Gamo Hunter 1250 Review

Overall Rating

Lots of power. Shoots accurately with heavier pellets.

Weighs about 10 lbs with a scope. Pistol grip on stock very thick giving awkward trigger hold.

Without a doubt the 1250 is definitely one of the 4 or 5 break barrel springers on the market today that can put out over 20 ft/lbs. of energy. In pure size alone, it is the largest and heaviest springer that I have in my collection. With a scope it weighs in at a little over 10lbs. With 58lbs of cocking effort, I can only recommend the 1250 for those with the upper body strength to deal with it. I would say that the only other airgun that I have shot that compares in cocking effort is the Beeman Kodiak.

Where I give the 1250 low points is in it's stock design and the trigger group. I normally wear an XL in glove sizes, and I have found it difficult to get my hand around the grip on the stock. In addition the trigger seems to be set to far forward. The combination of these problems makes it hard to get a nice smooth trigger pull. In designing the 1250, Gamo obviously didn't put a lot of thought into the trigger group. The trigger is of stamped steel and the safety doesn't automatically set itself after the gun has been cocked, which is a little disturbing in a gun of this power.

On the plus side, the 1250 will put out a .177 pellet as fast as advertised. I chronographed mine with Beeman H & N Match pellets and averaged 1220 fps. Recently I shot some Gamo PBA pellets through it and had consistent readings around 1600 fps! I was told that with the higher velocities that my accuracy would probably go to hell, but I recently shot a 1/2" group at 25 yards with the PBA pellets. The only problem with these lighter pellets is the noise level. Lets just say that there is no doubt that you are breaking the sound barrier. My Ruger 10/22 is significantly quieter. Lately I have been shooting Beeman Kodiak pellets through it which has dropped the fps low enough to keep it subsonic and much quieter. The heavier pellets didn't seem to affect my accuracy either.

Overall I would have to say that I despite it's short comings I am still impressed with the performance of this gun. I understand that the 1250 model is being discontinued by Gamo and my only regret is that I didn't get it in .22 cal.

Members' Comments onMackerelboy's Review

• mybike9 on 5th Oct 2007

  Do you know if there is any difference between the hunter extreme and the hunter 1250?

• Mackerelboy on 25th Oct 2007

  Having never seen an extreme I couldn't tell you. I do know that Gamo has been advertising "bull Barrels" on some of their air rifles. I have found that this consists of a small diameter rifled steel inner barrel encased in a thick hard plastic that makes up the outer part of the barrel. The Hunter1250 barrel is all one piece steel. As for the spring piston etc. I don't know if it is the same . I would try contacting someone at Pyramid Air and get the hard facts.

• Mackerelboy on 22nd Jan 2008

  A couple of months ago I installed aftermarket triggers from Charlie Da Tuna in my Gamo Whisper, Gamo Hunter 1250, and Crossman Quest 800. I have always thought that the weakest area of a Gamo gun is the trigger works. I was amazed at how much better my groupings were after the installs. It has made a world of difference to all of these rifles. Charlie’s after market triggers drop in easy only requiring removing pins, installing the trigger and pinning it back in place. Total time to replace a trigger, 10 minutes. If you want to upgrade your Gamo or Crossman rifle I highly recommend you check out Charlie’s web site.