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El Gamo 68/68-XP – A futuristic airgun from the past: Part 1

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by B.B. Pelletier


El Gamo 68 is a futuristic breakbarrel from the past.

I told you that the Arkansas airgun show was unique in yesterday’s report. Today, I want to start a report on an airgun I bought at the show. It was on the table next to me throughout the show, and I thought for sure someone would snap it up before I got the money to buy it; but as fate would have it, the gun waited for me until the end of the show. Literally, an hour before it was due to be packed up, I made an offer to reader David Enoch, the gun’s owner, and he accepted. I now own an air rifle that I’ve been wondering about for the past 32 years.

I first noticed the 68-XP (it’s a little hard not to notice!) in the pages of a 1979/1980 Air Rifle Headquarters catalog. I was still in the Army, living at Fort Knox with my young family at the time, so the discretionary funds were too tight to buy many of the things that caught my fancy, but this gun was so odd that I both hated it and wanted to get to know it at the same time.

Note: My gun is clearly marked as a model Gamo 68. A bit of Google searching came up with an old forum posting that the 68-XP was sold only in America, but the same gun was sold in Europe as the 68. If the guns were actually marked 68-XP when they came to the U.S., then mine was made for the European market since it lacks the “XP” initials.

You could tell that the description in the ARH catalog was mostly hype (not really, but I will explain as we go); but there seemed to be a thread of truth that ran through all their tests, and this rifle was reported as being fairly accurate. I already owned a Beeman FWB 124, so I didn’t need aspirin-busting accuracy; but the thought that a $90 spring-piston air rifle that looked like something Buck Rogers carried — but could also be a shooter — was enticing. It was offered only in .177 caliber, of course, because the powerplant was barely up to launching even those light pellets, to say nothing of the much heavier .22s. Of course, things like that never stopped companies like Diana, but El Gamo was a Spanish company that seemed wedded to the smallest caliber.

In those days (around 1979), Spanish airguns were looked upon like Chinese and Turkish airguns are today. We knew the companies were able to make good guns, but they often seemed to lack the willpower to actually do it. So, I considered El Gamo to be a junk brand, and in retrospect I believe that was a serious misjudgment on my part. What they really were was a non-German airgun maker that was building accurate and solid airguns at a time when most of us couldn’t see past Weihrauch, Webley, BSA and Feinwerkbau. And when I say “most of us,” I really mean just me, because there were no airgun magazines on the market (that I knew about), nor had Al Gore invented the internet, yet. It would be another 14 years before I started writing The Airgun Letter and attending airgun shows to discover that others shared my misguided opinions.

Robert Law, the owner of Air Rifle Headquarters, did his best to convince us that El Gamo rifles were good, but he was fighting unreasonable opposition. For some reason, we all (I later learned) believed every word he said about a Weihrauch HW 55 target rifle, but thought the copy about El Gamo was nothing but hype!

He would say things like, “All El Gamo models feature a rifled steel barrel,” which sounded suspiciously similar to “Each Yugo automobile features four perfectly round tires filled to capacity with factory air.” I think that we (I) had chips on our shoulder(s) and were daring Law to be right about anything he said regarding Spanish airguns..

El Gamo?
Before anyone asks, El Gamo used to be the name Gamo used for their company. Sometime in the 1990s (I believe), they dropped the El from the logo.


The crackle finish held up well over time.


El Gamo’s logo is a stylized stag.

The action
The 68/68-XP is based on the model 300 action. ARH sold it as the 300 Target and considered it to be an informal target rifle. They claimed an accuracy of 0.22 inches for 5 shots at 10 meters after their free conditioning, but all 68/68-XPs should shoot about the same after break-in. After they’re accurized, they said the rifle would group in 0.15 inches.

Beeman also sold the model 300, and they gave an accuracy potential of 0.22 inches — so they agreed with ARH. That’s not surprising, since they bought their guns from ARH in the beginning.

The gun is a strange one. It has no true stock, as you can see. What is the stock on most breakbarrels is a cast-aluminum frame on this one. The butt is synthetic — made of two halves screwed together around the cast-aluminum frame.

The trigger has three adjustment screws. Since David Enoch was kind enough to send me the manual, I’ll know how they work when it comes time. At the forward end of the triggerguard is a hole that leads to a large screw that might look like an adjustment screw but actually is the bearing point for the cocking linkage. I’ll pull the action out of the stock to see how this works and maybe why it’s there.


Three trigger adjustment screws are located at the back of the triggerguard. The one screw that’s in front of the trigger seems to adjust the cocking link bearing point.

The little gun feels heavy. It weighs 6 lbs., 2 oz., which isn’t much, but seems like a lot for a carbine whose overall length is only 37 inches. And yet the barrel is 17-9/16 inches long, which helps bring down the cocking effort to just 22 lbs.

The sights are old-school — no nasty fiberoptics to contend with. The rear sight adjusts in both directions, and the front sight is a crisp, wide blade with sharp edges. It fits the rear notch nicely, so you can aim precisely.


The rear sight is adjustable both ways. Though it looks like most modern open sights, it seems crisper than most.


The front sight is exactly what you want in a sporting front sight. Why did they ever change?

The ARH catalog says the gun holds well for offhand shooting, and I saw that when I shot it twice at the Arkansas airgun show. I was surprised when my pellets went into the same hole at 15 yards, because I’m not normally that good offhand. So I hope there’s a real surprise in store for us as far as accuracy is concerned.

There’s a scope rail on this one, so I’ll mount a scope after trying the open sights. They had scoped air rifles back when the gun was new; but they were still in the very early days, when not a lot was known about scoping airguns. Today, I have access to BKL scope rings, which overcome the lack of provisions for a mechanical scope stop.


The butt frame is aluminum, with two-piece synthetic shells that are screwed together.

Bottom line
You can’t buy one of these except as a used airgun, but it has so many of the features that I want to see in every lower-powered spring rifle that I wish it was still being made. If you don’t like the unconventional look of the 67/68-XP I’m testing, the action is identical to the model 300 that comes in a classic wood stock. So, let’s see how El Gamo made themback in the 1970s!

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.
See Full Bio

116 thoughts on “El Gamo 68/68-XP – A futuristic airgun from the past: Part 1”

  1. Glad you identified the logo as a stag… I saw a badly skewed pellet with two puffs of air distortion fading off to the right of the wadcutter pellet head…

  2. B.B., 1976 to 1980 were the main years I got catalogs from ARH and Beeman’s. I remember seeing this rifle as a picture, but I have never seen one in person. I didn’t really want one, but it did have an odd attraction about it. It actually took me a while to drop the “El” from Gamo because El Gamo is what I knew. I had an inexpensive .177 break barrel, my first springer and barrel cocker. I had fun with that one, taking it apart, putting in the new spring from ARH; I also replaced the leather seal. I applied the Moly and the Silicon oil like a pro, and naively enjoyed smoke coming from the barrel (muzzle or breech). After all, the Barakuda used ether, didn’t it?!

    I use openSUSE as my operating system. I managed to break version 11.4 a couple of nights ago. And so I have broken down and installed version 12.1. A nice feature of a Linux distribution is that you can have your home folder in a different partition on the same drive or on a completely different drive. Unlike Windows, you can install or reinstall without touching you files and documents.

    Mint is a better choice for those who aren’t familiar with Linux because Mint has all of the drivers to watch movies and other things that I have to obtain for openSUSE (SUSE is not a word, it stood for
    Software und Systementwicklung originally. Also, know that Linux is a kernel for an OS and is the kernel for the Android OS. Visit http://distrowatch.org and check out the variants of distributions available. Not all are Linux, but most are (over 100). This new version will take some getting used to so I definitely recommend Mint for newbies. It requires a lot less resources than Windows Vista or Windows 7. And if you have Vista you may be looking for a new OS about now 🙂

    Ken

      • RidgeRunner, I went to bed at 05:00 (Central Daylight Saving Time) and got up at 08:30. Because Linux is my primary OS at home it is imperative that I have a well running install of it. Without it I couldn’t read this blog, the my loose connection to airguns. It is important to read this blog.

        ADD is forever.

        Ken

      • I suspect part of the Linux tract was spurred by the comment of having lost mailing addresses with a system change (something that has never hit me through Win95 osr2/Win98 SE/WinXP Home [laptop]/WinXP Pro [desktop]/Win7 Home [laptop]. I’ve always been able to network the new computer to the old one and copy data files across (or install compatible back-up software and retrieve from the back-ups). Only had to set the directory paths for copied files if the drives had changed letters.

        • Wulfraed, the main thing is that you do have a backup. My next move will be to purchase a Terrabyte + USB drive and keep a complete backup of the home folder (directory). The rest can be reinstalled.

          Cheers,
          Ken

          • Only a tera-byte?

            My current back-up drive is a 2TB FireWire drive (I’d check the current amount consumed but I’d have to reboot the computer — this old box doesn’t seem to do hot-swap detection of FireWire drives and the back-up drive normally left powered down). The computer itself has the original 400GB SATA drive (partitioned for OS and user data as separate), a pair of 1TB SATA drives for video editing (source video -> destination video; though I’m two years behind on that operation), and a 1TB FireWire drive external which contains photos from cameras, archived online comics, archived communication records (I still have the “real-time conference” logs from the GEnie Beastie Board days — those were collected when I was running an Amiga before getting a WfW3.11 laptop!)

            Yes — that’s almost 3.5TB of online storage space (partition: total free):
            C: 81GB 43GB
            E: 287GB 143GB (C&E are the partitions of the 400GB drive, which has a hidden recovery partition too)
            F: 931GB 483GB
            G: 931GB 502GB
            H: 931GB 836GB (photos are a lot smaller than video)

    • Les,

      Me, too! The longer I examine it, the more intriguing it becomes.

      I’m now interested in acquiring a relatively unadulterated model 300, which seems like a nice little rifle. Sort of a 1970s Bronco.

      B.B.

  4. BB: I remember seeing this gun advertised in my Dad’s “Shooting Times and Country ” magazine ,which was a weekly British sporting publication that he subscribed to back in the 1970’s. It was carried by the Sussex Armoury ,and if I remember correctly, they dubbed it the “Paratrooper” Wasn’t there a magazine version of this gun also? One of the the Beeman reprints of airgun articles that were printed in various magazines also show a picture this rifle. I have reprint #8720A, reprinted from “Survive ” magazine July/August 1982 ,with an article by Galen Geer. It shows a picture of your Gamo-matic , but only lists it’s specifications and no other information. Interesting little plinker and while I never owned one, it got me interested enough in the concept that I’ve bought three of the similar Chinese plinkers over the years.

  5. I’m one in the minority, I guess, who really likes this style of rifle. I like all the pistol grip style rifles and also the paratrooper style. My regret is that the picture of it in this post is too big to fit on my screen so I have to continually scroll up and down to appreciate it.
    -Chuck

    • Chuck,

      assuming you’re using a Windows OS and not openSUSE or whatever the heck Ken has adopted (darn computer scientists/teachers 🙂 ), you can shrink the text and pictures on your screen by holding down the “ctrl” or control key and hitting the “minus” key. Likewise, you can enlarge objects on your screen by hitting the key with the “+” sign. Ah, you probably know that anyway.

      Fred DPRoNJ

    • Chuck,

      I have to scroll, too. But in Macintosh software I can make the image smaller or larger, so it can fit entirely on screen if I want it to. Doesn’t Windows have a feature like that?

      I make the pictures so large to show the detail, because internet resolution is only 72 dpi.

      B.B.

      • B.B., all desktop systems have similar features that some may deploy better or worse. When Apple released OS X, they became the most used Unix system in the world overnight. What the folks at Apple did was create a great user interface on top of the Unix engine. I give them every credit for that.

        Ken

        • Steve Jobs only came up with the idea for apples products. But he did not design the products. I mean on the inside. “the Brain” That was someone else. I forgot his name.

          • No argument here, Colt. Jobs was a bit of a bully but Apple has been able to get some skilled people with true vision. However, for me, the fact that Apple is a closed system is a bit of a problem. Of course, if Bill Gates and Steve Balmer had their way, the PC systems would be closed as well.

            I wonder what counterparts these guys have in the airgun world.

    • Chuck, you certainly are not alone in liking the styling. I think it is gorgeous and, if I had one, it would spend its off duty time hanging on the wall with a frame around it. So, make that a minority of two.

  6. I have the magazine-fed version of this gun. It’s one of my favorite plinkers, and also quite handy for chasing pests off the feeder, since it’s always loaded. Just grab, cock, and shoot. I first saw one at Roanoke several years ago. That one was a basket case, but I picked it up, and it shouldered and pointed like nothing I’d ever felt before. From that point on, I kept my radar tuned for one. Along the way I managed to pick up an El Gamo Paratrooper, which is similar, but a different gun. The Paratrooper was also magazine fed, but had a folding steel bar rear stock. The grips were green plastic with some rudimentary camo from the factory. My Paratrooper was made by Taurus in Brazil. It had a sling from the factory, and because of the folding stock, it made a nifty carry gun for walking in the woods and plinking at mushrooms and such. I think one of the Enoch brothers has it now. I finally found my 68 at Findlay a couple of years ago. Mine had a bad re-spray of brown paint on the stock sides and pistol grip, so I re-coated the plastic parts with bedliner. It’s not original, but is actually a nice match to the crinkle finish on the frame.

    Both of these guns are remarkably solid feeling. Something about the heft and balance of the 68 makes it an absolute joy to shoot.

    Nice write-up. I think once you get familiar with it, the accuracy will surprise you. It is one of the most comfortable guns I own, and certainly one of the steadiest for off-hand shooting.

  7. Gore and Gamo in the same article? Am I at the right place? 😉

    What an odd looking airgun. Can’t make up my mind whether this was a fanciful attempt to appeal to the buck rogers fans or a serious design that was inspiration for the USFT.

    kevin

    • Odd looking, yes. But remarkably comfortable. The shoulder stock and length of pull are quite long, and it lends itself well to a two-hand pistol hold, with the left hand cupping the bottom of the grip. In fact, the gun feels like a pistol with a shoulder stock, but the long barrel makes it balance perfectly, (and cock easily.) It’s hard to describe, until you’ve actually shouldered one, but they come up, settle in, and point almost instinctively.

  8. What’s to hate about this gun? Looks pretty cool to me–right in the spirit of the IZH 61.

    This must be a sidelever, right? How would a magazine work?

    Wulfraed, what is an LFE channel, and how could you get in trouble for playing a video game in your own home unless it was extremely loud? I thought Michigan was a fairly unrestrictive state.

    Matt61

    • No, it’s a breakbarrel. The magazine-fed guns have a tubular in-line magazine that rides atop the compression tube. There’s a little vertical sliding gate that pops up to accept a single pellet when the gun is broken open, then slides back down in line with the barrel and transfer port when the barrel is closed. Because it’s an in-line magazine, the pellets are nose-to-tail under spring compression, so it’s strictly wadcutters. Although the Peak domes seem to work, because they are so slightly domed.

      Any pellet will work when loaded individually directly into the barrel.

    • LFE — Low Frequency Extension/Effect… The “.1” in “5.1”/”6.1″/”7.1″ surround systems.

      Apparently the game made heavy use of those frequencies, and the floor boards must be carrying them to the adjacent unit (the “townhouse” arrangement is one building set to look like three by offsetting every two units back about five feet).

      Difficulty is that — the surround system has a calibration microphone; you position the microphone at the listening position and it runs a program that verifies each speaker, tweaks the volume up/down by a few dB so that the received volume is the same for all, given a known output power, adjusts the delays so that the sounds are in-phase at the listening position, and even (I believe) runs a bit of an equalization test so the frequencies are at balanced levels at the listening position. There is no readily accessible “bass/treble” adjustment.

      So anything that has a wide spectrum sound (many video games) doesn’t noticeably show up at my routine listening levels as making use of LFE. OTOH: Law&Order and some TV commercials have LFE stuff that happens in relatively silent passages — those really produce an annoying thump (L&O has their motif during “chapter” changes; having the volume up to normal talking level results in some rattles with the motif).

      • I lived in a condo for a while and a new neighbor moved in with a stereo that had a really nice bass amp. I know because the first time he played it I got to hear it through the floor and walls. He asked me once if I could hear his music and I said no I don’t hear the music but I sure can hear your bass. I never heard it again after that. I could not hear any of the actual music except for the bass. It travels paths other frequencies do not.
        -Chuck

  9. Big day.
    I’d say it was the day of St.Dremel the Omnigrinder. I’ve spent some time removing excess metal from the inside of the rear plug to allow installation of safety. You may have seen it in some previous posts – long potato-masher looking piece of steel with a long gutter at the side of it. Now the rear plug looks like a piece of Swiss cheese inhabited by a family of very dedicated mice – channels for main 8-mm pin, 2 6-mm pins that will hold trigger assembly and an off-center 10-mm hole to install safety. And today I grinded down any excess steel inside that long gutter that was in the way of safety working properly. Trouble is that cutter leaves radii and I had to remove radius on one side. A bit hardened steel, but nothing a diamond head cannot cut through. Very loud job 🙂

    No photos yet, as I hope in a few days I’ll be able to show you something a little bit more sufficient that just a plain round piece of metal protruding to the right from the rear part of the “powerplant’s cylinder”.
    Today’s big thing is that for the first time I assembled the powerplant with springs. Weak ones, from Izh-60, but that was just for testing. It works just as planned, but I need to build a longer spring compressor as this time it was all made with hands only. Funny, but comparing future dimensions and power I realize that my project will be almost twice shorter than CFX action with comparable or more power, however its powerplant is about 1.3 times longer that that of CFX. The weight problem still lurks somewhere in darkness nearby. I hope to remain below 6 kg when complete.

    duskwight

  10. I had two when I first saw it I thought it looked awesome and it had lots of power”But it didn’t
    it was pretty mild,but it was one of the first with a military look,like the Crosman and Daisy military
    but sleeker.One model I remember was a repeater that always jammed,the single shot was ok.
    I wish I had them now I haven’t seen one for years.Who knew then about collecting when it wasn’t powerful enough for me I got rid of it,now I won’t get rid of air guns so fast anymore.I think that the
    hobby of collecting and finding gems once in a while is half the fun.I’m addicted now I wonder if the old Benjamin Rocket co2 .22 is around? that was my first pellet gun it used the eight gram co2’s.I think the 2240 and the Benjamin co2 of today are throw backs to the past.But the ELGamo was cool looking and an eye catcher in store displays.

    • NNJM,

      I happen to have a Benjamin Rocket 77 CO2 pistol. Darned if I can remember where or when I got it – another symptom of CRS (Can’t Remember Stuff). These guns do show up at shows upon occasion.

      Fred DPRoNJ

  11. I think the front of the trigger guard provides a safer and more comfortable place to rest the trigger finger until the shot is to be taken.I like that. BB,This certainly isn’t the first time you’ve bashed fiber optic sights,and I’m willing to beleive a whole lot of people share your sentiments.So how do we effect a change?Can we start a petition people could sign and then present it to the R&D,and or the Marketing Division of the leaking airgun manufacturers and get them to change?-Tin Can Man-

    • TCM,

      I’m afraid we can’t do anything about it. The average airgun buyer is a new shooter who isn’t aware of the problems fiberoptics bring. To him they seem great. Look at all the firearms that are getting them these days.

      Like velocity, fiberoptic sights sell guns.

      B.B.

      • I will paint over mine when I get parts for my Quest. I have been waiting from crosman for two months already. *sigh* That was not my favorite gun anyway…

  12. The El Gamo appears to be in good shape.
    I need to hit up some airgun shows.
    Would you happen to know of any around Columbus, Ohio?
    I like buying old airguns at antique shows, if I can convince the seller
    that the item needs work and get it cheaper.
    I recently picked up a Marksman 1750, dated about 1990
    It was a real gun gun for about 100 shots, until it stopped working.
    Any idea how to get a plastic Marksman apart?

    Thanks for your great online presence. I enjoy your articles

  14. BB,.
    I have el gamo 68,.very accurate shoot in 20 m with sight open.
    My gamo have serial number F 42104, would you give information when this air gun made…

    Thanks.

  15. Dear Mr. Pelletier,

    Your review of the El Gamo 68 is interesting and timely. I am tickled to see that its mechanics and sights are identical to my lovely old El Gamo Expo, a birthday gift from my father some 35 years ago. It remains, after all these years, dead on accurate.

    However, the trigger has always been a rather ponderous affair. The trigger is retained by a single spring and, from day one, it has tilted to the left, so that there is always a bit of reaching for it. I have tried releasing the spring and gently bending it over, but this does not work. There is some lateral drift to the trigger, so I can gently pull it closer to center before squeezing, for a more comfortable and precise release.

    Can you recommend a solution, or direct me to a shop that can resolve this once and for all? I am not averse to purchasing a new trigger assembly, if that is an option. It may be a good time to have it serviced, since this has never been done.

    Your intelligence on this will be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you, Steven

    • Steven,

      Older El Gamo triggers are much better than what they make today. That’s what many shooters don’t realize.

      The way to move your trigger blade is with shims at its base, where the fulcrum pin passes through the trigger blade. That will probably require partial disassembly of the trigger, which is often not easy to work on, so consider that before you start.

      B.B.

    • Colt,

      El Gamo is the same as the current Gamo company. They dropped the “El” in their name. They’re an old Spanish company that was family-owned until a few years ago, when they sold it to a holding company.

      Edith

  17. G’day all! Just bought a ElGamo model 68 so I can shoot in my shed. Gave away my old Gamo expo to friends son then realised my other air rifles were way to powerful for the little shed. This air rifle is extremely accurate and the kids aren’t afraid of the noise. What a great plastic fantastic hahahah

  18. Hi guys,

    I’m new to pages like this but i bought a set of 9 air rifles two years ago. They were supposed to be broken, that’s why I got them all nine, with three scopes for just 45 bucks. But when I tested them, I was surprised to find out my very own model 68 still fired. however, it didn’t even have enough power to penetrate a wooden board at about 8 yards. so my question is, is my rifle not functioning well, or is this weapon just not very powerfull?

    by the way, does anyone know what this weapon in good condition is worth?

    thanks 🙂

    • Sam,

      I gave the velocity of the test rifle in Part 2 of this report. See it here:

      /blog/2012/05/el-gamo-68-68-xp-a-futuristic-airgun-from-the-past-part-2/

      To tell you the value we need a complete description of the condition. The one in this report sold for $100.

      B.B.

    • “wooden board” isn’t the most meaningful test.

      1/2″ thick hobby balsa wood?

      1×4″ fence slat made from random pine…

      2×8″ teak stolen from the deck of the USS Constitution…

      Wadcutter pellet?

      Hollow point…

      round-nose/dome…

      pointed…

      Not very helpful, I know… I’ve never obtained a selection of wood for penetration tests… Now — using a layer of duct-seal putty… My CO2 gun barely puts the head of the pellet below the putty surface, which is also about where the single pump pneumatics (target models) leave pellets. My spring guns bury the pellets flush with the putty (and hollow points start to spread out). The PCPs go deep (and three shots from a rest on the same aim point stacks the pellets up such that the last shot pushes the stack out the back of the trap).

  19. i live in the uk i bought this rifle, a few days ago for fifteen pounds. the chamber inside the spring barrel which holds the trigger was seized, on inspection the chamber top had sheared and the bolt holding the rubber bent. this is because it was made with no damping for noise or spring recoil. well, you can see what happened, the constant release of the shim meant it took a hammering, and it had a weird finish, with an insert rather than a solid head for the rubber and screw. after i knocked it out with a screwdriver, i got the whole thing welded and filed down, ive fitted it and im glad to say it now works.
    i think the people who made it were nuts, the spring barrel and the pellet barrel weigh a ton. they should have produced them with half the weight, or nearer a third less. the barrel is too long for the stock and its no pleasure using it. the block holding the barrel dips which makes you think it wont fire straight. absolutely rubbish sights,
    for something which youd expect to kill at 12 yds, why not just put a simple sight on it. the paint jobs poor as well, aluminium chips easy. disapointing buy

  20. I am still in possession of an ‘El gamo’ target pistol. Unfortunately my youngest son got hold of it when very young and dropped it. The result was damage to the back sight being broken so badly it was not repairable. I do not know where to go to have it repaired/or to obtain a replacement rear sight block.

  22. I have the exact model, except mine is stamped “Bryant” with the same logo. It has been in my closet for years. I need to repair it, but was kind of leary with disassembly. You mentioned that you also received a manual for the gun. Could I talk you out of a copy of that? I would reimburse you for any expenses, of course.

  24. i have an original manual for the gamatic by elgamo
    it is exactly same as for the single shot elgamo but has a magazine feed on top

    even has the trigger adjustments
    be glad to send anyone a copy
    bob donchez
    wb3hyb@rcn.com

  25. picked up a good working sample of this (0.177) at a clearance sale last weekend for a few quids, and a scrounge of the spares box found out I have another barrel which fits the same rifle in .22!

  26. This gun was known to us in the UK as the Paratrooper. I had one Meany years ago and I regret ed selling it for a long time But only a few weeks ago found another with the magazine option that allowed you to load 25 .177 pellets and load them one at a time just by breaking the barrel. The Paratrooper came in two basic versions MK1 had an extended part to the grip that gave you a handhold forward of the trigger guard and MK2 was like the one in your article. Another nice bit of kit was a magazine loader that came in boxes of four they were plastic tubes containing 25 .177 EL Gamo pellets and had a red plastic stopper to stop the pellets falling out. Only last week I found an English dealer with some of the loaders in stock so i bought some boxes as one to try and two to keep. One other thing was the gun did come in .22 but I cant remember if it was the MK1 or MK2 or both.

  29. Hi I just bought one of these gun but mine has a scoop someone put on it’s not in bad shape u can tell it’s been used some now I don t collect guns but to buy some of the other stuff they had I had to take the two pellet guns. The other a crosman 1400 Was hoping u could tell me a price or close to one of what it might be worth Ty

  34. Hi I have a El Gamo 68 & i’m having some trouble with it. when I want to load the air rifle it will not coc & then just springs back into its normal position It breaks but then will not lock in its break position. I think it not catching on something. Any info & help will be much appreciated

    • Lee,

      Your trigger is improperly adjusted. This is Part 1 of a 6-part report on the gun.

      /blog/2013/01/el-gamo-68-68-xp-a-futuristic-airgun-from-the-past-part-6/

      I address how to adjust the trigger in Part 2.

      /blog/2012/05/el-gamo-68-68-xp-a-futuristic-airgun-from-the-past-part-2/

      B.B.

      • Thanks for the info, I’ve just noticed I have none of the 4 screws for the trigger adjust, they must have come loose at some stage. Any Idea what size/diameter/length they have to be? as I’ll have to find some replacement screws.

          • Ye i think it would be very hard to find original parts for this Air Rifle as they are quite rare now. But as it’s just the screws thats missing I’m sure I can find some replacement screws. Also I’m from across the pond “Uk” but thanks for trying to find me some contacts.

        • Lee, sometime over the next few days I’ll try to dig into mine and see what those screws look like, with dimensions and thread pitch. I should be able to get to it by the end of the weekend.

          One way or another, I’m sure they can be reconstructed if replacements aren’t available.

          • Cheers Vince much appreciated. Ye I’m sure I can find some replacement screws for it, just need to know what size they are then I can have a root in my shed & my tool boxes to find some that will fit haha. I’ll wait for your reply on the screws Vince, thanks for the help.

  35. Lee, here is a picture of the screws (forward most screw to the left). I believe the middle one only serves as a lock for the other two… when you tighten it down it partially flattens out that other piece you see above it which then binds the shanks of the other two screws.

    You might not be able to find direct replacements, but making them from standard screws shouldn’t be overly difficult.

    All threads are M4x.7, unthreaded portion of shank is 3mm. All screw heads are slotted.

    The other dimensions are (from left to right):

    Length of thread: 9, 10, and 14mm
    Head diameter: 5, 7, 5mm
    Overall Length (shank portion, NOT including screw head): 12.6, 10, 29mm
    # turns in from installation: 5, 8, 10

    http://s644.photobucket.com/user/vfblovesnancy/media/Saiga/68screws_zps8be145b3.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

  36. Happy New Year everybody. I’ve just found this forum while trying to find out things about my ASI Paratrooper .22″ break-action rifle.
    I bought it new many years ago and it still shoots hard and straight. (That is when I point it straight)
    Due to failing eyesight (I’m 82) I have recently fitted a ‘scope sight, which has helped me sent four rats to that great rats’ nest in the sky over the last two months.
    Has anyone got any thoughts about me changing this for a CO2 rifle of similar power? The advertisements speak highly of them, but I’d welcome an opinion from a user.
    Regards,
    David

    • David,

      Welcome to the blog. You have posted a comment to a report that’s almost 3 years old. Hardly anyone will see it other than me.

      To speak to out over-50,000 readers, come to the current blog. You don’t need to stay on-topic.

      /blog//

      B.B.

  37. I recently found a 22 air rifle in the attic of my new house it’s a break barrel with a picture of a stag and el Gamo written next to it serial number is 197082 can anyone shed some light on how old and if the rifle was or still is a good gun to own thanks for your time

    • Fran,

      Welcome to the blog.

      The name El Gamo was shortened to just Gamo around 1990, so that tells you the rough age of your airgun. I take it your rifle is conventional looking and not as wild as the gun at the top of this page?

      If so, here is another El Gamo review I did. Maybe you have one of these?

      /blog/2014/06/el-gamo-300-part-3/

      Your gun is probably in shooting condition. Tell me about it and I will talk you through getting it shooting again.

      B.B.

      • Thanks for your reply and congratulations on your tenth year my gun is still firing ive got to realigne the sights though their is a screw that conpresses a spring that moves the trigger it is still well oiled and sounds and feels smooth when cocking it someone has spray painted the whole barrel and done a really bad job revarnishing it in dark oak as you can see the original varnish underneath which i believe was walnut hope this is of any help

        • Fran,

          Well, the rifle must be from the 1960s or ’70s. I never knew they used walnut in their stocks, but they may have.

          I have some old catalogs from that time with El Gamo models in them if you can pick up a model number or name somewhere on the rifle.

          B.B.

  39. Hello,
    I came upon this site while browsing and thinking about my life when I was around sixteen years old. As it happens I was into air rifles (Milbro G23-177 cal. and G25-22 cal. I then came across the El Gamo guns made by ASI when you could buy the Commando/Sniperand paratrooper versions. I still have my paratrooper 177 cal.repeater that was purchased around 1970 I think and I was able to purchase some new parts consisting of
    a mainspring/compression washer a magazine tube around the year 1990. It is still a nice old toy to this day.

  40. Edit: To my post above.
    It was around 2001 and not1990 I was able to purchase the spare parts for the rifle so it just goes to show if a thing is made well the spares will be available

  42. Hello

    I have recently acquired a gamo 68 breakbarrel rifle “Made in Brazil” in fairly good shape, nothing is missing that I can tell other than the adjustment for the sight has been broken but it still shoots very well for it’s age. . I must say I don’t know much about it is the reason I come here is to ask if anyone had an idea of what I might have ..?

    Thanks

    • John,

      Welcome to the blog.

      Gamo also made the same range of guns in Brazil, so you have a real El Gamo 68. It was made in both .177 and .22 calibers.

      Oil the piston seal through the air transfer port located behind the barrel. You can see it when the rifle is broken open. About 5 drops of household oil will be good.

      B.B.

  43. Great article, thank you.

    I’m fairly new to airguns, has a Webley nemesis an a tempest for years but recently brought a few rifles.

    I’ve a Hatsan m60s, a mk1 BSA meteor and a weihrach hk97kt blackline. Love all three for different reasons.

    Going to see a paratrooper next week,. Be a nice addition to my collection.

    It’s gets addictive real fast!

    Rick.

  44. Richardwales,

    Welcome to the blog.

    I was at an airgun show yesterday and passed on a Mark I Meteor. I wish I had bought it now. I’d like to compare it to the Super Meteor Mark IV that I had and reported on:

    /blog//?s=meteor&btnGo=

    I have a second 68XP in .22 caliber that I have been holding back for a couple years. Gonna start looking at it soon.

    B.B.

    • Hi Tom an Edith.

      I collected the paratrooper yesterday, it’s in fair condition an complete. The rear sight had had a knock, an is damaged it has the odd dent etc as expected for its age. Some surface rust, but nothing horrific.

      It came with an old Webley sight an mounts an some vintage pellets. I used new air arms Diabolos, but they seem too slim an just drop in too easy. Luckily I have a fair collection of older pellets like eley wasps that are a better fit.

      I don’t have a chronograph, but it’s putting out more than my meteor but less than my Hatsan 60s. It’s pretty quiet too, considering there’s no moderator.

      I test fired a dozen or so pellets an was happy so I took her home. Unfortunately, it seems to have an issue when cocking, I’m sure you know what i mean. It can take a few attempts before it cocks, something isn’t catching inside I think.

      So anyway I now have a project, I’ll start cleaning it at weekend, an post pictures if your interested?

      I took the two wooden panels off the butt, looks better that way. It’s a great rifle, an definitely a keeper.

      Thanks for the great info.

      Rick.

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