Airgun Depot's Airsenal News

I remember many years ago a commercial on television that stated if you wanted someone's attention.....whisper! Of course, that was a beautiful woman selling perfume, but this Gamo Whisper will help you avoid the unwanted attention of disturbed neighbors with a sound reduction of up to 52%. As stated in the item description on Airgun Depot's website, the sound reduction isn't very noticeable to the shooter because the mechanical action of the firing is still prevalent since it is right next to your ear. But downrange and to the side, the dampening effect of the permanently attached moderator is apparent.

The Gamo Whisper comes with an ambidextrous, synthetic stock that is comfortable, and great at reducing the weight of the gun. The barrel is enclosed in a polymer substance, so you lose that metallic clank when you bump against something.

The muzzlebrake on this gun is permanently attached, and as mentioned above, does a fine job of reducing the report of the gun. It's not fully silenced, but it is softer on the ears.

The Gamo Whisper comes with a Gamo 3x9 AO scope that is clear and quite useful. I had no problem getting on target, and one juvenile starling in my neighborhood will no longer pester my bluebirds and woodpeckers!

I tested the Gamo Whisper over my chronograph, and noted that the advertised velocity is right on par with the results I achieved. PBA ammo from Gamo does go almost 1200 fps. A five shot string averaged 1156.8 fps, so close to 1200 that you could round up without feeling guilty about your claim!

I tested 7 different kinds of pellets in the Whisper. Below is a list with the average velocity of a five shot string:

PBA - 1156.8

Gamo Match - 927.2

RWS Meisterkugeln - 878.8

RWS Superdome - 876.6

RWS Super Hollow Point - 967.2

Gamo Hunters - 927.2

Chinese Domes - 844.4

The best accuracy at 20 yards was achieved with the Gamo Match pellets. They gave me sub 1" patterns from a new gun with only about 200 warm up shots through it. As the gun wears in, I'm sure the patterns will tighten up as well. Other pellets ranged from almost as good to dismal patterns of 1.5 inches at 20 yards. The juvenile starling you see above met a pellet from the Far East, one of the Chinese domes, at 26 yards and never made a twitch as he fell over. The gun is an excellent candidate for pest control and small game hunting.

The scope and rings that come with the gun work very well. It's interesting that there is a rail that attaches to the grooves already cut into the gun. Then the scope mount, a one-piece unit from Gamo, attaches to that rail. But it works, and works well. You get 3 allen wrenches included with the scope to make sure you can tighten everything down well.

The safety is located inside the trigger guard, as is common on many airguns these days. The trigger guards is plastic, but the trigger and safety are made of metal. 

For the price of $224.90 at the time of this review, you get a gun that is quieter, easy to carry, plenty accurate for pest control, and easy to cock.  The price is a bargain these days as the dollar loses value against European currency, so give the Gamo Whisper a chance in your arsenal. And instead of getting attention, avoid it with the Whisper!

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that somehow conspire to make folks forget one of the most useful times of the year to hunt.....spring! In many states, there is a spring season for one of the airgun hunter's favorite prey.....the squirrel.

Here in Kentucky, the season begins in early June and runs for two weeks. Tennessee also enjoys a spring season, and Louisiana's season is going on as I write this entry. Now how many of you have actually taken the time to check whether or not your state has a spring season? Huh? And if squirrels aren't what you are after, have you considered other animals that are legal to hunt during the spring season? Check out the bullfrog season in your state. It's challenging, and if you've never had a plate full of delicious froglegs, then you've not lived yet!

Groundhogs are in season year-round in Kentucky, and in many other states as well. Coyotes are also in season, though your normal airgun may not be up to the job. Consider the purchase of a new bigbore for those elusive song dogs and make the most of the pleasant weather in the spring to cull back the population in your area.

Starlings are nesting and raising a new brood of their rapacious younglings, and bringing their numbers to a much lower level is the desire of every state in the continental U.S! Those things are an ecological disaster, and bringing them down is a service to every cavity-dwelling bird that is native to the U.S. In like manner, the English sparrow is in need of culling if you wish to enjoy bluebirds and other desirable species.

In the spring time, use the mating tendencies of the animal you are pursuing to good advantage. If culling starlings, search for desirable nesting sites and wait on the birds to come searching for housing accomodations. And food sources that they use to feed their young are also good choices to target. Groundhogs will be busy stoking up on food since they are recovering from the winter hibernation. Catch them away from the den hole and you've got a good chance of getting one before he heads underground upon your approach. Coyotes can be called in with puppy sounds as they are territorial near their den during the mating season.  

As you can see, there are any number of animals that you can hunt and enjoy during the springtime months. And Airgun Depot has a great selection of guns and ammo that can have you out in the field, rather than sitting wishing it were the fall season. So check your local DNR rules, find a useful and legal target for your airgun, and go hunting! You'll be glad you did!

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 06:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Crosman's newest PCP, the Benjamin Discovery, is making headway among airgun hunters. Here is a video clip of a gentleman taking a groundsquirrel at 59 yards with a .177 caliber Discovery.

http://imageevent.com/varmintair/videos?p=69&n=1&m=-1&c=4&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=2

As in all disciplines of airgunning, it is the accuracy that counts. With a good rest, a brief comment about the wind, and a target of opportunity, this air gun hunter enjoys a shot at a resting groundsquirrel at a measured 59 yards. In the slow motion replay, you can watch the pellet home in on the killzone, which isn't much more than an inch or so in size.

Can you make that shot? The way to find out is to simply try it on a target, and realize that keeping your shots in the desired killzone is a matter of technique and practice, practice, practice. My rule of thumb is an 80% success rate, or 4 out of 5 shots, in a 1" area before I'll take the shot at a live animal in the field. This urges me to practice and become a better shot, and also serves to hone my stalking skills so that I can get within an effective range that I am comfortable with.

I was pleased to try out a prototype of the Benjamin Discovery, and have since had a production model go through my hands on its way to a new owner as well. It's a handsome gun, light, yet powerful and effective on small game.  Be sure to view Airgun Depot's video on the Discovery, as well as my review of the prototype.

And price? Once again, you can't beat the price on the Discovery. There isn't another PCP airgun on the market that gives you the bang for your buck that the Discovery does. So grab one, practice, and send us a pic or video of what you can hit at 59+ yards with an airgun! 

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently, efforts to help the California Condor have brought about the banning of lead projectiles from firearms in certain parts of California. This ban is proposed to take effect on July 1, 2008. However, many airgunners have erroneously assumed that their pellet guns will no longer be useful for taking varmints and small game inside the zone.

Here is a link to the PDF file that addresses the issue:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor/docs/LeadInformation.pdf

If you'll take a look on page three, you will see that airguns are exempt from this ban as they are not considered firearms by the laws of California. The PDF file referenced specifically states that airguns and their projectiles are exempt from this ban. This is good news for those of you who use airguns in the area affected by this ban. However, I would caution you to carry a copy of the PDF file (print it out for yourself) so that any over-zealous official who may jump to a conclusion not specified by this new law can be corrected before costly fines and court procedures come about.

For many hunters, this law will adversely affect their sport and enjoyment of the outdoors. However, if you hunt with an airgun, you still have the ability to get out and enjoy some prime ground squirrel hunting this summer without fear of the lead ban affecting you. But as mentioned, carry the information detailed in the above link in case you are stopped by a game warden or other law enforcement official and questioned about the use of your lead pellets. Fore-warned is fore-armed! 

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 06:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)