The second generation GAMO Swarm Fusion is an amazing upgrade of an already largely innovative break barrel airgun. The GAMO Swarm Fusion 10x Gen2 is GAMO’s way of letting consumers know they were listening. The company largely fixed many complaints people have had with the previous generation while keeping the features that put this airgun off the map.

The Gamo Swarm Fusion 10x Gen2 is the perfect all-around airgun. The lightweight design, softer cocking mechanism, and of course, the 10X rotary magazine make this a convenient and fun airgun. It’s ideal for occasional plinking and or vermin hunting. At less than $300 SRP, it’s a hard bargain to beat for the quality you’re getting.

Gamo Swarm Fusion 10X Gen 2 Pros & Cons

Quick History of Gamo Airguns

In 1961, the first Gamo airguns were introduced to the Spanish market. They received immediate acceptance due to their inherent quality and superior performance. The manufactured airguns are also designed with interchangeable parts.

Gamo’s principal goal was to create a high-quality product at a low to medium price. Another goal was to make the sport of airgun shooting more accessible, which subsequently led to an increase in its popularity.

In 1995, GAMO expanded its manufacturing and distribution to the United States, where it would eventually receive positive acceptance in the American market.

Today, Gamo is the largest manufacturer of pellets globally and the largest manufacturer of airguns in Europe. You can find Gamo airguns in more than 50 countries, and it is still one of the leading innovators in the Airgun market. 

Types Of Air Guns

Let’s first take a quick look at the five main types of air guns.

Spring Powered

Spring-powered airguns are also called springers. They are simple, inexpensive, and accurate. However, they tend to produce more recoil than other types of airguns. It generates compressed air inside a cylinder, also called the piston body, via the spring and piston. The gun is cocked, and the spring is compressed to create the charge.

When the trigger is pulled, the spring is released, driving the piston forward, forcing air out of the piston body/ cylinder, and propelling the pellet out of the barrel. Most spring-powered airguns use a break action barrel to load the round. However, this design tends to cause barrel lock-ups and cause slack within the joints, which will inevitably affect accuracy.

Springers also tend to produce snappy, unpredictable recoil and require a more gentle touch to get better control and accuracy. The good news is they are incredibly cheap compared to other options, extremely convenient to use, and typically require less maintenance than other airguns.

Gas Piston

Gas pistons are also commonly referred to as gas ram. Instead of spring and piston, gas piston air guns use compressed gas to drive the pellet out of the barrel. The cylinder is pre-filled with semi-compressed gas, compressed even further when the gun is cocked. After pulling the trigger, the pressurized air forces the pullet of the barrel, resulting in a swifter and more accurate mechanism.

Generally, they are quieter, lighter, and last longer than spring-piston air guns. Although not ideal, you can leave gas piston air guns cocked without wearing down your airgun. They often work better for beginners since gas pistons tend to cock easier than springers and require less maintenance overall. 

Pre-Charged Pneumatic (PCP)

Pre-Charged Pneumatic air guns use an external air source to provide and compress gas in the internal reservoir. These can be via diving cylinders, air compressors, or manual chargers such as hand pumps. To charge your air gun, you either pump air via an external pump or external air system.

When you pull the trigger, a hammer strikes the internal reservoir release valve allowing a small amount of pressurized air to discharge and force the pellet out of the barrel. 

PCP air guns have fewer mechanical internal parts. However, they require special cylinders and charging systems, which means lower operating and maintenance costs. They are more expensive than springers and gas ram systems. However, they have significantly less recoil than the two air gun systems and can shoot upwards of a hundred rounds per charge. 

The constant availability of pressurized air has also allowed for PCP designs in semi-auto and full-auto configurations.

Variable Pump

These are also known as pump guns or pump pneumatic air guns. These guns use a lever-operated air pump to pressurize an internal reservoir in the air gun. They come in single or multi-stroke designs.

Single stroke pump air guns only require a single cocking motion to mechanically compress air and shoot the pellet at a desirable range. On the other hand, multi-stroke pumps require around five strokes per shot and can shoot up to five shots. 

CO2

CO2 guns, similar to PCP guns, can offer multiple rounds and use compressed air in the form of CO2 to propel ammunition. These guns can also come in semi-auto and full-auto designs.

Most CO2 guns use small disposable Powerlet cartridges. However, premium models will offer air guns with large refillable CO2 canisters built into the rifle. They’re also relatively inexpensive compared to other air guns, especially HPA/ N2 systems.

Who is the Gamo Swarm Fusion 10x Gen 2 for?

While some airgun fans get a kick out of shooting high-end precision guns, others are just looking for an airgun that works. If you’re looking for a robust, dependable, and reasonably priced airgun for occasional small game hunting or pest control, the Gamo Swarm Fusion 10X Gen2 fits the bill nicely.

Gamo Swarm Fusion 10x Gen 2 Specifications

Let’s take a closer look at the GAMO Swarm fusion 10x Gen 2.

Caliber	.22 (.177 available)
Velocity	1000 fps with alloy pellets
Trigger	Two stage independently adjustable Custom Action Trigger (CAT)
Action	10X Gen2 Quick-Shot technology enables you to shoot up to ten pellets without reloading; Singling Cocking system
Noise Dampening	Whisper Fusion
Powerplant	Inert Gas Technology (IGT) gas piston
Barrel	Fluted Polymer jacketed rifled steel barrel with Whisper Fusion noise dampening technology.
Stock	Automotive grade glass filled nylon all-weather
Checkering	Non-slip texture design on grip and forearm
Recoil Pad	Shock Wave Absorber (SWA) Recoil pad with up to 74% recoil absorption
Safety	Manual safety and automatic cocking safety system
Optics	Gamo 3-9x40 air rifle scope with shockproof and fogproof rings
Rail	11mm aluminum rail, Recoil Reducing Rail (RRR)
Sights	Adjustable windage and elevation fiber optics rear sight., Fiber optics front sight
Warranty	5 years
Weight	5.48 pounds
Length	45.7 inches
Length of Pull	15 inches
Ammunition	Any .22 cal pellet
Trigger Pull	2.6 - 3.2 pounds
Barrel Length	20.5 inches
Cocking Effort	30 pounds

Gamo Swarm Fusion 10x Gen 2 Hands-On Review

Unboxing

If you buy this online, the company will ship this to you in a separate cardboard box to keep the item hidden for personal privacy. The Gamo packaging has an almost similar look and feel to a water gun or nerf toy box.

Inside the box you’ll find the airgun wrapped in plastic, lying inside the outlined foam. You’ll also find the 3-9×40 scope, user manual, one 10-round quick-shot magazine.

Appearance

Gamo Swarm Fusion 10x Gen 2 has a unique rifle profile similar to its Gen 1 counterpart. It spans the length of a full-sized rifle, providing a similar, intimidating look and feel.

The stock looks purposely made, with a futuristic sci-fi look that makes it appealing to hold and draws you to shoot. The textured body adds a rough contrast to the overall smooth polymer and polished metal design.

Also, the fluted barrels end on an intimidating muzzle attachment that mimics a shortened suppressor adding power to a purposeful gun. To complete the look, a 9×40 scope mounted on a “Picatinny style” Recoil Reducing Rail system (RRR) adds to the overall allure of this revolutionary airgun design.

Let’s look at the gun.

Trigger (above) and adjustment screws (below). The safety lever is in front of the trigger.

Loading the magazine is easy — it pops off the gun and then simply turns into an open hole, drop a pellet in nose-down. Repeat 10 times. It is very handy, plus it displays the number of pellets remaining.

A couple of photos of the magazine and rear sight.

Front sight.

Even with this, the gun still peaked at around 100 decibels. But, it did quiet it enough (and the muzzle was far enough away) so I didn’t need hearing protection. Your experience may vary, of course.

It takes about 30 pounds of effort to cock the gun. The compensator at the muzzle makes for a good hand-hold and keeps you from grabbing the front sight by mistake. Notice the “10” at the magazine — this shows how the magazine is positioned to feed a pellet into the chamber. Very ingenious. (The Gen 1 guns used a vertical magazine, which precluded the use of iron, open sights — it was a scope proposition only. Gen 2 guns fixed that problem by moving the magazine to the horizontal).

Handling

The Gamo Swarm Fusion, 10x Gen2, is surprisingly lighter than it looks, making it easy to maneuver. The thumbhole stock and pistol grip give you a tight and secure hold onto your airgun.

You’ll also find some nice rubberized texture and the handrest and pistol grip for added safety. The cheek rest is at an excellent comfortable height, and the length of pull on this gun, altho not adjustable, will be okay for people with longer arms like myself.

My only gripe would be with the two-stage trigger and trigger guard, which can be claustrophobic for your fingers, especially if you’re wearing gloves. 

Features 

The main feature, and primary reason, most people buy this gun is the convenient and innovative 10x Quick-Shot assembly. The new, lower profile quick shot assembly allows you to use the GAMO Swarm Fusion Gen 2 with or without a scope, which was previously required by the Gen 1 fusion. 

The break barrel cocking mechanism also allows you to quickly get follow-up shots, and while the Rifle recoil Reducing Rail assembly does a great job at preventing the scope from slipping while shooting the airgun, meaning more accurate follow-up shots. 

The buttstock comes with Shock Wave Absorber (SWA) recoil pads that are adjustable via three insert blocks, giving you a softer or harder buttcheek depending on your preference.

You’ll find Custom Action Triggers (CAT) on the trigger that allows you to completely adjust the first and second-stage trigger pull. However, keep in mind that you’d want to have at least a 3-lb trigger pull to prevent. 

Finally, the Gamo barrel features Gamo’s patented Whisper Fusion sound suppression technology designed to silence their spring and gas-piston airguns and reduce the noise of the pellet exiting the barrel.

Shooting the Gamo Swarm Fusion 10X Gen 2

Accuracy 

Once you’ve replaced the cheap scope included with your purchase, the Gen2 GAMO Swarm fusion airgun shoots accurately. No matter how much you adjust the clicks on your recital, the scope just doesn’t work well.

However, the iron sights were phenomenal, and even with the repeating action of cocking the barrel, you will still be able to get decent groupings out of this gun. Just put on a better scope, and you should be able to plink your targets at a good distance accurately. Also, consider running heavier pellets. The magazine and the overall rifle shoot better with a heavier load.

Here is the target I shot with Crosman Premier lead hollow-points (you read that right — there’s a dimple in the nose) pellet. These pellets weighed an average of 14.3 grains each, as stated on the container.

This group measured an inch and one-eighth, and this was in a pretty windy backyard. The target was not still very often, so I just waited for the wind to die down and took another shot. The group could probably be under an inch in better conditions.

Neither of these pellets would bother a larger game animal or varmint much but would be just the ticket for small game and similar-sized pests. The accuracy is there, and if you put the little lead pill in the right spot at a suitable range, you’ll be rewarded.

Recoil

Although a lot less powerful than a powdered rifle, airguns still get recognizable recoil, especially with heavier grain and high-pressure air rifles. It’s significant enough for Gamo to feel the need to engineer the RRR system for their scope mounts and add a soft rubberized buttstock.

The recoil on the Gamo Swarm Fusion 10x Gen 2 is more like a scattered join than a recognizable hefty kick. You will feel it slightly. You’ll most like complain about the noise before you can really say that there’s actual performance damaging recoil.

Performance 

After shooting a few hundred rounds out of this rifle, I can honestly say that this is an adult rifle in all senses. It will kill small game. Maybe you can get away with a few kill shots on medium to large hunts.

The cocking mechanism takes a little time to get used to. But at 30lbs of force, it’s light enough for even a younger child to use.

The scope is a tad bit underwhelming. I found it refreshing to use the built-in iron sights on this Gamo Swarm Fusion 10x Gen 2. The highlighted bead is very visible, and it’s effortless to zero in on this sight. However, if you do need a scope, switch to a higher quality scope, making things a lot easier.

With enough practice, you can get good groupings at plus 100 yards without a scope. 

Reliability

With simplicity comes reliability and this modified break barrel air gun from Gamo combines the reliability of a break barrel with the innovation of modern semi-autos. You won’t need external tanks of canisters, nor would you ever run out of air while hunting.

Additionally, you’ll be able to set follow-up shots quicker. The visible counter on the magazine will also let you know exactly how many rounds you have till you’re out of ammo.

Extra magazines are also readily available, albeit a bit expensive, but reloading on the spot is easy. The only issue is sometimes, especially with lighter pellets, they tend to shift around in the magazine, which may cause loading issues, but they’re typically easy to fix.

Competition

Crosman Nitro Venom Dusk

The Crosman Nitro Dusk is a general-purpose starter model, gas piston airgun similar to the Swarm Fusion Gen 2. While the Crosman Nitro has a better scope and smoother cocking stroke, the Swarm Fusion outshines in almost every category.

You will need to test out a few pellets before finding the accurate one that’ll work for the Crosman Nitro Venom Dusk. Even without the twang of Spring piston airguns, the Crosman Nitro also makes a significant amount of noise compared to a side-by-side shooting comparison with the GAMO Swarm Fusion Gen2. You’re also not getting the same convenience of a “Semi-Auto” style reloading system. So expect to load a new round in the break barrel compared to shooting 10 before reloading from the Swarf Fusion. 

The Crosman Nitro Venom Dusk is a great plinking beginner gun. However, I’d be hard-pressed to get it over the Gamo Swarm Fusion Gen 2.

Webley Stingray Hunter OS Quantum

The Webley Stingray Hunter OS Quantum comes from a long line of high-quality airguns produced by the Webley Company, a long-trusted manufacturer in the industry. With the Webley Stingray Hunter OS Quantum, they’ve taken the old, traditional break barrel system and upgraded it to work for the modern shooter. 

Like the Swarm Fusion stingray, the Webley Stingray Hunter OS Quantum has a thumbhole stock that offers less comfort room than its Gamo counterpart. The butt cushion is also a lot stiffer than Gamo’s, but Webley has better texturing overall, something you’d want to consider if you find yourself outdoors or in wet conditions. 

The Webley Stingray Hunter’s metal finish is less polished than other counterparts and is prone to scratching. But the metal and polymer materials are tougher than other air rifles. So you might scratch your air gun, but it will definitely take a beating. It also runs around the same weight as the Gamo Swarm Fusion.

Even if it looks and functions as an adult airgun, it’s definitely something you can use to train younger children with. However, I find the traditional look, with the full-length barrel silencer, a little more appealing to the more modern, futuristic appeal of the Swarm Fusion.

Accessories

Gamo 10X Gen2 Quick-Shot Mag .22 

This is a must-have if you’re looking for a convenient hunting season. I always like to think you can never be too prepared, so in a sense, you can never have too many magazines when out hunting. Get ready to spend a little money because these extra magazines will cost just about the same as, if not a little more, than actual rifle magazines. 

However, that’s a small price for convenience, especially considering how easy to store and carry these magazines.

Crosman Premier .22 Hollow Point Pellet

If you’re searching for the best all-around pellet without breaking the bank, there is no denying that Crosman’s Premier .22 Hollow Point pellets are some of the best out on the market. These pellets are accurate and reliable at a price tag that’s hard to beat.

Conclusion

The Game Swarm Fusion 10x Gen 2 is a great air rifle for hunting and pest management. With a cocking effort of 30lbs, it almost boils down to preference for cocking.

It’s light enough to get me through a day’s worth of shooting, whether tin targets or common farm pests. With what you get, for the price you pay, most of the complaints you’ll find yourself in are almost justifiable, if not negligible.

Related reads:

• How to use and clean a gun
• 10 Best Hidden Gun Safes: Keep Your Firearms Secured
• Best Handguns for Home Defense in 2022