Gamo Arrow.
This report covers:
- The test
- Sight-in
- RWS Hobby
- H&N Baracuda Match 4.52 mm head
- Air Arms 8.44-grain dome.
- H&N Baracuda 4.50 mm head
- H&N Field Target 4.50 mm head
- Close the breech completel
- JSB Exact RS
- The seventh pellet — RWS Superdome
- One more thing
- Discussion
- Summary
Today’s report is the first accuracy test of the Gamo Arrow. Reader ErikDK can smile, because this one turns out fine!
Today is a direct follow-on from yesterday’s discussion of how to test a new rifle for accuracy. You will see that I followed that pattern to completion.
The test
I’m searching for accurate pellets for the Arrow, so I will shoot 5-shot groups. That allows me to test more pellets. I’m shooting from 10 meters with the rifle rested directly on a sandbag. I’m using the open sights that come on the rifle today. Because the rotary magazine holds 10 pellets I load five of one kind and then five of the next kind. One thing I did not do was pull the rifle into my shoulder as Tyler Patner recommends on his video of testing the Arrow.
Sight-in
Instead of sighting in I decided to just shoot groups and adjust the rear sight as I went. That saves time and pellets. This will be a long test so those things are important to me.
I read all the past reports on the rifle before starting the test. Here we go!
RWS Hobby
Five RWS Hobbys went into a group that measures 1.783-inches between centers at 10 meters. Yuck! This is obviously not a pellet for the Arrow.
At 10 meters the Gamo Arrow put 5 RWS Hobby pellets into a 1.783-inch group.
Following this group I adjusted the rear sight down and to the left — a lot!
H&N Baracuda Match 4.52 mm head
The next pellet tested was the H&N Baracuda Match with a 4.52 mm head. Five went into 0.261-inches between centers at 10 meters. Now that is what I hoped for!
The Arrow put five H&N Baracuda Match with 4.52 mm heads into 0.261-inches, center-to-center. Given that I’m shooting with open sights, this is a great group and this pellet wins a try at 25 yards. I’ll have more to say about this in a bit.
After this group I adjusted the rear sight down a little and to the right a little.
Air Arms 8.44-grain dome.
Next up were Air Arms 8.44-grain domes. Five of them at 10 meters went into a 0.781-inch group, but four are in 0.378-inches. I think the low shot that’s by itself was an aiming error and the four shots are more representative of what this pellet can do at 10 meters. It wins a possible place in the 25 yard test, depending on how the rest of the pellets do.
Five Air Arms 8.44-grain domes made a 0.781-inch group at 10 meters, but four are in 0.378-inches. I think that low shot near the pellet was an aiming error.
After this group I adjusted the rear sight down two clicks and to the right just a little. This was the last sight adjustment I made today.
H&N Baracuda 4.50 mm head
Erik,
This is a test of a similar pellet (to the Baracuda Match with 4.52 mm heads in the second group), but with a different head size. As reader, Jerry Cupples, the inventor and retailer of the Pelletgage, has taught us, pellet head sizes do matter. This Baracuda with its 4.50 mm head performed significantly differently than the Baracuda Match, putting five pellets into an open 0.728-inch group at 10 meters.
The Arrow put five Baracuda pellets with a 4.50 mm head into a 0.728-inch group at 10 meters.
H&N Field Target 4.50 mm head
Next to be tried were five H&N Field Target pellets with a 4.50 mm head. These were so difficult to push into the magazine that I had to get a pusher. They then “popped” in. Five of them went into an open group that measures 0.6-inches between centers at 10 meters.
Five H&N Field Target pellets made a 0.6-inch group at 10 meters.
Close the breech completely
Three times in today’s test the bolt blew open and the rifle sounded much louder. This also happened in the velocity test. I’m therefore telling you to make certain that the bolt is locked closed every time. Strangely it doesn’t seem to affect accuracy at this distance.
JSB Exact RS
The sixth pellet I tried was the JSB Exact RS. Five of them made a very open 0.908-inch group at 10 meters.
The Arrow put five JSB Exact RS pellets into a 0.908-inch group at 10 meters.
The seventh pellet — RWS Superdome
By this point in the test I had tested the accuracy of 6 pellets. Two of them look good enough for a second try at 25 yards. Is there a third one?
For my seventh pellet I shot five RWS Superdomes into a 0.306-inch group at 10 meters. That’s good enough to make the 25-yard list. Now there are three. Or are there?
The Gamo Arrow put five RWS Superdome pellets into a nice round group measuring 0.306-inches between centers at 10 meters. It joins the list for 25 yards.
One more thing
I wanted to confirm that the most accurate pellet we have seen so far — the H&N Baracuda Match with 4.52 mm head — is really that accurate. Even though I had shot the Arrow 30 times by this point, I was going to give that pellet one more try.
This time the Gamo Arrow put five H&N Baracuda Match pellets with 4.52 mm head into 0.175-inches at 10 meters. That’s right, folks — the Arrow shot a trime group!
Yep! There it is. Five H&N Baracuda Match with 4.52 mm heads went into 0.175-inches at 10 meters!
Erik — I think I have found THE pellet for the Arrow. And good news for you — it’s a pellet that should be available in Europe. I will try all three of the pellets I mentioned earlier at 25 yards with the open sights and then I will scope the rifle and shoot at 25 yards again. But I believe we now know the score. The Gamo Arrow PCP is an accurate air rifle. Erik — you did well.
Discussion
Today’s test is a close companion and a follow-on to yesterday’s discussion on what and how to test when you are testing a new air rifle. I am doing this for you with both the Crosman Fire breakbarrel and with this Gamo Arrow.
Please take note that I shot this whole test with open sights. Rather than to invent the reasons for why the RWS Hobby pellet are spread out vertically in the first group, just accept that they are and move on. The Baracuda Match pellets with 4.52 mm heads make everything right. That is why I shot a second group of them.
The Arrow is quite picky about the pellets it likes. Therefore test many pellets and test them my way and you’ll soon find some favorites.
Summary
I said in the summary to Part 2 that I really liked the Arrow. Today we see that it is shaping up quite well in all ways that are important. It’s a winner and we still have more tests to go.
B.B.
Well this is a head scratcher. it either loves the pellet or it hates it. Great groups or lousy groups.
Nothing in the middle. That is a new one on me.
-Y
Yogi,
Some airguns are seriously pellet picky. My first air rifle was a Gamo CFX. It shot fantastic with H&N FTT 4.51mm heads. It did horrible with anything else including 4.50mm or 4.52mm FTTs. JSB 8.4 exacts were almost usable.
Erik
Taking into account the results of the 4.52 Baracuda I would also try the 4.53 ones. I hope that you got rid of those heavy Gamo by the way. I doubt they can work even out of the Swarm Magnum.
BB
I wish you could test one of these super power Magnum repeater one day, with quality ammo.
Bill,
You do not need all the power. Most especially with a sproinger, the more power you have, the more hold sensitive and pellet picky it will be.
RR
What you said is absolutely correct, from my point of view at least, but;
As Shootski says we like to expand our knowledge, even if that means just verification of what we already know. If money was not a subject for me I would test it myself but… Still I believe it’s an airgun that I would like to have B.B.’s opinion on.
About behaviour of powerful springers my short 350 with the Titan spring gives me hard lessons every other day.
I will buy the 4.52 Barracudas ASAP
And I’m overwhelmed to get a personal answer from the great BB
ErikDK,
The “Great BB” responded to you because yours was a problem that many other airgunners have. If you had bought an inferior airgun not even the “Great BB” could have helped. But you bought a good one and I wanted to show you and others a good way to deal with it. That’s all.
BB
4400 Baracuda Match 4.52 (11 tins of 400) costs 102 Euros = 100 USD including tax and shipping.
Ordering those seems like a no-brainer now.
Once again, thanks a lot
-Erik
ErikDK,
I hope your barrel finds the 4,400 H&N Baracuda Match 4.52 pellets to be highly dijestable. Just a small reminder that every barrel is different even if it was manufactured on the same machine(s) just before or after your barrel. We could also add in differences as small as the balance of screw and fit tightness as well as the physical differences imparted by the shooters body, trigger control and hold technique.
Those are just some of the differences that will give each shooter differing results; sometimes to a degree that baffles all of us.
Best of luck and good fun shooting what are great performing pellets in many airguns.
shootski
ErikDK,
I tend to agree with Shootski, you may want to change your order to select only one tin each of the best B.B. got and test them to be sure you find the best pellets for your rifle. Then stock up on what works for your rifle.
Mike
BB,
Not a bad little air rifle there. It seems Gamo learned a little something from when they acquired BSA. I have been hearing some good things about their PCPs. Now if they could just get those sproinger triggers figured out, they would really have something.
No, does not seem bad at all. Part of its fun factor is figuring out the best pellet for it. With their “sproingers,” maybe Gamo could become inspired to come up with Rekord-quality triggers, even give becoming the Weihrauch of Spain a shot. No matter, more choices out of more countries = bueno.
This is the same process that I use because I learned it here. 🙂 I started this process a couple of nights ago with the Diana 48 that I got at the Texas show. It’s a .177 and on known as a somewhat powerful springer, so I started with the heaviest 177 pellets I have as I do not want supersonic and unstable shots. 5 shots, 10 meters, H&N Barracuda Match 10.64gr and the Air Arms Diabolo Field 8.44gr gave mediocre half inch groups. The Crosman Premier Ultra Domes 10.5gr shot a respectable .251 inch group. A clear winner of the 3. I will try a few more the next test on the lighter side but the process really works well.
B.B.,
Nice groups! I hope the rifle and pellets keep it going at this level for your 25 testing.
Any thoughts about the purpose of roll pin up by the front sight and moderator?
shootski
The roll pins hold in the end cap and the baffles, which are made of two plastic pieces.
Here’s an exploded view drawing of the Gamo Arrow: https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=202925.0;attach=414296
I saw a video of the baffles being dismantled, just can’t rember which video
Here’s the video about dismantling the baffles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a_xxCH9XPw
Hey ErikDK,
Thank you; as i suspected.
Those are really good items for owners to have. Direct inspection of the baffles or total removal is one of the steps that can help clear up accuracy questions that seem to always be blamed on clipping. Looks like GAMO has the design such that clipping is almost impossible.
shootski
Shoot-
That 2 piece baffle looks a lot like the baffle sandwich in the Gamo Urban. BB had clipping problems and drilled it out. I also had clipping problems. The holes are big enough but my baffle sandwich wasn’t married up straight when it was assembled.
BB
This is one of the times that a pellet picky barrel clearly prefers a pellet or two and can’t stand most other pellets. Shooter gets lets of joy when the best gets discovered especially if the performance verifies day in and day out. I don’t pretend to know why your barrel (or something) is picky when some guns (barrels) do well with many different pellets. So many variables to sort through but that’s what makes it fun.
Deck
B.B. and Readership,
A Challenge!
We need to update this Report by Tom: /blog/2015/10/the-first-pneumatic-gun/
I believe it was much earlier read this and see what you think: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolipile#:~:text=An%20aeolipile%2C%20aeolipyle%2C%20or%20eolipile,steam%20jets%20exiting%20the%20turbine.
And also this guy, Heron of Alexandria, wrote a book “Pneumatica” long before the first of what B.B. and others have found. I’m really even more impressed by this guy: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctesibius
I bet he was an airgunner!
I found this but the trail of information deadended” Cannon: Ctesibius of Alexandria invented a primitive form of the cannon, operated by compressed air.” WOW!
Even if he only launched paper spit wads with a Aeolipile while holding the arm to aim at his kid brother!
So does anyone have more knowledge about the early Dark Siders?
shootski
The loss of the library in Alexandria is probably the largest loss of knowledge in history. Hard to know, though, there were many libraries a couple thousand years before the one in Alexandria.
Shootski: and now for something completely different:
At the Archaeological Museum in Madrid years ago, saw one of the Ctesibius pumps, recovered from a mine in very good condition. Smart guy, followed by others who could design, invent and build remarkable tools and devices.
https://100falcons.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/a-roman-pump-in-perfect-condition/
In the same museum is the tombstone of a young miner named Quartulus; died at age four and.must have been a slave. That was the Dark Side of the times.
FawltyManual,
I certainly think that much of it was done on the shoulders of slaves and the underclass; but how much different is living paycheck to paycheck? I’m certain there were owners who were “better” to be enslaved by than others just as there are bosses (governmental, political, and economic) who are better to wage slave for than others.
I would love to truly know just haw societies actually functioned from place to place in order to have such amazing things created.
I also would love to know the true story on how much of “invention” was actually copied from bits and pieces of the old knowledge by the modern era after the end of the Dark Ages.
shootski
Shootski, you must be talking about my great x 100 grandfather (of pneumatics), Ctesibius. It has been handed down through oral history that his cannon launched pink or blue confetti at the announcements of royal births.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Great find, Shootski. A “father of pneumatics” to our “Godfather of Airguns.”