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Education / Training It’s about time

It’s about time

by B.B. Pelletier

Today is the second time in the life of this blog that I have not written about airguns. The other time was years ago when robot spammers attempted to hijack the blog for their own use. I had to initiate the word verification you all hate. We still get spams even with word verification turned on, but it’s much harder for them to do and, most importantly, it sucks up their time. They don’t like that.

Time is today’s issue, as well. My time.

For the past several months, I’ve been taking longer than ever to respond to the reader comments. Every day I get 60 to 100+ comments addressed to me or buried so far in the past that only I know they have come in. I cannot continue to answer comments like I have been–there’s simply not enough time in the day. A blog posting takes me from 2 to 6 hours, depending on what’s involved. If I have to go to the range, disassemble an airgun, do a lot of comparative testing or take a lot of pictures, it takes longer. I bet I don’t write two blogs a month that take less than three hours.

For many years that was okay. I could keep up with the blogs and the comments because my workday can expand into the evening and weekends. However, a year ago my wife and I started taking Saturdays off, just to get a break. Our work doesn’t leave us out of breath or give us sore muscles, but it does consume a lot of time. And now I have run out of time.

Something has to change for this blog to continue. Please understand that I want this blog to continue very much. Some of you may be aware that when we ran The Airgun Letter, we suddenly and without warning shut down The Airgun Forum one day. I was the one who made the decision to do it, because it was taking 18 hours of our time every day to administer. That’s seven days a week! No slack for holidays. If that forum went down or even slowed for any reason, our email box began filling up and the phone began to ring. I shut it down in self-defense.

This blog is far more significant than The Airgun Letter. It doesn’t cost anyone anything to read, while the newsletter required a subscription. We had only a couple thousand paid subscribers, while many thousands of others were receiving copies from their friends. But this blog is free and publishes 2.5 to 5 times more airgun information than the newsletter ever did. There were only 99 newsletters published in nine years, but there have been over a thousand blog postings in less than four years. This is definitely the way to go.

I’ve asked the more knowledgeable readers to help out with the answers to comment, and they’ve done a good job. Unlike me, they cannot easily see those questions about the “Benjamin Franklin” air pistols that trickle in every day on a 2005 post. I use that as an example, but they come from everywhere, and they cover the entire airgun spectrum.

When a person asks me a question, the teacher in me is motivated to give them the entire answer–even if they don’t fully understand all they’ve asked. If I give a short answer, I may raise 20 more questions, and that’s a trend that I see happening more often these days. I say something and the person turns out to want a short course in how all airguns work. “Define the universe and give three examples.”

All of this is happening because this blog is a huge freakin’ success! Other airgun blogs are ghost towns compared to this one. I want that trend to continue and even to continue to grow. To do that successfully, there have to be some changes.

I don’t know what all the changes will be. I’m just alerting you to the fact that they will be coming.

One thing I will begin doing starting today is responding less to the comments. Yesterday it took me from 6:30 to 10:30 in the morning just to clear out all the questions that were on the computer when I started. Last Friday the same thing took until 3:00 p.m!

But yesterday I answered Wayne so fast that the whole answer was wrong. I find myself worrying more about volume rather than correctness in my answers, and that’s a disturbing trend that’s been on the increase for many months. If I continue to do that, pretty soon I won’t make any sense at all.

I’m no longer going to respond to as many comments. I’m not being standoffish or thinking I’m a rock star, I’m just trying to preserve my time for things that will benefit as many people as possible. This will take some learning and adjusting for me, and I welcome all the help you readers can give.

A year ago I used to shoot airguns for 10 percent of my working hours. Now it’s a fraction of that. I need to get that shooting time back, or I’ll start to become a legend in my own mind–a gun writer who relies more on a Smith-Corona than a Smith & Wesson to get the job done. That’s an age-weighted wry comment that may tickle people over 55 years of age. The rest of you can do a Google search on “typewriter.”

This editorial took me about 90 minutes to compose and edit. It was the fastest blog I’ve written in many years. That’s not because there was no substance to it, but because these issues have been flooding my mind a long time, and today the dam burst.

What can YOU do?
I don’t want any of you to change in any way. Keep on asking your questions, Keep on offering your opinions. Keep on being the readers who have made this blog the success it is. And know that I still enjoy you all, even if I don’t say it to you individually as often from now on.

I will still answer reader comments, but I’m going to be more selective about those I answer.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

109 thoughts on “It’s about time”

  1. BB – I’ve long been amazed at what a generous resource you’ve been. We all take it for granted, but the information you provide is free and valuable. Sure, there’s a business angle involved, but this blog is what first got me thinking that airgunning is as much a brotherhood as a hobby.
    I think it would be great to encourage readers to answer questions. More time for BB on the range means more cool reports!

  2. Just an idea but maybe you could wait until the next morning to answer the questions. That way you don’t spend all day answering question and by the time you finish answering one 3 more have popped up.
    If you wait for Tuesday to answer Monday questions you will leave time for other to answer the question and that way you can answer and/or correct what has been posted.
    I think we can wait 24h to get answers.

    J-F

    p.s. : Didn’t you say something about a new crosman PCP before Christmas?

  3. BB, perhaps one thing that might help is to have a cut-off policy of some sort – for example, not addressing any comments made to any blog more than 2 days old. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. I sure as heck wouldn’t expect a response from something that old.

    Anyway, no matter what you decide to do, that’s obviously your perogative. On this end we’re all getting something for nothing, and the moment it has more negatives than positives for you we understand that you’ve got to re-evaluate things.

    I, for one, don’t want to have anything to do with making your life (and that of the fair Edith!) more miserable than it has to be. And I’d venture to say that virtually everyone else here thinks the same way.

    So regardless of what you end up doing – know that we genuinely appreciate your efforts, and we-all want you to do what’s best for the two of you.

  4. BB;

    I certainly understand the overload aspect. If you want readers to answer more of the comments, consider adding a “Recent Comments” widget to the sidebar.

    As you said, people are leaving comments on old posts, and only you are really aware of them. It would make it easier for others to help if they could see new comments placed on old posts.

    Frankly, your comments are so valuable, I’d rather see the posting frequency drop to 3-4 a week, leaving you more time for comments.

    Thanks again for an informative blog.

  5. All the same, we appreciate the work you do, and you have been a huge help in getting my pellets on target. I remember asking several questions that you’ve not had time for, and still being curious, I might just research them myself and either ask for a blog of my own, or turn the information over to you for a second opinion on subject matter and proofreading. I’ll keep you posted on what I find. By the way, is there another way we may contact you outside this blog? JP

  6. BB, has done and excellent job of teaching and informing us. New airgunners and Old alike,…lets do our due diligence and see if the answer to “our” individual questions, have already been answered in previous blogs. The “SEARCH” button is there for a reason.

  7. While I enjoy reading it, I have always though the comment section of this blog was a little strange… there are comments, sure, but it gets loaded with questions, and the questions are answered. Or discussions are started and held.

    Isn’t that the function of a FORUM, and not a BLOG? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way)

  8. I have always wondered how on Earth you were able to keep up with this blog and all of the comments. I am amazed that you’ve been able to do it for so long. I think the “recent posts” widget is a great idea, and also your focusing on the more beneficial questions like those whose answers are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere. I guess you could also drop down to 3 or 4 posts a week, but I sure like reading this blog every morning! I think we all tend to take you for granted and sometimes even expect information because you have been so generous with your knowledge and access to so many airguns. I have been to every blog and forum I can find and some of them , I visit frequently, but usually when I’m bored. This blog, I accept as the truth and I hope you will do whatever you need to do to keep this blog alive and your personal time for yourself.

    I will make a conscious effort to research any questions I have using the search function of this blog, as well as other resources before posting them here. I will also try to help answer any questions that I feel I have the knowledge and/or experience to answer (which won’t be many). If everyone would do this, there would be fewer total questions and many of those would be answered by readers. Then, you could focus only on those that have gone unanswered or were answered incorrectly.

    Thank you very much for this incredible resource.

    UW Hunter

  9. BB,
    When I got back into airgunning a little over a year ago, I came across this blog. I had no clue my new “BB gun” could break a scope or move the scope mounts across the rail. After reading this blog for a bit, I quickly picked up on some very basic details.

    I asked you a few very basic questions that I now could easily find the answers to elsehere on this blog. You quickly got me dialed in and enabled me to enjoy my new airgunning hobby at a much higher level. I now use your blog for much more advanced information and very much enjoy reading it.

    Because of your blog, I have spent literally thousands of dollars at Pyramyd AIR. This blog and the comments section is a GREAT marketing tool for beginning and advanced airgunners alike.

    One could say don’t answer the most basic comments, but then the new airgunner may be turned off because he cant hit anything with his new 350 Magnum.

    My solution is to have a knowledgeble assistant answer the simpler questions. This way your blog can continue to hold the beginning airgunners hand while still helping the advanced airgunner.

    If I am any example of the typical reader, I think the added expense, of en extra writer is justified. After all if your best marketing tool is naturally growing, let it grow.

    Wayne

  10. B.B.,
    Thanks a million times for all your hard work, and thanks to all of the experienced folks who help out.

    Maybe a couple of possibilities:

    1> A statement at the top of each blog suggesting a person do a thorough search for any off-topic question before posting it. List some search hints.

    2> Have a knowledgeable volunteer make an index of all old blogs.

    3> The comments ocassionally wander like a forum. Is that a time burner for you?

    Thanks again to you and all the great participants,
    Lloyd

  11. As a long time reader of yours going back to the Airgun Letter/ Airgun Forum days, I appreciate all you have done for the sport. I agree there should be a cut off of questions going back to old posts. Also readers should try to limit their questions to the post topic, too many times the questions, although airgun related, having nothing to do with what you wrote about. I know many people may not like that idea, but it would keep things on track. That’s why you see 50 to a 100 comments to one of your blogs. How many of those comments are related to that days blog. If they want an answer to a general question(s) there are several forums out there (Straight Shooters, Yellow Forum, Crosman Forum, GTA among others) they can log into and ask away. Many of the readers here can/could answer some of the questions for you too. But things need to be held in check to an extent, so you don’t end up with “fights” like some of the forums. If you have relavent input or advice, give it. Don’t jump in and start a war of words over an opinion. I would hate to see this blog go the way of the AGL or the AGF. If needed take a break, you deserve one and have certainly earned it.
    Regards
    Nathan

  12. Lloyd,

    The comments and conversations that get started here are not a problem for me. I only respond to direct questions, and as of this morning, not all of those.

    But there are folks who hit the blog on a post from 2006 who are unaware we are having this conversation. They’ve just bought a gun and are having a problem, or they just found one in dad’s tackle box and want to know about it. I always want to answer those questions, because those people are our future.

    We are researching the “Recent Comments” widget and it may be part of a solution.

    B.B.

  13. BB,

    I’ve seen this coming for a while in your “gentle” suggestions for guest blogs. Yes, an assistant and guest blogs should be solicited. Folks who eat, drink and breathe air guns (Wayne?) and who know what spell check is, should be able to provide occasional content. Pay is somewhat controversial as I have written for regional motorcycle publications for years, some of which didn’t or wouldn’t pay me while others did (at .05 per word, I certainly wasn’t getting rich, folks). However, the benefits which included being invited to manufacturer announcements of new products, made it all worthwhile. I look forward to the evolution and continuation of this blog.

    Sincerely,

    Fred

  14. BB,

    Who needs comments and questions? Your blog is great. I would just shut off the comments and gain some time in your day. This is fun to read and that’s all. I really enjoyed the Airgun Forum and I want to thank you for taking the time for this column.

    Best regards,

    James Mills

    PS Don’t even think about responding to this post…

  15. B.B.
    I know you have taken the time to answer several of my questions over the past year since I got into airgunning and most of those questions didn’t even pertain to the blog at hand. I wanted to say thank you for all your answers as well as other readers who have helped with guest blogs and answers to my sometimes off the wall questions . This blog has become one of my daily rituals in the morning when I come into my desk at work and I have even read every single past blog over the past year to make sure I wasn’t asking questions about something you already covered . Just really wanted to say thank you for everything and thanks to all the other readers who have answered questions also and given me information on tips and tricks!! Whatever you decide I am sure it will still be in the best interest of the airgunning community and hope you get some time freed up for yourself to be able to get in as much shooting as some of us others take for granted.. Thanks again and YOU DA’ MAN !!!

  16. Whatever you decide to do, please make sure that you’ll enjoy doing it.

    If your work strengthens you, you’ll keep it up. If your work weakens you, you’ll stop. There is no way around that.

    And thank you, very much, for all that you have already done.

  17. BB-
    One of the things that I've been wishing this blog had was an index. I've read this blog from day 1 and people will ask questions that I'll remember were covered in great detail. I'll do a search and sometimes I'll find it and sometimes I won't. Obviously some people are better at searches than others. But, if there was an index with categories like "Product reviews/Pistols/Rifles/Scopes/Pellets/Accessories", "Collectibles", "Repair & Tuning", "History", etc. it may give people another avenue to do searches or read up on one particular subject. For example, you have people everyday asking," I have $xxx money to spend, which rifle should I buy?" Instead, they could go to the index and read about every rifle you've reviewed. Once they do that they might still have a question but it would hopefully be a much more informed question. If you could decide on the categories that would cover your index you could start indexing everything from that day on. I would be willing to help with the index starting from 2005 once I knew what the categories were. Obviously the product review section could be a problem because of all the various posts that constitute a review of one rifle but once the archives are wrestled to the ground it would only involve updating the index when a new post is written. I would only focus on one month at a time and that way it wouldn't seem so daunting. If you can come up with the categories I'd be willing to start with March 2005! Let's see if anyone else thinks this idea may be helpful in the long run. Gavin

  18. I have long wondered when the task of managing a continually growing body of information would become impossible for one person. It is a real credit to you that you have done it this long. Many many people have discovered or rediscovered adult airguns because of your willingness to take the time and answer questions in a positive, complete, and authoritative manner. I have certainly benefited from this.

    Thank you.

    The information contained in the archives is of great value. I realize that through the search tool one can find answers most questions. But sometimes one does not have the correct search criteria for the answer they are looking for. Having a person or system dedicated to responding to new questions with links to past blogs and comments would be a great way to reduce your work load and maintain your personal touch which we all enjoy so much.

    In any case the need for change is clear. As a reader I support any change you make to keep your sanity and the blog functioning.

    Thanks again.

    DCS

  19. B.B.,

    Glad you’re giving yourself permission to not answer every question.

    Good for you. You just have to be more selective about what comments warrant an answer. Frankly, I don’t know how you’ve done it this long.

    Unlike others, I think a timely answer to “newbie” airgunners should take precedent over “veterans”. If newbies need help or need to be directed to where they can find help there are many people on this great site that can assist them. A delay of 24 hours, or more, for others to have a chance to answer comments should lessen your load. The periods of time when you’re in Roanoke is an example.

    Although awkward in the beginning, dictating/recording your comments and having an assistant transcribe them to the blog could be another time saver. Once a day you record answers to the questions you choose that were left over the past day. The recording device and transcriber could be located remotely (perhaps in an office at Pyramyd Air).

    The priority in your busy schedule has to be testing and reporting in my opinion.

    I’m confident you will find a solution that works for you. Short of retiring, I’m sure everyone will be happy with the results.

    kevin

  20. I find this blog invaluable, plus it is just so damned interesting.
    But I too have wondered how you have time for a personal life. Even when you were having your medical issues a few weeks ago…you still managed to do so much.
    I agree with what others have mentioned…put a limit on how long a question can go back…or at the least put a stipulaion in that if someone asks a question from an old blog that they leave an email address and you will respond when you have time…even if that is 2 weeks down the road.
    But whatever you decide, I wish you and this blog the best…I’ll be here no matter what.
    CowBoyStar Dad

  21. I’m not an airgun officionado. I have a P-1 and a Marksman model 55 spring rifle. But I have greatly enjoyed this blog and have it on my favorites list mainly to read the blogs and go back to ones that I like. Thanks for the love of the hobby. Good knowledge should be shared, otherwise we live in ignorance. Thanks again. Howard.

  22. Hello BB,

    First I’ll confess that I’ve been expecting this log entry of yours for years – not surprised in the least.

    I first stumbled across this blog in a google search several years ago for info on some old airgun or other. I liked it so much I went back and downloaded all the articles I missed from the previous year! It took me several months to read the first year of it’s existence I’d initially missed but well worth it.

    In going through this exercise I was amazed that this was a DAILY blog. I thought well, maybe it was several people writing under the pen name. But the articles were too consistent and personal so I came back to realizing this was a single person and even had an inkling as to who (later confirmed). But I was again amazed that a single person was doing all this DAILY.

    I was very tempted to suggest ‘slow down’! But didn’t figure it wasn’t my place. Well now I’ll suggest it. I see absolutely no problem whatsoever in making your article something closer a couple few times a week. Indeed once a week would be perfectly OK especially given the professionalism, depth and quality of your ‘article’ entries. And it doesn’t even have to be on a precise schedule. Do syndicated columnists do DAILY columns? Nope – at least not without substantial support staff!

    Secondly – I agree with being more selective (much more) as to which comments and questions you’ll respond to (if any): Who says you have to respond to comments/questions at all – Just raise the flag, move on and let others do the saluting or whatever… I’m impressed that you feel a strong need to help out the newbies asking the same old tired questions you’ve answered so many times before. But no one person should have to carry the burden.

    And to that end… thirdly consider shutting off your automatic email notifications. Maybe even consider closing old entries to additional comments after a reasonable period of time (1 month? 3?).

    To me ‘blog’ may be a bit of a misnomer for what you do. Your blog entries span several areas including editorials, advice, technical write-ups and critical reviews to name a few. E.g. in addition to being a blog it’s also comparable to a professional ‘column’ one might encounter in an online periodical. But ‘blog’ is a loose term and I don’t suggest abandoning it by any means. Just that you reconsider your own personal definition – which of course you already appear to be doing.

    If it helps any I’ll share with you my own reading habits of your blog. After ‘catching up’, for the last few years I’ve been downloading your blog (without ANY comments) to my PDA phone. I then check the topics once or twice a week. If any of the recent topics interest me – I read them. My own interests are basically discussions of classic airguns and reviews of more modest airguns.

    Perhaps an online forum is also in the future but if so – I suggest letting others (plural) take on much of the administration. You’re at a point in your career where I think you can and should enjoy doing nothing more than researching, discussing and writing about your areas of interest and expertise while letting the ‘administrivia’ fall to others.

    Others may disagree with my comments here. I will likely never know as I almost never post or read the comments.

    Best Regards!

    For further reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Column_(newspaper)

  23. BB,

    I’ve been amazed at the work you put into this blog. You even blog on holidays and sick days! I know I enjoy having something to read every work day (and holidays), but like others said, if it gives you the time you need, cutting back days would be acceptable. It may take a bit to figure out solutions and the right balance, but we will support you through it.

    Lloyd’s idea of a statement with each blog about searching and usage tips could be incorporated into the blog template. That would eliminate having to enter it each day.

    By the way, the search function on the blog searches the comments too now. I found that out about a month ago.

    My thanks to you, Edith, Pyramyd AIR and the all the readers (Wayne, Lloyd, ajvenom, CowBoyStar Dad, Airdog, J-F, JP, UW Hunter, Nathan, David, FRED, SED, Vince, Michael in Florida, Darren, Trout Underground, DCS, NiTr0_FiSh, /Shooter, Dragonslayer, …) for this blog!

    .22 multi-shot

  24. B.B.,

    Isn’t there a way to ghost comments left under past articles so they also show up in the current/active comment section?

    At worst, turning off the ability to post comments under older Posts and forcing the person to post their comment in the current active comment section via a live link or a cut and paste link would allow others a chance to respond. It’s impossible for us to know who posted an active comment overnight under an old article you wrote.

    My bookmark for your site is an article you wrote months ago (new part for the diana 54 is my title. It was the new drop in kit for diana guns for home tuners) and it takes me to your current article every day. This couldn’t be difficult to accomplish.

    kevin

  25. B.B.

    Read the blog daily. Am a “newbie”, but enjoy the info you provide. I would be just as happy reading the daily FYI’s you provide in the article, but would it be advantageous for you to create a list of places and websites for gunners to go to to do their own research? An older, wiser man that trained me in my profession always told me that if I researched something on my own, I would never forget it. He was right. This way, you would still be providing us with your endless knowledge, but with less time constraints on you and your wife. Plus, sometimes I think that some of the questions are really redundant.

    Again, thanks for the daily shot of interesting news.

    Bill D.

  26. B.B., You must be as bad at orgnazation as you are good at guns. You have a million good ideas here and that you waited until you were joverloaded like now is just a shame. If you had only aksed for help sooner, everyone would have helped. Keep up the good work. Your great!

  27. Kevin,

    The problem is, the people who hit those older blog posts may also be new to internet navigation, and I don’t want to frustrate them. I have started inviting them to post their questions to the current blog, but I always try to answer them if I can.

    One comment may be from an antique dealer trying to price a gun, but the next one is a 60-year-old shooter who has just discovered adult airguns. He was searching the web for information on his old Red Ryder and he happened upon this blog. He really wants to know about these PCP rifles he’s read about.

    Him, I want to keep at all costs!

    B.B.

  28. Hi B.B.,

    I’ve often wondered if you are really a sentient computer somewhere, knocking out articles and blog answers at a pace that would boggle most humans.

    Dude, at 60, or in my case newly turned 63, it’s time to re-evaluate what gives you the most pleasure in life. By all means, turn off your computer and go shoot something often enough to renew your spirit.

    I believe it’s inevitable that when you offer something really good, the rest of us want to be part of that goodness in exponentially increasing numbers.

    I’m always amused (and sometimes not so amused) when we get emails and phone calls from well-meaning friends who say, ‘I’m worried about your health under such a workload, so I want you to stop working with all these hordes of energy-sucking people…except for me of course.’

    Our site went down right at Christmas this year, taking our email with it. Friends could no longer reach us with their concerns and problems. After struggling to get it back up and being assured that bluehost was working on fixing our problem, my wife and I looked at each other and started laughing. We decided that since we were unable to pull the plug a bit, God had stepped in and pulled it for us. We had a great Christmas and New Years, and suddenly a lot more time for cuddling and remembering what it was like to not be under such a grueling workload every minute of every day.

    When we worked with special needs children for 22 years, we always made certain we took one or two dates a week, just to renew ourselves so we could come back with fresh energy. We had volunteers who loved working with the kids in our absence. There were times when the kids themselves would notice we were getting grumpy, and they’d tell us to go take a date.

    Every Sunday I would cook omelets to order for the kids and our volunteers. I’d type out a menu of all the ingredients they could have me assemble for their omelets. But I always cooked my own omelet and ate it first. That way, when the first eaters came by with requests for seconds, I wasn’t ‘running on empty’, and could happily make them what they wanted. We had a happy household, and it was based on a certain amount of ‘selfishness’ on our parts…not because my wife and I were essentially selfish people, but because we realized that when we skipped /our/ needs, then the kids didn’t get theirs met either.

    So B.B., we your ‘kids’ solemnly and joyfully request that you take a break, so that we, and you, can continue to enjoy your blog for many more years to come.

    BTW, usually when I check in with your blog at 5 in the morning here on Maui, you’ll have maybe 5 or so responses from us. I was surprised to see such a huge amount of responses so early. It’s clear that so many of us appreciate the dedication you’ve put into this blog for so many years.

    So. Now that /that’s/ out of the way….

    I’m thinking of buying a new airgun and I’ve narrowed my choices down to 200 guns. I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d help me out by commenting a little on each of the following airguns….

    Love you, Tom,

    -Joe B.

  29. The community aspect of this blog has always been what sets it apart. There’s a real sense that we’re all in this together whenever BB writes a blog. Where else in this hobby can you see an entire blog addressed to YOU because you asked a crazy question?

    Between all the collectors, researchers, electricians, home tuners, librarians, machinists, plumbers, rocket scientists and airgun doctors here, this crew can handle almost any question. Usually, even those about airguns.

    Please, just keep bringing us interesting blogs.

    Derrick

  30. Joe B.,

    I’m not responding to many comments today, but yours struck a chord when you mentioned God. He is the reason I do what I do and am who I am, and I appreciate that fact as often as I can remember to do so.

    But it never hurts to have someone else remind me. 🙂

    B.B.

  31. Kevin and the others hit it on the head when they recommend having all the questions appear on ONLY the newest page. What if they can’t use the internet? what if they don’t know how to use a search engine? You can spend all year thinking about “what-if” scenarios and you’ll still forget several. Go ride your Suede. Hug your wife. Sit by the fireplace and peruse Wayne’s catalog. Take your wife out to lunch. Whatever. You’re really worried about us? Please. We’ll talk to Matt61 about his IZH adventures for a while or ask Vince how to retrofit a Heckler and Koch collapsible stock onto a Crosman 600.

  32. B.B.,

    Wow, lots of comments for this time of day!!

    That’s because we all love you!! And CARE about you!!

    Please take some time off and start over. You’ve been given some great ideas here, and you need time to figure out what would make you happy to get up each morning…
    I totally agree that your prime function should be testing and reporting the test.. no one knows what to look for, or how a gun compares to it’s prior model, like you.. not many people could ever catch up with you in that area..
    But if you don’t have time to stay on top of the flood of new stuff.. well… that could be a very big problem..
    Your comment that: PA, I’m paraphrasing here.. “can’t afford to let you test the .22 cal against the .177 cal. really puzzles me.. That is a budget decision, that is not well thought out..

    I am willing to buy things outright test them for the range, and sell them at a loss if they don’t fit my purpose.. I believe that the positive cash flow that this blog contributes to PA, is way out of balance with what they pay for it..

    Just the added traffic and time spent on the site, adds very much to Pyramyd’s google page ranking.. that by itself is worth all the guns you ever would want to test and keep to test later.. or sell for part compensation for your extra work and contribution to their sales..AND PROFITS!
    PA complaining about the loss of value, or not having that gun to sell for a while and having to sell it at a discount… well Blah, blah, blah…

    No reply necessary!

    Wayne Burns,
    Ashalnd Air Rifle Range

  33. It sounds like you think the dude’s getting burned out. I don’t think so. He just needs reader help and someone who knows computer indexing/searching ($$$) and the entire enterprise will improve. Readers have been asking for years for a decent index/search, and its absence ($) has caused this ‘ole man to get too tired to do his job properly anymore. Sad.

  34. B.B.,

    I agree that you do way to much work to keep this blog going everyday. I also agree with what others are writing and suggesting about getting A few “surrogate” B.B’s To help you out.

    There are quite A few of you out there that are “experts” in an area of air gunning that could help out B.B. immensely. Be it scopes, cleaning, repair, upgrades, comparisons and other areas that are the answers that have taken up so much of B.B’s time.

    B.B., you know who these individuals are. After you get them to “volunteer”, you could add an “HREF” or A forwarding widget into the body of the blog that would send any questions directly to the “volunteer” who could answer that question best.

    You guys out there who know the whys and ways of air gunning step up to the plate, volunteer, and give B.B. the assistance he needs and deserves. If I knew more then how to load A pellet and pull A trigger, I would.

    B.B., do what you must to keep this blog going like it has always been. We, all of us trust you and respect you for all you do for us.

    Just don’t go no place.

    Bob C NJ

  35. Tom,

    I agree, as I’m sure many of your loyal readers do that a change is needed for your own well-being. I apologize that I have not responded to your last e-mail in a more timely fashion.

    My suggestion in part was to be a little “ brain” storming from the ranks.

    Here is a tiny piece of my mushy gray matter:

    GOAL – “Watch the pennies and the dollar will take care of them selves.” In your case it’s minutes and we are looking for hours.

    I personally feel that a daily blog is not necessary. Needless to say, I am not aware of what contractual obligations you may have.

    Limit new blogs to M-W-F. This would greatly reduce the amount of comments. Many comments early on are just out of respect to acknowledge your work on a new piece.

    Even though they don’t need an answer, you still need to wade through them.
    Those would go away.
    Certainly 100 less blogs a year should free up some time.

    The Friday blog space would be ideal for the guest blog spot. Guest blogs generate fewer comments. Just don’t use Edith on Friday; she tends to pull everyone out. Let her take a Mon or Wed when she wants.

    Limit the length of time that questions can bee posted on any daily blog to the current month.

    Then instruct users to post questions on the most recent blog. Some will simply pass due to the extra effort needed.

    Somehow differentiate comments from questions. This would allow you to focus on what needs answered vs. the pen pal relationships many of us have.

    Post a time frame for asking questions. Yes I know, but some will follow the guideline.

    Save your answers in a word document and then post them only twice a day. When people know you’re at your pc they are drawn out.

    Finally, charge a .25 a question. : )

    Chris

    aka Volvo.

  36. Thank you Tom for this resource. Happy New year by the way to you and your wife. I think the comments section is turning into a somewhat of a question and answer forum. Maybe the comments section needs to shut down and a forum section needs to be started. That is one way to effectively tap into the experiences and knowledge of your readers so that collectively we as a community can help each other and you can take your time monitoring the forum for correct information.

  37. Hi All-

    Thanks BB for all that you do. I always enjoy reading your blog entries.

    I agree with a previous comment that said a Forum is more suited to a Q&A conversation. What about keeping this blog for "weekly" posts – and directing questions to a PA Forum? That way, different threads can be set up to answer specific questions and lots of people can answer those Qs.

    I go to the forums at CreativeCow.net and they are set up with a few moderators in each forum. These would be the "experts". Here's the link if you want to have a look:

    http://forums.creativecow.net/forum/sonyvegas

    Whatever you decide, we're all very appreciative of what you do and want you to do what's best for you and your family.

    -HLee

  38. Everyone,

    A forum format is certainly an option.

    Unfortunately I don’t think this would save B.B. a lot of time. People being people seem to allow a forum to degenerate quickly into pettiness that leads to arguments.

    Instead of spending all his time informing the airgun community via articles and answers to questions I think he’d end up spending all his time refereeing and arbitrating.

    Seen it on other airgun forums. Not pretty.

    kevin

  39. BB,
    I have been reading the comments today and have noticed a theme suggesting you do not answer comments on old posts.

    I like to go back and use your old posts as reference. I read the comments section for additional info. I have noticed that all of the questions and comments posted quite a bit later that the original blog are all relevant to the origal post. I find these very useful, plus I can check the comments section to see if a question I have is already answered.

    I feel answering relevant questions on on old posting, can actually reduce the number of questions repeated on various blogs because people will check there first to see if thier question has already been asked.

    You certainly should not be expected to do this on your own, which gives you a stronger arguement for having an assistant.

    Once again I want to stress that Pyramyd AIR should allow this wonderful marketing tool to expand naturall in the direction it is headed, well beyond a “normal” blog.

    Wayne

  40. Wayne,

    I agree about new questions old blogs. I have asked some questions specifically that way to keep the information together rather than scatter it in unrelated blogs.

    The problem is that this blog is now a cross between a blog and a forum. So it doesn’t fit either well.

    I’m an out of work software development manager. Anybody got a couple of hundred thousand around to create something which better suits our communal needs? Oh right – we’ll all broke from spending any spare money on air guns. 😉

    I also manage a website for a professional organization. A zillion different tools are available, but they don’t work well together. Sort of like ordering a car body from Ford, and engine from Chevy, and a transmission from Toyota. For what they are the parts are great – they just don’t work together.

    A couple of serious comments for some short term fixes that don’t solve whole problem by any means:

    * First Tom should do the part that he loves.

    * Second all of us should feel free to answer a question addressed to Tom, (and it would be good to encourage the questions to be addressed to “Anyone” rather than just “B.B.”).

    * Third just because you ask a question doesn’t mean that you are going to get an answer.

    * Lastly Tom has to have the self discipline to spend an hour (or whatever) answering questions and stop. Seems like this is crossing line between fun and drudgery.

    Herb

  41. Personally I disagree with all of you. I think B.B.(alias Tom) should have stopped writing long ago.

    I have spent hundreds of dollars more than I ever thought I would have on pellet gun stuff and am planning to spend hundreds more because of him!

    Please B.B. stop writing!!!!!!!

    -Chuck

  42. I hope everyone caught the humor in my last reply or else I’m in a heap of trouble.

    Has anyone attended the airgun show in Findlay, Ohio? There is one in April and it is a 6 hour drive for me to get there and possibly an overnight motel. I’m wondering if it’s worth it.

    -Chuck

  43. BB,

    We’re all amazed and enriched by your work, but don’t burn yourself out. Ignore us when you don’t have time, limit general question to current blogs (so someone else can try to answer), even limit blog comments to the topic discussed for that day and don’t answer any questions. Use guest blogs at least one day a week and let the guest blogger handle the questions…maybe have a pledge drive of sorts for guest blog topics, or farm some out yourself. Everyone here seems willing to help and to have a genuine fondness for you, so let’s make sure this blog continues to be source of pride and pleasure for you.

  44. I have never read so many consecutive posts on any blog or forum without one negative comment or any serious disagreements. This is a great group of people. I think this is evidence that a forum may work better here than it does in other areas. Maybe there could be a forum for general discussions and topics and only acknowledge questions and comments in the blog that directly correspond to the current topic. That would allow you to answer questions easily and thoroughly in a short amount of time, since all of the questions will be about a topic that is fresh in your mind. Some of the more knowledgeable people on this site could moderate the forum and Tom could stop by and make comments there whenever he felt like it. I would love to see a forum on this site. I think it would be a better place to get information for off topic subjects like mods, accessories, gun value, and upcoming events. It would be nice if the forum was completely separate from the blog and Tom could act only as a moderator to whatever section he likes, probably a vintage guns section. I think this would take a huge burden off of Tom and allow him to focus solely on the topic he chose to write about, while allowing all of us to share information and experiences in a separate area. I read this blog and every comment every day religiously, and would love to have another source of discussion and information.

  45. Didn’t miss your humour CJr. I myself was quite content with the two air rifles I own.
    Then B.B. started talking pistols. In the last three months I’ve purchased a PPK/S, a CP99 (both Umarex Walthers) and have a Gamo Compact on the way.
    Definitly would be cheaper if I’d not stumbled across this place last year.
    But sure glad I did!!

  46. B.B.,

    While I see that there are many really excellent suggestions for you to consider, I also see that today’s subject has created many new comments for you to respond to… maybe you should have kept quiet:)

    – Dr. G.

    P.S. Does anybody want to hear about my Adventures in Airsoft over the Holliday Break? I think I’ve exhausted writing about the Whiscombe for awhile.

  47. Mr. Gaylord,
    I have been thinking myself that the blog must be killing you. I have been amazed at how many people you respond to.

    I appreciate your blogs very much. I have bought copies of most of your airgun letters and also enjoy them. My suggestion would be to keep doing the blog but to eliminate the comment section. The only problem with that is that it would be nice for people to be able to leave suggestion for blog topics somewhere. There are plenty of very good airgun forums with knowledgeable people who can answer questions that people have.

    I also suggest that you take two days off like most of the rest of the world instead of just one. Life is too short. I hope you and Edith enjoy some time away from the computer.

    Thanks for all you do for us airgunners (and that’s a lot)!

    David Enoch

  48. Gavin-
    I thought of the same thing but ran through the comments to make sure I wouldn’t be duplicating someone else’s idea, but sure enough, there was your post. Perhaps if PA/B.B./the general public agrees with that suggestion, we could split the work? I don’t exactly have a regular schedule, but I’m still willing to help with something like that, herculean task that it is.
    And, of course, it wouldn’t hurt to recruit some others for that kind of work burden.
    Thoughts..?

  49. Yes Dr.G please post a blog,
    Airsoft is a mystery to me. I know it exists but I don’t know why. The guns are pretty realistic except for one feature. I understand paintball and pellets and bb’s (oh my), but guns with orange plastic tips that shoot little yellow plastic balls, and automatic weapons to boot. I’m wondering why an airgunner would be interested. I have got to be missing something.
    -Chuck

  50. If someone has a question on an old blog, why not just post it on the most recent blog instead of trying to attach it to the old one? That way the rest of us see the question, and if one of us can answer it we can save BB the trouble.

  51. Dr G,

    I second the airsoft review. This past Fall I managed to persuade my family to attend an outdoor adventure festival.

    One of the booths set up had full auto airsoft rifles. My youngest daughter, age 12 gave one a try and I must admit it looked really fun.

    On the other side of the coin, the gentleman at the booth was none too friendly. FYI- if you’re going sponsor a booth to promote your business – maybe be a little nicer?

    However, friendly folks did abound, especially the archery section that was staffed by the Department of Wildlife. They were patient beyond expectation.

    PA should consider it as an event. It is only about an hour from them and draws nice crowd.

    http://www.foxcreekoutdoors.com/

    Volvo

  52. Derrick,
    I have a (friendly) quibble with one of your statements that intrigued me from the other day, basically that flight time is less significant for airguns at 100 yards than for firearms at 500 yards. Being too lazy to do the integration required at this point, I did some simplified calculation that seemed to indicate that may not be correct. I’m thinking of a typical centerfire (the perfect one being the ’06) starting out at 2700 or so fps versus a 900 fps air rifle. Obviously, if they retained the initial velocity, the centerfire is a couple tenths longer, but that is not how it works: the centerfire bullet has a much higher BC and does not loose as much velocity relatively, so that the pellet spends as much or more time in flight at 100 yards as the c/f at 500. Set me straight if you have the time. I can show more math if you’re skeptical.

    PS — Sorry to go off topic, but the weather is miserable here.

  53. B.B.,
    PA just shipped my Walther Lever Action today. I thought maybe I could do a blog on that but after reading your three part series what the heck can I say? I will post my feelings briefly after I’ve played with her a while. Probably get ‘er in five days. “Be still my beating heart.”
    -Chuck

  54. After reading today’s blog I feel bad asking you this, but could you or another blog reader whom has one, please post a review of the Tech Force TF66. I seen this air rifle on You Tube and after doing some research online, I could only find some basic information on it.

    It is a .177 cal side lever rifle with takedown capabilities. It is rated at 750fps, is a repeater, and is made in China.

    Thank you.

  55. BB and all,I wan’t to suggest a day in the very near future where all us daily readers post our airgun purchases from pyramyd,and how long we’ve read this blog.maybe that would drive home the point to our sponsor that BB needs assistance to maintain the level of commercial success he clearly generates.Anything we can do to help,I’m sure we’re all willing…FrankB

  56. You have been doing GREAT BB; you forgot to mention the guy who couldn’t word his question good enough and you had to respond 3 or 4 times to get one question answered (sorry!).

    Anyhow, I had (have?)one of those Smith Coronas. I am also conversant in computer printer terms like teletype, and even the more modern ones like IBM Selectric……

    Good Luck in whatever approach you take – I think you need rules on what type of questions you will respond to and then speed reading. I’m sure members could chip in to answer a lot of the questions, but that would also imply the need for speed reading.

    JC

    PS – I tried your requested test of(gently) holding down the sliding chamber release lever while I closed the cocking lever on my 460. No problem (other than the fact it is awkward to do as the lever is moving forward) until the very end of its travel. Then the lever is pushing up and something would probably break if one held it down hard – it is pretty much foolproof, but not idiotproof! I will also post this on the original thread in case anyone else is interested in the answer.

  57. BG_Farmer,

    Uh oh. Something got lost in translation here. Most likely on my part. The other day, Wayne posted that he was looking at an energy chart chart for an AA S200 PCP that listed calibers, foot pounds and the pellet’s ballistic coefficient. I interpreted his post to read that he was comparing various pellet’s muzzle energy vs. 50 yard energy. He then wondered in another post why more foot pounds at 50 yards didn’t always equate to less pellet drop at 50 yards. I was trying (poorly) to make the case that time of flight was the overriding factor in pellet drop and not foot pounds. I was trying to say that flight time to (only) 50 yards is so short that the BC may not be a significant factor in this case.

    Derrick

  58. Volvo,

    Re: Your youngest daughter is 12

    That means you have older daughters. It’s now clear to me why you have as many guns as you do. I only have one daughter so I need fewer guns? Maybe not.

    kevin

  59. Cjr. aka Chuck,

    You posed an interesting question about the Findlay, Ohio show. The answer depends on lots of things. Where does your area of interest lie? Do you shoot the newest PCPs? Vintage German 10-meter match guns? Old Crosman bulk-fills? Collect 1930's BB guns? Airsoft?
    Also, do you have any good airgun stores near you? Are you looking to buy something very specific? Is your wife/significant other coming with you? What do they expect? All this would factor into my answer.

    I had visions in my head that the show would be huge. Packed with all things airgun. Well, not exactly. The show was fairly small. Maybe 30 tables in a small gymnasium. Maybe less. You can see it all twice in 20 minutes. If you're after the lastest and greatest Air Arms, this is not the show for you. If you are looking for a vintage chrome plated salesman sample Crosman 600, they had one. There was also a Hakim trainer. 3 Weihrauchs in the whole show. Two HW97's, one HW77–one 97 was missing the safety. Didn't see any R1's. LOTS of old Daisy bb guns. A few (2 or 3) Feinwerkbau 300's. It was a real mixed bag of stuff. However, there was 1000 times more airgun stuff than the next 10 gun shows put together.

    Pyramyd Airgun was there and they dwarfed the other attendees. They had 5 or 7 people working their tables. Piles of stuff. Mostly new or returned. We ended up spending most of our money with them since they were the ones with stuff to sell. I drove out with a friend and collectively we bought 1 850 Air Magnum, 3 or 4 Leapers scopes, 5 sets of Leapers scope mounts, a barrel and a few thousand pellets (that neither of us really needed). I wanted to buy another Weihrauch, but they were scarce.

    So, go if you have the time and money to burn. Go if you can consider it "worth" your time even if it's a bust for you buying-wise. Go if it will drive you crazy when I post that I bought THE weird gun you've been looking for for 13 years…

    Don't go if you're easily disappointed. Don't go if you're struggling to keep a roof over your head and the gas money is a deal breaker in your household. Don't go if you're gonna get that weird gun before I do.

    Ron Sauls was there from B&A, Dan Lerma and Ken Reeves, too. Lots of good airgun people–nice as can be. I'd go back just because I want Dan to keep putting on the show so it can grow.

    Derrick

    Would I go back? It's a long 2 hours each way and I didn't find much that I wanted–compared to how much I was willing to buy had it been there. I'll go back to support the show and encourage more attendees to come out.

  60. Derrick,

    A thousand sorry’s. Mea culpa.

    Its my lysdexia and dearing comprehension skills:). You did say 50, but I thought 100, because that’s what I’m focused on! Anyway, I wasn’t trying to pick a fight, just learn something, which occurred despite my best efforts:). Think its coincidence FT targets only go out 50 yards?

  61. BB,

    Thank you so much for this blog. As someone has posted, airgunning is a brotherhood. Through this blog, the way you have nurtured this, you have touched our lives in a special way through the passion for our hobby. Our hobbies are simply one facet of ourselves.

    Thanks.

    Abe

  62. Derrick,
    Thanks very much for the gun show info. It might make for a good road trip at least. I’ve never attended an airgun show. Since I don’t have as much stuff as you there might be more for me to buy. I was only planning to go to get a weird gun anyway but you’ve got a four hour head start on me. However, this statement by you may be the one that trips my trigger: “However, there was 1000 times more airgun stuff than the next 10 gun shows put together.” I hope your statement meant the LAST 10 shows or else I’ll be attending one of those 1,000 times less ones.
    -Chuck

  63. B.B. & All,

    I haven't been in this air gun game very long… just over a year.. Before that, dapples with a crosman 760 pumpmaster BB gun, was all I knew of air guns, in the void since my very early years hunting rabbits with my Dad, with my Hy-score .177 … In the last 50 years since then, a few times I shot my dad's old Remington .22 semi-auto.. Then I found this blog, and since my son, our webmaster/partner, had told me to learn about blogs and how they interact with retail websites, I joined in..

    This has become a community for me. I've met new friends. I've let go of "Judgments", and tried new things.

    I started out looking for a pellet gun to kill rats around the lumber mill, and ended up wanting to set-up a field target course and starting another retail business, the Ashland Air Rifle Range & Rentals.
    At first, the idea was just a fun place to try out, before you buy…
    I looked for durable low end springers.. testing accuracy and durability in my poolroom/office, which is a nice 65' long…
    Then, B.B. did a blog on field target and got me on that bug..
    So, I've changed the inventory again to kid level accurate classics, (thanks to Vince's skills), also, who I met here.. entry level field target, and a couple now, top end field target rifles..

    At this point, probably about $25,000 I've spent in the learning process and inventory gathering.. the bulk of it was spent at Pyramyd… I hope the president of PA or budget manager is reading today's blog, my story is NOT uncommon, in the transition… and not very uncommon on dollar amount spent!!, based on the people I've now met in the field target world.. (the difference might be, our's is all tax deductible, all our partners are testers for our customers)..)..)..)

    So, the bottom line is, as the many comments above have also said;

    PA. OWES YOU BIG TIME, TOM AND EDITH!!

    And you call the shots.. make YOUR LIFE "THE LIFE OF RILEY" pick what you want to do, and when you want to do it!!!

    AGAIN TAKE SOME TIME AND DECIDE WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO GET UP IN THE MORNING!! WHAT WOULD YOU TWO LIKE TO DO TODAY, "JUST DO IT" AND TELLS US ABOUT IT MASTA"… others will pick up the pieces..

    We can easily talk among ourselves, and feed you ideas, while you and Edith, sift through them and answer that most important question…

    Wayne Burns,

    Ashland Air Rifle Range & Rentals

  64. Wayne,

    Be glad you invested $25,000 in airguns instead of the stock market. Based my savvy trading skills this year I would have turned that into 25k into $15,750.

    The big question for 2009 is will you renew your contract with Air Arms?

    Volvo

  65. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many kind people in the same place over the internet, so many constructive ideas, but in the end I think Wayne is right, just do what you feel like doing, you’re the boss here, it’s your blog, do what you feel like doing we’ll follow.
    I’ve been reading this blog every morning but I don’t always read all of the comments (I do have to work, you know… to buy more airguns) and as I said earlier today, we can wait for answers so you could make Friday question answering day?
    The Friday blog could be answers to some of the questions for the current week blogs. Not everybody as the time to go trough all the comments and it may bring up some info that we may have missed during the week.

    J-F

  66. Wayne,

    You’re an inspiration to all of us airgunners. You’re a justification to all our wives.

    Seriously Wayne, you’re one of the good guys and I greatly appreciate you. Thanks

    kevin

  67. Volvo,

    Sounds like you have a wonderful family.

    Your search for the ideal pcp for you on the yellow (as chris) was something that I read and re-read in my time spent choosing my first pcp. Thanks.

    kevin

  68. “Does anybody want to hear about my Adventures in Airsoft over the Holliday Break?”

    YES! I love airsoft. You tell about your adventures and I’ll share with everyone the total joy (kidding) of shooting myself in the thigh point blank with a PPK/S airsoft pistol. I had to work hard to do this and I think y’all will be amused at how I did it.

    -Joe B.

  69. Volvo,

    We are talking… I don’t know if they can pay enough..

    I’ll let you know. It they say no, I’m switching to gamo.. cause I love their triggers so much..

    Wayne

  70. Whoever came up with the suggestion of posting twice, once to a current post and once to the old original, is a ruddy genius! Now why didn’t /I/ think of that?

    -Joe B.

  71. B.B.,
    A quick but sincere thanks to you and Edith from one of the many hundreds of us who read your blog regularly but never post. We appreciate your dedication & efforts, and the need to not be consumed by the blog. Do whatever it takes.

    Personally, I got the airgunning 'bug' after shooting the kids' old Crosman 760 that they left behind when they grew up and left home. Fun little airgun. Its over 25 years old and nothing has ever been done to it(other than shoot it). Very educational learning basic things like how velocity changes with pellet weight and # of pumps, how different pellets shoot differently, etc. Nothing better than learning by doing. It has amazingly consistent velocity and can shoot a 3/8" group @ 10 yrds., even after thousands of BBs have been shot through its rifled barrel(ouch, I know). No, it can’t shoot em through the same hole like my RWS850, but then it is only a $30 airgun. When the grandkids get old enough, I will give it to them so that they can discover the great hobby of airgunning.

    The blog, with your and other posters comments is a wealth of information and has been extremely helpful in learning more about airguns, and having realistic expectations as I have purchased new airguns, pellets, and accessories(mostly from Pyramid). In addition to the knowledge aspect, as many have said, it is also about community … a fellowship of friends around a common interest.

    Thanks again for the great blog!
    Godspeed,
    OldOne

    ps. Your 'Smith-Corona' comment tickled me … but those are modern. Now if you wanted to speak only to us real oldtimers, you could have said that you rely more on an Underwood than an underlever to get the job done.

  72. B.B.

    For what it’s worth, I think you’ve made a very wise decision. It’s a bit of a paradox, but the fact is that you can’t serve the airgun community properly if you let the airgun community soak up all of your time. I think the majority of readers will understand.

    Thanks for all of your hard work,
    Brad

  73. Derrick,

    While the witness relocation program requires that I maintain some anonymity, yes I am in Ohio.

    Just can’t let my buddies in Y-town know exactly where.

    Volvo – not BMW 5 series. : )

  74. Volvo,
    We’re all going to be speculating on what got you into the witness protection program now.

    Wayne,
    Gamo may require you to give up your Marlin and go elk hunting with a Whisper and plastic pellets. If you remember Sumo (hope he’s out there), he ended up beating a bear to death with one of those Pink 760’s on what must have been an endorsement deal gone awry.

  75. BG_

    What in the world would turn a question into a fight between us? Jeez, we’ve got feet per second, muzzle energy, yardage, 10-meter, grains of that, foot pounds of that, ballistic coefficients, degrees Kelvin…how can anybody here keep it all straight all the time? I sure can’t. I think we all need to ask each other for more explanation whenever a question arises. Sadly, what I think–and what I write–so rarely perfectly align.

    Derrick

  76. Volvo,

    Come on, even Traficant is finally getting out.

    So, do the words, “Hot Dog Shoppe” and “422” mean anything to you?

    What about “Girard” or “Champion”?

    Just nod if you can hear me.

    Derrick

  77. B.B.,

    Way to go! I know you are sitting there with tears in your eyes from laughing at some of the back and forth between these guys. They're A bunch of sickos, LOL. And I love every one of them.

    I really hope that PA reads this blog AND the comments.

    B.b., you shouldn't have to ask for an assistant, PA should come down to where you live and BUILD you an office. Fully staffed of course (:>)

    OldOne,

    I used the Underwood when I was A clerk in the second Marines in the fifties, couldn't kill those sum bitches. Dig them outa land fills, hose em down, add A ribbon and its good to go,(LOL). I guess there is more then one "older then dirt" blogger out there (;>)Oldone, welcome to the club.

    BobC NJ

  78. B.B.,
    Keep the Q&A and cut back on the blog volume. The Q&A portion seems to drive future blog ideas; thus the Q&A portion is critical.

    Maybe do two or three high quality blogs a week instead of five.

    This comment is for PA… I’ve dropped over $2,000 on my new airgun hobby and all of it went to PA. Not because they had the lowest prices (even though they usually did). It was because they service and support what they sell. You got a problem they make it right. My annual budget is now a modest $300 to $500 per year. Waiting for the new CR PCP… it is that or a chrony for my next big purchase. But I’m think the new PCP will be a budget killer for me.

  79. Dr. G,
    I’ve been wanting a airsoft pistol and sticky target for my office. Got one for my nephew but didn’t get to play with it much. Now I’m thinking maybe should have picked up two of them.

    DB

  80. B.B., Volvo, Joe B., and the rest of Yas,

    A few weeks back I bought (3) Airsoft CO2 pistols; (2) airsoft spring pistols; (1) airsoft spring sniper rifle; and (1) automatic electirc motor airsoft repeating machine gun.

    I also bought 5,000 airsoft plastic bbs each of .12, .20, and .25 grains.

    I also bought 4 different types of airsoft targets: electronic noise/scoring; paper with net to catch bbs; sticky target to catch and drop bbs; and another electronic target; and a bunch of protective glasses.

    Since I had dropped 3.5 big ones on that Whiscombe my family was going nowhere this vacation.

    So to make it fun for my youngest (12-year-old) I gave him all this airsoft booty to play with in the basement range and in the local woods with his his 4 or 5 friends (who were all really quick to get into the airsoft gun thing, including aisoft sleepovers, as some of them already had spring airsoft guns).

    Well, I shot a little to teach them and to supervise them, and then my son became Range Master.

    And then we shot 18,000 bbs over a 10 day period (his little friends were all too happy to bring their stash of several thousand blue and yellow spheres). Granted, there were many little boys shooting throughout the days and nights, but still…18,000 bbs meant at least 7,000 of them ended up on the basement carpet.

    Only one target out of 3 held up.

    One springer rifle and one springer pistol become non-functional (viz., they broke).

    One airsoft gun was outstanding, and another couple were lots of fun.

    I evaluated all of them, including making assessments of their accuracy at 20 and 30 feet by benchresting and scoping them when possible.

    It is late, and I suspect that some of my audience is asleep….I will write of the interesting details (including accuracy results, levels of pain sustained as a function of clothing, admiration and joys as well as disappointments and frustrations with the technology of these toys…

    …names will be named and models will be identified)…. within a few days, because it turns out that these guns are not only for normal children and the odd adult…it turns out that if yuo are reading this then one of them might be right for you!
    I think that some of you may be surprised at the results of my experience, just as Volvo and his 12-year-old were surprised by theirs.

    – Dr. G.

  81. Dr. G.

    I'm up late, but it's not that late here on the west coast..

    I want to hear all the gory details of the battle, especially how the arms held up under battle.. sounds like you'll be invited to do a guest blog for sure.. don't forget how you cleaned up the 7,000 rounds from the carpet…

    BTW, your long ago advice, or maybe inspirational story that got me shooting some left handed shots each day, has really helped my ability to be comfortable in the sitting field target position.. without a harness..

    But I got another idea the other day, that allows me more right hand practice shots.. I put the pellet tin on my right side, behind me, so I have to stretch the opposite way for each pellet. I keep moving the tin, so I have to keep stretching farther, & farther.. I hold the stretch for a few moments… I now don't get cramps at all, and can stay in the sitting FT position for an hour shooting the US FT..

    Volvo,

    Thanks for the link to the FX Whisper vs. Air Arms s410 conversation.. of course I had to leave my two and a half cents…

    Seems like they came to about the same conclusion overall, you and I did.. The whisper and AAs410 are both very good rifles, and one can't go wrong with either… but… naa nah naa nah naa… mine is better than yours…:):):)

    waynie pie

  82. Since I'm on the west coast, and we are at 99 comments in one weekday!! I'm going to make an executive decision and do a meaningless entry.. I know you say.. all my entries are meaningless..

    but you still read them for the entertainment value!!

    Blessings on this blog, and all involved with it!!!

    Wacky Wayne
    Ashland Air Rifle Range & Rentals

  83. Hey EJ-
    Lloyd actually mentioned the index sometime during the time I was typing my post. For those times when a search isn’t productive an index would be a way to get you in the ballpark. I’ve thought about it some more and it would probably be best to do the index by year as it might be too hard to update otherwise.
    One problem though might be the fact that Tom illustrates his teachings in such a way that cross indexing could be a real challenge. For example, I was trying to further my nephew’s interest in the shooting sports and remembered a couple of great sharpshooting anecdotes that Tom had included in previous posts. One of the stories, about Billy Dixon, was buried in a post about “Calibers and Range”(10/09/2006). The other was about a Union captain’s 1 mile sniper shot hidden in the post “Shooting from a Vice”(06/21/2007). I couldn’t remember Billy Dixon’s name until I found the post so I couldn’t find either by trying a search(maybe some out there could however). I just waded in until I found them but the point is they were stories used to illustrate the main blog entry. Tom has such a broad knowledge that a detailed index could be a real challenge. I’m thinking it would have to be a general index instead of a truly exhaustive one. Do you categorize the blogs about the Zimmerstutzen as “Collectibles” or “History”? Maybe both! If we could come up with a framework for the index then it would be just a question of putting things in the right slot. There just seems to be a lot of potential gain to having an index. The pain comes from doing the archives. If it got going soon, 2009 would be just a question of building it as it goes.
    Gavin
    PS- Tom, I posted this today since there were so many comments yesterday that I was afraid it would get lost. If this idea gathers any momentum, would you be adverse to be contacted using your contact from Airgunwriter? I promise to make the email brief if you think this idea has any merit. I’m also going to post this on yesterday’s blog in case EJ looks there. Thanks!

  84. BB,

    Just to echo the care and, may I say it? love for you and Edith.

    Take your time. Work when you want doing what you want.

    I agree with limiting comments on blogs older than 1 month.

    Also, I agree with the fact that PA has gotten business as a result of your efforts. I’m not Wayne, spending $25K but EVERYTHING I buy for airguns comes from PA.

    Al Pellet

  85. I am afraid I am going to have to disagree with limiting comments on posts after a certain time. I started out reading through all the back blogs and often commented on certain ones. I still go back to these posts to see other comments.

    Take for example Tom’s post on Nov. 11 2005, My First Airgun. There are currently 145 comments on this posting alone. My comment was done on Apr. 17th 2007 and the current last comment is dated Nov. 20th 2008. Would anyone who reads that posting really want to go to today’s blog to comment on what their first airgun was?

    That particular blog is really the only one pertaining to that subject. Although some do leave comments on new postings about what their first air gun was.

    I personally would hate to see comments limited after a certain time as much as I would hate to see comments limited to the subject at hand on each post by Tom. If this happened we would not hear about elk hunts or air soft battles or Wacky Wayne stories.

    Which is not to say BB should reply to each and every question or comment. I don’t expect him to answer or comment on each and every comment. I do read each comment and have learned a great deal about air guns from the comments as much as the individual blog postings.

    Rabbitt

  86. How about printing the blogs and comments. A book could be made from each year or 2 of blogs and comments and be sold by PA for a small fee since it was free to start with.
    I would give good and easy searchable reference.
    It would also help those who have problems with the internet.
    There is so much info in here that it would be a shame to keep it available onlyu here and not everyone has the time on a computer to read all of them.
    Just my 2 cents

  87. I agree with Just my 2 cents. There’s just so little in print about airguns and airsoft, I would LOVE to see BB’s past blogs in print form, even in magazine form rather than books.

    But forget about publishing them “for a small fee”. PA needs incentive and Tom and Edith could use the extra income.

    -Joe B.

  88. Well hell… I’ll raise it to four cents, and give one more nod for a magazine of the blogs. recycled paper, please..

    ALL REVENUES TO TOM AND EDITH !!!

    Wacky Wayne

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