Gamo Recon Combo Scoped Rifle - A Great Value

I had the opportunity recently to test out a few air rifles that have been available for some time. Without having a PAL, I was legally limited to the under 495FPS set, which is really all I need, since I don't hunt and as a result, I don't need the additional firepower. Both rifles that I tried use standard .177 calibre lead pellets. Both are fairly entry level rifles.

I tried the Crosman Quest first (500 model). Not bad, but a bit too much of a heavy trigger. Seemed kind of heavy as well. Plus, I did not really like the wood stock. Cocking effort is not bad (most air rifles are break-barrel, which means that you literally pull the front of the barrel downward in order to build the air pressure in the rifle), and accuracy is OK. Sometimes, the pellets jammed in the Quest, so it wasn't a 100% good experience.

What I really liked was the Gamo Recon Combo. It's called a combo because it comes with a mountable scope (don't have the specs with me, but I believe it was an entry level 4 x 20). Now, Gamo is a Spanish company, and for whatever reason, people either like their guns or hate their guns. I think it's more the pistols that are on the crappier side, but I was impressed with the Recon Combo. I found it to be a slightly lighter rifle (around 4.5 pounds, compared to the Quest at between 5.5 - 6 pounds - and then there was the Hammerli 490C which was a whopping 8lbs.), and a a result, a shorter rifle, so it feels good in the hands of someone who is not that tall, and is asthetically pleasing to the eye as well (especially with the thumb holes in the stock). The trigger pull is of reasonable weight, and accuracy is really good, given the price of the unit - you do need to adjust your windage and elevation to get the rifle to shoot decently - once you set it, though, you can be assured of decent shots. The only downside is that the scope is pretty cheap and not that great quality (can't expect much else for the price), but at least it's included. The only other problem is that it appears to be pretty picky with the pellets. While it's true that most guns have their own preference (based on manufacturing, etc.) on what pellets it likes, this rifle seems to be extremely picky and that a change of pellet brand may cause some major differences in where the groups land, not to mention, causing constant adjustments to the scope. Of course, that is fixed by just using the same kind of pellets (find what you want that works) and getting a totally different scope (RWS, Bushnell).

The rifle does have several safety features including anti-bear trap locking mechanisms - it's not a big deal anyway, since the cocking effort you can do pretty easily. It has a manual safety as well as a trigger safety. It has a tactical look with a thumbhole in the stock for comfort and ease. It has a rifled bull barrel, and has an all-weather synthetic finish. Yes, there are some plastic parts, but that's OK. I haven't had a chance to chrony this thing yet, but since the box has 525FPS and the PAL limit is under 500, I'll assume it's 495FPS or thereabouts.