Safety Procedures

Read the manual and your owner’s manual carefully before handling your GAMO air rifle or pistol transfer.
This booklet and all other materials we supply to you to anyone in possession of your GAMO Air Rifle or Pistol

This Booklet

This is one of two booklets GAMO shipped with your new GAMO air rifle or pistol. You should have:
• An Owner’s Handbook
• This Safety Manual

Both booklets contain information that is important in the use of this product. If you are missing either of these booklets, put your GAMO air rifle or pistol away and contact your dealer to obtain the missing booklet. If your dealer has none available, contact our Toll Free Number 1-888-USA-GAMO, (1-888-872-4266). A replacement booklet will be mailed to you free of charge. If you prefer to download or print it from our web page, go to www.gamo.com click USA and then click SAFETY.

The safety warnings in this booklet are very important. If you understand the danger inherent in the use of this or any air powered product, and take the precautions described herein, you can be assured of a high degree of safety while enjoying the use of your GAMO air rifle or pistol. If you do not follow each and every one of the warnings in this booklet or your instruction manual, serious injury to you or others may result, as well as severe damage to the air rifle or air gun or other property.

Parts of your GAMO air rifle or pistol and ammunition

The following diagrams will help you understand the parts of your new air rifle or pistol:

For the sake of simplicity, «pellet» is used in this manual to describe both the pellet shown below and the BB shown on the following page.

For the sake of simplicity, «pellet» is used in this manual to describe both the pellet shown on the previous page and the BB shown below.

Your GAMO can be dangerous if mishandled

GAMO products are air powered and can be dangerous. GAMO air rifles and pistols are extremely powerful and shoot with higher energy than traditional spring and BB guns. When using a GAMO product you must handle it according to GAMO’s instructions. Mishandling a GAMO product can lead to injury or death. Air rifle and pistol ownership carries with it great responsibility. Be extremely careful with your air gun. Handle it with caution. Do not take risks.

Like all air gun safeties, the safeties on GAMO air rifles and pistols are mechanical devices and should not be relied on. The shooter is ultimately responsible for the safety of himself and bystanders.

All air rifle and pistol models are different. Each product has its own unique characteristics. Do not handle a GAMO product or similar air rifle or air gun until you are thoroughly familiar with the product. Carefully read the HANDBOOK and SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS before firing or disassembling your gun.

GAMO is not responsible for a malfunctioning of the product, or for physical injury or property damage, resulting in whole or in part from (1) criminal or negligent discharge, (2) improper or careless handling, (3) unauthorized modifications, (4) defective or improper ammunition, (5) corrosion, (6) neglect, or (7) other influences beyond our direct and immediate control. This limitation applies regardless of whether liability is asserted on the basis of contract, negligence or strict liability (including any failure to warn). Under no circumstance shall GAMO be liable for incidental or consequential damages, such as loss of use of property, commercial loss and loss of earnings or profits.

Air rifles and pistols are not toys! These products can cause serious injury or death to anyone within 310 yards of the muzzle. That is over three football fields!

Safety rules for air rifles and pistols

  1. ALWAYS USE EYE PROTECTION.
  2. ALWAYS USE HEARING PROTECTION.
  3. Air guns are not toys. They should only be used under adult supervision. Safety is a straightforward but continuous process. THE UNSUPERVISED USE OF AIR GUNS IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PERSONS UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE.
  4. Think first, fire second.
  5. Always point the gun in a safe direction. NEVER POINT YOUR AIR GUN AT PEOPLE OR ANIMALS EVEN IF IT IS NOT LOADED.
  6. Always keep your fingers away from the trigger during cocking and handling. Keep your finger away from the trigger until you are ready to fire.
  7. Always be certain of what is behind your target. Make sure your target does not conceal a person or some object which could be harmed by the pellets.
  8. Do not fire at a target which allows ricochets or deflections. Do not fire into or at water.
  9. Never use drugs or alcohol while handling this product.
  10. Never reuse pellets.
  11. The air gun and pellets should be kept in separate places, if possible under lock and key.
  12. After use and before putting the air gun away, always make absolutely sure that there are no pellets in the chamber.
  13. Do not load the air gun until you are ready to fire. Do not walk, run or jump when carrying a loaded air gun. A loaded air gun should never be carried inside a vehicle. Always keep the safety ON, even when the air gun is unloaded.
  14. Do not tamper with or modify any part of your air gun. If a malfunction should occur, consult a professional gunsmith. Do not attlipt to repair the internal mechanism of your air gun, since special tools are needed and this could be dangerous.
  15. If your gun is designed to allow pellets in the magazine, place pellets with the skirt toward the butt of the gun.
  16. To unload your repeating gun, make sure you rliove the pellet or BB in the breech and all pellets or BB’s from the magazine.
  17. Never leave the shooting range or hunting area until you are absolutely confident that your gun is completely unloaded. This means unloading the magazine and breech and transfer plate. After you are confident that the gun is completely lipty, perform one last check: Cock the gun and fire it in a safe direction.
  18. ALWAYS KEEP THE AIR GUN AND/OR PELLETS OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.

You must use eye and ear protection

The fact that your GAMO product is powered by compressed air instead of burning gun powder does not reduce the need for eye and ear protection.

Always wear adequate shooting glasses and ear protection whenever you are shooting. Always make certain that persons close to you are similarly protected. In addition to the obvious hazard associated with projectiles damaging eyes, unprotected eyes may be injured 16 by debris which may escape occasionally from your air gun in normal use.

Without ear protection, repeated exposure to shooting noise may lead to permanent hearing loss.

Ammunition

Use only high quality, original factory-manufactured pellets. Do not use pellets that are dirty, wet, corroded, bent, or damaged. Do not oil pellets. Lubricants or debris on pellets can cause potentially dangerous malfunctions. Use only pellets of the caliber for which your air rifle or air gun is chambered. The proper caliber is permanently engraved on your air rifle or air gun; never attempt to use pellets of any other caliber.

Never use deformed or misshapen pellets.

Always load pellets with the skirt toward the butt of the gun.

IF SOMETHING SOUNDS WRONG WHEN YOU FIRE YOUR AIR GUN: Immediately stop shooting and check the barrel for a possible obstruction if you feel unusual resistance when chambering a pellet, or a shot sounds abnormal. In such cases it is possible that a pellet is lodged part way down the barrel. Firing a subsequent pellet in the obstructed barrel can damage your air gun and cause serious injury to you or bystanders.

If there is any reason to suspect that a pellet or BB is obstructing the barrel, immediately unload the air rifle or air pistol. Be sure that the safety catch is «ON» prior to clearing an obstruction. Insert a cleaning rod of the appropriate caliber for your rifle (.177 or .22) into the opening of the barrel. Push the rod through the barrel until the stuck ammunition is free.

NOTE: Always discard defective or deformed ammunition.

IF A PELLET IS IN THE BORE, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SHOOT IT OUT BY ANY MEANS. SUCH TECHNIQUES CAN GENERATE EXCESSIVE PRESSURE, CAUSE SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY AND DAMAGE YOUR AIR GUN.

It may be possible to remove the pellet. If the pellet cannot be dislodged by tapping it with a cleaning rod, take the air gun to a gunsmith.

Dirt or debris on a pellet can make it difficult to chamber a pellet. The same is true of pellets which are damaged or deformed.

Mechanical gun safeties

NEVER RELY ON ANY MECHANICAL SAFETY MECHANISM
A mechanical safety is NOT a substitute for thought and caution on your part. Your air rifle or air gun comes equipped with an effective, well-designed safety device. NO safety, however positive or well-designed, should be trusted. Like all mechanical devices, the safety is subject to breakage or malfunction and can be adversely affected by wear, abuse, dirt, corrosion, incorrect assembly, improper adjustment or repair, or lack of maintenance.

There is no such thing as a safety which is child-proof or which can prevent accidental discharge from improper use, carelessness, or horseplay. The best safety mechanism is your own good sense; USE IT! Always handle your air rifle or air gun as though you expect the safety NOT to work!

Never point any air rifle or air gun at any part of your body or at another person. No one will be injured if you obey this rule, even if an accidental discharge occurs.

Leave the safety on when loading your air gun and until you are ready to shoot with the air gun pointed at the target!

Always keep your fingers off the trigger and point the muzzle in a safe direction when engaging or disengaging the safety.

When applying the safety, be certain to move it fully into position. On some models a red warning dot is located beside the safety; when the safety is fully on, the red dot should be completely covered. Always remember, half-safe is NOT SAFE!

Never carry any air gun with a round in the chamber and the safety off.

Loading your air rifle or pistol

You must follow these instructions. If you do not follow these instructions, you may find that the gun does not function properly, creating a hazard and potentially damaging your air rifle or pistol:

Do not use deformed or misshapen pellets. Check the skirt of any pellet before loading it in the gun.

Do not load pellets into the chamber with the skirt towards the muzzle.

Use only pellets or BBs of the proper caliber.

Always make sure the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction!

Never attempt to load or unload any air rifle or air gun inside a vehicle, building or other confined space (except a properly constructed shooting 22 range). Enclosed areas frequently offer no completely safe direction to point the air rifle or air gun; if an accidental discharge occurs, there is great risk of injury or property damage.

Before loading, always clean all grease and oil from the bore and chamber, and check to be certain that no obstruction is in the barrel. Any foreign matter in the barrel could result in a bulged or burst barrel or other damage to the air rifle or air
gun, and could cause serious injury to the shooter or to others.

Firing your air rifle or pistol

Keep the safety on, the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and your finger away from the trigger when cocking an air gun.

Never carry or leave any air gun unattended which is cocked and ready to fire! When cocked, an air gun will fire from slight pressure on the trigger. An accidental discharge can result if you fall or drop the air rifle or air gun, or if the air rifle or air gun is struck.

Uploading your air rifle or pistol

  1. Put the safety on.
  2. Always make sure the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction!
  3. Remember to clear the chamber after the magazine has been removed.
  4. Never assume that any gun is unloaded until you have personally checked it.
  5. For repeating air guns only: Check that the transfer plate is clear. (See Fig. 5 on Page 28).

Special rules for repeating air guns

GAMO manufactures both single shot and repeating air rifles and pistols. It is not necessary to reload a repeating arm after each shot.

Because repeaters function differently than single shot air rifles and pistols, some special safety rules apply in addition to the safety rules discussed elsewhere!

  1. Be sure the plunger handle is locked in the retracted position when placing BB’s in the magazine. See your owner’s manual for details. If the plunger handle becomes free, BB’s may fly out of the magazine. Flying BB’s constitute a serious eye injury hazard so remember safety rule number one: Always use eye protectionAlso remember that the magazine plunger is under spring pressure and will pinch fingers or anything else in its way if the plunger comes unlocked.
  2. When you are unloading the gun keep the safety on, the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, and your finger away from the trigger.
  3. To unload your repeating gun, make sure you remove the pellet in the breech and all pellets from the magazine.
  4. To unload the magazine, place the plunger in the locked position and let the pellets fall free of the magazine by tipping the magazine down.
  5. In guns with removable magazines, store empty magazines out of the gun. In guns with integral magazines, leave the magazine open when storing.
  6. Never leave the shooting range or hunting area until you are absolutely confident that you gun is completely unloaded. This means unloading the magazine, the breech AND the transfer plate (see fig. 5). After you are confident the gun is completely empty, perform one last check: cock the gun and fire it in a safe direction.

Transporting and storing your air rifle or pistol

When transporting your air rifle or air gun to and from shooting activities, keep it unloaded for your safety and for the safety of others.

When storing your air rifle or air gun, keep it separated from ammunition, under lock and key if possible, and out of the reach of children and other inexperienced or unauthorized persons.

Always check with local law enforcement officials regarding local laws when removing your air rifle or air gun from your home

Care and Cleaning

  1. Your air rifle or air gun is delivered factory packaged and preserved with a light coating of protective grease and oils. Before loading make certain that all packing grease and oil has been cleaned from the bore and exposed mechanism.
  2. Before you begin to disassemble your air rifle or air gun for cleaning, always double-check to make sure it is unloaded!
  3. After cleaning always check to be sure that no cleaning patch or other obstruction remains in the bore or chamber.
  4. All air rifle or air guns require periodic maintenance and inspection which may reveal a need for adjustment or repair. Have your air rifle or air gun checked by a competent gunsmith annually even if it seems to be working well, since breakage, improper functioning, undue wear, or corrosion of some components 31 may not be apparent from external examination. If you notice ANY mechanical malfunction, DO NOT continue to use the air rifle or air gun. UNLOAD the air rifle or air gun and take it to a competent gunsmith immediately. Similarly, if water, sand, or other foreign matter enters the internal mechanism, the air rifle or air gun should be dismantled for complete and thorough cleaning. Failure to keep your air rifle or air gun clean and in proper working order can lead to a potentially dangerous condition.
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