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Accessories Gamo Rocket IGT breakbarrel .177 air rifle: Part 2

Gamo Rocket IGT breakbarrel .177 air rifle: Part 2

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1


The new Gamo Rocket IGT breakbarrel rifle is lightweight, powerful and comes with a sparkling new trigger!

Let’s look at the power and velocity of the Gamo Rocket IGT .177 breakbarrel air rifle. You learned in Part 1 that the numbers printed on the box and gun were in disagreement with the Gamo USA website and Pyramyd Air’s site, but it turns out that 1,300 fps is the correct velocity according to an email Edith received from Gamo’s vice president of sales. Well, Edith spotted yet a third velocity claim — this time on the end flap of the box. A sticker listed the velocity as 1,000 f.p.s., with no further explanation. We’ll clear all of this up and find out just how fast this rifle really does shoot.

Cocking effort
I remarked in Part 1 that the cocking effort of the rifle seemed low for a gas spring, which is what IGT (Inert Gas Technology) means. My guess was the rifle cocked at between 30 and 35 lbs. of effort, which is a good 10 pounds less than other gas springs that generate similar power. My bathroom scale confirmed that the test rifle cocks with just 33 lbs. of force, making it easier than most gas springs. The piston stroke is quite long, which is how they manage to generate all that power from such an easy-cocking powerplant. I applaud Gamo for using the physics of the gas spring in this creative way.

Adjustable trigger
I also remarked that the new Gamo Smooth Action Trigger or SAT, as they call it, is a large leap forward from any Gamo trigger I have ever tested. It’s adjustable via a hard-to-access Phillips screw located behind the trigger blade; and when I attempted to adjust it, I discovered that it was set by the factory to the best position.

Screwing the adjustment screw clockwise reduces the stage-two pull length and counterclockwise does the reverse. The screw was in as far as it would go, but I did unscrew it a full turn and verified that it does increase the second-stage pull length.

The trigger released at 4 lbs., 4 oz. with good consistency. The first stage is very light (just one ounce) and stops positively at stage two. This is the kind of sporting trigger that will please many shooters, and I’m so glad to be testing it.

The last comment on the trigger is that Gamo has made the safety entirely manual. The blade is in an usual (for Gamo) place, but it doesn’t go on when the rifle is cocked. I see that as a positive step toward customer satisfaction. Gamo has somebody who knows how to design airgun triggers.

Velocity
And now to the principal business of the day. I tested the Rocket IGT with four pellets — two made of lead and two that are lead-free. The first pellet tested was the JSB Exact 10.34-grain dome — a heavy pellet for a .177. With a gas spring, there’s no coiled steel mainspring to worry about, so the question of whether this heavy pellet is suited to a spring-piston powerplant is moot.

The JSB Exact pellet got an average velocity of 822 f.p.s., which was below the estimate of 900 f.p.s. I made in Part 1. The velocity spread went from a low of 816 to a high of 828, so a 12 foot-second spread over 10 shots. That’s very consistent. At the average velocity and using weight of 10.34 grains, this pellet generates 15.52 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.

Next up was the H&N Baracuda Green — the new lead-free pellet that’s surprising us with its accuracy. And that’s why I tested it here — because I intend to try it out in the accuracy test, as well. They averaged 1100 f.p.s. on the nose, and the range went from a low of 1092 to a high of 1105 f.p.s. So the spread was a tight 13 f.p.s. At the average velocity, this 6.48-grain pellet averaged 17.41 foot-pounds. That’s good power for this rifle; and if these are accurate at 25 yards, they’ll be a good hunting pellet for rabbits, squirrels and similar game.

Following the Greens, I tried Gamo’s PBA Platinum pellet, a 4.7-grain lead-free dome that they pack with the rifle. This is the pellet they say will go 1,300 f.p.s. (although Gamo’s website still says 1,250 fps). In the test rifle, this pellet averaged 1,229 f.p.s., but the string was large. It ranged from a low of 1,214 f.p.s. to a high of 1,242 f.p.s. The spread was 28 f.p.s. While that’s not terrible, it’s noticeably greater than all other pellets that were tested. At the average velocity, this pellet generates 15.77 foot-pounds at the muzzle.

The rifle comes pretty close to the 1,250 f.p.s. claim still listed on Gamo’s site (as we write this) — but not the 1,300 fps they claim on the box and rifle.

The last pellet tested was the venerable RWS Hobby. This 7-grain lead pellet is often the fastest of its type. In the Rocket, they averaged 1,004 f.p.s. with a spread from 996 to 1,013 f.p.s. The spread was 17 f.p.s., and this pellet generated 15.67 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. Once again, the Gamo rifle met its advertised velocity with lead pellets.

Observations thus far
Gamo met the advertised velocity for lead pellets but was below the advertised velocity for their Platinum PBA pellets. Their Inert Gas Technology gas spring is easy to cock and doesn’t vibrate much when fired. And their new Smooth Action Trigger is performing just as nice on this rifle as the mockup in the Gamo booth did at the 2012 Shot Show.

I think you can sense my approval of this air rifle so far. It’s completely modern and nothing like the guns I usually favor, but it cocks easily, it generates the power it’s supposed to, is lightweight and has a fine sporting trigger. If it turns out to be accurate as well, I think Gamo has a fine new rifle in their lineup.

40 thoughts on “Gamo Rocket IGT breakbarrel .177 air rifle: Part 2”

    • Pete,

      The Rocket with the gas spring comes only with a camo stock according to Gamo’s website. But that doesn’t mean they won’t come out with a plain stock down the road. Gamo also sells Rocket rifles with plain stocks, but they don’t have gas springs.

      Edith

    • Chuck,
      Shirts, hats, pants, guns, vehicles etc,etc.
      It all started when some bad guys got hold of some army clothing and got into some nasty drug related activity so now only the army is allowed to have camo. You don’t want to be in the hills in camo when the army is making a drug sweep.

      Pete

  1. BB,
    Based on your results, the IGT or piston (or both) must be different than the one used in the Bone Collector Bull Whisper. The BCBW is rated at 1300 fps as well, with the same 1000 fps white sticker on the side. It acheived 905 fps with JSB Exacts, 910 fps with H&N Baracuda Match (4.52), and 902 fps with the Kodiaks. 1025 fps with Crosman 7.9 gr. HPs. I look forward to the accuracy tests. Let us know how the scope holds up. The BCBW destroyed two scopes; the supplied one and a UTG 3-9×40. The stop pin damaged the barrel using a UTG one piece mount torqued to 30 inch pounds (UTG’s recommendation is 25).

  2. Camo is not my thing either. Camo shotguns are made in Europe, but only for the American market. Pete can easily spray paint it with any color he wishes. I love my GAMO Big Cat 1200 in .177 with Charlie’s trigger. Tom is right, though. We all like the classic Traditional wood and steel air guns.
    Pete in California

  3. BB,

    we’re all eagerly awaiting the third part of this series. Will the rifle “hunt” (be accurate to those who aren’t familiar with this American slang)? Please don’t let this last report languish for a month before you publish it.

    Fred DPRoNJ

  4. Looks good so far. The performance of the RWS Hobbys is always interesting. I am just astounded at the accuracy it produces in my Walther Nighthawk now that I’ve resumed using them.

    Edith, I got all that stuff from Time magazine, but it was pretty gross. Understood.

    Ton, how nice. Not to worry. The Olympics have all sorts of interesting stories. How about this? Our top shooter, Matt Emmons appears to have completed his third Olympics in goofing up his final shot. In Athens, he was leading going into the final shot, and hit the wrong target. This is apparently not unknown in elite competition. Then, in Beijing, in the same situation, he misfires his rifle before he’s ready and scratches the final target. (I have wondered about the dangers of this with the sensitivity of my Anschutz trigger.) Then, in London, leading again, he shoots a 7.6 and drops from gold to bronze. Some elite shooter was once asked about the pressure of international competition, and she said that if you thought about that you would never survive the qualification process to get there. Well, apparently one has. But that’s not the end of the story. Some women appear to be attracted to vulnerability. The word is that after his mistake in Athens, a woman shooter from the Czech team came over to commiserate with him and subsequently became his wife. If it’s a choice between three gold medals and the nice wife–well, was there ever an easier decision.

    Actually, this time around I’m affected by the hysterical displays of emotion with people pretending to eat their gold medals and going berserk with the pressure. One can’t help but admire the amazing dedication, talent and skill required to win. But there seems to be a lot of external validation here. It’s not like the sneering, magnificent indifference to results that I achieve when I’m shooting my best. Perhaps it’s possible to operate at a higher spiritual level while remaining at a lower performance level than the elites. Shooting has shown me the way.

    Matt61

    • A sympathetic wife is a nice consolation prize, unless of course you already have one.

      When you compete at a high level competitive event, you have to really work at maintaining your concentration and not being so caught up in what you are doing that you are unable to concentrate on the task at hand. I made that mistake once, but only once.

      Shooting is a wonderful sport in that it combines a mechanical, physical, and mental component. All three have to be working at their best to get a good score.

      Les

    • The story is indeed true. His wife is Katarina Emmons who still shoots for the Czech team. Apparently a lovely lady.

      I’m terribly sorry to hear Matt screwed up his last shot. He’s a great guy, always ready to give advice to a new shooter over the Net.

      pete

    • Matt,
      I think I’m disillusioned with the Olympic Smallbore competition in general. Prone and 3 position at 50M with the kind of equipment they have just doesn’t impress me the way I guess it should. I suppose “mental pressure” is the only diversion the shooters have during some of the matches. Perhaps they should make the smallbore matches 50 AND 100M and offhand only (and probably lose the jackets), or 200M Schuetzen style (offhand) shooting would still be international in flavor and much more challenging. Or long range full-bore shooting if they must shoot prone and 3p. For the air rifles, I think they ought to limit the rifles and the jackets more, pull off the peeps and shoot with open sights. That should provide a challenge for a while while still allowing compact indoor ranges. Edith’s observation about people respecting the archery competition but not the shooting got me to thinking — maybe it isn’t all because people hate guns (though unfortunately that is part of it), but because they have the perception there is more human talent and skill required and less mechanical assistance used for the one than the other. Certainly, that is the impression, sadly, that even I myself get in some cases.

      • BG_F:

        I would disagree strongly; a sport is what it has developed to be. You can suggest a new event, of course, and the NRA Sporter class makes some of the performance limiting (and cost reducing!) changes you suggest. Losing the jackets, for example. The ISSF is slowly and against great opposition reducing the capabilities of the jackets and more importantly the shooting trousers and boots, setting maximum stiffness and thickness rules. The NRA seems to be the home of the really tightest and stiffest clothing.

        I would argue vigorously against a restriction to open sights. “peeps” have been around for a long time. Pressure? It’s there; that’s in part why Emmons missed his final shot 3 Olympics in a row (but he does have gold medals). Since offhand is part of 3P, why the restriction against other positions? I will tell you personally that I much prefer shooting offhand to kneeling, and medically can no longer shoot prone (my neck is mostly made of rigid titanium pieces without joints and disks, so I cannot raise my head to shoot prone).

        The “easy” way (meaning it doesn’t cost shooters a lot of capital equipment nor throw away decades of training and practice) is just to make the targets smaller. That was done once before in AR, but I couldn’t quickly run down the date and changes in the ring sizes. As it is, most non-elite shooters think the rifle targets (esp air) are “brutal.” As Wikipedia puts it in its 10_metre_airrifle article, “Combined with appropriate match pellets these rifles produce a consistent 10 ring performance, so a non maximal result during the initial phase can be attributed to the participant.” In the end, a top shooter demands a consistent gun, and his/her own consistency.

        I’m going to lay a lot of the public’s disinterest in and dislike of the shooting sports at the feet of the NRA. Its constant fundraising in the immediate wake of national tragedies, constant lobbying for something that goes against the grain of most Americans (absolutely unfettered access to guns), is a turnoff, particularly in the wake of a couple of really horrible massacres one right after the other. It’s been a long time since bows and arrows were used to kill lots of people, but guns are used every day.

        I’m *not* arguing for gun control beyond limitation of the capacity of magazines; I’m arguing that there are tactics that are turn-offs for the public, and you see the ripples of that extending out so far as to make the shooting sports unappealing. When I was a kid, learning to shoot, I was taught in NRA classes, and NRA was a bit of a niche organization (I was a member), and the supervision of competition and training was its most important job. It isn’t any longer; raising money is. And many accuse it simply of being a shill for the gun industry (which it isn’t, but I see how people get the wrong idea!). Don’t come back at me with the tired old argument that the Second Amendment is the guarantor of the First; I don’t believe it. It has been a long time since an untrained citizen militia posed a serious threat to the government, even symbolically. Guns are very limited elsewhere, but I don’t see freedom of speech in great jeopardy in the UK (freedom of movement, without constant observation, yes).

        Of course, let’s include elite shooters in this too: The ISSF has been trying out some formats for the final rounds that are a little more interesting than the current idea that watching paint dry is exciting. The shooters don’t want any changes — and this could lead to most of the shooting sports being kicked out of the Rio Olympics or the 2020 games because (for example) 10 meter AP and AP are as currently competed the dullest TV imaginable. And TV pays for the games.

        I will shut back up about things political. But I seriously think that’s part of why the United States, with the largest number of gun owners in the world cannot field teams that can compete with S. Korea, China and Japan where gun ownership barely exists, and this in a sport that, at the Olympics, attracts more entrants than any other.

        • Pete,
          Thanks for the thoughtful post. I’m trying to respond in kind, but I reserve the right to refine my views, as I am still thinking through it for myself :)!

          Obviously, we disagree on some of the political aspects, but I am slow to get angry as long as someone is being honest! I’ll convert you slowly to a gun-totin’ hillbilly, but I won’t even try in this post. I’ve taken, however, the liberty of sending you some chewing tobacco and whiskey — your mind needs to be in the right place to start the process :)!

          Regarding the matches, it sounds like there is some progress at least being attempted, esp. re: the clothing. I do strongly support the NRA (and fear the mindless, fast-growing trend toward regulating everything, including guns), but I can understand how they rub folks the wrong way at times. Probably one of the issues of being an aggressive single issue organization. I do, however, think they have gone awry with the competitions in terms of the sport aspect. The prone and 3P are fundamentally rooted in the NRA’s paramilitary origins, but I don’t think they are the best sporting propositions. Prone, in particular, while an extremely useful skill, is not particularly challenging (barring physical issues) to learn or even master. The offhand pretty much always determines the outcome of the match, at least at near ranges (e.g.,50M smallbore), so I guess I just don’t see the point of wasting time on the other stuff, and I do think people are smart enough to know the difference.

          Likewise, I want to see competitions that are between shooters, not between rifles and accessories. Last time I checked into it, the Sporter Class was treated like the poor cousin and in danger of drying up. To the extent that equipment does often make all the difference, I don’t believe that is the right attitude. I do believe the “elite” shooters are good, but I’m not convinced they are all that much better if you strip away the many advantages they have in equipment, financial support, etc. In the Olympics in particular, it would be nice to see a few shooting events where “non-elites” might have a fighting chance. Due to human nature, I think that more or less means limiting equipment severely and creating competitions in which the “elites” (not derogatory) are somewhat challenged as well or not inclined to participate. I have no problem when people with better eyesight (e.g.) and physical conditioning combine those skills with training to win a sporting event! Also, 50M is comfortable for rimfire — I’d like to see 100, which is not at all comfortable for rimfires and introduces much more variations and happenstance, none of which can be addressed by money alone.

          I still like the idea of open sights for 10M AR (and 50M smallbore also, esp. if they keep the current format). I don’t see how it hurts the competitive aspects of the events, as everyone will have the same issues. Also, I fear that if the targets for 10AR get any smaller, manual scoring will become an issue. It seems the real problem is how we view shooting in terms of a discipline and sport. Our expectations for benchrest type accuracy in every event run counter to good competition. This is pandemic. No rifle is accurate if you do not know how to shoot it, but we seem to miss the fact that the shooter is the biggest factor. The same goes for open sights; the fact that they challenge people more is a good thing in my book.

          To try to summarize, I think it would be neat to see shooting events in the Olympics that did not attract only elite shooters, but that awarded individuals in disciplines (variants?) that are not common on the shooting circuit. People are interested in people, and they are more interested in people the more like themselves they are, and shooting is one sport where many people can do well if the deck is not stacked against them by the establishment of barriers to entry. Of course, this is probably a losing battle as the amateur status of many Olympic sports is a joke at best.

          • BG_Farmer,

            It always starts out as “…an honest approach…” and then someone wants a little edge and the equipment race begins. NRA Sporter class is an example of that. The original idea was for kids to shoot inexpensive pellet rifles that had open sights and let them enjoy the sport of competing for fun. Today the officials are being criticized for holding the line of the prices of the guns, and the stuff that’s being made for the Sporter class could have competed at the World Cup level in the 1960s.

            B.B.

            • BB,
              Sadly, that is the way it goes in almost everything. Even ML’ing competitions aren’t immune! I’ve heard all the arguments that the “competition” (meaning the equipment) improves the sport, but I just don’t see it. Many people only compete to win and don’t care how they do it. I think the desire to win and excel is a good lesson for the children, but a disregard and even contempt for fair competition in one of the few places where it is assumed to exist is not. I better stop before I start sounding too much like Pollyanna…Short of match specified (or even supplied) rifle and clothing, along with drug testing and eyeglass inspection, I don’t see any solutions.

          • BG_F,

            You’ll never get me to use tobacco in any form; my mother died from smoking-related causes, and I grew up in a home where she puffed 2-3 packs daily. But don’t try to separate me from my good whisky and whiskey.

            I would argue you cannot have it both ways. Either the Olympics attract the world’s best athletes for the supreme competition of the period, or they aren’t much different from a local club match. I wouldn’t pay the big bucks it costs to buy a ticket just to see a competition that was less than elite.

            I don’t see how to call a truce in the equipment race; if equipment can contribute, it gets improved. If a shooter wants to be the best in the world, he or she will train constantly and need support.

            We have seen an end to one equipment race, and that was the banning of the superslick swimsuits that were seen in Beijing. But you’ll note that this years suits still looked pretty high tech and designed to help the swimmer. Lose the jackets? Never. If a stiff shirt can help a shooter, he’ll find a way to wear one. Open sights are still allowed, as is shooting competition in street attire. But if you score a target to 0.1 ring, people will look for clothing to help.

            Manual scoring is already passe. Most of the bigger clubs are buying electronic scoring devices. Defining the rim of the pellet/bullet hole in paper is really hard to do.

            Almost all of the Olympic sports derive from military origins. The shooting sports including archery are obvious. The modern pentathlon, despite the recent perversions of the event reducing the shooting to aiming a laser pointer, was conceived to simulate the mission of a 19th century military dispatch rider. The marathon… Maybe even the 100m sprint (can I get from the trench to a sheltering shell hole before they draw a bead on me?). So I don’t think that the military roots of the NRA and the other national bodies is necessarily a problem. I agree that 3P is borderline useless, but even in AR where it’s 100% offhand perfect scores have been shot in competition.

            Sergei Martynov shot a 600 point world record in 50m prone last Friday. So even in 50m things happen.

            Got to get back to work, I’m afraid.

            pete

            • Maybe we should redefine shooting distances… Put air rifles at 15 meters, and small-bore at 75m. The added distance should open up groups making it easier to differentiate scores.

              I think my biggest gripe (besides the appearance of fluff like beach volleyball — Wipeout is more interesting to me) is that the Olympics has competitors from countries where they are supported only by charity, going against competitor from countries that fund their entire lifestyle. It’s a big difference to come from a family where a Discovery PCP required saving for a year, to one where the government basically hands out an FWB or other equivalent [in return for mandatory shooting practice]. [No countries have been named in this rant — I’m too lazy to do the research needed to provide citations]

              • Are you saying you want socialism for elite shooters? From each / To each…

                That’s what the East Germans did for brotherly love.

                Alternate: IOC and ISSF give each shooter above a MQS say $10000/yr + one weapon/yr. No other aid allowed. Good enough? Acceptable elimination of equipment support? Make the cash allowances bigger; still solves most of the inequalities. How do we eliminate good coaches?

                G’nite, all

                Pet

            • Pete,
              Under those circumstances, I understand why you will pass on the chewing tobacco, sorry.

              You make some good points. I’ll have to digest them and see whether I agree or disagree or just want to argue :)!

              By the way, I didn’t mean there was anything wrong with the martial origins of prone and 3P, just that I think they were favored by NRA originally more for their practical function than any great potential for pure sporting competition.

  5. Took Nicky shooting at the range this morning. He shot the XT today and I shot the .22 RS2.

    After we had shot the targets at 25 yards, we shot the Crosman varmint targets at 50 yards.

    We didn’t re-adjust the scopes, just corrected by holdover.

    Lots of fun, trying something different. I brought the Bronco for backup, in case we had a problem with one of the other guns, but didn’t use it. I had doubts about using the Bronco at 50 yards, may be stretching its capabilities a bit far.

    Next time, I’ll take Amber (who shoots only bb guns at this point, at 15′). She will shoot a Red Ryder, and I’ll try the modification I made on the Marlin Cowboy to see if it will shoot to the point of aim.
    I also equipped my Daisy 15XT with both a BSA laser and a laser dot sight. I need to adjust both to register at the POI. I tried to do this in my basement, but all I accomplished was hurting my cat’s ears (too loud, he wasn’t in the same room I was shooting in).

    It is illegal in my town to shoot anything outdoors within the city limits.

    Les

  6. The cocking effort at 33lb with a gas spring is a big plus.My old Gamo hunter 440 I purchased in 2005 will produce the same velocity with those same pellets (air gun companys allways had us believing that gas springs add power to their guns that have metal springs).So I hope the accuracy is there.I wonder how the Cometa guns compare to Gamo?

  7. BB : Off-topic , but I’ve been meaning to post this about the past weekends topic of the Crosman 160 with the S331 receiver sight , but there’s been a lot on my plate the last couple of days. There is a direct replacement Williams sight available that will fit on any Mossberg or Crosman gun that came with the Mossberg made S331 receiver sight without modification. It can be bought at HavlinSales.com . It is the Williams model OM22, and it comes with screws. They sell alot of Mossberg replacement parts also.

  8. why not make a profiles on some guns.. like trigger 20% handleing 80% and so on just to speed up finding a decent air gun for the money…at a low price for kids to use…

    • Neal,

      Everything you mention is subjective. So if I did profile guns with my personal feelings, how woul;d anyone else know what I mean?

      I dislike the AR guns with extreme prejudice, for many reasons I won’t go into here. But that doesn’t stop them from being the single most successful series of rifles ever made — along with the AKs, I suppose. And there are millions of people who like they way they look and feel.

      But I’m not one of them.

      And, as for price — I find that to be the biggest pitfall of all. People sweat a couple dollars to avoid buying a Diana 34, for instance, and they get something they ultimately cannot live with. When price is a concern, and I do understand that it often is, I say, “Buy used.”

      B.B.

      • BB you are a grate at testing guns … it’s just hard to keep up with all the changes and all with guns ..from one place to another.. you are the best at what you do just find the info and keeping up with it for kids is hard ..you should hear all the ? these boys are asking around here lol… i just can’t keep it all in my head lol.. i come here for info and i am trying to get these boy’s to read but can’t get them to slow down lol.. thay like to just read the revews on the pages… but here you can find ever thing .. i just ment a place where the smaller kids can learn.. your grate…

  9. Sorry i changed the subject but kids are hard to tell what gun thay should get for them and thay don’t tak e time to read up on gun’s some times.. thay need to be learned to read up on gun’s before getting one …. i am a poor farmer with not much money or schooling and i have kids that love to shoot there old walmart air guns around here all the time comeing in with a squirral…. but there looking for a better air gun ….. your blogs i like to read but put a profile of some guns on a page for kids so thay can make there minds up lol… you have allready done all this work finding all about these guns … npw put this info out where kids can find it.. this will get the kids more intersted in looking and compairing gun.. and make the site more kid friendly.. good things like air gunning needs to be for kids to learn and grow with the sport… sorry i sound crazy .. have a lovely day and god bless..

    • Neal,

      You never have to apologize for changing the subject on this blog. We do it all the time.

      As far as the kids go, how many of them take the time to read anything? Children buy with their emotions. I did it and so do you. Only when we have been disappointed many times do we learn to slow down and start reading what others say about a product. Then it is the thoughtful report, rather than a shake and bake formula, that helps us.

      If you continue to read my reports I actually DO tell you when I find a good air rifle. But the frequency of the good ones is very low. So we wade through a lot of chaff before finding a gem. And when the gem comes we have to savor it, because who knows how long it will be until the next one.

      I mentioned the Diana 34. That was me telling you that that model is a classic, all-time winner. If the cost of the new one at $220 is too high, then hold out for a good used one at $125. That is so much better than wasting the same $125 on some piece of junk that is inaccurate and harsh-shooting.

      B.B.

  10. Everyone,

    I have remained silent on this issue long enough. Yes, airguns are boring to watch. That’s not because there isn’t any drama, but because the friggin’ TV producers haven’t got a clue how to make the sport interesting!

    Televised hockey was just as boring back when you couldn’t see the puck. But some genius figured out how to highlight it for the viewers and voila — hockey became a TV sport.

    Golf is the prime example of something so boring that most viewers would nod off — except that long ago sportscasters figured out how to make it interesting through their commentary. Only recently has the video technology caught up to enhance the experience.

    So, for air rifle or air pistol, split the screen and show both the shooter and his target (enlarged 20 times); put a knowledgeable commentator as the announcer and you will have a sport worth watching. There is plenty of drama when it comes to throwing a 9.6, but nobody in television today is a shooter, so of course they don’t know what to make of it.

    In the airgun sports we are at the same lever of broadcast technology as we had with baseball in 1939 when it was on the radio. Except the announcers then knew something about their sport and could keep us entertained.

    If a dullard like Bob Costas can anchor the Olympics, you know there must still be plenty of talent to announce the shooting sports. They just haven’t tried.

    B.B.

    • Some things you can do: compare reaction of springer to PCP. Show pellet performance in flight, show a buzzy springer. Slow all the actions down on tape so you can almost feel the vibration. Get a scatt to show approach to aim, and how a good and bad release is made. On and on.

      Can be much more fun than golf, and everybody with a TV can afford to shoot **something** good. Golf is a rich man’s game. BB for color commentator. Not one pic showing an person or animal shot. Might take a year or so, but Top Gun is doing pretty well.

      G’nite, all.

      Pete

      Pete

      • You know, I don’t think I wrote the first paragraph of this. I was talking about TV of Olympic-level shooting, and I doubt I would have been suggesting comparing a buzzy springer.

        But the time stamp is late at night, and I did take a sleeping pill last night…

        pz

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    It's important to know that due to state and local laws, there are certain restrictions for various products. It's up to you to research and comply with the laws in your state, county, and city. If you live in a state or city where air guns are treated as firearms you may be able to take advantage of our FFL special program.

    U.S. federal law requires that all airsoft guns are sold with a 1/4-inch blaze orange muzzle or an orange flash hider to avoid the guns being mistaken for firearms.

    View Shipping Restrictions

  • Expert Service and Repair

    We have a team of expert technicians and a complete repair shop that are able to service a large variety of brands/models of airguns. Additionally, we are a factory-authorized repair/warranty station for popular brands such as Air Arms, Air Venturi, Crosman, Diana, Seneca, and Weihrauch airguns.

    Our experts also offer exclusive 10-for-$10 Test and 20-for-$20 Service, which evaluates your air gun prior to leaving our warehouse. You'll be able to add these services as you place your order.

    View Service Info

  • Warranty Info

    Shop and purchase with confidence knowing that all of our air guns (except airsoft) are protected by a minimum 1-year manufacturer's warranty from the date of purchase unless otherwise noted on the product page.

    A warranty is provided by each manufacturer to ensure that your product is free of defect in both materials and workmanship.

    View Warranty Details

  • Exchanges / Refunds

    Didn't get what you wanted or have a problem? We understand that sometimes things aren't right and our team is serious about resolving these issues quickly. We can often help you fix small to medium issues over the phone or email.

    If you need to return an item please read our return policy.

    Learn About Returns

TEST Get FREE shipping on qualifying orders! Any order $150+ with a shipping address in the contiguous US will receive the option for free ground shipping on items sold & shipped by Pyramyd AIR during checkout. Certain restrictions apply.

Free shipping may not be combined with a coupon unless stated otherwise.

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