Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Air Guns Metallurgical quality on Spanish Gamos and Chinese airguns?

I might get another springer down the road, the Chinese barrel breaks and the Gamos are sure cheaper than the German guns. I currently have an RWS 34 and have owned many airguns over the years.

Back in the 1990's I purchased several Chinese airguns and while they did work the steel was soft, and roughly finished. I know that Spanish guns (firearms) have been soft for 100 years. Was at my local gun shop yesterday and boy they improved the fit and finish on the Chinese guns. From what little reading on the other website chat rooms they say that the Chinese guns are sloppy in quality, a real hit and miss deal and that you may have to tweak the guns, I don't mind doing some hobby work but would like to know if the barrel link pins and other areas will hold up like the German guns?

At one time Chinese tools were either brittle or soft, but the new ones seem much better and I think the Chinese are getting away from that failed Communist attitude that emphasis's quantity over quality. What has been the experience of the more recent stuff from Crosman and Stoeger, etc?

Gamo is a popular type, and that muzzle break that is supposed to quiet them down is tempting. The last I read on them was that they had poor customer service and bad triggers, but that was around 10 years ago. How are the Gamos?

Thanks.

There's a reason they're cheaper. Against my better judgment I bought a Chinese Crosman NP for the nephews to use when they visited. Terrible trigger made it difficult to hit with and after about 250 rounds the cocking arms bent. I straightened them and they lasted a few more rounds before they bent again. Returned it to Crosman and it was replaced but after a weekend of shooting that one, the gas ram called it quits. Returned again and it was replaced, but that one still sits in the unopened box. Only thing good I can say is that Crosman replaced it, twice. Stay with the English and German springers, IMO you're money ahead in the long run.

ditto that

You guys are right, in the long run you are better off with good quality anything. tmitch...that hassle of having to ship those guns back must have gotten really annoying. My local UPS station has naive clerks and I always have to go through the "We can't ship guns" line. Actually black powder and airguns can be shipped via. UPS, but every time I do it we have to go through a learning process for them.

With airguns I think there are two camps, serious regular shooters like myself who target shoot/hunt on a regular basis with pellet guns and need something that will last. And the other type of people who consider them toys and don't want to spend much money on a pellet gun. And they have occasional backyard pests, so a few shots a year is enough for them. The cheap guns must be for those types.

I once worked at a sporting goods store that sold guns. Despite carrying the RWS line, in every sale except for one we sold the cheapies. The buyers said they "had squirrels to get rid of".

I currently have 2 cheap airguns, a Crosman 2100 and a Daisy 901. I did not pay much for them, and they do fit my needs. Not sure if I will rebuild the Daisy when it finally goes bad. The Crosman has too much looseness with the barrel in the receiver, and this affects accuracy, will throw it out when it goes bad. I would never have an attitude like that with an RWS rifle.

HE112,

No, Spanish firearms are not "soft." They have a long history of making very fine steel and fine guns. There were some cheap shotguns turned out in the years after WWII that were made out of softer steel, but that was an anomaly. There have been similarly "soft" guns made in the U.S. as well, by many companies.

Mule Deer...there have been several good articles on the softness of Spanish guns, The American Rifleman magazine, and others did some stuff on that. This is why you don't see Spanish guns around much, they don't hold up, all their pistol makers are belly up.

In W.W. 1 the French were desperate for handguns and bought lots of them from the Spanish, but all the parts had to be made extra heavy as the steel was soft. I wonder if this is part of the Hispanic culture as the guns made in South America are also soft, ask anyone who has purchased Taurus, Ruby or Rossi. I think they make them that way as it saves on the wear and tear of the cutting tools when they make them. Problem is I won't buy guns made in those countries.

All that means is that SOME Spanish manufacturers have chosen to use softer steels--just as SOME other firearms manufacturers around the world have chosen to use softer steels. It doesn't have anything to do with the quality of Spanish steel in general.

If you are serious about air rifles at all, do yourself a favor and buy a Beeman R-9. The difference in quality from that gun to any of the cheapo Spanish/Japanese etc. break barrels is night and day. The R-9 is a very nice step up over your 34. It's going to run you $400+ but will be worth every penny. There is a reason this rifle has been an industry standard for so many years........and you can still get ammo for these!

centershot...Good advice, I have heard only good comments on the R-9, seems it is the gold standard. The price tag is stiff though, however I do think about getting one on a regular basis. Which is a better purchase the R-7 or R-9?

Eventually I want to tune my RWS 34, I doubt I even have 1,000 rounds through it and have heard that is what you need to do before you can really judge its capability. Right now I will stay away from the Chinese guns as I have owned enough of them and the German to know there are major differences, although my Chinese experience was quite awhile ago.

Depends on what you are doing with the rifle. For targets and plinking the R7 is awesome. Smooth, accurate, easy to shoot and just a great fun rifle - just not very powerful. The R9 has most of the attributes of the R7 but packs a serious punch. Cocking effort and recoil is a bit higher but there is an absolute power difference. If hunting is in your future (especially rabbit size critters) then the R9 .22 cal is the gun you want. I eventually sold my R7 as I did not shoot it enough to justify both - and when I go out I like the extra power of the R9.

Tuning your 34 will run you about $200 if you do it or $300 if you have someone else do it. Put that toward an R9 and be done with it.

FWIW my air gunning started with a Feinwerkbau 124 30 years ago. That one was stolen from my truck. Then I picked up a RWS 460, shot it a while, went to a M34, then the R7, then another M34, then the R9 and am finally satisfied. All those rifles are quite nice but the R9 just has the power, accuracy and quality that makes me smile every time I get it out. I also have a Benjamin something that is about 35 years old that is also a great gun but pumping gets old quickly.

centershot...Looks like you and I have both had experience teach us what works and does not, I think I will put the R-9 on my list to get down the road. I prefer powerful airguns as I often shoot at 50 yards for target and do my share of hunting.

I have also been thinking of the RWS 350 magnum, when I was deciding between the 34 and the 350 I felt the 34 was more tame, easier for my uses, but a more powerful air gun could see use with me.

I agree with the others. Stick with the German guns. The R9 is a dandy little rifle. I've killed quite a few pests with one.

The 34 is a good gun, but if you're talking 50 yard hunting, the RWS 350 has the edge. It's heavier, harder to cock, louder, etc, but it's a true magnum airgun and they're no free rides with spring powered airguns. I have one in 22 that's packs all the power I'd ever need in an airgun.

All this talk about air rifles has me thinking about another R7 - I just looked around a bit and they are out of stock everywhere. Probably a good thing!

I've only had one gamo, a target pistol. The steel is fine, the problem I had was with the plastic, the frame cracked right through the trigger group and I doubt I had more than a few thousand rounds through it. It was a very accurate pistol.

The Chinese guns are generally copies of German designs, but poorly made.

I would like to try one of the new American "assembled" Benjamin Trail NP2s when they come out in June. Pre production reviews sound good.

10-4 A guy at work bought a Ruger (M-34 Copy)looks the part but has no where near the quality and accuracy of the real thing. I let him borrow my R7 for a while, he was impressed to say the least. With nice springers, getting what you pay for has never been more true. A nice quality R7 or similar can be an heirloom, a cheap one does not even make a good boat paddle(or anchor).

"The Chinese guns are generally copies of German designs, but poorly made." But maybe good enough. Our Shanghai Air Rifle Company underlever, yes that one, has been with us going on 30 years. I just replaced the breech seal (scrap leather) for the second time, nothing else.

I have two Gamo pellet guns. Both were $99 ish. They are very reliable and one has worked for 10+ years. The older one has a HORRIBLE trigger; creepy and 9# pull. The newer one is much easier to shoot but both are barely minute of pigeon guns. I am going to get a precharged style to keep the grackles and doves in check. They eat a large portion of my chicken feed!

Certainly depends on what your doing with them. To spend R9 money on a rifle to be left in the barn would be a shame.

No, by the back door. A quiet gun is paramount.