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What did YOU get?

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by B.B. Pelletier

Today, I’ll depart from the normal focus, taking some time to reflect on the presents I got for Christmas. As I mentioned yesterday, though not everyone celebrates Christmas, most people do buy something major for themselves at this time of year. If it wasn’t for Christmas, it may be using that tax refund that will be coming in another month. One way or another, this is the hottest buying time of the entire year.

It’s better to give…
I often get an airgun for Christmas, but this year I gave one as a present, too. My brother-in-law and his wife came up to celebrate with my wife and me and my sister. I’d given him a Hakim rifle many years ago. This year, I gave him one of the Predom Lucznik pistols that copy the Walther LP53. In fact, the gun I gave him was the very gun I used to write the blog post.

pre-web

Predom Lucznik spring pistol is a copy of the Walther LP53 that has more power and good accuracy.

I showed him how it works and how to maintain it with oil. I gave him a tin of Gamo Match pellets to go with it, because when I tested it, I found them to be ideal. We didn’t shoot much on Christmas Eve when I gave him the gun, but after he returned home he phoned to say he had taken it outside and was doing a number on a box in his yard. He adjusted the sights and had the gun shooting well by Christmas morning. He took it over to the grandkids on Christmas day so they could see the neat gun grandpa got.

Picture perfect – what every gun writer needs
I received a new digital camera that also takes videos. I have a great camera that does all that already, but it’s so large that I often don’t take it with me when I go to the range. When I find the perfect picture, there’s no way to capture it. Or, I see something cool that would make a great video segment, but again, no camera to capture it.

12-27-07-camera

Small digital camera will be easier to carry to the field. Shown about actual size.

My new camera is a Fuji Finepix Z with 7.2 megapixel images. I’ve used 3.2 megapixel images for newsstand magazine pictures, but this is more than twice the final image area and close to what I’m currently doing with my large camera. It’s smaller than a pack of cigarettes, so I’ll be far more likely to have it when I need it. My other camera is also a Fuji, so the controls and software are similar. Even the download software is the same, so there was nothing to do but connect the camera to my computer and go to work.

Wilson CQB
My other big gift was truly major – a Wilson Combat CQB with light rail. A 1911 pistol that’s entirely hand-fitted with all forged steel and tool steel parts. No MIM parts (metal-injection molded), no castings – nothing you have to wonder about. Many of you have followed my saga of getting familiar with the Taurus PT1911, so this new pistol, which is perfect in all respects, represents the “after” to that “before” gun. The Wilson is the most trusted 1911 on the market. You can pay more, but they don’t come any more reliable and rugged. It comes with a “1-inch at 25 yards” guarantee!

12-27-07-pistol

Wilson CQB 1911 raises the bar for my pistol collection. The Taurus now has big shoes to fill.

This gun will do many things. After I verify that it’s as reliable as the ads and articles say, it becomes home defense gun No. 1 – displacing my Makarov. I will find a good tactical flashlight/laser combo to mount on the light rail for those chance nighttime encounters. It came with tritium night sights, but a laser dot on the chest is supposed to be a good persuader.

The CQB will also serve as the standard I will strive for in gunsmithing the Taurus. The feel of the gun cocking is incredible, plus the trigger is the proverbial glass rod, so the Taurus has a long way to go. I will not give up on the Brazilian gun until it fulfills it’s promises, so the CQB will be a great go-to gun in the interim.

Those were my big gifts, now tell me about yours.

85 thoughts on “What did YOU get?”

  1. i got a hatsan mod 70 (pyramydair has it as the winchester 1000b) this christmas. i know it aint the best springer around but im really determined to learn how to shoot it (thanks for the ‘artillery hold’ post bb!). well, there ya go. happy holidays everyone!

    abel in manila

  3. B.B.

    I got a cheekpiece raiser kit for my CFX. That’s it for me as far as airguns go. It improved the feel of the stock on my face and I believe it helped me in finding my welding spot.

    I ll probably be getting the GTR trigger as well, as a late xmas present, since I already bought the trox #25 wrench.

    I feel that the whole rifle shakes when I am pulling the trigger slowly. When I stop pulling, the shaking stops as well. – Is that normal for a tough Gamo trigger?

    I hope that your new camera gets good use during the next year, something that we will enjoy as well.

    Andreas

  4. I got a Chronograph.
    First thing I checked was my Avanti 747. First thing I checked was my Avanti 747. It registered ± 240. I put 5 drops of oil down the barrel and stood it in the corner, pointed up, for an hour. Now its getting 350. Thanks BB.
    MCA

  5. I recieved an RWS 46 E in .22 cal for Christmas this year.It was a present from my wonderful wife. It was made in 1999 and has the T-01 trigger. I have a new RWS mod 34 .22 with the T-05 trigger bought earlier this year to compare it to, and this gun is much nicer to shoot and seems just as powerful. I sighted it in on Christmas day and took it squirrel hunting yesterday. Saw only one squirrel, but it didn’t present a decent, sure shot, so I can’t report on the gun’s effectiveness on them. The 46 did like RWS superdomes the best, and quarter sized, 10 shot, groups were the norm using the open sights that are on the gun. It was also a very nice gun to hunt with. A little heavy perhaps, but not as bad as some others, even though some are more powerful. I found could load the gun ahead of time, and then cock it quietly with minimal body movement if I wanted , without having to carry it around cocked for long periods of time, like I have to with my 34. I got my wife a new digital camera also. She is not into guns at all, but tolerates my addiction.

  6. My lovely wife gave me a Hornady reloading kit, now I can shoot my sig P245 and .357 Dan Wesson on the cheap:-).
    For myself I picked up a Daisy 747 after reading so many good things about it.
    Hope everyone had a nice and safe holiday.

    Al

  9. Hello BB and all,

    Treated myself to a Steve Corcoran custom stock for my 1377C that I converted to .22 caliber and 24 inch barrel. Steve is an absolute artist.

    Picked up another Bam B30 but in .177 caliber this time. Mounted a Leapers 4-16×50 on it. It just loves Beeman Kodiaks.

    Congrats on everyones gifts, and happy shooting for the days and years to come. Happy Holidays!!!

  11. Got a .22 cal Tech Force 89 with the 3X12X44 scope combo from Compasseco on order. Plus some Gamo Hunter pellets. Heard lots of good things about the Tech Force including your review BB so I can’t wait.

  13. Not so much a Christmas gift, but just a late birthday one to myself. Following a trade, I had $100 gift card left to decide what to do with and finally decided to buy a little variety of pellets from same store, which has been scaling back their airgun supply, drastically. So, I got a bunch of pellets at cut prices.

  21. BB,
    I got myself a CF-X as you probly know. I also got an Olympus E500 digital SLR with two lenses. It may not be as small as your camera but it takes great pictures!

    Any plans for another airsoft pistol review in the future? thanks
    Awsome 1911 by the way!

    Nate in Mass

  25. Hey BB,

    Once again, I am impressed with the .177cal version of the BAM B30, as I was the .22cal version. If I’m reading the serial number correctly it is actually older than my .22cal version. Looks like there are cosmetic differences in front and rear sight parts. The .177cal version also has a more attractive stock and a cleaner look, even though it may be older. Can’t believe I picked up this much gun for the price.

    I always shoot indoors at first to get the scope fairly sighted in. Made the mistake of loading an 8.8gr Beeman Field Target Special for the first shot. Of course it went super-sonic and let out a loud crack like a .22 rimfire. I put the gun down and waited for the police to show up just in case my neighbors called it in…lol. I was also hoping nobody thought I was depressed during the holiday season..lol.

    Next day I started with heavier 10.6gr Beeman Kodiaks. They gun quieted down of course. They made scope sighting in easy, and immediately I was dropping pellets through the same hole. Chronied a range of 805-815fps for the Kodiaks. I believe I have already found my “go to” pellet for this gun, but plan to order some 9.8gr Beeman Ram Jets just to see if they stay sub-sonic, and offer any additional accuracy.

    Scope mounting was very easy. I removed the screw at the end of the scope rail, just to see what its purpose was. It served none so I left it off. I mounted the scope with B-Square 25020 two piece mounts. I had more than one set on hand, so I grabbed two that had stop pins, and utilized the 3rd hole from the front, and the hole at the rear of the scope rail (in front of the screw hole). I always put tape inside my scope mounts, and they never budge with adequate pressure.

    Just like the .22cal version, its not hold sensitive at all. The weight of the rifle with the scope doesn’t bother me, but I think this helps greatly with to tame the shooting characteristics of the rifle. For the money, if you get one you are pleased with, it a great buy.

    I hope this information was useful.

    On another note, Pyramid and others seem to have discountinued the H&N 14.6gr Field and Target Trophy pellets. When I received the phone call from Pyramid discussing this and my order, the young lady didn’t seem to know why the pellets were being discontinued. Do you have any insight on this?

    Thanks as always, and happy/safe shooting.

  26. I bought myself a DAQ 2550 .25 Serial# 764. Comes with some nice Ricks Grips and a Biohazard valve setup.

    Here is a link to a picture of it.

    [IMG]http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n75/nuglor/DAQ2550.jpg[/IMG]

    Nuglor

  28. I didn’t get any airguns this year, in fact the last time I received an airgun for Christmas, it was a Power Line multi -ump and that was about 20 years ago. I still have it and its accurate as ever.

    This year I received a hi-cap magazine for my NAA Guardian 380. It bumps ammo capacity from 6 to 10 and gives it a full size grip. The gun looks funny with a full size grip and only a 2.5 inch barrel. I like it though.

    mech

  32. BB,

    As hoped, I received the Hammerli 490 for Christmas, so here are my first impressions.

    Upon my opening the box, the rifle looked a bit dingy. It had a good bit of dust and other dirt on it, but it wiped off easily and started looking quite good quickly. The unknown hardwood is not presentation grade but is well finished with only a few minor blemishes (e.g., few tiny sanding gouges and a few specks of blotchy stain). The butt pad fits flush with the stock and all woodwork is clean, if a little utilitarian. The stain is reddish, dark, and fairly opaque with a semi-gloss topcoat.

    Even though this is one of the smaller airguns available, it still looks large and bulky to me, compared to most rifles (i.e., firearms). I also thought the forearm especially was blocky, although there are mechanical reasons for it. Other new airgunners out there should consider these types of things when looking at air rifles. The balance point is well forward of the trigger guard. The LOP and wrist-size are just about right for an average sized person.

    Metal and bluing (more than matte but not too shiny) are better than I had expected from pictures, although it is a little spotty in a couple of small places. The only thing I didn’t like at first was the plastic trigger guard: it seems a little thin in cross-section. Otherwise, plastic is notably minimal: the front sight block (hood is metal), windage adjustment block on rear sight, windage and elevation knobs, rear tube cap, trigger blade and trigger guard. I don’t know what is inside, but from teardowns of similar rifles online, it doesn’t seem like there is a lot of plastic hiding there either.

    Breaking the barrel open, there was some crud in the cocking slot, but no metal flakes or grit. The bore, surprisingly, was so bright and clean that I decided not to try to do anything to it, except shoot. Lockup of barrel seems tight. There appears to be a small chamfer around the breach (the rifling starts pretty much immediately): pellet insertion is snug but easy and not too tight, at least with the pellets I have (RWS Basics). The muzzle has no crown cut or recess to speak of, but there appears be a fine chamfer. The outside edge of muzzle is plainly chamfered. There are light shadows of machining on the muzzle end of the barrel. There is also a tiny bit of roughness on the exhaust port of the piston-chamber. The cocking linkage rattles occasionally side to side. Overall, the rifle appears to be a serviceable, field grade piece.

    I have the 4×32 scope (my 490 was the combo) but haven’t used it as the open sights are quite usable: hooded front post and clickable-thumbscrews on rear sight. The scope looks adequate and includes shaded see-through end-caps, presumably for bright days. No AO, and no information that I could find as to what the parallax setting is, however.

    So, I grabbed some pellets along with an empty can and went outside during a lull in the festivities. Placing the can about 25 feet away, I shot and hit it three times (or was it an aspirin at 250 feet, since this is the internet?). Cocking is almost free – it’s as if you have to open up the action to load a pellet anyway and the gun gets cocked. Firing was non-eventful also: a “whuff” and a little bump. The automatic safety is in a weird place, but works just fine. Also, I suspect the trigger would be a tad heavy for some people, but to me it was fine. I actually like it, as a general-purpose trigger, despite knowing better.

    Later, I went back outside with a sheet of 10m targets and started sighting in and shooting. I’m not going to try to report accuracy or group-size, but I haven’t found any problems with accuracy that aren’t traceable to the shooter at this point. I will depend on your evaluation for credible accuracy and group data. I’m also not going to comment on velocity, as I don’t have a chronograph.

    Anyway, after probably 200 shots on and off during the course of Christmas day (breaking in, sighting in, practicing with 10m targets and also just shooting at cans), I am satisfied that the gun (at least the one I got) is truly a pleasure to shoot. Even if it does not turn out to be competition accurate (which I don’t really expect, although I think it will be decent), it is a fun plinker for sure.

    That’s about all I know at this point — sorry this is so long.

  33. BB,

    At first I didn’t. Pocket pistols are so small that they have an unusually strong recoil, but I sent the gun to NAA and had them customize it and smooth out the action. It shoots real nice and smooth now. Having the action smoothed out takes the recoil right out of the gun. The best part is that it was done under warranty, I did have to pay for the night sights I had installed though. I haven’t shot it with the new mag yet but it feels very comfortable.

    If you ever wan a pocket pistol, I highly suggest getting an NAA. They function well, look nice, have a large amount of accessories, and the best warranty that I have seen, ever. The guns are all stainless steel, so they’re heavy for their size. If you want light weight then Kel-Tec makes a popular polymer framed model, but it doesn’t look nearly as nice or classy, nor does it feel as good to hold.

    NAA has a reputation for making a good product and they stand by it. If you ever come across an NAA firearm that does not properly function, new, used, they will not stop repairing it until it works flawlessly.

    mech

  35. Hello again BB,

    Got the message from the young lady who discussed my original order with me, and the website. She put me on hold to ask someone why, and came back and said she didn’t know.

    I also tried to order from a different site (maybe Pyramyd is their pellet supplier?), and they sent me an email concerning my order, that they had been discontinued also.

    I hope it is just an out of stock issue, because I absolutely love those pellets. I don’t know why a manufacturer would stop making something that worked so well, but that seems to be the way things are nowadays. I will use my current stock sparingly for hunting shots, and hope they either re-appear, or show up under another name.

    Beeman Field Target Specials look and weigh real similar to the H&N’s, and actually have an H&N stamp on their tin label like they are made by H&N. As close as they are appearance and weight, my guns group a little bit worse with the Beemans. Go figure. It is what it is though….

    Thanks

  36. BB, I’m confused by your reply to my post, on my RWS 46 about my placing a pellet in the breech before cocking the gun? I didn’t notice any change in POA or power the few times I did this. The gun seemed to fire normally either way. I didn’t think the gun pulled air into the compression chamber on the cocking stroke. I thought the piston just expelled the air that was already and always there. Are you are saying this will damage this gun? Please reply and thank-you. RWS 46

  38. bb,

    I’ve waited quite a while for my pellets to be shipped, but there was always some pellet type that was out of stock *cough* JSBs *cough*.

    Now that Christmas has come and pass (and I ordered my pellets back in October) I decided that I would get a different pellet to replace the JSBs and get the JSBs later. Pyramyd Air was very polite and helped me through everything. I even asked if they had any dented tins, and after a brief wait they called me back and told me they didn’t.

    I just my order to drop the JSBs and am now getting 2 tins of Benjamin Sheridan Diabolos (hopefully they’re as good as the Crosman Premiers I’m ordering!). Pyramyd Air even gave me a 35 cent discount so the 2 tins of Benjis are the same price as the 1 tin of JSBs.

    I am very happy with Pyramyd Air’s service (Just yesterday I was at a store that would not trade 19 dollars cash and 1 dollar in change for a 20 dollar bill!). I will now be making all my pellet orders, or at least most ;), with Pyramyd Air.

    I got a nice wad of money for Christmas and I intend to use it for buying an IZH 61! I can’t wait until I get the rest of the money I need! I hope you had a great Christmas bb.

    Thanks,
    Insomniac09

  40. BB and all,

    Some of you may have seen it already, but I got a 2300x Crosman custom shop pistol in .177 with a 10.5 inch Crosman Barrel and the LPA MIM sight. Nice low profile, but as you had reported earlier, the notch is just a bit wide and the white dots don’t really help. I ordered it with plastic grips because as you may know, I choose to make my own. There’s truly something rewarding in making grips that fit YOUR hand.

    In the photo, I have a UTG red/green dot sight mounted on it. It’s really a great shooter. Crosman can rifle a barrel.

    http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd304/haywire2/DSCN0430.jpg

    Merry Christmas to all.
    Regards,
    Michael in Florida

  41. BG_Farmer, you’ve allayed my suspicion that the TF49/Hammerli 490 is a rehash of the B1/B2 series. The most recent example I tried (a TF11 badged B1) had a surprisingly high cocking effort and the trigger was unbelievably bad. After removing one of the two trigger return springs, it improved to believably bad.

    Compasseco always crows about how their rifles are subject to higher QC standards than the regular, run-of-the-mill Industry brand stuff. The TF25 and TF11 I had purchased betrayed no such additional attention to detail. When I get my TF89 I’ll be able to compare it to a plain-jane AR1000.

  45. On nov 29 you talked about shrouds. My ? is;doesn’t the air pop out from around the pellet and create turbulance to the pellet before it leaves the shroud? and what kind of distance are we talking between the muzzle and shroud exit? Thanks and keep up the good work.

  46. wraith,

    I know from watching high-speed camera footage of firearms bullets leaving the muzzle that some of the burning gasses do leave the muzzle ahead of the bullet, so I would assume something similar happens with air in pellet rifles. Shrouded barrels would be especially vulnerable to it.

    In many shrouded barrels the jump from the muzzle is an inch or sop, but in the Talon SS its more like 4.5 inches. And the Condor with the Airhog frame extender that amounts to a shroud has about a six-inch jump.

    But shrouded airguns are not inaccurate, as a rule. I only add “…as a rule” because there may be some that are, but I’ve never seen them.

    B.B.

  47. Vince,

    Keep in mind that I’m new to “serious” airguns. On the other hand, I had worked myself into a dither worrying that the gun would be unusable, which is not at all the case — it’s a real hoot to shoot. I’m eager to see what BB can wring out of it.

    I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you with the TF89. I had considered the Titan and SS1000(?)’s, but it was just more length, weight, and power than I thought I needed. I think you are smart to do .22 (IIRC). I too am curious about how much value is added (or required by spec.) by the various companies — will be fun to see what you find out.

  49. B.B.

    When I return from travels, will look forward to receiving a Daisy 747 (time to get into some match pistol shooting), Plano single pistol case, Plano double non-scoped rifle case, duct seal, 4 tins of RWS Hobby pellets, 4 tins of JSB exacts, and 4 boxes of Crosman Premier Lights.

    Congratulations on your Wilson 1911. Tempation got to you, eh? I don’t know how you lasted this long. That’s a beautiful gun, and for anyone serious about 1911s, this looks like a must-have. I hope we hear more about it. I would also like to hear more about the Makarov. It must be something if it was the chosen home defense gun from your arsenal. I had never heard of it until I ran across these folks

    http://www.russianmartialart.com/main.php?page=clips

    They claim to be ex-commandos from the former Soviet Union. You hear all sorts of things on the internet, but the clips on the page above caught my attention; I found number 15 especially instructive. And when I went to see them in person, I had their skills demonstrated for me beyond a shadow of a doubt. Their head person, Vladimir–in clip #15, really knows how to hit. Anyway, most of what they can market commercially is their unarmed combat techniques but they seem to be masters of everything to do with destruction and have a small line of materials on combat pistol shooting which I had a look at. The techniques look very different from the Western methods I’ve read about with the two-handed holds and rigid postures. Their methods are much more fluid and acrobatic and in some cases would seem to violate basic tenets of Western methods. But their system makes sense in its own terms; I wouldn’t want to get in their way. Anyway, I heard about the Makarov as part of their very extensive anecdotes about combat. Those guys are quite a recommendation all by themselves. And my experience with the IZH 61 makes me very well-disposed towards Russian weaponry. Your impressions of the Makarov would be very interesting. Thanks.

    Matt61

  50. BB,

    Thanks, I felt bad giving you such a long report on 490, but my inexperience wouldn’t allow me to cut it much more. I tried to give details without too much opinion, since my opinion is w/o weight.

    I’m looking forward even more to seeing what you think and measure.

    PS.I also wanted to alert you to a problem: the 10m air-rifle targets being shipped by PA are ridiculously small:).

  51. squirellkiller

    Thanks so much for your report about the BAM B30. I’m starved for info on this gun. Your report confirms my impression that in getting an RWS 48 for half-price this is a deal like no other. In fact, I don’t know why I’m not ordering one this very minute. Probably to recover from my Christmas shopping.

    Anyway, I would like to hear more about the noise. With subsonic ammo, can you hear it outside a house, through a door, a wall, cinderblock, plaster? Do you need ear protection inside? Can you approximate the sound? Handclap, hammer driving a nail? Thanks.

    Matt

  54. BB. congrats. on your 1911 !!Question to you,, is a Webley Patriot at nearly 30 ft. lbs. powerfull enough to KILL THE S#%$ OUT of my computer?? ONE HOUR of old man one finger typing & lost my message to you & others!! Funny that my orders to P.A. & Charlie Da Tuna go thru no prob ,, But for me unassisted to get on this blog seem imposible!!LOL. HAPPY HOLLIDAYS TO ALL! Computer ill. in S.C. Drag. Slay.

  55. BB. after wife helped me back on!!My computer, while pretty new, is very hold sensative, or maybe dumb a$% sensative!!– My Xmas gifts: Cros. G1 extreme,Gamo Ricon,Gamo Nitro 17,Gamo Big cat, Beeman sportsman 17,( like the one your testing in dual cal.) Mine in 177 I returned,, TOO mutch play bet. acction & stock for me. Big cat I re gifted to my son.Others were gifts to me from ME!!! $$ spent on springers in last 2 weeks could have bought me that Tallon SS Ive been wanting!! ( I dive & spear fish so scuba tanks are a given!) BB. I REALLY like this Gamo Nitro 17,,,720-740 fps w/ 8.8 crow mags.!! 3/4 in. bottle tops are DEAD at 20-30 yds.!! If you told me a year ago I would have liked gamo,, I would have said yhea Ill drive aDodge too!!OOPS as I look out my window I see 2 NEW Dodge trucks in my driveway &4 new Gamo,s in my collection!! One truck is my wifes ALL 19 airguns are MINE!!!Happy hollidays to all, but now its almost over– LETS GO BACK TO SLINGING LEAD!!! Drag. Slay>

  56. Hello Matt,

    Both .177cal and .22cal Bam B30’s are the most powerful springers I own, and the loudest springers I own, but I don’t think they warrant ear protection. If you encounter the super-sonic sound, it is very loud and startling to say the least, especially indoors. I compare it to the first time I accidentally dry-fired one of my other magnum springers, and yes it sounded like a firearm.

    The sub-sonic sound could be compared to a very loud, well-formed hand-clap. After reading your question, I shot a few guns to compare it to. Its on the lines of a 8-10 (or 15) pump pneumatic, or a CO2 like a Crosman 2250B or RWS/Hammerli 850 AirMagnum.

    Down here in Florida, we don’t have the luxury of basements, and all of my shooting is done on the first floor. I shoot from a position in the corner of my kitchen nook into my utility room for 10 yard sighting. I open the utility room door which leads into the garage for 15 yard sighting. I go outside for 20 yards.

    I am not insecure about shooting it indoors, as long as I stay sub-sonic. The way our yards are shaped, I’m sure my closest neighbor (60-70 feet) has heard me with this gun (and others) and it probably sounds like a muffled nail-gun to them from their patio. My house is cinder-block, but I shoot with my back to nearby kitchen nook windows which face the backyard.

    I hope this helped.

  58. BB. I know I did wrong,, I packed regular grease around main spring on Gamo nitro 17,, rated at 850 fps. It did about 750-780 w/7.0-7.9 gr before, 700-715 w/ 8.8 crow mags before,, now it shoots 725-740 w/ 8.8 crow mags & accuracy is AMAZING!! Has become very well behaved, smooth &quiet!( even better accuracy w/Kodiak match heavys!!)( Im short on those) It does deisle now w/ 7.9 gr at almost 1000 fps. BUT NOT W/heavys,very little deveation!! Question to you BB. ( or others to save BB,s. time: Where can I buy that special(BLACK GREASE) (FOR MAIN SPRINGS) 2 GRT111 triggers paid for & on the way from Charlie!! ( Late Xmas gift to me & my son from ME!!)May we all have a GREAT NEW YEAR, inc many more special (GIFTS from BB. Like gas spring conversion kits??) Drag. Slay.

  59. Hi BB,

    You are one lucky dude! My wife barely tolerates my firearm, airgun and astronomy hobbies. I got a nice watch, exact kind to be determined sometime in the future… I have to buy my own toys under the “You already have enough of those.” comments. I won’t give up though. I’m still working on getting her interested in shooting with me. She likes to shoot once in a while, just not very often, so I guess that’s a step in the right direction.

    /Shooter

  60. Nice pistols guys.

    Dragonslayer you can find small containers of tars, moly and seals at
    http://www.network54.com/Forum/479035/
    look for Rich in MI. Sorry to hear that you have been having computer problems. From what I hear Vista is a resource hog. You can always install XP if you think that would help.

    B.B I was planning on giving a p3 clone to a 10y old boy , but my pistols would pop and not shoot out the pellet at times so I cleaned one of the guns out with brake cleaner , shot it and now it wont pump up. I have been lubing the pistols up with lawnmower oil and so far hasn’t helped. From what I have been reading alot of those guns were over lubed for the factory. It looks like one of my lube tuned,heat shrink, trigger kit,stock stuffed s1k’s will take its place.

    I may have to pass up a Crono this round. I need to get a HW30 maybe a IZH 60/61. How do the guns accuracy compare? I plan on me and my 10y old girl shooting it at 10y and shooting pest birds out to 20y.
    I don’t think I am up to a Chinese gun at this point.

  61. Squirrelkiller

    Thanks so much for your efforts and info about the sound from the B30. I do believe that with my duct seal in the trap and perhaps a cardboard box to shoot through that this might work for apartment shooting.

    I forgot to ask about the B30 trigger. B.B.s blog on the B40 said the trigger was very light. Other reviews of the B40 don’t mention this. What do you think about the B30 trigger? Thanks.

    Matt61

  63. Dragon Slayer,

    No, a Webley Patriot can’t kill a computer. A .22 long rifle can’t even do it reliably. At a gun club I used to belong to we shot computers, monitors and printers at 100 yards for fun, and a long rifle bullet would often bounce off the screen of a monitor. When you see how thick the glass is, you’ll understand why.

    The toughest things by far were the hard drives that will take a direct hit from a long rifle bullet without much damage. I used to kill mine with a Monster Maul log splitter, and it still took a dozen hits to do the job.

    Sp airguns are out.

    Also, don’t try this yourself, because cleanup is a chore. When those two-inch thick monitors finally do pop, they send glass shards everywhere.

    B.B.

  64. Hello again Matt,

    No prob on the info. BB and others here are always very giving of information, I’m just happy I can give something back from time to time. Keep in mind, its only my perspective, and someone else may have a different slant.

    As mentioned before, I believe my .177cal B30 is older than my .22cal. I haven’t attempted any trigger adjustments on either gun yet, but I do like my trigger on my .177cal version better than the .22cal. The current setting of the .177cal feels normal for a rifle with this power. The .22cal is noticeably stiffer, but thats probably due to different factory settings. Sorry, I don’t have a trigger pull gauge to give you specific measurements. I’m not much for “hair” triggers, especially on high-powered rifles,…for me too much can go wrong. I can comfortably live with either. I just focus on a straight back trigger squeeze, which keeps me from twisting the rifle. I own some Diana springers, and the Bam trigger doesn’t compare to those. You get what you pay for. For $149 bucks (minus 10% coupon) its a thrifty man’s 48, with a nice monte carlo stock as a bonus.

    One other thing I noticed between the two rifles is the .177cal’s stock is about 1-1.5 inches longer in the front part of the stock. This isn’t important toward shooting, but lends itself again to the possibility of both being manufactured during different design phases (front/rear sight parts being different also; I removed them both).

    I find I can shoot either B30 with a firmer hold than my other springers. As mentioned, the weight tames the shooting charactertics. They both like to be shot front-heavy, with the front of the scope rail being positioned generally above the palm of my left hand. I can take a firm grip on the stock with my right hand for the trigger squeeze, without it affecting accuracy.

    Concerning the noise again, I was working from memory in comparing the noise to an 850 AirMagnum. I have long since enclosed my compensators, so my current 850 AirMagnums are deathly quiet (I mean deathly). I do remember being insecure about shooting the 850 AirMagnums indoors before the compensator modifications. So I do have to say the Bams are somewhere between a Gamo CFX and a CO2 rifle like a Crosman 2250B or 850 AirMagnum.

    I hope some of this was helped. Happy and safe shooting.

  65. Matt61,

    I don’t like doing too much about firearms in this blog because it is supposed to be about airguns. I know I did the 1911 thing, but that was so readers could watch me react to a gun I wasn’t familiar with, so they would see how to deal with new airguns.

    However, there is a possible tie-in. The Makarov was also produced as a CO2 pistol, and I have one. I blogged in back in August 2005 …

    /blog/2005/8/just-like-a-real-gun/

    … but I didn’t go into any depth on the gun, itself. I suppose I could do something more on the Mak BB pistol and work the 9mm in with it.

    B.B.

  66. mech,

    I was at Crosman when the new 2250XE was being completed, so I saw the pistol in the photograph.

    I removed your post because it directed people to a rival retail website, but Pyramyd Air is Crosman’s largest dealer, so when this gun is ready to sell, they will get it first.

    As far as the price goes, I think the $999 was just put there to generate a buzz. That’s how hype works.

    B.B.

  68. /Shooter,

    I’m a hobby astronomer, too! I don’t have a telescope at the moment, but I use binoculars a lot.

    I have tried to throttle my astronomy because of the potential to spend money. I would have a Meade LX200 and then I’d want a liquid-cooled CCD for imaging. But where I leive it’s light polluted most of the time, and I already work 12-16 hours each day. I can’t stay up all night, too.

    But it’s nice to know others do. I get by reading Sky and Telescope and dreaming.

    B.B.

  69. B.B.,

    Congrats on your new stuff – looks NICE!

    As you know, I bought myself a Beeman R7 for Christmas and took it with me on my holiday trip to a cabin in the woods here in Washington state. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate with rain all of the days and it even mustered up snow for one of them. However, There was one short break in the weather and I was able to shoot about 25 pellets through the R7. The gun felt great – very easy to cock (more like open it to load a pellet and it is cocked), the recoil was minimal, and it was nice and quiet. I couldn’t be happier with it so far. My wife isn’t a big fan of guns but after I shot it a few times she felt comfortable enough to give it a try thanks to the mellow nature of the R7. 🙂

    I live in the city here in Seattle in a townhouse, so backyard shooting isn’t much of an option. However, my garage is primarily sunken underground and is about 40 feet long (it parks 2 cars length-wise). I know indoor shooting isn’t generally advised, but I’m thinking about setting up a pellet trap with some carpet behind it, and behind that is cement wall (cement wall on 3 sides). And of course I wear safety glasses. I’d love to be able to do some target plinking down there unless you strongly urge against it? If not, what pellet trap do you feel is best? I’m anxious to get 500 pellets through it and then see how accurately I can dial in the open sights before mounting a scope.

    Happy Holidays and Happy New Year all!

  72. BB,

    I thought you might delete my post for that reason. It didn’t occur to me not to post the link or name of the rival site until after I submitted it. Do you know any specs for the 2250XE? The specs posted on the Crosman website are just those of the regular 2250, while the XE appears to have a longer barrel. I was just wondering how that would effect velocity and accuracy.

    It must be nice to get to visit Crosman, I haven’t even been able to go to the shot show. Work was going to send me 3 years in a row, but my boss pulled rank at the last second and went instead all 3 times.

    mech

  74. The Wilson CQB is an excellent pistol, what irks me is you pay almost $3000 for a premium pistol with a “tactical finish” only to have the barrel bushing in polished stainless steel to let the bad guys notice you better in low light conditions!

    Wilson is not the only outfit guilty of this nonsense!

  75. Mech,

    I don’t know the specs of the gun, but the longer barrel suggests higher velocity. Up to 16 inches, we have seen increased velocity, then it starts down again. That’s with a more-or-less stock valve.

    As for SHOT, you must attend. I couldn’t do half of what I do if I didn’t go to SHOT.

    What I’m trying to rationalize is how I now also go to IWA in Germany every year.

    B.B.

  76. Bill,

    Okay, I told him to drop several drops of household oil (3-in-1 is fine) down the air transfer port when the pistol is cocked. Don’t worry about dieseling. The compression is too low in this gun to worry about that.

    I told him to oil it every six months or two tins of pellets, whichever comes first.

    Also oil the link pivot points at the same time with the same oil. That’s it.

    B.B.

  77. I used bday money + Christmas money to buy my chrony and a locking 14 gun Sentry cabinet at Wally World (10% off because dent in back). I plan to use the cabinet for all my airgun stuff (1 rifle, 3 pistols, etc.). That way the kids won’t be as tempted to try to get into dad’s airguns.

    I also got a 3 watt LED headlight that will come in handy at night when the dogs are barking at something. Wish I had had it the night we were visited by a black bear a couple of years ago!

    By the way, nice pistol Michael!

    .22 multi-shot

  78. My stocking was pretty light. Bought myself a QB57 in .22 because it seems it might be a handy gun to own (take-down feature is kinda funky though). My real Christmas present is still in Santa’s Workshop – a semi-tuned QB78 .22 in Flying Dragon’s workshop. Can’t wait to see that one.

    Congratulations on the great gifts above. And thanks for the great ideas as well.

  80. Got a question for ya…I have an RWS model 25 that I bought about 20 years ago and I was wondering if there are any rebuild kits available for it…it has huge sentimental value to me and i’d like to restore it to it’s former glory.

    Thanks,
    Frank

  81. OOPS…forgot to tell what I got for Xmas. I got a Gamo Viper Express shotgun and i really like it. Cleanly killed a norway rat at 10 yards on christmas day…sweet.

    Frank

  82. Frank,

    Pyramyd Air has all the parts you need to rebuild your model 25. They bought Airgun Express, who was the repair center for RWS Diana airguns.

    Call and ask to talk to Chris or Boris. The parts are sorted into bins. Be prepared to tell them what you need. All their parts are listed by their German names, but they should be able to figure it out for you.

    B.B.

  83. B.B.

    I got my aduld daughter a S&W 5866 for Christmas based on your recommendation many blogs ago. I’ve regretted not teaching her to shoot when she was young, but I do have to live with her mother. Thanks for the recommendation. The pistol took my breath away when I opened the box – just had to test it before giving it to her. Good looks and a good shooter too – a great concept. Wish I had ordered the extra clips along with it. She loves it. Thanks again.

    Springer John

  84. B.B.

    I rebuilt and refinished a R1 following the instruction in your Beeman R1 book and gave it to my daughter’s boyfriend for Christmas – yeah I like the guy. Used a Maccari spring and seal and found a nice Beeman Blue Ribbon 2-7×32 scope at an auction site. It looks and shoots great – had second thoughts about giving it away. He loves it. Airguns are great gifts. Thanks – you have become my favorite writer – don’t comment much but I check your blog everyday.

    Springer John

  85. Springer John,

    Now you know why I rave about the S&W revolver so much. Your daughter is a lucky young woman.

    As for the R1, I know what it’s like to build a gun so nice that you don’t want to let it go. I’m glad the blog helped.

    B.B.

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