by Dr. Jim and Mary Clary
Jim and Mary fight over who gets to shoot the GAMO Swarm Maxxim Air Rifle.
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- The GAMO Swarm Maxxim Air gun is a rifle for serious airgun shooters and incorporates the newest innovation on the market:
A 10-round magazine, called 10X Quick-Shot, that reloads the gun each time it is cocked. It took years for GAMO to perfect this patent pending device and it works flawlessly. The weight and balance are perfect, making it easy to get on target for a shot.
GAMO Swarm Maxxim Air Rifle
The following are some of the unique features of the Swarm Maxxim that we liked:
First up is the Recoil Reducing Rail system (RRR). Most airguns have grooves for mounting the scope rings, similar to a lot of conventional rimfire firearms. A common problem has been the inability to tighten the rings down to prevent slipping due to the intense recoil of high-power airguns. That problem has been eliminated with a very secure 5-screw mounted rail (RRR). This “picatinny style” rail consists of two pieces that are separated by polymer struts. The unique design of this patent-pending design virtually eliminates the recoil-stress on the internal components of the riflescope.
And, speaking of recoil, the Shock Wave Absorber (SWA) recoil pad is just as effective as the Limbsaver pads on our high-power hunting rifles. There are very few airguns that bother putting effective recoil pads on their guns. Most simply use a piece of molded rubber to cover the butt stock and call it a “recoil pad.”
GAMO’s Whisper sound suppression technology was designed to quiet down their spring and gas piston powered airguns and mitigate the “twang.” That technology was also applied in the Swarm Maxxim.
The conventional spring power plant found on GAMO (and other) airguns has been replaced with a pneumatic cylinder. This is called the Inert Gas Cylinder (Inert Gas Technology – IGT). When cocked, it compresses the air to deliver a consistent pressure which propels a .177 PBA pellet to a velocity up to 1,300 fps and a .22 PBA pellet to a velocity up to 975 fps. Our Swarm is the .22 caliber version and we confirmed a velocity of 950 +/- 20 fps after multiple tests with our Caldwell Premium Chronograph.
The Custom Action Trigger (CAT) allows the shooter to independently adjust both the first and second stage of the trigger. It is great, and out of the box, the trigger pull was set at 3.2 lbs.
All that remained for us to do was to shoot the Swarm for accuracy. After “dialing in” the rifle at 25 yards, we shot for accuracy using the Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2 for stability. To state that this gun is a “tack driver” would be an understatement. We consistently shot groups of ten pellets that measured under one inch in diameter (center to center).
The Features and Specifications of the GAMO Swarm Maxxim Air Rifle are:
- .22 caliber
- Velocity: 1,300 feet per second with PBA® Platinum
- .177 caliber
- Velocity: 975 feet per second with PBA® Platinum
- Gas-piston powerplant (IGT – Inert Gas Technology)
- 10X Quick-Shot Multi-shot with 10-round magazine
- Break Barrel Cocking System
- Manual Safety
- Barrel: Fluted Polymer Jacketed Steel
- Whisper Maxxim™ Sound Suppression Technology
- Cocking Effort: 32 lbs.
- Trigger: Two stage fully adjustable CAT™ (Custom Action Trigger)
- RRR™ Recoil Reducing Rail (99.9% recoil compensation)
- All Weather Ambidextrous Stock
- SWA™ (Shock Wave Absorber) Recoil Pad (reduces felt recoil)
- 3-9×40 air rifle scope with rings for rail mounting
- Weight: 5.64 lbs.
- Length: 45.3 inches
- Barrel Length: 19.9 inches
- 5-Year Warranty
- 2017 MSRP: $199.99 (less $$ online)
GAMO Swarm Maxxim Air Rifle Optics Features:
- 3-9x magnification
- 40 mm objective lens
- 1″ tube
- 30/30 reticle with fine crosshairs for target acquisition
- Field of View: 40 ft. @ 3x to 12 ft. @ 9x
- 3.5″ eye relief
- Weight: 21.6 oz.
- Length: 13.5″ long
- Fogproof
- Shockproof
- Waterproof
- Lens caps: Included
- In a previous article, we mentioned the GAMO ProShot ID System. This system was devised by GAMO and is unique in the airgun field. As such, we felt it was worth discussing again. It labels the best application for each rifle in their line AND it matches the various GAMO pellets to those applications. The system involves three color codings: Red, Green & Blue.
PEST CONTROL & RECREATION : Provides accuracy and high velocity – ideal for nuisance animals such as mice, rats, birds, and snakes. Also perfect for recreational shooting.
HUNTING : Delivers accuracy with higher energy downrange for ultimate impact and penetration — ideal for small game such as rabbits, squirrels, Raccoons, and crows. - TARGET & COMPETITION : Offers the ultimate in accuracy and consistent performance — ideal for both training and competitive shooting.
The ProShot ID System by no means indicates that a particular gun can’t be used for one of the other applications. It is a recommendation to help the consumer decide which gun is right for them. And, since the GAMO pellets are also color-banded, we no longer have to guess which pellet is best for our shooting. We just look for the appropriate color marking on the package and pay the clerk at checkout.
About the only thing that GAMO can’t do for you is shoot the gun.
About Jim and Mary Clary:
Jim and Mary Clary have co-authored over three hundred and fifty articles, (and counting) on shooting and hunting. You can read many of them on AmmoLand News.
Best air rifle I have ever had. I keep turtle population down in my lake with it so the bass can grow. Last year got 733 turtles and so far this year 336 and this is early. I keep 6 clips and have it sighted in at 25 yards and it is so accurate from 10 to 40 yards. Have bagged quite a few squirrels with it as well.
Gamo Swarm Maxim .22 My review after 7 months and 4000 pellets. I have been shooting airguns since 1972 at the age of 12. So i have had a variety of air guns in my 47 years of shooting them. I was excited when Gamo introduced a break barrel rifle with a 10 shot rotary magazine so I ordered one with 2 mags. Like any airgun you have to get to know its likes, dislikes, and pellets it favors over others. I have read a lot of bad reviews, experiences, about this gun and I feel most of those were… Read more »
I much prefer the UK model with its Beech stock, adjustable cheek piece and 2 magazines plus scope.
Just as powerful and accurate but looks way better.
The Gamo Swarm Maxxim .177 Caliber Air Rifle is the real deal! With my ProChrono (TM) Chronograph; I measured an average muzzle velocity of 1043.2 ft/second (total of 10 shots), with a maximum MV of 1305 ft/second , using Gamo .177 PBA Bullet pellets (6.33 grains measured). With the Gamo .177 Raptor PBA pellets (5.4 grains measured), the average muzzle velocity was found to be 1172.9 ft/second (again a total of 10 shots) , with a maximum MV of 1197 ft/second. Applying the formula: [foot-pounds = (weight in grains) x (MV) x 2 / (671) x 2], this gives a… Read more »
The “features” review is backwards the .177 is est 1300 and .22 est 975 just an observation in the post to correct for readers
How tight should I make the scope screws
the feeding mechanism spring its broken where can buy a spring.?
I just received my SWARM…I love it! One question I have, how does the barrel get cleaned? The QUICK SHOT blocks the way to pass a cleaning rod through!
Honestly you’ll probably never have to clean the barrel… many air rifle enthusiasts never clean theirs, nor do I.
I cleaned mine using J-B Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. Very dirty !
Sounds good!
What pellet was used in this test?
I have just purchased this and have only 20 rounds though it at this time.
What was the pellet used ?
The quick shot lifts out of the way for cleaning. It’s in the manual. Does anyone know what Pellet was used? I haven’t seen Gamo color coded pellets.
One great gun!
Can someone tell me what FPE the swarm is in .22? Even a ballpark, as I know it may vary with the pellet. I can’t find this information anywhere and it’s badly needed. Thanks!