While gunpowder more than gets the job done in most cases, its often possible that simple compressed gas can as well. Being fortunate to have reviewed multiple air rifles, I can attest that for certain circumstances (like anything one might shoot with a .22 LR), that they are excellent options for hunting, training, or legal compliance. Many cities do not allow firearms discharges within city limits, so air rifles are great to get around the rule.

The bane of many air rifles, especially break-actions has been the slow loading time. Until now, they have been single-shot weapons. GAMO has seen to correct this with the introduction of their latest air rifle, the Swarm Maxxim, which incorporates a 10-shot magazine into the break-action air rifle.

It’s not the only innovation too, namely their Recoil Reducing Rail system, which (finally) brings air rifles into parts commonality with modern firearms through a picatinny rail adapter that seeks to reduce the harsh vibrations of air rifle recoil so that most scopes can handle it. Combined with the SWA recoil pad, the air rifle will be extremely pleasant to shoot and soft on both optic and shoulder.

Finally, the common spring and piston powerplant has been replaced by pneumatic cylinders, which uses compressed gas instead of the normal compressed spring. GAMO claims this more consistent pressure, holding the .22 caliber pellets within a 40 FPS velocity range. The .177 pellets scream out the rifle at 1300 FPS.

Retail is set at $199. It is currently in-stock over at Pyramid Air and shows availabiltiy from Cableas, AirGunDepot, and other sources.

Features and specs of the GAMO Swarm Maxxim Air Rifle:

• .22 caliber

Velocity: 1,300 feet per second with PBA® Platinum

• .177 caliber

Velocity: 975 feet per second with PBA® Platinum

• Gas-piston powerplant (IGT – Inert Gas Technology)
• 10X Quick-Shot Multi-shot with 10-round magazine
• Break Barrel Cocking System
• Manual Safety
• Barrel: Fluted Polymer Jacketed Steel
• Whisper Maxxim™ Sound Suppression Technology
• Cocking Effort: 32 lbs.
• Trigger: Two stage fully adjustable CAT™ (Custom Action Trigger)
• RRR™ Recoil Reducing Rail (99.9% recoil compensation)
• All Weather Ambidextrous Stock
• SWA™ (Shock Wave Absorber) Recoil Pad (reduces felt recoil)
• 3-9×40 air rifle scope with rings for rail mounting
• Weight: 5.64 lbs.
• Length: 45.3 inches
• Barrel Length: 19.9 inches
• 5-Year Warranty
• 2017 MSRP: $199.99 (less $$ online)

GAMO Swarm Maxxim Air Rifle Optics Features:

• 3-9x magnification
• 40 mm objective lens
• 1″ tube
• 30/30 reticle with fine crosshairs for target acquisition
• Field of View: 40 ft. @ 3x to 12 ft. @ 9x
• 5″ eye relief
• Weight: 21.6 oz.
• Length: 13.5″ long
• Fogproof
• Shockproof
• Waterproof
• Lens caps: Included