Gas Ram or Spring?

Because usually gas rams are more powerful and thus have more recoil and are harder to shoot accurately. I wouldnt say they are not popular though. Lot of cheap guns use gas rams

Depends on the rifle/brand. Also depends on the pressure of the gas ram being used, Hatsan being one example. The Model 95's and lesser rifles use a gas ram filled to give or take 125 bar. The 125 on up except for a couple use rams filled to a higher pressure for more power, usually 130-135 bar. That pressure in the Hatsan gas rams can also be raised or lowered should you want to with a Hatsan fill probe and a high pressure hand pump as, unlike the sealed unit Crosman Nitro pistons, they're filled with plain old air.

Put a Model 95 springer side by side with a Model 95 Vortex gas ram and the fps difference is maybe 12-15 fps. The real difference is in how they recoil. With a springer, you get the usual twist and torque of that spring uncoiling when you fire, which can be lessened with a good tune. In a gas rammed gun, there is none of that as that gas ram only goes straight forward and straight back, there's no twisting to it. They can also be tuned to a small degree should you want to and it never hurts to hone, debur and polish the internals and use better lube than the factory does.

Why aren't more made with gas rams? You'd have to ask the companies making them. 
 
Sig asp 20 is a new gas ram gun with decent reviews

Yep, very good ones plus a 5 year warranty. Which they happen to be insanely picky about. From the little I've been able to find, about the only thing you can do to the rifle is adjust the trigger to your liking. Do anything else and you void the warranty. They also will not sell you parts so if you have issues, you have to send it to them to be repaired.

While I'm curious what will happen after that 5 years is up, it's what stopped me from buying one because like most shooters, I like to work on my own rifles and with no parts available, I'd have a door stop until they decide to start offering them or pay a bundle to send it in for repairs. 
 
I have a Benjamin NP trail. The gun is quieter than a spring gun and has a smooth cocking stroke. The trigger is poor, but that is not related to the gas piston. In .22 caliber it expresses significant power.

I do not know why gas pistons are not more common. Usually, the willingness to adapt to new technology is related to cost and sometimes to reliability. Some manufacturers are undoubtedly more conservative than others and some may not have developed reliable suppliers,
 
Sig ASP20 vs Diana 340. I own the Diana. Has T O 6 trigger and gas ram. Better trigger than Sig and 17 ft/lb. They also sell a more powerful gas ram. I am relly impressed with my walnut beautiful stock too. My spring Diana 34 is also nice but the gas ram is better

I'd agree ! I do like the T06 trigger better than my ASP20.
 
I have owned two gas rams, both Benjamin Titans. They maybe cheap in America to buy but in Australia you can pay on average about $450 . I traded the 177 cal as it killed more scopes than it cost. The 22 cal has a Gamo ram in it and is very easy to cock and shoot. As Springer mentioned above the trigger is poor but I think I’ve fixed this. It is comparable in shot cycle to my Lgv.

Imo I believe that the reason why more springs are made then gas rams is because of longevity. The rams are proving overall to well outlast the spring. When i first joined this forum there was a lot of negativity towards gas rams. Cost of replacement, reliability and lack of tuning abilities were often quoted. The tuning opportunities for a spring are numerous but you can also tune a gas ram like fitting a different powered ram (like I have) and what was mentioned above and also buttoning the piston if you are so inclined. So there are tuning opportunities for a ram but not as much as for a spring. 

A bit long winded but in all honesty I think it’s a $$$$$ reason. But I think times are a changing, just look at Dianna and the Sig to name a few.

Gary


 
New to the forum, but I didn't see anything about the Gamo Swarm series of IGT's. I bought a Magnum, but it required way too much effort to cock. Thinking of getting a Fusion instead, but really liked the power of the Mag. I have a Silent Cat 177 that seems to shoot tight when it's doing well, but sprays flyers when it's off. OK, the rifle is only as good as its handler. However, it seems like the more controlled action of a Gasser would be more stable than a true springer with its coiled spring banging around every which way in the chamber. I'd think it would get worse over time as it crashes around, and any scope would get hammered by the gyrations.
 
Well, let's see. It is not true that springers are not affected by temperature. They are and there are any number of people who have documented that here and on other forums. Typically this is blamed upon lubricants stiffening up. I have observed it in all of my guns. I have no idea what causes it. I have not observed my gas ram guns being temp sensitive but I'll accept the assertion that they are. Probably for the same reasons as springs, lubricants tend to stiffen up in colder weather. In both cases there is also the fact that cold air is denser. Not sure how that would affect the shooting cycle and don't feel like trying to wrap my head around that right now. 

On rams; I actually feel like the shot cycle is smoother than those of my tuned springers. With a ram is just a hard "thawak" when the piston moves forward and I can watch the pellets go down range. With the spring rifles the twisting often prevents my watching the pellets.

I don't know about reliability of one over the other.

Just my two.
 
My favorite thing about the gas rams are:

1) Almost infinite power adjustability (within the gun's rated levels mind you). This only applies to the Theobens and similar models with a port. The best part is you don't have to open the gun at all to do it. You can easily have a light and a heavy pellet tune for pinking, hunting or increase power as a child grows etc.

2) They can be left cocked without weakening the spring.



I actually love my .20 and .177 HW90's tuned at 12 fpe. Easy to cock and super consistent. 

I'm no engineer but I would think that a very short fairly wide gas piston with even higher pressure could result in a super short lock time.