Canadian Airgun Forum

1.

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From Gamo claim that accuracy of Gamo Compact is 0.20" which equals to 5.08 mm.

"The air pistol target is 17x17 cm with concentric score zones, the innermost (worth ten points) having a diameter of 11.5 mm."

If you believe Gamo you have bought a pistol that is capable of shooting the ten score bullseye of a 10m ISSF target without a problem - of course if you have a steel hand and an even stronger trigger finger (Trigger pull: 4.5 lbs = 2000 gr.).

As I said - "if you believe Gamo" - and if you don't believe them you can simply TEST THE ACCURACY OF THIS PISTOL FROM GUN REST(VISE) as I did. The truth is quite different.

Gamo compact is not able to shoot 600 score from 10m gun rest(vise) - this is not a proper target pistol for competition - no matter if you improve its grip and trigger. The reasons for this are purely engineering - and are related to the poor design of the mechanisms of the gun itself.

2.

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Recently I wondered why my horizontal accuracy is worse than the vertical. Usually I do targets as if they are "smiling". I was looking for a reason in myself until I realized that it is might be in the pistol. 10 shots from 7 meters one handed.

3.

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Now to the test.

I tightened the grip of my Gamo Compact pistol in a VISE - VERY STRONGLY. To be sure that it doesn't move when I recharge pellets after each shot - I mounted independently from the pistol two lasers that mark two points from the barrel block. The accuracy I can guarantee is about 1 mm. The gun hasn't moved at all during the 10 shots.

Pellets are domed because they don't tear up target as much as wadcutter pellets do. Domed pallets are more accurate too as you know may be.

Of course pellets are not batch testing match pellets - as may be Gamo will try to say they use for testing of there accuracy and will achieve 0.20" with them. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT PELLETS YOU USE - THE RESULT WILL BE THE SAME. THE INACCURACY OF THE GAMO COMPACT IS DUE TO MECHANICAL INSTABILITY OF THE LOCKED BARREL BLOCK - as I will explain in following descriptions...

4.

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20 mm - 4.5 mm = 15.5 mm from 7.65 yards horizontal accuracy. It is much more than 5.08 mm from 10 yards - described by Gamo.

5.

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8.42 mm is very good. As a whole the vertical accuracy is as Gamo said. But horizontal accuracy is bad enough to ruin it.

6.

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This is the reason for HORIZONTAL INACCURACY of the Gamo Compact and PR-45 pistols. Purely mechanical as I said before. Look at the GAP between the BARREL BLOCK and the GRIP BLOCK when Compact pistol is COCKED.

7.

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Now after shooting and pistol is UNCOCKED. Look at the difference from the previous picture.

8.

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Same thing with Gamo PR-45. COCKED...UNCOCKED.

9.

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This metal plate serves to lock barrel block...

10.

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...with this hook.

11.

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But these two parts - VALVE and LEVER are attached to block that holds the HOOK too. When the pistol is COCKED like this - there is NO PRESSURE to valve and lever - therefore NO PRESSURE and to the HOOK. Barrel block is properly and tightly locked...

12.

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Things changes when the pistol is Shot and becomes UNCOCKED like this. There is pressure on lever and valve that through them affects the HOOK and the PLATE - causing displacement of the BARREL BLOCK.

This displacement, of course, is not constant. Sometimes it is more, sometimes less. The velocity of the pellet are not constant too. Little variation of two lead to my so called "SMILE" on the target. This is for my Gamo Compact pistol. For other Compacts the "SMILE" may be vertical, as I think it will be with my PR-45 when looking its gap after UNCOOKED.

Gamo Compact may achieve 0.20" group only if the BARREL BLOCK is in a fixed rest not the GRIP of the pistol! But as we know - it is hard to shoot holding BARREL BLOCK instead of the grip - but apparently this is not a problem for gamo testers.

Interesting report. Thanks for the info

What would be a good target pistol alternative?

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"...await the right moment for one, and only one well-aimed shot" - Vassili Zaitsev

The Gamo Compact has better looks than reputation. For an affordable, good-shooting and accurate alternative, you might consider the IZH 46M.

I really wonder when people write things like - "Gamo Compact vs IZH 46"

http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2008/04/ ... art-1.html

No comparison can be made between these two guns. They are on different planets. IZH 46(M) is competition air pistol. You can buy one and ready to prepare for the Olympics with it. "Sergei Barmin shot 591 once in Asian competition.". The highest official score I've ever seen with Gamo Compact is 520

http://www.targetshooting.ca/postals/re ... &year=2005

Many argue that with ease can make scoring 540 with Gamo Compact - but no one has shown it the Web. I am at the median level 530-540 from 7 meter - reduced target to this size:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater
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...and the pellets "size" to 3mm (thinking that they are this size and everything above it is not considered important). I train with 3 kg weight of hand and I can break your hand when handshake with me (because of the continuous squeezing of the grip - needed to neutralize the 2,000 gram trigger pull ) . Sometimes my shooting is at the level of FIXED GUN REST - but nevertheless, I hardly do more than 540 of these targets size from 7 meter. I do not know how I can do to 10 meters and normal size target - but I do not believe to able to achieve more than 550 with Gamo Compact. Maybe I'm one of the most accurate shooters in the world with this gun - and that is why it makes me funny comparing Compact with IZH-46.

If you're not a competitor (like me) - no problem to buy Gamo Compact to fun. If you are going to competition something more serious you need. I have often heard the silly sentence: "This gun will OVERSHOOT you!" Every gun will OVERSHOOT you if he is in fixed gun rest. You have no way to go beyond the capabilities of the gun. With some guns is more difficult with others more easily to shoot. With Gamo Compact is VERY HARD, and you certainly can not over jump 560.

You're simply not comparing apples with apples here. The Izzy is twice the price of a Compact and with airguns (as with most things in life) you really do get what you pay for. Try shooting a high end FWB, Steyr,Morini or Pardini and you will soon see the very real shortcomings of the 46M. I sold mine having shot less than 50 pellets from it. Not even in the same league as a serious compertition air pistol IMHO.

DaveD

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"To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Blade writes "You're simply not comparing apples with apples here. The Izzy is twice the price of a Compact and with airguns (as with most things in life) you really do get what you pay for. Try shooting a high end FWB, Steyr,Morini or Pardini and you will soon see the very real shortcomings of the 46M. I sold mine having shot less than 50 pellets from it. Not even in the same league as a serious compertition air pistol IMHO."
Perhaps the OP is making the same point: the Gamo Compact is no Izzy (just as the IZH 46M is no high end gun costing three - four times as much).

I wish I could lay hands on one of these high-end guns for a while. I'd love to know how much difference it would make (or not, as the case may be). Can't see myself ever being able to justify the cost of finding out :O

GerardSamija is a BC competitor(Bronze and Silver medallist) in 10m air pistol and owns two Pardini's, and a modified IZH 46M. You should ask him what difference a purpose built target gun shoots!

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-Rick

Brocock Concept .22
3 Crosman MK 1 pistol .22

There Rick goes again, braggin' about me. I'm supposed to do that! Well okay, I'll try to say something about how relative fanciness of an air pistol influences scoring. I started trying for score with a substantially modified Gamo Center. New grip carved to fit well, metal muzzle block with proper steel sight, stabilized rear sight, improved trigger action... and I managed to get to over 500/600 with that thing. Shot a few targets at 95 or better. But I had to fight with the spring piston action. Adjusting for the twisting recoil played too large a role in my shot plan. I might have taken that pistol to 540 had I persisted but it would have been agony.

I moved on to the Baikal 46m, and though it was too heavy and made my hand shake within seconds I quickly rose to 530, then struggled for a few months to get to 540 as I began reducing the weight of the pistol. By further reducing it and training harder I got to about 550 with the Baikal, and could see myself taking it to about 560 or so if i persisted. But I wanted something still lighter and easier to use, so I bought the Pardini K10.

With the Pardini I found it easy right away to up my average score by a few points. But only a few. It was easier to shoot, easier to hold up, but the muzzle flip was noticeably greater than that of the Baikal so there was an element of struggle there too. A small thing, but it showed up when my technique was faltering, was an unforgiving pistol even if it was more comfortable to shoot. After a year I felt stuck.

So I started thinking about the anti-recoil mechanism and reportedly brilliant trigger of the K12. And soon I decided to spring for one. I adapted the excellent grip I'd carved for the K10 to fit it and immediately managed the same scores, then within two weeks shot a personal best. I've not had the sort of time I'd like for training since getting this pistol but have continued to improve with less than half the training time, shooting a new PB last month of 556 and bringing my average up a bit in spite of a case of tennis elbow related to work. My silver in expert class at the last Hibernation match was a decent improvement over the spring match aggregate score. I'm able to shoot well without much of a warm-up now, where the previous pistols would Tejkel a good 30 shots to get me into the groove. The amazing trigger has a lot to do with that. The lack of muzzle flip is certainly a help too.

So I went from a $200 pistol to a $500 one during my initial learning curve, getting from 250/600 up to 540/600 between those two, never having shot a pistol seriously before a few years ago. The tiny jump from 540 to 550 average with the $1,750 K10 was hard, especially as it coincided with a shoulder injury during weight training. Shooting the K12 is almost too easy. It cost $2,000, and I feel like that price was well worth it in terms of removing any sense of the pistol getting in my way. I'm still far from being an elite shooter, but I see no possibility that the K12 will need replacing unless it breaks. Several World Cup finalists use this same pistol, including the men's winner at the season closing WC Final in Munich last week.there's just nothing to get in my way, which makes the pistol 'transparent' for my purposes. I'm able to focus on sight alignment and shot smoothness and timing. And forgetting those, ultimately.

My plan, if I may call it that, is to continue improving as quickly as I am able to advance to master rank, then to take that as far as I can. To WC events if possible. I'm 52 so perhaps that's unrealistic, but there's no harm trying. As much as I enjoy the relaxing, meditative aspect of formal AP shooting, a bit of glory feels good and more feels better, so why not aim high? In that context a $2,000 pistol seems a trivial investment. For a recreational shooter the same pistol would probably be a debatable luxury, depending mostly on available funds rather than something to save up towards or make sacrifices for. Something like a used Tau 7 or FWB CO2 model, or just the Baikal 46m would seem more sensible for casual plinking.

Hi Gerard,

Thanks for writing up that thoughtful reply. My guess is that the differences you describe would transfer very directly to my case. My PB (in practice) is 543 with the 2240 and if a top end gun gave me any more than an extra 5 or so points it would be surprising. But the benefits in terms of consistency, reliability and confidence (I like the term you used - transparency) would be huge. I've been thinking about getting a 46M in a couple of years, it's at least somewhat affordable from the CAF store. Your comments about the weight have made me wonder how well I'd cope over a 60 shot session. Oh well, the 2240 will keep me happy for now. It's time to try and get my scores back up after not shooting much over the summer. I used to be averaging around 530, but my first full session for this winter only managed 506. Oops.

Congratulations on that 556!

Do not rule out the TAU 7, unless you do not want to deal with CO2. In the past years I have shot in 10M league just for fun and to visit with a great bunch of guys and gals on a Tuesday evening. We shoot 40 shot matches, so the max score is 400. A fellow with a TAU 7, consistently shot from the mid 370s to mid 380s out of 400. So converting to a 60 shot match, he ranged from 560s to mid to high 570s. Not bad for a gun he picked up for about $300.(That was a few years back) Gerard, he was in his 50s, so I hope you continue to aim high.

Every 10M gun imaginable was at these matches and he continually took the top spots. FWB, Steyr, Anshutz, Pardini, you name it, it was there. Always amused me to see the top shooter's average at the end of the seasons was by a guy using a TAU 7.

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Tim
CAFTA Governor and lifetime learner

Makes sense that whichever gun the shooter is most comfortable shooting is going to offer good potential. If I hadn't found the slight muzzle flip of the K10 annoying I'd still be shooting it very happily, and for the most part I was happy with it, just not quite happy enough I guess. And going back to the Baikal now and then it's still very comfortable to shoot. Just gets tiring after 70 or 80 shots being about 150 grams heavier than the K10 or K12, and our spring and fall matches are 3 x 60 competition shots plus warm-ups so about 250 shots over 2 days. The Baikal's slightly too tiring for that, or I'd likely still be using it regularly. The cocking effort didn't enter into it. Once an ergonomic position is found for cocking the lever it's dead easy, so much so that I shortened the cocking lever by about 30% just to trim some weight and didn't notice any increase in difficulty.