I planned to shoot this all in one take but unfortunately I’d shoot one gun well and the other like garbage. 3 tries later I took the best takes from each and combined them into one video. I was really impressed with my remanufactured Gamo even though I couldn’t shoot it as well as my Diana. Still, for $106… wow! My Diana is still a much nicer gun to shoot.
There was a Reddit post a few days ago where someone asked about the favorite Airgun channels. Your channel came up. Please keep up the good job, even if you get sponsored, and you will! Don't sell out , and keep giving us videos like this one. Thanks for the video.
Oh wow! Thanks for the kind words 😀. I’m not a member of any airgun forum, Facebook group or Reddit so I was totally unaware of that. I’m glad to hear you like my videos and that people like what I’m doing. I just do them for fun, my own interest, curiosity and I really enjoy corresponding with fellow airgunners in the comments. I’ve learned so much, it’s awesome! I don’t have any interest in getting sponsored by a vendor or company because once you get a discounted or free product, no matter what guys say, there is still a relationship there and that entity will stop providing product if you don’t give positive reviews. I see it all the time in the powersports industry with the reviews in the mainstream media and especially with ebike reviews that are basically infomercials. It’s super cool that KZhead pays its creators to make content and that alone helps me to purchase guns and pellets to enjoy my hobby and share with the airgun community. Cheers!
I was getting discouraged by the weather not getting nice and hot fast for my liking but looking at this snowbank made me feel better 😂 I've learned to like my Gamo's after returning both and having to tune the replacements myself but I'd definitely trust the Diana more in the long run 💯
Yeah, after learning this Swarm Hornet has a plastic encased breech I feel like it’s ultimately a disposable gun. I wonder what’ll wear out of fail first, the breech or the gas ram? Right now the gun performs great, it’s accurate and fun to shoot. But, I don’t like buying airguns that seem to follow the planned obsolescence philosophy of manufacturing.
@@thatalaskaguy-airgunsI have the same concerns! Crosmans can develop a bit of slop but you can usually fix them by changing the spring
@@LowkeyAirgunner is that with the Crosman break barrel guns?
@@thatalaskaguy-airguns yeah apparently the "alive jam" can get sloppy over time but swapping the spring pushing on it usually fixes most of it or im pretty sur you can get the replacement directly from them (yet because they sold to Gamo..) In the other had I believe that when a Gamo is F'eddd it is the end because even uf it was repearable they won't provide parts
@@LowkeyAirgunner is the “alive jam” the wedge style plunger mechanism that locks the breech? On my Diana’s it’s a ball detent. Bummer to hear that Gamo won’t sell spare parts for that issue. That is BS and really unfortunate. I noticed Daisy no longer carries parts for older 880’s and directs you to a few gunsmiths who they sell the parts to. WTF? 🤦♂️
Most air gun channels I watch are shooting the Crosman hp pellets. I've found the ones your using are much more consistent and accurate.
I’ve noticed that too, I’m not sure why? I’ve had good performance from the HP’s but I think it was a Dr. Russ video where he talked about domed pellets working the best for long range and HP’s doing some funny things aerodynamically. I decided to focus on buying Crosman domed instead. Seems like HP’s are all the Wal-Mart carries in Anchorage and perhaps that’s common across the USA? Maybe that’s why they are used on so many channels?
Hatsan, Gamo, and other second-tier manufacturers have a place in the airgun market. Once you've shot a Weihrauch, Diana, or Air Arms, at least for me, can't spend hard earned dollars on second-tier guns.
I definitely agree there is a difference that can be seen and felt. I’m not sure why but I spend a lot more time shooting my low priced guns rather than my collection of Diana’s and an 80’s vintage Webley Vulcan. Weirauch is a brand I’ve never owned or shot but have only heard good things about. I guess too, perhaps I like the lower priced guns as I can get a lot more variety. There isn’t much difference between the higher end guns, mainly one powerful break barrel after another. Another aspect is I feel KZhead is saturated with channels that cover high end airguns. I don’t think I have much to contribute in that realm plus I don’t have a desire to sled that much money on high end guns.
I have a lot (too many) air rifles, a couple newer diana's 34, 48, and a couple older slower shooting models. I have one Gamo Swarm maxxim. Gamo guns are often not good, but this particular one is a gem. Even with the multi shot magazine in use, it can outshoot both the older dianas. Will it last as long as they will? Not likely, has a gas ram and they eventually fail. It has lost some velocity since it was new, but still shoots amazingly well, and the ergonomics of it and quiet shot cycle compared to the Dianas has a lot to do with it. Changing the trigger screw to a longer one on the Gamo made a huge difference (lighter trigger).
I’ve been very surprised by how good my Gamo has been. It’s great to hear you got a good one as well. I share the same expectations of my gas ram as you mentioned. I suspect it’s cost prohibitive to replace the gas ram and I thought I read somewhere that Gamo doesn’t sell replacement gas rams. The Diana’s are definitely worth the money and everyone who’s into airgunning should buy at least one nice gun like a Diana or Weirhauch.
Cool video. Gamo goes produce spring piston steel lock up breech, with wood stocks amd single loading air rifles like your Diana. You just have to look for them. They are exclusives to Gamo.
I’ll have to look at one of those models, particularly if they offer a remanufactured version. I wouldn’t mind adding a 2nd Gamo to my collection.
Thanks for the video. Love the break barrels. Just can't bring myself to pay more for a pcp gun when most are super slow and need a compressor, how convenient is that? Not very lol
Thanks! 😀 I’ve got 3 PCP’s, two are now 14 years old and I bought my most recent one last summer. It is a 2000 psi fill and I thought maybe I’d shoot it a bunch as it’d be less effort to charge with a hand pump. Instead I discovered what a pressure curve was and how that negatively impacted velocity/accuracy. I discovered I much prefer the consistent power output offered by break barrels and pneumatics.
This is like Manny Pacquiao vs Rick Moranus in boxing😄the underdog got in some good shots though. I've been doing similar competitions between the 362 and 880, 880 is winning easy cus I just discovered the 362 breech shifts around, would installing the steel one fix that?
Ha ha! This video was tough to film as I’d do great with one gun, switch over to the other gun and then do terrible. I’d film again and the opposite would happen. I’ve been really impressed with the Gamo, seems like it punches above its weight. A steel breech will definitely hold the 362 barrel more securely. You could then add a Williams peep sight if you wanted to stay with iron signs and have a very nice, yet still pretty low cost pneumatic. Did you see Pyramid has the anniversary 362 model marked down $100? You’d actually get free shipping in the lower 48. Pretty tempting maybe?
@@thatalaskaguy-airguns I know what you mean I'll get in the zone with one gun then switching to another throws me off, makes it hard to compare fairly😆 I was very interested when I saw the price had come down, it's everything I could want at least on paper, but I heard from OTSA Crosman is doing weird stuff with it now, building small batches as orders come in and quality has gone down even more. He said Nibs is disappointed with his but maybe he doesn't want to do a public call out. IDK it's kinda iffy, I'd actually pay double what it is now if I was confident it'd last a lifetime. What about you can that new price push you over?
@@yoitired It’s funny how having a camera looking over your shoulder adds pressure when trying to do a comparison video. It was really neat to switch back and forth because that really makes the difference apparent between spring and gas power plants, the feel and ergonomics of each gun and which one is more pleasant to shoot. I’ll have to look for the OTSA video where he talks about that. My desire is they offer a plain Jane wood stock/steel breech version of the 362 and price it at $200. I’m sure they could some up with a simple, cheap rear peep sight, or just use a buckhorn style rear sight fastened to the barrel like an old 760. But, I doubt they’ll ever do that. I thought it was very interesting that in a country of 350 million people (not counting the rest of the world) they couldn’t sell all 2023 Anniversary models within a year. I thought $400 was way too much for the gun. Still, it seems like there would be a niche for an upgraded deluxe version of the 362 now that they dropped the Benjamin 392/397.
@@thatalaskaguy-airguns Oh yeah the pressure of people watching, even if it's just my mom visiting and I'm like 'hey Mom watch this' (some things never change😆)makes it a lot more difficult. Man you're so right some things never go out of style, a basic but quality air gun is like sliced bread idk why they have to keep messing with it I'd have no problem paying what it's worth adjusted for inflation. It is really surprising they couldn't sell 2023 rifles, I thought for sure there'd be enough doctors and lawyers with Crosman nostalgia they'd all be gone in no time. I'm thinking the 397 should be top of my list while I can still get one, prob should have taken up the store on finding a replacement for the 392 but was too annoyed at the time😄That beefy overbuilt brass was so nice.
@@yoitiredI believe I found that video, you didn’t mention Daisy bought Crosman, what the heck!? 😆 How crazy is that?
Price is usually a good indicator of durability, fit, finish and quality parts. If you're only a casual plinker, then a cheap option is fine but if you're a regular shooter, targets, pesky varmints and the like, a more expensive option is the way to go as the quality of parts, usually all metal, better stock machining etc. will stand the test of time, you're not just paying for the name when the name actually means something. I own two rifles, one's a Walther the other's an RWS Diana, both springers over 15 years old with a lot of use and both shooting as good as when they were new. They were more expensive than most of the cheaper American (Chinese) brands but in the long run, IMHO, well worth it. The old adage really holds true with air guns, you get what you pay for.
Yes and no. I got fooled by the Norica Dream Hunter, Crosman Mag-Fire Extreme and Seneca Dragonfly. The Norica was the biggest disappointment. It checked all my boxes; lots of steel, not made in China, spring piston, fixed barrel, quality steel iron sights, powerful, accurate, etc. Then it broke in less than a week. I agree, price is a good initial indicator of quality but I’m finding through experience there is a lot of junk on the market. No shortage of KZhead shill videos promoting garbage. You’re right, you generally can’t go wrong buying a name brand like Weirhauch or the actual made in Germany Diana’s. But there again, Diana is offering lower end made in China guns I’ve read mixed things about. I’m a bit curious about a wood/steel Gamo spring piston gun. I may look for one at some point. Same with Cometa, I’ve heard good things from a viewer about that brand. I’m trying hard to stay away from Chinese made airguns but wow, they are so common on the market. Aside from low priced Daisy BB guns and my 20-39 year old vintage Chinese pellet guns, I’ve not had good experiences with current production guns. At least they don’t live up to my expectations.
@@thatalaskaguy-airguns The Diana Two Forty is made in China but then again, the price reflects that at only $125 a low price for a Diana and think it's intended to be an affordable first time youth rifle. Shoots pretty decent from what I've seen, has less than stellar trigger but does the job. True also that price is not always an indicator, maybe I should have said if you want a quality performer, it will cost more than you'll pay in most big box stores. I've had no personal experience with Norica, but I've never read or heard much in the plus side about them only is as much that if you're willing to spend that kind of money on a gun, save up just a little bit more and buy something else. 😁
The swarm system gen 2 is better than the gen 1. If it begins to malfunction take it off and shoot single shot & you'll see better accuracy. 👍 love the diana!..
Good to know that it can be removed, I like that feature. I figured it’d eventually wear out or break at some point. I’ve been wondering if it’d show an improvement in long distance accuracy by hand loading pellets like normal? I really like my Diana 😀! I’m bummed they increased in price to $400 now. I bought mine for $233 back in ‘15.
@thatalaskaguy-airguns you did good on both purchases!.😉👍
Which one do you like best?Thanks
It depends on what I’m doing but if I could keep only one it would be the Diana Model 34 every time. Why? Because it’s a much better built gun that I know will hold up for decades. The Gamo is really fun but I don’t think it’ll still be working or shooting accurately years down the road. Maybe I’ll be wrong? I’ll find out at post a video about it! 😀👍
👍👍👍
Rws 350 vs the Gamo magnum.
I’d have to buy both guns and I don’t really care for magnum springers.
Snow oooh we had the last 2 days 26 degrees celcius 🥵
Dang, almost 80°F! It’s like you are in Hawaii 😄
@@thatalaskaguy-airguns i wish haha
.22😄
Guns in this price range are seldom at their best out of the box, so a side by side won't show what the guns are capable of until fully broken in. Some need a strip and lube or even kit installation and break-in before they shine. I can tell you from experience that Diana rifles with kit install and full break-in can run with rifles costing two to three times as much.
How many shots is typically needed for a break barrel to be considered broken in? Im really pleased with both guns performance, both are stock with the exception of the sling on my Diana.
@@thatalaskaguy-airguns I think a good starting point is 500 rounds. Some take longer and some less-when your groups start magically shrinking and become consistent, you are there. Always check stock and scope mounting screws before each session-don't strip them out, but make sure they are tight.