Gamo Hunter 440 Review

Overall Rating

looks, weight, power

The trigger, quality control.

This rifle is just not up to the standard of what I expected from Gamo or my other Gamo's. I was looking around on the net for a decient rifle to do some upgrade work on myself. I found Gamo 440's for $99 new in the box at Nachez. I thought I would get one and tune it into something real nice myself. The plan for the gun was to put in new guides, spring, all the right lubes, a new trigger and add a scope. I thought super gun for the original price of the basic gun.
Well the gun arrived, in general It looked real nice, stock, bluing, etc. I broke out some pellets and thought if it shoots like it looks this is going to be a great project gun. The paper is out about 10 yards, I am aiming in the center, twang, no hole from the wad cutter. Got closer by half and another round goes twang. There it is, almost off the paper to the left. To bring the rounds to the point of aim I had to move the rear sight almost all the way to the right stop. Now this gives it ok groups but after starting to take a closer look at the gun I can see the barrel points off to the left. Not good. Now I am really looking things over and I also notice it appears to have a case of barrel droop. I didn't buy this to shoot around corners. It's not really that bad. I am thinking, does this one go back or is it, that project gun I wanted. I have elected project gun. I'll work on it but from this experience I could not recommend this gun to others because of the problems this one has. It's also expensive to keep shipping guns from one side of the country to the other. This also could be the end of this style of 440. I recently found a new much updated, in the style of the rest of the Hunter series 440 on the Gamo site. Well getting there is half the fun so I am going to get to work and turn this gun into exactly what I expected and wanted.

Members' Comments onGuest's Review

• James Butler on 10th Mar 2008

  Greetings; Bought this gun with the same intentions. If my example didn't have the usual stiff switch Gamo calls a trigger I won't touch it. Trigger or not my example is as smooooth as silk , shot streight as a arrow on a humid day with only a couple hundred rounds threw it smoked my master chrony at 900fps with just about everything I threw at it with a high with lead of 991fps with Daisy Precision Max pointed's to 1167fps with PDA'S. It's the luck of the draw with Gamo's. The poorest excuse for a hunting rifle I ever bought was a Gamo Big Cat. Tried two of them from.They where consistantly poor. Thank God for Wallyworld's wounderful return policy or I would have suffered a loss. Good luck on "rebuilding" your gun. Thought you'd like to know it's a jewel in the "very ruff" in your case.

• James Butler on 11th Mar 2008

  Greetings;
  Been thinking since my comment that it might be interesting, if you had the time to compare notes on your internal examination and tune&trigger on your rifle and see how our rifles compare when the only mod. my example would have will be a "Tuna" trigger". I realize doing this from afar will have some obvious limitations