By Dennis Johnson, M.D., Ph.D. and Carolyn Johnson, RN
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- We made a stalwart effort to survey the latest air gun technology at this year’s SHOT Show. After frequenting the myriad of vendors GAMO caught our eye.
We were taken with the new GAMO Magnum Mach 1 Rifle and put ourselves on the waiting list for early delivery. We were impressed with the newly engineered break – barrel gas piston with Inert Gas Technology.
GAMO Magnum Mach 1 Rifle
The 33mm pneumatic chamber compresses air sufficient to propel pellets over a scorching 1650 fps for .177 cal ammo. As a youth, my pump style .22 cal pellet gun barely cracked 500 fps with 10 pumps.
We took particular notice of GAMO’s Proshot ID System that makes assigning ammo to gun foolproof.
Matching the color on the gun stock gasket with that on the pellet package lid maximizes the users weapon performance:
- Red ensures an accurate, high velocity combo best suited for small nuisance rodents and everyday recreational shooting.
- Green emphasizes accuracy with high impact and penetration ideal for intermediate sized pests including squirrels, rabbits and competition shooting.
- Blue designates the ultimate level of performance. We used both red and green loads for our testing and dispatching the vermin pests common to our ranch.
The exquisitely designed all-weather synthetic stock and butt shock absorber readily disperses recoil. The Custom Action Trigger System allows independent adjustment of the first and second resistance stages to less than 3 lbs.
We tested this rifle on our ranch for over 3 months. Sighting in at 25 yards with iron sights gave consistent one inch groupings for 10 shots. The crisp, clean, adjustable trigger pull make firing the weapon user friendly.
Precision rifling of the steel barrel made pellets pierce the air with accurate trajectory.
- The rear notched sight accommodates windage and elevation with ease.
- The rifle is easily operated and reliable.
I’m old school and prefer iron sights but found the AO scope, included with the rifle improved accuracy at greater distances.
- The 40mm focusable objective 3-9X magnification was incredibly easy to securely mount on the recoil-resistant rails.
- The scope allowed reproducible accuracy up to 100 yards on breezy summer days.
- The gun is solidly built and endures the routine daily abuse of ranch life.
The gun took a tumble from my 4-wheeler while in hot pursuit of a stray dog. After dislodging the debris, the gun performed flawlessly and the coated optics and shock-proof scope remained steadfast on the rails.
- The hitting power of this rifle is awesome.
One shot humanely dispatches squirrels and rabbits. I found the weapon particularly utile for picking off rats that were attracted to our chicken coop.
We enthusiastically recommend this air rifle for target shooting and pest control. It is a pleasure to shoot and a valuable and dependable tool on the ranch.
GAMO Magnum Mach 1 Rifle Specifications
Specifications:
- Max Velocity: 1650 fps in 0.177 caliber & 1300 fps in .22 caliber
- Muzzle Energy: 26.6 lbs
- Loudness: 2 Low to Medium
- Barrel Length: 21.3″ (rifled)
- Action: Break-barrel
- IGT Mach 1 gas piston (Inert Gas Technology)
- Overall Length: 48.0″
- All-weather ambidextrous thumb hole stock with black rubber inserts on grip, forearm and cheek piece
- Shot Capacity: 1
- Cocking Effort: 40 lbs.
- Automatic cocking safety system
- Fiber Optic Front & Rear Sights
- 11 mm Scope Recoil Reducing Rail (99.9 percent reductions)
- 3-9×40 AO Airgun scope
- Two-Stage Adjustable Trigger
- Trigger Pull: 3.2 lbs
- SWA (Shock Wave Absorber) Recoil Pad (74 percent recoil reduction)
- Weight: 6.88 lbs
- Five-year limited warranty
About Jim and Mary Clary:
Jim and Mary Clary have co-authored over three hundred and fifty articles, (and counting) on shooting and hunting. You can read many of them on AmmoLand News.