Gamo's Hunter Extreme
The Gamo Hunter Extreme is aptly named.....it is indeed an extreme airgun meant for the adult shooter. Let's take a look at this powerhouse from GamoUSA, Inc.
The Hunter Extreme is a big rifle, with a length of 48.5". The stock is solid and hefty, giving this air rifle the feel of a much bigger firearm. It weighs 9lbs. or more, but balances well. The shroud over the barrel adds a little extra length to the barrel, giving the shooter more leverage to cock the gun. And you will need the leverage! This baby needs nearly 60 lbs. of cocking effort, and I use two hands to ensure I don't accidentally let go of the barrel when cocking. With as strong a spring as this gun has, the results of the barrel snapping shut under full spring power could be disastrous to the well being of the gun, and the shooter! So be careful, and use two hands.
Now, looking at the gun, you will see a nice stock with pressed checkering in strategic places such as the handgrip area immediately behind the trigger, and on the forearm.
This airgun comes equipped with a 3-9x50 Illuminated reticle with the center dot at the junction of the crosshairs. I found this scope to work just fine on this gun, but be sure that when you open up the package and take the gun out to shoot it, you first tighten down all the screws on the scope rings and scope base, and also check the stock screws to ensure that the gun is firmly in place in the stock. These areas are the major contributors to inaccurate shooting right out of the box.
The trigger group on the Hunter Extreme is all metal, with the safety inside the trigger guard just in front of the trigger. It is convenient and works well, and is a snap to disengage when your target is ready to be shot.
The trigger is somewhat stiff at around 4 lbs. according to the spec sheet. It does have an adjustable second stage, but for this review I left everything in factory condition. One complaint I have about the Gamo trigger is that if you aren't used to it, you can pinch yourself with it since the trigger blade sweeps up when you squeeze the trigger. This is true of almost all of Gamo's spring-piston guns that come to mind.
On the receiver you will find the velocity ratings printed on the metal. They claim 1250 with lead ammo (the lightest available), and 1650 with Gamo's PBA ammo, an ultralight round developed by Gamo to increase velocity. While shooting the Hunter Extreme, I tried Gamo Hunter, Gamo Match, Chinese Domes, Gamo PBA, and Crosman Premier pellets. It was an extremely cloudy day, and my chronograph was giving me intermittent readings due to the cloud cover and sun. However, I did get a pic of this chrony reading shooting an 8.3 gr lead pellet:
I was unable to get a chrony reading of the PBA ammo, but have no doubt that it was in the 1500-1600 fps range. Since the lighter pellets were breaking the sound barrier, these shots sounded like I was shooting a .22 rimfire in my backyard. Good thing I live on the edge of town and have understanding neighbors!
The accuracy tests I performed were done under less-than-ideal conditions. There was a 15 mph crosswind, and the temperature was in the low 30's. Shivering doesn't help my accuracy any at all, and with the previously noted crosswind, I kept the range down to about 18-20 yards for this quick test.
Surprisingly to me, the PBA ammo was the most accurate at the tested range. This hasn't been my experience in the past, but I try and report it like it happens. The Crosman Premiers weren't anything to write home about, but the Chinese domes delivered the second best group in the crosswind I was having to deal with during testing.
Next is a pic of the Chinese dome target.
The Gamo Hunter Extreme represents the upper range of power that is currently available in spring-piston airguns. With that extra power comes some conditions that the shooter must realize beforehand. There is recoil, though not unmanageable. The secret is to learn how the gun likes to be held. Since every shooter is different, each shooter will need to experiment with different holds to determine how to get the best accuracy from their gun. You will also need to try different types of ammo in order to find the best round for your gun. Don't be surprised if your gun likes the cheaper ammo....enjoy the savings! But do try several different kinds.
Next, get used to this gun. It is big, long, and requires some sincere effort to cock it. It's built big for big, adult shooters. This gun is not a candidate for the first time airgun shooter, or the young or smaller-stature shooters.
For a hunter, this gun represents a very good option for taking game up to the size of a fox, though I would tend to use a larger caliber such as a .22 with this powerplant. Rabbits and squirrels aren't going to like you very much if you hunt them with this gun, since a well-placed shot from you will signal their rapid demise.
Here is a full list of the specifications of this gun:
- Velocity: 1600 feet per second (fps) with PBA, 1250 fps with Lead
- Single Shot
- Break Barrel: Single Cocking System
- Automatic Cocking Safety system
- Barrel: Jacketed steel bull barrel
- Cocking Effort: 58 lbs
- Trigger: Second Stage adjustable
- Manual Safety
- Accuracy: TBA
- Trigger Pull: 3.74 lbs
- Barrel Lenght: 18 in
- Stock: Fine selected grade of beech hardwood
- Butt Plate: Ventilated rubber pad for recoil absorption
- Cheekpiece: Raised Montecarlo
- Checkering: Laser Engraved
- Scope Ramp: Raised Rail
- Scope: 3-9x50 Illuminated center Mil dot Reticle
- One piece solid mount
- Weight: 9 lbs
- Length: 48.5’’
- Ammunition: Any .177 Pellet
- Caliber: .177
