Just got one of these. With all the bad reviews I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised it shoots fairly well. Should work perfect for my use which is to protect chickens from snakes and other vermin.
Glad to hear it. I think a lot of it comes down to expectations and intended use. Many seem to want it to be an alternative to a .410 firearm which it's not. it's more comparable to a .22 shot shell in a pistol.
Yes, these contain less shot than a .22lr shot shell but unless you’re shooting out of a .22lr smooth bore (very uncommon) the Gamo Viper shoots much butter patterns.
2" groups at 10 yards with a smooth bore is acceptable and expected. I remember reading a 1974 Daisy 880 service technician manual years ago, and in those days the Daisy 880 was a smooth bore. They had instructions on accuracy testing after a gun had been rebuilt or repaired and the manual said with pellets at 33 feet (10 meters), accuracy should be 2" to be acceptable, and with BB's 4" should be acceptable.
Try the Gamos pointed pellets. They work best to me at 10 Yds. Able to hit a nickel all day. Use the artillery hold. Tried the more expensive pellets (round nose) and they were all over the place . Almost gave up on the viper but after trying the pointed pellet from Gamos i am happy with it. Took down 2 rats at about 10 yards with no problem.I use a hawke red dot sight on it sighted in at 10 yards, has not lost the zero
I just killed 2 chipmunks with mine using shotshells from about 15 feet. I was only able to see the top half of their heads, as they were behind a 2x4, yet both expired quickly. Great little gun. Have not tried pellet, as I already have many air rifles, but I was curious to see what accuracy could be attained with a smoothbore. Thanks! 👍
