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Education / Training Testing the Gamo Whisper – Part 5 Accuracy

Testing the Gamo Whisper – Part 5 Accuracy

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Note to Buddy who sent in an air rifle noise question for the podcast. I forgot to include your question in the next podcast which is coming out soon, so I’m answering you here today.

The Gamo scope – not so good
Thanks for being patient. I finally got a good calm day to test the Gamo Whisper for accuracy. As you learned last time, I mounted the Gamo scope on the rifle. I praised it then, but that was before I had a chance to use it. I’m not praising it anymore. It isn’t clear at 25 yards, and I couldn’t find a distance at which it was clear no matter how I adjusted it, so I shot with a slightly out-of-focus scope. I do wear bifocals, but right after shooting the Whisper I shot my Beeman R1 that’s scoped with a Bushnell 6-18x Trophy, and it was crystal clear. So, I’m blaming the Gamo scope.

… but the Whisper is GREAT!
What a wonderful airgun this is! It’s lightweight, easy to cock, not too fussy about hold for a breakbarrel and I learned this rifle can really shoot, too! The stock has a raised ridge on the underside, just in front of the triggerguard. If I could feel that ridge, the rifle was properly balanced for good shooting. Don’t even try another hold – this is it.

Average with Kodiaks, but Gamo Match is another story
Beeman Kodiaks were okay but not great, so I switched to Gamo Match and right away I knew this rifle was a winner. I shot the second-best group of the session with Gamo Match, and no matter what I did, they wouldn’t shoot poorly.

11-13-07-tgt-1

At 25 yards, 5 Gamo Match pellets went into this 0.346″ group.

11-13-07-tgt-2

This 5-shot group with H&N Match pellets went into a 0.325″ group.

11-13-07-tgt-03

Even Crosman Destroyer hollowpoints made this respectable 0.398″ group at 25 yards.

More pellets
I also shot the rifle with H&N Match, Crosman Premier 7.9-grain domed and the new Crosman Destroyer hollowpoint that I’m testing for you. It was great with all three pellets, though the H&N Match were the best pellets of all and Crosman Destroyers were ahead of the Premiers by a small but noticeable amount. In fact, I’m very impressed with the accuracy of the Destroyer pellet. I need to test it at long range next.

Can a tuned gun be even quieter?
Okay, Buddy, this is for you and for everyone else who wonders how much noise reduction could be made by a good tune. As you know, the Whisper is not especially quiet. It buzzes and rattles with the normal sounds a breakbarrel makes – all of which destroy any advantage that big fat silencer has. So after testing the Whisper, I brought out my Beeman R1 that I tuned for you in the 13-part spring gun tune series. That rifle is a .22 and makes substantially more noise on impact than the .177 Whisper (I used a silent pellet trap), but its discharge is noticeably quieter. So, yes, Buddy, tuning that R11 you’re thinking of buying will make it quieter, and also your R7, if you think about it. In fact, a well-tuned R7 makes almost the least amount of noise of any spring-piston rifle. Only a tuned Walther LGV is any quieter, but not by much.

As for who can tune it for you, I would look on the forums and don’t go with the first person you see. Read for a while before you trust your gun to anyone. Paul Watts is a great spring gun tuner, and there are probably several others who are, as well.

The bottom line
I came into this review itching for a fight because the Gamo hype about the silencer got to me. Okay, so it doesn’t do much because the gun is loud in other ways. I’m forced to overlook that, in light of what a wonderful air rifle the Whisper is! It’s lightweight, accurate, not particularly sensitive to how it’s held and very easy to cock. The downside is a poor scope, a heavy, creepy trigger, and the vibration of the powerplant. But in my final assessment, this is a seriously nice air rifle that you should buy if you are at all inclined.

BIG SURPRISE is coming!
I’m not finished with the Whisper yet. There is a HUGE surprise coming that will blow you away. It should be here for testing in a couple of weeks.

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.

71 thoughts on “Testing the Gamo Whisper – Part 5 Accuracy”

  1. B.B.

    Thanks for the report on this rifle. It might prove a nice little present for some of us.

    B.B. I am still having a problem with my scope. I can’t focus the image/target AND the reticle.

    My scope is a Nikko Stirling Gold 4.5-14×50. The A0 is >8 meters. I am having problems at all distances. Even 20 meters.

    The only usable image I can get is with the 4.5 power only. Anything above that makes the reticle appear fuzzy. As the power increases so does the fuzziness.

    I did focus the reticle while looking at a white wall, although I had to move the eyepiece to the extreme of the adjustment to notice any image/fuzziness change. It seemed to be focused for a large part of the adjustment, but I think I found the correct spot.

    I don’t know what’s wrong with either my eyes or the AO of the scope…

    Thanks a lot for the help B.B.

  2. Andreas,

    You just described the problem I had with the Gamo scope. But let’s review the basics.

    Focus the eyebell of the scope first, then never touch it again. The eyebell focuses the reticle. Look at a light-colored surface without definition, such as the sky or a light wall. Focus the eyebell until the reticle is sharp. Do not do this in one try because your brain will make your eyes focus on the reticle. So just look through the scope for a few seconds at a time, adjusting as you do.

    When the reticle is sharp, then use the AO to focus on the target. If it will not get sharp, the optical package is flawed in some way. That scope is no good.

    B.B.

  3. B.B.

    Thanks for the reference about the NRA rankings.

    Thanks too for the directions for adjusting a scope. I got burned by venturing away from Pyramidair to Opticsplanet for a Bug Buster scope at a cheaper price. But what I got had no AO to adjust a very fuzzy image. I returned it and am now licking my chops for the Pyramidair version which should arrive any day.

    I have a question about airgun accuracy. I’ve heard that airguns are the most accurate 10m guns in the world but there are numbers of centerfire rifles that are subMOA at 100 yards. These include the new semiautomatic army sniper rifle that is .5 inches at 100 yards. And I even came across something called the Tango-51 which is supposed to guarantee quarter inch groups at that distance–and has been verified by reliable sounding people. A quarter-inch group at 100 yards can’t be bigger than .025inches at 10 meters/yards which is equal to the ratings of the Feinwerkbau target rifles that I’ve seen. So how can airguns be the most accurate guns?

    Matt

  4. B.B.

    Thanks for the instructions B.B. I tried to do that but I will try it once again.

    Should I wear my glasses while doing this? It’s not much just 1.5 degrees of near-sightedness.

    Thanks a lot

  5. I would like to hear from anybody shooting JSB Predators, both the pointed and hollow points. Curious how accurate they are in your guns.

    Would love if BB would get some and test both kinds in some different guns and see what they grouped.

  6. B.B.,
    A slightly off topic question. Is there a trick to getting crisp holes in targets, other than using wad cutters? Today’s target with the Crosman Destroyers looks as clean as the wad cutter ones. I use real targets from National Target, but anything other than wadcutters make ragged holes. Any tricks to pass on?
    Thanks,
    Pestbgone

  7. Pestbgone,
    I place a thin sheet of cardboard behing my targets and sometimes tape the target to the cardboard; it helps a lot with the pointed and round nose pellets. I also shot the crosman destroyer and it does have a bit of a wadcutter tip.

    Joe G from Jersey

  8. Pestbgone,

    To get perfectly round holes in targets you must freeze them to zero degrees F for at least 12 hours, then slowly bring them back to room temp. over 24 hours.

    Or, you could just shoot Destroyers which ARE wadcutters!

    Ha!

    B.B.

  9. Pump assist,

    It isn’t a matter of increasing the effort. This is the deal. The Benjamin 392 powerplant has a finite power rating.

    Can you put more gas in your car and go faster? A pellet gun powerplant is the same thing.

    What you can do is learn the number of pumps at which you get the highest velocity. That’s where a chronograph comes in handy.

    B.B.

  10. Pestbgone,
    I change my backing whenever the pellets start to tare the paper. I will move the bullseye around so I can shoot longer without a change. Also when we do games Ill start with a clean backing. I photographed my dartboard, and made targets, so now we shoot cricket and x01. Found a neat dart scoring program for the computer, so I use that on a laptop to keep score. By shooting at the photo dartboard I have many small targets.
    Anyway sorry for rambling on.

    Joe G from Jersey

  11. B.B.

    So would you say this gamo is more accurate than a CFX? Your test of the CFX said .886 was your best. I know my CFX can make .325 but only with some luck and a lot of shooting.

    Kyle

  12. bb,
    I was all exited to buy myself a HW50S for christmas. Pyramyd says it has turned into a special 6 week order. I assume this means their out of stock and not willing to buy another big shipment. Would it be wise to order now? I fear that they will stop being imported for some reason. Basically my question is weather you know if pyramyd will stock this gun in the future or if I should act now. Thamks

    Nate in Mass

  13. Regarding round holes in targets. I’m just shooting at Gamo cardboard targets, or home printed ones on 180gm paper. I shoot mostly wadcutters, with pistol or rifle. None produced really clean holes. Then I bought a Feinwerkbau 600 about 2 months ago. All of a sudden perfect clean round holes. I don’t know why the difference? – Gazza

  14. About the Benji, my car will go faster with more gas feeding a larger engine.

    Some PCPs go faster than others.

    With the ability to keep the force at the same level you could increase it from what it is now to still be manageable, and with a stronger charge it should shoot faster. Perhaps need a different chamber.

    Seems to me, but don’t know.

  15. I bet you could probably combine this mod with some upgrade (maybe by the Mac-1 folks) to get a really powerful 392 and not too difficult-to-cock gun. But talking about JUST the pump assist, it can’t by itself increase power. You’ll need to upgrade something else entirely. Hopefully Crosman or someone will consider contracting this man’s service and incorporate the technology into a factory backed magnum multi-pump.

  16. bb,

    i saw tom Gaylord’s article on the tx200 and it was a great article; however i was hoping to hear about a dragon slayer. Any idea when that may be out????

    rrrrrrrrr…… tell me what the surprise is! Is it even an airgun? I was the kid who would look for his birthday presents. i guess most kids are aren’t they! in a sense i hate having things to look forward to. lolololol

    Thanks BB.

    -sumo

  17. B.B.,
    If it is something unexpected that has both tons of power and is quiet, I can hardly wait! I get the impression you are pretty psyched about this too. But two weeks is a looong time. Like Sumo said, lets rip the wrapping off this!
    Pestbgone

  18. Nate in Mass,
    That HW50S sure is a fine looking gun. I would love to have peep or diopter sight on one of my guns. I guess you know pairing up peep or diopter sights to some guns can be confusing . I guess thats why I haven’t done it yet.

    Shooting with iron sights give me a sense of awe that you can’t get any where else.

    Good luck on satisfying that urge.
    Btw diopters was just a guess.

  19. B.B,
    That Whisper did very well for the different types and weight pellets that you shot.

    Once you get that trigger on that gun you will be able to concentrate more on other things.

    You will think that gun is totally different with a tune. It will be more like a thud than a buzzz. A lot of people have been filling there stocks with shredded foam. The kind that you can find in a crafts store and if you would like to add some weight use poly-pellets or anything else. Add a sling and it will be your go to gun for most situations.

    Like most people my first springer was a Gamo S1k. I think a S1k,Cfx or similar gun is good place to start and I have learned a lot. Now that they have fixed there scope mounting provisions its time to work on that trigger and spring guides.

    My guess is that the surprise is going to be a tuned whisper with a better trigger. It will cut most of the noise from the source in a spring gun.

    What do you think about the Beeman Field Target Specials?

  20. Predator,

    I use JSB Predator Polymer Tips in both my .177 & .22 Gamo CFX rifles, and they both like them very well indeed, both calibers grouping five inside 0.5″ @ 25 yards.
    They are also absolutely devastating on pests, expanding as no other pellet I have seen, and leading to humane dispatches.
    They are somewhat expensive, but they are THE hunting pellet, as far as I am concerned.
    They even do well at moderately long range (40-50 yards), being bested by a top quality dome such as JSB Exacts, Kodiaks, or Crosman Ultra Magnums.

  21. Kyle,

    I have both the two CFX’s, one in .177 and the other in .22.
    They both will group five of their favorite pellets (.177 – Beeman Ram Jet, .22 – JSB Exact Jumbo) inside 0.4″ @ 25 yards.
    I see no reason for a long time to come to look for better or more expensive air rifles.

  22. Sumo,

    I know! I’m waiting for it, too.

    It seems some people cannot see the videos I have put up in the articles, so Pyramyd AIR is creating a “universal” player that should solve the problem. Both the article and the video that goes with it have been done for weeks.

    I hope it’s up soon!

    B.B.

  23. BB;

    I took your advice; my Gamo CFX arrived yesterday (the scope didn’t, but I’m sure Pyramyd will take care of it).

    150 pellets later, I’ve got the fiber optic iron sights nicely tuned, and I can see just how powerful this thing is.

    It’s hugely impressive; a solid, clean, straight-shooting gun (especially given the price).

    Howerver, I can already see there’s absolutely no way I’m going to firing that downstairs my garage when my wife’s home.

    So I’m idly mulling over the idea of a quiet 10 meter target gun. The Avanti 753 is just a hair pricey for a “fun” gun, though I like the traditional look and accuracy.

    Leaves me thinking about a Powerline 953, the IZH 61, and the target versions of the QB78 (Archer 2079).

    I’m not overkeen on the idea of CO2 or the somewhat bizarre appearance and hit-or-miss quality of the IZH, but I’d love to hear your recommendations in terms of the quietest, most-accurate gun for short target (non-competitive) use.

  24. B.B
    You talk about a big surprise in two weeks. Does it have to do with the ben Sher new rifle that states 1,100 FPS on a .22 pellet or are you talking about the Gamo rifle.
    I would like to know where BS gets a powerplant that has 1,500 FPS on a .177 and 1,100 on a .22.
    And with that power “will it be accurate?

  25. B.B. — Thanks. Sorry for the serial questions, but in the interest of upgrading the 953’s rear site, I’ve heard so-so things about the 5899.

    Would the Mendoza peep or Williams peep (or even Avanti or Crosman Challenger set, though they cost almost as much as the rifle) be a better buy (and fit)?

  26. B.B. I have question about ballistic coefficient. Is the value ot
    the ballistic coefficient the same in all way of the trajectory (path) that the bullet (pellet) has ?Does it depend on the speed and as the speed is changeable can we say that the BC also is changeble.
    Thanks Dino

  27. Dino,

    Wikipedia has a good discussion of BC.

    The answer to your question is yes. Read this exerpt from Wiki:

    The BC changes during a projectile’s flight and stated BC’s are always averages for particular range-speed regimes.

    B.B.

  28. Dino,

    There is no absolute velocity given, but the coefficient of drag does change with velocity. For a simple and obvious example, supersonic drag is vastly different than subsonic drag. In fact, that was the reason the sound “barrier” was given that title. Excessive drag created the barrier.

    B.B.

  29. BB,

    I have a question about getting into PCP. I have springers and if I go PCP I am NOT going to have a SCUBA tank in the basement. So, I’ll do everything with the hand pump. Do you recommend against this? I am fit and won’t mind the exercise; I’m just worried about the long-term reliability of the gun and pump. I’ve heard FWB does not recommend the use of a pump at all.

    Doug

  30. BB,

    Another question: Do you know why Pyramyd no longer carries the Walther LG300 Dominator or Hunter? Did they not sell, or were there issues with them that led to discontinuing availability?

    Doug

  31. Doug,

    I use a pump about as often as I use a scuba tank and I’m 60. Pumps last if you don’t abuse them. My oldest is over 11 years old and still works.

    As for the Walther Dominator and Hunter – Walther dropped the guns, to the best of my knowledge. They may still make them for Europe, but the U.S. – spec. guns are no longer made. I was sad to see them go because I developed the Dominator with Wes Richardson of Smith & Wesson.

    B.B.

  32. BB: I received my Chrony (master) Friday and was very eager to try it out. It worked great. I was shocked to find out my gamo Whisper was only shooting 7.9 premiers at 510 to 530 FPS. The gun was new in January form Pyramyd and has maybe 2500 shots thru it. Can you give me an educated guess as to why the power is so low?
    Thanks-Dean

  33. BB: Thanks for the response. No, I have not heard of this (shimming breech). Is this a common problem. The gun “Sounds” like it has a lot of umph, but does not. Can you tell me where to find this article?

    Thanks-Dean

  34. BB: Thanks for your help. I called Gamo and they are very helpfull. They want the gun back to check it out because they are “not having problems with this gun”.

    Thanks again-Dean

  35. Hi I'm havingroblems with my gamo whisper x I can not get a group of three shots plse tell me anything I can do and I'm using a Nikko sterling scope and gamo pellets that weigh 7,35 grains

    Tnx Jason

  36. Jason,

    I will be glad to help you, but let's get this question on the current blog, so others can read it and help me help you.

    Please go here, where I have posted your question:

    /blog/2012/02/evanix-conquest-pcp-air-rifle-part-4/

    At the bottom of the article in the fine print, click on the word Comments to see all the comments. That's where I posted your question and answered it.

    B.B.

  37. A question please. My son bought me a Gamo Wildcat Whisper for Christmas mainly to shoot iguanas, I live in S Florida on a canal and there are way too many devastating my garden, they are also invasive. He got me Crossman Premier hollow point pellets but they do not penetrate the larger iguana’s tough hide, what pellet would you recommend?

    • Shadow,

      Welcome to the blog.

      I don’t recommend a different pellet. I recommend a different airgun! That Gamo Whisper obviously doesn’t have the power for the critters he is shooting.

      However, before he gives up he might try the lead-free pellets that came with the Gamo rifle. They might work at close range.

      B.B.

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