Umarex Legends C96 BB pistol.
Let’s look at the velocity of the Legends C96 CO2 BB pistol. It’s advertised at 380 f.p.s., and we know that it has blowback. So, it’ll be interesting to see just how powerful this pistol really is, as well as how many shots it gets.
Crosman Copperhead
The first BB I tested was the Crosman Copperhead. They were tested when the CO2 cartridge was fresh, which boosted their average velocity a few f.p.s. They averaged 402 f.p.s, with a spread from 392 to a high of 409 f.p.s. At the average velocity, Copperheads generated 1.83 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.
I found the magazine very easy to load. Pull the follower all the way down and twist the tab into a slot to lock it back, then the BBs are dropped into a trough where an opening dumps them into the single stack slot in the mag. Release the follower, and the gun is loaded. I found the rated capacity of 19 BBs to be spot-on.
Daisy Premium Grade zinc-plated BBs
Next up were Daisy Premium Grade zinc-plated BBs. I though they might be a little faster than the Copperheads, but they weren’t. They averaged 395 f.p.s., with a low of 386 and a high of 404 f.p.s. At the average velocity they produced 1.77 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.
All the time I was chronographing the gun I was also counting all the shots. I noticed that when you load a new magazine, the first shot will always be a blank. That’s because of how the gun’s feed mechanism works. I did count those shots in the total because they used up gas the same as if a BB had been shot.
Umarex Precision steel BBs
The final BBs I tested were the Umarex Precision steel BBs. They averaged 394 f.p.s. with a low of 385 and a high of 404 f.p.s. That parallels the Daisy BBs pretty close. At the average velocity, these BBs produce 1.76 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.
During the chronographing session, I was waiting a minimum of 10-15 seconds between shots to allow the gun to recover from the cooling effects of the gas. But after the 3 test strings were finished, I continued shooting Umarex steel BBs to see how many good shots there are on one CO2 cartridge. I went much faster during this shooting, with less than a second between each shot. I think this is closer to the way most shooters will use the gun.
I kept expecting the pistol to run out of gas at any time, and it kept right on shooting and surprising me. Finally, at shot 103, I chronographed an Umarex BB going out at 336 f.p.s. While that is slower than the recorded average, you have to take into account the fact that I was now firing the pistol very fast and allowing it no time to warm up. So, an unexpected finding was that this pistol doesn’t suffer as much from the cooling of the gas as most CO2 guns. There normally would be at least a 100 f.p.s. velocity drop when shooting this fast.
Shot count
Finally, after shot 123, the hammer didn’t cock for the first time. I cocked it manually and kept on shooting, but it failed to cock again after a few more shots. The gun was now out of gas. Had I wanted to get more shots from it, all I needed to do was slow down my shooting to allow more time for the gun to warm up. I think the shot count could easily be stretched out to 140-150 shots that way.
So, the pistol shoots a little faster than advertised, and it gets a very respectable number of shots from a CO2 cartridge. That’s 2 big plusses for the gun.
Next on the schedule is accuracy testing. I’m looking forward to that! I have to tell you that this C96 is a very neat CO2 BB pistol. Of course, it isn’t ergonomic, but neither is the C96 firearm it copies. It’s not supposed to fit you well — it’s supposed to look like the real deal, and I think it does that very well.
Shot count is nice. And not bad fps either.
And maybe you said already BB. But how much noise does it make when it shoots?
GF1,
I didn’t mention it yet. It’s about average for a CO2 pistol. Louder than a Marauder but quieter than a magnum springer.
B.B.
Then the sound of the gun is reasonable then too.
The only thing that is missing is full automatic or even a automatic burst mode. When the firearm has the the full auto option I like that option in some form on the bb gun also. Especially when they are trying to clone the firearm version. It adds to the realism of the gun. In my opinion anyway.
If it had that option it would of made me think of getting it. But still a respectable gun.
Good looking, nice fps and shot count… seems like an must buy to me !
J-F
B.B.,
Have you come across any more tips for using your Chrony? Since the last report you did on helping those new to using them?
Thanks,
Chris
Funny you’d mention that. Over the weekend I put a .45-70 thru my Prochrono (and not where it was SUPPOSED to go thru) and am now in the market for another. PA carries it but it appears the Shooting Chrony is the popular choice for airgunners.
I’ve always had good results with the Pro and frankly with the exception of reviews at PA the rest of the shooting world isn’t too impressed with the SC.
I’m always willing to try something new though. Would I be giving anything up by making the switch?
I have the older ProChrono and the “Beta” from PA. The Beta is a lot more touchy about lighting and shooting angle than the ProChrono.
twotalon
That’s what I’ve seen in various user reviews too. The remote readout seemed like a nice touch, and the ability to fold it up after use appealed to me since space on the bench is at a premium.
But I do have a hard time with flakes, whether mechanical or the two-legged kind. : )
You can make them work pretty good if you are careful . I nearly always use mine in the basement . I use the lighting setup for it that mounts on the screen. I shoot with all the lights off in the basement, with the exception of a light pointed at the target on the far side . I shoot off a front rest, and at the same spot on the target for each shot. I get the best results this way. If the afternoon sun starts coming through the window and gets on the beta, the thing goes flaky. Covering the window fixes that problem. I also use the printer for it most of the time . The batteries in the printer go dead after a few days if I leave them in. When I quit shooting, I pull one of the batteries out so they won’t go dead.
twotalon
dd,
I also have the old Prochrono digital and it is picky about lighting, like tt’s. I’m pretty sure the newer ones have a port for a printer or remote readout. Personally, I’d go with what’s on sale if I was in the market for a new one since I hear good and bad about all brands. All I need is relative consistency to work up loads for powder burners and diagnose my airguns’ health. I’m just looking for broad swings and trends, not minutiae…
/Dave
/Dave
My Prochrono is not too particular about lighting……the Beta is !
twotalon
I have the green F1 chrony. Always had good luck with it outside. Never tryed it inside.
I wonder if I would have to do anything special with this model like you did with yours TT ?
GF1
you would have to try it. My Beta works fine outside with a bright sky , but make sure it is positioned in a solid shadow . Morning or afternoon when the shadows are a bit long so it can look up at clear sky while sitting in shadow. Mid day it is hard to find suitable shadow.
twotalon
That’s what I do for outside. I would like to try inside. The room has to be dark if you use the chrony inside?
GF1
Starting new one for more room
twotalon
I have the Master version of the Beta… Good thing, as I landed a .22 Condor shot on the front face where the non-Master model puts the control/display.
I also have the (somewhat flaky) printer attachment (took me quite some time to get the print head working again after it fell off my table).
Maybe better news though — I have the red LED illuminators (rather than the older incandescent bulbs). Work well in unvarying low light.
Hi, DD. I don’t have any firsthand wisdom on ProChrono versus other brands, but I wanted to point out the potentially useful ProChrono computer connection. I have a ProChrono Digital with the PC connection and the included software, and I find it very handy for PCP use. It’s handy to blast out a long PCP shot string, and quickly slam the whole thing into excel for plotting, etc., with no transcription. Highly recommended if you do deal with long PCP strings AND you run Windows (don’t think it’s out-of-box macos/linux compatible).
PS, Happy New Year, folks! Think this might be my first of ’14!
-Jan
dd,
I have the old ProChrono that I bought new in the early 90’s. Still works as good as it always has; same report as others have given with little sensitivity to lighting, etc.
I also like that it has a bipod mount on the bottom like cameras. It is very versital on a bipod.
David H
Chris,
Do you mean since this one?
/blog/2011/08/chronograph-instructions-and-tips/
B.B.
That’s the one sir.
Chris,
No, that’s the last one I have done. I will look at it and see if there is enough to add a blog.
B.B.
B.B. Thanks again for this report. So far, I like what I read. That shot count is crazy good! I was a little confused on the velocity as my PA catalog says 410 fps and the PA web site says 380 fps (I know that isn’t much difference but I like know which one it’s closer to). I’m crossing my fingers that it shoots well, for a bb pistol.
I’d like to see a blog on about yoga. Good marksmanship and good health(physical and mental) go hand in hand. I always loved to shoot and would spend all my free time shooting at progressively more difficult targets. But eventually I’d get bored and set down whatever weapon I was into at the time. It wasn’t until I started focusing on my breathing exercises that shooting became my way to unwind. My groups improved and my life improved. Now I shoot everyday(at least six days a week) not just in obsessive streaks during an infatuation period with a particular gun or bow. I’ve never done any yoga but I believe breathing is a big part of it.
Ben,
You posted this 2x. I’ll answer just this one. Both Tom and I do yoga. I was doing it sporadically until last August, when I asked for a special exercise video for my birthday. Tom saw the incredible effects this special yoga had in less than 1 month, so he started doing them, too. After a month, we moved all our exercise equipment to our storage locker, with the intent of trading them for firearms or airguns 🙂
The yoga we do is DDPYoga, which combines stretching, aerobics and strength-building. As the tagline says, “It ain’t your momma’s yoga!” No chanting, nothing like regular yoga. I was able to pick up a 90-lb. weight with one hand after doing DDPYoga for just a month. Both Tom and I are losing inches and weight…and we do the exercises Mon-Fri. The routine lasts just 20 minutes.
You can read about and watch videos here:
http://www.DDPYoga.com.
This particular transformation video has gone viral and appeared on many other sites:
http://www.ddpyoga.com/arthur.html
DDP stands for Diamond Dallas Page, a 52-year-old wrestler who got slammed in the ring. His back was so badly injured, he would never wrestle again. His wife did yoga, and I guess he started doing it in the hopes of recuperating so he could walk again. He got rid of the chanting and stuff that most people dislike about yoga and came out with his own brand, which was YRG (yoga for regular guys). To that end, he renamed a lot of the positions with sports metaphors (touchdown, superstar, etc.). Now he calls his program DDPYoga.
The amount of stamina we’ve gained from these exercises is phenomenal. And I’ve been an exerciser my whole life. Tom will have to tell you if he’s gained any benefit from DDPYoga when it comes to breathing control. He’s always had great control over his breathing, as he has also been an exerciser his whole life.
Edith
Thank you, I just might give that a try. In my opinion physical conditioning is an important part of marksmanship and is a good way to ecceleratre improvement after it starts to platue. And I’m sorry about posting it twice. I’m every bit as illiterate with computers as I am with airguns. On a side note, I’ve been spending long hours researching this blog and the web articles and I’ve gained a lot of respect for your husband’s integrity and modesty. He’s already my second favorite author on the topic of shooting. And the first wins out only because I’ve been reading him for as long as can remember.
Between Skechers and now yoga, you and B.B. are not letting the times pass you by. Do you do a lot of the traditional poses like the Downward Dog, the Board, and the Cobra (by other names)? No doubt in my mind about the vast knowledge stored in yoga and martial arts which has many similarities. For instance, you might look up the Great Gama, one of a number of outstanding Indian wrestlers from the turn of the 20th century who was undefeated and certainly looks the part–like the Hulk come to life. He and his countrymen using their centuries old tradition ran wild over the top European wrestlers in a series of exhibitions. The crowds took note of the unusual exercises they used prior to the match to warm up, finishing with a loud smack of the thighs, but once they were ready, there was no stopping them. Further investigation showed that their prowess came from the exercises themselves and the unheard of number of repetitions of them and the general intensity of training which was done from an early age. One was a type of push-up that started in the Downward Dog and went into Cobra and back again. Sort of a push-up that kept the arms straight and worked the core. Another was sort of a squat motioned combined with a swing of the arms from back to front followed by a push forward with the hands, not unlike drills used by football linemen. They didn’t look like much but they were done 4000 times a day! Anyway, your numbers for your results sound pretty good without going to this extreme.
Matt61
Matt61,
Yes, we do many of the familiar yoga positions. Some retain their original names and some have changed.
Edith
Now that’s interesting.
Not sure I could keep from spilling my martini during that routine though.
Kevin
LOL…..great business idea:the “adult Juicebox” Martini to go!
Shaken….not spilled.
Frank,
You’re too funny!
A man after my own heart.
Kevin
How can you get bored with shooting? It’s a universe in there. 🙂 Joking aside, the interest for me lies in the way that it involves the whole mind and body, so I’m in agreement with you. Victor, our Olympic-level shooter who has been busy for awhile, will tell you at length how important physical conditioning is to shooting–way more than I would have guessed by appearances.
Matt61
GF1
Does not have to be totally dark, but watch out for lights that start getting a bit close . Keep it as dim as possible around the chrono. Watch out for sun coming in a window and hitting the chrono.
Tried using it with the lighting kit, and the posterboard tacked to the ceiling with a 500 watt halogen work light pointed up at it. both work. Needs more light than the prochrono, but is more sensitive about stray light screwing it up.
twotalon
Thanks TT Im going to give it a try.
I didn’t realize that the original Broomhandle was loaded through the top with a stripper clip into its integral box magazine, a feature which the reproduction seems to have preserved. This design was prior to the detachable box magazine which I believe was pioneered by the incomparable Lee-Enfield rifle design! (Even though in practice, the Lee-Enfield was loaded with stripper clips as well.) Was it this blog where I read that original Broomhandles were highly inaccurate? Maybe if they had a automatic setting and were used as spray guns. But then was it this automatic feature or some other that made it so heavily used right up until WWII? There were plenty of other guns to choose from, and this one was apparentlya great favorite with the British prior to WWI and very popular in China through WWII, so they must have had their reasons.
Matt61
Matt,
I did say Broomhandles are very inaccurate. Maybe that was just the 2 poor examples I owned, but the ergonomics of the gun lend themselves to inaccuracy. The bore is so high above the grip that it wobbles.
B.B.
BB,The Hi was a test ’cause my last post didn’t go through.
Every time I see this pistol the grip reminds me of the fine rosewood handles I have on a couple of woodworking tools.I’ll bet it has a tendency to keep your hand tightly up under the gun.
I was so relieved to see you get some accurate results with the .22 cal.Marauder yesterday.It has been on my list but a few people had cast doubts on the accuracy of the .22s in general.
In comments a couple blogs ago I saw interest in long range pellet gun shooting.I have a passion for that I have left unanswered,but want to get to it.You showed me in the past that for safety in my situation that I should stick to pellets and small bore.I want to shoot 75 to 150 yards at non live targets.I want to use My older model .25 M-rod and my .22 Evanix AR6 Huntingmaster rifle(no extra mod,)even if this is beyond their best capabilities.Please help.
I thought I’d zero the scope at 100yds,undershoot at 75yds and overshoot at ranges past 100yds.I thought I should shim the back of the scope first to keep it’s reticle tight at far off ranges.
I read somewhere that 890ft./sec.was the best general velocity for long range accurate shooting.I thought I would take the best pellet for the gun at 100yds.and try for best shot count for 900f./s.to 860f./s. and decide to be happy
Oh.with the Evanix all I can do is vary fill pressure but that’s ok.
Am I twisted in my thinking?-Tin Can Man-
Tin Can Man,
I don’t know if you are twisted, but since we are talking airguns, probably not. 😉
B.B.
B.B.
Good evening. I asked a question a week or so ago you failed to answer probably because it was mixed in among a couple of other questions which you did answer. So I thought I would ask again since we are talking about a replica bb gun.
It has been some time since Umarex (or anyone else I know of) has offered a replica pellet pistol. I was wondering if Umarex is planning anymore pellet replica guns? I ask because I really enjoy my pellet handguns but the bb guns not so much. I have been looking forward to a new replica pellet handgun.
Any news on that front?
G&G
G&G,
I don’t know what plans Umarex has. They certainly don’t tell me much unless it is about to happen.
I do know this — pellet guns retail for many times more than what BB guns bring. So they must be making what sells, and from what you say, that looks like BB guns.
They have been criticized for charging so much for the Walther Lever Action rifle, yet it is a very fine pellet lookalike. Nobody criticizes them for making a Makarov BB gun for under $100.
What I’m saying is I think Umarex is responding to the marketplace.
B.B.