by B.B. Pelletier
For all who celebrate the birth of Jesus, Merry Christmas. For everyone else, happy Friday. You know I like to give you something interesting to talk about on Fridays, and today will be no exception. This airgun was literally thrust upon me at the Roanoke airgun show this year. I was charged with telling the tale of a strange and interesting airgun that was modified to do a special job.
Modified airguns are no big deal. You see them all the time. Perhaps the most modified guns of all are the ones from Crosman and from their two subsidiary brands, Benjamin and Sheridan. Not only is there a red-hot aftermarket of tuners, customizers and boutique parts sellers, Crosman also operates a custom shop and sells parts to the public for just this reason. So, encountering a customized Crosman, Benjamin or Sheridan isn’t that unusual.
What’s unusual is to find a gun that’s been modified for use by a government–local, state or federal. Oh, they exist, too, but they’re not exactly selling on craigslist. Whether it’s an AirForce Talon SS used by the USDA to kill nutria in Oregon or a Career 707 .22 repeater used by NASA to keep woodpeckers from poking holes in spacecraft insulation when they’re on the pad for launch, these guns do exist, but as you can imagine, are not publicized in the literature.
What I have to show you today, however, is different. It’s a stock pneumatic that someone deliberately cut down for reasons I cannot determine. And from the markings that tell us the most about the gun, it may not be the only one.
The subject gun is a Crosman 760 Pumpmaster, which is a standard gun and rarely worthy of special interest. This model is an older one, a single-shot with wood on both the butt and pump/forearm. We know it was probably made between 1966 and 1970 and is considered a first variation of the model. That triples the value, according to the Blue Book, which gets it up close to $100 in 100 percent condition. In truth, a standard 760 first variation would bring a little more than that, but I am going by the Blue Book entry.
However, this isn’t a standard gun. The smoothbore (confirmed by me) barrel has been cut back to 12 inches, leaving just enough room for the pump handle anchor to remain–unaltered. The carbine that was an adaptation of the Crosman 130 pistol has been castrated back to pistol power by virtue of a shortened barrel. If you’re a new reader, a shortened barrel reduces the power that a pneumatic can attain.
It would be easy to criticize the gun for the shorter barrel, but the information engraved on the right side of the receiver indicates that this gun was once the property of the Oconee County, South Carolina, Game Control Department. It also has the number .37 engraved on the side of the gun. That appears to be a rack number or a property number, which is why I made the assumption that there could be other airguns just like it. However, the decimal before the number may mean that it’s something else.
Whoever shortened the barrel did a workmanlike job. Good enough work that Crosman could have done it themselves. Then, they replaced the sight, which is a plastic blade on a ramp. There are sights front and rear, so there was some semblance of shooting to hit a mark. Smoothbore 760s are not that accurate, and short-barreled pneumatics would have very little in the way of muzzle energy. I think it’s safe to assume that this gun was not meant to kill anything. In fact, it’s almost as if they were trying to reduce the velocity to as low as it would go, and of course the multi-pump design would help with that, as well.
I’m guessing that this gun was used to motivate larger animals. Like an extended cattle prod, the game officer could put in three pumps and whack the errant bull in the butt without breaking the skin. These were the 1970s, and little was known about the relative power of airguns, but it’s a cinch they knew that this one was not lethal or humane.
But 37 of the same gun for one county? Somebody, please tell me what’s up with that? That number must mean something else.
I must be wrong about the gun. Maybe it was used to anger hornets or wild bees, but duh! And 37 of them?
Maybe the rack number was just a serial applied to all guns owned by the county and this was just No. 37. No. 36 might have been a Remington Gamemaster in .30-06.
Is it obvious that I’m grasping at straws? I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Exactly how fast it shoots, I can’t say because the mechanism isn’t working. And the owner doesn’t care whether it shoots or not. Besides, breaking it down for repairs would probably mark up the near-perfect finish. If I had to guess, I’d say it probably pops out a pellet at 400 f.p.s and a BB a little faster. Sort of like returning to its 130 roots.
The gun’s owner doesn’t want to sell it. It’s probably not worth a lot, but there’s a certain oddity value in a gun like this, and this one has a bucket of it. Things like this appear at airgun shows all the time, where collectors of the odd and eclectic are glad to acquire them.
Morning B.B.,Merry Christmas to you and Edith,and thank you for all the information you give all year long.I liked the article very much.I also read hunting forums,and always here of guys trying to modify their the rifles.I understand updating an old rifle or shotgun to perform better,but this was not the case. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.Have a great day.Jersey Boy.
Pump handle looks like it came off a Benji.
My first variant 760 looks just like this except for the short barrel.
Merry Christmas Tom and Edith!
Is the .37 possibly the caliber of this Crosman 760? Could this gun have been used to shoot some sort of sleepy time projectile or marker device?
Mr B.
Perhaps the smooth bore was a side effect and the bore was actually enlarged for a special projectile? Shortening the barrel is weird on such a short rifle….it must have been a function for reducing velocity??Maybe its a fancy fly swatter? Merry Christmas! Frank B
Mr B,HA,great minds think alike.I don't know,BB would have mentioned a .37 bore if he was looking down one…..Frank B
Frank B,
I'm with you but, your comment about great minds got me to thinking about devious minds also.
You and I obvously don't have a devious bone in our bodies, but the .37 the ,point three seven, could he, the master of misdirection, be toying with our collective trusting nature?
Mr B.
Caliber and tranquilizer is the first thing that came to my mind. If not,
.37 reminds me of our accountng billing code. We use a transaction number followed by a two digit decimal number to indicate the branch of the corporation.
Also, equipment can be given unique accounting numbers, but .37 seems two low for al lthe equipment they would use and the cost two low to keep seperate tabs on it…so it may be a unique subset number to all the BB guns purchased or even all the firearms by that dept.
Can anyone write/email to them and find anything out? I'm sure there has to be some interesting history about this airgun.
Mr. B.,
No, I checked the caliber and it's definitely a smoothbore .177. Everyone who sees that number thinks the same thing, including me.
Merry Christmas,
B.B.
ajvenom,
You don't know this because I didn't mention it, but this gun came out of their inventory DECADES ago. Anyone who knows about it is probably retired by now.
B.B.
Well,BB…our legs are wet….You sure it's raining??? Mr.B,Merry Christmas!You did a pretty good job of keeping BB & Edith's gifts secret from them….No devious bones EH? Thank You for including Me,You are very thoughtful!
ajvenom,
Thanks for the idea. I just got an answer from one of my people.
This particular Model 760 was smuggled out of Area 57 according to my source. He told me that it was and still might be used to control a—oops gotta run there are two black vans pulling up in front of the house diagourging what looks like a swatt team.
Mr B.
BB,
That's a curious item. No idea why they would have sawed off the barrel like that — its not as if it is a long rifle to start with. The lenght might be appropriate for putting something out of its misery, but I can't believe the power level would have been reliably humane even at point blank range.
Here's something you might find interesting — I don't know anything more about the subject or the people than in the forum thread, but I thought you might; it looks like the antique you blogged not long ago:
https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=4kkjojk549efo2jrs1v38pu0i3&topic=6573.0
Again, Merry Christmas to everybody. Hope Santa found you all.
Mele Kalimaka to all from here in paradise on this fine Christmas morning…especially to our hosts: Tom & Edith, and Josh Ungier. May all your best dreams come true.
We used a Crosman pump to train horses to load into a trailer. I would get on top of the barn where they didn't notice me and when my dad gave the command to load and pulled on the lead rope I popped them on the behind. They learned very quickly and rarely had to be retrained.
I have a couple observations:
1. I think, as his name implies, ajvenom hit it correctly. It is a tranquilizer dart gun for close up animal use. The power would have to be reduced to keep from penetrating hide. Let's see: dart – 7.2 gr (guessing); velocity – 400fps = 2.76 ft/lb. That should be enough to humanely put a needle into a critter don't you think? And you don't have to be very accurate to hit a cow or deer or a weasel. Well, maybe a weasel you do.
(BB, you really get under a person's skin don't you? That's twice I've had to use the energy calculator, now)
2. It's a department or division number.
3. The decimal point denotes a BB gun and the 37 is the asset tag number.
Personally I think it's a darter.
-Chuck
Spike Speigel left the following comment on the Edge post:
Merry Christmas to all!
"BB, I have a Talon SS and love it, although the furniture has been something I've given thought to replacing/augmenting. None of the aftermarket attempts have caught my eye, but I like what's on the Edge…
They look like they should fit other Airforce rifles, but do they, and can they be purchased alone?"
I too want something to make a better stock on the SS. If someone could make a device to slip over the 12 oz SS CO2 bottle similar to the one that slips over the Edge's dinky "bottle" for say around $30 I'd would buy it and I think a lot of others would too.
-Chuck
My first thought was a tranquilizer, as well. I think that there are some .177 dart guns still made, but the Pumpmaster 760 might have a little more power so they decided to use it instead.
Hey B.B., Merry Christmas
i have a problem… a big one… i got myself a Chronograph as my own Christmas present, and sure it's helpful, but i have found out that my rifle is in serious trouble. i thought for fun i'd shoot 2 or 3 Gamo PBA pellets across the chronograph with my Beeman RS2 Duel-Caliber (in .177) to see what i get. i haven't fired those pellets in forever. well, a few weird things happened. one was that the first time, the pellet wouldn't leave the barrel… i had to re-cock the gun, and shoot the spring again. that time, the pellet came out of the barrel, at a BLAZING 684 FPS!!!!!!!!! remember, this is a Beeman RS2 Duel-caliber, with advertised velocities of 1000 FPS in .177 and 800 fps in .22. i should be getting about 1100 fps in the Gamo raptors, but i'm getting half that. and on the second and third time i tried to fire the gun, they were both misfires. the spring apparently froze up halfway through its stroke, and just putted back to its place, not making the pellet move. and this is a 5 grain pellet.
obviously my spring is broken. i know this stuff happens. but i need a good place to supertune it and get the spring replaced. i'm passed the 1 year warranty on the gun (the gun is exactly one year old… ) and i've looked on Beeman's site. their super-tunes are expensive. they come out to probably more than i payed for the gun ($140.00).
so yeah i need a place to get my gun super-tuned that is any cheaper than Beeman, because they charge 80 dollars an hour for labor. i think that's just too much for what the gun's worth. i know there are a lot of places to have my gun tuned. what are your favorites, B.B.?
John W.
P.S. Beeman Kodiak 10.6 grain pellets shot at 600 fps max and about 565 with a spread of 35 fps. the PBA Raptors had a spread of 90 fps at 700 fps maximum.
Merry Christmas Tom, Edith and all!
I got no clue about that 760….
John W.,
Congrats on the chronograph! This hobby made me buy a chronograph a couple of years ago. It's one heck of a useful tool for both diagnosing and finding the best load for your gun (air or powder)! I use mine mostly for reloading, but it helps me keep track of my airguns' performance too.
/Dave
John W – There is a gentelman named Vince on this blog that has a lot of experience with your gun and has a great reputation for doing quality work at a reasonable price (feel free to chime in Wayne). Maybe Vince would be willing to help?
Merry Christmas everybody!!
-Aaron
Aaron,
thanks bud, i know Vince knows a lot about the gun; he's helped me a couple of times with it already. i just need to know where to get a spring and seals for it. i might actually wanna open this can of worms and see what i can do with it myself. i wish B-square made that rifle spring compressor still… may find one on eBay. but i plan on doing this one myself if i can, now. i need to learn this somewhere.
and if there is no real after-market spring that would be good for my gun, i'll probably buy an NPSS.
but Vince if you see this, where do you get your springs for the Chinese guns like the Beemans?
John W.
John,
I'm certainly no Vince, but here's the procedure most of us follow: The spring is removed and measured for OD, ID and length. With those numbers in hand, go through the Maccari springs one by one looking at his numbers.
Some of my criteria for making a choice:
Several spring will probably be good candidates. Choosing the "best" spring for any given rifle will involve some compromise unless you do some fitting.
If the spring guide in the rifle is a complicated and dedicated looking part, it's best start here and use the OD of the guide to narrow down the spring choice and find a spring with an ID that is just a couple thousandths larger. Now look at the ID of the rifle's piston, if it is just a couple thou smaller than the OD of the spring, you're set. Just find a spring that's a bit longer than your spring and you're home free. It's easier to shorten a spring (cut off wheel and a grinder) than to shim one to make it longer.
You CAN start by choosing a spring that fits inside the piston body first, but more often than not, you'll end up needing to make a new spring guide. If you make a new guide, try to make it longer than the original by about 0.125" or slightly more. Stock guides are often too short and the spring will benefit from more internal support to keep it from kinking. Again, it's easier to shorten the guide than to make it longer later.
If the spring is a loose fit inside the piston, it's typical to shim the inside with a piece of sheet metal to tighten the fit. A snug fit on both the guide and inside the piston help eliminate vibration when firing.
Your rifle's used spring will be shorter than a new, unset spring. A rough guess would be to use a spring that's about 0.500" longer or more than the spring you removed. Some trial and error will be involved. A longer spring has more potential power. A too long spring will not allow the gun to cock. Err on the side of function rather than trying to get the last thousandth of an inch in spring length to fit.
I'm really glossing over stuff here, but that's the gist of it. If you come up with any questions, ask and we'll try to help.
Derrick,
i must say, that helped a TON!!! thank you so much. i'll have to re-read B.B.'s post about making a spring decompressor but i'll bet i already have the parts for one. i think i'll get to it soon. i've actually been a bit pre-occupied with another hobby (installed new pickups on an electric guitar) so i'll be busy with that for a bit. i think i've already found a likely candidate from Maccari to put in my gun. we'll see though…
John W.
thanks for the help, and merry Christmas! i hope soon i can get some joy out of my Chronograph lol instead of it being the bearer of bad news. Aaron said it has diagnosed problems for him in his airguns, well that's proved right for me, for sure! i probably would not have known that my gun was shooting badly until it misfired. imagine the disappointment if i'd gone hunting!
The final fix for the leaky Daisy 717 went up on the repair blog last night.
http://anotherairgunblog.blogspot.com/2009_12_20_archive.html
Anonymous Beeman spring guy,
There's lots of spring fitting, guide making and piston sleeving going on in various posts on anotherairgunblog. Nick built a spring compressor there as well. Over 320 repair posts so check the index.
BB,
A huge thank you for continuing to allow Nick and me to refer readers to the repair blog. A huge reason for it's existence is to have some kind of documentation for various airgun repair work. Though I should probably warn everyone that it's still being written by crazy monkeys.
Well, at least one crazy monkey.
John,
while waiting for a response from Vince, I would check out Jim Maccari's website.
https://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/page/page/251327.htm
He makes the springs and seals and there might be one on his site that will fit your gun. Beware that Maccari specifies his products are for knowledgeable people and he doesn't provide tips, recommendations or instructions. The springs and seals are inexpensive. You might also be able to buy the spring from Beeman but since the original spring broke, I'd go for an aftermarket (replacing a bad spring with one with the same problem is not my idea of fun).
As for a spring compressor, they're very easy to make – a 4' long 2×8, a couple short pieces of 2×4 (two blocks 4' long screwed onto the 2×8 for the action to fit between with a third piece that can be screwed across the tops to hold the action down, another 4" piece at one end of the 2×8 to restrict the barrel from being pushed forward and a inexpensive C clamp with the top of the C cut off, two holes drilled in the frame and the clamp bolted to the 2×8. Another short 2×4 with a 1" hole drilled partway in each side (directly opposite each other) so the C clamp bar can fit in one side and the end cap of the rifle in the other.
A decent set of pin drives from Sears is also nice to have around to push things out.
Fred
John – When the spring on my RS2 broke (I'm guessing after about 5000 shots, how many before yours broke?)I was able to take it apart pretty easily without a spring compressor. Putting the new one in might be another story but taking apart first might help you figure out what spring you need.
Good Luck!
-Aaron
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. We certainly did!
Tom had promised to post images of our 3 cats on Xmas Day, but he forgot. Maybe he'll include them in a blog next week.
For those of you who commented about a couple product description mistakes on the Pyramyd AIR website, please note that I'm correcting now. Thanks for the heads up!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Edith
I'm getting acquainted with my almost brand spanking new IZH46M compliments of Frank B. This trigger is so light you have to experience a 10M pistol to know what I'm talking about.
I've adjusted it so there is actually a first stage to it. When I first got it, you kind of thought of pressing the trigger and the gun fired. Wow.
Now all I have to do is learn how to shoot it :). Thanks again, Frank B.
Fred
guys helping with the RS2,
thank you. i'll be checking out anotherairgunblog in a second after i post this. and yes, Aaron, it is about 5000 shots i estimate before my RS2's spring broke. i have reason to believe it's been losing power for some time, and i haven't noticed it until now, because i didn't have a chronograph until now. so it's probably been broken for a month or two and i never noticed.
so it doesn't take much to take the spring out, when it's broken? that's a relief… i'll probably take it out today then!
again, guys, thanks for the help on my Beeman.
John W.
Fred,I am now kicking myself,I should have warned you about the trigger….or backed it off.Yeah,it was set so you could "use the force".I wish you much success with it. WV is "winkie"…OH NO,they've got Winkie!!
The more I think about this modified 760,the more I think it was modified for safer "attic"work to motivate squirrels,and raccoons to find a new home? Frank B
bb
merry christmas, need your help, just recieved a evnaix renagade carbine and i'm having trouble trying to fill it with my hand pump it seems to just leak out at the cylinder end as i pump, any ideas?
thanks vinny
Vinny,
Cock the rifle, pout on the safety and it should fill.
B.B.
Batches of ballistic gelatine are calibrated by shooting a bb gun with known velocity on them and measure the penetration channel. At least this would be a reason for the government to own a smoothbore .177 bb gun.
However, I see no point in shortening the barrel for this purpose.
All injection darts I'm aware of have a substantially larger caliber than .177 . Plus, they won't work with the gun'S bolt mechanism.
bb
cock trigger put it on safety and it seem to leak faster, not sure what you said about safety
thanks again vinny
Vinny,
By cocking the hammer, you take pressure off the firing valve, so it can seal. The problem is the pump cannot put pressure into the gun fast enough to seal the valve against escape.
Don't worry about putting the safety on. That's what you do every time you cock the gun, that's all.
You need to find a way to introduce air into the gun fast enough to seal the firing valve. Pyramyd should have sent the gun with a small air charger in it, so you could pump the gun up. If you fired the gun before pumping, you lost that caretaker charge and now cannot overcome the firing valve to seal it for the pump.
There is a solution, which is to introduce CO2 into the gun to seal the valve. But it requires you to buy extra equipment. If you don't want to do that, contact Pyramyd AIR and return the rifle. They can then put another caretaker air charge in it and you will then be able to pump it. Just remember not to fire the gun until you have fully pressurized it.
B.B.
Good theories everyone….wow thanks fot the ftlb calculation Chuck.
all I can say is run Mr. B run!!!!
You had me up to area 54 ..lol!!!!
My son and I have been busy shooting a pair of airsoft p30 stingers at a sticky dartboard target. It's a lot of fun. He finally has something he can use with close adult supervision. He shot the curtains once and now were banished to the basement aka "the clubhouse".
btw…the curtains are fine.
John W, sorry for the late reply.
You should be able to get replacement springs and seals from Compasseco (for the TF89) or from UmarexUSA (Walther Force 1000 or Hammerli Titan). You should also be able to use the parts made for the original Spanish Norica rifles these are based on – the old Beeman GS1000 or the Hammerli Razor.
The spring in a Walther Force 1000 measured as follows: 44 coils, .480" ID, .716" OD, .118" wire, and a set length of 13.1".
I haven't tried it in this gun, but I suspect that this spring would work well:
https://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/catalog/item/251488/6825218.htm
Since the AR1000 variants have a stroke of about 108mm and a 3.1" preload with the above spring length, the compressed length of the spring when cocked comes out to around 5.75", which is WELL under the stacked height of Maccari's spring. Which means, I suspect, that it won't take much of a set. Which should bode well for longevity.
It'd be a little on the short side compared to the original spring, but the thicker wire and fewer coils point to a higher spring rate. I used one on an RWS94 (Cometa 400) and it works well in that rifle.
Does anybody have any comments-complaints-suggestions about buying a Walther LG90?
Thanks for any info
Scott
Sorry about the vague comment above. As you guys know I am the guy with the "squeaky TX200". I bought it for use as a general purpose quality gun that I can have for years to come. I have a three acre wooded lot and would like to set up some field targets in the woods. The TX200 is apparently at home in this kind of environment.
I have been shooting my TX200 at 10m with the correct targets and am getting better. I read some older blogs written about 10m shooting and picking up used 10m rifles for lots less than buying a new one. Not real thrilled with the idea of all the PCP extras so want to stay away from them. It just seems that using my TX200 to shoot 10m is kind of like using a chain saw to trim rose bushes. I know you can't use a scope at 10m like I am on my TX200 but i'm not competing for any title just playing. I was wondering if the Walther LG90 (which is already 20 years old if i'm looking at the info right) is something that I can shoot for years or will it not be able to be repaired because of parts?
Scott
Scott,
The LG90 should be repairable for the next century. It's a quality European airgun and they get supported very well.
The LG90 is also newer than the LGR, which was Walther's first single stroke pneumatic. They had problems with seals when they built the LGR, but should have solved them with the LG90.
Just make certain that the gun you buy is working when you get it and it should work for many years. And start reading this forum:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/405945/
B.B.
BB,
I have added a side wheel to my Leapers 3-12×44 SWAT, and while it sure makes focusing precisely easier, I now have the recoil of the gun causing the scope to noticably walk off focus in just 2 or 3 shots. It used to hold focus flawlessly before for 50 bench shots or more.
I can focus it back after each shot (that is not a big deal), but I'm wondering if the added load on the focusing knob is a problem for the scope over the long term. The whole focus wheel seems a little wobbly now, so I am a little worried about it. Any thoughts? I know that the FT crowd does this all the time, but most are using PCPs, not a hard recoiling springer.
Alan
BG-Farmer,
I re-adjusted my scope using the instructions from the article you linked me too, and it has made a big difference. The crosshairs now "weld" to the target.
Thanks so much. I'll see how much better this makes things over time.
Alan
Matt61,
I was sitting watching TV, stropping a pocket knife and thought about your quest for an edge to shave the hair off a frog.
Remember when Kevin was talking about final "sanding" on a gun stock and said do it very lightly? Well the same thing applies to sharpening a knife blade. Use very little pressure when finishing your edge.
Another tip is to darken the edge with a magic marker to make it easy to see if you're maintaining the same angle on each side of the blade.
Hope that helps.
Mr B.
Alan,
What kind of rifle do you have that sidewheel on? Sidewheels are made for low-recoil guns like PCPs and TX 200s. There they work fine. On heavier-recoiling guns they have too much moment to stay still.
B.B.
BB,
It is a Quest 800 tuned with a Maccari Tarantula spring. It is a lot smother than when it had the stock spring, but it still recoils hard enough that I can't maintain a good sight picture in follow through. I'm getting 703 fps with 14.6 grain Beeman FTS pellets.
Too much for the sidewheel? I'm not worried about having to refocus, just the durability of the scope. It is a fine scope, and I don't want to ruin it.
Alan
Alan,
Yep, too much for the sidewheel. It isn't the recoil as much as the weight of the piston that's the problem. Too much movement when it comes to a stop.
Go back to the small knob and the problem is fixed. Save the sidewheel for your Benjamin Discovery.
B.B.
Alan,
Glad it helped — I've found it can make a big difference on group size.
Mr.B (and Matt),
I was thinking of Matt's quest, also. My wife was looking for Christmas ideas, and I said that my pocket knife was about worn out and suggested a lockback with a smallish blade. Well, my son (6)wanted to get that for me, but he picked out a Buck folding hunter that must be 6 inches long. The blade is hollow ground and wickedly sharp. Not only did it shave my arm (test #1), but as I was pulling it out to open a Christmas present I brushed my leg with the tip, leaving a 4-5 inch slash, part of which gaped open to muscle sheath and required some serious band-aids:). If it hadn't been so sharp and cut so cleanly, I think it would have taken stitches. It was a great object lesson in why you always need to treat knives with respect, and apparently I needed a refresher.
MrB,I'm pretty sure that Matt61 is soaking up the sun somewhere in Hawaii…or hangin' ten on a wave!However your observations are both fundamental to a good edge.before he left on vacation I was teaching him how to find the proper angle on a stone,and that there are many diferent angles used on cutting implements…He's an excellent student and clearly a big reader…I suspect he will go far in life! Frank B
MrB,I'm pretty sure that Matt61 is soaking up the sun somewhere in Hawaii…or hangin' ten on a wave!However your observations are both fundamental to a good edge.before he left on vacation I was teaching him how to find the proper angle on a stone,and that there are many diferent angles used on cutting implements…He's an excellent student and clearly a big reader…I suspect he will go far in life! Frank B
Thanks BB,
That is not far off the plan. I bought the scope (overkill for the Quest) with the plan of moving it to a Maurader some day, but economics might force me to a Disco wtih a TKO muzzlebreak to manage the noise for my winter indoor range shooting.
Alan
BG Farmer,ooouuuch!That is my biggest fear when sharpening knives for friends and acquaintences.I'd rather cut myself…Frank B
BG Yeow! Can't tell ya how many times I've handed a sharp knife to someone when they needed one and they've cut themselves to the point of needing stitches.
FrankB & Derrick,
Mostly it had something to do with being up most of the night and then early in the morning, i.e., not thinking clearly, but the sharpness of that thing amazed me. Almost all of my knives will shave at least some of the time, but the edge on this one goes all the way to the point, which I wasn't expecting out of the box:). Even as the blood was running on to the "good" carpet, I was thinking that Matt would be jealous:).
Now, that's just wrong.
BG_Farmer,
What a way to finish the year – sliced and diced.
One year I ended up in the hospital on Christmas Eve after slicing my hand pretty deep trying to cut the string off my Christmas present with a tiny Swiss Army pocket knife at my daughter's house. I was cross examined several times during the emergency room visit because they thought I was in a knife fight or something like that. I needed stitches then but you can't even tell now.
-Chuck
Chuck,As you now well know…one of the finest little pieces of steel thats readily available and commonly overlooked is the tiny swiss army with the nail file,toothpick & scissors.I can find the real ones at flea mkts. for about a buck.For you black powder fans,its a real good patch knife!!!! Frank B
Yep, I tried to cut the tip of my thumb off with my Swiss army knife. I had a business trip the next day and was hurrying to cut some twine I had bundled the recycling papers with. While I can't shave with that little red knife, I do keep it pretty sharp. The hospital saved the finger tip but I have no feeling there now. Today, I'd probably try to glue the tip back on with crazy glue and save the trip to the hospital and stitches.
Fred
wv -= chear – hey, I'm not cheap, I just don't like hospitals. They're a very dangerous place to be if you're healthy.
BG_Farmer,
Thanks for reminding all of us to be careful. Buck, awhile back, was advertising a new way of putting an edge on their knives that makes them wickedly sharp. Looks like it works. Better a good clean cut that heals well.
Frank B,
Did mother-in-law's favorite kitchen knife. She told wife, please don't let Bruce do that again. Knife was too sharp and it scared her.
CJr,
"What a way to end the year-sliced and diced." You're a sick puppy. I like your sense of humor
Thanks to you all for the wonderful knife accident stories. I just wanted to say that mine wasn't a horrible incident or even really painful, just a bit funny and a big goof on my part — and I know its weird, but I did think about Matt's ongoing quest and the irony, then realized I better get off the nice rug quickly — I don't even go in there most days:). My rule for e-room visits is there has to be broken bone, an entry and exit wound or strong suspicion of internal bleeding, so I definitely agree with Fred that you're better off avoiding hospitals when possible:). And yes, I would say that however Buck is sharpening their knives currently, it is a viable method.
Hi All!
Hope everyone's enjoyin their holidays!
About the Crosman, the first time I had a barrel shortened was to make it fit in a cabinet. I know its a weird enough reason (and its smarter to get a bigger cabinet), but I've done it and I'm sure there will be others! 🙂 When you have several guns that fit and one fella (who's not going to see much use anyways) who doesn't, a lil trimming is in order. Maybe thats the reason here.
Or what if it was used for training?
Or mayebe to prod animals outta hiding without causing harm? Perhaps into a cage, or out of one..
Very intriguing though. Would love to know the real reason..
Word Verification : Mishn (New mission for 2010 – Find out roots of 12" Crosman 760?!
Mo.
Also, this one time on Discovery Channel, they used an electric prod to wake up a rhino that was sedated earlier for some inspection. They put tiny microchip identifiers in the tusks to track poaching. The guy had to prod and run before it was fully awake for safety reasons.
A low powered bb gun could come in handy here too. Methinks!
Mo.
Hi Tom Mark cooper here with a 22 cal plainsmaster pistol need ammo prefer copper bbs as it was made for where can I get them I just ordered the lead will these work ok? smcoop1234@yahoo.com any info on this pistol would be great I have the only one on the planet and its hard to find out anything thank you mark
Mark,
I flat don't know. I thought the Plainsman .22 shot a lead-coated steel ball, and they are all collector's items.
B,B.
I have a Crosman Powermaster 760 that my dad gave me. It has a plastic/styrene stock and a wood forearm. I'm wondering – is there any way to find the manufacture year by the serial number? 47537988. How much does one from the early 70's generally sell for today?
Luke,
According to Crosman's dates of manufacture on their website, you air rifle was made in 1974-1975.
https://www.crosman.com/airguns/service/dates-crosman
Crosman doesn't list the serial numbers, but rather the gun's specifications–the plastic butt and wood forearm, in this case.
I see them bringing $35-45 at airgun shows.
B.B.