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Gamo TC45

SHOT Show 2018: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

  • Gamo
  • Big bores?
  • Daisy
  • Gamo Urban
  • Winchester big bores
  • Diana
  • Umarex USA
  • Cowboy Lever Action
  • Single action
  • But wait…
  • And the show goes on…

We’re back at it today. I’ll start with Gamo

Gamo

Gamo is the one company that never gives me any information about their products. A few years ago their VP of sales was very helpful, but in the last 20 years of attending the SHOT Show, that was the only time anyone helped me. So I just read the signs and try to make sense of it.

Big bores?

Gamo has a line of big bore airguns this year. They look like Bizarro copies of AirForce guns — where the size and shape are similar but nothing is quite the same. These single shots are called the TC 35 and TC 45, indicating their calibers. They have carbon fiber air reservoirs that serve as the butt of the rifle.

Gamo TC45
Gamo’s TC 35 (.357 at the top) and TC 45 are similar in appearance to the AirForce Texan and TexanSS rifles. Sorry about the photo, but the guns were under glass.

In the .45 caliber they claim 406 foot-pounds when using a 350 grains “pellet” which is a bullet by another name. They also claim this rifle gets up to 900 f.p.s., but they don’t mention the projectile that does it.

Going with the Bizarro theme, they also offer sound suppression that resembles the AirForce TexanSS model. I doubt very much if we will see very many of these, as there is too much competition in this sector of the market.

Daisy

There was nothing new in the Daisy portion of the Gamo booth. A large wall mural of the Red Ryder character told me they are banking on that single product to sustain the line. Daisy hasn’t attended the SHOT Show in many years, so the Gamo display was at least an attempt to keep the name in front of the market.

Gamo Urban

I was really interested in the Gamo Urban, as it is a price point PCP (sub $300 with lots of features) that fits into the 2018 theme for airguns. Of course it’s not brand new, having been offered for sale since late last year, but the Urban is a significant rifle that I do need to test for you. I had hoped to learn something new about it, but the display was identical to what you can read on the Pyramyd AIR website.

Gamo Urban
Gamo Urban.

Winchester big bores

When Gamo acquired Daisy they also got the Winchester brand, and this year they showed two Winchester big bores. They are also .35 and .45 caliber and also inside glass cases that make photography difficult.

Winchester big bores
Winchester big bores.

These are conventional looking sidelever repeating rifles that aren’t bad looking. No one was available for comment, so I can’t tell you anything about them, and I don’t know if we will see them for sale later this year.

Diana

I usually give you news about Diana airguns in the Umarex USA report, and I will do that, but I also visited the Diana booth in the German pavilion, just to see if there was anything interesting. Then, as luck would have it, I had dinner with the Diana sales manager and with one of their engineers — the man who designed the K98 Mauser rifle that I tested for you! So I know a LOT more than I can say here. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
You know how I have praised what Diana has been doing in the last few years? Well, in their booth I saw some guns they are wanting to bring out. One is a CO2 pistol that looks like Crosman’s 2240. I think it was designed to compete with it.

Diana pistol
Diana C02 pistols designed to go after Crosman’s 2240. This one has a wood grip, but the production grip will be synthetic. Picture taken through glass.

Umarex USA

I covered the Umarex Hammer big bore rifle and the Gauntlet on my Media Day At The Range report. But there was more in their booth.

Cowboy Lever Action

The Cowboy Lever Action is a 10-shot lever action BB gun that’s powered by 2 CO2 cartridges in the butt. Unlike the pellet-firing /product/legends-cowboy-lever-action-co2-bb-air-rifle?m=4566, the butt of this rifle is the same size as the one on the 1894 Winchester carbine.
Cowboy Lever ActionCowboy Lever Action.

Cowboy Lever Action loading
Loading Cowboy Lever Action.

I watched them load and then lever the cartridges through the action, and feeding was smooth. I’m thinking this gun and one of the new single actions will really popularize Cowboy Action Shooting with airguns.

Single Action

Speaking of the old thumb buster, I saw the new Ace in the Hole Shopkeeper or Sheriff’s model in the Umarex booth. It sports a worn finish and a 3-1/2-inch barrel with extractor rod, which is correct for the model. I can’t wait to try both of these BB guns with the new Dust Devil BBs!

Ace in the Hole
The Ace in the Hole shopkeeper’s single action is available now.

But wait…

 

There’s more! I was shown two spring piston air rifles called the Diana 3400 and the Diana 3500. Both are similar in size and appearance, but the 3400 has a coiled steel mainspring, while the 3500 has a gas spring. So far not such a big deal, but when you learn that these rifles are both assembled in Ft. Smith Arkansas from parts obtained from Germany, you begin to see the big picture.
Diana 3400
Diana 3400 will be assembled in the U.S.

Diana 3500
Diana 3500 looks like the 3400, but it has a gas spring.

Finally there is the new Diana Skyhawk bullpup PCP. I don’t know a lot about it yet, but it’s now on my radar.

Diana Skyhawk
Diana Skyhawk bullpup comes with a wood or synthetic stock. Now you know all that I know about it.

And the show goes on…

There is so much more to see! I will show you the next part tomorrow, then give you a break on Monday with another historical article. But there is a lot more to come!

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.
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143 thoughts on “SHOT Show 2018: Part 3”

      • B.B.,

        I’ve been looking for one of their S400 single stroke pneumatic pistols in .177 (have on in .22 already) for a few years now. That’s probably my Great White Whale.

        Hey, no Colt SAA 4.75 inch? ;8^|

        Michael

          • The question as to the 4 /3/4 inch barrel not being offered is why?The Ace in the Hole has been out longer than my outdoor furniture, I have two of them . Umarex should come out with a nickel plated 3 1/2 Peacemaker / Storekeeper model , that is the one that has an ejector rod ,Sheriff models don’t. Umarex should also offer some of the models they offer in Europe like the high polish blue 7 1/2 inch Peacemaker. Not offering the 1894 in pellet version is a mistake , but I see no reason why you cannot use the pellet shells with alloy pellets. You can use lead but you will see more leading than you do in a rifled version. That M1 Carbine , I am guessing not M2 select fire, looks great , is the stock wood? An M1 A wood stock pellet rifle would be unbelievable

                • Michaelr,

                  I think it will be late this year, if then. The airsoft version exists now, so that’s what they will sell. How long to convert to BB and get into production is anyone’s guess, but the fall at the earliest. That’s my guess.

                  B.B.

                    • Michaelr,

                      The shortbarrel Schofields and Webleys are my all-time favorite revolvers. (And revolvers are my all-time favorite gun, so . . . .)

                      “1894 in pellet version is a mistake . . . .”

                      I completely agree.

                      “. . . But I see no reason why you cannot use the pellet shells with alloy pellets.”

                      One would need to make certain the barrel is large enough. I was surprised to find that the BB versions of the Nagant revolvers are .175, and pellets will not make it into the cone, not even a little.

                      Michael

        • Umarex does have a new 7.5 inch Fort Smith Bicentennial Colt Peacemaker with faux wood grips and what appears to be a weathered finish. They’re available now at Umarex.com exclusively.

  3. B.B.

    I do not understand Diana’s reasoning. First they bring out the 340 N-Tec in many different trim levels. Then they bring out the 350 N-Tec, now the 3500. How is the 3400 different from the 34? Are any of the parts interchangeable?
    Will German Diana’s be marketed differently than US Diana’s, Chinese Diana’s.

    Very confused,

    Yogi

      • BB,

        Were you able to question the Diana folks about the quality issues that are being encountered in their china made stormrider endeaver. You can tell them for me that they have not lived up to the quality control oversight that they promised when they released this product.

        • Halfstep,

          I had a lengthy talk with Diana about quality, design and what people want. They have not received the volume of complaints on that rifle that they need to trigger action. The Stormrider meets all their specifications and is selling well worldwide.

          As consumers we will have to vote with our pocketbooks. But they are aware of the concerns. They do care, but we are talking about a huge system that takes a long time to make major changes.

          B.B.

          • BB,

            Perhaps I was expecting too much. It is, after all, a $200 PCP, but the reviews on the pre production guns were so good compared to my production gun’s performance that I can’t help but feel deceived a little.

            Thanks for responding. That question was almost rhetorical in case they were monitoring your blog.

            In all fairness, (and as a Libra I think that’s supposed to be my niche ) I have to say as a beginning airgunner in the mid 80s I probably would have been thrilled with the stormrider’s performance for the $200 equivalent price in 1985 money compared to how hard it was to get the same accuracy from the higher quality and higher priced springers that I spent my dough on back then. But I would have been just as angry if the guns back then spit bits of plastic out of the barrel and the loading mechanism broke off within a tin of pellets.

            I guess it’s a $200 gun. No more and no less.

  4. B.B.,

    You are giving the impression that this SHOT seems to be more packed than the previous ones with regards to upcoming innovations in the airgun market. I hope this trend continues.

    Siraniko

    PS: Section Gamo: “Gamo is the one company that never gives me any information about their products. A few years ago their VP of sales was very helpful, but in the last 20 years of attending rthe (the) SHOT Show, that was the only time anyone helped me. So I just rerad (read) the signs and try to make sense of it.

  5. B.B.,

    Shame on Gamo. No people to answer the “big dog’s” questions is not right. Interesting on the 3 Diana entities. It is tuff to keep up with who is associated with/owns what anymore. I am not so sure the associating the Diana name with Chinese imports is in their best interest. Time will tell. Maybe a Diana “offered” budget friendly alternative,.. but maybe under a different brand.

    Fine report and looking forwards to more. You will need at least a day home to let it all sink in and begin organizing your thoughts for further reports/blogs.

    Have fun and take care,… Chris

    • Chris ,
      Ok testing the strength of my spinner arms was an epic fail. Not the spinner arms but my method, I guess ft lbs of torque isn’t the applied energy i need to measure. I’m thinking I need to use moment of inertia as the metric, problem is I don’t know how to figure that. So I think what I will do next is hang weights from the vise clamped spinner and weigh however much it takes to bend the arm.
      One positive is my welds appear to be more than strong enough so that the spinner arm will bend before the weld fails.
      Carl

      • Coduece,

        Chairgun from Hawke will tell you all you need to know (fpe at X distance) if you know the fps at near muzzle (with a chrony). .22 M-rod sounds good.

        Simple as that. Hit the paddles, hit the bearing,.. move in till it fails. then you can bust out the data backed bragging rights,… ooooh yea! 😉

        • Chris,
          Ok that sounds awesome I feel like I have the basics of ChairGun down but I’m not sure, so we can compare results that will be great. I was thinking I would set my Chrony at the spinner instead of using muzzle velocity what do you think ?

          • Coduece,

            Not Chris but ChairGun is an accurate representation of real world pellet math, that said using your Chrony at the spinner would be even more accurate, provided you don’t shoot your Chrony.

            Compare Chrony results with ChairGun and they come out mostly similar.

            Mike

            • Mike,
              Thanks, I think Chris crash’s pretty early so I appreciate the advice. I’m gonna be shooting at 10 yards so more than likely the Chrony is safe, “more than likely “ said that before.
              Carl

                • Mike,

                  I could do that, but there is no need. Plus, I can not post pics. You sound as if you know Chairgun, so you know that it is all Coduece needs.

                  Note:
                  1) test being done (target hit, bearing hit, etc.)
                  2) pellet used
                  3) yardage
                  4) fps at muzzle (a springer fps would be known and not vary, a PCP will vary a bit based on fill and shot count. So a chrony at test time may or may not be needed. Fps must be known, but a previously chronied shot string would suffice for #’s to plug into Chairgun)

          • Coduece,

            The basics are all you need. Just pick a generic Diabolo pellet profile, pellet weight, known muzzle velocity at (near) muzzle and yardage (range 0-20 yards say) and that is it. The rest of the data input does not matter. The screen can be selected to show graph/data, graph only, data only. The data only screen will give you the FPE at incremental yardages 5,10, 15, 20 etc..

            I would not put the chrony at target. To get that accurate, you need 2 chronys, 1 at muzzle and 1 at target. Chairgun does all the calculating for you. If you already know what the M-rod muzzle velocity is as it is set up now, you do not even need to get your chrony out.

            I will be out from 8 am until around 3 pm today (Fri.). After that, I am here all weekend. And yes, I do crash early but am also up a 2:45 am every work day. I work 4 tens, so my F,S,S are my weekend. Friday tends to be almost another work day with helping out my elderly parents and shopping though.

            An (fpe at target #) is what you are after. That is something that you can promote.

            Catch me on the weekend blog.

      • Coduece,

        Before I said that, I should have asked first if you are familiar with Chairgun? If not, I can help. If you have a chrony, give me the pellet weight, the fps at near muzzle and the range, and I can figure what fpe you are hitting the target with.

        If you do not have a chrony, you can use some stock data from other stock M-rods. Either way, hits from an air gun is the data you are after. FPE at target bragging rights is all that matters. Imagine 0% damage from a .25 M-rod at 10 feet? It may just be what you have,.. at least at the paddle areas.

        Let me know if you have any questions.

    • Chris
      To clarify my testing problem the spinner arm bent with a very low torque reading but when I just push on the arm with the palm of my hand I can tell it takes more force than what I’m reading on my torque wrench scale.
      Carl

      • Coduece,

        I thought Chris’s concern was what would happen if the outer race of the bearing took a single or series of direct hits. Would it dent it to a point that the the bearing would no longer spin or not spin as well.

        If I am mistaken about that then I’ll say that it is the question that I would like answered.

        The sketch that I posted to you here recently was my thoughts on a way to protect the bearing without too much cost, if it even needed the extra protection.

        It wouldn’t be the first time that I thought I knew what was goin’ on and didn’t actually have a clue. 🙂

        • Halfstep
          Ok yes tomorrow I’m taking off at 8 hrs and plan to shoot the skate wheel. I have 17 GR. JSB pellets and out of my Marauder they should be well over twenty ftlbs at 10 yards. I will post pics. I was curious how much it would take to bend the arms or break the welds doesn’t really seem to be a concern now, it was the welds I was most worried about and how they sometimes fracture at the edge of the weld and parent metal. I have bent the arms back and forth many times with no failure so that’s good for me.
          Carl

          • Coduece,

            And those arms are free to move with the pellet impact. ( Hey, the whole principle behind a spinner target, now that I think about it.) If you can’t break ’em off locked in a vise I don’t think they’re going to break off in use. The center of the bearing can’t move and all the force of the pellet will be dumping into the steel with none of it vectoring at an angle of any kind. My prediction, based on all the conveyor bearings/ skate wheels that I’ve worked with throughout my career, is that a lead pellet will do no harm. It’s always good to know for certain, though, especially if your good name is at stake.

            Good luck tomorrow with your test. I don’t think you have any worries.

            • Halfstep,

              At some point, the arm will (bend) under an impact. It takes X of force to get the paddle weight moving. That will be the initial force that will bend it. Not unlike pushing a heavy cart,… much harder at first and less so after it is motion and has some momentum.

      • Coduece
        You are not measuring the torque or effort it takes to bend the arm correctly. If you cannot place the head of the wrench directly on top of the bolt or nut you are torqueing or measuring and use the wrench like you show in the picture it must be oriented at a 90 degree angle to the point of rotation to get the correct torque reading. So if you rotate the your wrench to a 90 degrees to the flat arm then apply force with the wrench it will be correct. You can try moving the point you measure the flat bar at closer to the weld point to see the differences and test the weld itself by moving it up against the weld as close as possible.

        The way you are measuring now it is just increasing the leverage you have on the flat bar. It results in a much lower torque figure than it will at a 90 degree angle to the bar.

        Hope this helps.

        BD

        • BD,
          Yes your right as soon as I put the torque wrench on I realized the err of my ways , with 18 inch’s of lever on a piece of 1/2 “ by 1/8” it was obvious that a good reading was impossible. Thanks for the thoughts.

          • Coduece

            Glad to help. You would likely do better with an inch pound wrench versus the big ft/lb wrench in the pic. The metal arm should not be that hard to bend statically like your test, but as you have seen when its free to rotate it can withstand much more energy dynamically per your design.

            Pretty cool reactive targets.

            BD

  6. BB,

    As Scott pointed out, the Gamo big bores are Evanix Rex FA (.45) and BA (.35) rifles. The Winchester rifles are also Evanix, I think the Blizzard.

    It seems that many of the well known air rifle manufacturers are teaming up with Asian manufacturers to bring new models in. This also helps the Asians to get a better foothold in the market. At least some of the Asians have learned that price is not the only consideration when dealing in the US market. We want quality also.

  7. Being that these new or rebranded big bore PCP’s have the Gamo name on them, I think the question is will they be for sale in the big box stores where we find other Gamo items? If so, they need to offer a fill device there also.
    Gerald

    • Gerald,

      Agree with your comment that “fill devices” are needed.

      Been saying for a while that the PCP market and specifically the entry level PCP market is being restricted because of the lack of reasonably priced HPA compressors.

      $300 HPA compressors are readily available – if you are ready to purchase them directly from China. I would have thought that some company would have started importing them and selling them at a reasonable price to support their PCP products.

      B.B. mentioned there were HPA compressors at the show, I’m curious about the price-point and if they will be available in the big box stores.

      Hank

      • Hank
        Other than the compressor direct from China the others all look to be in the $1000+ range. The retailers would move more product offering the Hatsan budget hand pump that could retail for $99 that B.B. pictured yesterday. I think that some of those people would get a compressor later when they know more about PCP airgunning. It is a tuff sell when the accessory costs more than the primary item.
        Gerald

          • Gunfun1
            I read your comment and learned that there is a marketer in the U.S.A. from it. The person looking at an airgun at a retailer would probably not know that. The retailer must assume that they only know what they see on the shelf. If I can’t take it out of the box and play with it right away then do I really want it.
            A while back I gave Cabelas hell about selling an airgun and not stocking the 88 gram CO2 cartridges that were needed to run it. I’m just saying that they need to have the complete package available at the point of sale.
            Gerald

        • Gerald,

          Yeah, its a tuff sell when the accessory costs more than the primary item – you have to be pretty serious about PCPs to make the step to a HPA compressor.

          Still, if you are supplying HPA to a couple of members of a shooting family or a group of friends then the cost of a compressor can be divided among a small group of people.

          What is really needed is a small fill-station – ideally a portable dual power (12 VDC and 115 VAC) one. Never mind a big, powerful compressor to fill a large capacity tank at high speed. Just a small reservoir (2 liters?) and an attached compressor with a limit switch to keep the reservoir topped up. If you top of the 300 cc reservoir your rifle – say from 1800 up to 3000 psi once every 5 minutes, you really don’t need much of a compressor to keep up with that kind of demand. Could be simple, small and cheap. (don’t you love arm-chair engineers – experts on everything eh? 🙂 )

          I am a serious shooter and decided to go whole-hog. The dive shop where I filled my scuba tank was 10 minutes from work so it quite convenient. Now that I am retired I don’t commute to the city and it would be a 200 km round trip and most of the morning to get a fill.

          Didn’t take me long to justify a HPA compressor. There is not a lot of choice here in Canada so I ended up buying a AirVenturi from PyramydAir (through a local distributor). Real pleased with it.

          Because I no longer have to worry about my air source I am doing a lot more shooting – figure it will pay itself off soon enough 🙂

          Hank

      • Hank
        There are US sellers that have them in stock. And they only take 2-7 days to get if you live in the states.

        I got mine in 4 days from someone selling them in California. And I live in the St.Louis Mo. area.

        So they are out there. You just have to look.

        • GF1,

          Good that you didn’t have to deal direct with China – that is always an iffy thing.

          Out of curiosity, I will check to see if there are any available locally.

          Hank

          • Hank
            Yep no way in the world would I order direct from China. I already seen what happened when the place I use to work at had China machine some parts for the company. All kinds of wrong things can go on.

      • Hank,

        Part of why compressors sold in the US are more expensive is the liability issue, IMHO. If a Chinese compressor ruptures and takes off the right side of your face, good luck trying to be made whole in court. A US company can’t do business that way. The guy running the company could end up being personally responsible for your injury here. And adult employees require more pay than children do.

        Now a $100 hand pump, on the other hand, that could get folks of all ages into PCP airgunning. I have used a hand pump that did cost more than that and may perform much better than a $100 one, I can’t really speak to that, but I do know that I enjoy shooting all my PCPs, hand pumped, way more than I do any of my multipumps. The PCPs shoot more accurately and hit harder. Once you get them filled the first time, refilling them is only 2 or 3 pumps per shot to get REAL high powered performance. And with a hand pump, if you’re doing it right, you’re usin’ your gut ( body weight ) more than your upper body strength. I lose interest in my multi pumps pretty quick any more.

        These are opinions and are worth exactly what the paper they are printed on are. 😉

      • So have I. They are fast handling and very accurate, about as accurate as the 5 1/2 barrel. The question is why show it as a New for 2018 model when it has been out for over 6 months the year before? The answer unfortunately, is you have nothing else to show in Old West Revolvers. They should have, by now, had 4 3/4 barrels revolvers, and since they have the tooling for the 3 1/2 barrel, offer a true Colt branded 3 1/2 barrel nickel with true Peacemaker sights. The Ace is basically an over run of a limited movie gun. Could do a bright blue with true Peacemaker sights and call it the Gambler. A lot of potential. Who dares wins.

    • Michael,

      Like you I would like to see the Legends Cowboy Lever Action as a pellet shooter. I said as much to B.B. yesterday. This was his response.

      “There is no way the Legends Cowboy lever action will be made in pellet. They already make the Walther lever action rifle.”

      Because I already have the Walther Lever Action pellet rifle, I will go ahead and buy this Cowboy Lever Action BB rifle.

      I agree with you about that Ace-In-The-Hole. I’ve got one too. Lots of fun with that one!

    • Michael,
      I agree about the loading gate that is super cool, it one reason I’ve not bought a Henry lever rifle as they load into the tube. I agree with B.B. ‘s comment yesterday about these products making c.a.s a possibility, what is missing is a double barrel shotgun. I have been thinking for a while now about the possibility of using precharged cartridges ala Air Ordinance to fit in a 12 gauge double barrel that could shoot a 410 size load.

  10. The Diana CO2 pistol looks like it could be sweet. Even if it’s a synthetic grip, if it’s like the wooden one shown, that’d be cool.

    Not cool that Gamo isn’t doing much with Daisy, but maybe stuff behind the scenes? Would love to see Daisy come out with a pistol version of the 499, have 5 meter target bb pistol competitions. Nearly everyone can find someplace to shoot bbs at 5 meters- 10 meters can be tougher.

    Seeing them come out with Winchester big bore air rifles makes me wonder if there will be an “air rifleman’s rifle” at some point.

    The lever gun with a loading gate? That’s something that could sell. Thanks for posting all the pics.

    • Kookla,
      I was very disappointed that Gamo hasn’t done anything with Daisy. I was hoping they would put new life in it. Maybe they will listen and do just that. Daisy has way too much history and have had some good products, just to let them live off a $30 Red Ryder. 🙁

      Doc

  11. Everyone,

    I can see that we need a blog about the difference in doing business wholesale and retail. What looks like a simple decision to a buyer — carry this item — can be a $50,000 investment for a wholesaler — or more, depending on the product.

    The SHOT Show is a wholesale trade show where buyers from small and large stores are making major purchase decisions that will affect their business for the next year. You are looking at it as if the things I’m showing you already exist. Many of the items I have shown don’t even function yet! Some are more than a year away from coming to market.They are prototypes and even mockups that aren’t real — yet we are talking as if they are.

    No reputable fim will buy a product from a supplier that they know cannot be supported with parts and service. A $300 compressor that cannot be fixed when it dies is a costly doorstop. That doesn’t mean that all inexpensive things are junk, but so many are that the buyers at SHOT have to tread carefully.

    I see that I’m starting to write that report, so I will stop here, but I will write a longer more thorough discussion.

    B.B.

    • B.B.,

      As you know the road to bankruptcy is littered with well-intentioned folks who knew their exceptionally fine product like the back of their hand but had never even heard the phrase “business plan,” much less wrote one. My Intro to Marketing professor announced to the class at the very start, “Build a better mousetrap and the world won’t care. Build any kind of mousetrap, better or worse, but have an excellent business plan, and you might just create a decent little profit.”

      Airgun Tailor made an excellent product, but yesterday I checked in on the maker of that excellent product you wrote about just four months ago. Now their website is shut down and they have no web presence I can find.

      /blog/2017/09/the-defender-super-carbon-fiber-tank-carrier/

      Michael

        • B.B.,

          Are you sure? All the link does is connect to a HostMonster place-holding page with no content other than paid-for links to various businesses, many having nothing to do airguns. There is no Airgun Tailor content there.

          Michael

                • B.B.,

                  Thanks but that’s O.K. I’ve changed my mind and will go with a local guy who does very good work and already has a pattern for just about every guitar amplifier ever made. I do need to make sure he is still in business, however! Making a go of any small business is a tough road to hoe.

                  If I change my mind back again or if he’s defunct, I’ll ask if you have the contact info.

                  Michael

                  • B.B.,

                    I now poked around Airgun Tailor’s Facebook page just out of curiosity, and the last word/post from him on it was from Sept. 29, 2017 and two weeks ago a third party tried to get a response from him and nothing there so far.

                    Again, a tough road to hoe, even if you do everything right.

                    Michael

            • B.B.,

              I CCleaned my cache and it’s still the same page.

              I reread your The Defender report because I was considering ordering a custom padded cover for a guitar amplifier and his work looked sooo well done.

              By the way, sharp watch in that one photo. The bracelet looks Omega, but the dial looks like a vintage Seiko Speed-Timer Chronograph.

              Michael

      • The Airgun Tailor website has been updated to use WordPress on 03/24/2018 (so far it’s just a blank template). The Facebook page is also stagnant, and if he’s only doing a tank bag here and there due to low demand it all makes sense, the day job has to pay the bills. I sent him a Facebook message, we’ll see where it goes.

        As a side note, I won’t buy a GAMO product knowing that New York thugs (my term) are ripping off (my opinion) an American businessman (AirForce founder John McCaslin). I bought an AirForce Texan from PyramydAir–support those who support you.

  12. I wonder why Gamo don’t give you info on their products etc. Not a good decision by them at all. I wonder if there’s been a staff change in their marketing/media-liaison department, or something.

      • BB,

        After your comment, I looked Gamo’s history up and found the following:

        “Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherill & Co (BRS), a New York-based investment fund, acquires 100% of GAMO Outdoor with the idea of implementing an ambitious plan for growth and international expansion”

        So, judging by that, BRS sounds like an entity that likely has little passion for airguns, but lots of passion for making money. A very cold, corporate affair (only speculation on my part, of course).

        Still, when they see sense, I predict they’ll approach you etc.

        • Chris of England,

          My heart is with you, but my head understands that air gun manufacturers who are passion-motivated are one or two man operations. Business decisions must be informed by sound practices and proven business models (profit motive) instead of putting passion above profit. That’s the difference between a business and a hobby.

          Michael

          • Michael,

            Yes, mate. In business, profit is the goal. But, I personally think that a company – or group of persons – that takes over an air rifle brand should be passionate about air rifles.

            If it’s all just business and profit, shortcuts etc are made and the product ends up inferior and made in China or something.

            • Passion and profit motive are not mutually exclusive, but you are incorrect that a company is a group of people. A company is a business. Businesses are in the business of making money, otherwise they are charitable non-profits or soon defunct. Companies have fiduciary responsibilities and obligations to their employees and investors.

              Make excellent product, but also make a profit, or you won’t make anything for very long.

              Michael

            • Maybe if the top executives didn’t take such exorbitant salaries out of the company there would be enough money to made a quality product at a decent profit, as well as pay their employees a good wage. Many of these kings of the corporate world make ten times more than the president of the US.

  13. I’ve never been able to get a handle on Gamo. Except for their CFX which set the world on fire years ago, their products seem like somewhat shady bottomfeeders of dubious quality. I am mystified by the cartridge feeding lever gun. Are you supposed to place one bb on top of each cartridge like an airsoft rifle I had? Also, I don’t see the big picture with German parts manufactured in Arkansas. It seems like they would be simpler to assemble in Germany. The show goes on…

    I want to send out a big thank you to Kevin for telling me how to sno-seal my boots. The other day I was sloshing through puddles with my paratrooper boots and remained completely dry. It was awesome.

    Matt61

  16. Speaking of the Colt SAA. I just watched an episode of the Lone Ranger to see how they handled their pistols.
    To my surprise when he and Tonto confronted two bad guys that were only a few feet in front of them both drew their SAA’s and held them at their hip, uncocked.
    Both had their thumbs on the top strap in a rather loose grip, not on the hammer, and never actually cocked the hammer while holding them at bay.
    I thought that was a little risky pointing an empty chamber at them but in a flash that pistol was cocked and fired when needed with the same hand. It looked like they cocked the hammer with the web area of their thumbs as the thumb slid over the grip back strap. It was fired just a little above the hip after cocking.

    Anyone know if it was standard procedure back then to only cock the hammer when you wanted to fire instead of being in eminent danger? Or was it just a pain to return it to the empty chamber again if not needed?
    I never really ended up with a good tight grip after I cocked it that way, in a rush to fire.
    A good grip on a cocked pistol seems a bit more preferable.

    • Bob M,

      Don’t know about the real thing with real gunfighters, but I do know more than a little about the film industry. Early 20th century double-action Colts were often prop-mastered into looking like SAAs (on camera, which doesn’t take much), and the guns were often fired double-action from the first shot after the gun cleared leather. That would often be DA for all eight or nine or eleven shots per cylinder. Without reloading.

      Hollywood has the best SAAs Kevin Costner’s in Free Range was practically a mini Uzi. He rapid-fired a dozen or so shots from a single cylinder. He also never missed once in the whole movie, if memory serves. A lot of folks don’t realize Free Range was a comedy.

      Michael

      • Michael
        Never figured Hollywood would be that high tech back then. Thought they just fired blanks and never really bothered to show reloading. I realized coins shot out of the air were a bit of a stretch and found out they used birdshot a lot for trick shots like Annie Oakley did.

        Did a little research and SAA’s really should only be cocked when on target, but they actually were on target. Probably should do a bit more research on shootouts in the old west.

        • Bob,

          In the 1953 movie “Winchester ’73” The coin that was shot out of the air by Jimmy Stewart was actually shot by Winchester trick shooter, Herb Parsons. No fakery, other than camera angle to conceal the real shooter. I have seen footage that shows him shooting. And he didn’t need a second take, although I’m sure they took several takes for insurance.

          B.B.

        • Bob M and B.B.,

          B and C Westerns paid little attention to realism, but A Westerns, Free Range notwithstanding, usually paid attention to six or five shots only from a cylinder. Perhaps the best example is High Noon (1952). Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) prepares for the gunfight by methodically loading three Colt Peacemakers (can’t remember the third, but one is a 5 1/2 incher and another a 4 3/4). He puts one in his holster and tucks the other two in his gunbelt. He reloads several times, and I believe once is during a lull when he loads an empty while the other still has a few rounds in it. But yep, DA in the old westerns.

          Probably the most realistic western is McCabe and Mrs. Miller, both in terms of gunplay and especially actual life in an old west (albeit Northwest) mining town, although it wouldn’t satisfy the average John Wayne or Spaghetti Western fan.

          Michael

          • Michael,
            I must take a look at them 2 westerns if I can find ‘em. I have seen High Noon, but through kid’s eyes. Ain’t never seen McCabe and Mrs Miller tho. My favorite of all time is the classic the Good the Bad and the Ugly. Check it out to see the switching between the percussion and the conversion Remington.

            • Ton,

              I love The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly! I didn’t notice the switching between percussion and conversion. I wonder why they did that. That was Lee Van Cleef with the Rem, wasn’t it? The Remington New Model (IMO the coolest percussion revolver) was used in far too few Westerns. The Outlaw Josey Wales and Pale Rider come to mind, but not too many others.

              They are both among the very best films ever made, but McCabe is very slowly paced and many would not consider it a Western. It is an incredible masterpiece, but a long and atmospheric one. If one understands at the start of watching it that it is not a “shoot-em-up,” he will be OK and probably not disappointed. Both movies save the fireworks for near the end.

              Oh, and I goofed above. It’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller (NOT McCabe AND Mrs. Miller).

              Michael

    • Bob,

      I just thought of a technique for the Lone Ranger. He could load all six chambers, draw the revolver, and simply karate-chop the uncocked hammer. ;^) William Shatner proved time and again on Star Trek that one can suck in his gut and karate-chop simultaneously, so Clayton Moore would be A.-O.K. ;^)

      Michael

  17. Question regarding the “comments RSS” feed. If I am logged into the site and I click on a link in the comments feed, I always end up at a comment other than the one I clicked on. Now if I log out of site and then click on a link in the comments feed, I go directly to the comment I clicked on…which is the one I want to go to. I have tried clearing the cache in my browser but that made on difference. Kind of strange how that works.

    • George,

      To me it is hit or miss on being logged on, I believe it is an issue with the site and not something resolvable from your end, just one of those things we must live with.

      Workaround, remain logged off till you find the need to comment.

      Mike

      • Mike,

        I believe it was you that suggested logging off to make the comments load correctly. Thanks for suggesting that because otherwise it is very frustrating to follow the comments.

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