The Gamo Stutzen: Elegant Accuracy
I love the look of the Stutzen-style gun......the lines, the full-length wood stock, and the schnabel endcap.....it just really appeals to me. And if you like good-looking guns that also perform well, then you need to check out the Gamo Stutzen.
I received my Gamo Stutzen a couple of weeks ago, and have been enjoying getting to know it. Of course, to do this, I have to spend time shooting it.....so I did! It was fun, enjoyable, and a great way to relax after work each day.
The first thing I noticed about the Stutzen was the nice wood and accents. It has a darker-colored endpiece for the schnabel endcap, and checkering in the handgrip area that accents the gun very nicely. The trigger and trigger guard on this gun are also metal instead of plastic, a welcome detail with a gun that tries to pay homage to some of the great rifles of the past.
To cock the Stutzen, you first pull out the concealed cocking lever from underneath the barrel. There is a short extension that aids in cocking effort by lengthening the cocking lever a few inches. Once cocked, you pull the extension back into the main part of the cocking lever to avoid hitting the schnabel end when you return the lever to its home position. I failed to do this a few times before I got use to it, and subsequently have a few minor marks on the end of the woodwork. So do pay attention to this little detail when using yours for the first time.
After cocking, the loading port pops up to receive the pellet of your choice. Place the pellet in the port and push it down. The gun is now ready to fire, and when I shot mine for the first time, I was pleased with the lower amount of twang that the Stutzen delivers over some of Gamo's other offerings. The safety is located in front of the trigger, inside the trigger guard. It is NOT automatic, so don't assume the safety is set every time you cock the trigger.
The open sights on the Stutzen are easy to use and allowed me to quickly begin flipping a steel ram, duck, pig, and chicken around with ease. There are four different notch shapes you can choose from for the rear sight, which is adjustable both vertically and horizontally. The gun was so much fun to shoot with the open sights that I shot it for several sessions before ever mounting a scope on the provided scope rails. When I did get around to putting a scope on the gun, I used a Gamo 3-9x40 that I took off of my Gamo Whisper. The rails are the same, and the scope secures firmly in place. I had no problem with scope creep as there is a short stop pin provided on the one-piece mount that came with the scope.
Now, how does the gun shoot? I broke out several types of pellets, some of the "usual suspects" that I use in testing airguns. I used Gamo Hunters, RWS SuperPoints and Hollow Points, Crosman Premier Heavies, Gamo PBA, Beeman Kodiaks, and Meisterkugeln wadcutters. These pellets represent a good cross section of commonly available pellets, and serve to give me a good idea of what to expect from an airgun.
One thing I did notice was that the velocity figures were lower than what the advertisement claims trumpet.....no surprise there, but usually the figures are within shouting distance. Not so in this test. I shot for velocity readings on a partly cloudy day, with the temps in the low 90's. Even with the PBA ammo from Gamo, my readings were 200 fps slower than the advertised claims. I usually expect about 100 fps difference, but this was twice as much as my expectations. However, the readings were consistent, and with certain pellets the accuracy was there, so I'll report them as they happened!
My first group was not bad using the Meisters. A five shot string averaged 762 fps, and the pattern was acceptable for a 20 yard group from a new gun. As the gun wears in, I have no doubt the pattern will tighten, and the velocity settle in to a predictable speed.
The PBA ammo from Gamo widened out the shot grouping on its test target. Velocities hovered in the mid-900's, with a five shot string averaging 958 fps.
The Crosman Premiers Heavies were the unruly boys in this test session. They slowed down into the mid-600 fps range, as was expected with their great weight, but they couldn't group to save their life! As you can see, the grouping was miserable!
I had mixed results with the rest of the pellets until I got to the last ones on my list.....the Beeman Kodiaks. And they were the cat's meow! Accuracy was achieved at last with one of my heaviest .177 pellets, and 4 of my 5 shots were almost touching at 20 yards. This is the one I want when I really want to take that squirrel out of that tree! If I'm plinking, I may use something else, but for hunting, I'm coming back to the Kodiaks in this particular gun!
The Gamo Stutzen is 39.5" long, and weighs right at 6.5 lbs. The manual says the trigger pull is near 3.3 lbs, but I don't have a means to measure that at this time. The first stage of the trigger pull is adjustable, though out of the box it is comfortable for field use.
At $360.00 or so at the time of this review, you get a nice gun for your money. The looks are excellent, and with the right ammo, accuracy is delivered quite nicely. You can shoot with visions of yesteryear's marksmen and their fine rifles dancing behind your eyes, knowing that you are keeping the tradition of the Stutzen going with each and every shot.
