Gamo Maxxim Elite Tactical: Gun test

The Gamo Maxxim Elite Tactical waves goodbye to the wooden stock of the original. Was this a tactical move? Mike Morton finds out…

The heart of the Maxxim Elite Tactical is the magazine system, which translates to fast-fire fun

Key Specs
Supplied by: Gamo
Model: Maxxim Elite Tactical
Price: £279
Calibre: .177 (4.5mm), .22 (5.5mm)
Total Length: 114cm (7.6 in)
Weight: 2.9kg (6.4lb)
Magazine capacity: 10 shots
Action: Break-barrel
Powerplant: Gas strut
Sighting options: Scope only
Trigger: Two-stage, adjustable


The concept of a magazine-fed piston-powered rifle is nothing new – just look at the BSA Gold Star from 1991, for example – but it was Gamo who really popularised the system with the Maxxim Elite.

That rifle has proven to be a big success, and the original Elite has now been joined by its Tactical twin, which wears a black synthetic stock instead of wood, making the two guns both look and feel distinct.

While the most obvious difference is the ‘tacticool’ look of the new-style stock, synthetic handles do a great job of shrugging off bumps and bruises as well as wet weather.

The magazine is slotted into the multishot system with a positive click – and it’s notched to prevent it being inserted the wrong way round

The synthetic stock, which is treated to some smart red trim in front of the butt pad, is not a direct copy of the wooden original, featuring a lower comb and doing away with the adjustable cheekpiece. I’m a big fan of adjustable stocks, but a lower comb may make the rifle more appealing to smaller shooters.

More from the Gamo Maxxim Elite range…

The rifle is long, but is nevertheless deceptively light, even with the supplied 3-9×40 scope on board, and fellow shooters who shouldered the rifle seen here – one much taller than me and one much shorter – were both impressed by its balance and handling.

The Gamo-branded scope is simple to fit using a T15 Torx bit. While it looks as if the multishot cassette system might get in the way of the scope, the image is perfectly clear, with no hint of the mag system visible through the lens. I even popped on one of my own scopes in a set of low mounts to see what would happen: the image was still clear.

The Maxxim delivers minimal felt recoil, but should you feel the need for further dampening in your shoulder, just remove one or more of these plugs

I love synthetic stocks, and black rifles in particular, and appreciate the purposeful looks of the Maxxim Elite Tactical. You’ll have to shoulder it for yourself to see whether or not you’d make use of the adjustable cheekpiece of the original, or can live without it.

More Gamo gun tests:


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