Page 4 - Beeman P1 Reviews

ease of use, accuracy, feel

pricey

I have had most accurate results with RWS Superdome 14.5 gr. pellets.

This is probably the best spring pistol on the market. One can feel the inherent quality of this pistol as well as its admire the aesthetic characteristics. I had one years ago but like a darn fool I sold it. Now I own a new P1 and I'm a happy shooter!

Standard walnut grips should grace this treasure.

The P1 is pricey but well worth it. If you desire accuracy and great workmanship in a spring pistol, go for it!

Everything. This is my first pellet pistol. I had kind of given up, as I thought all of the good pistols were CO2 powered, and livig in South Dakota, and not being able to shoot it below 50 degrees. I gave up until I meet a person that had read the many reviews I have on PA's website about the NPSS Remington .177. He has been shooting pellet pistols, and owns 3 of them, the Diana LP-8, Beeman P-1 and the Beeman P-3, and he said when he goes down to his basment to shoot, it's always the P-1 that he shoots the most, so I gave it a try. I have had it for about a week, and have put 5 to 6 hundred rounds through it so according to the manual the spring does not come to full power until you have put 100 rounds into it. I am shooting at 35', and starting to see some really nice groups in a 1 1/2" bulls eye. And he recommended that I use the superdome 8.3 grain domed pellets. Thay are very accurate and hit like a mule. When you first pick it up, you can feel how well balanced it is, and it is very easy to cock. So after holding back a bit because of the price, and finally buying it, there is no way that I would be without it.

Not one darn thing that I can think of, just maybe lowering the price a bit, as I paid more for it than I did anyone of my 3 pellet rifles.

If you are looking for your first pellet pistol like I was, make the purchase and you will not look back.

This is one of the finest air pistols on the market. It rates up their with my S&W Model 41. No vibration and minimum recoil makes this pistol a delight to shoot. I love the two power levels. I have friends who shot 1911A1 and liked shooting it because it handled like their 1911's

Nothing.

If you are a serious airgunner, you need to add this oistol to your collection.

Solidly built , feels great in the hand , shoots with authority.

....essentially nothing. This gun is an absolute joy to shoot and is now my favorite.

This particular gun took some time and many tins of Meisterkugeln to "settle in". My decision to purchase it was based mostly on Paul Capello's video demo. Unlike the demo model mine had iron sights instead of fiber-optics which I was actually expecting , though they are just fine. I had P.A. do the "ten for ten" on this gun and it well exceeded it's velocity rating. My theory is that this gun got an unusually strong spring that required longer break-in , but I'm no gun expert. The gun clocked in at 497/500 fps on low power and 624/628 on high. Buyers should be aware that you must sight the gun in for either low or high power , as both shoot very differently. Now that I finally have this gun after a very long wait for it to be in stock , I am most happy with it and shoot it almost every day.

The Beeman P1 fits in the hand very well, and I have found recoil to be a non-issue (much less than my Smith & Wesson model 41, 22 cal LR, which itself has pretty mild recoil.) Even at factory setting, the feel of the trigger is very good (although not quite up to the superlative standard of the S&W 41). I've read some comments about high cocking effort - I'm 60 yrs old, only 145 lbs, and out of shape, yet I have no problem whatsoever cocking it.

Break-in period truly is between 500 - 1000 shots before accuracy really settles in. (It's a complete waste of time to adjust sights until you've shot at least 200 pellets.) Perhaps they should shoot about 500 pellets at the factory to reduce owner's break-in time.

When new, for about the first 10 - 15 shots the gun diesels quite badly, producing smoke, smell of burning oil, and quite a loud "pop" sound (neighbors will think you're firing a gunpowder 22 LR). All this gets progressively better until, after about 100 rounds, the gun acts and sounds like you would expect of a pellet pistol. Trigger pull weight adjustment screw has a slot cut into the top, so adjustments need to be made in 180-degree increments or they won't hold. (Remove wooden grip on one side to make engaging this screw with the provided Allen wrench much easier.) I prefer the pull set to 1/2 turn lighter than factory setting. So far, I've shot about 750 rounds, and am extremely pleased with the Beeman P1.

I got his gun to practice for pistol shooting with the likes of a S&W model 41, and a 1911. The feel and balance are excellent. The weight is similar enough to the others that it is good for practice. The trigger if very nice - good clean break. I shot it literally right out of the box and was getting 9's and 10's at 25 feet within a few rounds. This gun is all I hoped it would be and then some.

While I'm a fan of ambidextrous, the placement of the safety is such that my trigger finger grazes the safety on the RHS. From an engineering standpoint, I can see why it is easy to put where it is, but why not put it where it goes on a 1911 so it is truly out of the way. This is a very minor and picky item.

Buy extra ammo - you will want it!

I like the .22 because it makes easily visible holes on the target. The trigger and cocking mechanism are very good. It is easy to sight in and has a very good balance and general comfortable feeling when shooting.

It would be nice if the price were lower but I like the quality.

The pistol shoots cheap pellets very well and is quiet. Obsessive compulsives can find fault with this pistol but I can't.

Extremely high quality. Relatively easy to cock repeatedly. Consistent power and accuracy without Co2. I bought the .22 version and even though I heard these come with fiber optic sights, mine are iron sights, which I prefer. Doesn't matter though because I put a red dot scope on it. This gun is quite a bit larger than any 1911 I've ever held, but the grip still feels the same and the balance is great. I was worried that the .22 might not be powerful enough as it has much lower fps than the others, but it really makes those soup cans fly! Mine will pierce one side of a soup can and will completely blow out a beer can filled with water at 10 yards. I'm not the greatest shooter so I don't really try for anything beyond 10 yds with a pistol. That said, it's surprisingly accurate although there does seem to be a slight learning curve!

It would be nice if the 'slide' part of the gun was narrower, making appear the same size as a 1911. The 11mm dovetail is annoying.... would it be that hard to make it a weaver mount? I'm not exactly sure what parts to oil or not oil.... no diagram!

The .22 is a great caliber. After I purchased it, I second guessed it because of the velocity difference, but absolutely no regrets. It looks like the .22 is being discontinued, so if you want that caliber, I would act fast!

The feel is fantastic. great kick, weight and looks. Super accurate right out of the box. This is my fourth Beeman air gun and might be my new favorite.

I would have the safety automatically engage when cocking?

no you cant barrow mine.

The 2 stage power supply is great, although I rarely use the lower setting. I consider an airpistol to be legal, back porch practice for real hand gun use. The extra felt movement of the higher power helps to simulate recoil etc.

I dislike the attempts made to make the pistol a mock 1911. What function are the slide serrations? The Tempest/Webley catch is much more efficient than the weird hammer release. This could lead to some confusion for someone who regularly uses a real .45. The pins at the front are loose. This seems to be a sort of "Kenmore" problem. Sears buys products from Whirlpool and makes their profit by having the factory cut corners. This pistol is essentially a Weirauch 45, but not so well made. I do not like the feel of a 1911A1 .45 ACP pistol. The grip is too flat. My Tempest is in many ways a better gun. It is simply a very well made airgun with an ergonomic grip.

If you need a high powered springer this is the only choice that you have in the US at present. If you become delirious every time that you see a 1911, this gun is for you. For the money there are a lot of nice rifles with higher power, so this has to considered a practice gun for 1911 users. If you're looking for a nicely made air pistol, look for a used Tempest or Hurricane, or spend the big bucks and buy an Izh-Baikal 46M, (still cheaper than the P-1).

I have the .20 P1. It feels solid and appears to be well built. It packs a good punch and is not as hard to cock as I thought it might be.

As other's have noted in their reviews, it takes a lot of shooting before it starts to become accurate. I had to shoot about 500 pellets before the patterns started to tighten up. I just oiled the spring and the groups got wild again. However, I can already see the groupings beginning to tighten back up. I can tell it is capable of very accurate groups as I have had a couple groups of 5 - 6 shots fit within a dime at about 10 meters.

My safety screws loosened up and I had to retighten them. I am having much better luck with the Beeman Double Gold pellets compared to the Crossman Premier. Use a pellet seating tool for best results.

EVERYTHING! This is an awesome gun & one of my favorite ellet pistols of all! Good power, GREAT accuracy, & very well balanced!

NOTHING!

If you're a collector & you don't have one of these... You're NOT a collector yet! ;) - The Big Bore Addict -

I had a P1 years ago, but sold it. I missed it, and finally decided to get another. As before, I like that it more-or-less looks like you would expect a pistol to look, and not like a rifle with the stock and barrel cut down. Mostly tho, the relative high level of power achieved with a single cocking motion without any need for CO2 or compressed air is what I like. All you need is the pistol and some pellets. It is a very accurate pistol too, but it does make you work for this accuracy. It doesn't forgive you if you aren't consistent. My pistol seems to like Lasers the best (.177), which is OK with me because they are relatively light/fast. They are averaging about 580 FPS from my pistol (at 6.9 gr each I think). With a very loose isosceles hold, in which the weight of the pistol is completely carried by my non-shooting hand (left hand), I've improved to the point where I can group about 3/4 inch at 30 feet. While that's not great, I seem to have better luck hitting objects. At 30 yards, I can hit a tuna can about 1 in 4, and get very close the other 3 times. I mostly bought it for plinking anyway.

These newer P1's come with fiber-optic sights now. They don't look very good, but I admit they do show up well against darker backgrounds. However, the front sight is still very thick/wide, and when you're shooting at smaller targets, it is difficult to center the front sight under the bullseye. If the front sight were solid (the blade is carved-out in the middle to accommodate the fiber insert), I would file it into a thinner blade, but it's not practical to do with so much metal already missing. Even tho they show up well in low-light conditions, I would make the fiber sights an option, not standard. Also, it would be nice if the price were lower, but until a Chinese copy comes out, I don't expect this to happen.

My first P1 did have a problem with the rear sight retention pin working loose, but so far this one is staying together. Don't be discouraged too soon if you have a hard time hitting with it. Develop a loose, but consistent, hold, and follow-thru with every shot. I'm giving it a 4 for accuracy only because of it's temperament regarding consistency.

Power, accuracy, the feel of the gun

Lower price would be nice :D, otherwise nothing.

I bought the .20 version very recently. It comes with Fiber Optic open sight which is great! The gun was loud and dieseling with the first few shots. After around 100 shots it feels much smoother and stops dieseling. It is now shooting with great consistency.

The feel of this pistol is impressive. The balance is a bit nose heavy but then so in the 1911. I loved the feel of the action, the smoothness of the trigger and even the recoil helps me become a better shooter. My gun is a .20 calibre.

Lock tight on the safety? I might recommend it at a later date. Extend the required 30 day registration for the warranty. The warranty choices were a bit confusing and I am not sure what I will choose. Keep the warranty siple please. I am a shooter, not a bright man.

Right out of the box, I couldnot hit anything. I burned through a pack of 200 pellets within the first three hours of fun to get the gun broken in. There was not any form of accuracy at all and there were numerous sight adjustments during this process. When I was getting in the zone the sights would have to be totally re adjusted again and again, either I am a poor shooter or the gun needs a good break in period. I found the gun a pleasure to shoot, burning through 1500 rounds in three days and looking forward to the next day when I could shoot again, the hours went by like minutes. Using a bench rest would only throw off my accuracy as the recoil happens well before the pellet leaves the barrel. Single handed shooting is improving and I am able to now group quarter size groups at 30 feet. I ordered the Pel Set tool to set the pellets and the accuracy has improved since I began using this consistantly. The safety has worked itself loose numerous times in my first 1500 rounds and I notice that the "O" ring seal has a good size cut or abrasion on it, they do provide an extra seal with the new gun, no instructions on how to replace that but it appears to be simple. If you like to shoot and are patient enough to get the new pistol settled in and you get use to the feel of the recoil, this will be a 'go to' gun for fun and I am planning on getting good enough to be a tack driver with this one. Fun Fun Fun. This piece of hardware is very addictive. If you go out in the field, take some perfect fitting allen keys in case any tightening is needed especially for the safety that I am prone to automatically apply. This just feels right in your hand. I do not know what perfection is as I have not shot enough air pistols but I am pretty excited about this one and can not wait to get home each day to shoot it.

The two-stage trigger is superb. Just take up the slack in the first stage and from there just "think" your shot. That is just how light a touch the guns is with the factory setting. This gun is more accurate that the rifles I own. Yeah, I do own some not-so-good rifles but even a not-so-good rifle should outshoot a pistol.

Do not particularly like the recoil that was built into the gun since I do not use it as a trainer for a 1911. The upper receiver could be reduced to more accurately replicate a 1911.

My gun was purchased around 1985 so it is almost a quarter of a century old. It was about $300.00 at the time of purchase, making it one expensive handgun for the time. I have shot thousands of rounds through it and it does not seem to have lost any of its power. When I go shooting with my friends and relatives they know the P1 will be on my hip and will be the first and the last gun I shoot all day long. No other gun has been as much fun for me as my P1.

when i opened the box & held this in my hand, i knew where my $400+ went. nice weight to it, all metal construction - no skimping here. very nice fit & finish.

expensive but no complaints

my 10clip co2 357 is fun to shoot but it's anemic power is a minus. my single shot multi-pump 1377 has the power but pumping 10x gets old fast. this springer pistol is my go-to gun - cock it, load it, shoot it. accurate at 10m, weaver stance, full cock w/ crosman silver eagles.

The P1 is incredibly accurate. It will out-shoot a standard M1911A1 pistol at 50 feet. It has the same grip as the standard 1911A1, and is therefore a wonderful trainer. The gun has 2 power levels in .177, but not in .22. The trigger is adjustable and is light and crisp. The gun is easy to cock for the power it delivers. The build quality is excellent, but don't start taking it apart unless you know how to work on an aluminum-framed gun. It's easy to make the pin holes too large if you use the wrong drifting technique.

The adjustable sights are excellent, but the 11mm optical sight rail could be cut deeper. It doesn't grab onto dot sight bases well. Also, there needs to be a positive scope stop built into the top rail, as the front sight gets peened by serving as an ad hoc stop.

Don't use the lower power setting. Just shoot on high power or your gun will start dieseling. The velocity with RWS Hobby pellets is more in the 550-560 f.p.s. range. 600 f.p.s. is out of reach for anything except trick pellets like Raptors, and they're inaccurate.

Power! 600 fps is great! Varmints at 20 yards or less go down fast. There are no plastic parts visable, and it feels like a quality firearm.

Sight visability is terrible! Fiber optic sights would be a great improvment, and they are putting them on the P11, which is comming out shortley. However, since the front sight is not removable, you won't be able to upgrade the P1.

Any standard 1911Government Model grips will fit this pistol. I put a set of Pachmeyer Walnut, w/rubber finger groves on mine, and it greatly inproved the feel and look of the pistol.