First of all, before I begin, I would like to say that simply because I am a "junior" shooter this write up will be no less comprehensive than other reviews on the Coyote (which there seems to be a lack of, part of the reason why I am writing this for my fellow airgunners). The utility of the title was merely to add some zest.
Now then, on to the review.
Well, I was wrong about Gamo. I've had a few bad experiences with some of their break barrels and scopes in the past and just wrote them off as a brand that caters to the big box stores. But, this PCP (I have no experience with the Dynamax) is truly the bomb. Well constructed, solid, short, great ergos, self-regulating valve (this is truly a treasure), pretty decent trigger, fantastic accuracy, AND, its a hard-hitter. 19 ft-lbs (just barely under the legal limit for FT) in .177.
The box the Coyote comes in is very underwhelming. It's literally just a rectangular cardboard box with no markings or logos or marketing claims-nothing. Personally, I like it. It really gives off a serious, no nonsense aura; it isn't quite as badass as the black FX boxes, but it gets the job done. Inside the box you'll find a warranty card, the standard "STOP DO NOT RETURN TO STORE" slip, and the manual. The manual...oy. It is much to brief. I've heard that you can switch the bolt to the left side on this rifle (which I would have appreciated being left handed), but I wouldn't know since it isn't mentioned in the manual. If you can indeed switch the bolt, there is an allen screw located at the extreme rear of the bolt which appears to be loc-tited in and will require heat to loosen and remove. Here comes my second gripe with this rifle (I'm getting these few out of the way first). The magazine stop on this rifle is plastic. Now ordinarily, I wouldn't really care-especially on a rifle sold at this price point. But, this time it was an issue. The first time I took the rifle shooting, I inserted the magazine and this plastic piece cracked! it snapped clean off. The rifle still functioned fine because the magazine is retained magnetically (so I guess this "magazine stop" is there for aesthetics?) so I just decided to JB weld it back on rather than send it back to Pyramyd Air. It is fairly sturdy and solid plastic, so I would assume it took a hit during shipping and had a fracture already in it.
Here's a pic of where it cracked:
Next up, ergonomics. I love them. This gun fits me like a glove (I'm 6'3"). The balance point is toward the rear which makes it very easy to shoot offhand. The stock is a pretty nice chunk of wood, and its lines just scream EUROPE. This stock is chunky and really fills your hand. The checker on the fore end and grip is deep and both visually pleasing as well as functional. The cheek weld provided by the raised cheek piece is adequate, but I wish it was adjustable like it is on the Benjamin Marauder and synthetic stocked version.
Some stock pics:
The shot count on this rifle really, really, REALLY....REALLY surprised me. I was getting approximately SIXTY consistent shots. This rifle is very efficient firing consistently from 232 BAR all the way down to 100 BAR. Gamo really nailed this regulated valve thing. I did most of the chrony testing with Crosman Premier HP's. I'll include shots 1-10 and 50-60 because entering all that data would take a considerable amount of time. I also have some chrony numbers with heavier pellets. With good, consistent pellets the spread should tighten up a bit.
Crosman Premier Hollow Points:
1. 1002.0
2. 995.8
3. 997.7
4. 993.0
5. 991.9
6. 997.5
7. 998.4
8. 996.7
9. 1000.0
10. 1001.0
...
51. 1017
52. 1014
53. 1016
54. 1009
55. 1009
56. 1012
57. 1003
58. 999.9
59. 1002
60. 998.5
H&N Barracudas:
1. 903.5
2. 908.1
3. 907.8
4. 911.3
5. 908.7
6. 912.3
7. 909.3
8. 916.0
9. 915.7
10. 912.6
Crosman Premier Heavies (the gun's preferred pellet):
1. 897.2
2. 892.0
3. 896.1
4. 895.0
5. 896.1
6. 898.7
7. 899.1
8. 897.7
9. 893.7
10. 893.5
The Coyote also has a color coded pressure gauge and it aligns pretty accurately with the guns working pressure. So when you hit the red, time to refill. Hats off to Gamo for knowing their product.
I almost didn't believe the hype about BSA barrels...but then I shot this gun. Inside 45 yards almost any heavy pellet I put in the magazine would shoot ragged holes in the paper. It really didn't like medium weight pellets, except for the Field Target Trophy pellets with 4.51mm head size. These targets were shot at a measured 52 yards with an almost constant 3-5 mph crosswind that gusted up to 8 mph. I tried to wait it out but it just didn't let up so some of these groups have some horizontal stringing, but this is due to the wind. Even still, these are some great groups.
Note: each square is 1"x1" and the shots outside of the black marker were sighters.
(The FTT's were more affected by the wind than the other pellets).
Man, some of those wind-induced fliers really broke my heart
The Custom Action Trigger really isn't anything special. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent trigger that in no way impairs the accuracy of this rifle (unlike the other gamo triggers). It has a very "springy" feel. The CAT is responsive and very predictable. After 20 minutes of trigger time I had gotten used to it. The skeletonized look of the trigger blade is pretty sleek. It measured at around 2 lbs 5 oz.
This puppy is LOUD. It has quite a bark to it. If you want to shoot it in your backyard you will need a moderator of some sort. ATTENTION GAMO, if you really want this gun to be a smashing success, add a shroud. That is one big thing that the Marauder has going for it (along with customization options) so if you do that, you'll make Benjamin scared. I am a huge Crosmaniac, but market competition is never a bad thing.
Gamo, congratulations. You have created a great rifle for a modest price. This will become my go to FT rifle since my Webley Raider is out of commission for now. I would highly recommend this rifle to someone looking for an accurate, compact, powerful rifle with a high shot count that is a ton of fun to shoot.
Next time I'm at the range I'll try to get some targets shot without wind and post them here.
I'd love to get my hands on a Marauder so I can really compare the two.
Take care,
Nico
Also, feel free to ask any questions or send me PM's about this rifle. I'll do my best to answer them.
Now then, on to the review.
Well, I was wrong about Gamo. I've had a few bad experiences with some of their break barrels and scopes in the past and just wrote them off as a brand that caters to the big box stores. But, this PCP (I have no experience with the Dynamax) is truly the bomb. Well constructed, solid, short, great ergos, self-regulating valve (this is truly a treasure), pretty decent trigger, fantastic accuracy, AND, its a hard-hitter. 19 ft-lbs (just barely under the legal limit for FT) in .177.
The box the Coyote comes in is very underwhelming. It's literally just a rectangular cardboard box with no markings or logos or marketing claims-nothing. Personally, I like it. It really gives off a serious, no nonsense aura; it isn't quite as badass as the black FX boxes, but it gets the job done. Inside the box you'll find a warranty card, the standard "STOP DO NOT RETURN TO STORE" slip, and the manual. The manual...oy. It is much to brief. I've heard that you can switch the bolt to the left side on this rifle (which I would have appreciated being left handed), but I wouldn't know since it isn't mentioned in the manual. If you can indeed switch the bolt, there is an allen screw located at the extreme rear of the bolt which appears to be loc-tited in and will require heat to loosen and remove. Here comes my second gripe with this rifle (I'm getting these few out of the way first). The magazine stop on this rifle is plastic. Now ordinarily, I wouldn't really care-especially on a rifle sold at this price point. But, this time it was an issue. The first time I took the rifle shooting, I inserted the magazine and this plastic piece cracked! it snapped clean off. The rifle still functioned fine because the magazine is retained magnetically (so I guess this "magazine stop" is there for aesthetics?) so I just decided to JB weld it back on rather than send it back to Pyramyd Air. It is fairly sturdy and solid plastic, so I would assume it took a hit during shipping and had a fracture already in it.
Here's a pic of where it cracked:
Next up, ergonomics. I love them. This gun fits me like a glove (I'm 6'3"). The balance point is toward the rear which makes it very easy to shoot offhand. The stock is a pretty nice chunk of wood, and its lines just scream EUROPE. This stock is chunky and really fills your hand. The checker on the fore end and grip is deep and both visually pleasing as well as functional. The cheek weld provided by the raised cheek piece is adequate, but I wish it was adjustable like it is on the Benjamin Marauder and synthetic stocked version.
Some stock pics:
The shot count on this rifle really, really, REALLY....REALLY surprised me. I was getting approximately SIXTY consistent shots. This rifle is very efficient firing consistently from 232 BAR all the way down to 100 BAR. Gamo really nailed this regulated valve thing. I did most of the chrony testing with Crosman Premier HP's. I'll include shots 1-10 and 50-60 because entering all that data would take a considerable amount of time. I also have some chrony numbers with heavier pellets. With good, consistent pellets the spread should tighten up a bit.
Crosman Premier Hollow Points:
1. 1002.0
2. 995.8
3. 997.7
4. 993.0
5. 991.9
6. 997.5
7. 998.4
8. 996.7
9. 1000.0
10. 1001.0
...
51. 1017
52. 1014
53. 1016
54. 1009
55. 1009
56. 1012
57. 1003
58. 999.9
59. 1002
60. 998.5
H&N Barracudas:
1. 903.5
2. 908.1
3. 907.8
4. 911.3
5. 908.7
6. 912.3
7. 909.3
8. 916.0
9. 915.7
10. 912.6
Crosman Premier Heavies (the gun's preferred pellet):
1. 897.2
2. 892.0
3. 896.1
4. 895.0
5. 896.1
6. 898.7
7. 899.1
8. 897.7
9. 893.7
10. 893.5
The Coyote also has a color coded pressure gauge and it aligns pretty accurately with the guns working pressure. So when you hit the red, time to refill. Hats off to Gamo for knowing their product.
I almost didn't believe the hype about BSA barrels...but then I shot this gun. Inside 45 yards almost any heavy pellet I put in the magazine would shoot ragged holes in the paper. It really didn't like medium weight pellets, except for the Field Target Trophy pellets with 4.51mm head size. These targets were shot at a measured 52 yards with an almost constant 3-5 mph crosswind that gusted up to 8 mph. I tried to wait it out but it just didn't let up so some of these groups have some horizontal stringing, but this is due to the wind. Even still, these are some great groups.
Note: each square is 1"x1" and the shots outside of the black marker were sighters.
(The FTT's were more affected by the wind than the other pellets).
Man, some of those wind-induced fliers really broke my heart
The Custom Action Trigger really isn't anything special. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent trigger that in no way impairs the accuracy of this rifle (unlike the other gamo triggers). It has a very "springy" feel. The CAT is responsive and very predictable. After 20 minutes of trigger time I had gotten used to it. The skeletonized look of the trigger blade is pretty sleek. It measured at around 2 lbs 5 oz.
This puppy is LOUD. It has quite a bark to it. If you want to shoot it in your backyard you will need a moderator of some sort. ATTENTION GAMO, if you really want this gun to be a smashing success, add a shroud. That is one big thing that the Marauder has going for it (along with customization options) so if you do that, you'll make Benjamin scared. I am a huge Crosmaniac, but market competition is never a bad thing.
Gamo, congratulations. You have created a great rifle for a modest price. This will become my go to FT rifle since my Webley Raider is out of commission for now. I would highly recommend this rifle to someone looking for an accurate, compact, powerful rifle with a high shot count that is a ton of fun to shoot.
Next time I'm at the range I'll try to get some targets shot without wind and post them here.
I'd love to get my hands on a Marauder so I can really compare the two.
Take care,
Nico
Also, feel free to ask any questions or send me PM's about this rifle. I'll do my best to answer them.
