Our Review: Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro

The Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro has a lot to live up to; including Gamo’s claim that it is one of the “quietest” air rifles you can buy thanks in part to a “patented double integrated noise dampening technology.” But what’s the real story on the Whisper Fusion Pro and, ultimately, is it worth the money? In usual style, we try to cut through the noise and give you our unbiased opinion.

Very Good power and velocity

This is a single-cock, spring-piston break-barrel air rifle that does not come up short in the power department. As usual, Gamo reports velocity using PBA platinum pellets, which, in the .177 caliber are reported to reach 1,400 feet per second. Assuming a weight of 5.4 grains for the PBA ammo, this results in approximately 23.5 foot-pounds of energy, i.e., “FPE,” at the muzzle using our FPE calculator.  We have heard similar numbers by users of the .22 caliber model, although somewhat lower, around the 20-21 FPE range. Regardless, this is plenty of power for anything from long-range plinking to serious small game hunting, and we expect users will not be complaining that the Gamo Whisper lacks guts. This rifle also does not disappoint if you want a nice arm workout – as it requires about 41 pounds of effort to cock.

Fairly good accuracy with combo scope

This model comes with a 3-9×40 with adjustable objective scope and a one-piece dovetail mount.  Most will probably find the scope pretty good for plinking and casual small game hunting; however, it does have its limitations and if you are seeking reliable, tight groups, a scope upgrade may be in order at some point. Having said all that, this is a fairly accurate air rifle, assuming you are patient during break in period and know how to sight-in an air rifle.

We should also point out that, as with a lot of spring-piston rifles, some may struggle keeping the scope zeroed and ensuring that the mounts remain tight. We’d recommend re-zeroing and tightening the scope mounting every couple dozen shots or so to prevent wandering, especially when pursuing small game – where precision shooting is required for humane kills.

A pretty decent trigger

So Gamo has also put a lot of emphasis on the SAT, or “Smooth Action Trigger,” an adjustable two-stage trigger that Gamo claimed is nothing short of revolutionary.

In our view, the SAT trigger is pretty good and light, with just under a 3.74-pound pull. Nevertheless, we would not consider it to be a game-changer by any means and there are plenty that may find the trigger much stiffer than its pull rating would suggest. Again, if you are looking to take this rifle to the next level in terms of accuracy, this trigger may not be for you. Still, this is a good trigger by general standards and the average user is likely to be pleased with its performance out of the box or after some minor tweaking.

Not very quiet, really

OK, so this is where Gamo’s claims fall flat in our opinion. This is not a particularly quiet air rifle! In fact, it is pretty darn average and, while certainly acceptable for a spring-piston model, it is by no means stealthy. In fact, some users put the cracking of this rifle on par with shooting a conventional .22 short round.

Of course, some of the complaints of this rifle being downright loud are probably because people are using PBA ammo in the .177. As we have explained time and time again, if you break the sound barrier (which is around 1,000 FPS), you are going to make a lot of noise – so don’t do it! Breaking the sound barrier will also cause you to miss at anything beyond very close ranges due to the sound pressure wake that is created behind a supersonic pellet. PBA and other lightweight alloy pellets are, in our opinion, gimmicky and not useful except to pick up the trajectory of underpowered airguns and rifles  – this does not apply to the Whisper Fusion Pro. Stick with lead.

Sharp fit and finish

This is a fairly long (just under 47”) yet moderately heavy (8 lbs.) rifle that comes with an all-weather, ambidextrous stock and jacketed steel barrel. The stock comes with rubber buttplate and “Shock Wave Absorber” technology to dampen that endeavors to reduce the double-recoil of the large spring power plant.

Overall, this is very handsome-looking air rifle.

Gamo Whisper Pro butt stock

Consensus from users

Generally, the word on the street is that the Whisper Fusion Pro is a good deal; while not very quiet, users appreciate that it is a very powerful and fairly accurate rifle, that is if you don’t mind having to re-zero the scope now and again. Many people struggle to maintain accuracy and groups out beyond 20 yards, although we suspect in many cases that this is because they are not keeping the mount/scope screws tight and/or are wasting time using PBA ammo, which will virtually always deliver unreliable accuracy with a “hot” rifle like this, especially in the .177 caliber.

Probably the most common complaint about this model is the hollow butt stock, which gives the rifle a somewhat cheaper feel than is deserved. If you are picky about how an air rifle balances – again, if you are looking for outstanding accuracy – this could very well bother you. Otherwise, the hollow butt is mostly a nit-pick that most will get over.

Overall conclusion

While we would not consider this among our best value picks, at its current price point at the time of this writing, which is hovering around $250-$275, the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro does offer a lot of rifle for the money, including an adjustable scope and a decent trigger for its class. In addition, despite the flashy velocity ratings Gamo is known for, at around 20-23 FPE or so, this is a powerful rifle that easily eclipses our 12 FPE minimum for small game hunting and makes the rifle quite good for fairly longer-range shooting (beyond 35 yards) – that is, if you are patient with zeroing every couple dozen shots or so, and make sure to keep the scope and mounting screws tight.

The big failure in our view is the “quiet” claim; this is not a quiet air rifle by any reasonable standard and is pretty average relative to most spring-piston power plants. Consequently, if you are considering this model because you are hoping to engage in some discrete, backyard shooting, think again.

Check price and ratings for the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro Here!

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One Comment

  1. Frankie says:

    I purchased a whisper fusion mach1 in 177cal.
    Very happy with the rifle, put about 250 pellets down range, the I noise problem diminished, and accuracy also began to impress. Now at over some 450 to 500 pellets this rifle is a quiet tack driver.
    Trash the scope, I had to bottom out both the elevation and windage adjustment screws twice. Shoot pellets that 10.5g or heavier, also run a cleaning patch after every 50 pellets or so. I also ran a cleaning patch after every 10 pellets until I reached 150 pellets, they say and I have no idea who THEY are but trust me those little buggers leave more dirt behind then I want to shoot over. Anyway I can put 10 pellets in the same hole at 25yds.

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