slowpoke going 343 when I forgot and pulled the trigger very slowly.

The trigger is the secret
If this pistol has a secret, it’s the trigger. Pull it slow and velocity drops off. Pull fast and the gun speeds up, but you run the risk of shooting wide (to the left for right-handers). This is one of the few handguns that forces me to shoot with a two-hand hold, just so I can control the muzzle. I used the classic Weaver stance, and it works very well with this gun.

A new lease!
Thanks to Vince for his observation that inspired this test. I don’t know if the results I obtained will change any purchase decisions, but those of you who already own a Gamo V3 should consider trying it with round lead balls and the technique I used. It might give you a new lease on your gun.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

25 thoughts on “Gamo V3 – Part 3”

  1. B.B.–if money were no object which springer would you buy-would you go for a whiscomb or are some of the other producrion springers in it’s class. I would also be looking for accuracy with the flatest trajectory over 50,60, yards-thanks Scott298

  2. Scott298,

    There are no other spring guns in the Whiscombe class. It’s the most powerful springer of all, completely recoilless, Has a PCP-grade target trigger, allows rapid barrel changes, has a built-in harmonic tuning system and has near-PCP accuracy.

    Nothing else measures up.

    B.B.

  3. BB

    i posted a week ago about not being able to group with all 5 targets on a sinlge 14cm card. Yourself and a few others suggested it may be parralax as i was using a X50 scope at 25M. I am pleased to say that i have got rid of much of the problem by buying a spirit level that attaches to the scope bracket. Without knowing it, when i was slightly tilting the rifle up and down and even left and right, i was also slightly canting it too. It really was a small amount, but enough so shift the group 0.5 to 1 inch in any direction. While its still not perfect, i imagine the rest of the problem is parallax (with my head position) and i think the only cure to this is practice, practive practice.

    Thanks to you and the other readers that commented.

    Cheers

    Canty

  4. Regarding the http://www.arld1.com/ website – I found it very helpful to input the data for my gun from the straightshooters website into those charts above to get an idea of how my pellets would hit the target with the new scope.

    Ozark

    ps – that scope series is still in the works, right?? Can’t wait for it!

  5. Las Vegas? I know it is called “Sin City” but they allow a major gun show to be held there? I would have thought more along the lines of Texas or Virginia somewhere.

  6. The SHOT Show is very large. There are no convention centers in Texas or Virginia big enough to hold it.

    It has been held in Orlando (big enough, Atlanta (barely big enough) and New Orleans (not big enough. Las Vegas is one of the few places large enough to handle it.

    B.B.

  7. I have a feeling those new Super Streaks are simply rebranded Chinese breakbarrels, made for the 1000+ fps American market; in other words, those who prefer power over any sort of accuracy.

    I hope I’m wrong though.

  8. If THAT is what you are talking about, then I’m not on top of it, but I have seen this rifle at the SHOT Show this year.

    It is a very upscale breakbarrel made in China, but Crosman is supposed to have pulled out all the stops. In fact, it was supposed to come out this year, and I imagine they kept it in developement until they got it right.

    It is supposed to be a brand-new model, never seen before, but a challenger to guns like the Gamo Hunter Extreme.

    What I saw was very sharp-looking.

    B.B.

  9. To those asking about when this new Benjamin Super Streak is coming, it says on this link that it is due in December of this year.
    https://www.crosman.com/site/listing/1386

    I notice that they are claiming 1500fps with lead free pellets and 1200 with lead.
    It looks as if they have been bitten by the velocity bug, but these figures sound possible, although not desirable, of course.
    If these numbers are accurate, it looks as if Kodiaks/Baracudas or even Eun Jins will be the way to get acceptable accuracy out of it.
    I only hope that, only like some speculating on here, that it is U.S. made for a change, and that it doesn’t fold up as would a cheap card table the way the Legacy did.
    I couldn’t help noticing that they are intending to ship it with the Centerpoint 4-16×40, the same scope riding on my .177 Gamo CFX.
    😉

  10. Totally different subject:
    I have installed a diopter (peep)sight to the IZH 61 rifle.

    I can get a grouping of 5 shots within the 9 ring (benched at 10 meters). However, the next day when I shoot again, I get the same tight grouping but I have to adjust my elevation, windage or both a couple of cliks to keep the grouping within the 9 ring.

    Is this normal? Does my sight-in drift? If so what factors affect the sight: time of day,
    temperature? Should I sight in everytime before I shoot?

    Thanks

    Stingray

  11. Stingray,

    Another reader had the same problem and he fixed it the same way I’m going to recommend to you. Your problem is parallax. You are not holding the rifle the same way every time, so your eye is looking through the aperture differently. Practice getting into the same hold every time, so your eye always ends up in the same place. That should fix the problem.

    Now the IZH 61 does need a few warm-up shoits before it starts performing, so maybe the first clip is for practice.

    B.B.

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