The Gamo Whisper series – especially the Gamo Wildcat Whisper in .177 – is a popular line. It features IGT, or an Inert Gas Technology gas piston, that boosts muzzle velocities (up to 1,300 FPS in the .177 Wildcat, which is pretty impressive), minimizes vibration, and reduces piston wear for greater longevity. In addition, these air rifles feature a smooth cocking design that requires less cocking effort than many other break-barrel airguns as well as an automatic cocking safety system.
The Gamo Whisper Wildcat is also a handsome, sleek-looking air gun, and with so many states allowing the use of small-caliber air guns to harvest small game and dispatch trapped animals, they’re becoming more popular. This is even more true when you factor in the fact that you can get a tin of several hundred .177 caliber pellets for like ten dollars in most places where you won’t even find rimfire ammo on the shelves.
It’s not just the fact that .177 pellets are cheaper than rimfire ammo. They’re quieter, too, which can be a real bonus when still hunting wary game like squirrels and rabbits that may not give you a follow-up chance if you miss.
So it’s no surprise that air gun sales are strong and likely to continue to grow. But to the chagrin of many a first-time airgun owner, the rifles don’t deliver expected groups from the factory. Sighting in airguns presents different difficulties from sighting in other firearms.
Fortunately, airguns like the Gamo Whisper Wildcat have one big thing going for them. The IGT piston that serves as the heart of the platform is less likely to throw off your groups than a model with a spring-powered pneumatic cylinder – both affectionately and pejoratively known as springers by airgun shooters.
If you can’t even get on paper, the first thing you need to do is use a laser boresight and do a quick optic or sight check. Before you start shooting, you need to make sure that the intended point of impact should line up with the point of aim. Also, airguns bump and rattle a lot when you shoot them. Make sure the scope rings and mounts are tight enough so that they don’t move at all between shots.
Another thing you need to make sure you do is to shoot the same ammo, every time. All airgun ammo (like all ammo, period) is manufactured to different specifications and tolerances. When you’re sighting in, shoot the same ammo, and keep shooting that when you’re plinking, competing, or hunting. In all seriousness, shooting new airgun ammo may deliver such inconsistent groups that you need to sight in the rifle all over again.
There are two more things you need to know about: stock hardware and barrel tension. The one you can check yourself, the second you may want to outsource to a gunsmith.
Airguns bounce around and vibrate a lot. Over time, this can make the screws that secure the barrel and piston to the stock come loose. Even a very small amount of play in the hardware can throw off your groups significantly. Tighten the hardware and your groups may shrink.
Finally, all break-barrel airguns require a specific barrel tension setting. If your hardware is all tight, your scope mounts and rings are tight and the crosshairs are roughly aligned with a boresight’s “projected” point of impact, and you’ve been using the same ammo but still can’t dial in a group, consider taking your Gamo Whisper to a gunsmith to check the barrel tension.
Where Can I Get a Gamo Whisper Air Rifle?
You can’t sight in your Gamo Whisper pellet gun if you don’t have one. Visit Live Outdoor Sports at LiveOutdoorSports.com for a wide range of air guns and shooting accessories, including ammo, hearing, and eye protection.
Visit their website at the link above, contact them online, or give them a call at 406-206-0001 if you have any questions.
