GAMO AUTO 45.

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For unqualified shooting fun, this semi-auto, BB-shooting Glocklook-alike is hard to beat.
Without doubt, Spain's giant airgun maker Gamo has scored another huge success with their new
[CO.sub.2] repeater pistol dubbed the Auto 45. Bearing a stunning resemblance to the redoubtable
Glock autoloader with its "squared-up" profile, the Gamo Auto 45 also mimics the heft and feel of
the famous Austrian semi-auto.
Internally, the .177 caliber Auto 45 employs the same power plant and overall design as Gamo's
highly successful Model P-23 [CO.sub.2] pistol. The latter, introduced a couple of years ago, is
a faithful look-alike of the SIG Sauer P232 semi-auto, in itself a pocket pistol with the same generic
lines of the Walther PPK.
The Realm Of Pure Fun
In the expanding realm of purely fun-oriented pellet pistols that resemble centerfire semi-autos, the
Auto 45 is a lot more than just another deadly looking [CO.sub.2] gun. Although the Auto 45 can
shoot standard .177 caliber pellets loaded singly, this [CO.sub.2] pistol really shines as a brawny
repeater when loaded with 12 lead BBs in its integral horizontal BB magazine.
The magazine is exposed by lifting the dummy "slide," via a spring-loaded catch, which also reveals
the breech end of the 4 1/4" rifled steel barrel. If lead BBs are not used, a single pellet can be
manually loaded directly into the barrel at this point. However, lead airgun BBs -- widely available
through several airgun ammo and equipment outlets such as Beeman's and others -- allow the Auto
45 to become a quick-shooting semi-auto repeater. In fact, all 12 BBs can be fired in about two
seconds.
The Gamo Auto 45 employs a DAO system, requiring a fairly long butconsistently smooth trigger pull
in order to discharge the pistol. WhenBBs are used, the magazine automatically advances a BB to
the breech foreach shot. In order to avoid jams, the magazine should be emptied of BBswhen singleshot operation with pellets is chosen.
Incidentally, regular steel BBs of the kind commonly used in American BB guns should not be used
in this pistol. Doing so could damage the shallow rifling, while producing only a marginal increase
in muzzle velocity due to the steel BBs' lighter mass.
Featuring largely molded polymer and zinc alloy construction, the Gamo Auto 45 has the textured
"feel" and heft of the popular centerfire autoloader it resembles. The molded grip has a combination
of stippling and checkering, in addition to finger grooves, while the matte black finish of the entire
gun enhances its "real firearm" looks. Measuring 7 1/2" overall and weighing just over 1 lb.,
the Gamo Auto 45 is a handful any way you look at it.
Power is supplied by a standard 12-gram disposable [CO.sub.2] cartridge. This cartridge, as in the
vast majority of [CO.sub.2] pistols these days, is housed in the grip. Each [CO.sub.2] cartridge yields
up to approximately 80 shots in this pistol, which translates into a lot of cost-effective shooting.
The square-notch rear sight is adjustable for windage only, via a slotted screw. The front sight
consists of a typically chunky blade. Nothing fancy, certainly, in the sights department, but

entirely adequate for this pistol's intended use as a recreational plinking and training gun.
Safety equipment consists of a manual safety catch located well forward on the left side of the
"slide." Rotating the catch forward blocks the trigger. In addition, whenever the action is
opened, the trigger is automatically rendered inoperable.
A Peppy Performer
A short walk to my backyard airgun range quickly revealed that the Auto 45 is quite a peppy
performer that ranks extremely high in the fun department. Loaded with Gamo round lead shot
weighing an average of 8.2 grs., the Auto 45 generated muzzle velocities averaging 398 fps.
Gamo Match pellets weighing approximately 7.5 grs. increased the velocity up to around 421 fps,
with some shots surpassing the 430 fps mark. These muzzle velocities, incidentally, are fairly close
to Gamo's own advertised velocity of 410 fps for this pistol.
Not surprisingly, pellets produced the tightest groups, with five-shot clusters averaging 3/4" at 10
yards, while lead BBs opened up the groups to about 1" at the same distance. In my hook, that level
of performance is decidedly respectable, especially from a general-purpose pellet/BB pistol. The
results obtained vividly indicate that the Auto 45 delivers plenty of accuracy and enough power to
drill and roll empty tin cans, as well as to readily dispatch wayward rodents.
Clearly, the Gamo Auto 45 is a highly interesting, versatile and affordable recreational pellet/BB
pistol. It can be used as a single-shot with pellets, or as a peppy DA semi-auto with lead BBs. Either
way, this [CO.sub.2] pistol has a lot to offer in the area of pure plinking fun, or as a valuable and
eminently affordable firearm training aid.
SPEC. SHEET Gamo Auto 45 Caliber: .177" lead pellet or lead airgun shot Power: 12-gram
[CO.sub.2] cartridge Overall Length: 7.5" Barrel: 4.25", rifled steel Weight: 1.1 lbs. Sights: Rear
adj. for windage, front blade Trigger: DAO Safety: Manual Retail Price: $80 Muzzle Velocity:
Approx. 410 fps
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