Does Gamo's New Air Rifle Meet Its Velocity Claims?

The Claim
If you read American Hunter you might recall seeing the Gamo ad that claims its new MRA ShowStopper air rifle will shoot a Gamo PBA Platinum pellet at 1400 feet-per-second. There have been faster air rifles, but for a spring-piston gun in the $250 price range, this is pretty darn fast. So I tested it.

The Test
I obtained a ShowStopper Shawn Michaels (as if I had to tell you, that’s the former WWF wrestling hall-of-famer-turned Outdoor Channel host of MacMillan River Adventures) signature edition air rifle. Next I found three types of pellets, including the .177 caliber, 4.7-grain PBA Platinum pellets and fired up the ole’ chronograph.

The Results

Pellet Velocity Results:
• Gamo PBA Platinum: 1358 fps
• Gamo Hunter: 1090 fps
• Gamo PBA: 1136 fps

The Conclusion
The PBA Platinum, which weighs almost half as much as a standard 7.6-grain pellet, achieved an average muzzle velocity of 1358 fps. It was 42 fps short of making 1400, to be exact, but 42 fps can be made up in altitude and atmospheric conditions, so I’m giving Gamo credit, especially considering many firearm ammunition products routinely fall 100-200 fps slower than company claims. I was surprised that it was that fast. 1358 is screaming for an spring-piston air rifle, and proves that the Showstopper isn’t Ralphie’s Red Ryder.