by B.B. Pelletier
Webley Alecto
Well, today’s the special fourth report that I promised you. Last time, I said I wanted to try the pistol with hunting pellets on maximum power because of the showing I got with Beeman Kodiaks on three pumps. That’s what today is all about.
Again, I’ll tell you that these are 5-shot groups simply because the Alecto is so darned hard to pump 3 times. Ten-shot groups would have worn me out.
The trigger is the biggest drawback to this pistol. It’s a single-stage pull that doesn’t work for accurate shooting. The stage is heavy, long and creepy with an indistinct release. If the pistol had a better trigger, I think I could have done better with it. It needs a nice crisp two-stage trigger.
Accuracy test
I tested the gun supported from 10 meters. I used a two-hand hold, which is uncharacteristic for me, but necessary with the Alecto because the pumping effort left my shooting arm weak. My forearms rested on the bag, and the pistol was held by only my hands. It touched nothing else.
I changed the lighting during the test, so a couple pellets were shot a second time to ensure they got every chance to excel with the new lighting. The first arrangement of the light was obscuring the left side of the rear sight, so I moved it for a clearer sight picture.
Beeman Kodiak HP
The first pellet tested was the Beeman Kodiak HP, a new hollowpoint pellet. In .177 caliber, this lead pellet weighs 10.34 grains. In the Alecto, they were all over the place, grouping larger than two inches at 10 meters, so I cannot recommend them for this gun.
JSB Exact 10.2-grain dome
The JSB Exact 10.2-grain dome was pretty accurate in the Alecto. Because I changed the downrange lighting, I tested this pellet twice. Once I got a group about .75 inches for 5 and the second time the group was just over an inch. That seems like consistent performance to me.
This is the better target for the JSB Exacts. The group is just smaller than .75 inches.
Crosman Premier heavy
Next, I tried Crosman Premier 10.5-grain pellets. They grouped about as good as the JSBs.
Crosman Premier heavy pellets made this one-inch group at 10 meters.
RWS Supermags
Someone suggested that I test the RWS Supermag pellet in the Alecto, because, at 9.3 grains, they have the dual advantage of weight and the wadcutter shape that hunters like for close shots. When I shot them, they produced a teaser group in which 4 shots are in a tight cluster of just over a half-inch, but the fifth shot opens the group to double the size. I would say that you should put Supermags on your short list of pellets to try.
What a tease! Four RWS Supermags went into such a tight group, then one opened it to twice the size.
Air Arms Diabolo Field dome
Talk about teasing, the Air Arms Diabolo Field dome pellets did exactly the same thing. Four shots in just over a half inch then one stray that more than doubled the group. These should be on your list to try, as well.
More teasing. Air Arms Diabolo Field domes made this tantalizing group.
H&N hollowpoint pellet
The best showing with the Webley Alecto came with the new H&N hollowpoint pellet. At just 7.1 grains, this pellet is light and fast. In the Alecto, it’s the best pellet I tried. The 5-shot group is just over six-tenths of an inch in size, and I didn’t do anything different. I shot a second group just to be sure. While it was a little larger, it wasn’t more than three-quarters of an inch. That’s superior performance from this new hollowpoint.
Best group of the session came from the H&N hollowpoint.
Bottom line
It was well worth a second look at the accuracy of the Webley Alecto. We know it’s useful both for target work and hunting. Three pumps is hard work, but this pistol can deliver the results many airgun hunters have been waiting for.
Anyone………..
Here is a question that has been itching me for quite a while….
I have yet to see a BC stated anywhere for the Preds or any of the PBA stuff.
I think a lot of people would want to know what the BC of Preds is because they are so effective. I can also see that a lot of people would NOT want to know (or have published) what the BC is for any of the superlight junk pellets.
Has anyone ever seen BC stated anywhere for these pellets? Have yet to see it on any forums or pellet databases.
twotalon
The .22 has been tested with results from .021 to .025 for the BC. Most agree on a BC of.022 at sea level.
Nothing on .177 that I know of.
The numbers above are for Predators, never bothered to look for the PBA stuff. It has to be about the same as a ping pong ball.
I would check out both the .177 and .22 Preds if it were not for the weather.
I have two chronos now that are so close to agreeing with each other that I could set up both and get BC numbers on a shot by shot basis rather than shooting a bunch for an average at two different distances.
I would still have to devise a shield for the downrange chrono if I was going to try the pba stuff. Would hate to spend the money on the trash and only shoot a few. Which rifles would I risk with the stuff? Maybe the two barrel RS2.
twotalon
Page half way down to see how I protect the Chrony.
http://namericanairguns.blogspot.com/2010/05/airgun-gizmos.html
It is a small paver size.
I like that. Cheap and effective.
twotalon
Volvo,
In the future I would suggest you use a couple duct seal pugs rather than a brick. It would be safer, I think.
-Chuck
I made one with a piece of bent sheet steel and duct seal on the outside, works great and the sheet steel is the last line of defense.
Chuck, Thanks.
I do use duct seal in traps to quiet them down, I even still have the real ballistic putty that Beeman use to sell in a quiet trap.
However, lead pellets tend to flatten with little ricochet issues and I only use the brick at longer distances. On the other hand steel BB’s could be hazardous, heck I guy could even shoot his eye out.
twotalon,
I can’t find any tests that I respect for .177 predators. Here’s one for .22 predators:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/thread/1091690581/Ballistic+Coefficient+of+those+Predator+polymer+tipped+pellets-
Can’t help you with pba.
kevin
Thanks.
I could test both Preds if it were not for the weather.
The actual shooting would not take long, but the setup would.
Might be interesting to see how much BC would change (.22) if shot at about 800fps (D48) and 1045fps (Talondor).
twotalon
Morning B.B.,
I’m not trying to be a nit picker but I have a question about this gun’s trigger. The following is from Part 2 “Through this all, the two-stage trigger was light but mushy. The first stage is deceptively heavy, but stage two has a definite stop before breaking. This one breaks at 2 lbs. exactly and nearly all of that is in stage one. So, don’t go horsing the trigger until you learn it.” While in Part 4 it says,”The trigger is the biggest drawback to this pistol. It’s a single-stage pull that doesn’t work for accurate shooting.”
Obviously my question is which is it?
twotalon, You are correct sir. It would be very nice to know the BC of the Preds. Yes the BC of those little rat turds is probably as well guarded as the gold at Ft Knox.
Bruce
Mr. B,
It may be both. When I wrote the first one I was primarily testing the gun for accuracy with one pump. Today I was testing with three pumps. Later today I’ll look at it again, but it could very well change as the pumps increase.
B.B.
B.B.,
After I wrote the above post I was wondering if the difference in the trigger action was caused by the increased pressure of the multi-pumps.
Bruce
Mr. B,
Apparently I wasn’t too observant yesterday when I shot the Alecto, because there is the same two-stage trigger with three pumps as with one.
Here is what is so confusing. The first stage has a lot of creepy resistance. If you don’t know it’s there you tend to keep on pulling until the trigger breaks. Doing it that way feels like a single-stage trigger.
But if you know there are two stages and approximately where the second stage is located, you can pull off the first stage which then is done. If you relax your trigger finger, the next time you squeeze the trigger, stage one is light and smooth and stage two is more defined.
I still don’t like how the trigger works, but understanding it does make it possible to do better work.
B.B.
Salutations,
I’ve been wondering about the Benjamin ‘Franklin’. What sort of a gun is it?
Thanks
Malcolm,
The Benjamin Air Rifle Company made a play on their company name for several decades. Back when people understood that things in quotes meant that they were not what was being said, they stamped “Benjamin Franklin” on the left side of their rifles and pistols. So, there never were any Benjamin Franklin airguns; it was just a play on words.
Many models of rifles and pistols bore that moniker, since it was on guns from the 1940s through the 1970s. But the guns themselves were simply multi-pump pneumatics and a few CO2 models thrown in for good measure.
Today’s Benjamin .177 and .22 rifles (models 397 and 392) have very much the same performance as the several models that were stamped “Benjamin Franklin.” The same holds for the pistols.
B.B.
BB,
Again this gun is getting bad raps on the forums. Mostly due to inaccuracy. And a few idiots tried to modify them for more power and broke them.
But what I am seeing is guys who just couldn’t wait to get one, then dumping them on the market after a small number (50 – 250) of shots through them. And usually dumping them at a loss as now people are hesitant to buy one at their retail price.
Based on reports I have seen I would be hesitant to buy one at half the retail price.
pcp4me,
Well, that sets up a situation where you stand to prosper, because the gun is really quite good. I even debated about selecting it as one of my picks, but decided the trigger isn’t good enough. The P1 is still the better pistol. But the P1 doesn’t have the range of power this one has.
So if people are willing to throw their money away, I’d say bully for us. The Alecto is a good air pistol.
B.B.
Sounds like the typical forum/web B.S.
My guess is that many folks (as normal) miss the first two, most important steps prior to purchase of this (and many other) airguns.
1) Conduct enough research and data collection to understand what the gun is REALLY all about
2) After completing step #1, still have expectations that the gun can be something it isn’t!
We see it all over the web and even here occasionally…”how can I make my TF## shoot as accurately as an FWB### ?”
In my limited knowledge of this Alecto pistol, it is not touted as a 10 meter precision pistol, is it?
And as with most compromise designs, you get some power boost and flexibility of use that you dont get in a P3 or even a P1 pistol, and certainly not in a 10 meter match grade pistol.
I personally don’t believe “inaccuracy” comments on the web. Unless there is a design flaw or very shoddy mfg practices, these little .177 tubes with valves that we call airguns are supremely accurate devices, even many of the cheap ones.
Brian,
No kidding! If I believed the loose reviews of the Crosman Titan GP, I would never have considered it. Some people wrote about it’s absolute horrible inaccuracy with such “authority” that I’m sure they turned lots of people off to it. The same goes for some who provide products ratings for PA, and give a low star rating. Lots of people simply don’t know what they are talking about, but boy are they convinced of themselves.
This is a problem with what I call “Internet Culture”. There is so much garbage floating around out there that if one isn’t careful, they can become dumber and LESS informed because of the Internet. In fact, someone actually wrote a book about this very thing. I just don’t remember the author or title of the book. I just took a glance at it in the super market several months ago. What is generally lacking in too many places on the Internet is critical thought (real reason) and integrity (intellectual honesty). Too many have some agenda that is purely self-serving, and that adds little or nothing of value to anyone else, unless you are motivated to be led by nonsense. In addition to this, the Internet is a place where too many are rude and insensitive. Some people seem to think that because something isn’t exactly as they expected it, then it’s wrong. They believe that “because it’s true” it’s alright to say it.
A few decades ago I read a billboard on top of a hotel that read, “Honesty without Compassion is Brutality.”.
Victor
Yup, there is little, if any, modern day application of critical thinking, application of science or problem solving skills (iterative thinking) on the majority of those web sites or forums.
You can see the effect of this thought vacuum in the content of the comments such as; “I think the scope is broken” “the barrel must be bent” “This gun really makes a crack when you dry fire it” etc, etc.
There is a great line in the movie A Few Good Men, when Tom Cruise is totally fed up with Demi Moore’s lack of legal procedure skills…”Gee, I guessed you missed the day they taught law at law school” (emphasis on the word day) Just replace law school with engineering and well… you get the drift.
Brian,
On the other end of the “review” spectrum, there’s the “This is a great air-rifle because it was able to shoot clean through the side of a stove!”.
Wonderful! What every airgunner needs, an air rifle that will put holes through appliances.
Victor
I deal with this on a daily basis in my job. (as many of you know I sell photo gear to gov’t/instituional use).
XWZ camera comes out to great fanfare…gets positive early reviews from well respected websites (for anyone looking for camera gear DPReview.com is the best) and all is set to go.
Then some ‘expert’ somewhere posts that he’s found a ‘problem’ and all of sudden people are lining up at the door because of course their camera has ‘the’ issue’.
(the most recent was a high end Canon that gave showed little black dots in the middle of any point lightsource in the image…however you had to blow the image upto about 16×24’…yes, feet not inches…to see the effect)
I’ve not got to the point where I strive to find one or two good internet resources for my work/hobbies (this blog of course is one of them) and limit to my internet research to those I trust.
As others have said, it is amazing how the ‘net brings out so many people with absolutely no real expertise…who in their own minds are incredibly knowledgeble (opinionated)…and what’s more disturbing is the droves of people who will make major purchasing decisions based on something said by these people.
CSD well said… the opinions I value are (mostly) here, and of the reviews I read on guns, including airguns, I look for grammar usage, correct use of technical terms (e.g. velocity is speed, not “power”) and other small details in the reviewers text or passages. That, and exclamations such as.. “this gun rocks” are dead giveaways.
Even Tom Gresham on Gun Talk radio last week made a comment about using some of the better air pistols for firearms training, he then proceeded to say…” there are some great BB guns out there for precision target practice”
I’m sure he meant pellet pistols but… there ya go!
I’ve shot Erik’s Alecto quite a bit. I like the pistol. We plink with it on two pumps of air. Trigger isn’t the best but I’ve shot worse. Erik’s primary reason for owning the pistol is hunting. Self contained, powerful on 3 pumps and accurate. Good pistol for what it is. Never be a 10 meter pistol. Since so many owners are now scoping the Alecto Erik is considering this addition. He’s keeping his.
kevin
Does anybody have any idea what “Alecto” means?
Never mind. Wikipedia came through. It’s one of the Greek furies. Alternatively, implacable anger. A bit the opposite of the Colt Peacemaker…
pete zimmerman,
I think the Alecto was also a large gun in WWII. I should probably google it.
kevin
Pete,
Yes, I’m not sure it is the most logical choice to name a dependable, fun pistol. Alecto most notably incited Turnus into a fight to the death with Aeneas that did not end well for Turnus (if we retain the final lines of the Aeneid, which some consider suspect). In general, the Furies weren’t something to be messed around with — they were so fearsome that they were most often referred to in euphemistic terms as the “Eumenides”.
B.B.,
Your recent reviews of bb machine pistols got me thinking of airsoft repeaters for Christmas. How dangerous would you consider an 800 rpm electric gun firing .25g biodegradable balls at 330 fps? The ME I calculated is 0.93 ft-lbs. Is that too much to be shot inside the house? Will that break windows? Will good safety glasses adequately protect against a burst to the face?
-AlanL
PS: Give me an honest answer- I hereby absolve you and Pyramyd AIR from all liability for your reply! 😀
AlanL, I expect that even if the windows survive the airsoft gun that your interior decorating will not. There is no way to calculate the cumulative effect of impacts, especially from a machine gun. I read somewhere that machine guns amplify design flaws and that something that is unnoticeable even with a semi-auto repeater will show up quickly on a machine gun. These comments were made about a full-auto Mini14 (the Maxi14), but the physics surely applies to airsoft and to the effect on targets as well as the gun itself. By this reasoning, I would not attempt any bursts to the face even with safety glasses. A house will ensure closer engagements with higher muzzle energies than outdoor airsoft and I believe that safety glasses and other protection equipment (like bicycle helmets) should be replaced after even one impact. Keep your holidays safe.
Matt61
Matt61,
Thanks. Maybe a lower power semiauto is the right option to graduate from a nerf gun…
Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.
-AlanL
Alan,
That kind of energy will eat through the bottom of a reinforced tote bag. I know because I’ve done it. One shot will take out any single-pane window.
B.B.
B.B.,
Thanks. Have a great Thanksgiving! If Edith makes you a turkey this year I think you will enjoy it more than ever before, considering what you’ve been through.
-AlanL
B.B., these results with you behind the trigger and shooting from a rest are not overwhelming. A bad trigger can be fatal.
I got my bottle of Ballistol from PA last night! I see that PA like any savvy retailer is using some caution in restocking this product–rarely have I seen a smaller bottle. I’m reminded of a Far Side cartoon. Two guys are seated at a bar in cowboy rig. One is enormous and menacing with a miniature hat perched on his head. The other is an obnoxious undersized squirt speaking to him with the caption: “Now there’s a tiny hat.” Have never quite established the meaning of this to my satisfaction.
With the cold weather arriving, it is very timely for me to be reading about the Chosin Reservoir and the Toktong Pass. I’m learning a lot about how extreme cold can cause guns to fail. One primary cause seems to be the freezing of oil and lubricant. I gather that these substances have a much lower freezing point than water. How low? Are there oils that do not freeze at -40? The Chinese used some kind of whale oil on their guns but there is no testimony as to how it worked. The oil problem can be circumvented by removing all lubricant although the gun will wear out much faster. In these circumstances, I expect that a simple and more robust action would help a lot with function. A more fundamental problem than oil is that the compression of gases in extreme cold weather is altered. This not a function of caliber since both the M1 carbine and artillery shells were affected but the M1 Garand less so. So, the question is whether the compression of air for airguns would be affected in a similar way. Gunpowder gases obviously have much greater compression than air but they may respond differently to the cold. We know pcps work down to -20, I wonder how they would fare at -40. Anyone with a chance to test this don’t miss the opportunity. 🙂
Matt61
Matt,
Here’s a friendly tip. Never, never tell someone twice your size, whos had a few beers, that his head is too big.
-Chuck
Matt61,
Back in the mid 1970’s to the mid 1980’s I ran an elk outfit. Not unusual in late rifle to have -40 degree windchill. I always used dri slide. It’s a graphite spray. Don’t even know if it’s made anymore. I don’t know if there are better products nowadays but it worked just fine. More than once I had to help take apart a clients gun, wipe all the oil and grease off and apply dry slide so his gun would work at those temperatures.
kevin
Kevin,
Is this graphite spray the one you mean?
-AlanL
AlanL,
The description of what it’s supposed to do sounds similar but that’s not what I used. It was actually called Dri Slide.
Here’s what I found doing a search. Sounds like what I used but the package looks completely different. This also came in an oval can that was similar in size and shape to the old 3 in 1 oil cans with a needle built in.
https://www.russack.com/view_doc.php?view_doc=46&catname='Dri-Slide Weapons Lubricant, Improved’
kevin
Kevin,
Never mind, I think this dri slide is the one you mean.
AlanL
AlanL,
That’s the same stuff that’s in my link. Might be the same stuff or they may have purchased the name? It says they reformulated it in 2006. Not sure I understand why you would tinker with something that worked fine. Maybe they repackaged it when they reformulated it. I can’t say. Not important to me since I don’t hunt in those conditions anymore. I figured out a few years back that 40 below is cold.
kevin
Same guys who make the motorcycle and bicycle control cable lubes, same stuff… evaporative carrier with moly in it. Good stuff used sparingly.
Kevin, you were out voluntarily in -40 degrees?! I hope you got paid accordingly. Very interesting about this lubricant. We keep hearing how gun materials have improved since the 50s and that may go for accessories too.
Matt61
Matt61,
Pay wasn’t great. Had some great tips from guys that wanted antlers and I was lucky enough to find them. Best part of that chapter in my life was a few of the guys I got to know. Still hear from a few of them all these years later. One guy still believes I saved his life and he to calls every year to wish me a happy birthday and every year sends a Christmas card.
kevin
Edith,
Is the RWS 350 Magnum now finally being delivered with the T06 trigger, or still with the T05? The specs are silent on this issue.
AlanL
AlanL try contacting Umarex USA for that info?
http://www.umarexusa.com/Profile/ProductRegistration.aspx?FID=1
To contact Umarex USA by mail:
Umarex USA, Inc.
7700 Chad Colley Boulevard
Fort Smith, AR 72916
To contact our service department directly:
479-646-4210 Ext 7
Brian,
You said to contact “our” svc. dept. Do you work for Umarex? I didn’t know that! But I asked Edith because I meant Pyramyd. The T06 has been out since late 2009 in Germany, and here we are, a year later and still no T06 in the good ole USA. Umarex told me in March or April I think that they would start importing/carrying the T06 as soon as their current stock of T05 guns was exhausted. I hope this is the case by now, and that Pyramyd will not be far behind in turn.
AlanL
Nope, don’t work for Umarex, that is just copy and paste text from their website
See Edith’s concise response below
AlanL,
As the guns with the TO6 trigger arrive at Pyramyd AIR, the pages with guns that have the older TO5 triggers will be retired. The .22 caliber RWS Diana 48 guns have just come in with the TO6 triggers. We’re in the process of pulling the .22 cal listing off the current page and creating a new product page just for it. When we get the .177 cal with TO6 trigger, the page with the older listing will be completely retired (it’ll show as discontinued & have no BUY button), and the .177 gun will be listed on the new page that we started for the .22 cal. guns that came in earlier.
Edith
Edith,
Thanks. It’s the RWS 350 Magnum in .22 that interests me with the T06 trigger, not the Mod. 48. Hope the 350 comes in soon.
AlanL
BB Edith and All
Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday (you too Canada)
It’s 18 degrees F up here in Idaho today so…it’s gonna be a great 4 day weekend of garage-range shooting for me, hope everyone else sends lots of lead downrange too! (in between eating and football)
Brian,
Thanks! Also, please allow me to extend my own best wishes to you and all.
Victor
B.B.,
Considering that the grip is good, and accuracy very good with a single pump. this pistol is great for target practice. On the other hand, if you have pests that need dealing with, it’s got the power to do so effectively. Decades ago I helped a friend rid his garage, with lots of storage compartments, of rats. The space was very restrictive, so using a rifle was not ideal. A pistol like this would be perfect, if you have to work in tight spaces.
Victor
Hey all,
hope you all have a Great T-Day tomorrow – my refurbished (looks new to me) scope for the Crosman Trail XL arrived this afternoon, just beating me home by minutes. Hope to mount it back on the Trail and see if it’s fixed.
BB, shot the Diana 5V last night for accuracy tests – this write-up for the blog is going to be funny but also surprise some if not all.
Fred PRoNJ
Happy holidays folks..
Here’s a question for BB. Kevin, BJ FArmer… and you firearm types..
Can I shoot .45 long colt ammo in a .410 single shot shotgun? I ask cause.. the my Judge pistol shoots both .45lc and .410 shotgun shell ammo.. and just wondering why not???
Wacky Wayne,
Match Director,
Ashland Air Rifle Range
Wayne, from what I’ve read about reloading and the tolerances involved, I think the question should be “why” rather than “why not” until you’ve heard for sure from someone authoritative.
Matt61
that’s why I’m asking Matt:-)
reason.. it might be handy in an emergency.. or for carrying less stuff for all situations… overall..
just wondering.. have a nice long barrel .410 remington shotgun single shot, I thought might work well… if one can shoot slugs in it.. why not .45.lc.. be cheaper ..
Wacky Wayne..
Hey Wayne,
Happy Thanksgiving. Haven’t heard from you in awhile. You must be one of those guys that shoots more than he talks about shooting LOL!
As to “why not”…a .410 barrel is .410 diameter. A .45 long colt (lc) is .452 diameter. Bad match. A .452 barrel (your judge) can shoot .410 shotgun shells but a .410 barrel cannot shoot .452 diameter ammo. My opinion, don’t do it.
kevin
I agree with Kevin — don’t do it. There’s also another consideration, I think, and that is that the pressure of a shotshell (and therefore the proof rating of the barrel) is very low compared to a brass cartridge in most cases. When you couple that with the oversized projectile you might have a bad boo-boo. You might be able to do what you are talking about with something like the Handi-Rifle, i.e., find a .45LC barrel (don’t know if they exist) and shoot shot out of it in emergency (it will not be good for rifling) or get a smoothbore barrel made, although accuracy with bullet will be awful and shot will be spread out pretty quick.
BG Farmer,
Thanks, I’ll stick to slugs in the .410 shotgun instead of the .45lc idea… bad idea.. thanks bro.
The Handi Rifles are kinda cheaply made and I didn’t like the one I had for a very short time.. cheap price and cheaply made.. ok I guess.
Wacky Wayne
Wayne,
I’ve never been a fan of the Handi or H&R either, but it seemed like the cheapest way to try something :).
Hey Kevin,
That makes sense now.. Thanks again bro..
… oh well, slugs work better, just cost more.
Yep.. been shooting a lot lately.. and checking the pawn shops for tidbits being sacrificed for the holidays..
Did I tell ya about the Remington .22lr, Speedmaster 241 semi auto? It’s a take down model made on the Browning design. Loads through the stock.. ejects out the bottom.. slim and sleek.. I’m lovin it:-)
Wacky Wayne,
Wayne,
Congratulations on the remington! Welcome to the little caliber, little gun club. Shot the browning take down a lot this summer. Fun guns. See that you’re cleaning out the gun and scope closets!
kevin
Kevin,
Yep, making room for Santa:-)
and focusing the collection to things I can shoot a little more…. like the little plinker I got yesterday at the pawn shop.. a Remington 742 semi-auto in 30-06. It’s like new all shiny.. haven’t shot it yet… we got 4″ of snow and 20 degrees to deal with now. This is not our normal Southern Oregon weather… but it looks like it will warm back up a little with the next front… and I can go to the range.
I’m ready for those chipmunks now:-).. but maybe I better practice on mice so I don’t get attacked if I miss:-)
Wacky Wayne
I came across this item while surfing the news:
“Dukes had another Glock, an off-duty gun – the police report does not specify whether he had it on his person or somewhere in his house – which he drew and fired twice. Then the gun jammed. The thieves fired back with Dukes’s police gun, striking him in his left arm and stomach. A bullet pierced his wife’s left foot.”
So much for the myth of perfect reliability.
Matt61
Hay-suess, have all critical reading skills evaporated from the general populace!?!?!? The JSB 10.2 target and the Crosman Heavy target are either THE SAME TARGET or Stephen Hawkings needs to be notified that Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle has been laviciously violated. I’d have to agree with the statement “They grouped about as good as the JSBs” based on the targets presented.
Regarding the gun: bad trigger, bad gun, case closed, move on people, nothing to see here.
Steve,
Yep, one target was published twice. Reported group sizes were what interested me.
“bad trigger, bad gun, case closed, move on people, nothing to see here” ???? A six tenths group in a 7 fpe self contained pistol that reasonably priced is a bad gun? As I said earlier, I’ve shot an Alecto a lot and don’t mind the trigger. What don’t you like about the trigger in the Alecto that you’ve shot?
kevin
Why would I buy this clunker based on this?
“The trigger is the biggest drawback to this pistol. It’s a single-stage pull that doesn’t work for accurate shooting. The stage is heavy, long and creepy with an indistinct release. If the pistol had a better trigger, I think I could have done better with it. It needs a nice crisp two-stage trigger.”
So it sounds like you and TG disagree on the merits of the trigger. You can work hard and squeeze good groups out of a GAMO, with the horrid GAMO trigger, but it doesn’t make the trigger easy or fun to use in the real world. As far as $360 being “reasonably priced”, I expect GREAT for that much, not a trigger as described. More power to you if you like marginal/bad triggers. I don’t, and don’t support manfacturers who can/will not figure out this critical component of airgun performance. Fair?
I have only had a chance to shoot the Alecto a little, less than an hour as it wasn’t mine. I have to agree that the trigger is not spectacular, but I didn’t find it fatal. After a few shots to see where it was shooting (I didn’t want to adjust someone else’s sights), I was able to get tighter groups than I had with my CP99 Pellet pistol, and my P17 (cheapo version of the P3). The P17 has a wonderful trigger, and does pretty good groups. So, the Alecto beat these two (my only pistol frames of reference) as far as tight groups, but it also has variable power, that’s a great feature if/when you want or need it. Sure, I wish it had a better trigger, but it works. With the other good features of the Alecto, I’m surprised that the trigger is not quite up to par, but such is life. Many things in life are a compromise. This won’t replace any 10m pistol, but it can plink, target, field and hunt. Not too bad in my opinion.
So, before pronouncing it dead and buried, isn’t there a good possibility that some enterprising boutique shop might come out with a trigger mod or replacement to make it better? I’ve seen lots of trigger mods and complete replacements for various Crosman guns. The fact that the Crosman guns benefited from these upgrades doesn’t mean they were junk prior to the upgrade, just room for improvement.
Steve,
The right target for the Crosman Premiers has been uploaded. Stuff happens.
Edith
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!!!!!
That old box cover with picture with the family shooting in their living room reminded me of this song from the TV show: All in the Family.
“Boy the way Glen Miller played, songs that made the hit parade, guys like us we had it made, those were the days, and you know where you were then, girls were girls and men were men, mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again, didn’t need no welfare states everybody pulled his weight, gee our old Lasalle ran great, those were the days!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d8FTPv955I
Full Version:
“Boy, the way Glen Miller played. Songs that made the Hit Parade. Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days! Didn’t need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight Gee, our old LaSalle (a car) ran great. Those were the days! And you knew where you were then! Girls were girls and men were men. Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again. People seemed to be content. Fifty dollars paid the rent. Freaks were in a circus tent. Those were the days! Take a little Sunday spin, go to watch the Dodgers win. Have yourself a dandy day that cost you under a fin (five dollar bill). Hair was short and skirts were long. Kate Smith really sold a song. I don’t know just what went wrong! Those Were the Days!”
Is there any indication that this gun would be more accurate in .22? Less wasted gas to blow the pellet around with threee pumps. Shooting this with only one or even two pumps is like having a Ferrari and only breathing on the throttle.
Josh
Jkherbtz,
There is no way to predict accuracy across calibers as you suggest. Some really accurate .177s had microgrooved 12-land barrels, while their .22 counterparts had six wide lands.
By the way, if I say your name backwards, do I get sent back to the 5th Dimension? 😉
B.B.
The Alecto does have a 2 stage trigger-the 2nd stage is very light and you really have to feel for it. it gets better with use. I think the trigger is excellent. This gun is very accurate-outshooting almost all the other air pistols I own or have owned except for the recoiless ones-It shoots better than my beloved Beeman P1. the P1 I own is .177, my Alecto is .22. It shoots about as flat in .22 as my .177 P1. The most accurate pellets in it by far are Beeman silver bears- Which suits me just fine as air pistols are shot generally at much closer ranges than air rifles. I cronographed them at 460 FPS at 5500 ft elevation-should easily break 500 at sea level. Accuracy is amazing- I was shooting some air rifles at 30 yard targets-& gave the Alecto a try at the same range-sitting on a lounge chair with my knees up and my forearms rested against my thighs I shot an astonishing 6 shot group that could have been covered by a quarter. I could not come close to duplicating that group again that day-I was just right on that first time but it shows what the pistol is capable of. If I could only have one air pistol it would still be the P1 as it is smaller & holsters much more easily plus it takes only one stroke to cock. But in my hands at least the Alecto is about the only air pistol I’ve ever shot that outperforms it.
Are the current issue of these pistols internal compression housings plastic????? If so, that is really chinsy given a $330 3-pump pistol!
Is the beeman p1 the Same as the weirauch hw40???
I’m considering buying the alecto but the hw40 is cheaper though IT might lack power…
Meant for vermin, magpies and pigeons and the occasional crow…
And plinking offcourse
Bob,
The Beeman P3 is the same as the HW 40. The P1 is an HW 45.
B.B.
bob …
Look on the PA web site and you will find that each model of pistol has a little check box for comparing it to others. I think you can select up to 5 different models and the comparison gives you all five side by side and compares up to maybe 20 factors. Make sure that the Alecto is one of the five you pick, and look at the individual ratings for accuracy as rated by owners. You might get a similar surprise to the one that I got. Then, just for fun, put the P17 on the list also and see if you get another surprise.
NRS
Takes too much time…just say what you’ve discovered….
Well I have a alecto and think it a great pistol, well built, more than enough power, and is very accurate and very consistent. I would recommend this pistol to anybody, The trigger does need a bit of setting up, but you can alter Height/angle/weight/length of pull, it is a 2 stage but you need to slightly strengthen the weight adjustment to find the stages.
PBaz,
welcome to our blog. Your comment was posted on a blog that was written almost 2 years ago and unfortunately, very few of us monitor the older blogs, let alone read them. Consider re-posting your comment to the current blog. We always welcome off-topic comments and by doing so, you comment will be exposed to 10’s of thousands of readers. You can always find the blog of the day at:
/airgun-video
Fred DRPoNJ
Hello again! I have a quick question about this pistol as I have never owned a pneumatic anything. Whaton Pyramydair (in ways of kits) would come with everything necessary to upkeep this pistol to the best of my ability? Also, how often should one do a full clean on a rifle or pistol? And with that question being asked… how often should I run maybe a cleaning pellet through them for a “quick” clean. I heard over cleaning your air guns can also be problematic so this is why i ask. Thanks in advance!
Jordan,
We don’t clean airguns unless they become inaccurate. I have guns that have shot thousands of times without being cleaned and they are still very accurate. Nothing about an airgun makes them dirty, so cleaning is unnecessary.
When cleaning is necessary I recommend using a solid, non-jointed steel rod with a brass brush loaded with JB Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. Run that through the bore 20 times in each direction, then clean out the residue. It will then take 20 shots or so before the airgun starts shooting accurately again.
I do not recommend using felt cleaning pellets at any time. They really don’t do anything for the gun.
B.B.