In this Filed Test Shooting Video recorded in the Replica Airguns Indoor Sea Can Shooting Range, I test out the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol to see what the actual velocity is in fps shooting 4.5mm steel BB’s with a fresh CO2 Cartridge. I also shoot 10 rounds of BB’s into a paper target setup 30 feet down range to see just how accurate the accurate the Gamo GP-20 Combat Pistol is out of the box. If you are more interested in details and specifications along with some closer up video of the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol, then make sure to watch my Table Top Video for it located here.
So let’s get to the velocity test for the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol. Gamo does claim up to 400 fps and to find out if these claims are true, I first installed a brand new 12 gram CO2 cartridge in the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol and proceeded to shoot 5 rounds through my Chronograph. I then averaged the shots out and was impressed with a much higher than claimed velocity of 422 fps. My slowest recorded shot was 419 fps with the fastest shot hitting 424 fps, so all of them very close to each other.
Moving on to the accuracy portion of my Field Test, I then setup a brand new paper target 30 feet away and using a semi rested shooting position (Hands on a sand bag up front and sitting on a stool in the back), I purposely shot 10 rounds with care into the target. The Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol does not have adjustable sights at all so you will have to adjust your aim point if it is not bang on out of the box for you. That said, for me I was able to get about a 3 inch 10 round shot grouping, fairly well centered but just a bit to the left, about an inch or so. The shots did spread out a bit more up and down with less of a spread left to right, but still a decent grouping none the less.
The Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol is like many of these low cost CO2 NBB BB Pistols, was very predictable as I have shot a ton of them and since they all share similar mechanical attributes internally, they tend to shoot about the same. I don’t mean this as a bad thing since they generally all shoot fairly decent with right around 400 fps velocities and generally I get anywhere from a 2 inch to 4 inch grouping with them. The good parts is the design is tried and trued and seems to be very durable and problem free with less moving parts to go wrong. They are also rather low cost and the magazines are interchangeable, so if you have other models based on this same build design, then you can mix and mach your magazines and load them all up for non-stop shooting fun. I do like the overall feel of this NBB CO2 BB Pistol, and the sights are very easy to aim with being white dot in the front and fiber optic in the back. If you are looking for a low cost basic NBB CO2 BB Shooter then this could just check all those boxes for you.
Type: NBB CO2 BB Pistol. Manufacturer: Distributed by Gamo. Model: P-20. Materials: Plastic & metal. Weight: .97 pounds (439 grams). Total Length: 7.25 inches (184mm) Barrel: 4.25 inches (108mm) metal non-rifled. Propulsion: CO2 x 1. Action: Semi auto NBB, double action only trigger. AmmunitionType: 4.5mm steel BB's. AmmunitionCapacity: 20 round metal stick magazine. FPS: Claimed 400.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol is the same as pretty much all of the DOA trigger low cost BB Pistols where the trigger has to do all the work. Much of which is pulling back the fairly strong internal hammer spring which in this case is the barrel which protrudes slightly out of the front of the pistol until you reach the release point, and it snaps back hitting the valve and pressurizing the Airgun. This will give you a bit of a finger workout if you are shooting fast and want to empty out the 20 round magazine.
Accuracy: At this point I have not tested or shot the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol but I plan on making my Field Test Shooting Video the following week so stay posted for that. I do expect it to perform nearly exactly live every other Airgun made like this, and there are many that essentially have all the same internal components with a slightly redesigned outer shell, so mechanically they are all the same and should shoot about the same. It should get really close to the claimed 400 fps and I expect it to shoot under a 2-3 inch grouping, unless I am having an off day.
Build Quality: The build quality of the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol is what you expect from almost all plastic BB Guns of this type. It is not super heavy but that means less can break when dropped on a hard surface. Fit and finish are good and one gripe I have with most of these types of BB pistols built the same way, is that the grips are a bit lose so it can pop off when you pull it back. The Gamo GP-20 Combat’s grips are a lot more solid and this does help make the Airgun feel a bit more confidence inspiring.
Realism: The Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol from what I can see is not an exact copy of a real steel pistol in production but it does look like a modern semi auto pistol in design. The barrel is slightly recessed, and the CO2 tab is also hidden inside the grips, so unless you get close to the pistol you would think it could be the real deal. That said some giveaways are the moulded into the slide ejection port and the screw holes on the right side of the two plastic halves of the Airgun along with the kind of out of place standard safety switch that looks more like something you would find on a piece of electronics.
Pros:
Very low cost and simple design will make it reliable.
Fit and finish looks decent for an all plastic gun, grip are actually pretty tight.
Picatinny rail for adding accessories like a laser or tac light.
Standard metal stick magazine found in lots of Airguns for cross compatibility.
Right hand screws are very small and less obvious then some other two sided low cost plastic Airguns.
White dot sight up front and fiber optic in the back are easy to see on all backgrounds..
Safety is right above the trigger finger so easy to switch if you are right handed.
Recessed barrel for added realism.
Cons:
Some more metal would have been nice, but typical of a low cost BB shooter like this.
Double action trigger does require some work, so action shooting will be a bit harder.
Not a lot of working parts other than the trigger, safety, and magazine release.
Comments:
I have reviewed many CO2 BB Pistols built exactly like the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol, so it is at least for me, not the most exciting Airgun review but I always enjoy the chance to shoot even the most basic of Airguns. I would say the Gamo GP-20 Combat CO2 BB Pistol in this category is one of the nicer options as I feel Gamo stepped up the build quality just a bit, even if it was just to make the grips feel more solid and less prone to popping off when loading CO2. It is a little bit beefier than similar CO2 BB Pistols in this category so maybe not the best for smaller handed individuals but good for someone like me with larger mitts. The price is right for sure and with its simple design, it should perform as expected for a good long time!
Another box showed up at my door and this time I had no idea what was inside it, I asked the boys in the warehouse to surprise me and send some new product as I was low on review items, and in a couple of days later this tall somewhat large box showed up. In this Replica Airguns June Mystery Box Unboxing Video I open the box and take a look at what’s inside. I recommend you just watch the video and enjoy the suspense with me, but if you want to cheat and find out now, then look below at quick breakdown of each item…
In this Filed Test Shooting Video recorded in the Replica Airguns Indoor Sea Can Shooting Range, I test out the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol to find out what the actual velocity is in fps shooting both 4.5mm steel BB’s and .177 caliber lead Pellets. I also put a full side of each magazine into a paper target setup 30 feet down range again using both BB’s and Pellets to see which ammo type may be more accurate out of the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol? If you are more interested in details and specifications along with some closer up video of the GAMO P-27 then make sure to watch my Table Top Video for it.
Let’s get right to the velocity test of the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Shooting 4.5mm Pistol. Gamo does claim up to 430 fps, I am not sure if this is for BB’s or Pellets or maybe even light weight alloy Pellets. In any case I used standard 4.5mm 5.1 grain steel BB’s and around 7 grain lead Pellets for this test. Shooting 3 rounds of 4.5mm steel BB’s through my Chronograph I averaged 342 fps with the three shots recording 349, 342, 334 fps. Switching to lead Pellets I averaged 288 fps with the three recorded shots of 290, 291, 282. The 4.5mm steel BB’s as you can see shot faster than the lead Pellets but this was most likely due to the heavier weight of the lead pellets.
I was interested to find out if the .177 caliber Pellets where going to be more accurate in the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol as pellets traditionally are more accurate than BB’s but in the case of the GAMO P-27 the barrel is not rifled so there may be less of a benefit shooting pellets for accuracy purposes? The best way to find out is to try it out so that’s exactly what I did. Again starting with 4.5mm steel BB’s I place one side of the 16 round magazine, so 8 rounds into a fresh pepper target setup 30 feet away. I did use my standard shooting stance of sitting in the back on a stool and placing my hands on a sand bag up front for some stability. I did notice the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol liked to shoot a bit high and to the left but I did get around a 3.5 inch grouping and if I removed two shots that where on the outside of the grouping I would have had closer to a 2 inch grouping. Switching to the .177 caliber Pellet side of the magazine I then was able to get my 8 rounds a bit tighter hitting around a 1.5 inch grouping with most of the shots all within 1 inch of each other. Pellets at least for me where the better choice in terms of accuracy.
The GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol is a fun little BB and Pellet plinker capable of plinking and action shooting at closer up ranges. I would not want to shoot out much further than 30-40 feet or so but it is accurate enough especially with Pellets to hit pop can sized objects at those ranges. I do like that you have the option of shooting both single and double action as the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol does have an actual working hammer and this does lighten up the trigger a bit more for accurate shot placement when shooting in single action. If a fairly affordable NBB dual Ammo Airgun is what you are after than consider grabbing yourself one over at of one of our Replica Airgun Online Stores, Canada or the US.
Type: NBB CO2 BB Pistol - Pellet Pistol. Manufacturer: Distributed by Gamo. Model: P-27. Materials: Plastic & metal. Weight: 1.5 pounds (681 grams). Total Length: 7 inches (178mm) Barrel: 3.75 inches (95mmm) metal non-rifled. Propulsion: CO2 x 1. Action: Semi auto NBB, single and double action trigger. AmmunitionType: 4.5mm steel BB's - .177 Cal. Pellets. AmmunitionCapacity: 16 round (8x8) drop out plastic stick magazine. FPS: Claimed 430.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol is fairly good considering there is no blowback action to pre-cock the hammer. In Single action you can manually cock the hammer for a somewhat lighter trigger pull or you can simply pull the trigger in double action mode which cocks the hammer and cycles the rotary magazine. Both shooting modes are about the same trigger length as the first part of the trigger pull advances the rotary magazine and even in double action the trigger is fairly light but not as light as a true single action trigger.
Accuracy: At this point I have not tested or shot the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol but I do plan on making a Field Test Shooting Video as soon as I can which may be a few weeks as I am attending SHOT Show 2024 next week which will be the focus of my attention for the next few weeks. All I can go on is what Gamo claimed which is an fps of 430 using light weight pellets. When I make my Field Test Shooting Video for the GAMO P-27 I will test it out with regular lead pellets and Steel BB’s.
Build Quality: The build quality of the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol is good overall. Yes it does have a pretty much full plastic shell, but there is enough metal inside to give it a decent 1.5 pound weight which for a smaller pistol like this makes it feel solid in the hand. There is no blowback action which reduces the amount of moving mechanical parts which will make the GAMO P-27 less prone to wear and possible malfunction so I would expect it to be reliable for a long time.
Realism: The GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol as far as I can tell is not an exact copy of a real steel pistol in production but it does look like a real gun for sure. It does have a working safety on the slide which is not your typical low cost airgun switch and the barrel is slightly recessed. The CO2 tab is also hidden fairly well at least when looking from the side, so unless you get close to the pistol you would think it was real for sure. That said some giveaways would be the moulded into the slide ejection port and the screw holes on the right side of the two plastic halves of the airgun, but again close inspection would only really reveal this .
Pros:
Has a good weight and feel to it, not cheap feeling in the hand.
Can shoot both BB’s and Pellets.
Has a single and double action trigger/hammer.
Uses standard Gamo/Umarex double sided rotary magazines.
White dot sights for easy sight acquisition.
Realistic safety lever on the side of the slide.
Picatinny rail for add on accessories.
Recessed barrel adds to realism.
Claimed decent high velocity of 430fps.
Cons:
Mostly plastic external gun.
Sights are fixed so no adjustment.
No blowback action if that is important to you.
Comments:
As far as I can remember, I have not seen an Airgun that uses this type of double sided rotary magazine that has not had blowback operation so it will be interesting to see how it shoots. I do expect it to be a bit more powerful than its Blowback counterparts. Overall the GAMO P-27 NBB CO2 Dual Ammo Pistol is well built and solid and looks to have a good trigger on it for either double action quick paced shooting or more slowed down accurate shooting in single action. I will for sure be testing it using both BB’s and Pellets, but I have a feeling both will shoot similarly at the end of the day since the barrel is not rifled giving the pellets less of an advantage.
Starting the year off with a Preview Unboxing Update Video of three CO2 Air Pistols. One from Gamo is a NBB CO2 Dual Ammo (Pellet/BB) Semi Auto style pistol called the Gamo P-27. The other two are for Crosman and are both Revolvers but from very different aras. The First Revolver I look at is the Crosman SNR357 which is essentially an early revision rebranded Dan Wesson in a 2.5 inch barrel. You can use either .177 caliber pellets or 4.5mm BB’s with it loading them into the 6 shells that come with it. A new comer I have never seen is the Crosman Fortify styled after the classic Single Action Army Colt 45 old West Revolver. Unlike many of today shell loading CO2 Revolvers, the Crosman Fortify has an internal tube fed magazine with a spring follower that holds 18 4.5mm Steel BB’s.
Watch my Preview Unboxing Update Video where I take a quick look and go over some basic specifications along with my initial thoughts…
As always I placed a brand new C02 in the Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol to get maximum power and the temperature was around 21 degrees Celsius or about 70 degrees Fahrenheit which is warm enough to get good velocity results but not hot enough for maximum fps so keep that in mond. I deiced to shoot 4 Steel BB’s, and 4 Lead Pellets through my chronograph and averaged the velocities out for each ammo type. The Steel BB’s weigh about 5.1 grain while the Lead Pellets weigh a bit over 7 grain so I was expecting to see higher numbers with the BB’s which is exactly what I got but not near as high as the claimed 495 fps.
My actual velocity result for Lead Pellets was a 4 shot average of 332 fps with the slowest being 313 and the fastest shot hitting 359. For steel BB’s I was able to average 346 fps so not a lot faster at the end of the day but close. My slowest Steel BB Chronograph reading was 342 with the fastest shot at 356 which was actually just a bit slower than the Lead Pellet fastest velocity reading. Lead Pellets tend to seal in the barrel better than Steel BB’s so even though they are a bit heavier they still get pretty close velocity readings to BB’s since the less CO2 blows by the ammo with Lead Pellets.
Sine the Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol has a double sided rotary magazine that holds 8 rounds on each end, I loaded one side with BB’s and one side with Pellets and proceeded to see how tight of a grouping each ammo type was capable of with 8 rounds. As expected again the Lead Pellets performed better getting about a 1.5 inch grouping well centered up a down on the bullseye but a tad to the left of it. The Steel BB’s did spread out somewhat getting closer to a 4 inch grouping that this time was better centered side to side but a little bit low of the Bullseye. Out of the box the sights seem to be fairly well centered which is nice since they are not adjustable.
So the Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol isn’t the flashiest Replica Airgun out there, maybe not the most powerful or accurate Airgun either but it is fun to shoot and does offer more options in terms of ammo choices when shooting. Velocity is really close between Steel BB’s and Lead Pellets and since the Lead Pellets are about 2 grain heavier they will have more energy downrange when they hit a target. The Lead Pellets also performed better in the accuracy department and shot a respectable 1.5 inch 8 shot grouping so if this was my Airgun I would probably go with Lead Pellets as long as I had some on hand, but if all you have around is Steel BB’s than at least you can keep on shooting which is what it’s really about at the end of the day.
Type: Non-blowback CO2 BB and Pellet Pistol. Manufacturer: Distributed by Gamo. Model:P-430. Materials: Mostly plastic. Weight: .94 pounds (427 grams). Total Length: 8 inches (203mm). Barrel: 4.75 inches (121mm) metal non-rifled. Propulsion: CO2 x 1. Action: Semi auto non-blowback, DOA trigger. Ammunition Type: .4.5mm steel BB’s and .177 caliber pellets. Ammunition Capacity: 16 round drop out plastic stick magazine. FPS: Claimed 495.
Trigger Pull: The Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol is typical of a double action tiger in that it is a longer trigger pull that requires more effort to pull. The Gamo P-430 trigger is I would say good for a DOA trigger as it is not overly heavy and does allow for fairly quick rapid fire shooting. The trigger pull not only cocks the hammer, it also rotates the rotary magazine on either end of the stick magazine so there is a lot going on here but it still is not overly heavy which is nice.
Accuracy: I have yet to shoot the Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol or performed my standard Field Test shooting Video so I can not comment at this time on the performance other than what is claimed in terms of fps. Which if accurate will be one of the more powerful CO2 BB/Pellet guns, but we will see when I do my Field Test Shooting video. Accuracy is not claimed so hopefully the accuracy out of the box is as good as the claimed fps…
Build Quality: The Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol is a pretty much all plastic Airgun with only a few metal parts I can make out. The trigger is metal along with the inner barrel and the area where the CO2 goes in. Because of the plastic build, it is fairly light weight which can actually be good in a fall as the mass is low resulting in less damage if you were to drop it on a hard surface. Scratches will also be less noticeable on a plastic Airgun over a metal Airgun as the material on a plastic Airgun is all black rather than a painted surface that will show blemishes a lot more. The simplicity of the design means you should get a lot of shots from the Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol before encountering any problems.
Realism: The Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol is not a replica of a specific real steel gun in production but it does share a lot of cosmetic characteristics as a Sig Sauer Pistol such as the M17 and P226. There are few external mechanical working parts on the Gamo P-430 other than the trigger, safety and magazine release and as mentioned already the Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol is rather light weigth which takes away from the realism. The barrel is slightly recessed and the CO2 tab is hidden in the grip which helps in terms of realism.
Pros:
Claimed high velocity of 495 fps.
Expect lots of shots per CO2 as compared to a blowback Airgun.
Simple design means it will have less to go wrong over time.
Picatinny rail for add on accessories.
Can use either 4.5mm Steel BB’s or .177 caliber pellets.
Cross bolt safety to prevent accidental shots.
Has a Sig Sauer like look to it which is a good thing.
Double ended stick magazine works well and does not add too much friction to the trigger pull.
Well hidden CO2 Screw, no tools required.
Fit and warning instructions on Airgun is embossed and color matched so it is very subtle.
Cons:
Mostly all plastic Build.
No white dot sights so will be harder to see on darker backgrounds, also not adjustable.
Light weight with no blowback action so not as good realism and a cheaper feel to it.
Trigger is a bit long but not crazy heavy.
Comments:
I personally prefer blowback Airguns that have a more solid weight and feel to them, but again there is a lot more that can go wrong and parts tend to wear out over usage a lot quicker than a more simple design like in the case of the Gamo P-430 CO2 Dual Ammo BB Pellet Pistol. Price is also going to be a lot less when looking at the Gamo P-430 as the plastic build is a lot cheaper to produce. On the other hand these non-blowback CO2 airguns do tend to have a much higher velocity and also generally you will also get more shots per CO2 than a similar CO2 Blowback Pistol so you have to give to get, it really depends what features you want more and in this case you also get a more cost effective Air Pistol with plenty of shooting enjoyment.
In this Update Preview Video I take a look at three CO2 Air Pistols from ASG, Gamo and Barra. All shoot 4.5mm steel BB’s and one can also shoot .177 caliber pellets. two of them have blowback action. Two are also styled after the popular 1911 Semi Auto Pistol. The ASG 1911 has a unique magazine and chambering system that is the first I have seen of this in a Blowback Airgun. It offers with blowback operation along higher fps and a nice light semi auto trigger, which is a combination not offered in many Airguns.
