Great airgun finds

by B.B. Pelletier

This one is for anybody who's looking for a great airgun at a reasonable price. Wouldn't we all like that?

Internet gun auctions
There are some great airguns on the gun auction sites, but first a big warning. There are also a lot of shysters who prey on honest people. The following is an auction description. See if you can spot the problem.

BSA CADET-MAJOR .177 AIR RIFLE - The gun is not visably marked - I had a hard time finding info on this gun - It is listed on page 35 of Hiller's "AIR RIFLES THIRD EDITION" - The rear sight is the type that BSA used on their pre-war air rifles (the sight alone is worth at least $40.00) - Their gun had no visable model and name as well since the make and model was lightly etched on top of the receiver -

Know what's wrong? BSA always marked their airguns. There is no such thing as an unmarked BSA. There are, however, copies of every BSA model...but made in India, Japan or South Africa. These guns are also well made by today's standards, but they aren't in the same class as BSA. Sometimes, the Japanese guns have a few characters on them, but I have seen guns without any markings.

If a BSA Cadet-Major is worth $350, one of these guns is worth $150 or less. So, don't get suckered in. I wouldn't bother conversing with the seller, but if you do, be kind. He may not have known what he had was not the genuine article. However, I have seen a few who did know and tried to prey on the newer airgunners.

Another common ploy
Here is another very common trick that I see all the time. It's found on the auction sites, and on classified ads, as well. Can you identify it?

Seller's Description:
Sheridan Products Inc., Racine, Wisconsin - Made in the USA. "Silver Streak" 5m/m Caliber. Front Pellet Pump Rifle. Fixed iron sights - rear adjustable. Safety is behind bolt. Bore is shiny. 37" overall length. Used - there are some nicks and scratches in the wood. There is some surface rust here and there. Some surface wear and pitting. All seems to function - I have never used it.

Know what's wrong? It's the last sentence. "I have never used it." Some common variations on this same theme are, "It uses CO2 cartridges and I don't have any to try in it" and "I really don't know how this thing works." Yeah - right! They know how it works and they can get a CO2 cartridge the same as you, but when they did, it didn't work. They want you to accept that it might not work, while not telling you outright. I avoid dealers with sales jargon like this, and I advise you to as well.

So, are there any good airgun buys to be had?
Yes! There are TONS of them, if you know where to look. For starters, visit a local gun store and ask them if they ever get airguns. Chat them up and you might find they see a lot of airguns, even though they don't officially handle them. If you give them your card they may call you when a widow comes in to sell her late husband's gun collection. Or, when someone wants to sell them an entire gun collection, they will enjoy having someone to sell the airguns to.

Pawn shops are another good place to shop. Make friends with several local pawnbrokers by visiting their stores once a month. One day, they'll surprise you with an Anschutz 250 target rifle that's about to come out of pawn. Ask what they loaned for it and pay them 20 percent more. A typical buy would be an Anschutz 250 for $120, because they don't loan much on airguns. So you save a cool $400, as I have done more than once. Don't think for a moment that the pawnbroker will take the time to buy Blue Book of Airguns and look the gun up. If they can make a quick turnaround on something they don't normally stock, they're very happy.

Airgun shows
Bring a pocketful of money and just walk the aisles and talk. Sooner or later you will find the deals. Someone always wants to buy something else and needs money, so they're willing to make a super deal. This is so common at airgun shows that I see it at every show I attend. In fact, you really have to be up on your airguns, so what I do is limit my deals to guns I know a lot about. I take a super sleeper like a BSA Meteor and wait until I find it for $80 in excellent condition. Or a Diana 27 for $150. You get the idea. I can probably do this with over 100 different models today, only because I have been doing this for the past 15 years. You'll get there too, if you start today.

What came before the 10-meter rifle? - Part 1Zimmerstutzen

by B.B. Pelletier

I'm in Albuquerque today and all settled down for the evening.

Today's question is: What came before the 10-meter target rifle? Knowing what came before and how it evolved tells us a lot about today's 10-meter rifles.

The Zimmerstutzen was the ancestor of the 10-meter target rifle and extends back to at least 1840. Zimmerstutzen is the rough translation of "parlor rifle" in German. The first zimmer was powered by a percussion cap that propelled a small lead ball through a short rifled barrel. The barrel was located toward the end of what looked like a conventional long rifle, although only the final 8 inches of the barrel were used. The striker for the percussion cap, and later the firing pin that was used on cartridges, was very long - running from the rifle's action to the rear of the short barrel.


American Bandel Zimmerstutzen from about 1870 uses percussion caps to power a lead ball loaded in a breech about 8 inches from the muzzle. Note that the hammer is attached to a long striker that runs up to this breech.


Breech mechanism of Zimmerstutzen from 1910 shows the loading/extracting mechanism that handles the fixed cartridge.

Course of fire
The course of fire was 50 feet indoors and always offhand. Because zimmerstutzens were associated with shooting Vereins (literally "unions," but meaning clubs) where the summer was devoted to shooting outdoors at 200 meters with schuetzen rifles. In fact, a lot of American shooters think the word Zimnmerstutzen should really be spelled and pronounced zimmerschuetzen (it shouldn't). It may have had its origins that way, but zimmerstutzens soon developed their own rules and evolved into a different sport.


Fixed 4.3mm Zimmerstutzen cartridge (left) next to a .22 long rifle. The zimmer round uses a primer, only.

Characteristics
By 1890, zimmers usually had double-set triggers, superfine adjustable aperture sights and stocks that defined the breed. A high, cupped cheekpiece and usually a thumbrest were common features, as was a deep hooked buttplate. By the year 1900, the Zimmerstutzen had evolved to its highest level and would remain that way until the start of World War I.

Caliber
A Zimmerstutzen comes in the nominal caliber 4mm, but in fact there are over 25 discrete calibers that range from 4mm to 5.55mm, in half-milimeter increments. They also come in fixed and separate ammunition. The fixed ammo looks like a standard rimfire cartridge. It loads, shoots and ejects just like a rimfire cartridge. Of course, all target-shooting zimmers are single-shots, just like 10-meter rifles of today. Target shooters believe that top accuracy comes from precise loading directly into the breech, and they get that partly from the Zimmerstutzen heritage.

Accuracy
This is where the story gets interesting. When I was a boy in the 1950s, Zimmerstutzens were revered for their accuracy. Had they shot groups in targets instead of single shots, their groups would have been around one-tenth-inch for the best shooters. Wonderful accuracy for 1955, mundane after about 1985. Today's 10-meter air rifles can out-group a Zimmerstutzen by about 50 percent, if not more. Of course the distances at which they shoot are different, but that doesn't explain the difference in accuracy. It's really velocity and the accuracy potential of a diabolo pellet. A round ball cannot keep up, and the Zimmerstutzen typically shoots around 1,000 f.p.s., while the air rifle does about 580.

In the next installment, I'll show you some more unique things about Zimmerstutzen rifles and tell you where they went when the 10-meter rifles displaced them.

BB gets disappointed - Part 4 Wilson Combat...and the Taurus gets better

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3


You may recall that I went shooting a couple weeks ago. I took both my Taurus PT 1911 and my new Wilson CQB Christmas gun. This is an update on the Taurus and a first report on the Wilson.

Little things mean a lot
The Taurus had several major problems. The factory magazines do not work, even with the reliable Wilson. So, until I rebuild them with new springs, they're out. On the other hand, my one Wilson magazine works flawlessly in both guns.

The other problem was the Taurus extractor. It had a large burr, the part that fits over the cartridge rim was not smooth, but worst of all, the extractor was not properly tensioned. I corrected these faults and the last time out, the pistol fed 125 rounds perfectly. The rounds were a mixture of Winchester and Remington hardball plus two different reloads.

I'll keep shooting the Taurus to test reliability, but I think I have it. The next thing I was interested in was a comparison of the two guns. You may laugh, but I found the Taurus easier to shoot than the Wilson. The sights that I've now become so familiar with are much faster to acquire.

Not all is perfect
Faster doesn't mean better in all cases and definitely not in this one. While the Taurus sights come up very quickly, they're very distracting...to the point that I cannot aim them intentionally. For a minute-of-bad-guy gun, the Taurus is great out to 25 feet, but the Wilson is incredible!


Two groups tell all. Top group is 8 shots from the Wilson CQB. Bottom group is 7 shots and 1 flyer (to the left) from the Taurus. The crosses indicate the aim point. Clearly the Wilson out-shoots the Taurus. From 20 feet.

The groups were shot at only 20 feet, so don't get too excited. However, the Wilson shows its pedigree, and the Taurus suffers from combat sights that do not encourage precision.

How about that Wilson!
Several of you are curious about my new CQB, and here's where I'll make a tie-in with airguns. You could think of the Taurus as Gamo Shadow with which I've had growing pains. The Wilson is like a TX200...perfect right out of the box. You could buy 5 Tauruses for one Wilson, so there IS a reason the Wilson is a better gun. However, the Taurus is advertised as a $2100 value in a $600 package. While it's a very nice gun, there is no way it can be a $2100 value. The Wilson shows what painstaking work can do. The Taurus shows how far modern manufacturing can take you.


Wilson CQB Light Rail is their standard custom gun with a Weaver rail underneath.

Shooting report on IZH MP 513M

Good morning all. As you read this, I'm in an RV on my way to Las Vegas and the 2008 SHOT Show. Because I'm on the road and driving all day, I'm asking you veteran readers to please help out with the answers for the next two weeks. I'll return on February 11. Of course, I'll post the blog every day and answer those questions I have to, but I have to write a blog while I drive each day or am attending the SHOT Show, so I'll be pretty busy for the next two weeks.

I won't be doing any gun reviews during this time, but I have taken along photos, material and data to use for blogs, so things shouldn't be that different. I'll also give you a glimpse of anything extraordinary I see at the SHOT Show.

One of our readers sent a link to some good air rifle shipping boxes. If you need some, check with Cameron Packaging.

Today's post was provided by /Shooter, who has spent some time with a .22 caliber IZH MP 513 rifle....

More on the IZH MP 513M in .22 cal. Mine is about broken in now after 1000 or so shots, and I may seem like I’m stuck on this gun, but that's only because I really like it! I also have a .22 long rifle bolt-action made by IZH that I really like.

The 513M looks pretty utilitarian. It's like you said in your review of the .177 cal. 513M - it's not going to win any beauty contests. Not like owning a Daystate or a TX200 that you'd (well, I would) be afraid to scratch, this is definitely a hunting/knockabout rifle. It does look a little better with the Leapers 5th Gen 3-9x50 red/green illuminated mil-dot reticle scope on it.

I don't use the red/green illumination on the scope, but it looks like it'll be useful in low light. I use my scope at about 7x most of the time, and I'm still shooting 0.17 - 0.19" groups at 10 yards on a good day. If the groups look a little wide for 10 yards, it's because (I forgot to mention in the other posts) these aren't shot off a bench, but standing with my supporting forearm resting up against my Weider Crossbow exercise machine's bow arms.

Also, the velocities and muzzle energy are probably adversely affected by the fact that I live at 5500 ft. elevation and because the first screen of my ProChrono Digital chronograph is about 3.5 ft. from the muzzle. I don’t figure I’m losing that much velocity in 3.5 ft. though. It's not like I'm bucking a stiff head wind in my basement. You'll get more down around sea level, but I don't know how much. With that, here are the velocities and energies I’ve been getting. I really like the muzzle energy calculator on Pyramyd Air's site. I used it for all of the conversions here. Ten-shot groups for each type of pellet.

JSB Exact Jumbo, 15.8 gr.- 725 fps. av.- ES-22, 18.45 fp, 25.01 joules
Beeman Silver Arrow, 19.9 gr.- 693 fps. av.- ES-22, 18.03 fp, 24.44 joules
RWS Superpoint, 14.5 gr.- 753 fps av.- ES-19, 18.26 fp, 24.76 joules
RWS Super H-Point, 14.2 gr.- 741 fps av.- ES-13, 17.32 fp, 23.48 joules
RWS Meisterkugeln, 14.1 gr.- 760 fps av.- ES-8, 18.09 fp, 24.52 joules
RWS Hobby, 11.9 gr.- 833 fps av.- ES-12, 18.34 fp, 24.87 joules
H&N Baracuda Match, 21.6 Gr.- 554 fps av.- ES- 8, 14.72 fp, 19.96 joules
JSB Predator Ultra Shock, 15.8 gr.- 717 fps av.- ES- 6, 18.04 fp, 24.46 joules (Best Accuracy)
Daisy Precision Max, 13.4 gr.- 808 fps av.- ES-14, 19.43 fp, 26.34 joules
Beeman Ram Jet, 16.5 gr.- 697 av.- ES 17, S17.80 fp, 24.14 joules
Crosman Hyper-Velocity, 14.2 gr,- 755 av.- ES- 25, SD- 8, 17.98 fp, 24.37 joules
Crosman Premier (boxed), 14.3 gr.- 761 fps av.- ES- 40, 18.39 fp, 24.94 joules

Notice the drop in power for the H&N Baracudas. Too much weight at 21.6 gr. while the 19.9 gr. Beeman Silver Arrows delivered most of the gun's energy down range. Too bad, the Silver Arrow's accuracy at 10 yds. left something to be desired. I almost thought the Baracudas had broken my gun, but I shot the JSB Predator Ultra Shocks immediately after them, and the power and consistency were back to where they should be.

The Predator Ultra Shock (no plastic penetrator point, just a big yawning hollow) gave me the most consistent accuracy, while the Baracuda Extra Heavys, even with their really low extreme spread, were all over the place with this gun. I also noticed that the RWS Hobbys, while being the lightest, did not deliver the most energy. That was done by the Daisy Precision Max, which beat them out by over a full ft./lb. Too bad their accuracy was so mediocre. For accuracy in this gun, I'll go with the JSB Predator Ultras followed closely by the group of RWS Meisters, Superpoints and Hobbys.

I haven't needed the extra seals or mainspring that came with this rifle. Although it kicks pretty hard and buzzes a little with the lighter pellets (didn't get to the tar yet), I really enjoy it so far. Now, if I can just get some time outside without freezing my tail off, I'll shoot it for accuracy at about 25-30 yards and see what it'll do.

Beretta PX4 Storm pistol - Part 3

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

Today, we'll look at the accuracy of the Beretta PX4 Storm. This has been an interesting review from the standpoint of all the comments I've seen. One reader said he was surprised that the velocity was so low (450+ f.p.s. in his gun with Silver Eagle hollowpoints) because the blowback made it feel more powerful. I never thought of that, but perhaps that is the big draw for blowback action - the power it conveys to the shooter.

Start close!
Because I had no idea of the potential accuracy, I started shooting at 12 feet. I normally reserve such close distances for BB guns, but with repeaters that have blowback I know the accuracy will probably not be great. Starting close keeps everything safe. Naturally, I wear shooting glasses; because this gun shoots Crosman Copperhead BBs as well, I used a Quiet Pellet Trap.

Gamo Match
One of the PX4 customer reviews mentioned success with Gamo Match pellets, so those were the first ones I tried. The first group looks great until you realize it was shot from just 12 feet. I'd normally group like this at 33 feet (10 meters) with a really accurate Umarex pistol such as the Colt M1911A1 or the S&W 586 revolver, so this isn't as good as it looks. Yes, the PX4 Storm is also made by Umarex, and I wanted to say the blowback was the problem until I remembered that the Desert Eagle also has blowback and is very accurate. Something else is at work in this case.


This looks good until you realize it was shot from 12 feet. Eight Gamo Match pellets.

BBs were next
For BBs I stepped up to just 10 feet, because they can really spray wildly. You can see from the resulting group that they aren't as accurate as pellets, but they're not that bad, either. Certainly they're minute-of-pop-can at 20 feet. However, as I was going to back up to 25 feet and BBs were already drifting to the left, I stopped testing them here.


Crosman Copperhead BBs opened up at just 10 feet! They'll tag a soda can at 20 feet but you'll have to aim to the right. There were only 7 BBs, due to one falling out of the magazine just before loading.

Other pellets
I also tried RWS Hobbys, Crosman Silver Eagle wadcutters and H&N Finale Match to see if there's a difference. If there is, I couldn't see it. In fact, the Hobbys seemed to perform just as well as the Gamo Match. The H&Ns were slightly less accurate, though I didn't shoot them enough to confirm that. Because they cost more, I figured why bother with them in an action pistol?

25 feet
I shot from a strong side barricade position, which means I rested my right hand against a door jamb and used my left hand to steady the pistol. I used a strong spotlight on the target, so the sight picture would be clean for me, and I disregarded the three white dots on the sights. However, I still had my bifocals on and they were causing some double images of the front sight blade. That's never good. The groups that resulted were in the 3" range, though curiously centered in the bullseye. The better sight picture did away with the gun shooting to the left.


Shooting from a strong side barricade at 25 feet, 8 Gamo Match pellets opened up like this.

Glasses off!
Finally, I took off my glasses so the sight picture would not look double. That gave me the best results from 25 feet, though the shots moved to the left again. All shooting was done using a 6 o'clock hold.


Glasses off made the front sight sharper, but this is still the best I could do.

So what?
The PX4 Storm isn't for target shooting, so why am I shooting it that way? Because you can't accompany me as I plink at pop cans and balloons. I have to have something to show you and targets are a good medium ground. Shooters who buy the PX4 Storm are not looking for one-hand target accuracy, they're seeking a fast-action pistol that can keep up with their shooting fun. I believe this pistol can do it.

What about jams?
There have been some reports of jams with this gun. I bet I know how they happened, too. After shot number 32 (or 40, if you followed my earlier report) the shooter kept on shooting even though the gun sounded weaker and weaker. That's a typical error for a new shooter with an action CO2 pistol. It happens with green gas airsoft guns as well. I think if you pay attention to the number of shots fired and to the sound of the gun, you can avoid any jams. I certainly had none in over 300 shots.

The bottom line
This is the least-expensive pellet pistol with true blowback action and a rifled barrel. If that's what you're looking for, this is a fine airgun. If you want more accuracy with blowback and a rifled barrel, consider moving up to the Desert Eagle.

10-meter rifle - Part 1

by B.B. Pelletier


She's 10 and that's an FWB P70 Junior rifle she's shooting. This 10-meter competitor placed well at the 2007 NRA/Pyramyd Air National Airgun Championships in Akron.

Several readers requested this report, and I'm glad to finally start it. Before we begin, allow me to define the sport as I will report it. Ten-meter air rifle competition is divided into men's and women's divisions. Men fire a course of 60 + 10 shots per event and women fire 40 + 10. Men have 105 minutes for the first 60 shots and women have 75 minutes for their first 40 shots. I will explain what "+ 10 shots" means in a later report.

The U.S. National Rifle Association (NRA) also has 10-meter competition, but their rules and equipment differ significantly from the formal rules of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF). The ISSF rules prevail in the World Cup and Olympic competition, and that's what I'll report.

Shooting position
The only shooting position in ISSF competition is standing. The NRA uses kneeling and prone as well as standing; but at the world level, the competitors stand.

Target
The ISSF target is also used by the NRA, but the hits are scored differently. The NRA credits a pellet hole that touches the highest scoring line, while the ISSF requires that the line be broken by the pellet hole to score. Actually, in ISSF competition, targets as we know them are not used. Instead, they use a paper roll in a target frame that is instrumented with three sound transducers. The transducers can detect where the pellet tore through the paper by triangulating the sound of the paper tearing. Then, they plot the hole on a standard target overlay, and it appears on a video monitor at the shooter's position. This method has been demonstrated accurate to the thousandth of an inch, so arguments about scoring are a thing of the past.


This is the real deal - a German 10-meter rifle target sized pretty close to the actual size. The dot in the center is the "10-ring." The paper is a stiff, tan non-reflective paper that doesn't tear along any grain. Pellet holes are as clean as they can be.

The shooter sees a black spot that looks like a target and functions like one because of the electronic system in place. Not only is scoring easier, all tabulation of scores is entered into software, so what was once a laborious project is eliminated, plus the scoring and tabulation is faster and more accurate.

Caliber
The .177 caliber is mandatory. All scoring equipment (optical, mechanical and electronic) is built around .177 caliber and nothing else is permitted in ISSF competition. All guns and related equipment (pellet boxes, etc.) are available in .177 caliber only.

Wadcutter pellets
Wadcutter pellets are the only type of pellet used by 10-meter shooters. This follows the bullyeye pistol crowd that converted to wadcutter and semi-wadcutter bullets decades before world-class airgun competition commenced in the 1960s. When the scoring was done mechanically, a crisp hole left by a wadcutter was essential.


There are many variations on the theme, but all wadcutter pellets have a flat nose to cut a perfect circle in target paper.


Hole on the left cut by a wadcutter, domed pellet cut the hole on the right. Which would you rather score?

Velocities
Although velocity isn't regulated, per se, no 10-meter target rifle shoots a pellet faster than 600 f.p.s., with the average muzzle velocity being around 575 f.p.s. Velocity for rifles has declined since the 1960s, when the first true target air rifles were built. In the days of the FWB 300 and the Anschutz 250, the muzzle velocity was more on the order of 640 f.p.s., but a shift to CO2 and precharged pneumatics has brought about a reduction in speed, which also conserves the number of shots from a fill of gas or air. Having a lower velocity that match officials can rely on has made the construction of ranges and pellet traps easier, plus it's made it easier for insurance companies to write policies for events.

Powerplants
Ten-meter guns no longer have spring-piston powerplants. The Chinese BS-4 is the last hanger-on, but you won't see one in any national competition. In the 1960s, spring guns were very popular, but when CO2 rifles came on the scene, the springers vanished from the world scene. Clubs still have them, but top shooters prefer their own rifles and no longer choose springers.

CO2 is still used, but fewer and fewer shooters choose it as time goes by. It's one of those things where a shooter has a rifle that shoots and it happens to be CO2. They aren't about to change because the rifle does so well. There's still a small contingent of single-stroke pneumatic users, which keeps rifles like the FWB 603 on the market. But, PCPs have really taken over as the powerplant of choice.

I plan to cover the rifles in some detail. I'll also address sights, shooting equipment such as jackets and gloves, and shooting positions. Please tell me what else you'd like me to address.

Beretta PX4 Storm pistol - Part 2

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

Continuing our look at the Beretta PX4 Storm, let's examine functioning and then shoot it for velocity. I'll also record the number of available shots per 12-gram CO2 cartridge, because there's a lot of interest in that number.

Trigger
The trigger is both single- and double-action and is a bit strange in the single-action mode (when the hammer is cocked). The first stage is there and light as it should be, but the second stage divides into two distinct parts. The first part is a pull that stops at a definite point, and the second part is the letoff. If you're familiar with old (pre-1930) Colt double-action revolvers, you'll know they "stack" toward the end of the double-action pull...meaning they come to a definite pause in the pull as the effort to release the sear increases. You can use this stacking to control the release of the hammer if you're careful. The single-action trigger on the PX4 Storm feels remarkably similar to those old Colt double-actions. I suspect it has to do with advancing the 8-shot clip to the next chamber. It releases in the single-action mode at 4 lbs., 12 ozs.

Two types of shooting
I tried the gun two different ways in an attempt to learn how to get the maximum number of shots from a CO2 cartridge. The first method was to pause 30 seconds between shots to let the pistol recover from the cooling effect of the CO2. Using that method, I got 5 full magazines and half of a 6th, which amounts to 40 shots on a cartridge. At the end, the power was definitely falling, meaning that all liquid CO2 had evaporated and the gun was shooting on gas, alone. I dry-fired a few more shots; within four more shots, the slide was not cocking the hammer.

Gamo Match pellets ranged in velocity from 226 f.p.s. to 356 f.p.s., but the 226 was an anomalous shot. All other shots were above 332 f.p.s. The average for this pellet with a fresh CO2 cartridge (and excluding the lowest shot) was in the low 340s. Gamo Match were also the final pellets I shot under this technique, and the final string went from 292 to 360. The average was about 350, 10 f.p.s. faster than the first string, which proves that CO2 acts as a pressure regulator, as long as there is liquid CO2 remaining. The final shot at 292 f.p.s. was the result of the liquid being gone.

Crosman Silver Eagle lead-free wadcutters averaged 410 f.p.s. Of course, they're 2.3 grains lighter than the Gamos and H&Ns, so an increase is to be expected.

I also shot H&N Finale Match pellets on this CO2 cartridge. They weigh almost the same as Gamo Match pellets and produced an average velocity of 337 f.p.s.

When the cartridge ran out, I swapped it for another and started shooting with a string of Crosman Copperhead BBs. They're made of steel and are 2.4 grains lighter than the lead pellets I shot, but they averaged only 370 f.p.s. They're quite a bit smaller in diameter than the pellets and therefore allow some gas to blow past the BB in the barrel. They're held in the magazine by a magnet in the center of the revolving clip.


Steel BBs leave a lot of room in each chamber. The BB is held in by a magnet. Those ribs in the chamber are there to hold the pellets.

Fast shooting
This time, I shot as fast as the Chrony could register, which is about a shot every 1.5 seconds. The strings went down in velocity from the first shot to the last, as you might expect. For example, the first shot with Gamo Match went 360 f.p.s., while the 8th shot with the same pellet went only 328. Gamo Match went from a first-shot high of 334 to a last-shot low of 290. However, shooting this way did improve the total number of shots I got from the pistol, from 40 to 48. On the final string, I waited 30 seconds between shots and the average for Gamo Match was 318 f.p.s. So, if you want more total shots per cartridge, shoot the pistol rapidly. The temperature on my office range was 70 degrees F throughout the test.

Impressions
I didn't know what to think before starting this test. I've read reviews both praising and condemning the PX4, so I was ready for anything. I like the trigger and the way the gun feels in the hand. It's on the large side for me, so shooters with big hands are going to enjoy it. Next, we'll see how it does on paper.

Gamo CF-X gas spring! - Part 3

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

Let's look at the accuracy of the .22 caliber Gamo CF-X with Air Venturi Ram Air gas spring installed. You'll remember that I commented about the soft aluminum scope rail that Gamo now mounts on its rifles. It cannot take the recoil, and you'll gouge the soft aluminum if you anchor a scope mount with a steel pin. So, I removed the rail and mounted the scope rings directly to the steel receiver.


The aluminum scope rail on the CF-X came off.

Three Allen screws hold the rail to the gun, but the large screw at the back of the rail is actually a steel stop pin screw that fits into the rifle's steel receiver. It has to come out also, and the plastic end cap must come off the rifle, so the action has to be separated from the stock.


The plastic end cap comes off, and the scope rail slides off the back.


With the aluminum rail off, the Gamo steel receiver has a nice hole for a scope stop pin.

Once the aluminum rail is off the gun, there's a hole for a scope stop pin in perfect position for any scope mounts you use. The aluminum rail used this hole already, so it's clearly intended for that purpose.

Scope
I mounted a Leapers 30mm 3-12x mini SWAT scope that is so short that it cleared the rotary breech by several inches. If you have a short neck this scope may not have enough eye relief, and you'll want a standard-length scope. Once the receiver was free of the aluminum scope rail, mounting took less than a minute, because the scope was already in rings from other tests.

Sight-in
Sight-in was a breeze because it took exactly one shot. The pellet was in perfect alignment and only required more elevation to hit the point of aim. I shot .22-caliber Crosman Premiers that did well in the velocity testing, but I've also had good reports from many satisfied customers. I did try 15.8-grain JSB Exacts, as well, but they didn't group as tight as the Premiers.

This rifle demanded that I relax completely to group well. I tried several locations for my off hand but the best was just behind the cocking slot in the forearm. There, the rifle was balanced perfectly and shot its best.


At 21 yards outdoors, the CF-X grouped like this. Five premiers in 0.176".

Summary
So, what have we learned with this test? First, that the Gamo CF-X is probably best-suited to .177 caliber instead of .22. Diana 48/52 rifles had a problem when they bumped the caliber up to .25 caliber, too. The rifles didn't shoot as hard in .25 as they did in .22. Maybe we've run into that here.

Second, we discovered that the aluminum scope rail cannot stand up to a steel recoil stop pin. Remove it and mount the scope rings directly to the rifle and everything will be fine.

Finally, we learned that the CF-X is a good shooter in .22 caliber, just as it is in .177. Forgetting the lower-than-expected power, the rifle is dead-calm and quite accurate, as you can see.

This was our third look at rifles with Air Venturi gas springs, and I like them more each time we check one out. I'll be going through the Gamo, Crosman and Remington guns this year and checking out several others with the Air Venturi gas spring. It's a great way to get a fine, smooth tune.

Beretta PX4 Storm pistol - Part 1

by B.B. Pelletier

The Beretta PX4 Storm pistol is a full-sized, semiautomatic pistol that's now available in three calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. It's based on a polymer frame and incorporates features like removable backstraps to tailor the pistol to the individual shooter's hand. It's both single- and double-action and features a high-capacity, double-stack magazine.

The airgun version of the PX4 Storm is available in .177 caliber and also shoots steel BBs. It has a 16-shot magazine that has 8-shot clips at either end. When one clip is finished you drop the mag out and flip it over for the other clip. The pistol operates on a 12-gram CO2 cartridge that provides power for the projectile as well as a realistic slide blowback.

Semiautomatic or blowback?
Blowback is a big deal because not very many pellet pistols have it. There are several with semiautomatic action, but true blowback pellet pistols are scarce. I think the Desert Eagle is the only other one. Do you know the difference between blowback and semiautomatic? A semiautomatic gun makes itself ready for the next shot by indexing or loading the next round and cocking the trigger using the power of the previous shot. A semiautomatic generally has a light trigger pull.

Blowback
Blowback is when the slide of a pistol is driven backwards by the force of a shot. Blowback can cock the gun for the next shot and also index the next pellet, so a blowback is often a semiautomatic, too, but a semiautomatic pellet pistol does not need blowback to function. The Drulov DU-10 pistol and the Crosman 600 pistol are both true semiautomatics and neither one has blowback. The Crosman Nightstalker is advertised as blowback, but all that moves backwards is a small operating handle on the left side of the gun. And, the next pellet is not indexed at that time. It takes the force of the trigger to index the pellet, so the Nightstalker is technically not a semiautomatic - though that's shaving hairs and I don't suppose most shooters know or care about the difference.

The magazine
The magazine is really the heart of this pistol. Much of the functioning depends on the mag. It's also more complex than other mags because it's double-ended. There's an 8-round circular clip at either end of the mag, so when the first 8 shots are finished, you remove the mag, flip it over and reinsert for the final 8.


Eight-shot clip is rotated by hand to load the chambers. Only one side of the mag has the pellet graphic shown, so that's the side you load. Two projections on either side of mag are the spring-loaded ears that cause the mag to eject from the pistol when the button is pressed.

Two spring-loaded projections on the sides of the mag at both ends had me puzzled for a moment, because the owner's manual doesn't appear to mention them. They're simply connected to springs that eject the mag when the mag release is pressed. You don't have to do anything with them - the gun takes care of everything.

The circular clips are held captive in the mag. You load a pellet or BB from the correct side, then index the clip to the next empty chamber. A graphic at each end of the mag reminds you which side is correct and which way to load the pellet.

Safety
While the firearm PX-4 has an ambidextrous safety located at the top rear of the slide, this CO2 version has a separate safety located on the right side of the gun. It's got a sawtooth central locking lever that must be slid back against spring pressure while the safety lever itself is pushed up or down. It takes force to operate and cannot be worked with just the firing hand.


Sawtoothed block is pushed back to allow safety lever to move.

Sights
The sights are a wide blade front and a notch rear. Both are cast into the slide, so there's no adjustment. There are three dots - one in front and two in the rear - so the sight is meant to be tactical, which is suited to the pistol's purpose. The owner's manual shows the sight picture for shooting a target pistol, so you have the option of doing either, and that will give you two different aim points.

CO2 installation
A 12-gram CO2 cartridge is inserted in the back of the grip, once the removable backstrap has been popped off. What would be the floorplate of the magazine is actually a cammed CO2 cartridge-locking mechanism that pushes the cartridge up into the piercing pin. There's a tensioning adjustment wheel inside that must be run up tight against the cartridge before the floorplate is swung round to cam the cartridge up. Don't forget to put a drop of Crosman Pellgunoil on the tip of each new cartridge before you pierce it.


With the backstrap off, the powerlet is pressed into the grip. Tighten the tensioning wheel, then rotate the mag floorplate back to the closed position.

Judging by the rate at which these pistols have flown off the shelves, there are a great number of them in the hands of our readers, so please feel free to chime in with your observations.

The Benjamin Discovery - Part 3 Velocity

by Tom Gaylord

Part 1
Part 2

Before we begin, I have some announcements.

This will probably miss those for whom it's intended. For some reason, people have been emailing airgun questions to which they want immediate answers to tomgaylord@pyramydair.com. That address is for podcast questions, only. I never answer those messages. If you have a question, ask it here. Though there are now more than 750 blog entries, I get the comments from each of them all the time. I go to the segment where the question was asked and I try to answer it there. I do not send emails directly.

Right now, I'm getting 30-50 questions every day. It takes 3-4 hours a day just to keep up with the comments. I want to do it, but as the volume increases I can see the day coming when I can't do it. What takes the most time is when someone asks me to choose a scope or a set of mounts for them. Another question that takes time is when a person wants me to compare four rifles for them and give reasons for my choices. I may have to stop answering those questions soon so I can answer the fundamental questions from new airgunners.

One of our own, .22 multi-shot, has his own blog. I went there and took a tour and so should you. I'm fascinated by the air-powered car that gets 800 km on 1.7 liters of fuel. As long as it's not plutonium, that's great mileage!

Another reader, John, just bought a Crosman M1 Carbine. It came without the BB holder, as so many do, so he wondered if a real M1 Carbine mag could be altered to fit. Go here to see how he did it.

Now, on to today's topic and the Benjamin Discovery!

More development history
Remember those good-looking groups I showed you at 21 yards in Part 2? Well what I didn't tell you was the gun was also very quiet. I was so thrilled that I emailed Crosman and told them they had made a quiet airgun. Then I thought about it some more and the reason for the quiet dawned on me. The valve was in partial lock and I was shooting slow. For those wanting a sneak peek at CO2 performance, that was it, but a lot slower. My point is, accuracy doesn't suffer at close range when velocity drops.

Flirting with valve lock
Sure enough, the chronograph showed that the .177 was shooting Crosman 10.5-grain Premiers at about 575 and shooting .22 caliber Premiers at about 500! The valve wasn't opening all the way. So, I continued to shoot and both guns came up on the power curve at around 1,700 psi. I had filled them to 2,000 psi on my pump's gauge, which was pretty close to the built-in manometers on each rifle. Clearly, these guns didn't like that. You may recall some time back I told you about the inaccuracy of a small pressure gauge. It had happened to me! By careful testing, I'd found the point at which each rifle wanted to be filled, which turned out to be above 1700 but below 1800 on the pump gauge I was using. Who cares what pressure it really was, because that gauge was all I had to go on.

No free lunch
Once I found the right fill pressure, the guns started barking with great authority. And there's an answer to those who asked about the sound. These rifles are loud, just like any other PCPs in their power class. There has been some talk on the forums that because the rifle runs on 2000 psi, it should be quieter. Well, it isn't. My Barnes .25 that ran on 800 psi and had a 33-inch barrel wasn't quiet, either. Face it, guys, PCPs make noise.

Did Crosman think about a shrouded barrel? Yes, they did. They even considered putting one on the Discovery, but I strongly opposed it, because the cost of the rifle was climbing too fast. I wanted something everyone could afford to begin with, and we would worry about the issues of adjustable triggers and barrel shrouds on the next model. The Discovery is supposed to open the doors to precharged airguns, not to be the perfect PCP.

Initial velocity
Back to my report...the initial velocity in .177 peaked at 953 f.p.s. with 7.9-grain Crosman Premiers and in .22, using Premiers, a peak of 834 f.p.s. The power curve was not flat for more than 20 shots, but if you could accept a wider velocity variation (about 45 f.p.s.), there were around 35 shots to each fill. Say what you want about the wide spread, those tight groups at 50 yards were shot with the gun in this initial state of tune.

Additional refinements
At this time, the design engineer and I were discussing seals for the manometer, which was causing a minor problem. It sealed fine with plumber's tape around the threads, but plumber's tape is not a production sealant. Crosman needed something that was faster, required less labor and was positively reliable (no dependence on the skill of the worker). They settled on a flat seal, but then there were durometer questions to be answered (the hardness of the sealing material).

Another project he was working on was a filter to trap dirt before it enters the reservoir. Many, if not most PCPs do not have such a filter, but the Discovery does. It won't make the gun any more accurate, but it's evidence of the approach they took when building this gun.

After a couple months of playing with both rifles, Crosman changed the valve design and I was asked to return them both for an update. When I did, they also sent me the new breech cap that has a hole for the degassing tool. That's how you dump the reservoir to change types of gasses, want to ship the gun or when you've overfilled the reservoir (which happens only with air).


End cap of the receiver has a hole for a special tool that Crosman calls the degasser. It dumps the reservoir in seconds whenever desired.

A new valve
When the rifles were returned to me, both would accept a fill to 2000 psi on my pump gauge. The manometer on the .177 showed exactly 2000 when filled, and the needle on the .22 manometer just kissed the low edge of 2000 when filled. Neither manometer appeared to have been changed. Velocities were definitely up with the new valve. In .177, the high was now 975 with 7.9-grain Premiers, so lighter pellets will have no difficulty breaking 1,000 f.p.s. Of course, you'll actually shoot Crosman 10.5-grain Premiers and JSB 10.2-grain Exacts with velocities in the high 800s up to 900, because you want the most accuracy possible.

.22 performance
The .22 hit 860 f.p.s. with Premiers and averaged 856 for a string of 25. There are still 35 good accurate long-range shots in both rifles. If you shoot at 25 yards or less, you'll get even more. Accuracy remains unchanged. Many months later, after much more shooting, a retest showed the average had settled back to 820, which is probably more like what you should expect to see in the long run. I would guess 820-840 will be where they end up. The number of total shots is still 35 if you accept a larger spread, but hunters who shoot at 40-60 yards will probably go with a string of 25. At 820 with Premiers, the gun has 21.36 foot-pounds. With Kodiaks, the velocity drops back to about 700 and the energy climbs to 22.85. Kodiaks are about the heaviest pellet I'd use with this rifle.

There's the bulk of the report - the gun, accuracy and velocity. I've been asked to report the gun on CO2, which I'll do next month. If you have any questions I failed to address, please make comments and I'll look at them.

Gamo CF-X gas spring! - Part 2

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

Okay, we're back with the .22 caliber Gamo CF-X with Air Venturi Ram Air gas spring installed, and today we're looking at velocity. I discovered that a .22 CF-X is not as powerful as it is in .177. I guess the long transfer port through the rotary breech causes the air pressure to drop off enough that it affects the .22's velocity, but not the .177's.

When I tested the .22-caliber rifle with the gas spring, the velocity seemed low to me, so I checked what the same rifle had done with the factory steel spring installed. It was dieseling at that time and the velocity ranged from a low of 574 f.p.s. to a high of 638 f.p.s. with .22-caliber Crosman Premiers. The Gamo rating for this caliber CF-X is 800 f.p.s., so I wondered if anything was wrong.

Just to be extra sure, I asked the tech at Pyramyd Air to check a second new .22 CF-X with Crosman Premiers. He did that yesterday and the velocity of that rifle ranged from a low of 536 f.p.s. to a high of 618 f.p.s. The average for that rifle is 560 f.p.s. That may seem slow compared to the numbers of the first rifle but remember that all these guns vary a little, and some of them gain speed as they break in.

As you know, the purpose of a gas spring isn't to boost power, though that sometimes happens. The benefits are longer life, longer cocking without degradation, smoother shooting and a lack of spring torque. You don't gain any accuracy, though some people do feel that the faster lock time of the gas spring does help tighten groups.

Okay! Let's test the rifle.

Hobbys first
RWS Hobbys came out the spout at an average of 677 f.p.s., with a range from 661 to 683. The range is a little broad, but the majority were in the 670s. The average velocity calculates to a muzzle energy of 12.11 foot-pounds with this 11.9-grain pellet. Remember that 671 f.p.s. is a "magic" number at which the weight of the pellet in grains equals the foot-pounds of muzzle energy. You can always estimate energy at that velocity, if you know the weight of the projectile in grains.

Premiers next
This is the telling pellet. The two steel spring guns in the same caliber averaged 560 and 615 f.p.s. This gas spring gun, the same one that averaged 615 f.p.s. with Premiers and a steel spring, now averages 628 f.p.s. The range is from 622 to 634, so the spread is much tighter, but the cylinder was cleaned when the gas spring was installed. At that speed, the rifle develops 12.53 foot-pounds at the muzzle.

Air Arms pointed pellet
Air Arms sells a pointed pellet called the Hunter, and it's made for them by JSB. The weight varies between 15.5 and 15.9 grains, despite the 16-grain weight listed. Velocity ranged from 538 to 587 and I started smelling burnt oil, so I won't be shooting this one for accuracy.

RWS Superdome
The RWS Superdome is usually a fine domed alternative to Crosman Premiers, but not in the .22 CF-X I tested. Sample pellets ranged in weight from 14.2 to 14.6 grains.The velocity went from a low of 560 to a high of 647. Too much deviation for me, plus the smell of burnt oil grew even heavier.

Cocking effort
The rifle cocks with about 35 lbs. of effort. I don't have figures for the steel-spring CF-X, but I'm pretty sure this is heavier. As always, the resistance is there from the moment you grab the cocking lever.

So there we have it. It looks like the .22-caliber CF-X is a much different bird than the .177. I'm not sure why this is, but the long transfer port sounds reasonable for now. I would like to ask our readers who now have .177 gas spring CF-Xs if they would give us some numbers to compare, because our steel spring rifle tested at 942 f.p.s. with 7.9-grain Premiers.

For those who want to buy just the gas spring, Pyramyd Air is working on that right now. The Gamo warranty on the gun will be voided if you do your own work and there may be some other changes. I'll keep you posted.

Accuracy is next.

The Benjamin Discovery - Part 2 Accuracy

by Tom Gaylord

Part 1

Initial testing
I received two prototypes of the Benjamin Discovery for testing in July 2007...one in .177 and the other in .22. When you finally have a prototype rifle to test, every project gets scary, because you don't know what the gun is going to do. If these rifles shot groups the size of Oreo cookies at 25 yards, we would be in trouble. But they didn't!

I could test only the .177 at that time because the .22 had a fast leak at the manometer. I fixed it the same day after the shooting was over, so the first test was with the .177 only. The first test was in the backyard at 21 yards and the groups...well, just look at them.


Not bad groups for 21 yards. We're off to a good start.


Look at that group of JSBs in the center. Still 21 yards with the .177.

Not a lot of time was spent at this close range, because I could see the gun was going to shoot. And, if the .177 shot well, the .22 probably would, as well, so I shifted focus to sealing the leak on the .22 and getting them both ready to take to my rifle range.

At the range
The club I belong to has 25-yard, 50-yard and 100/200-yard ranges. I started on the 25-yard range, just to give the .22 a chance to show its stuff. The scope I used was a Leapers 8-32x56, because I knew this rifle was going to appeal to long-range shooters and those who want to get into field target. Yes, to answer one question, the .177 Discovery will be fine for starting out in field target. To answer another, the two-stage trigger breaks at 3 lbs., 12 ozs., which many will say is heavy, but I think it's right for a sporter. It's non-adjustable and not much can be done to lighten it, but a shooter who can't shoot a trigger of this weight needs to practice!


25 yards
The groups at 25 yards were okay, and one .177 group of JSBs was astonishing. It measured 0.234" for five 10.2-grain JSB Exacts. The average group of .177s was more in the 0.375" range. In .22, the smallest group was also shot with JSB 15.8-grain Exacts and measured 0.354". On average, .22 groups would enlarge to 0.60", so I was ready for one-inch groups at 50 yards. They happened, but were the exception.


At 25 yards, the .22 caliber rifle proved it could shoot, too.


This one group of .177 JSBs at 25 yards was quite astounding, measuring 0.234".

Then 50 yards
The average group size at 50 yards in both .177 and .22 hovered between 0.75" and 1.0", though there were several groups under a half-inch. The best group of the session was a .22 caliber group of JSBs that measured 0.374". For some reason, Crosman 10.5-grain Premiers took over from JSBs and produced the best .177 groups...0.458".


Best .177 group of 10.5-grain Crosman Premiers at 50 yards measures 0.458".


This is the best 50-yard group of the session. Five 15.8-grain JSBs in a 0.374" cluster.

Under ideal conditions, the Discovery is fully capable of half-inch groups at 50 yards. Now and again, it does better. But a puff of wind or a pellet that doesn't weigh the same as the others and the groups open up. This is way better than I would have guessed, especially since I was transferring the scope and mounts between the two rifles on the two different ranges.

Yes, you can shoot field target with it, and, yes, it'll make a wonderful hunter. I've told you where the trigger breaks and some will break even heavier. But, it's crisp and positive, without creep. The scope rail is 9" long to accept the largest astronomical observatory telescope your money can buy. And speaking of money, the Discovery left some in your pocket, didn't it?

It looks like Pyramyd Air sells the kit for a little less than Crosman; so when they list the gun by itself, we might see some savings there, too.

Can nitrogen be used in PCPs?

by B.B. Pelletier

This report was requested by Pestbgone, but, from my years working at AirForce, I know that a lot of shooters also wonder about it.

Here's the argument: Air is composed of approximately 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and the remainder a smattering of other gasses. With nitrogen as the principal component, they want to know why a precharged airgun can't be operated on it exclusively. I will answer that today.

What I used to tell people who called in with this question is that we only recommended our guns for use with breathing air and no other gasses. The seals in our guns were selected for use with air (true) and we couldn't be responsible for their use with any other gas (also true).

Liability
Do you have any idea of how much money an airgun manufacturer pays EVERY YEAR for liability insurance? I won't tell you, but it's a heck of a lot more than many of you make in a year. I'm not talking about the level of liability, now, just the cost for the coverage (the bill)! The cost is based in part on how many guns you expect to sell, so as you prosper, your rates increase because the insurance company's exposure increases.

Just to get covered, a company has to have solid literature, solid technical data on its products and a solid base of customer information that directs the customer in the safe use of the product. Remember, and this is no laughing matter, that there once was a man who sued a lawnmower manufacturer for damages he received when he picked up the mower deck while the lawnmower was running in an attempt to trim his hedges! He won a settlement for that! That's why all mowers sold in the United States today have a kill switch that must be depressed at all times for the mower to run. It's that bar you have to squeeze when operating the mower.

So, is nitrogen dangerous?
Will nitrogen hurt your PCP? No, it won't. Nitrogen is an inert gas that doesn't react with most things. Oxygen, on the other hand, supports combustion, and the oxygen that both medical personnel and welders have access to has been known to blow up airguns!

Oxygen can kill you!
Now, here is the bad news. Do you think that nobody would be stupid enough to use straight oxygen in a PCP? Think again. It has happened many times, once probably resulting in death. That one happened in England in the 1990s, but look at Pyramyd Air's experience with it.

This Fire 201 9mm rifle was filled with oxygen instead of air. The caliber doesn't make any difference. It's the oxygen that does the damage.


This is what happens when a VERY HOT flame is held against aluminum for a long time! It looks like a cutting torch has been used on this gun from the inside out. This was a Fire 201 9mm rifle.


Note the discoloration of the anodizing. Forensic scientists use clues like this and the bending of the steel barrel to determine how much heat caused the damage and how long the fire lasted.

This is the SECOND time Pyramyd Air has had to deal with this same problem. The first time, a medical technician called in to ask them why his Career 707 was shooting a blue flame out the muzzle on every shot!

So what? We're talking about nitrogen
What this has to do with nitrogen is this. Simply this, people don't pay attention! Nitrogen can come in tanks compressed to 6,000 psi instead of 3,000 psi. I once met a guy who thought the way to fill a PCP was to connect the hose to the gun and open the valve as fast as he could. The gun filled right up in a couple of seconds, though it did get hot. If you don't understand why, please re-take your high school science class where they explained about the heat generated by compression.

Now, you take a paintball player who has access to nitrogen in 6,000 psi tanks and the same attitude as the guy I just described, and you'll have large pieces left to bury. But, take a medical technician with the same attitude and access to pure oxygen and the pieces will be both smaller and probably toasted.

What about other gasses?
What about helium? Yeah - what about it? Will it make a pellet go faster? Maybe. Do I care? No. I have firearms for whenever I need to go faster or hit harder.

Show some respect
Guys, these are AIR guns, and they need to be operated with some respect. Yes, the shark blowing up in Jaws was Hollywood theatrics, but we are dealing with some serious technology here, and we need to respect it. It's funny watching someone else on YouTube shoot a propane tank with a .22 rimfire and getting consumed in the resulting explosion, but it's not as funny when you're the one at ground zero.

So, what am I saying? I'm saying that our current precharged airguns are built to operate on breathing air and that's how they should be used. Let's leave the serious accidents to the skateboarders, stunt cyclists and America's Funniest Home Videos.

Benjamin Discovery - Part 1 The concept and a brief description of the rifle

by Tom Gaylord


The new Benjamin Discovery is going to introduce a lot of shooters to precharged pneumatics.

History
In October 2006, I attended an airgun writers' conference at Crosman in New York. They called us together to show us their new products for 2007 and to ask what things we thought they should make in the future. We had a wonderful time, and I learned how open the Crosman management is to new ideas. I had been nursing the idea for a unique type of American-made precharged pneumatic (PCP) rifle and had decided that Crosman was the only company who could make it. And, after some discrete conversations at the conference, I knew they were interested in starting a line of PCPs.

Late in 2006, I made a proposal to Crosman for my ideal American PCP, and they liked my ideas, which was to build a PCP based on a CO2 model they already produced, lowering the development time and cost. I suggested the Benjamin AS392T as a starting point. Through the blog, many of you knew I was working on that project back then.

The important points I wanted to see in a new gun were these:

• A pressure limit of 1,800 psi instead of 3,000
• Full power and full shot count (i.e., at least 25 powerful shots and at least 710 f.p.s. in .22 caliber with Crosman Premiers).
• A steel breech with an 11mm dovetail for scopes.
• Gun to be packaged with a hand pump.
• Price for the package (rifle with pump) to be affordably low.

Early in 2007, I went to New York to discuss the project and brought a mock-up PCP testbed to show them - not a gun, just some key components to convert one of their AS392Ts. So, imagine my surprise when Crosman's Ed Schultz walked into the conference room with not one but two working prototype guns...one in .177 and the other in .22. He'd based them on the 2260, which, frankly, looked more like a PCP than the AS392T. I never got around to showing them what I'd brought.

A good start
I was shocked to see two working prototypes so early in the project, and Ed told me he was equally shocked to discover that 2000 psi worked just as well as 3,000 psi. I knew it would because Tim McMurray gets 915 f.p.s. from 1,600 psi with Beeman Kodiaks in his USFT, and Gary Barnes built me a .25-caliber rifle that got 27 foot-pounds and 10 shots on just 800 psi! Ed's .177 prototype was getting 28 shots that were approaching 1,000 f.p.s. in .177-caliber with Crosman 7.9-grain Premiers (you KNOW Crosman isn't going to use Raptors, and their Silver Eagle pellets were not ready at that time) and around 800 f.p.s. in .22, again with Premiers.

Dual fuel
We already had a winner and the project was just getting started. But then Schultz dropped the real bomb. Just for fun, because his new valve was so similar to a CO2 valve, he also tested the rifles on CO2! They each got over 100 shots on a single fill and both were more powerful than any other CO2 rifles in the Crosman/Benjamin Sheridan lineup! Ed used the term "dual fuel" for this capability, which I thought was a killer term for it.

I'll flash back to the development period in the reports to come, but for now let me cut to the bottom line. During the year, they boosted the velocity of the .177 up to a solid 1,000 f.p.s. and the .22 to 900 f.p.s. The number of useful shots climbed up over 35, but how many there are depends on how far you are shooting and how accurate you want to be. When I tell you how accurate this rifle is (this week) you'll be astonished, as I was when I saw it the first time. Think about an American dime. Now imagine Roosevelt's head on that dime and all shots touching it at 50 yards in both calibers! For the rest of the world, imagine 11-12mm!


This photo of the rifle is with a Beech stock, but Crosman will be dressing it with a genuine walnut one!

The rifle
The Benjamin Discovery is a single-shot, bolt-action PCP that measures about 39" long and 5.25 lbs. (for my testbed prototypes). It comes in both .177 and .22 calibers. I will report specific velocities with real pellets in another post. The rifle has a steel receiver with a 9" scope rail. Although most shooters will scope it with a high-magnification scope, the rifle comes with good adjustable open sights so you can shoot it immediately after you fill it the first time.

I advised using an inexpensive set of adjustable open sights, but Crosman thought better and included a higher quality adjustable Williams rear notch sight. The sights are fiberoptic, of course. Crosman also built in a pressure gauge from the very beginning. On the bottom of the forearm just in front of the triggerguard, they've installed a custom manometer with a color-coordinated dial. Green is for good (pressure).


This is the prototype manometer. The real one is color-coded. Located in front of the triggerguard

The air/CO2 fill nipple is a steel Foster male quick-disconnect that makes the rifle incredibly easy to connect to air or CO2. Behind that fill nipple, they've installed a fine filter to keep foreign material out of the reservoir. Some of the top air rifles don't even have this.


Crosman wisely used a Foster quick-disconnect fitting, and they've added a filter inside to prevent dirt from entering the reservoir.

The barrel is a Crosman barrel, but believe me when I tell you this thing can shoot. You won't be disappointed downrange. I told them I thought the 2260 stock was good enough, because I wanted to keep the cost down, but Crosman wanted a fuller profile. The stock they decided on is very much a PCP style. Then, at the 11th hour, Ed Schultz found an affordable way to stock the rifle in genuine walnut, and he tells me the production stocks are knockouts! Go to the Crosman website to see them today. Walnut is lighter than the beech my rifle has, so I can't say what that will do to the weight because I haven't seen the profile of the walnut stock yet.

The metal is blued steel and the wood is genuine. The little bit of plastic on the gun amounts to the fill nipple protective cap, the front sight, the triggerguard and trigger.

The hand pump
Do you know how easy it is to pump to 2000 psi? I wanted Crosman to shoot an instructional DVD showing a teenage girl filling the rifle, because I'm fed up hearing about shooters who cannot fill their PCPs with a pump. Up to 2,000, it's not too hard, but from there to 2,500 it gets harder, and above 2,500 its a real challenge for many people. We didn't do the DVD, but there is an animated tutorial on the Crosman website that shows the same thing. I can pump the gun to 1,800 psi from the seated position using just one hand!

A hand pump that's rated to beyond 3,000 psi, as this one is, will have no difficulty pumping to just 2,000 psi. It should last for decades! If we can just get the tinkerers to keep their hands out of the pump's internals and the clean freaks from wiping off the lubricant on the pump shaft, this pump could last a lifetime. It's been tested with continuous pumping for 50 straight hours, so you never have to let the thing cool down (although it never gets warm).


The Benjamin hand pump is rugged and fast - especially with the Discovery.

How many pumps strokes?
One-hundred pump strokes take you from an empty gun to full and it takes about 25 to top the gun off after every 35-shot shooting session. Remember, we're stopping at 2,000 psi. That's more than one shot per pump stroke, yet the .22 caliber develops about 23 foot-pounds with each shot. That's conservative, and I'm talking Premiers. You'll get even more with heavy pellets! Folks, THIS is what can be done when the maker knows what they're doing and has a solid engineering base.

If you cannot abide physical exertion of any kind, Crosman will sell you a small carbon fiber air tank that relieves you from pumping entirely.

Oh - and it runs on CO2, too!
Yes, it does. One big objection to PCPs is, "Well I'm used to CO2, and I don't want to learn a whole new technology." Fine, then you buy the inexpensive optional CO2 adapter (sorry, but we had to stop adding things somewhere) and fill your gun from a paintball tank. Yep!, it's just that easy.

What if I have air in the gun and I want to switch to CO2? Well, it isn't hard to shoot it empty, but just for you, Crosman created a special tool that fits through the receiver end cap and dumps the reservoir. I told them they would need something when Joe Sixpack decides if 2,000 is good, 3,000 is better and they have to help him unlock the valve. Easier to make a simple tool than to listen to the guy whine over the phone. I believe this is the first time such a tool has been made for owners of PCPs, though every one of them needs it.

UK, you're not going to miss out!
While this is an American innovation, Crosman told me they intend to share it with the world. So, those of you in the UK can look forward to a similar PCP headed your way. Naturally, it'll conform to your legal limit.

I watched all the airgun forums debate last week about what the Benjamin Discovery would probably be, and many people thought it would probably be a rebranded Chinese PCP. Well - SURPRISE! This an American-made PCP with more innovations and value than you can shake a stick at. And, the package (rifle with pump) is available starting today directly from Crosman for UNDER $400! They won't be shipping for couple of weeks, though. If you can wait about a month, Pyramyd Air will have them!

This is the enormous surprise I promised you so long ago. I hope you like it.

The Pump-Assist Benjamin 392 - Part 5

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

First an announcement for all who have wondered if the GRT III trigger will fit the new Benjamin Super Streak. The answer is "yes." The trigger pivot pin has circlips on both ends and the other internal trigger parts look rougher than the corresponding parts in a Gamo trigger - especially the sear - but the GRT III fit and worked properly.

We last looked at the Pump-Assist Benjamin 392 on December 26. After that, the maker made some important changes to the pump mechanism, so I laid off reporting about the rifle again until Pyramyd Air had guns back in their inventory.

Today, I'm scoping the rifle and looking at accuracy at 21 yards. We looked at 10 yards with open sights, but with a scope the range extends considerably, because you're able to see and hold on a much smaller aim point with precision.

Sniper scope
I selected a UTG Tactedge 4x40 scope with extra-long eye relief for this rifle. The four-power magnification doesn't blow things up the way a more powerful scope would, but this is the brightest scope in my arsenal and I felt it complimented the 392 perfectly. The 392 isn't a tackdriver, after all. It's a fast little carbine and anything that enhances that adds to the enjoyment.

Air Venturi intermount
I'm using the Air Venturi intermount on this rifle, which positions the scope back over the receiver instead of far forward the way most intermounts do. I had to install this mount on the gun, which isn't difficult, but it did demonstrate a few things you want to look for. First, the mount legs go on individually, then the top rail ties them together. Second, there's a small amount of movement side to side until you snug down the mount. You can really put some torque on the Allen screws, because the mount legs attach to the thick receiver instead of the thinner barrel. You cannot crush anything by tightening this mount securely. Finally, you must level the mount before tightening it down, because you want the scope rings to be level with the barrel - not canted to one side.


UTG Tactedge sniper scope looks good and works great on this rifle.

The AV intermount raises any scope quite high, so be prepared to deal with it. An add-on cheekpiece would be a nice addition to the rifle if you're going to scope it.

Sight-in
Sight-in was two shots at 15 feet and a confirmation shot at 21 yards. I was on target and shooting groups in five minutes.

Session
I decided to test the rifle with six pump strokes. After all the testing was done, I tried both eight and five pump strokes and confirmed that six was the right number for best accuracy indoors at 21 yards. Six pumps delivered a velocity of 574 f.p.s. with .22 caliber Crosman Premiers and 560 f.ps. with Gamo Hunters.

Premiers
The Premiers are a long-time favorite of mine for 392s, and they didn't disappoint this time. Although the average groups were around 0.75", the best was just under a half-inch. I took the extra time to center the shots because this particular Leapers scope is so easy to use.


I had centered the shots before shooting this 0.489" group of five Crosman Premiers. After this, I never adjusted the scope again.

Gamo Hunters
I had high hopes for the Hunters. They just looked like they should shoot well in the 392, and as you can see, they did. This is a pure lead pellet that will deform more readily than a Premier when it hits flesh.


This group of Gamo Hunters looks tighter than the Premiers, but I was unable to measure a difference. It's 0.489," too.

Improvements to the mechanism
The pump assist mechanism remains as easy to operate as the first version, but the new one is quieter. Belleville washers have been added to tension the linkage and remove the slack. The method of attachment to the gun has changed just a little, and the anchor point of the mechanism seems stouter. The inletting of the forearm looks more finished now, as well.


New anchor for the pump assist looks stronger than the first one.

Throughout this test, I've probably pumped the rifle at least a thousand times and I must comment that it's easy, even when holding it by the pistol grip. Remember, you don't get more power from the Pump-Assist, it's just three times less effort to pump. Many of our readers with disabilities have asked how well it works and I can tell you, with the Pump-Assist it's very easy to pump this rifle.

Hammerli 490 - Part 4 Another great youth rifle

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Today, I'll scope the Hammerli 490 Express and test it again at 21 yards. Thankfully, the rifle has a scope stop built in. After yesterday's demonstration of how scopes and mounts move under recoil, I hope all of you are convinced. If not, prepare for a lifetime of "scope shift."

I installed a Leapers 3-12x44 Mini SWAT Mil-Dot scope in two-piece rings of medium height. No particular reason for choosing this scope other than convenience.

Quick sight-in, then on to shooting
After three sight-in shots, I was zeroed. I went back to the 21-yard bench and started shooting. Crosman 7.9-grain Premiers had been the most accurate with open sights, so I started with them. Would you believe I couldn't settle down? I shot group after group measuring about an inch c-t-c and my shots were stringing vertically. That's always due to hold with a springer, so I tried several alternative holds, but in the end settled back into the artillery hold described in part three.

The second time the rifle grouped better, but try as I might, I could not get the rifle to group any better than it did with open sights! It was very frustrating, because I know this gun can shoot. How am I so sure? Take a look at the one good group I managed to shoot and you'll see.


Best group of the day. Four Premiers in a tight cluster and one called flyer. I just wasn't able to get in the groove! The tight group is about what I expect this rifle to be capable of at 21 yards.


This is representative of how the rifle was shooting Premiers. I did better with open sights.

Hobbys?
The groups did get smaller, but nothing was smaller than the half-inch I shot before. Thinking it was the pellets (yeah, sure!) I switched to RWS Hobbys that had also done well in the open sight test. But they didn't group any better this time, either.


Hobbys wouldn't group for me, either.

Velocity recheck
One last thing I wanted to do was check the velocity after all this shooting. The rifle is partially broken-in now, and I wanted to see what that did to the velocity.

Premiers settled down to 504 f.p.s., with a low of 495 and a high of 513. Hobbys averaged 496 f.p.s. with a low of 483 and a high of 508. So, the velocity is lower and more consistent. It's very close to the advertised velocity of 495 f.p.s.

What's up?
It's not the gun, the pellets the scope or the mounts. It's me, and I know it. This rifle should be able to lay them all on top of one another, but I just wasn't up to the task. I would like to blame the heavy trigger somewhat, but since I shot better with it the other day, I can't use that excuse, either. So, I'm setting the gun aside for a few days, and I'll try again.

Gamo CF-X gas spring! - Part 1

by B.B. Pelletier

I don't know the design team at Gamo, but it's obvious they have one and they listen to what shooters say about their guns. The evidence is in my hands - a new CF-X in .22 caliber that I'm going to test for you. This one also has the new Air Venturi Ram Air gas spring.

Since I already reported on the GRT trigger modification, I won't describe it here, except to say that I installed one on this CF-X. The regular CF-X trigger has a long second-stage pull with some creep. The GRT III eliminates all of it.

What's different?
I last looked at the CF-X back in February 21, 2006. I did so at the encouragement of a reader named Hernan who I branded CF-X Guy. He was hot to see the rifle, and although I was definitely NOT impressed with Gamo in those days, I gave in. Well, that test changed my mind. I saw real value in that rifle with only one negative observation about the trigger and one about the loading ramp.

The GRT III removes the trigger objection and Gamo has dealt with the loading ramp situation, which is the reason for my opening remark. The CF-X is an underlever. To load the rifle, a rotating breech is turned to the right, exposing a curved loading ramp. The original CF-X had a smooth polished ramp that caught the head of the pellet and caused it to flip over. You could end up loading the pellet breech-first if you weren't careful. The new ramp has been bead-blasted and finished with matte nickel plating. The surface is rougher, but ironically has less drag and isn't so prone to flip pellets. That's the sign of a real airgun designer at work!


The new finish on the rotating breech trough makes loading much easier.

On the other hand...
Gamo screwed up when someone chose ALUMINUM as a top scope rail! PLEASE stop telling me scopes don't move if the clamping pressure is high enough. They all DO! NO AMOUNT of clamping pressure alone will stop a scope mount from moving under recoil. Look at what a few hundred shots has done to the scope stop hole in the Gamo rail! This is the rail on the Whisper with the Air Venturi Ram Air gas spring, but the results will be identical for the steel mainspring. I know because, if you recall, I have two Whispers, one with steel and one with gas. I just checked and the scope stop hole on the steel spring gun is peened back the same way as on the gas spring gun.


After a few hundred shots, this is what the recoil stop pin on the Gamo-supplied scope did to the Whisper's scope base. Come on, Gamo, you can do better!

Gamo, Gamo, Gamo! Come on, guys, fix this weakness immediately! You have a wonderful group of air rifles in many respects. We don't need this. Replace this part with one made of steel and everything will be fine again.

What's it like?
A gas spring in a CF-X has got to be one of the best ideas to come along in some time. I loved the Whisper. I also love this gun! The underlever seems to be made for cocking gas springs, because it seems as easy as cocking a steel spring. The resistance is still all the way through the arc of the lever, but the leverage is terrific! And, now that the loading problem is solved, what's not to like?

Shooting
The jolt upon firing seems slightly harsher than the Whisper with the gas spring, but it's not objectionable and certainly a lot less than with the steel spring. I still have the gas spring Whisper to compare to. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to tell. Of course, this is a .22 caliber rifle, which may change things a bit. But, don't forget, you can leave this rifle cocked for hours without degrading the spring, and there's absolutely no twisting or torque effect when it fires.

Disassembly
Once again, Gamo uses Torx fasteners to hold the action in the stock. While I was swapping triggers, Nate asked how to remove the stock, so for the benefit of new owners who haven't guessed it yet, you pop off the side panels with a screwdriver to find the Torx forearm bolts. With Gamo guns, it's the rear triggerguard screw instead of the front that holds the action.


Pop up the forearm pads with a screwdriver. Four rubber pins hold each side to the stock.

I can't wait to fire this rifle through the chronograph for you! It feels like a real tiger!

Hammerli 490 - Part 3 Another great youth rifle

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

Business first. USA Today is conducting a one-question poll about the Second Amendment. They want to know to whom you think it applies - to individuals or to states. Of course, they overlook the entire purpose of the Bill of Rights, which was to convince states to ratify the Constitution because, as originally drafted, it didn't enumerate certain rights OF THE PEOPLE. No promise that those rights would be addressed later would assuage the states, so 14 individual rights were drafted as amendments. After negotiation, they were reduced to just 10.

If you want to weigh-in on this question, go here.

Let's look at the accuracy of the Hammerli 490 Express. As mentioned yesterday, I already know the answer because shooting with open sights I already got dime-sized groups at 21 yards. I'm not that good a shot, and the sights on the 490 aren't that special. The gun must be contributing a lot.

Cleaning the gun
Several readers chimed in yesterday and mentioned how they cleaned the exterior of their guns, and one person mentioned that he sent the gun back, partly because he felt it was too dirty. Vince commented that he removed some sort of preservative from the outside that was brown-colored, which might be what people are thinking is rust.

While the gun was out of the stock, I took the time to spray the metal parts with Ballistol and give it a good wipedown. What came off was brown-colored, but the blued metal underneath was still finished pretty roughly. If appearances are important to you, this gun won't please you. For those who want a sweet-shooting airgun and can look past the finish, this one is a sleeper!

I should have also mentioned that the wood is dark red and without appreciable figure. However, it's shaped pretty well and not filled with wood putty in a lot of places.

Sight-in
I shot from a bag rest using the artillery hold with the gun placed on the backs of my fingers. I was wearing my bifocals, so the front sight was easily kept in focus. The aim point changed from side to side, depending on the pellet used. Once I was on target, I didn't bother keeping up with the changes. Since I couldn't see where the rounds were landing, it didn't bother me if they weren't in the bull.

Premiers
The first pellets I tried were Crosman 7.9-grain Premiers. After calming down, it was easy to keep five shots in close to a half-inch, despite the rather heavy trigger. The best group measures 0.497", which is too close to a half-inch to argue. A benefit of the low velocity is that Premiers will not lead the barrel. You should be able to shoot indefinitely without cleaning the bore.


Five Premier 7.9-grain pellets went into this group measuring 0.497" c-t-c at 21 yards.

Air Arms Diabolos
Next, I tested the new Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets - those new domed pellets from Air Arms that are made by JSB. They didn't group as well as Premiers, but they showed promise. I'll try them again with a scope. I zeroed the sights with these pellets.


Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets were well-centered but didn't group as tight.

Hobbys
Finally, I tried RWS Hobbys, which grouped almost as good as Premiers. They shifted over to the right about 2", but the groups were small and round, which indicates an accurate pellet.


RWS Hobbys were almost as tight as Premiers.

Firing behavior
The rifle fires without much vibration. There's some, but it's over pretty quick. There's also a pronounced but light forward recoil.

Quick appraisal
If the 490 had shot these groups while scoped, I would be recommending it to you. The fact that it did so well with simple open sights is an eye-opener. I once called this rifle a "poor mans R7," based on velocity. Well, it's also one based on accuracy. If the trigger could be lightened, the rifle would be even better; but, looking at the design, it doesn't look like a simple fix will do it.

Next, I'll scope it and we'll see what it can really do.

Hammerli 490 - Part 2 Another great youth rifle

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

Today, I'll clean the barrel of the Hammerli 490 Express and shoot the rifle for velocity. First, cleaning the barrel. For those who have joined us recently...I try to clean the barrels of as many new airguns as I can. I can't clean some of them, such as certain underlevers, sidelevers or repeating PCPs, so I just shoot them. After 500 shots, their barrels will be about as clean as if they had been cleaned the way I'm about to describe.

Cleaning the barrel
I only clean steel barrels, because brass barrels are too soft to clean this way. Use a new brass bore brush of the appropriate caliber (.177, in this case) and load it with J-B Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. Then, from the breech end, push the brush all the way through the barrel and out the muzzle; then, pull it back and out the breech. Do this 20 times, and you'll remove all the burrs, rust and dirt left over from manufacturing. Even though a barrel looks bright and shiny, it probably still has rust left from the bluing salts and some rough marks from rifling.

This one was average - very dirty and lots of rust. By pass No. 10, the brush was moving easily in both directions. But, the looseness of the barrel joint was bothering me, so I removed the action from the stock and tried to tighten it. It uses a grub screw on the periphery of the main pivot bolt. The main bolt head has four cutouts into which the grub screwhead fits. The object is to tighten the main bolt, then lock it in place with the grub screw interlocking with one of the cutouts...except that was impossible. When the bolt was tight enough, the cutout didn't align. When it was aligned, the barrel was too loose. So, I gave up that idea and just lubricated the gun.


Here's the 1000-word picture showing how the grub screw locks the pivot bolt.

Because of the rifle's low-rated velocity (495 f.p.s.) I oiled the mainspring as long as the stock was off. It appeared dry, so I dropped 7-8 drops of Rem Oil (a gun oil made by Remington) on it. Having done that, I also put 3 drops of Crosman Pellgunoil down the transfer port. I don't know if the piston seal is synthetic or leather, but at this low velocity, it really doesn't matter. Petroleum oil is fine, in this case. I could have used the Rem Oil, as well.


This is where the spring oil goes.

Velocity testing was revealing!
The rifle appeared to "wake up" in stages as I shot through the chronograph. Ill show you the first spring shot with 7.0-grain RWS Hobbys, and you'll see what I mean.

446

475
470

505
507
501

534
531
523
533
533
525

552
553
560
526
542
527
562
553
549

That performance suggests there might be a leather seal in this rifle, because it seems to be gaining pliability and greater sealing capacity as it goes. My observations didn't end there. Crosman 7.9-grain Premiers were next.

Crosman 7.9-grain Premiers
The breech fit for Crosman 7.9-grain Premiers was very tight, so I expected this pellet to wake up the piston seal some more. It didn't disappoint me. The first shot was at 536 f.p.s. - exactly where the lighter Hobbys were shooting. That suggests that the greater resistance of this heavier pellet further improved the sealing of the piston seal. The low was a shot at 533 and the high went 553 f.p.s. - the same as the Hobbys! That's remarkable.

Air Arms diabolos
Next, I tried the heavier Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets that are made by JSB I have the ones with the 4.52mm heads. Surprisingly, velocity didn't seem to go down by that much, even though this pellet is another half-grain heavier than the Premier. It's an 8.4-grain pure lead pellet that fits the breech very easy, so there might have been reduced friction at work. The low shot went 523 f.p.s. while the fastest went 540.

Send in the clowns!
Okay, now it's time for the trick pellets. What'll she do on Raptors? Nothing! That's right, the gun wouldn't shoot Raptors out of the barrel! One did escape at 283 f.p.s., but that was it. Crosman Silver Eagle hollowpoints went from a low of 522 f.p.s. to a high of 652, with no indication of detonations. Clearly the Hammerli 490 Express is not a rifle that likes trick lightweight pellets.

More than appearances
Just as clearly, the 490 Express is capable of speeds greater than 495 f.p.s. The last QB-18 I tested was even faster, but it also required another 5 lbs. of effort to cock. Remember, this rifle cocks with just 13 lbs. effort. I'm looking for youth rifles, so I'll take the lighter cocking.

Who's your daddy?
Okay, as I write this I have already shot the 490 for accuracy (with open sights, only). If you have an extra $90 jingling around in your pocket, get one. We'll talk more about it later this week, but just trust me this time.

Walther P38 airsoft pistol - Part 2

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

For those with Christmas money, here are some sales at Pyramyd Air. All Drozds and Drozd magazines are on sale. For Daisy lovers, there's a 1-week sale on Red Ryders, Red Ryder kits and the 4841 Grizzly C pneumatics.

Okay, serious testing today. I received a comment from a reader on the first report of this pistol complaining that I only look at "junk" airsoft guns. He encouraged me to look into other models that he considered not to be junk, among them a Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa 5.1 pistol. He told me his 5.1 can out-shoot a Benjamin 392 at 15 yards.

I doubt that. I tested the Hi-Capa 5.1 for this blog back in 2005, and, while it is very accurate, it cannot keep all its shots on a nickel at 10 yards, let alone 15, while the 392 can. Folks, I make no claim to be the world's expert on airsoft guns. I test them because we have some readers who want me to. I used to put them in Airgun Illustrated for the same reason. But I am a democratic tester. I will test any airgun or airsoft gun that I have access to. YOU may not like the gun I'm testing today, but believe it or not, there are many who do. Tomorrow or next week, I'll probably test a gun YOU like.

I'm saying this because this blog is not some forum where only certain airguns are acceptable. This is about all airguns - period! Everybody gets to play!

Velocity first
I weighed the BBs that came in the package with the pistol and found they were 0.20 grams - exactly what I expected for a gas pistol. I'm probably misreading the manual and they don't recommend 0.12-gram BBs after all. The manual seems to indicate the gun's velocity should be 325 f.p.s., so we'll see how that stacks up against the different weight ammo.

The velocity with generic 0.12-gram BBs was an average of 386 f.p.s., with a low of 377 and a high of 393. With Air Venturi 0.20-gram BBs, the average was 313 f.p.s., with a spread from 304 to 319. That's close to the published velocity. With TSD Competition-Grade 0.25-gram BBs, the velocity averaged 290 f.p.s., with a spread from 285 to 300. I think that establishes 0.20-gram BBs as the recommended weight for the pistol.

Is it accurate?
I shot this pistol 'til the cows came home. I think someone requested that I test it at 10 meters, so I tried to do it. But this isn't a 10-meter airsoft pistol. Just like the 9mm P38 it copies, the accuracy falls off fast as the distance increases. At 15 feet, I was shooting acceptable groups. At 25 feet I couldn't keep the BBs on the target!


I went through a lot of gas and different BBs testing the P38.

I tried 0.20-gram and 0.25-gram BBs, but not 0.12-gram. They were moving too fast for good accuracy, and I was shooting indoors. The absolute best accuracy was a tie between some Tokyo Marui black BBs I have and Air Venturi BBs! I tried lots of different ammo, but these two BBs stood out. Not only did both group well, they both shot to the point of aim, which is a big deal when the sights don't adjust.


Air Venturi 0.20-gram BBs were one of the two best at 15 feet.


Marui black 0.20-gram BBs were about as good as Air Venturi at 15 feet.


At 20 feet, the groups started opening fast, as these black Maruis show. At 25 feet, I was missing the target paper altogether.

Trigger
The two-stage trigger is very light in single-action, and it's the lightest double-action trigger I've yet seen. The single-action pull is not crisp, but long and creepy. However, it breaks at a repeatable 1 lb., 12 ozs. The double-action pull requires just 4 lbs., 14 ozs, which is amazing.

Loading the magazine
The magazine holds 12 BBs in a single stack. That's only 50 percent more than the 9mm firearm. The onboard green gas reservoir is just large enough for a single magazine, so each time you reload, you also gas up. Loading is one at a time through the release gate at the top of the mag - no speedloaders here. Loading is deliberate and one hand pulls down on the follower while the other loads the BBs.

A P38 has the same magazine release as many European pistols. It's located at the bottom rear of the grip frame, where it takes two hands and a lot of time to drop the mag. The slide release, on the other hand, is right where a right-handed shooter wants it, so you can release the slide with the thumb of the shooting hand without changing your grip on the gun. I forgot to mention that the safety is also a decocking mechanism, so there's no putting it back on without recocking the hammer.

The bottom line
Well the critic was correct, this P38 isn't as accurate as a Marui Hi Capa 5.1. But the Hi-Capa is a fantasy gun - only mimicking the look of a custom 1911. This particular pistol is a good representation of an actual P38, which it's supposed to be. If you're a collector, a military re-enactor or are simply curious about the classic P38 and want one without spending a ton of money, this Walther gun is made for you.±±

Scopes - Part 2Scope mounts - How well do they need to fit?

by B.B. Pelletier

Chapter 1, Part 1, Selecting a scope

This is an ongoing tutorial that I hope to turn into a book on scoping airguns. Chapter 1, Part 1 was all the way back in November, and I bet you thought I'd forgotten about this project. I haven't, but other things kept cropping up. There will be more to Chapter 1, Selecting a scope, but today I want to begin Chapter 2 on Scope mounts.

This subject is daunting to those who haven't scoped an airgun yet and emotionally charged for many who have. I make no claim to be an expert in this field, but I bet I've made as many mistakes as anyone who ever scoped a gun. Through the benefit of those mistakes, I can discuss scoping with you. Today, I want to talk about how the scope fits the rifle - specifically, the width between the dovetails.

Back in 1998, Dan Bechtel, the founder and then-owner of B-Square, enlisted my help in measuring the width of airgun dovetails. He started this project because B-Square was encountering wide variations in the width of what the industry called an "11mm dovetail." I want to make it clear that I am only talking about straight airgun dovetails, not Weaver or Picatinny dovetails.

Physical description
Bechtel told me we needed a standardized method of measuring dovetails, because how you measure them determines their width. You cannot simply measure from the sharp point on one side to the sharp point on the other side, because that will tell you nothing about the depth of the dovetail grooves. The depth and the shape of the grooves matters a lot to the fit of the scope mount.

We settled on the method of laying a one millimeter-diameter pin into each dovetail and measuring across from the outside of one pin to the other. I hope the drawing I provided makes this clear to you. Since the one millimeter pin would only go into the grooves so far, we were always measuring the same way, regardless of the angle that was cut into the dovetail.


To measure the width between two dovetail grooves, one millimeter pins were inserted into the dovetails on either side and a dial caliper measured the distance between the sides of the two pins.

For more than 6 months, I measured as many airgun dovetails as I could lay my hands on. B-Square technicians did the same. From this data, B-Square compiled a list of scope groove dimensions for many models of air rifles. They learned, for instance, that a "standard" 11mm dovetail can measure less than 9.5 mm or greater than 13.5 mm...and anywhere in between! Then there are rifles whose bases are different, such as the Webley Patriot/Beeman Kodiak and the FWB 121/124/127, which have cross-slots to accept half-round pins as a scope stop system. From that data, they started building their scope mounts to fit specialized situations. They also tried to make their common scope mounts fit as many air rifles as possible, and therein lies today's lesson. How they accomplished that task, now that you know what they were up against, determines how well their scope mounts fit various rifles. Allow me to illustrate.


This is the end of the original B-Square AA adjustable one-piece mount made to fit the Webley Patriot/Beeman Kodiak. Read the text to learn its features.

Original AA mount
This mount is made to fit a single air rifle - the Webley Patriot, which is also the Beeman Kodiak. Its clamp is the same one found on all original B-Square adjustable mounts. Notice at the top of the separate clamp, the point isn't sharp but rounded. It's a ball end that will pivot in the specially prepared groove into which it fits. Therefore, the bottom of the clamp can extend out farther or in tighter and still fit correctly. However, the gap between the clamp and the body of the mount will not be the same size at the top and at the bottom. This difference disturbs some airgunners and has convinced a lot of them that certain mounts don't fit certain air rifles correctly. The fit seen here is nearly perfect, but what you see here is not often the case. It only fits this well because this mount was made specifically to fit the Patriot it's mounted on.


Same mount from B-Square today, only this one is made in China and the specifications were changed. You can see that the top of the clamp is now pointed and so is the socket into which it fits. The angle of the clamp disturbs a lot of shooters, but in fact, the mount is still correct.

B-Square started sourcing their adjustable mounts from China and the original specification did not make it into the contract. The Chinese manufacturer uses more conventional extrusions instead of the ball-and-socket arrangement B-Square designed. Their mount still fits and works fine, but the clamp is now stuck way out on an angle and disturbs many shooters. In fact, the scope stop pins are what aligns the scope mount and the gun, so even though it looks like this, the mount still works.


A one-piece mount on the Benjamin Super Streak has no groove for the clamp at the top, so almost all installations will be uneven, like this. Benjamin ships the gun with the scope already mounted, so this is a factory installation.

When other manufacturers start turning out scope mounts, they may never have given them the thought B-Square did initially. As long as they clamp and hold, they're sold. The truth is that if they hold solidly, they're okay. But, they may not look as good as some other mounts. The scope, which is a round tube, can be set up level, even when the rings that hold it don't look right.

The bottom line
Brownells sells special centers for the precise alignment of scope rings. Many shooters will have their scope rings lapped by a special tool before mounting a scope. Do guns that have had these measures perform any better in the field? Sometimes they do, but often they don't. A well-mounted scope has more to do with the rifle than with the scope mounts. That doesn't stop some shooters from wanting things to look right.

Beeman used to sell the SS2 scope with different sets of separator pins to keep the clamp leg parallel to the main mount body. The scope mount was built into the scope, and Beeman understood how shooters worry about the look of their rifle.


Obsolete Beeman SS2 scope had several different sets of pins to hold clamp jaws at the best-looking angle.

What do you do?
If the look of the scope mount bothers you, then get it fixed, because things like that will play on your mind and erode your confidence in the rifle. As you are doing so, however, don't think for a moment that the appearance really matters. The clamp can be splayed way out to the side, but the gun will still shoot fine. Never underestimate the aesthetics of the rifle. For some shooters, they're everything.

Hammerli 490 - Part 1 Another great youth rifle

by B.B. Pelletier

January's podcast is now up!

Now that I have this rifle in hand, there's no doubt that the Hammerli 490 Express is a QB-18. That's a good thing, because the 18 is a very nice youth-sized air rifle, and there aren't enough of those around. The price is very reasonable for a gun of this size and quality. However, I'm getting ahead of myself. We have yet to test it.

Physical description
The 490 Express is a small rifle by adult standards, and a large one by youth standards. I rate it as a youth rifle because the weight is only 6 lbs., and the cocking effort is a mere 13 lbs. That is spectacularly light! The wood stock has a 13.5" pull that further helps shooters of smaller stature.

Hammerli rates this rifle at 495 f.p.s., which is almost 200 f.p.s. less than the QB-18 I tested. A lighter mainspring could explain some of that power difference. The chronograph will tell us for sure in the next report.

Stock
The wood is stained dark reddish-brown and has a few small areas where the stain has accumulated, and I found only one small filled spot (pistol grip). That's remarkable, too. A black rubber buttpad is ribbed on the end to keep the rifle from moving on your shoulder or when the gun is stood up in the corner.

Metal
The metal is polished to semi-gloss on the spring cylinder, and the barrel and base block are left as-machined. The markings are in attractive silver laser-cut letters.

Sights
The sights are a hooded post on a ramp in front and a square rear notch with click adjustments in both directions. They're a combination of steel and synthetic. The adjustments are well-marked in both directions, but there's no index scale to mark where you are.


Rear sight adjustments are clearly marked. Note the attractive markings on the spring cylinder.

Barrel
The barrel is exceptionally long for a modern spring rifle. Almost 19" from breech to muzzle, it no doubt accounts for the ease of cocking. It also means a lot of technique will be required to shoot well, because the pellet cannot begin to move in a spring gun before the vibration and part of the recoil is underway.

After the rifle is cocked, the barrel moves up and down freely. I'm used to a base block that holds the barrel in the last position it was placed, and this rifle seems loose to me. But, I'll watch it as I go; and, if it seems the barrel pivot needs to be tightened, I'll tell you. The chisel detent that holds the barrel closed is powerful and positive. There's no slop when the barrel is closed.

Trigger and safety
The trigger blade and triggerguard are synthetic. There are no adjustments for the trigger. The blade is relatively straight with cross grooves to give your finger more traction. The trigger-pull is rough and creepy and breaks at variable weights, from 5 lbs., 4 ozs. to 6 lbs., 8 ozs. It feels as though it'll break-in to something nicer in the 5+ lbs. region, but time will tell. Lots of room for some good gunsmithing.

The safety is automatic but can be taken off and the rifle uncocked by pulling the trigger while restraining the barrel. The safety button has to be pressed flush with the spring cylinder, which means it has to be a deliberate act. Unlike the TX200 MkIII or most Weihrauch-based spring rifles, the safety button on this rifle does not stand proud of the gun when it is on.


Safety button is flush against the mainspring cylinder when off. It only comes to the end of the stock cutout when engaged. Scope stop is simple but effective.

Scope mounting
There are 11mm scope grooves cut into the top of the spring cylinder, with a scope stop plate at the back end. The low recoil of the rifle and a lack of vibration means you can scope it with pretty much whatever you want. Chances are good the scope and rings will cost more than the rifle. I'll scope the rifle, but the quality of the open sights will compel a test with them, as well. The 490 also comes in a gun/scope combo.

I can see that the barrel is dirty, so I'll clean it with JB Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound before checking velocity or shooting for accuracy. I've already shot the rifle to check trigger-pull, though, and I can report that it's very quiet. For those of you who are looking for a quiet air rifle, this is a good one!

Walther P38 airsoft pistol - Part 1

by B.B. Pelletier

Happy New Year!


New Walther P38 is an accurate replica of an ac 41 wartime P38.

Let's start 2008 with a look at a new green gas airsoft pistol from Umarex. It's a Walther P38, and the realism has been emphasized. This one is a true copy of an ac 41-issue gun, which was made during 1941. The biggest change made in '41 was a switch from a polished blue finish to a matte black military finish, and a total of 112,795 pistols were produced that year.

What is a P38?
Germany needed a sidearm it could produce in great quantities to replace the aging P08, or Luger. The P08 was admired by most who used it, but the intricate machined parts required to make the gun were too complex for a country about to go to war. The gun had to be 9mm because the country was already heavily invested in that caliber.

Walther had created several new pistol designs throughout the 1930s, and in 1938 they finalized the design of a 9mm double-action pistol made from stamped metal parts. They called the civilian version the HP for Heeres Pistole and the Army adopted it as the model P38. Being double-action (the first such pistol), it was possible to carry a round in the chamber with the hammer down and put the gun into action rapidly by just squeezing the trigger.

Comments on the firearm
Double-action pistols were not common in 1971, when I bought my P38. I bought it because of its military heritage, but was soon put off by what I thought was a sloppy design. If the M1911A1's in my arms room seemed loose and clunky, the P38 was a downright rattletrap! I wanted it for its double-action; but when I tried the long creepy trigger, I was unimpressed. My pistol was a beater - a WWII parts gun that had probably served well, but I was used to revolvers and tight 1911s, so I couldn't overlook its shortcomings. It was explained to me that the gun was built loose to tolerate desert sand and the mud of a European battlefield, but I just couldn't overlook it, which is why I no longer have it.

I'm telling you this in case you've had similar experiences with P38s...because this new airsoft pistol is nothing like that! It's reasonably tight and the double-action pull is remarkably light and easy. The manufacturer has gone to great lengths to make this pistol as close to the original gun as possible. The grips are a dark brown with red flecks, and the lanyard clip is on the left panel where it's supposed to be. All the controls are real and operate as they should. Takedown is typical, if somewhat altered because of certain internal parts required for the functioning of a green gas firing mechanism. I found it easy to disassemble but challenging to reassemble until I understood how the green gas parts had to be positioned.


The P38 airsoft gun comes apart like the firearm.

The pistol comes with adjustable Hop-Up, so some degree of accuracy is expected. I promised to test it at 10 meters for one of our readers, so we'll see just how good it might be.

The manual safety is located on the left side of the slide and is a decocking safety. In other words, when the gun is cocked and ready to shoot, putting on the safety lowers the hammer safely without firing the gun. Releasing the safety allows the trigger blade to return to its normal position.

The sights are fixed but can be drifted in their dovetails for windage corrections. The gun appears to be all metal except the grips, but looks are deceiving. There's a lot of plastic on the outside. The gun weighs 26.4 ozs., which is about a half-pound shy of the firearm's weight. No doubt the use of plastic lightened the gun. Like all green gas guns, the magazine is a considerable part of the overall weight, and spare mags cost $33 because the gun's powerplant is housed inside.

The gun comes with a single magazine, an Allen wrench to adjust the Hop-Up, a pinch of 0.12-gram BBs (perhaps 25) and a manual written in Japanese (I think). Pyramyd Air has linked the gun to ammo weighing 0.20 and 0.25 grams. The owner's manual seems to indicate 0.12-gram BBs, but I'll test it for accuracy and velocity with all three so we know. Normally, gas pistols do best with 0.20-gram BBs.