Gamo 220 Hunter Combo .177 Review

Overall Rating

Fiber Optic Sights, easy cocking, extremely accurate, lifetime warranty (you'll need it for this one)

Fairly loud, spring breaks after 3,000 rounds, cheap scope, too much recoil, doesn't show much power, front fiber optic insert falls out easily, bad trigger

My dad bought the Gamo 220 Hunter Combo .177 e for me this past Christmas for $125 and was fairly satisfied with it until "the problems occurred". First when I opened it the stock was extremely loose and part of the barrel seal was damaged. After a month the front fiber optic just fell out as I was walking out into my yard but they gave me a new one for free without hesitation. Then it stopped accepting flathead pellets by falling straight through the barrel. One day I walked out to shoot and shot it, the spring had broken. All that I heard was a thud and a small splash of leaves 50 yards out. At that time it felt like I was shooting a .22 rimfire from the recoil but nowhere near the power. I tested the power by shooting a thin plastic frisbee and it just bounced off like a red rider would. If none of this happened I would say this would be an excellent starter gun and maybe I just had a defected rifle. I sent it back to Gamo and all they charge is $10 and am waiting for a brand new Shadow 1000 I have heard wonderful things about it. Customer Service is Great! They didn't even hesitate to argue and just exchanged it.

Members' Comments onshadow177hunter's Review

• leonidus on 22nd Mar 2006

  Gamo shadow is the same as gamo hunter 220, except for it has a synthetic stock (all internal parts are the same). All gamo springs wear out or break after 2000-3000 shots, so gamo shadow won't be any different. It's a serviceable part and has to be replaced once in a while, nothing surprising about it. As for their power, they should usually show 850-900 fps with 7.5-8 grain pellets, after the break-in period.

• brucemg51 on 17th May 2006

  "All gamo springs wear out or break after 2000-3000 shots" Again with the Gamo bashing. That's utter nonsense and unfounded on anything other than personal bias. Gamo springs aren't going to break any sooner than anyone else's and in fact, are of higher quality than many. And, if you do have a problem with your Gamo, it costs you nothing. Send it back to Gamo and they will fix it or replace it free, no questions asked, not even a receipt. How many other airgun manufacturers are going to do that for you? My Gamo Hunter 220 will shoot one hole groups at 30 yards, and easily kills at 50-60 yards. Oh, and it's got 4500 rounds through it with the original spring. Anyone can make a lemon. Sorry you got a bad one.

• shadow177hunter on 21st May 2006

  brucemg51 I ended up sending it back and you are right they do not ask for a receipt and do not hassle you. But it does cost $10 but I think thats worth a working or new rifle.

• leonidus on 22nd May 2006

  What I meant is the spring does get weaker after 3000 rounds, it may still go to 4-5k, but already 'stressed out'. This is from personal experience (I went through a few springs already), has nothing to do with the rifle itself, it's totally spring characteristic. Best are german springs, they last longer, up to 10k rounds, look around for reviews from weihrauch owners. I am not bashing gamo in any way, sorry if I sounded like I did, just stating the facts. It's still one of the best value for money products on the market today.