Barra Sportsman 900 Reviews

I would invite readers to click "buzz" link at top of page. Tom is a PA pro who gave a indepth review of this rifle. It was enough to get me to bite. The Black Ops is an 880 clone with major upgrades: the 11mm picatinny rail is a master stroke! The thin dove tail on my 880 is a worry, and I make sure not to bang the scope. The Ops rail is thick. The easy to grasp cocking handle feels great and locks down well. The hard sights are much improved from the 880. The front sight also acts as a muzzle guard - sorely lacking on the 880.

Change pump hook up! Ok, I have an 880, 77xs, M-4, and now the Black Ops. These are all inexpensive to collect and are serviceable hunting guns. I took the Ops head to head with the 880, and it was a dead heat on power and accuracy. Where old reliable (in production since 1972) still out shines the Ops, is trigger pull and pump behavior. The 880 has a short and crisp release by comparison. The Ops takes a harder pull. The Ops pump makes a loud "snap" because of a button that engages and disengages during pumping. So if you plan on hunting in the open field, anything will fly or run away within 30 yards of that racket. The 880 is silent. Now if you do it like me and prep inside a house, then sneak out to deal with pest animals, that will work. Still, that Ops pump needs to be re-designed for quiet action.

Black Ops has a double meaning. It is a cool name, but also I believe it is Gamo covert operations. Check out the Bone Collector Cadet to see the similarities. Gamo, a big company, would not let an upstart firm rip off one of their designs like that. Or maybe that is what happened and Gamo doesn't know. Either way this is a great deal for collectors or a newbie. The little scope never got put on mine because I had a variable power one sitting in a drawer. Unlike $100 magnum springers that cause many buyers heartache, like gross inaccuracy and shattered scopes, for $50 a shooter gets a recoiless gun that is easy to sight in and scope with a basic 40-50 dollar Tasco or Simmons. A Bug Buster right here at PA would look great on this Ops. Either way the gun is a good value and worthy of a scope upgrade. Penny size groups at 15 yds for this shooter. Hammer pellets.

Worked GREAT for a very few days, about 8 shots total. Then it just quit being able to compress Air. It just made a Hissing sound. When I checked, this is Apparently a Common Problem.

Make the Seals Better, more Durable, so they Last... Certainly Longer than a few days and 8 shots.

Check for a More Reliable Air Rifle. This one is NOT reliable !