Home › Blog › 
Education / Training › Beeman R8: A classic from the past – Part 1
Beeman R8 profile

Beeman R8: A classic from the past – Part 1

by
↓ 165 comments

by B.B. Pelletier

Before I get started today, I’d like to remind all you BB gun collectors that the annual Daisy Get Together is coming up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on August 22. It’s open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is $2. If that’s not the best deal for an airgun show, I’d like to know what is. This is an advanced show, where the finest collectible BB guns in existence may possibly turn up.

For a flyer and more information, contact Bill Duimstra (616-738-2425 or ) or Wes Powers (517-423-4148).

Now, on to today’s report. Wacky Wayne prompted this one. He asked a question about the R8 earlier this week; and, as I had recently acquired one, I thought it was time to share. Plus, I like giving you guys something interesting to chew on over the weekend.

The Beeman R8 was imported and sold by Beeman from 1983 through 1997. I had no idea it was that old or lasted so long until I looked it up in the new Blue Book of Airguns, 8th Edition. It was made in .177 only and produced 720 f.p.s. — presumably with lightweight pellets. I believe it was a kissing cousin of the Weihrauch HW50 of the day. It had Beeman R1 styling, which meant checkering on the pistol grip, a stock that extended to the end of the baseblock and a sharp contour to the cheekpiece. At 7.1 lbs., it was a slightly bigger brother to the R7.


My R8 was customized inside and out.

As you can see from the picture, my R8 isn’t 100 percent stock. In fact, it was extensively re-worked. Besides the stock, which I’ll address in a moment, the action has all-new Maccari internals. It was tuned for smoothness but still has a powerful mainspring. The spring guide and top hat are custom, and the compression tube was burnished with moly for slickness. The piston seal is a Wasp.

The stock is Tyrolean but with an important difference. It’s been thinned and canted to the left to align the shooter’s eye with the scope. Often, the deeply cupped cheekpiece pushes your head to the left, making acquisition of the sight a chore, but this one comes up almost like an upland shotgun. That and the flat buttpad will help when benching the rifle. This rifle was created specifically for offhand mini-sniping.

Maccari supplied the shaped, high-grade, curly maple stock that was then reduced in thickness, sanded and stained with nitric acid. Eight coats of Permalyn were applied, then sanded and waxed to give the luster you see here.


The butt was thinned to keep the shooter’s face aligned with the scope. It’s also canted to the left. The pistol grip has a palm swell.

The Beeman R8 has a two-piece, articulated cocking link that allows the cocking slot at the bottom of the forearm to be very short. That should make the firing cycle smoother.

The scope is also quite special. It’s a Burris Timberline 4.5-14×32 without AO but clear at max magnification at 21 feet. It is an exceptional optic, and I hope to have more to say about it as I test the rifle for accuracy.


Burris scope delivers remarkable performance in a small package.

Although I currently need to use two hands to cock a 124 (weakened from my hospital stay), I can cock this one with one hand — easily. We’ll look at velocity next.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.
See Full Bio

165 thoughts on “Beeman R8: A classic from the past – Part 1”

    • SL,
      Sounds like fun, but wife would really get pissed. I was just changing the battery on my red dot (that is mounted to my pistol) she told me I should do that outside! She will kill me when I have set aside enough $ to get a 45lc/410 pistol.

      rikib

        • C-S
          You have that right 🙂 ! We are both big time animal lovers, but she cannot accept that I like guns and knifes. In reality I would find it easier to use them on a person attacking us than a pet that annoyed me. Somehow she doesn’t see it that way.

          rikib

            • C-S,
              I maybe misunderstanding your English not sure which side you come down on. Many months ago I posted a comment basically saying that, Mankind is the only species that hunts for sport, other species hunt for survival. The comment was not well received here.

              rikib

              • rikib, now that I think about it, the cats that Edith have mentioned hunt for sport when they play with mice without killing them. I don’t know for certain if chimps do, but I’m betting that they do based on their other behavior. Apparently, any imaginable human crime is done commonly among chimps, even prostitution, although I’m not sure exactly what would be bartered. Also, I believe that Wolverines were called gluttons by Native Americans because of their habit of destroying much more than they could eat. So survival is not the only motive.

                Matt61

                • My cats look like they are playing with the voles (little moles) but they are looking for a kill spot because they always do, unless I interfere. There is hunting for survival and protecting territory amongst the animal kingdom. I am part Native American and have never heard of wolverines referred to as gluttons, I did see this mentioned in a dictionary but not from Native Americans. As far as chimps maybe you know more about them than I do.

                  rikib

                    • C-S
                      Don’t have so much of a mole problem here, mainly volves. Cats kill them and bring them in like they are giving us a present! 😉

                      rikib

    • SL,
      By the way will the blast take out a damn fly! They are terrible right now, and we have a dog flap on the door so they are always getting in the house.

      rikib

      • Damn it! Wife is still awake a told me not to even think about it. I think she has a doctor appointment though later today 😉 am I being devious, probably 😉

        rikib

    • Great idea. There are these weird things inhabiting my gun room that look like miniature centipedes. So far I’ve kept them at bay by smashing them with pellet tins and spraying the areas they like with Windex. My Walther CPSport would be just the thing.

      Sounds like Anschutz target rifles would be a money saver compared to mountain biking.

      Matt61

  6. BB

    Did you get this R8 from Kevin? I seem to remember pining for this one on the Yellow Forum awhile back.

    You lucky dog! She is a real beauty. I will be looking forward to parts 2,3,4,5,6, and 7 on this one.

  9. The photo shows a Burris Timberline WITH AO, look at the objective lens and you can see the distance markers.

    I own the same scope and it delivers fantastic performance. I use it on a PCP air rifle and love the precision and accuracy. It hasn’t lost zero in the six months I’ve owned it.

  10. B.B.,

    Another classic! I think g. austin is correct about that scope. I have a burris timberline 4.5-14x on several guns and they all have AO. Terrific compact, lightweight optics.

    kevin

  11. SL,
    I was thinking that this was Kevin’s rifle, too. Not too many guys doing nitric stained tyrolean stocks these days followed with permalyn.

    BB,
    I think you need to get this one checkered.

    • derrick38,

      I’m a hack. This is the reason that you successfully revive guns and not me. You have the gift. Don’t mistake an idiot that can slather stuff on a piece of wood for a true stock refinisher!

      kevin

  13. Morning B.B.,

    Top of the day to you and the misses! Beautiful stock. Would you please tell me about staining curly maple with nitric acid. A purpose built rifle that looks like it’s an absolute joy to shoot. What is a wasp piston seal and why a custom top hat instead of stock? I don’t know much of nothing about whys of custom innards for springers.

    Mr B.

    • Mr. B.,

      It’s a Wasp piston seal. That’s a proper noun-the name of the seal, not a generic type called wasp. It’s just a name.

      As for the nitric acid, it’s just another technique to bring out the beauty of the grain and enhance the color.

      Concerning the custom tophat and guide, when a spring rifle is tuned, one goal is to remove all potential for vibration. So the parts that move are sized carefully so they cannot rattle. That’s why new guides front and rear are important. Instead of slathering black tar on all the parts, the dimensions are sized more closely. That gives more power with the same smooth action.

      Today it is very popular to “button” a piston. I believe Ivan Hancock originated the idea of putting six teflon or nylon bearings around the periphery of the piston (three at each end) to eliminate the last bit of vibration. It works wonders to smooth out a spring rifle’s shot cycle.

      B.B.

    • Mr. B.,

      That stock is curly maple. An age old/traditional method (think black powder Kentucky long rifles with curly maple stocks) is using Aqua fortis for staining. Aqua fortis is a mixture of nitric acid diluted with water. Aqua fortis was also popular for use by refiners to separate silver from gold and copper. You have to search but can still find this product for staining curly maple stocks:

      http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/partDetail.aspx?catId=5&subId=66&styleId=225&partNum=AQUAFORT-2

      kevin

      • Kevin and B.B.,

        Hi guys, thanks for answering answering my questions. By the way Kevin I think that you’ve identified a Tomism in “…harvest the energy that brand name has built up”. Edith is right! (as usual–credit given where credit is due).

        Mr B.

  14. B.B.,

    Three questions if I may.

    I looked for almost 2 years to find the R8 that I have with the factory stock that Gary Goudy helped design for the Beeman R8. It’s my understanding that the Beeman R8 was just a small step up in power when compared to the R7 but the build quality of the R8 vs. the R7 made the last MSRP on the R8 $380.00 vs. $260.00 (1997) for the R7. This seems to explain why the R8 didn’t sell well and there are so few of the Beeman R8 guns in America. I’ve also been told the old style HW50 was Hans Weihrauch’s favorite gun so it may partially explain why there are more older style HW50 (kissing cousin to the R8) with the plain stocks available from Europe.

    I’m also aware that Weihrauch is currently producing a gun that is also called a HW50 but this new model HW50 (the one in your link currently sold by Pyramyd Air) is the same powerplant as the R6 (which was formerly called the HW99).

    The differences between the old HW50 (R8) and the new HW50 (R6) are:
    Old one: threaded end plug like on the R1
    New one: press in end plug like on the R9
    The piston and chamber are different diameters, The old 50S used the same 25mm piston and seal that the R-8 did. The newer HW50 (aka HW-99 until recently) uses a 26mm piston diameter and seal. The tube sizes are identical in these two guns it’s the id that differs. The newer HW50 tube is thinner. The new HW50 also has much shorter transfer port.

    Very confusing to me that Weihrauch produced two very different HW50 models.

    I have the 7th Edition of the Blue Book of Airguns. You have the 8th. In the 7th Edition Weihrauch does not even mention the currently produced HW50. All specs and info on the HW50/HW50V are on the older model. Even more curious, the 7th Edition does not mention anything about the model HW99!!

    Here are my questions:

    1-Does the 8th Edition mention the new model HW50?
    2-If so, does the 8th Edition say when Weihrauch started this confusion by introducing a second HW50 model?
    3-Does the 8th Edition mention the HW99?

    kevin

    • Kevin,

      Well, DUH! The photo of the scope clearly shows one AO distance engraved on the objective ring. OF COURSE the scope has AO. Brain fart!

      The 8th Edition does differentiate between the HW 50s, but without mentioning the powerplant design change. It does say the new HW 50S started being sold in 2009.

      If you are confused on the HW 50 models imagine how I feel about a Chinese spring rifle being called a “Benjamin” Super Streak. Ain’t nothin’ Benjamin about a real Streak.

      I think as time passes and companies get newer employees, they lose sight of what has gone before. It doesn’t make much difference to a 29-year-old whether the old HW 50 had a screw-out end cap or not–the HW 50 is an established product name with proven sales, so let’s continue to harvest the energy that brand name has built up.

      The HW 98??? is mentioned, but there is no 99. The 98 is an FT rifle with an adjustable cheekpiece, so it sounds like the R11.

      B.B.

      • B.B.,

        Very interesting. Thank you. HW98 is the R11 but still no mention of the HW99 in the current blue book. Strange. Seems like a conspiracy to add to the confusion LOL! “…harvest the energy that brand name has built up” is very well put and explains a lot.

        kevin

  15. B.B.

    That does look and sound like a fine springer. Size and power just right. I’ll watch for one now. But I’m in no hurry, and that sounds like a good idea from what Kevin said about how rare they are.

    Thanks again for helping me with PA to get the donated air rifles to auction for the International class shooters who are going to the worlds. I’ll let you all know when the auction is.

    Wacky Wayne

    • C-S,

      These “less powered” guns can be accurate to long ranges. The R8 I have is accurate enough at 40 yards to shoot dime size groups. Although some R7’s and all R8’s came with open sights my eyes are not good enough to shoot dime size groups with open sights at 40 yards.

      Competition guns (10 meter) do not allow use of scopes in competition.

      kevin

        • C-S,

          No offense taken. Your conversion is correct since 1 Meter per Second = 3.28083989501312 Feet per Second.

          As B.B. said in todays article the factory specs for the R8 is 720 fps. Also like B.B. said this is probably with light weight pellets. My R8 is doing mid 600 fps with mid weight pellets BUT I shoot at 5,200 feet in elevation. For sea level fps it would probably do around 700 fps (220 m/s).

          I have guns with peep sights and guns with open sights. I like them all LOL! When you do mount a scope on your guns it’s very likely that your groups will shrink.

          I really like the slavia 634. Great bargain in the USA for a mid powered springer.

          kevin

          • Kevin -i had a scope on my Diana 34 gamo 4 x 32 and i took it off yesterday(derrick 38 elaborated this).Is it a bad scope -dont know but i have just get fed up with settings on the scope ! I have buy a scope when i could just shoot(gun is accurate right from the box) wait for the money to arrive and buy a good scope 😉

    • C-S,
      Yes, I take scopes seriously, even at 10 meters. I’d love to be able to shoot with open sights but no matter what I focus on, rear sight, front sight, target, the other two are too blurry to do any good. I have a lot of respect and admiration for those who can use an open sight. The only other sight I have a remote chance with is the cupped peep sights like the Daisy Avanti Precision Rear Diopter Sight:

      /a/Accessories/Open_target_sights/Rear_sights_and_accessories/71

      This type of sight works the best for me and the smaller the hole the better. But still it’s not as good as a scope.
      -CJr

  18. Mr. B,

    Re: POI change with temperature. I am posting this here although this is a thread from yesterday.

    The gun was really not hotter. I forgot to mention that the car was in shade. I think the main problem is not change in temprature per se, but non-uniform change in temperature. In other words, when the sun hits the scope diretly on one side. With cold weather, it is veryu common that wind also cools the gun differently on one side than the other. ANyway, I am really not sure and that is why I wanted to hear opinions.

    The scope I am using is:
    /product/leapers-golden-image-3-9x32ao-rifle-scope-mil-dot-reticle-1-tube?a=866

    I have two identical scopes. One has not see use outside. Both always maintain zero inside basement.

    Thank you

    • TE,

      Hmm… Am I reading you right? Direct sun on one side of scope (uneven temp.) causing distortion of view? Never considered it. Certainly has my “huh? meter” pegged! This should be interesting.

      Jane?

      KA

          • Is the body of the scope metal or plastic? I suppose one could make estimates of the temp difference from one side to the other and look at the difference in expansion due to heating to see if that could possibly move a lens assembly.

            This is sometimes a problem with long telephoto lenses for photography, and was the supposed motivation for making some big zooms and teles with a white skin instead of a black.

            • Went to range again today. I did the same thing again. POI shift as direct sunlight hits the scope. I do have to say that I will have to run more controlled tests before I give a final verdict on the issue. I will likely put a lapm next to scope in basement once I prove the rifle is shooting .2 inch groups at 13 yd

              The scope, I believe, is aluminum.

              Thank you for your answers!

              TE

  19. C-S,
    No, I don’t think the manufacturers have put nearly enough importance in designing air rifles to accept optical sights in the past. Many spring piston rifles continue to be made with barrels that have excessive downward slope (usually termed as barrel droop”) that can make scoping one darn near impossible. BB even teamed up with Leapers to correct such issues with two droop compensating mounts to fix this long-standing issue with Diana rifles. It seems absurd to me that spring guns are often sold with scope grooves that can be 3/8″ or 11mm or 13mm or anywhere in between. There’s no hard standard in dovetail width and that makes it difficult to attach mounts–sometimes you can’t even get correct size out of the manufacturer. Then there’s the issue of arresting rearward movement, as so many guns lack adequate provision for a mount stop.

    I think the best scope mounting trends of late are the new air rifles coming with Weaver or Picitinny-style rails, as the scope stop is integral to the cross pin on the mount. I know some take issue with the looks, but functionally speaking, we should have gotten here a long time ago.

    Airguns can be incredibly accurate, yet they have minimal power–making shot placement absolutely critical. A scope helps achieve the goal of precision pellet delivery.

    Kevin,
    You probably need to clean your computer monitor if you think I’ve got some kind of “gift”.

  20. Nice R8. Kevin – whose scope mounts?

    from yeaster day on the R9:

    BG Farmer,

    If you ever get around to pulling the trigger on the R9, you want the HW95 version of the rifle. IT DOES HAVE the open sights you desire. PA does does carry it also.

        • My opinion is that the side lever gun must be better than brake barrel,but it is a sweet decision 🙂 wait i might be wrong i dont think you can couse both 48 and 350 Dianas are good 😉

          • David, I have both the 350 and 48, although the latter is with a top of the line stock so it’s the model 52. Both are pretty heavy for hunting if you’re going to carry them around all day. Consider one of the slings that PA sells. The 350 is a barrel cocker while the 48/52 is a side lever. Both put out about 18 fpe but, the 48/52 is way more accurate because it’s not as hold sensitive and it’s recoil is not as great as the 350. The 350 is a fine rifle, pretty accurate but I find that of the 5 piston-spring air rifles I have, it’s the most difficult to shoot accurately due to it’s fierce recoil and hold sensitivity issue. Hope this helps.

            Fred PRoNJ

        • David i have shoot from 350 but not from 48 unfortunately but i have heard that front sight is not ideal ,but you will eventually scoped it so that is not a problem,if going for 350 or 48 go for 22 cal 😉 Now i will let you to the guys who actually have those guns -GOOD LUCK ;)!!!

  22. How many R’s are there? I’ve never heard of the R8. That’s a nice-looking scope but 14X magnification with a 32mm objective seems a little mismatched.

    My parents are putting up stout resistance to exchanging their glasses for regular safety glasses at the range. I admit that the goggles over glasses I bought them may be a bit much. In combination with the gigantic Midway USA earmuffs, I got them, they are complaining that they will look like spacemen. I may have to concede on this, but on having genuine safety glasses, I will insist.

    Matt61

    • Matt61,

      You reminded me of a funny story I’m going to tell about Tom.

      Many years ago, I suggested that he get at least one hearing aid. He refused because he said it would be so obvious. Then, when he got prescription glasses, he hardly ever wore them. He said he didn’t really need them, and they’d characterize him as being older (I’d gotten my first pair of glasses just a few years earlier…imagine my response to him 🙂

      I have on many occasions suggested that he get hearing aids and start wearing his glasses because he can’t see the detail he needs and he doesn’t hear as much as he needs to hear (plus, he has selective hearing…I’m sure every man reading this will have heard the same thing from his wife 🙂

      A few years back, Tom got electronic earmuffs for the range. They reduce impulse sounds but they also enhance all other sounds. They’re like a pair of huge hearing aids. Plus, he noticed that our dentist had these incredibly wonderful magnifying lenses she wore when working on his mouth. He inquired about getting a pair for himself. In fact, Tom told me that if he could wear those electronic earmuffs and those dental magnifying glasses, he’d be all set. To which I replied, “Yeah, none of that will make you stand out.”

      So, it comes down to this. People will wear cool stuff no matter how absurd or goofy they look. Maybe you need to find some cool gear for your folks.

      Edith

      • Edith, they make some really high tech hearing aids now. They’re very tiny, fitting almost completely into the ear canal and digital. They are adjustable (by the Doctor) to selectively amplify that part of the frequency spectrum that the patient has problems with. My father in law wears them as a result of being a quad 40 gunner on the Bonne Homme Richard in the Pacific during WW II and a fellow at work, who was a Marine Engineer, also has them. These guys now hear better than I do. In fact, I’ve had to tell my father in law to make the TV louder when we both are watching! Tell Tom to look into them.

        Fred PRoNJ

        • Fred,

          Mac has a pair of the new hearing aids and they are indeed small. They also communicate with each other to balance the signal. But they also cost $5,000 apiece. I was warming to getting a test for them, then this illness happened and derailed my plans awhile.

          B.B.

          • BB,

            my father in law is a retired teacher from the NYC school system. I don’t think he paid anything for them but let me ask. As a veteran, you may be able to do something through the VA. I know these little wonders are super pricey. I’d rather get an Anschultz and say, “huh”? a lot.

            Fred PRoNJ

            yay – it’s the weekend!

    • Matt,

      You have asked a good question. How many R-type Beeman guns are there? Another good one that was not asked is, “What does the R stand for?”

      Dennis Quackenbush is always harping on the fact that newer airgunners do not know even the most recent history of the hobby, and we rely too much on oral traditions to pass along our culture. Of course this blog is one answer to that shortcoming, so I think a history of both Air Rifle Headquarters and Beeman Precision Airguns is a good blog topic. I think it will have to be a series.

      Watch for Part 1 on Monday.

      B.B.

  23. Slinging Lead,

    The other day, you mentioned instituting word verification for blog comments. I checked with Pyramyd Air’s IT department and was told that we could have something like that but it would make it harder on some people who want to post comments/questions. Since our current spam filter is catching every single spam, they don’t want to install another filter that could interfere with unfettered access to asking questions.

    There are some really persistent spammers, and I caught one the other day in mid-spam. I blacklisted his ISP, and he immediately moved over to the videos and started spamming them. I blacklisted him there and am loaded for bear the minute he spams our podcasts 🙂

    As stated before, Pyramyd Air’s No. 1 concern is educating people about airguns, ammo and accessories so they can make good purchasing decisions. Airgun Academy has been 3.5 years in the making, and we want to make it really easy for people to ask questions/get answers.

    Edith

      • rikib,

        I get the messages in my inbox and simply hit the delete button. The amount of spam I get from the blog is nothing compared to the reams of spam I get from other sources!

        When I say that we have a spam filter, I was referring to the blog. WordPress catches the spam messages and does not allow them to appear on the blog comments. It holds them in abeyance, and I go to the spam can and permanently delete them.

        Edith

        • Edith,
          I do normally just delete them, sometimes subject lines can be deceiving when they reference prior blogs. My filters seem to work for everything but “WordPress”. I guess it is something I will deal with. I was just wondering if you had a certain filter setup. Thanks.

          rikib

        • Edith,
          So being that I requested to receive all comments and I am getting a lot of bogus WordPress messages (supposedly in response to PA blogs) then I am receiving them before they reach your filter.

          rikib

          • rikib,

            The spam filter is to prevent spam from being posted on the blog. It is not meant to prevent them from being sent to the inbox of anyone who requests to receive all comments.

            Edith

    • George,

      They are mostly made in the Peoples Republic of China. A few have been made in Taiwan, as well.

      Asia is the world center for optics today. The Germans and Swiss began training Chinese workers in the 1970s because European labor rates were too large. Today the majority of optics are made somewhere in the Orient. That includes fine cameras and camcorders.

      B.B.

  25. I have on the old HW50 rifles. It does have the smaller chamber ID. It was pure hell sourcing a piston seal! I finally got a supplier after contacting Hans Weirauch himself. He advised that I will also need an adapter to fit the newer synthetic seal to the piston.

  26. Well I’m signing off for the night. I think I need too get younger and a lot more energetic to keep up, as I assume most of you younger people are out having fun 🙂 .

    rikib

  27. B.B.:
    What has happened with AirForce Airguns!?!? I haven’t seen anything lately about them, except for the Edge… But no new gadgets!! Know anything?

    Bob

    • Bob,

      AirForce is in the stages of growing pains. The Edge is selling so well they are racing to keep up with demand. Their new BKL scope mount line is also keeping them hopping. They just installed another CNC machining center to keep up with production demands. They are also looking for several key personnel for their operation.

      Sometimes the python takes time to digest the horse before moving on.

      B.B.

    • I dont want to be a drag but this is just in hope that never again weapons will be used that way,only like we do you know for having fun 😉 couse like i said weapons are not destructive people are 🙁 ,this video is from 1992-1993 so now city is rebuild -now it is just a matter of never let this happen again

      • And guys don t read those comments on youtube and if you do you should know common sanse is that we all should let past to be past ,looking forward not backward 🙂

        • My goodness, CS, who did that to your town? It looks like the bulk of the damage was to private homes. I did see a destroyed church, what looks like a brewery, and perhaps a railway station among the ruined buildings.

          In other words, mostly targets not of military significance.

          Is that a sub tied up at the dock?

          Les

        • C-S,
          You are a gracious man with no guile! You are a person to be admired. I am shocked by the video you included of Vukovar. It was obviously intentional total destruction of everything regardless of its purpose. My heart goes out to you. I wouldn’t have read the comments, except you mentioned them, so of course, I had to go look. Not to worry. I don’t believe much of what is on the internet. I don’t know all the facts and I doubt the people making the comments know it all either. One guy thought our American Revolutionary War (War of Independence) was our Civil War when actually it was for our independence from DaveUK. 😀
          -CJr

  29. Hi BB:
    The last two posts have been Springer Heaven,thanks 🙂
    I did some research on my dads current rifle,the Webley Eclipse.
    It is a MkII version and no longer in production since the late 90s sadly.
    Very highly rated amongst its owners and quite hard to get hold of second hand now it seems.
    This reinforces my thoughts about NOT messing with the powerplant.
    I did notice however that at some point the pop up Breech/transfer port looks like it may have been bored a little wider.To what end I do not know.
    It certainly hasn’t been cast that way I’m sure.
    Thankfully the rifle is still very accurate and the power is roughly what I would expect,although a proper Chrono test would be nice.
    This is where I have to report a crime against Air gun stocks though.
    My Dad painted the wood stock Baby Poop Brown 🙁
    He did it a while back but I was too ashamed to mention here till now.
    I guess seeing those beautiful rifles of yours made me flip.
    Ok,when he got the rifle the stock had some dings and scratches,plus some white gloss paint splashes as well but….Nooooo.
    He loves the new look as well,the silly old sod.lol
    That is why I keep my gob shut when I am decorating my house.He would have it looking like a 1970s Chintz nightmare if he helped 🙁

    C-S-UK:
    The happiest memory of my vacation in the former Yugoslavia was Istrian folk dancing with the lovely local girls.
    My then girlfriend was not happy though.She had a face like a Bulldog chewing a wasp seeing me dancing the night away 🙂
    DaveUK

    • Dave,

      After seeing the hack job I did on the Bronco stock to fit peep sights I would think that nothing done to a stock would seem as bad. Baby poop brown, eh?

      The Eclipse was a great rifle, produced during Webley’s high-water mark, when things were still right with the company. Preserve it and use it. It will outlast you!

      B.B.

      • Good evning rikib well this weekend i am kinda slow my brain is on a vacation ,great game for USA but…i am going to sleep and hopefully tomorrow i will regain my gift of speech,or i will stay blond i dont know see ya ! 🙂

    • I’m shocked, shocked. Seriously in this game the US was beaten. It wasn’t a question of poor calls disallowing goals. Making it past the group round was, itself, a big deal for soccer/fussball/football fans here. Think of all the powerhouses that went home before us, and also those who never even made it to the tournament.

      Good luck to England!!

    • I know all my comments are late coming. I’m in Canada right now enjoying fishing north-west of Kenora, Ontario. Beautiful country!! The camp where I’m staying has wi-fi, with pretty good response, too, so I’m playing catchup.

      Don’t feel sorry for USA in the soccer matches. Nobody expected us to win and we’re grateful to have gotten as far as we did. What the hope is is that it will spark more interest in the sport within the USA and next year we’ll beat the pants off everybody, then we’ll say the same thing when we don’t, several times in the coming years to be sure, and eventually, we WILL beat the pants off everybody. We just haven’t got what I call the “Dreaded Resolve” yet. It’s coming!
      -CJr

  34. Edith

    Thank you for the feedback about the Word Verifications. The smam wasn’t really concerning me, It’s just that I genuinely liked the sometimes funny, sometimes eerily creepy, mangling of what seemed like real words and phrases. I don’t want to make things complicated for anyone for silly arbitrary reasons.

    BB’s blog is the first I began to frequent and ask questions on, precisely for the reason you mentioned. I wanted an answer to an airgun question, I did not want to bother with yet another username/password and registration form. SHOE SIZE:______ BLOOD TYPE:_______ MOTHER’S FIRST BOYFRIEND’S NAME:_____________.

    Out of all my petty gripes, I suppose the only one that really matters to me is a preview function, so that I can see how it will look as posted, and if I have made any html screw ups.

    I would also like to thank you for another candid glimpse into the life and mind of the mystery that is Tom Gaylord. I am cataloging all these tidbits and plan to release an unauthorized biography sometime in the future. Unfortunately, I will have to pitch it as a work of Fiction because no one would believe it to be true.

    I hope you two are having a great weekend.

  35. Recently there was a discussion about holsters and gun leather on this blog. Of course, searching for these terms comes up empty because the search functionality only looks at the blog posts and not the comments, which is next to useless.

    If those of you who had that discussion would kindly reply to this, I’d appreciate it. I need to contact you about a book I’d like to give away.

    -AlanL

  36. AlanL,
    I sort of remember some of it. My only comment about holsters is to consider them at the same time or after a proper gun belt is first selected. The belt is the key component in a functional rig.

    • tdung,

      I asked Pyramyd AIR about the Mendozas, and they said that some of the out-of-stock guns have been taken offline until they get a hard delivery date for them. This will prevent the situation others have recently cited, where in-stock dates keep getting pushed out further and further.

      Edith

  38. Hold on, I didn’t respond to win a prize. I responded because I’ve seen guys trying to carry a relatively heavy .45 auto in a $100 holster on a $15 belt.

    • Ton—-,hold on for the answer ,but i think that we allready had this discussion and I THINK that for HW (IT IS A Weihrauch????)it is a same thing “s” or no s i thik that you can take permenent marker and write “S” commonly 🙂

    • Ton,

      I’m the one that started the discussion on the HW30 versus HW30S controversy a while back. I ordered an HW30S rifle and received one marked HW30 but with what every knowledgeable person on this blog assured me was the ‘Rekord’ trigger. So… did I get shortchanged? Yes, to the extent of a missing “S” engraved on the gun after the model number. What I got was a misdescribed hybrid that nobody could properly classify. Who knows, maybe it’ll turn out to be an incredibly rare collector’s variant. Ha. Anyway, as a result PA scrambled to change its description and now calls it an HW30, so obviously, they’ve got plenty more of this “hybrid” child (I would’ve used another word starting with a ‘b’ but I think that would be frowned upon.) So, will you get “shortchanged” by PA if you buy one of these? I’d say not. The rifle shoots very sweetly and does have the famous trigger, but the price is substantial. You can get a stunningly gorgeous customized HW30S with a black stock and nickel plated barrel for much cheaper in Canada, but you have to wait many months and will not have the 30-day return privilege that PA gives.

      -AlanL

      • AlanL,

        Weihrauch mis-labled a batch of guns. Just as GM used to put Pontiac engines in Oldsmobiles until someone noticed and complained. It is a very common happening throughout industry.

        For many years I used to taunt Firebird owners that they were driving Camaros with different trim. That wasn’t exactly correct, but it was close enough to make them mad. They wanted the exclusivity that they felt should go with the badge. I was pointing out the large crossover of parts that every manufacturer must use to keep their costs in line.

        Look at the Sheridan Blue Streak and the Benjamin 392. Back in the 1980s, when these were made by two different companies, there really was a difference. Look at how close they come today.

        “A rose by any other name…”

        B.B.

  41. Has B.B. ever done an article on how long a CO2 powerlet can stay in an airgun? Say if you already started shooting and decided I was done for the day but I still had about 30 shots left,will it cause damage to the gun if I leave it in there for say a day, or maybe a week?

    • George,

      I haven’t done a complete blog on this one fact, but hundreds of times I have told readers that I leave powerlets in my guns for years. No damage is done. The newer guns that are made after 1990 seem to leak down over 12 months, though.

      B.B.

  44. George,
    I leave CO2 in most, if not all, of my airguns all the time. Do put some crosman pellgun oil on the end of the cartridge first so the cartridge doesn’t fuse to the valve face over time.

Leave a Comment

Buy With Confidence

  • Free Shipping

    Get FREE shipping on qualifying orders! Any order $150+ with a shipping address in the contiguous US will receive the option for free ground shipping on items sold & shipped by Pyramyd AIR during checkout. Certain restrictions apply.

    Free shipping may not be combined with a coupon unless stated otherwise.

    View Shipping Info

  • Shipping Time Frame

    We work hard to get all orders placed by 12 pm EST out the door within 24 hours on weekdays because we know how excited you are to receive your order. Weekends and holiday shipping times will vary.

    During busy holidays, we step our efforts to ship all orders as fast as possible, but you may experience an additional 1-2 day delay before your order ships. This may also happen if you change your order during processing.

    View Shipping Times

  • Shipping Restrictions

    It's important to know that due to state and local laws, there are certain restrictions for various products. It's up to you to research and comply with the laws in your state, county, and city. If you live in a state or city where air guns are treated as firearms you may be able to take advantage of our FFL special program.

    U.S. federal law requires that all airsoft guns are sold with a 1/4-inch blaze orange muzzle or an orange flash hider to avoid the guns being mistaken for firearms.

    View Shipping Restrictions

  • Expert Service and Repair

    Get the most out of your equipment when you work with the expert technicians at Pyramyd AIR. With over 25 years of combined experience, we offer a range of comprehensive in-house services tailored to kickstart your next adventure.

    If you're picking up a new air gun, our team can test and tune the equipment before it leaves the warehouse. We can even set up an optic or other equipment so you can get out shooting without the hassle. For bowhunters, our certified master bow technicians provide services such as assembly, optics zeroing, and full equipment setup, which can maximize the potential of your purchase.

    By leveraging our expertise and precision, we ensure that your equipment is finely tuned to meet your specific needs and get you ready for your outdoor pursuits. So look out for our services when shopping for something new, and let our experts help you get the most from your outdoor adventures.

    View Service Info

  • Warranty Info

    Shop and purchase with confidence knowing that all of our air guns (except airsoft) are protected by a minimum 1-year manufacturer's warranty from the date of purchase unless otherwise noted on the product page.

    A warranty is provided by each manufacturer to ensure that your product is free of defect in both materials and workmanship.

    View Warranty Details

  • Exchanges / Refunds

    Didn't get what you wanted or have a problem? We understand that sometimes things aren't right and our team is serious about resolving these issues quickly. We can often help you fix small to medium issues over the phone or email.

    If you need to return an item please read our return policy.

    Learn About Returns

Get FREE shipping on qualifying orders! Any order $150+ with a shipping address in the contiguous US will receive the option for free ground shipping on items sold & shipped by Pyramyd AIR during checkout. Certain restrictions apply.

Free shipping may not be combined with a coupon unless stated otherwise.

View Shipping Info

Text JOIN to 91256 and get $10 OFF Your Next $50+ Order!

* By providing your number above, you agree to receive recurring autodialed marketing text msgs (e.g. cart reminders) to the mobile number used at opt-in from Pyramyd AIR on 91256. Reply with birthday MM/DD/YYYY to verify legal age of 21+ in order to receive texts. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg frequency may vary. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help and STOP to cancel. See Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy.

Customer Support

Shopping Services

GET TO KNOW US

PyramydAir.com uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. You can find out more about how we use them in the privacy policy. All other designated trademarks, copyrights, and brands are the property of their respective owners.

Copyright © 1999-2024 Pyramyd AIR. All Rights Reserved.

Customer Support

Shopping Services

GET TO KNOW US

|
|

credit cards

secure checkout

Copyright © 1999-2024 Pyramyd AIR. All Rights Reserved.