When I was little, I remember watching birds eat from feeders that my grandmother had in a silver birch outside her window in Northwestern CT. She had suet feeders, sunflower seed feeders and thistle feeders to attract finches. Last Christmas I asked my mother for a bird feeder and she gave me a nice feeder that claimed to be squirrel proof. I don't believe that too many feeders are in fact squirrel proof and expected the squirrels to get at the seed somehow. After a year of use and the feeder being in the elements of rain and snow, the squirrels have taken advantage of the weakened spring mechanism within the feeder. We have three super fat squirrels and one "in shape" squirrel. The fittest squirrel has figured out that if he hangs upside-down from the feeder he does not compress the spring that closes his window of food. This same bushy tailed rodent pulls the food out of the feeder so it falls to the ground feeding his damn friends as well. As if they needed anymore to eat.
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| Photo Credit: Jim Martin, Ohio Department of Natural Resources |
Amongst my errands this past weekend, I went to a local greenhouse and feed store to pickup a Christmas wreath, more seed (because I'm a sucker) and to look at more advanced squirrel proof bird feeders. I was shocked by the prices of these types of feeders, ranging from just over $100 dollars to $150+. After staring at 5 price tags in this range for far too long, I left without a feeder and decided to make a alternative purchase. A pellet gun. I had owned a pellet gun when I was sixteen because my mom wouldn't get one for me and at the time I figured out that I could make the purchase myself. After leaving for college my two younger brothers used the gun and unfortunately had left it outside in the rain for several weeks. That gun was a Daisy with a scope and I had it dialed in, I have always enjoyed shooting and being accurate. I went to Cabela's in East Hartford to navigate through the Christmas mob scene to purchase a new air rifle. In the store was a rack of air rifles store-goers could handle along with their included scopes. Aside from the people pointing the guns at other people, it was a nice setup to be able to hold and feel out each item. For somewhat of an impulsive buy, I was looking for a wooden stock air rifle to get more of a classic look and feel. After holding a few wooden stock rifles, I did not want one due to how incredibly heavy they were. They felt around 17lbs although I did not check to see for sure, and who am I to judge that weight as I only catch small fish. I ended up purchasing the Gamo Hornet which had some nice "extras". It has a black synthetic stock, a "good" weight at 6.1 lbs, includes a fixed magnification scope at 4x32, 18" barrel, and 43.3inches overall. It is a single pump, barrel break and fires at 1,000fps with lead and 1,200fps with Gamo's PBA rounds (which are lighter and harder than lead but 100 are the same price as 500 in lead). To take the recoil out the Hornet is also equipped with a rubber cushion on the stock. The air rifle also features an adjustable 2 stage trigger and manual safety. The barrel is fluted for a sharp look.
So I bought it, brought it home and my wife was in the middle of hosting a Christmas cookie swap. Which is not an appropriate time to start shooting at targets or anything in general. My friend and fishing partner Evan came over later to help me test it out. First impression is that this is almost as loud as a .22 cal subsonic shot. Which for me translates to powerful and impressive. The cocking mechanism requires 30lbs of force but easily pulls down and loads during this time. It is far better than having to pump repeatedly; just one and done. I spent maybe half an hour to get the shots consistent enough at 80' distance within an inch circle.
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| Home made target on yellow index card shows the shots nicely |
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| Gamo Hornet in cocked position |
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| I chose this ammo because it was made for high accuracy |
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| Rounds were going through 4 layers of cardboard and 1/4" plywood. |
My impression of this air rifle after two days & approximately 100 rounds shot is that it is impressive for a gun in the 100-150 dollar range. It is loud and I would not recommend it when neighbors are close or not keen on the idea of any gun. The scope is nice, I personally would prefer a variable zoom scope. If upgrading make sure to research whether the scope is rated for reverse recoil of the air rifle. The rear scope mount has a little "foot" that fits into a hole to keep it in place if the mount screws loosen. I would like to reiterate that this is my first impression of the rifle, I am impressed but will update after my use increases. I have a couple video ideas in mind for this. Happy shooting! As always see you on the water (with a rod).
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| Exit hole(front)/entry hole(back) |
