by B.B. Pelletier
Webley Patriot is a man-sized air rifle
A reader requested this post a few months ago. With the Webley reorganization last year came the decision the build the airguns in other countries. Webley decided on Turkey, having promises from the makers that no quality would be lost. I certainly hope that is true, because the rifles and pistols actually made by Webley (i.e., not the FX precharged guns) were some of the best sporting spring guns around. The Turks have their work cut out for them!
Original Webleys are going fast!
Although Pyramyd AIR does have a few Webley Rifles left, they are dwindling fast. The .22 and .25 caliber Patriots are already gone. All that remains are a few .177s. All the Beeman Kodiaks, which are Patriots with a different name, are also gone.
Patriots are BIG!
The rifle weighs nine pounds and measures 45.6″ long. That doesn’t sound too large, but when you have one in your hands it seems gigantic. That comes from the full-cut stock that Webley uses to reduce wood breakage from shock and vibration.
They are hard to cock
A Patriot requires about 50 lbs. of effort to cock. If I am prepared for it, I can cock it with one arm a few times; but, if I don’t hold the rifle just right, there’s no way I’m going to cock it even once! First, the muzzle has to be slapped to break the barrel past the super-strong chisel detent. Then, it’s armwrestling time as you lever the fat steel barrel down to sear lock. After about 50 shots, your arm will be sore unless you are a bodybuilder or work a hard physical job.
Patriots are a .25 caliber dream!
The big .25″ pellets were the main reason the Patriots were created. In England, they are so far above the legal limit that the British Home Office never allowed them to be de-tuned – although Ivan Hancock attempted to do just that. He got the power under 12 foot-pounds easily enough, but the Home Office ruled that all Patriots were FAC, regardless of what the chronograph said. With light to medium weight pellets a .25 will generate nearly 30 foot-pounds. No, that isn’t a record for spring rifles, but it’s pretty close. The .22 gets up to 28 foot-pounds and the .177 gets about 24 foot-pounds with the right pellets.
They kick and they vibrate!
Patriots kick more than any other smallbore air rifle that I know. They push your shoulder back at least one inch and feel like a 30/30 fired from a medium-weight rifle. That’s if you hold the rifle tight to your shoulder, which Tom Gaylord said he had to do to get the best accuracy when he tested the Patriot. Some Patriots also vibrate a lot while others are quieter. I don’t know why that is, but I have seen it. A vibrating Patriot will shake your teeth loose in pretty short order, and I don’t know what to do about it. Maybe a cheek pad would help.
Special scope mounts
To keep the mounts from walking off the rifle under recoil, Webley put several transverse grooves across the dovetails. B-Square is the only mount maker who took advantage of those grooves, so you are pretty much constrained to using their mounts. Don’t think that because Webley makes the rifle their mounts have to work best. It doesn’t work that way.
These cross-grooves are the Patriot’s scope stops.
Only B-Square makes the correct stop for a Patriot. This is the underside of their mount.
They can be difficult to shoot until you learn their secrets
More than any other spring air rifle, each Patriot or Kodiak I have shot has had its own quirky set of likes and dislikes. I couldn’t see any transfer from one gun to another. The most neutral rifle I tested had a Vortek gas spring, but that one took an additional 10 lbs. of effort to cock! Anyway, what that means is that there are a lot of folks who used to own a Patriot, and fewer who own one now and love it. Those who do love their rifles wouldn’t use anything else, it seems.
Once you have the rifle dialed in, it’s still not a half-inch gun at 50 yards…more like 1.5″, though I’ve heard owners who say they do better. The trigger is very crisp and light for a sporter – on the order of 3 lbs.
Two best .25 caliber pellets
The two best pellets for Patriots that I ever saw were the Diana Magnum domed pellets that weigh about 21 grains (light for a .25) and the Beeman Kodiaks, which weigh 31 grains (heavy). I’ve wasted a lot of time on oddball British .25 caliber pellets that nobody has ever heard of. All that did was educate me on why they were unknown. But, the Diana Magnums at over 800 f.p.s., deliver the punch needed for medium-sized game (woodchucks and raccoons). This IS a hunting gun, after all.
The Patriot is definitely an airgun you will never forget. If you own one now, how about telling our readers what you think of the gun?
I own a Webley Patriot (.25 cal.) and I was somewhat concerned about what I had read regarding the recoil and cocking effort etc., though this was before I owned the rifle. Having owned it for 8+ months with about 800 rounds put thru it I can only say that when I shoot it, I can’t imagine why everyone was so concerned. My particular rifle is smooth and quiet and it does surprise me everytime I use it because of this. It is a big gun but the weight and solid build help with noise and recoil. I’m sure a super tune would help it in all ways but I feel Webley did a very decent job and can see leaving it alone for the foreseeable future (as it’s still being broken in). Powerful, well put together (a little loctite helps keep it that way) accurate and did I say powerful(?), oh yes, it’s rather powerful too. It also happens to be one of the more attractive guns I’ve owned and seen, with a beautiful fit and finish. I guess you could say I kinda like it! Don’t pass on an opprtunity to acquire one in good condition from the British mfg. I agree that the new manufacturer will have a big (no, make that huge)hill to climb in replicating this benchmark!!! Cheerio!
half inch on 50yd – that is sub MOA
half inch at 50 yds is actually 1 MOA, not sub-MOA…
BB,
I have a .25 caliber Patriot that I ordered through Pyramid, and, at the same time, I also ordered a lot of the Webley Mosquito domed pellets that are only 19.3 grains. They don’t shoot nearly as well as the Beeman Kodiaks, but they’re not so light as to damage the piston of the Patriot, are they?
Thanks,
Mike
Oh, and to add my two cents as to the quality of this gun, I couldn’t be happier with it. The barrel hinge seems a little loose, but overall, the gun feels solid, and is powerful and accurate as hell. I don’t have mine scoped, but my groupings are pretty close – usually an inch or two at fairly close range. Also, there definitely is a kick, but I think the one I ended up with is pretty smooth. The kick isn’t too bad, and there doesn’t seem to be an excessive amount of vibration. I couldn’t be happier with the Patriot I received.
Mike
B.B. you mentioned that at 28 foot-pounds the patriot was close to the record, what springer does hold the honor of most powerful? i always thought it was either the patriot or the 1250.
scopestop
And by the way, .50″ at 50 yards is sub MOA, if we do want to be picky. 1 MOA = 1.047″ at 100 yds, not 1″.
I just recieved a Bengamin 392. Is there anything I should do to prep it before firing? What type of Pellet do you recomend for squirrel hunting (low cost). I’ve fired it once, found it harder to pump than the daisys or crosmans I’m usd to(i’m 15), then again, its muchmore powerful.
Hey BB, you mention that the original Webleys are going fast – Are the Webley PCP guns going fast, too?
I GOT ONE OF THE LAST PATRIOTS IN .22 CAL. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL RIFLE. THE BEACH WOOD HAS GRAIN, ALMOST LIKE BIRDSEYE IN SOME AREAS.
THIS GUN SHOOTS CROSMAN PREMIERS AT 900 FPS. J.S.B. PELLETS AVERAGE AROUND 845 AND SHOOT UNDER 1/2 INCH AT 20 YDS. TO ME THIS GUN IS NO HARDER TO COCK THAN MY RX-2 AND RECOIL IS NOT BOTHERSOM TO ME. I’M REALY GLAD I MANAGED TO GET ONE OF THESE LAST WEBLEY GUNS. MY ONLY DISLIKE IS THE TRIGGER PULL IS A LITTLE HEAVY. B.B.,DO YOU KNOW HOW TO REDUCE THE PULL?
Hi BB, At least the big Webley has some sort of scope stop. But what can be done for the other Webleys?? Never had any luck with those dinky clamp on stops. I think most firearms (that recoil) have some steel to steel stop built into the bases. Right??
I have a .25 cal Patriot that was converted into a carbine: the barrel was shortened. What I like is that I can carry the rifle in a nylon bag with the barrel “broken” [at a 90 degree angle to the stock] and nobody can tell I am carrying a rifle. I sling it over my shoulder and can walk through suburbia on my way to my favorite hunting grounds without frightening people, especially if I am carrying a fishing rod which I use as a prop. People will stop and talk to me about fishing, without ever realizing that I am carrying an air rifle. As to power, the .25 Ram Points hit very hard, but even so, you have to hit a feral rooster in the neck if you are going to put him down. Those critters are tough birds and will run away even after a hit with 28 foot pounds unless you nail them in the vital neck area.
I used to own a Patriot .25 cal but ended up selling it. Not because of the recoil or any nit picks like that. I simply decided a very heavy rifle with a 50-52 lbs. cocking effort simply wasn’t the right gun for me. I don’t even hunt. The simple truth is I was hypnotized by the power of the gun. Eventually I got over it. The Patriot is an excellent air gun though; great looking, accurate and strong enough to punch a hole through an old steel trash can. If I hunted I never would have sold it but for a casual plinker/shooter like me the Patriot turned out to be a case of overkill. Now I own a light weight, co2 powered Mountain Air MA78/25 (an inexpensive Chinese air gun that has been fully modded and converted to .25 cal.) which puts out around 20 foot-pounds. A perfect gun for me. Live and learn, right? Just thought I would share my Patriot experience.
Jim,
What is a “Mountain Air MA78/25”? I did a quick Google and found no information.
Michael in Georgia
Go here:
http://www.mountainaircustomairguns.com/
I measured my Webley .25 cal “carbine” tonight and found that the total length is 42 inches. Thus the barrel was shortened by about 3.5 inches compared to the OEM Webley. This, in my opinion, has made it a better rifle. The accuracy is still there, and it is now more concealable when I carry it with the barrel “broken” and in a nylon bag. The resulting shape simply does not match people’s search image of a rifle—it’s way too short. This is a real benefit if you face the kind of hunting constraints that I do, living next to other people. Obviously, the effort to cock it must have increased because the lever arm is shorter, but I can do it easily. I am sixty years old, weigh 150 lbs, and while I work out with weights, I am no huge guy. It’s for hunting, not for general plinking, and so you will not need to be constantly cocking it. You’re only going to get off one shot at the game before they flee the area, anyway, so don’t worry about the cocking effort. I recommend buying [and modifying] this fine rifle.
Mike,
The Webley Patriot will not be harmed by the Mosquito pellet.
B.B.
scopestop,
As far as I know, the Whiscombe JW80 is the power leader among spring guns. It generates up to 35 foot-pounds in .25 caliber.
I think the Whiscombes are no longer made. They last sold at over $2,000 for just the rifle with one barrel.
Perhaps I should do a blog about them?
B.B.
That would be very interesting. I’ve never even heard of the Wiscombes.
comicfan93,
What a great airgun you have! You should oil the pump head with a couple drops of Crosman Pellgunoil about twice a year. To see it, turn the rifle upside down and open the pump handle. The pump head is the dark material that just appears in the pump slot when the handle is all the way forward. And always store the gun with one pump of air in it. That keeps the valves sealed so no dirt can get inside.
The best inexpensive pellet for your rifle is the Benjamin Sheridan Diabolo domed pellet. It looks like a Crosman Premier and offers 95 percent of the capability for about 50 percent of the price. Some discount stores sell them, and of course Pyramyd AIR will sell you 4 tins for the price of three. That offsets the shipping somewhat.
B.B.
SJ Schnell,
No, the Webley PCPs, which are made by FX of Sweden, are in no jeopardy of selling out.
B.B.
KAPSKEY,
The Patriot’s trigger is adjustable, but not for pull weight. If you shorten the second stage by lengthening the first stage, the pull will seem crisp and lighter.
B.B.
Webley scope stop,
You are right! Thjose Webleys without scope stopes are flawed by that lack. It is possible to drill a vertical hole in the tube, but care must be taken to not drill into the parts that are beneath. It is a job best left to a qualified airgunsmith who has to disassemble the rifle before doing the drilling.
B.B.
Jim,
I have put Whiscombes on the list.
B.B.
Regarding the scope mounts recommended by BB for the Patriot, there is an alternative to the B-Square AA mounts made for the Patriot and Tomahawk. The BKL-260 unitary six-bolt mount stays put on both rifles. It’s not cheap (about $55) and it won’t take scopes with a bell larger than about 40mm, but, it’s the best solid mount I’ve found for these rifles. I have three of the adjustable AA mounts by B-Square and I’m not using any of them. Why? First of all, I really don’t need the adjustability of these mounts. Installing and alinging them is fussy and time-consuming, that is, assuming you can figure out how the gimbal joints work. Second, in my experience, these mounts just aren’t strong enough. They don’t creep, but, the little gimbal joints that provide the adjustability tend to loosen after a while (even wih threadlock). Furthermore, once you do have the mount and scope installed/aligned correctly, don’t bump it! Even a slight blow to the scope will knock it out of alignment, requiring you to go through the whole align/adjust/zero process again (this also applied every time the gimbal screws loosen up). I spent hours fussing with these mounts before giving up and converting to solid, one-piece mounts on all my guns (no rings, no AAs).
I’ve never found a BKL clamp-only mount that would stay put on a Beeman R9, to say nothing of a Patriot. Clamping pressure, alone, isn’t enough to stop movement under recoil, so please tell me that these BKL mounts you recommend have the correct half-round pins to interface with the Patriots’ stop grooves.
B.B.
No it does not have the half-round pins and they stay put. I’ve detected no movement in 100s of shots. I’m using this mount on a Patriot and a Tomahawk. You gotta torque ’em down tight! If you use one of those cheap L-shaped allen wrenches to tighten the screws, or even a T-handle allen, you can’t generate enough torque on the screws. Use a 3/8 socket wrench or a torque wrench with an allen head on it and tighten the !$@!&! out of it. And even if they did move (not yet), I’d still rather re-position this mount than a AA. It takes a lot less time to loosen the screws, re-tighten them, and re-zero the scope. Little or no adjustment is needed for the scope itself, and you skip that whole mount realignment process. The solid mounts are far less likley to get bumped out of position, you really have to hit it pretty hard to move anything. The gimbals on the AA mount are relatively flimsy. They are easily knocked out of position.
plinkerton,
I have tested BKL mounts extensively. On an R9 I tightened them so tight the tube collapsed and I could feel the mainspring as it bumped past the mount and it still moved. I put White Out on both the gun and mounts and proved that it moved. I have never been able to get BKLs to not move on any recoiling spring guns I’ve used them on. They do work well on PCPs, as long as no adjustment is needed.
On the other hand, I have detected zero movement in a properly tightened set of AA mounts. There was a problem with the steel split ring cracking in the early models, but they fixed that.
The only time I have difficulty with AA mounts is after I’ve installed and removed them from guns about 25 times. Then they do wear out. That’s a function of the steel screws wearing out the aluminum threads. But I can install AA rings on any airguns so they will not move. That’s why they remain my mount of choice.
B.B.
have shot aprox. 1000 rounds in my new beeman kodiak .22, just now feels like it’s starting to break-in.
kodiak like JSB exacts, logun penatrators and el cheapo daisy pellets.
deadly accurate and hits hard!
recently purchased a used patriot .25, had problems right off the bat. patriot would not engage the sear at full cock position.
so I emailed the seller, who asked if I cocked it fully? since I’m used to shooting kodiak. 50lb cocking force is normal.
then I carefully cocked patriot agin, slamming hard at end of cocking stroke. this finally engaged the sear.
naturally I held on the barrel extra tight while loading pellet. patriot shot fine. then I cycled patriot several time after that. sear started to engage and feel normal.
after shooting aprox. 20 rounds, patriot started to have not as positive sear engagement. but would engage everytime, at the very end of stroke.
Paul Watts had recently posted that he no longer works on Patriots due to sear issues.
Qizzed Beeman on this, but they claimed no problems sear issue whatso ever.
have you heard feedback about sear issues with patriot?
sure hope I can find internal parts!!!
I have never heard of a Patriot’s (Kodiak’s) sear wearing. However, if you gun has been “tuned” by someone, it’s possible they did work on the trigger that lead to the problem. Many tinkerers file trigger parts without a thought to how deep the case hardening goes. Once you cut through that, any trigger sear will wear fast.
I would suggest having John Groenewold take a look at your rifle.
B.B.
according to seller patriot has under 700 rounds shot through it.
ruffness of cocking motion and how patriot shoots confirms this gun has never been tuned.
action feels exactly like my kodiak during first 500 rounds.
patriot has been engaging sear normally. but I still would like to replace the sear.
now that webley is gone out of business. who would have a spare sear?
thanks,
does anyone know how i can get a .25 cal kodiak? apparently pyramid air does not sell them (anymore?) and i havent had any luck from any other websites or even local retailers. (even a local retailer which according to the beeman website is supposedly a 5 star dealer). is this gun no longer in production and if not are there any other comparable guns that i could acually aquire?
The Beeman Kodiak is actually the same rifle as the Webley Patriot. Webley made all of them.
Webley has ceased production of airguns in England and is now setting up a production line in Turkey. Three models will be made there, including the Patriot, so the Beeman Kodiak could come back. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the rifles, to see whether the quality has been maintained. We hope so!
B.B.
BB,
Hello. It’s me, Carl. The guy that wrote to you about my Daisy 22X and my Gamo Shadow 1000 in the past. Well I bought yet another rifle. This time it’s a .25 caliber Webley Stingray that I got from Pyramid. I wasn’t able to see much in the way of reviews for the Stingray. It seems like it’s the red-headed stepchild of the Webley line as you can find articles on the Patriot or the Longbow, or the Tomahawk, but nothing on the Stingray.
I did find some user reviews on review centre mainly covering the .22 cal Stingray and they seemed to be positive. The Stingray looked like a fairly reasonably priced .25 so I thought that I’d try it out being that I’ve been wanting a .25.
I got it this past week, and I have to say that it’s very well made. It’s built just as solid as any .22 LR. I took it out to the range today with Beeman’s Silver Sting and Ram Jet pellets.
I started shooting at 25 yards. All my shooting was done with open sights. My shooting position was as follows: I was sitting in a chair with my left hand resting on the table and my right arms straight out 90 degrees from my body.
I started with the Silver Sting and got about 1.25″ groups with a five shot string at 25 yards. The Ram Jet gave me about 1.5″ groups.
I decided to move closer to 10 yard to see where it was impacting at this distance. I got 1″ groups with the Silver Sting. The Ram Jet, to my surprise, tighted up to about a half inch. There were some three shot strings where the Ram Jet holes were overlapping. The Ram Jet sure felt at home at 10 yards. I didn’t shoot that much at 10 yards as I was getting tired from shooting a couple hundred pellets. The cocking effort may not be as much as the Patriot, but it’s enough to wear you out after a while.
Now I’m sure that the Stingray is capible of better accuracy than I’m delivering open sighted. I plan to keep shooting open sighted until my skill improves in this area. This next weekend I plan on digging my chronograph out of storage, so hopefully I’ll be able to give you some velocity figures before the end of the month. I’m real curious as to what kind of velocities this gun is capible of producing in the real world.
Thanks,
Carl
Carl,
Yes, the Stingray is a “red-headed stepchild,” but it’s also a Webley. Several years ago, BSA made a Supersport breakbarrel in .25. It was supposed to be a dog, but it turned out otherwise. It was very accurate and powerful, for its size.
Try cleaning the bore with JB paste and I think you’ll see an improvement. And try Kodiak and Diana Magnum pellets, for best accuracy.
B.B.
BB,
It’s a shame that the Stingray hasn’t got the attention that it deserves. Besides being well made, it’s a real pleasure to shoot. I don’t think that it vibrates any more than my Shadow 1000. I wonder why it’s not heard about more?
I did clean the barrel with EEZOX last night. The patches were coming out black at first, but the patches looked a lot better when I got done cleaning. I didn’t clean it perfectly, but at least the patches were a light gray with a lot less fouling.
I actually have a jar of JB Bore Bright that I bought a few years ago. Do you think that I need to brush the barrel? I only have a bronze brush. I ask because I heard that airgun barrels damage more easily than firearm barrels do. If that’s true, do you think that I would be better off just running some JB coated patches down the barrel?
Thanks,
Carl
Carl,
Yes, clean the bore, but with JB Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. I’m not familiar with Bore Bright.
Airgun barrels are not hard, just like rimfire barrels, so they will wear if the rod scrapes against them. That’s why cleaning isn’t recommended.
The black you removed was anti-oxydant. It isn’t dirt. The very next pellet will leave some in the bore.
B.B.
Wanting an air gun in each caliber, I purchased a Webley Patriot in .25 caliber about three years ago. After not caring for the added weight of a scope on this hefty rifle, I changed it to a peep sight that works perfectly. I tested a number of pellets for energy, and it did live up to the claims advertised.( a reloading scale does a great job on pellets when aided with a chrono) And that was it. It is my least used air gun. It is large, heavy, and pure over kill for plinking or target shooting. The reality is my 17-year-old R-1 in 22 cal. can take care of most of the pests run into. I use a very accurate under lever when I want to challenge myself from a rest, and my sweet little R-7 is king of indoor basement shooting. I am sure a lot of folks will not agree, but once you get past having the most power, their are more appropriate air guns for most uses. The Patriot would be great only if you need to replace a .22 rimfire in firepower.
did anyone chrony this rifle in .177 cal. with 16 gr. eujin pellet???
I regard small and heavy slug very highly.
thanks.
BB,
I finally got my .25 caliber Stingray out for a chrono session. I used a shooting Chrony F-1. The pellets are all Beeman, and the results are from a five shot group with the exception of the Ramjet which was a six shot group.
Ramjet – 24.18 gr
Hi 546
Low 537
Ave 540
SD 3.5
Silver Ace – 21.6 gr
Hi 511
Low 493
Ave 501
SD 7.4
Silver Sting – 25.12 gr
Hi 498
Low 488
Ave 494
SD 4.8
Silver Bear – 26.42 gr
Hi 512
Low 504
Ave 509
SD 3.1
I find it interesting that the Ramjet gave the best velocity numbers. I ran an extra Ramjet pellet after all my shooting was over just to confirm. The Ramjet actually out ran the lighter Silver Ace. Why do you think that is so? It’s not a bad thing. As I explained above, the Ramjet has given the best accuracy of the three pellets I tested (I haven’t tested the Silver Bear for accuracy yet). I would not have expected the Ramjet to give the best velocity figures. The Silver Bear was the heaviest pellet, yet it basicly had the same velocity as the Silver Ace.
I’m glad that I chrono’ed this gun. It really opened my eyes about individual pellet perfomance. I also learned that the 620 ft/sec rating this gun has isn’t accurate. Based on my data, 520 ft/sec is a better rating for this gun. All and all, I like this gun. It may not be as powerful as the Patriot, but I’m sure it’s a heck of a lot more pleasant to shoot. Besides, I think the Stingray will have plenty of power for squirrels.
Merry Christmas!
Carl
Carl,
Interesting numbers. I think you will find the Silver Ace won’t be accurate. It sounds to me like the skirts are being blown out. You could shoot into water and recover a pellet to confirm this.
B.B.
I noticed you wrote a review on W&S Tomahawk .22 cal, but you don’t have it for sale, only .177 Didn’t make sense to me. Did you test .177 calibler as well? This rifle is on my wish-list.
Thanks.
I did the review on the Tomakawk I had available. Webley stopped making the Tomahawk in 2005, when they closed their doors. All manufacture of spring guns has been shifted to Turkey, which is what the most recent two posts about the Patriot are all about.
The Tomahawks that Pyramyd has left are the last of their kind made in the UK. If a UK-made Tomahawk is something you want, better act soon.
There will be some more models coming from Turkey this year, but I believe the Tomahawk will be combined with another model to make a new model.
B.B.
Where can I buy a gas ram conversion kit for a Webley Patriot .22? Just ordered it from Pyramyd, so it is probably Turkish.
Gas spring,
I don’t know whether Theoben still makes a gas spring conversion for the Patriot, but they used to. Contact Theoben USA for that.
B.B.
Cant find any reviews of the Turkish Patriot. Have you seen/heard anything???
I guess it wasn’t obvious that the rifle tested above is a Turkish Patriot.
B.B.
Hi All,
BB,
I have the impression that PATRIOT is the predecessor for the Hatsan 135. Is that correct?
By the way, I suspect, that, for springers (the massive production ones), there are just a few basic Spring-Piston and Trigger designs and dimensions, shared by the immense quantity of models in the market changing just the externals, such as the Sights, the Stocks and other details. I noticed, too, that the Seal plays an important role to define performance (sometimes small variations in diameter makes the difference). I would like to clarify that this is only my appreciation and limited experience with airguns.
I would really appreciate an article from you, with your vast experience in this regards talking about this topic.
Thanks and best regards.
Arvizu,
Welcome to the blog.
Is the Patriot the predecessor of the Hatsan 135? No, I don’t think so. It’s true that Patriots were built in Turkey after they stopped making them in the UK, but the rifle is quite different than the 135. Of course they both have a lot of power and both recoil quite a bit, but beyond that I think they are different airguns.
Are piston seals important to performance? They sure are. Here are several reports I’ve written over the years:
/blog/2008/03/spring-piston-seals/
/blog/2007/12/how-to-make-a-leather-piston-seal/
/blog/2005/03/how-when-why-to-lube-your-spring-guns-piston-seals/
/blog/2008/11/what-to-oil-part-2-oiling-piston-and-breech-seals/
/blog/2012/02/the-spring-piston-powerplant/
B.B.