Gamo Gamo Sporter (500) Review

Overall Rating

Overall good quality. Accurate. High visibility sights. Price.

Sights, especially front sight are delicate. Not sure if plastic pivot point and locking lug will hold up.

Gamo Sporter (500) Air Rifle Review
My original decision to purchase an air rifle was because I wanted to thin out the flocks of pigons that were making a nuisance of themselves in my back yard. I also wanted something for the rats, and occasional snake and possum at the barn where we board our horses.

I've been a lifelong shooter and hunter and have a fair amount of experience with firearms, however this is my first air rifle since I was a young child. Please keep this in mind while reading my review.

I really didn't want to spend over $100, preferably less, but I didn't want junk that would not do what I wanted or would not last. I began doing some research at this site and others and found that the Gamo Shadow 1000, while not liked by some, seemed to get pretty favorable reviews by most, except for the trigger.

Although the 1000 was a little more than I wanted to spend ($118 at Academy) I decided to take a closer look at it. While there I found the Gamo Sporter 500 for $48. The price was certainly right, and the reduced pellet velocity (689fps claimed) was actually an advantage for my purpose since I would be using it in a suburban neighborhood and around livestock. The clerk said I could bring it back if I decided I didn't like it so I thought I'd give it a try.

When I got it home the first thing I noticed was that the rear attachment point on the fiber optic front sight was broken. Not wanting to take the time to go back to the store, and eager to get started shooting, I just glued it back in place. (I later contacted Gamo and they sent me another insert.) The barrel (steel liner) is a little over 5/16" in dia. with a plastic shroud for a total dia. of about 5/8". The pivot point/hinge also appears to be made of plastic as well as the locking lug.

Once I sighted it in I began shooting for groups. At ten yards, with open sights, the groups seemed to average about 1/2" or a little more. I felt that the rifle is capable of better than that, but the trigger is pretty bad and makes it harder to shoot well. With practice it can be overcome to a large extent but still leaves a lot to be desired.

Over the next few days I noticed that the point of impact seemed to shift a little, maybe as much as an inch. The shot to shot consistency was good, but the entire group would shift. I had read that some air guns are hold sensitive and thought that my inexperience with air guns might be the cause. I also considered that the sights, while highly visible, do not seem to be very solid and may have shifted the point of impact. I decided to mount a scope on the rifle to try to eliminate the problem and to see just what the little rifle was capable of.

I purchased a 4x BSA air rifle scope, mounted it with Leupold rings, and went back to the bench to see just what I could do.

At a measured ten yards I shot several three shot groups of 3/8", sometimes a little smaller, but the five shots groups opened up to a little over 1/2". These groups where fired with Gamo Hunter and Beeman model 1222 hollowpoints. It seems to have a slight preference for the Beemans.

As previously stated I really think the rifle would be capable of consistent small groups with a better trigger. An aftermarket trigger is available for around $40 but that would of course add to the overall investment. I have also read on the internet about a way to smooth the trigger somewhat that I intend to try. Hopefully this will help.

Since the rifle has been very effective on the back yard pigons the actual velocity didn't really matter. However I was curious to see just how well the actual velocity matched the claimed velocity so I decided to chronograph the pellets I had on hand.

Using my Oehler Model 35 I measured the Gamo Hunters at an average of 722 fps,(7.5 gr?)and the Beemans at 728 fps.(7.0 gr?). This was somewhat of a supprise since I had read that most makers tend to overstate their velocity figures.

To summarize: The overall fit finish and quality of the Gamo 500 seemed to be pretty good. I am somewhat concerned about how well the plastic pivot and lug will hold up but with the Gamo warranty that hopefully will not be a problem. Accuracy is good, potentially very good, with a trigger mod or lots of practice. If you are looking for the kind of qualiy and performance found in the really high end rifles you probably will not be satisfied. However if you're looking for a "first rifle", or something for casual shooting or fairly close range hunting I don't think the Gamo 500 can be beat for the price.

The only thing you really need to be concerned about is that it will whet your appetite for one of those really nice high quality rifles. I'm in the process now of convincing my wife that I need to spend a few hundred dollars on "just a pellet gun". Hopefully this will help some of you. Good shooting.

Members' Comments onswr's Review

• raymondwang3632 on 17th Feb 2006

  This gun is nice. I'm new to shooting with air rifles,(I usually shoot electric BB guns, I live in Hong Kong) and I find that this gun is quite cheap, only 1350 HKD, and has nice power. I had a nice time shooting some cans and when I hit a bullseye, it leaves a gaping hole through the can... I was a bit surprised at first, but I got used to it in the end. I had to buy another platic foam thingy to protect the two eyesights though... Thought this suggestion should be helpful :P
  Overall: This gun is worth the price. Although I'm a bit concerned about the rusting problem. The humidity is high in Hong Kong, and I think it's not long before I have to face this problem. Can anyone give some suggestions?