Okay, so I went down to Charlotte, N.C. this weekend to the NRA Convention. I found the GAMO booth and I voiced my concerns to one of their V.P. of Sales, regarding the direction GAMO had taken with their rifles.
He explained to me that the reason GAMO went with an integral trigger was because (the typical) customers were complaining how the old-style triggers would get loose, etc. and have a failure to cock, so they changed their triggers to the new style so they won't get loose. I told him how the new plastic triggers were horrible and how they were no longer able to be upgraded to the GTX aftermarket triggers, and how it's nearly impossible to upgrade their rifles with a gas ram. I also pointed out that the cheaper steel they use for their barrels with a polymer outer cover were susceptible to bending when cocking.
I told him that there's a whole community of airgun tuners and serious shooters out here that are extremely disappointed with the direction they took. I also pointed out how poor their customer service department is in returning calls and emails.
He handed me his card and told me that if anyone has any concerns, that he could be contacted. I told him I would write about my interview with him on the forums and on my gun-blog. He was okay with that.
I left him that afternoon having a good feeling that a change might be in the works for them regarding their customer-relations practices, and possibly their air rifles in order to remain a leading force in the airgun industry. They used to make fine airguns, until these changes came along and people were no longer satisfied with their quality. I know I'm not.
