by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Gamo Swarm Maxxim repeating breakbarrel air rifle.
This report covers:
- The scope
- Pellet length?
- Accuracy
- What went right?
- What remains?
- Targets
Today I start testing the accuracy of the Gamo Swarm Maxxim multi-shot rifle. I decided to go straight to 25 yards, as that is the distance at which they say their scope is parallax adjusted.
The scope
The scope comes with the mount installed and all you need to do is attach it to the rifle. I found it very quick and easy to mount.
The scope is installed in the rings when you get it, and the mount just has to be clamped on the rifle. Easy! The stop pin (right) slips into a hole on the Swarm base.
You absolutely cannot see the repeating mechanism in the scope. The image is clear. However, with a dot sight mounted at the same height the mechanism is clearly visible.
Last comment about the scope. It really is a poor optic! I adjusted the eyepiece3 to get the reticle and bullseye as clear as possible and still at 9 power I could only barely see pellet holes at 25 yards. Everything was out of focus. I resolve to mount a decent scope on the Swarm and give it another test, because this scope cost me 1/4- to 1/2-inch of group size.
Rather than walk you step-by-step through the test, I will cut to the chase and then show all the targets. The rifle I’m testing does not like to be rested directly on a sandbag. It want to have an artillery hold. I forgot to try the deer hunter (firm) hold, so I’ll have to do that in the next test.
Pellet length?
The Predator Polymag pellets I have are the shorts, so that also did not get tested. But that is a minor thing. I don’t care how long a pellet this magazine will feed. I only care about it feeding accurate pellets. And today I found none that were.
Accuracy
Since I didn’t know the rifle I had to test pellets and holds. I shot 5-shot groups to save time with this. The Predator Polymag short wasn’t very accurate when the rifle rested on the bag. I put 10 into 1.341-inches at 25 yards. Yeah, that’s not too good, is it?
Ten H&N Baracuda Match with 4.50mm heads went into 2.07 inches at 25 yards when the rifle was rested directly on the sandbag. With the artillery hold described above 10 went into 1.352-inches at the same distance. So that lends credence to the artillery hold being the way to go. But there is still a lot more testing to be done.
I tried Gamo’s PBA Platinum pellets, but they cracked like a .22! I shot a 5-shot group that measured 1.049-inches. That wasn’t bad (for the Swarm) but the noise was intolerable.
Then I tried 5 Crosman Premier lites. Two of them didn’t land on the target paper and the three that did have centers that are 1.505-inches apart. My guess is the 5 went into 2.5 inches.
I then tried 5 JSB Exact RS pellets. They went into1.544-inches when the artillery hold was used and 1.332-inches when the rifle was rested on the bag.
The last pellet I tried was the JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy that weighs 10.34-grains. Don’t ask me why but I shot 10 of them with the artillery hold, even when I could see they weren’t grouping. Ten went into 2.153-inches at 25 yards.
What went right?
With all these poor groups I am telling you about, did anything in this test go well? Yes, it did. First I want to compliment that trigger. It acts like a single-stage trigger in that you can feel it moving until the release. It’s light and very easy to use.
Next I want to compliment the Swarm for shooting as smoothly as it does. It’s not harsh at all. I enjoyed shooting this rifle, except for the results downrange.
Then there is the cocking that is so easy, what a delight it is.
And finally, the magazine functioned perfectly throughout the test. And, boy, does it speed things up! If the rifle was accurate, I would be calling it a world-beater.
What remains?
Well, I still have to find the best hold. That includes testing with the rifle held firmly. That is so contrary to how I normally shoot springers that I’m going to have to think about it.
I also have to mount a real scope on this rifle. My advice to dealers is replace the scopes and sell them as tent pegs.
Targets
Now, I will show you the targets.
Predator Polymag short put 10 in 1.341-inches, when the rifle was rested on a sandbag.
Ten Baracuda Match with 4.50mm heads went into 2.07-inches at 25 yards, when the rifle was rested on a sandbag.
With a artillery hold another 10 Baracuda Match pellets went into 1.352-inches at 25 yards.
Using the artillery hold I put 5 Gamo Platinum PBA pellets into 1.049-inches at 25 yards. Not great but it looks good in this test. Too loud though!
Three of five Crosman Premiers hit the target 1.505-inches apart. The other two pellets hit off the paper.
Ten JSB Exact RS pellets landed in 1.544-inches at 25 yards when the artillery hold was used.
By resting the Swarm on the bag 6 JSB Exact RS pellets went into 1.332-inches. I only shot 6 pellets, both because I was getting tired, and they weren’t doing that well.
Ten JSB Exact Jumbo Heavys went into 2.153-inches, when the artillery hold was used.
Ugh…
So much for accuracy unless it is the scope.
Jim
Jim,
No doubt the scope is part of it.
B.B.
I replaced the scope with the UTG. Couldn’t get many pellets to group either.. H&N hornets seem to do the best, but still 1 or 2 seem to fly out of every 10.
Gamo red fire does ok..
Couldn’t get anything close with 6 others in my .22
Greg,
Welcome to the blog.
B.B.
Thanks.. realize I’m late to the party but but I’m at my wit’s end trying to find a pellet that works with this gun.
Greg,
Yeah. Repeating spring guns are often not worth the effort. But keep trying. You may stumble across a good one.
B.B.
Well, so far it is a funny looking shotgun firing patterns.
As JimQwerty123 said, lets hope it is the tent peg/scope.
UTG should try and become an OEM for Gamo!
I feel about “bundled scope packages” the way that you feel about fiber optic sights.
I just wish they wouldn’t.
-Y
BB,
Nice report. I love these problem guns. It gives something to think about.
You are shooting smaller separate groups into the larger group. Like in the last card. There are five quite good and five hopelessly wrong. I would be inclined to check the screws and fittings of my gun and specially that scope. It looks like something is loose somewhere
Regards,
August
It is easy to see why manufacturers add crap scopes to rifles.
If I am lucky there is an image of good ratings from buyers somewhere around here 🙂
B.B.,
Interesting. Good on the good points. Last report I believe I asked about the RRR system (recoil reducing rail). I went to the P.A. site and watched the 1:36 minute video, which shows it in action pretty well.
I would like hear your thoughts on the RRR system. Anything that moves would be suspect in my book.
In general, I would appreciate comments on any “new gadgetry” that might be on whatever it is you are testing at the time. As stated before, I like to see innovation. It always grabs my interest, (just what the sales dept. is betting on,.. huh?) 😉 Anything to help sort out the “what’s what”, is always welcome. Speaking of “gadgetry”, I am glad to hear that the repeating magazine is working flawlessly. Looks aside, that is an pretty amazing piece of work.
Good Day to you and to all,….. Chris
The scope mount (stop pin) set off to the side is an interesting concept. It is not one that I ever recall seeing before. Maybe ok for a 1 piece mount, like this,.. but not for a 2 piece mount, I would think. The mating rail would have to be unconventionally designed as well for it to even work.
Chris,
The pin is not offset. What you are seeing is the clamping jaw extended. When it comes together, the stop pin is centered.
B.B.
B.B.,
It was early. Yes, I can (now) see that it would be centered. I hope that you can cover the RRR system in the next report,.. at least your opinion of it.
Chris
G’day BB,
“I tried Gamo’s PBA Platinum pellets, but they cracked like a .22”.
Like a .22″ supersonic round not a subsonic round, I assume.
Now shotgun shells can be bought from subsonic to supersonic and the sound frequency does not really change only the decibels.
Why?
Just a reminder for the MagnetoSpeed as requested.
Cheers Bob
Bob,
I don’t normally shoot .22 rimfire in the house, but I was referring to any cartridge. They all have a muzzle blast unless I have my legal silencer on a gun. But then, the supersonic rounds still do crack.
These pellets crack immediately, like a cartridge discharge. When I use the silencer, the supersonic crack is a long delayed sound that moves downrange with the bullet. It’s hard to explain, but it’s different from the crack at discharge.,
B.B.
B.B.,
“I don’t normally shoot .22 rimfire in the house,…”,…. as in,.. sometimes you do? If so, that is interesting. Nothing wrong with it I suppose as long as the stop is more than adequate. Instead of hole’s (in) the door jamb,… you would be looking at holes (through) the door jamb. 😉
Chris
Chris U
And then where does the bullet end up after the holes you was just talking about.
That’s the scary part.
B.B.
Don’t write off the JSB RS just yet. There is a sub group of six pellets which can be covered by your dime.
Pete
Pete,
Nothing is decided yet. I need to try again with a good scope.
B.B.
BB,
You most definitely need to get rid of that tent peg and put a decent piece of glass on top of that Swarm.
Off subject.
I just watched Tyler’s vid of the Diana Stormrider. I am impressed.
/product/diana-stormrider-multi-shot-pcp-air-rifle?m=4449
With the plethora of low priced PCPs hitting the market, I think we need to have a serious shootout.
RR,
Thanks for pointing out the Stormrider! Hadn’t seen that one yet.
Hank
RR
I too watched that video. The Stormrider was VERY impressive…especially for $199! It shot very good groups and it has a 7-shot mag. It’s a Chinese rifle so the quality may not be up to par but it looked pretty good. This is definitely a contender with the QB Chief and the Benjamin Maximus. I think that the multi-shot mag may make it a front runner. Would love to see B.B. do reviews on these entry level PCPs. I know he very impressed with the Maximus when he reviewed it.
RR
Well the only thing I see about it that is similar is that China and Diana rhyme.
The .22 Swarm has much better results…….than the .177
accuracy is very nice at 25 with 11.75 GTO’s…..groups covered with a dime
Zermat,
Thanks. I usually go for the .22, but in this case I decided on a .177. I hope this one is accurate, as well.
B.B.
BB or QB 79 owners,
I recently got two co2 adapters to convert my QB 79 to use a single co2 cartridge. I am having difficulty screwing in the devices without the co2 gas expending completely! During the tightening, as soon as the piercing pin punctures the cartridge the push back prevents further tightening until all the gas gushes out. I have wasted 3 cartridges in the process so far and I am reluctant try more until I sure that I am not doing something wrong. Can anyone with the know how chip in? Thanks
Off
Ton,
If you are trying to use one cartridge instead of two all you have to do is use one new one and one used one. No adaptor is needed. The new one goes next to the piercing pin, of course.
B.B.
BB
I think my explanation was a little confusing. My kit is a single cartridge unit. The two adapters I got are the 12 gram to 88 gram air source adapter (the black unit that the 12 gram co2 cart fits into in photo), and the silver color fitting that goes directly into the rifle (called an 88gram co2 to paintball adapter. The black unit would not thread into the rifle without this silver fitting. My problem is getting them all together securely without having the gas blast out before everything is secured. I do not think a human hand can screw that fast. The units seal properly I know because I can put every thing together snuggly after all the gas is expended. Also when I snug them all up without the 12 gram cart and blow in to the open end no air escapes.
Ton,
Thank you for explaining it. No, I can’t think of a solution.
B.B.
Ton
I think the two smaller silver and black fittings need screwed together first. Then them 2 peices screwed into the gun.
Then set the Co2 cartridge in the small black adapter you just screwed into the gun. The screw that last bigger black peice on last.
That way the peircing is the last thing that happens. I believe it should seal right that way.
Let me know.
Ton
Oh and just leave the two small fittings screed into the gun.
Just remove the bigger black end piece when you need to change the Co2 cartridge.
Gunfire 1,
I got a reply from the manufacturer of the adapters in the U.K. today. He makes co2 and pcp fittings. He thinks that there may be a fault with the fitting so it is piercing the co2 cartridge before it is sealed. He has promised to supply a replacement. I did consider as you said, pressing on the cartridge on to the part that houses the piercing pin after fitting the adapter to the rifle, but I was afraid that the gas would blast cartridge out before I could get the containing tube on and screwed in. I will wait for the replacement and post the results.
Thanks for you reply
Ton
No problem. I like to know what happens. Give a update if you will.
It looks like a nice little setup though.
Expensive?
RidgeRunner, B.B,
Yesterday, I watched that video on the Diana Stormrider too. Very interesting.
BB, Any chance you can put this on your short list?
Pelletpopper,
I probably have to, but I don’t like the high fill pressure, heavy trigger and huge power curve. However, it’s too important not to test.
B.B.
B.B.
Interesting. I was expecting the trigger to be at least, decent since it is a Diana. But then again, it isn’t a Diana, I guess. Do you not like the high fill pressure because it’s too hard to use a hand pump or is there another reason?
Pelletpopper,
Hand pumps are one reason. But the steep power curve tells me the valve has not been optimized. And with that I will shut up, because I have never had my hands on one of these.
B.B.
Ha Ha. Ok, thanks B.B
B.B.
When Steve from Airgun Nation did a video review on the QB Chief, he said that it took almost 400 shots for the valve to settle down. Could this also be the case with the Stormrider? I noticed that poor shot curve also, otherwise is was pretty impressive. It it turns out that it’s difficult to fill with a hand pump, that would be a deal breaker for me.
Geo
What exactly does “valve settle down mean”?
GF1
I don’t know much about PCPs or how the valving is designed. That was just a statement that Steve made in the comments section of that review. I’m not sure what that means exactly either. Maybe B.B. has more insight.
GF1,
Maybe he means before all the roughness of the parts interacting goes away?
Siraniko
Siraniko
Geo said that he said valve settle in.
GF1,
My guess is that the gun was exhibiting some wide fps spreads from shot to shot. “Settle down” I would take to mean that the shots became more consistent/tighter on fps spread. Of course, that could be a combination of trigger, sear, hammer, hammer spring, valve, partial valve lock, part imperfections wearing in, lubrication or lack of, etc., etc..
Chris U
Geo said the he said the valve settle in. Just kind of a weird way to say it I guess.
GF1 and Chris U
Here is a link to the video review of the QB Chief done by Steve at Airgun Nation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptUi2Qg7Z_s
Steve talks about it taking over 400 shots to break in the valve at about 2:10.
Geo
Geo,
Thanks for the link. I have seen that guy before and like his style. Yes, settle down was in reference to fps variance. I like his style too of starting out at 50 and then 100. It did have good results, but I would still go with the Maximus. I do not like the safety on the Chief. The trigger looks pretty bad too, where as the Maximus can be adjusted and modified to be very nice. The bolt looseness is about the same I would say, but some tubing on the bolt handle fixes that just fine. The Chief bolt blew up every shot.
Thanks again,… Chris
Geo
I believed you. You didn’t need to post the video.
I just thought it was funny wording on his part. In one way it sounds like he is talking specific to the valve. And on the other hand it’s kind of wide open.
Anyway as long as he thinks it finally started working.
BB
You know I looked at the group’s. I have to say that the JSB 10.34’s might have a chance. They had a nice little group dead on the bullseye with the flyers around it. And the JSB RS pellets look about the same.
The thing is you shot 10 pellets with the JSB 10.34’s verses the 5 shot groups. Depending when those flyers happened that could of been a nice 5 shot group.
And I think that more experimenting with how you hold the gun is what probably needs to happen. It seems that it might have a chance. And I think someone said that the Gamos are still made in Spain. Does it say on the box anywhere?
GF1,
Made in Spain.
B.B.
BB
Ok thanks that is what I thought.
Anyone
Question for the more experienced bloggers here. How can I find older posts on a particular rifle. For example, if I enter RWS 34 in the search box I only see the most recent blogs. I would like to be able to search for ALL blogs on a particular rifle or subject. There must be a way to do this. There’s a ton of good information accumulated over several years but the search only shows me the most recent.
George,
Search on your web browser. Most of my blogs are ranked very high by the browsers and you should get a lot of hits.
B.B.
BB
Just gave you the best answer. That’s how I find a old blog if I want to.
If you search it on the blog it wants the wording or I guess I should call it exactly as BB named it. It’s very hard to find a old blog with it’s search system.
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=%22RWS+OR+diana+34%22+site%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.pyramydair.com%2Fblog%2F&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=
B.B.,
I have exactly one copy of Airgun and News Report. It is the summer edition of 1987 (vol.2 no.3). They were out of Texas. Anyway, now, as I must leave before my ride (wife) gets irritable just want to mention this issue has an article bout the Air Arms .22 caliber Firepower, a side cocking multi-shot spring air rifle. Happy to provide more info for anyone who may want more, or, as I have just discovered a search engine can provide some hits. The Firepower is based on the Jackal air rifle so you will see hits for that as well.
Regards,
~ken
I have shot an easy 1000+ rounds through my .177 swarm. It has settled down nicely and now a great varmint hunter. 1st- Chuck the gamo glass. Not worth the aggravation. I’ve had really good results with Monstrum glass. I have one on my cfr and has held up. Got a new one for the swarm, 1st plane reticle. Awesome so far. At 30 yards, took 3 shots to hit the little finger spray button on an empty can of break cleaner. At that distance, went completely through the same can. My cfr only dented it, no penetration. Plenty of hole on hole shots out to 30 yards. I haven’t tried it out further where I shoot at, no need to. 2nd- the swarm LOVES H&N Baracuda Hunter Extremes, 9.57gr. I tried 6 name brands with varied results and I’m completely sold on these pellets. I popped a hare at 10 yards, square in the forehead. A loud thwack and it leapt 3ft in the air. Humane kill. Pellet entered and left the back of the skull. Birds don’t stand a chance with these pellets. 3rd- the feeding mech is unbelievable and so far not one jam. The best value for small game hunting. A 10 shot repeater without the hassle of pcp tanks/pumps etc. Cock it and pop em. You’d be surprised on how fast you go through 10 shots. I bought 2 more mags from Pyramyd. Finally, I figured I’d like this swarm but absolutely love it and can’t wait to use it. Super accurate with the H&Ns. Plinking and small game fun. P.S. Don’t even mount the gamo scope. Zero holds as a continuous circle pattern around your target. Good glass is a must! So far 2 different monstrum glasses on 2 different gamo springers with good results for amateur hour. 🙂
Stefman,
Welcome to the blog.
B.B.
Thank you sir