The Gamo 611006875554 Swarm Whisper Air Rifle is a multi-shot, break barrel air rifle. It features Gamo’s Whisper Fusion technology, which reduces noise levels, and a 10-shot magazine that allows for quick and easy follow-up shots. The rifle has a synthetic stock with a rubber recoil pad and a scope rail for mounting a scope. It also has a manual safety and a single-stage trigger. It has a .22 caliber and an Inert Gas Technology (IGT) power plant which uses a gas piston instead of a spring for increased accuracy and power. It has a velocity of up to 975 feet per second (fps) with PBA Platinum ammo. It’s a perfect rifle for small game hunting and plinking.
Product reviewers generally have positive things to say about the Gamo 611006875554 Swarm Whisper Air Rifle. Many praise its accuracy and power, noting that it is capable of taking down small game and pests with ease. The 10-shot magazine is also seen as a major plus, allowing for quick follow-up shots.
The Whisper Fusion technology is also well received, with reviewers noting that the rifle is quieter than other air rifles in its class. The synthetic stock is also seen as a plus, as it is durable and easy to maintain.
Some reviewers have noted that the trigger pull can be heavy, and that the rifle can be difficult to cock for younger or weaker shooters. However, these are minor complaints in comparison to the overall positive feedback on the rifle’s performance.
Many reviewers report that the Gamo 611006875554 Swarm Whisper Air Rifle is good for hunting small game, such as squirrels, rabbits, and birds. Some reviewers also note that it is powerful enough to take down larger pests, such as raccoons and coyotes. The rifle’s accuracy, power, and 10-shot magazine make it well-suited for taking down small game at close to medium ranges. The Whisper Fusion technology which reduces noise levels, is also a plus for hunting as it reduces the chance of scaring off game. However, It may not be the best choice for big game hunting, as the caliber and power of the rifle may not be sufficient for taking down larger animals.
Overall, the Gamo 611006875554 Swarm Whisper Air Rifle is seen as a high-quality, powerful, and accurate air rifle that is well suited for small game hunting, target shooting, and pest control.
The Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro has a lot to live up to; including Gamo’s claim that it is one of the “quietest” air rifles you can buy thanks in part to a “patented double integrated noise dampening technology.” But what’s the real story on the Whisper Fusion Pro and, ultimately, is it worth the money? In usual style, we try to cut through the noise and give you our unbiased opinion.
This is a single-cock, spring-piston break-barrel air rifle that does not come up short in the power department. As usual, Gamo reports velocity using PBA platinum pellets, which, in the .177 caliber are reported to reach 1,400 feet per second. Assuming a weight of 5.4 grains for the PBA ammo, this results in approximately 23.5 foot-pounds of energy, i.e., “FPE,” at the muzzle using our FPE calculator. We have heard similar numbers by users of the .22 caliber model, although somewhat lower, around the 20-21 FPE range. Regardless, this is plenty of power for anything from long-range plinking to serious small game hunting, and we expect users will not be complaining that the Gamo Whisper lacks guts. This rifle also does not disappoint if you want a nice arm workout – as it requires about 41 pounds of effort to cock.
Fairly good accuracy with combo scope
This model comes with a 3-9×40 with adjustable objective scope and a one-piece dovetail mount. Most will probably find the scope pretty good for plinking and casual small game hunting; however, it does have its limitations and if you are seeking reliable, tight groups, a scope upgrade may be in order at some point. Having said all that, this is a fairly accurate air rifle, assuming you are patient during break in period and know how to sight-in an air rifle.
We should also point out that, as with a lot of spring-piston rifles, some may struggle keeping the scope zeroed and ensuring that the mounts remain tight. We’d recommend re-zeroing and tightening the scope mounting every couple dozen shots or so to prevent wandering, especially when pursuing small game – where precision shooting is required for humane kills.
A pretty decent trigger
So Gamo has also put a lot of emphasis on the SAT, or “Smooth Action Trigger,” an adjustable two-stage trigger that Gamo claimed is nothing short of revolutionary.
In our view, the SAT trigger is pretty good and light, with just under a 3.74-pound pull. Nevertheless, we would not consider it to be a game-changer by any means and there are plenty that may find the trigger much stiffer than its pull rating would suggest. Again, if you are looking to take this rifle to the next level in terms of accuracy, this trigger may not be for you. Still, this is a good trigger by general standards and the average user is likely to be pleased with its performance out of the box or after some minor tweaking.
Not very quiet, really
OK, so this is where Gamo’s claims fall flat in our opinion. This is not a particularly quiet air rifle! In fact, it is pretty darn average and, while certainly acceptable for a spring-piston model, it is by no means stealthy. In fact, some users put the cracking of this rifle on par with shooting a conventional .22 short round.
Of course, some of the complaints of this rifle being downright loud are probably because people are using PBA ammo in the .177. As we have explained time and time again, if you break the sound barrier (which is around 1,000 FPS), you are going to make a lot of noise – so don’t do it! Breaking the sound barrier will also cause you to miss at anything beyond very close ranges due to the sound pressure wake that is created behind a supersonic pellet. PBA and other lightweight alloy pellets are, in our opinion, gimmicky and not useful except to pick up the trajectory of underpowered airguns and rifles – this does not apply to the Whisper Fusion Pro. Stick with lead.
Sharp fit and finish
This is a fairly long (just under 47”) yet moderately heavy (8 lbs.) rifle that comes with an all-weather, ambidextrous stock and jacketed steel barrel. The stock comes with rubber buttplate and “Shock Wave Absorber” technology to dampen that endeavors to reduce the double-recoil of the large spring power plant.
Overall, this is very handsome-looking air rifle.
Consensus from users
Generally, the word on the street is that the Whisper Fusion Pro is a good deal; while not very quiet, users appreciate that it is a very powerful and fairly accurate rifle, that is if you don’t mind having to re-zero the scope now and again. Many people struggle to maintain accuracy and groups out beyond 20 yards, although we suspect in many cases that this is because they are not keeping the mount/scope screws tight and/or are wasting time using PBA ammo, which will virtually always deliver unreliable accuracy with a “hot” rifle like this, especially in the .177 caliber.
Probably the most common complaint about this model is the hollow butt stock, which gives the rifle a somewhat cheaper feel than is deserved. If you are picky about how an air rifle balances – again, if you are looking for outstanding accuracy – this could very well bother you. Otherwise, the hollow butt is mostly a nit-pick that most will get over.
Overall conclusion
While we would not consider this among our best value picks, at its current price point at the time of this writing, which is hovering around $250-$275, the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro does offer a lot of rifle for the money, including an adjustable scope and a decent trigger for its class. In addition, despite the flashy velocity ratings Gamo is known for, at around 20-23 FPE or so, this is a powerful rifle that easily eclipses our 12 FPE minimum for small game hunting and makes the rifle quite good for fairly longer-range shooting (beyond 35 yards) – that is, if you are patient with zeroing every couple dozen shots or so, and make sure to keep the scope and mounting screws tight.
The big failure in our view is the “quiet” claim; this is not a quiet air rifle by any reasonable standard and is pretty average relative to most spring-piston power plants. Consequently, if you are considering this model because you are hoping to engage in some discrete, backyard shooting, think again.
The Gamo Hunter Extreme has garnered lots of attention from shoppers looking for the next best spring-piston rifle, but there is not much consensus out there about its value, which begs the question: is this yet just another sexy model that fails to live up to its lofty price tag? In usual fashion, we cut through the “noise” and deliver you the real deal, as we see it, with an eye towards maximizing performance and quality for your buck.
Key Features / Overview
The Gamo Extreme is a break barrel, single-cocking/single-shot spring-piston air rifle that aims to compete with other big ticket springers in the always fierce magnum market. It does this by delivering a more quality look, feel and, of course, considerably more power than the average springer on the market.
So what about power? Specifically, Gamo reports that the Hunter Extreme SE can send a PBA pellet at velocities of up to 1650 feet per second, with traditional lead pellets reaching speeds of up to 1,250 feet per second. As readers of this blog know full well, velocity figures by themselves don’t much, so we’ve done a bit of math to come up with FPE (foot pounds of energy) for this rifle.
To obtain FPE, we need both velocity and pellet weight. In this case, Gamo says that it’s 1650 FPS figure is obtained with PBA rounds. They did not specify which PBA round they were talking about but I will assume that they are using their lightest round, the PBA Plantinum. Knowing that this PBA round is about 4.7 grains (considerably lighter than Gamo’s “gold” PBA round @ 5.4 grains), and plugging 1,650 FPS into our FPE Calculator, we get about 28 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. The same FPE results when we plug in the 1,250 FPS figure and assume a typical lead pellet weight of 8.0 grains. In other words, when you consider that our minimum FPE requirement for a hunting rifle is 12 FPE, it is obvious that this is indeed a very powerful air rifle!
Cocking Effort
Unfortunately as with so many things in life, there is one noticeable tradeoff to all that power. And that is – you can expect a pretty good arm/back workout cocking this beast, which requires a very impressive 58 lbs. of cocking effort according to Gamo. What does this mean? In our opinion, unless you are fit adult male you will have trouble using this rifle. Again, this is not something unique to the Hunter Extreme as it is an issue with just about all high-powered springers. Nevertheless, we often receive many questions about air rifles we’d recommend for back yard pest elimination that are suitable for both men and women – this rifle would therefore not be among them for the cocking effort required alone.
Scope & Optics
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The combo comes complete with a 3-9×50, illuminated center glass-etched reticle scope that affixes with a one-piece grooved-rail rifle mount. The scope does a fair job, particularly as a combo offering, and should make most users reasonably happy (although the rifle would greatly benefit from an upgraded scope in our book view), and the one-piece solid mount is a smart move by Gamo given the heavy double-recoil you can expect from the massive spring-piston powerplant at the heart of this rig. However, as usual, you will need to take care to sight the scope in properly and always check to ensure that all of the screws are tightened to ensure consistent shooting.
Stock Trigger
Rated at 4.5 pounds of pull, the two-stage trigger is not too bad, at least on paper. However, users seem to love it or hate it (mostly the latter), with many complaining about its unreasonable stiffness regardless of the second stage adjustment. If you are used to shooting high quality triggers, you will probably want to upgrade it immediately; whereas, most users just getting into relatively higher-ticket models should do well with it – and may even be satisfied.
Size & Overall Weight
In addition to being a bear to cock, this is a fairly long (46″ barrel to butt) and heavy rifle that, again, is not a good option for kids and/or slightly-built shooters. Specifically, coming in at just under 11 lbs. with the scope, it is certainly manageable compared to other magnum-type rifles but you will want to use a bench rest whenever possible when stalking your quarry for any length of time.
Fit & Finish
This is a handsome rifle that definitely represents a step up in quality that is evident when picking it up. The stock is composed of high-grade beechwood and features a raised Montecarlo-styled cheekpiece; the forearm and pistol grip are tastefully adorned with laser-engraved checkering. Indeed, this is a beautiful, solid rifle that makes a nice focal point in one’s collection, even for serious collections.
Performance & Accuracy
There are few consistent themes that emerge from reports from our various sources about what this rifle can actually do and, as usual, we suspect that many users struggle with basic issues of scope sighting, pellet selection, maintenance, etc. However all agree that this is a very hard-hitting rifle that has plenty of power to knock down small game and pests, which is evident from the 28 FPE in the .177 we calculated above. Among the criticisms, the most common center around: (1) the stiff trigger and (2) lack of consistency from the stock scope. To be fair, while the scope and trigger are definitely the weakest points of this combo, this true for most combos. Are they good enough for most people and casual hunting – absolutely; however, they are probably the very first things a user may want to consider upgrading if desiring even greater accuracy for more ambitious hunting or field target shooting.
Price & Value
This is always the million dollar question when shopping for air rifles, especially ones that cost in excess of $400. In our view, while the Hunter Extreme is overall high-quality and delivers huge power and solid accuracy right out of the box, it is in a very competitive price class with other spring-piston rifles that we think deliver equal or better value. For example, we could not in good conscience say that Hunter Extreme is in any way superior to the RWS 48, for example. Nor is it an overall a better choice than the RWS 22 350 Magnum. In addition, if you stretched your budget a bit further, the RWS 54 Air King would give you similar power any superior accuracy to boot. Of course, those rifles will cost you more, especially after they are scoped. But keep in mind that if you may end up spending as much, or more, if you decide to upgrade a scope/trigger later!
Which Caliber & Pellet is Best?
If you aren’t up to speed on the confusing and often deceptive marketing about power and velocity then pay close attention: if you want to buy this rifle in the .177, use heavier, not lighter pellets! Here is our primer on air rifle pellets if you need to bone up. As we’ve explained so many times, there is no need for or benefit to achieving velocities in excess of 1,000-1,100 FPS. In fact, exceeding this and breaking the sound barrier will result in inaccurate shooting because the sound pressure wake created behind a pellet upon breaking the barrier will catch up with it and cause it to tumble in flight unless shooting at very close ranges. We suspect this is one of the primary reasons why so many people can’t seem to understand why they can’t sight in this gun or get repeatable groups at any distance – think people!!
If you aren’t going for one of the larger bores (either the .22 or .25), then by all means get the heaviest lead pellets you can find and try out as many as you can until you find the best match for your particular rifle. We’ve put together a comparison matrix here to make this easier. Forget about all the BS you read about PBA. If you want to take down game, pests or hit anything consistently, use quality lead pellets and steer clear of alloy. In addition to slowing a .177 pellet to avoid breaking the sound barrier, a heavier pellet (in any caliber) bucks the wind better and carries more energy to the target, making traditional lead the gold standard for hunting or field target shooting.
Likewise, consider carefully what you intend to shoot with this rifle. Are you interested in mainly furred game? If so, the .22 and .25 calibers are the better choices for several reasons we’ve already discussed. On the other hand, if you are primarily seeking to wreak havoc on the local starling or small bird population – and at long ranges – the Hunter Extreme in the .177 is an easy choice that will handle the task in spades!
The Gamo Silent Stalker Whisper IGT is a very popular new rifle that seems to have it all – power, quiet operation, good looks and accuracy. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s take a critical look at this rifle and see what actual users are saying about it.
General Specifications
This is a gas-piston rifle that uses a nitrogen-gas strut instead of a spring. As a result, it’s already much quieter and easier to cock than a comparably-powered breakbarrel spring rifle. In addition, this model comes with noise dampening system that is reportedly capable of reducing firing decibel level by 52%.
As far as trigger mechanism and recoil, the Silent Stalker Whisper IGT comes with a convenient adjustable 2-stage trigger (“Smooth Action Trigger” or “SAT) and Gamo’s Shock Wave Absorption system that they state can eliminate 74% more recoil. The rifle is equipped with a 3-9×40 scope complete with mounting hardware and uses an interesting skeletonized stock.
Muzzle velocity & Power
Gamo reports muzzle velocity to be 1300 FPS for the .177 caliber version using PBA Platinum pellets and 975 FPS for the .22 rifle. Assuming that these pellets weigh 4.7 grains and 9.7 grains, respectively, using our FPE calculator give us muzzle FPE estimates of 17.6 and 20.5 foot-pounds of energy for the .177 and .22 caliber models.
This is a lot of power and, together with its accuracy, makes this rife an excellent choice for hunting, particularly in the .22 caliber option.
Gamo Silent Stalker Whisper IGT Reviews
This rifle’s outstanding performance is evident in its very high users satisfaction ratings. We’ve done the leg work of combing through these reviews and here are the pros/cons of this rifle as real users see them:
PROS:
Powerful – reviewers agreed that this is a very powerful rifle that pretty much tore up anything unlucky enough to be shot by it. We are not surprised considering our FPE estimates.
Extremely Accurate – in addition to power, the most common praise received by this rifle was for its outstanding accuracy. Further, the consensus was that optimum performance was obtained using H&N Field Target Trophy pellets, with one user indicating that dime sized groupings at 30 yards was achieved!
Great Rifle Stock – users found it very good for maintaining stable stance and steady firing position, once they got comfortable with the proper artillery hold needed for this model.
Outstanding Sights – in fact, the sights are so accurate that several users mentioned they didn’t even some bother using scope, with one user reporting near perfect accuracy at 50 yards out of the box!
Cool-looking – there were several comments about how nice this rifle looks. We agree!
CONS:
Disappointing Stock Scope – in general, most people found the scope average to poor quality. For an upgrade that will make this rifle perform at its best, we suggest you check out the UTG 3-9×40 AO Mil-Dot Rifle Scope.
A Bit Noisier Than Expected – despite the silencer, some users noted that they expected this rifle to be quieter than it was. However, most found it relatively quiet (much more than any springer, of course) and some indicated that noise levels dropped a bit after breaking in.
The silent stalker is usually available for between $250 – $300. However, you can usually find big discounts on this model here. All in all, we feel that this rifle is fairly-priced considering its power, accuracy and advantageous gas-piston technology.
Concluding Thoughts & Opinions
The Gamo Silent Stalker Whisper IGT is an excellent choice for anyone seeking a powerful and extremely accurate air rifle. In addition, with its gas-piston technology, it is also benefits from being quieter and smoother than the spring rifle crowd. And given its power, which we estimate to be just over 17.6 FPE and 20.5 FPE at the muzzle based on Gamo’s FPS data, this rifle is superb for hunting, with the .22 caliber version being the better choice for more serious air rifle hunters.
Finally, even though some users were hoping for it to be a little quieter, there are no big drawbacks with this rifle. Indeed, for its power output, it’s still a relatively silent option. Likewise, if this rifle’s extraordinary sights aren’t good enough for you, and you are not happy with the scope, swapping it out for the UTG 3-9×40 AO Mil-Dot Rifle Scope should make a world of difference.
