By: Tom Claycomb

While recently talking to Pyramid Air, the GAMO Swarm Whisper Air Rifle came up in the conversation. If you’re into the airgun scene, then you know that break action air rifles are popular. And for good reason. With a CO2 air gun, you’re constantly sticking in new cannisters. And while I love PCPs, they are more expensive.

The break action air rifles are what I would classify as survival air guns. You don’t have to worry about stocking up on CO2 cannisters, filling air tanks, etc. Stock up on pellets and you’re set. The only problem is, when you’re in a multiple shot situation, they’re a pain to load. You’re fumbling around digging out pellets to cram in and fire a single shot.

GAMO cured that problem a couple of years ago with their invention of utilizing a rotary clip on their Swarm model. (As far as I know, GAMO is the first company to invent using a rotary clip with a break action.) If you’re not an air gunner, I can’t tell you how cool this is. Sure, GAMO has a small canvas pouch to carry pellets that hooks onto your belt, which helps immensely. But it is still a single-shot break action.

Until now.

Loading the clip is simple. At the base is a push button. Push this down, and then you can remove the clip. Turn the spring-loaded clip as marked loading a pellet in each newly appearing hole. Then push the clip back into its original position. When you break the barrel, it will load a pellet. Ingenious. If you have hunted for years with a single shot break action, you will greatly appreciate this bit of engineering.

The GAMO Swarm Whisper comes with a fixed power 4x scope which is easy to mount and can be done in minutes. The kit includes a star Allan wrench to tighten the screws. You want to make sure all screws are tight BUT, if you are strong as a gorilla, don’t over-tighten them, or you can warp the tube. You can’t really adjust for eye relief due to the stabilizing groove, but luckily the eye relief was perfect for me.

Since I am going to be shooting small targets while air gun hunting, I was at first disappointed that this gun didn’t come with a 3-9x scope, but upon shooting it, I was impressed with the clarity of the scope, and it functioned fine for me.

In case you’re not familiar with air guns, a lot of them utilize a safety that might appear to you like a smaller trigger in front of the actual trigger. In the back position, it is on safety, and to deactivate the safety, just push it forward. It is a handy style for hunting, and once used to it, you’ll grow to like it.

My wife Katy and I were going on a pigeon hunt, so I threw the Swarm Whisper in the truck and we circled by the range on the way. We sighted it in at 16 yards shooting Crosman Premier Ultra Magnum 10.5 gr. pellets and obtained some 1 3/8-inch groups.

After getting the rifle sighted in, we headed to the feedlot. If I had been shooting a regular break action, I would have been frustrated trying to cram in one pellet at a time, because we encountered a ton of pigeons and even a few Eurasian doves. We had well over 100 shots with the Swarm Whisper, and I had a few other guns we were using as well. So I don’t know how many total shots we had that day. As fast as the shooting was, I would have been totally frustrated if I had been shooting a normal break action single shot.

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To get the most accuracy out of a break action, make sure you use the artillery hold. This is where you hold it firmly with your right arm like with a normal rifle, but only cup your your left hand and hold the forestock loosely with that hand. Let it slide back and forth while shooting. This method will tighten down your group. I’ll talk to Teresa and try to do an article sometime in the future on how to hold an airgun for maximum accuracy.

So if you have some varmint control you need to do, check out the GAMO Swarm Whisper. I do wish that they made it in a .22 cal. Though, since the .22 has a lot better killing power than a .177 does.

So as we close, if you’re in the market for a break action air rifle, check out the GAMO Swarm Whisper. With a MSRP of only $169.99 from Pyramid Air, it is a good deal. Have fun.

SPECS:
• Break barrel
• IGT gas piston power plant
• Automotive-grade, glass-filled nylon, all-weather stock
• 10-shot repeater
• Patented polymer jacketed steel barrel
• 2-stage adjustable Smooth Action Trigger (SAT)
• Whisper sound-dampening technology
• 10X Quick Shot System
• Manual safety
• 11mm dovetail scope rail
• 4×32 scope included
• Rubber recoil pad
• 1300 FPS (.177), 975 FPS (.22)
• 1-year limited warranty

Tom Claycomb III is a product tester for outdoor manufacturers, hunter, and outdoor writer, writing from Idaho.