by B.B. Pelletier
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Like many of you, I couldn’t resist finding out if the .22 caliber barrel is accurate too, so today we’ll have a look. Before I start, though, I must correct a wrong done to Beeman. In Part 1, I lambasted then for not including barrel-changing instructions in the manual. A sharp-eyed reader spotted those instructions tied to the triggerguard of my test rifle in the first photo in that report! I owe Beeman an apology for criticizing them, when I was the negligent one. The instructions are there with the gun as they should be, and they’re complete and accurate.
The test
I shot outdoors at the same 21 yards at which the .177 barrel was tested. Knowing that the Beeman-supplied scope is fuzzy at that range, I used the same Bushnell Trophy 6-18x scope that I used with the .177 barrel. The only thing I seem to have not done was clean the barrel. I didn’t catch it until after the shooting was complete. But I don’t think it would have made a big difference.
Premiers went first
The 14.3-grain Crosman Premiers were the first pellets I tried, and they grouped remarkably well – especially when you consider that I hadn’t settled into the groove yet. For the record, I was laying the forearm on the backs of my fingers placed just forward of the triggerguard. I was touching the triggerguard when I shot. I also rediscovered that this rifle is very sensitive to hold. For best results, hold it light…like a soap bubble.
Because Beeman Kodiaks were so consistent in velocity that I thought they would be the best in this caliber, but they weren’t. They grouped okay but the Premiers were better. Still, I would use them for hunting.
I also tried Daisy Precision Max pointed pellets, but they opened up to more than one inch, so they were out. I tried Air Arms Diabolo Field domes, but they were so far off the aimpoint that I missed the target trap completely on the first shot. They may be great pellets in this gun, but I didn’t spend the time to re-zero the rifle, because other pellets were landing closer to where it was sighted.
Finally, RWS Hobbys
RWS Hobbys were the final pellet I tried. They seemed to want to group very tight. However, a spectacular group I was going to show you got blown apart because I went counter to my experience and centered the group on the intersection of the reticle. So, the first shot blew my aim point away, as in all the rest of the shots had to be aimed at the center of a hole! Three shots grouped remarkably well, but I couldn’t hold the group together and two went wide. Still, if you own one of these rifles, I would try the Hobby pellets in the .22 caliber barrel.
I’m not finished with this rifle, yet. I know it can shoot and I know both barrels work well, but I’d like to know when that would happen with some extended shooting. I own some Eley Wasps that are 5.6mm, which is very large for a 5.5mm barrel. They’ll certainly cause the piston seal to flex with backpressure, so I’m going to run a hundred of them through the rifle, then re-test it in both calibers with the same pellets I tested the first time. That will be an unprecedented eight segments to report one airgun. Of course, the dual-caliber drives a lot of that, but I think this is a great deal for the money. Sure, you’ll want to replace the scope, but even so, where can you get both a powerful, accurate .177 and .22 rifle for $180?
BB,
Great series.
On PA’s site I see that there are * rifles in the SS1000 group. Would expect them all to be as accurate as the dual caliber that you are testing?
Also, in this price range, is this one of the most accurate rifles that you have tested? What .22 caliber breaker would you suggest I get to use strickly for hunting?
Thankyou,
BobC NJ
BB,
Sorry for the typo. The (*) should be the number 8.
BobC NJ
Bob C.,
The most accurate that I have tested in this price range is the RWS Diana 34 Panther. I tested it in .177, but their other .22s are so impressively accurate that I’d be surprised to learn the 34 isn’t.
But that is a single-caliber rifle and this rifle is both .177 and .22. I don’t know any others that are like it.
B.B.
BB, off topic, but I was watching John Wayne’s “Big Jake”, and seeing a couple guys [portrayed in the year 1909 setting] with rifle scopes, I thought of something: could you (in your blog or book) include a bit of history on the rifle scope, both firearm and airgun? I think just a bit of background on their development and applications, and maybe a few sources we can reference, would be EXCELLENT in completing your works on scopes. JP
JP,
Thanks for your faith in my research. I’m actually working on the scope book now. I wanted to keep it specific to airguns, but perhaps a small section on the history of scope in general would be nice.
B.B.
BB,
These posts have been particularly interesting to me because this is the first gun you’ve tested that I own. Just recieved it yesterday, and have put about 150 pellets thru it. Two questions: When switching barrels, do the open sights stay on target, or did you have to re-zero each time (what about with scope)? Today you mentioned using Eley Wasps to create more back presure. I’m having the same erratic behavior, but have no large wasps. Would shooting two pellets at once serve the same purpose, or damage the barrel? If your answer is “damage”, can you recomend any other large dia. pellets that I might find locally? thanks, JR.
JR,
I don’t recommend two pellets. Shoot the heaviest pellets you can get or the largest. Those Gamo Hunters might work, as well as the Kodiaks, themselves.
B.B.
BB,
Can sign up now to order the scope book?
Al Pellet
Al,
Thanks. It may take a year or more, so I think it’s best to wait.
B.B.
BB, Thanks for the quick response, but what about sight adjusting when changing barrels? JR.
B.B.
Did you get a measurement for the best group? It looks like about a quarter inch. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Diana 34 but am still leery about the breakbarrel sensitivity.
Yes, scopes are an interesting subject. Most firearms scopes seem to run into the hundreds of dollars with some at $1000! Unbelievable. They don’t offer increased power, so what in the world do they offer at that kind of money?!
Matt61
JR,
Yes, you’ll have to sight-in after every change.
B.B.
Hey BB, I just bought this air rifle a few days ago at Walmart for 125 bucks!!! It doesn’t come with a takedown case though.
Here’s what I’ve learned so far: This is a very accurate rifle indeed and a gem for the price. However, folks should be aware of one thing. Barrel loosness due to the “barrel allen set screw” becoming loose when firing the gun say… maybe 10 times…and then slowly becoming looser with each subsequent shot, resulting in barrel play that I could feel when grasping the barrel with one hand and checking for play. No matter how hard I wrenched that puppy down it always came loose and showed itself with a slow shift in POI. It got to be where I would check the tightness of the set screw about every 4-5 shots, and tighten when needed. So I decided what caliber I was going to use (.22) and put threadlocker on the threads of the allen screw and torqued it down, waited 24 grueling hours and then presto!!! no more set screw coming loose. I realize that this defeats the purpose of dual caliber, but I felt that it is better than constantly checking the tightness of the set screw.
Otherwise, this baby is a great bargain if you ask me.
–Dave Ennis
Matt61,
Just about a quarter-inch.
And superior optics is the other answer. Are they worth it? I seldom think so.
B.B.
Purchased the Crosman 1077 because of your blog. I love it. Thank You.
Installed 4×15 Tasco scope and can hit a 1/8″ dot at 10 meters !! I use this gun mainly for 10-meter target shooting.
Using a 12 gram CO2 cartridge at 65-70 degree temperature, I get 12 to 15 shots on target and then the POI drops about 1/2″-3/4″. Is this normal?
Should I buy an AirSource(88 gram)adapter? How many good shots can you expect to get using an 88 gram cartridge before the POI shifts?
BTW, I have been manually exercising the magazine as you suggested and the the trigger pull has improved considerably. I must have toggled it 10,000 times (really)…but it is still not as smooth as I would like. Maybe another 10,000 pulls will do the trick.
Thanks again for your advise.
Willie
Hello B.B.,
Did you actually test to see whether the rifle changes POI when the barrel is remove and replaced? Take-=down does not seem very functional to me if the rifle needs to be re-sighted each time it is used?
Here is a link to a review which discusses velocity problems and the breech seal which may interest you, if it is really about the same rifle.
https://www.reviewcentre.com/review334494.html
Please do evaluate the Daisy 753-853, and the differences between them.
Thanks,
Farmer
Farmer,
There isn’t a take-down rifle in the word that maintains its zero when the barrel is replaced. I’ve owned several and the only way they maintain a zero is if the sights and barrel move together – a la Winchester 94. The other stuff is Hollywood fiction.
Just for you I will try it with this gun, but not next time. Next time is velocity
B.B.
Farmer,
Please, not the 753/853. That would be like evaluating the Diana 27, the Hy Score 807 and the Beeman original 100. They are all the same gun!
The difference between the 853 and the 753 is the stock and sights. That’s it. The working parts are the same.
B.B.
B.B.–Scott298–thanks for reminding me where that blog was . The question is this -I have the b-square adjutable mount with a leapers 3 x12 scope. The reticles have the mil dots for windage and elevation. You site your rifle in at 25 yards. You place targets at dirfferent yardages past the 20 yrds out to 50 or 60 yrds-then you can use can practice with the dots on the reticle to see which on is needed at various yards-will this work or do I have to adjust my mount? Thanks Scott298
Scott298,
Once the B-Square mount is adjusted, lock it down and don’t adjust it again. Sight in at 20 yards, not 25. At 25 you’ll be half a pellet to one full pellet high and back on again at 30 yards. Beyond that, use the mil dots as aiming references.
I’m using a duplex reticle that way for a Quackenbush 457 LA Outlaw at 50 yards and I get one-inch groups, when the two different shots would land three inches apart if I just used just the center of the reticle.
B.B.
JP (and all) about the rifle scopes.
You should all watch the movie 3:10 to Yuma..
In one of the scenes, you get a camera eye view through one of those old brass tube scopes that are nearly as long as the gun itself! It is probably simulated, but it seems likely to be as depicted. I have always wondered what the sight picture was like through one of those things!!
By the way..this is a great movie and way above the usual quality of recent Hollywood movies in my opinion.
JBA
BB
You know the German Drllings…combinations of different calibers on the same gun, and of course the Savage .22/.410 guns. Are there any guns like that in the airgun world… .177, .20 & .22, say, or even (I suppose unlikely) firearm and airgun combos? I know about the primer-fired airgun pellet adapters for firearms…I am asking about true airgun or airgun-firearm combos.
Regards,
–Joe
Joe,
I took my first German roe deer with my new Suhler drilling in 12X12X.30/06!
Yes, there are a few combination airguns. They are one-offs made by factories or hobbyists. I’ve seen a 28 gauge that had a rifle barrel next to it (it was a side-by-side).
B.B.
1/4″ c-t-c at 21 yards with a .22springer under 200 dollars. wow.
I can only get around 1/2″.
JBA
Thanks for your opinion about the movie. I’d heard that it was supposed to be the best Western since Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven.
Matt61
B.B.,
Thank you for staying with the SS1000. I’m still interested in getting the power flux figured out.
DB
B.B.,
New request. I have an old Benji 22 multi pump pistol that needs seal. It shoots but is lacking power. I think it was built in the early 1970’s.
Have you blogged how to repair one or would you recommend shipping to a repair shop?
Thank you,
DB
Abouot 3:10 to Yuma (a bit off topic for this forum but…)
Yes, it is certainly the best Western since Unforgiven and even it’s equal.
And if you think the movie is good.
Wait until you see the Extras on the DVD.
Quite simply the best that I have seen about or with any movie that I have ever seen… ever…
It could be a show of it’s own on History Channel just by itself.. Don’t skip it.
And now, back to your regular progamming… LOL!
JBA
DB,
I seldom recommend working on pneumatic or gas guns unless the worker is very meticulous. The smallest dirt particle or flaw in the seals can cause problems.
I recommend sending all such guns to a repair shop. That’s what I do and I used to repair all the guns that were returned to AirForce Airguns.
B.B.
Hi B.B. Am going to buy a PCP and have some questions please. Was going to get a Benjhamin Dual Fuel with the hand pump and the CO2 option. Went back and read your review of the Talon SS and was wondering if the pump with the Dual Fuel would work with the Talon? Both guns running CO2 and air would be real neat, but 2 pumps is more than I can afford. Your thoughts, please and thank you.
B.B.
Nice series, for a cheap air rifle the beeman 1000’s are pretty fair shooters. I had a .177 and after 1000 rounds and learning how to shoot it it was shooting quite well. I never measured groups but “tweety birds” as I call them were easy pickins out to 30-40 yards and they are pretty small.
QUESTION on making leather seals does it matter which side of the leather is out toward the cylinder wall? rough or smooth?
jw
B.B.
Re: Question about POI after take-down
Question about 753-853
Please, if these questions do not interest you, do not review them. There are so many air gun questions that interest you, me, and many readers that I prefer to read about topics which excite you.
753/853–sights, stock fit, balance, weight, firing behavior related to stock and sights are questions which I have and cannot answer without seeing and holding the rifles.
Only 2 feet of snow left on my outdoor range; will be shooting outdoors again before long.
Farmer
B.B, I was looking around for an ideal air rifle, when I checked the $200-$300 price range and found a Walther Talon Magnum. Its velocity claims appear to be in the league of GAMOs(trick pellets and etc.), but I noticed that its scope base looks like a Weaver one. Could that mean that it wouldn’t need a scope stop?
14 in Fla
P.S
It’s 49 inches long?! Wow, that IS large(as the description states).
JW
I think that I remember airgun researcher G.W. Cardew writing that after much experimentation he felt that the rough side of a leather piston seal should face outward against the compression chamber wall. I recall that the reason given was that the rougher side was able to hold and distribute lubrication (silicone oil) better than the smooth side.
Derrick
14 in Fla…. it looks like the Walther Talon is a Hatsan (of Turkey) rifle, the same outfit that made the old Daisy Powerline series. They had a reputation for very good power and accuracy… down side being poor triggers, hard cocking, very harsh shooting, so-so reliability and no parts support. Ya might wanna wait for a few reviews before plunkin’ down your money.
Vince
Hi BB,
This probably belongs on your “deals” blog, but I just wanted to thank you for giving me that little nudge to make me order the Izh 46M. I ordered it before the price jumped from $299.50 to $364.50, and according to the girl I talked to at PA, my price is locked in at 299.50, saving me $65. Free shipping too! Your good advice was like your aim. Dead on! Now I just need to be patient until it ships in about 6 weeks or so…
Thanks again!
/Shooter
B.B.,
Thanks for the repair advice I’ll check out Rick Willnecker.
All,
Some of you commented on some cowboy movies that show scopes bening used. So I had to rewatch Eastwood’s Joe Kid. Noticed something interesting. He shot the scoped sniper rifle left handed… and he is right handed. He shot everything else in the movie right handed. Wonder why he shot that rifle left handed.
DB
Bruce,
The Benjamin hand pump is virtually identical to the AirForce hand pump, but the connections are different. You will have to find a way to connect the Benjamin hand pump to the AirForce tank, and so far, there are no connectors on the market that fit. You’ll have to get someone to make an adapter with a male Foster filling on one end and the AirForce fill adapter on the other.
B.B.
JW,
I always make the seal with the smooth side of the leather to the wall.
B.B.
Farmer,
I didn’t mean to snap at you. I will test the POI change, because if you want to know, several other people do, as well.
Regarding the 753, look carefully at the stock. You will see that the butt is deeper, the pistol grip is taller and more vertical. That gives the 752 a more target-rifle-like feel when held in the offhand position. If you are a target shooter, that stock will feel better than the 853 stock. It allows for a more vertical head and neck orientation.
Notice that the 853 CPM stock has a very similar profile to the 753. Notice, also, that both the 753 and the 853 CMP have upgraded rear aperture sights. The CMP has a synthetic stock that I know nothing about, so I would choose the 753 if I wanted the features we are discussion, but the action of the 853 is the same as the 753, so in that respect they are the same rifles.
Finally, note that the 887 stock has the same profile as the 753/CMP. But the older 888 has an almost sporter stock profile. That tells me that Daisy, when left to their own devices, hasn’t got a clue about what real target shooters want, but when the 1 million kids shooting in the NRA/CMP programs every year have some input into the design, you get a target stock like the 753. The 887 is a new development, while the 888 was Daisy’s one design from years ago. The 888 is hardly used by clubs anymore, but the 887 is red-hot.
B.B.
14 in Fla.,
That Picatinney rail is a dead giveaway of a Turkish air rifle. They seem to like that kind of scope mount.
The ones I have seen are not actual Picatinney rails and their dimensions do differ from the real thing, but as long as you use their mounts, who cares? Yes, a Weaver-style base is a good scope stop.
Until I examine the Walther Talon Magnum I won’t know if it has a true Picatinney rail or not.
B.B.
Hi! BB,
You are right, my panther 34 is choked at the last 1″ of the barrel. Mine is a .22 and is very accurate. For me, the “accuracy” alone is worth more than the cost of that rifle. I bought the 34 because of your review. I was at first going to get the 48 before your review, what can you say about the 48 in that department? as I like the 48 too, if you can say the 48 is even better I’m going for it too. Thanks,
Hank
Hank,
Then go for the 48.
Get it .22 to use all the available power. A 48 is a wonderful platform for tuning, too.
It’s a great gun.
B.B.
Hey B.B.,
Would you reccomend this rifle for pest control, and small game hunting? I saw a beeman 1037 at walmart for $130. Will it serve me good?
Thanks
Brody,
The 1037 is a GS950. It’s Chinese, which means the quality can vary, but Wal-Mart has a great return policy, so I think you can take a chance.
Remember that a breakbarrel spring rifle is the world’s most difficult long gun to shoot. It takes real technique that you absolutely must use every time.
B.B.
BB,
At the start of this article you said:
"I own some Eley Wasps that are 5.6mm, which is very large for a 5.5mm barrel. They'll certainly cause the piston seal to flex with backpressure, so I'm going to run a hundred of them through the rifle, then re-test it in both calibers with the same pellets I tested the first time."
I wondered what the results of that is and, if it shot any better. I actually own one of these and, Have found that the domed .22 cal. magnum Crosman Premiere, 14.3gr. hunting pellets are great for me. At 23 yards 5 out of 6 pellets hit the same spot(almost).I was resting my arms on the porch railing as I shot. I am using a relatively cheap scope, the Daisy Powerline 3-9×32.
I don't have a chronograph so, I wondered if you would chronograph the 14.3 grain pellets for my benefit. Thank you and Merry Christmas.
Well, I don't have the rifle any longer, so I cannot comply with your request. Might I suggest a chronograph for your next big gift?
B.B.
Thanks, BB. I was considering one(chronograph) but, I wouldn't much use from, it.