by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Crosman 101 multi-pump pneumatic.
This report covers:
- Crosman-101-classic
- Description
- Peep sight
- Cocking knobs
- Materials
- History
- Maintenance
- Crosman 101CG
I was trying to report on rebuilding the Daisy 853 today, but a last-minute change prevented that. One of our readers, Paperweight, sent me Daisy’s very detailed .pdf file on rebuilding the 753/853 that has far more detail than the one on Pilkington’s website. It includes some steps that Pilkington overlooks, and those steps are vital. He also told me that the brown o-ring goes on the action and the black one goes on the pump piston. I had followed someone else’s directions and had them reversed. So I had to backtrack and switch the o-rings, plus I used the more detailed Daisy instructions to assemble the gun. I’ll tell you more when I do that report.
Crosman-101-classic
So today we will start looking at one of the all-time classic multi-pumps — Crosman’s 101 pumper. It’s also been know as the Silent model at times, for reasons I will cover, but nowhere in Crosman’s literature or on the gun do I see the model number. The .22-caliber model 101 and the rarer .177-caliber model 100 got their start in 1924, and production continued until 1950. The Blue Book of Airgunss says the .22-caliber model started in 1926, but that overlooks the model 1924 that is clearly the earliest version of this gun. The model 100 wasn’t started until 1940 and was never as popular as the .22 caliber gun because .177 wasn’t that popular in the United States during that timeframe.
The 101 looks pretty funky to someone used to today’s pneumatics.
Description
The 100/101 is an underlever pump gun that accepts 2 to 10 pump strokes for one shot. It is designed to dump all its air with every shot. My rifle is a beater I bought for $50 at an airgun show and had Dave Gunter rebuild. Dave’s not working on airguns any more, as far as I know, but Rick Willnecker in Pennsylvania ( https://www.airgunshop.net/ or call 717-382-1481) can not only do the job — he manufactures the parts that all the other repair centers use to fix these vintage pneumatics. He’s a good resource for you.
Dave souped my rifle up when he fixed it. In 2005 I reported getting 710 f.p.s. with .22-caliber Crosman Premiers on 8 pumps. That’s way over the norm for this gun. In good shape a 101 should give 625-640 f.p.s. on 10 pump strokes.
Peep sight
The rear peep sight went through some iterations, as well. Some of them have large round peep holes with knurled elements to permit easy adjustments, while others are like the one on my example — plain peep element with flats. The peep hole in this one is tiny! All of them adjust manually though. Elevation is controlled by sliding the sight staff up and down and horizontal is controlled by positioning the peephole along the top of the staff.
Peep sight adjusts by sliding the element staff up and down or the element left and right.
Cocking knobs
Cocking knobs also changed over the years. The earliest is a simple knob with a thin knurled ring at the end. That came from the ultra-rare type 3 pumper that preceded the 101. I used to own one of those before anyone knew it was a separate model. We just thought it was a toolroom gun. The one I owned is the very gun pictured in the Blue Book.
The next cocking knob had a dished groove (knob looked like a mushroom from the side) for the fingers. That was followed by a large knurled knob that was almost an inch long. The last vewrsion has several rings cut into it for better grip. That’s the one on my current rifle.
The 101 looks old and funky. In fact, that’s a lot of its appeal. It’s no more accurate than a Sheridan Blue Streak or a Benjamin 310 multi-pump that were contemporaries. But the 101 comes standard with a rear peep sight, where the other two have open sporting sights. So it is perhaps a little easier to shoot accurately.
Materials
The receiver is an aluminum casting. Most of the other parts, with the possible exception of the barrel, and barrel hangers, are steel. The barrel is 20 inches long. My steel barrel is rifled with a right-hand twist having very shallow grooves that make it next to impossible to count the lands. I would guess there are either 6 or 8. There certainly are not 12.
Crosman used a lot of maple on the 101 guns. My example gun sports a plain maple stock and forearm with just a hint of figure.
My rifle weighs 5 lbs. 2.5 oz. The overall length is 35 inches, making it a carbine-length rifle, despite the long barrel. The weight feels like more because of the compactness. The pull is a whisker over 13 inches, but the placement of the peep sight makes it feel longer.
The trigger is a direct-sear blade with zero complexity. That said, the single-stage pull is quite light. The trigger breaks at 1 lb. 14 oz. with just a wee bit of creep.
History
The 101 was produced from 1924 (26?) until 1950. There are numerous variations throughout the life of the model, though there was never an official designation of a model upgrade. Some guns had brass barrels; others had steel. Some models had wood stocks with high combs, others were lower and more plain. Some guns had gorgeous figured maple stock wood, while others were as plain are table kegs. And, there was the Silent model of the 1940s that featured a plastic pump handle with a rubber pad inside. It prevented the forearm from clicking as the gun is pumped. The ads said you could pump silently when hunting.
Over the years I’ve owned several 101s — including a Silent and a 1924 model. I’ve also owned one model 100, but I wasn’t as fond of it for some reason. My current rifle is the least valuable of all, and also the most powerful.
Maintenance
Most multi-pump owners know to store their guns with a pump of air to keep the valve seals clean and fresh. The 101, however, allows you to do one thing more. If you unscrew the cocking knob you can relax all tension on the striker spring, helping to keep that air inside the gun. Just don’t forget to screw it back in before you shoot again. I just checked and my rifle is still holding air I pumped in there more than 3 years ago!
Of course you also want to put some Crosman Pellgunoil on the pump head that is exposed when the pump handle is fully forward. How much is up to you. It’s impossible to overdo this step.
Crosman 101CG
After WW II, someone at Crosman found a supply of 4 oz. CO2 tanks for life rafts and got the bright idea to convert the pneumatic rifle to CO2. They hung the tank beneath the rifle and got hundreds of shots per fill. This is the rifle the company marketed with shooting galleries for businesses.
Crosman converted the 101 to use CO2 from a WWII life raft tank, creating the model 101 compressed gas, or CG. There’s that mushroom-shaped cocking knob.
This will be a conventional test report with three parts. I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with this old girl.
Ok got the brain thinking with that last picture.
Instead of Co2 in the add on tank. Why couldn’t the gun be ported in a way to use the pump on the gun to fill the Co2 bottle with the compressed air from the guns pump mechanism?
That could of been one of the first pcp guns Crosman made back then. Did they know how close they were to having a pcp self contained pump gun back then? I just have to wonder.
Your photography has not yet recovered from your surgery. The second picture is so heavily digitized I cannot read what is written on the receiver.
and it may never with retinal reattachments you never know…… The fact that B.B. can shoot at all, not to mention so well, is pretty amazing!
-Y
Siraniko,
That photo was taken years ago. It isn’t digitization. It’s paint. You couldn’t rear the print if the rifle was in your hands.
B.B.
Oh. I had thought it was an attempt to decipher what was written.
BB,
May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits!
I have been looking at these air rifles for years now at air gun shows with a strong urge to take one home. Now I am going to have to end up getting one of these things.
One sure would go nice with my ’59 Daisy 99 and my ’06 BSA though. 😉
RR,
Yes, I think this would be a perfect airgun for you.
B.B.
Ha! Ha! Ha! That curse sure brings back some memories.
I have a few others but they are a bit too colorful for general admission. Plus this one usually gets a chuckle.
You mean that one is not original? It reminds me of the line in Fiddler on the Roof, when the lead character says, “I am Tevye, and when I am angry, the flies do not fly!” Anyway, B.B. seems to be unfazed.
Matt61
I have heard it before. I think it was from one of the “Cannonball Run” movies.
This is the same rifle (picture at the top) that I hunted with for years. 🙂
Very pleased that you are doing a blog on the 101 B.B. – timing is great, I am in the process of refurbishing mine.
I got my rifle from my father when I was a teenager and guess that it is now around 70 years old.
Yes, nice to see the old girl, looking forward to the next part.
Hank
Vortek update.
Well I had my Diana 36 apart for more than a week when my kit finally made it last night. (Didn’t order it quickly enough, life happens) I was able to follow all the instructions and put the rifle back together without any extra pieces. 😉 I went out and fired it and can’t even believe what I’m shooting now. I have way more power. Actually almost too much. I don’t have a chrony but travel time is shorter and the twack on my backstop is definitely louder. I was very pleased with the shot cycle most of all!!!
Buldawg 76 if your reading today I wanted to thank you again for jump starting my project. With the right resources all the smoke and mirrors dissapeared. That goes for anybody who even made a casual comment to help me (Chris USA, B.B.)
Even though I only give myself the “grade” of C+ (all things considered) this rifle will shoot well enough, long enough until I purchase a new “go to”. Then I can redo the tune after having thought about what I did well and what can be improved. It doesn’t matter how good your eyesight is, hindsight is always 20/20!
Punchin Holes
I never doubted you could get it rebuilt successfully and all you need was a little guidance and a big nudge to move forward in doing it.
It appears you had a successful and informative rebuild that has given you a great sense of accomplishment and a like new gun to enjoy. if you think it is shooting good now just give it a tin or two of pellets for the piston seal and part to truly seat and wear in and it should pick up a good bit more power.
It always takes some break in to fully seat the seal and let the spring and all settle into their happy spots.
Congrads on a job well done.
BD
Buldawg 76,
Yes, I’m very excited and now I wonder if maybe the pellet preference has changed with all this extra power? I’m sure the spring was broken for the extent I have owned it. I guess that gives me more to test and stay busy with! 🙂 I think I’m going to try to get a rear peep for it next. I much prefer a peep to any other sighting system.
BTW I hope ur getting some rest. I remember seeing that you we’re having trouble sleeping. I always feel for folks who struggle with what comes naturally for me. (I sleep like a ton of bricks 8hrs without fail)
Punchin Holes
I am sure after shooting with a broken spring it will indeed require some pellet testing now for sure since the velocity has definitely increased it will need to be treated just like a new gun.
I have always liked Peep sights for close ranges within 25 yards and less and now as I am getting older I cannot see much past that with them clearly so anything past 25 yards is scope territory for me to hit what I aim at with any consistency.
As far as the sleep goes its hit or miss still even with sleeping pills since I have not been to sleep since 9 am yesterday. I went to bed at 12 am last night but just laid awake till 3 am so got up and worked on some guns and surfed the computer. I am tired and laid down a bit ago but still unable to sleep so just trying to stay busy. I never used to have this problem until about 9 months ago as I have always been one to be out cold 5 minutes after I hit the bed. I have tried everything my doc has recommended but nothing is working yet so I will say out of a seven day week I sleep if I am lucky three nights of the seven but generally its only two and then only for 5 or less hours per night. I have forgot what REM sleep is or dreaming since that has not happened in over 9 months.
I guess I will sleep when I am no longer in this body. I am finding its overrated anyway.
BD
BD
That is a good way to look at it. Just try to keep your health up. I always preach quality vitamin intake (meal and pill) and water. 😉
I really can’t thank you enough. Its a nice change of pace to find support when I have met nothing but resistence with friends and family. My brother asked my why I ruined a perfectly good C clamp. When I told him it was for a spring compressor he scoffed at me and I fired back and it was just two differing positions over something that doesn’t really matter much. But it is nice to connect with like minds. 🙂
Punchin Holes
I am taking vitamins, DHEA, COQ10, and many other anti aging hormones and supplements to help prevent heart diseases and strokes along with other meds to stay healthy. I have heart issues as well as lung issues so I am doing everything the docs tell me to as far as meds and supplements are concerned. They are as baffled as me as to why I cannot sleep and short of taking a horse tranquilizer to knock me out its just day by day for me.
So your brother scoffed at what you did to the clamp and after you built the compressor did he still think you ruined a good clamp or was he dumbfounded by what you just built to accomplish safely tearing apart your prized jewel and being able to bring a worn out piece of history back to life in better than new condition with your own hands and skill. He sounds as though he is not good with his hand or mechanically inclined and would be one to pay someone to do something that can be done safely by himself if he just is willing to ask questions and learn from others.
Tell him that if you had to pay someone to do what you just did it would have cost easily 150 to 400 dollars depending on who you sent it to for the work. If you bought a professional air gun spring compressor that alone would be in the 150 plus price range so you just built one that works just as good for 20 bucks or less and saved the price to have someone do what you did yourself and now have the pride to know you can say I did that myself. I have club members in my field target club that pay 400 dollars to have their spring guns tuned by professionals and while they do get what they pay for in terms of a fine shooting gun it can be accomplished just as well on our own with some patience and attention to detail.
BD
I bet all the pills you are taking messing your sleep cycle up. of course the docs will act baffled
Mildot52
I have thought about that exact thing and am thinking of coming off some of them but just unsure about what to stop and what not to and if I can go cold turkey or need to wean off of some of them.
I am having a talk with my heart doc in June as that’s what I am concerned about most since I have coronary arterial sclerosis and congestive heart failure as well as COPD and much more so have to be careful what I stop and don’t as my ticker could stop along with the meds.
BD
BD76
Maybe this will shed some light on the matter. First the clamp is more useful to him than the rifle. He cant understand why I even spent “a small fortune on a used pellet gun (toy)” ($190 out the door which i gladly paid for convenience and the abilty to shoot that day) He also couldn’t believe that I bought a clamp for $12.99 just to “ruin it” (I thought it was a heck of a deal : ) ) Also he abandoned his venom nitro because it couldn’t make a 40 yard shot when he didn’t wanna use any technique (artillery hold adjust the blurry objective etc.) We both love building and “playing” with tools but as we get older our views have changed drastically. It is almost impossible to complete a project with him anymore.
Wow man that sounds intense. Way out of my league. I will give you my blessing and prayers instead. I talked to an older man at work today that has (politely put) much difficulty urinating. He told me the specifics and between that and what you have written I am thankful for my health. Hang in there. 🙂
Punchin Holes
I do get that a lot when I tell people I shoot field target with pellet guns ( The normal response is “Oh you mean BB guns ” They must be hard to hit the target ). I try to politely tell them that I can out shoot their powder burners at 50 yards anytime they would like to take me up on it, no one has yet. I have a Nitro Venom which was one of my first air guns I bought two years ago when I pulled my 1968 model 1400 Crosman multi pumper out of the closet after 25 years just to see if it still worked and a little oil and it shot like new. The nitro guns are a decently accurate gun if you learn how it wants to be held but if he is not willing to put the time in to shoot it well then I can see how he got frustrated so easy. I would have paid the $190 for that Diana 36 just as you did since they are some of the best built gun and you will always be able to pass it down thru the generations of family.
It is a shame that you don’t enjoy the same interests as much anymore as that is something that is very rewarding that brothers should share as much as possible because you never know what life has in store for us. Tell your brother time is valuable and you both need to make the most of the time you have as life is very short in the grand scheme of things.
I was as healthy as a horse up until August of 2013 when I just felt worn out all of a sudden and had no chest pains or symptoms of issues with my heart, but after my doc ran some tests I found I had a blocked LAD ( the artery in the heart they call the Widowmaker ). A heart cath showed a 75 and 85% blockage in it so I had two stents put in and my heart doc told the wife if it had not been found when it was that I would have had a heart attack within a week and would not have survived it. Then in November after having some mild chest pains I had another cath done and it found a 65% blockage in my right coronary artery and it was stented, then the COPD started and it has been downhill ever since with one thing after another. So yes please do not take your health for granted as I did since I had never been truly sick in my 57 years until 3 years ago and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I will admit I was not the kindest to my body thru life with racing motocross bikes and living on the edge as if I was ten feet tall and invincible all my life. I have no regrets though and am just thankful to the Lord that he is still not ready for yet so every day I see the sun rise is another good day for me.
BD
My Dad developed serious insomnia for reasons that no one can figure out, and nothing seems to work. All I can advise is low-impact exercise. If you’re tired enough, the body must shut down.
Matt61
Matt61
I have tried exercise and believe me its not because I am not tired enough to sleep and even doze off on the couch watching TV for 5 or 10 minutes here and there. But when I go to bed to actually sleep my mind just will not shutoff and it is not because I am not tired enough for it to shutdown.
My body does shutdown well, but my mind does not and therefore no REM sleep occurs which is the only sleep that truly rest the entire body. I have not had any dreams at all for almost a year now so that tells me I am not entering REM sleep which is the level of sleep that dreams occur and the body is rejuvenated.
BD
That’s tough. But if it is your mind keeping you awake, that may be the way to solve this. As Mr. Spock says, “Pain is a thing of the mind, and the mind can be controlled.” I once went through a period like this and found that I could force myself to let go and think of nothing, and I would fall asleep. But it is strenuous to do and hard to keep up. Now, I settle for a happy medium where I try to not pursue lines of thought but don’t actively try to think of nothing.
I continue to think that some non-impact high volume exercise will tire you out enough to bring on sleep.
Whatever you do, don’t imitate my Dad. His solution to insomnia is to read all night long. But that just makes his mind more active. It is also what he does all day long in retirement which leaves him with a lot of unused energy and just perpetuates the cycle.
Matt61
Matt61
I do force myself to think of nothing or try to envision an all black or a white room and at times it helps but if I do fall asleep that way it is short lived and I wake up in an hour. You are correct it is hard to do and maintain over many nights. I have found that I am in a rhythm of not sleeping for one or two nights ( have not slept since 10 am yesterday at this time ) and then sleeping very well one night and back to no sleep.
I try to stay busy working on my projects of the numerous air guns I have in need of building or repairing and it does tire me. A lot of it right now is caused from external sources that I have no control over from family members not doing right in their lives which cause my wife and me stress and worry. I can deal fairly well with it but the wife does not deal with it well at all and therefore I worry about her as we both are not in the best health.
Reading is not an issue for me as I can only read for 30 minutes or so at a time and my eyes get blurry and out of focus. So when I can no longer lay awake in bed I am up doing things to keep me busy and moving to try to tire me out and I am exhausted all the time but I just cannot put all the every day issue to rest like I used to and fall asleep as I should and used to do quite easily.
I am working towards removing the stressors that are creating the problems but it is not moving as fast as I would like but I am not giving up either.
BD
Punchin Holes,
Congratulations! 🙂 More power too heh? Win, win situation. Did you say “too much” power? Mmmmm?,… we have to talk….. 😉 Until the accuracy suffers, I will make and take all I can get!
Way to go!,…… Chris
Chris USA
HEY THANKS! I appreciate the encouragement and your insight. The amount of power is ALMOST a problem :). I just need to beef up my pellet trap. 😉 I am really excited that I have a means to improve my range though! Thanks for the kind words this blog is the only place I’ll find them. 🙂
Punchin Holes,
No problem. That extra fps is nice and will allow you not only extended range, but the use of heavier pellets as well. Gunfun1 one seems to go to the heavy side on what caliber he is shooting. He says that it will “settle” a gun too as far ,as shot cycle, etc. I have found both to be true. So, if you think you got too much “going on”, try some heavier pellets. But, like they say,…. you got to shoot and find out.
Keep us posted on groups and yardages and pellet types. Anxious to see how it does for you.
I love the peeps too. The 499 is the only one though. The 2 springers and the PCP are all scoped. The 2 springers I have had out to 70 yds. and the PCP out to 100. I am finding that I like the longer ranges. Still playing though and still learning. If I find that I can hit 15 oz. cans at 70 and 100, 60-90% of the time, with whatever, then I will break out the paper and see just exactly what it is doing (group size and pattern).
Chris
Chris USA
I just reread my comment and noticed my brain going faster than my thumbs. I meant this blog is the only place I have to talk to other shooters. Im definitely going to send some lead downrange to get refamiliarized with the trigger and let this new sharp cycle settle and get used to it. I am definitely going to try some jsb 10.34s and some barracuda/kodiaks. I haven’t checked into the 9 grain range but I was doing well with jsb 8.44 grains. I am still a pretty poor shot but I can tell the differences pellet to pellet. Ill have to work on my paperwork at 25yrds. I have similar shooting tastes. Although my ranges are shorter I like to do about the same with cans and paper. Yeah GF1 likes those jsb 10.34s I have noticed. I may scope this M36 yet. 🙂
PH
Yes I do like the JSB 10.34’s. You know the AirArms 10.34’s are basically the same pellet. And they are cheaper than the JSB’s.
Buldawg favors the AirArms. He says there’s a guy he shoots feild target with that likes the AirArms 10.34’s too. Says they seem to be a little better than the JSB’s. I shot them both and both did well in my guns. But just letting you know about the AirArms 10.34’s.
And just wondering what part of Illinois you live in. Northern, southern or middle? I live in the middle. About 15 or so miles east of St.Louis.
You anywhere near there? If so your welcomed to come over and shoot.
GF1
Thanks for the heads up on the air arms version. I’m going to have to make a pellet run here before long.
I live in “central” Illinois I live about 20ish miles Northwest of Peoria. I appreciate the invitation. Although I doubt I can get away for awhile with my busy season starting and helping my in laws with their family issues… I will definitely take you up on a session in the future. Maybe I’ll even have another gun or two to show off 😉
PH
Looks like your about a 150 miles north of me where I’m at now. So yep if we do get together in the future we would have to do some planning. And you can shoot my guns. Got firearms too. And would like to shoot yours to see how you got them dailed in.
And don’t know about you. But it’s a beautiful shoot’n day here. Out enjoying the the weekend off.
Get you some shoot’n in ok. 🙂
GF1
I had some prime weather up here as well. I shot about 200 rounds which is quite a bit for me in one day. 🙂
Looks like the h&n ftt 4.52mm had the smallest group today. The rws superdomes had a rounder and better looking group but it was larger overall. I’m shooting at 15yds and a nickel would cover the h&n easy and barely cover the super domes. Those were the best by far for the day. I also shot my crosman m4 Pumper that I have as my “most accurate” gun and by that I mean I shoot it best. Today’s group with that rifle was equal to the M36 group. So that tells me I just need to keep practicing. 😉
I was wiped mentally by the time I was done today. Been spread thin lately but can’t wait to squeeze in another quick session tomorrow. 🙂 Hope U had a relaxing day as well. I had a tall glass of iced lemonade next to me and a light breeze.
Punchin Holes
like GF1 says one of my fellow FT club shooters prefers AA pellets over JSBs and since he was the national champion in WFTF class for 2015 season and is anal about sorting and measuring his pellets for competition shooting I will take his word that the Air Arms pellets are more consistent in weights and sizes than are the same pellets made by JSB.
He buys pellets by the 10 thousands plus at a time and sorts all of them to end up with match grade pellets, target grade pellets and plinking pellets out of the batch he buys. Its what it takes to be a national champion in his or any class in FT and his gun and scope costs over 10 thousand dollars together but he has been shooting for close to 30 years as well.
BD
BD
Wow that is a dedicated guy! I had my mititoyu absolute digimatic vernier calipers out and they may have been good enough for us hydraulic brake press operators but they weren’t worth a hoot at checking head size. (I figured they wouldn’t be, or they wouldn’t sell pelletgauges)
10 grand huh? I am a guy that understands you gotta spend tall cash for the elite. I used to be big into cars and motorcycles. 10 large buys you my regular 4×4 truck or a “nice” used Harley or an elite shooting setup. That’s why I’m feeding my shooting passion. I can “get more fun” for way less Jack.
PH
You work at a machine shop? That’s what I have done for the last 30+ years. And cars, don’t get me started on cars. Can’t count how many muscle cars I have had. Well even the late model cars. Drag raced at the local track all my life. And use to race motocross before I got my drivers license. Had a Suzuki RM125 about 6 months before they were released back in the day.
But yep I guess both the AirArms and JSB 10.34’s are good to me. Guess I’m lucky that I have and had guns that like them both. And for me that’s good because I’m kind of a accuracy finatic.
But yep had a nice day of shoot’n. Actually just came in from shoot’n the Brodax. Had the flood lights all on in the back yard. Just like shoot’n in the day light.
And that was one of the pellets I used in the Brodax. The H&N feild target pellets. Read below. Getting ready to give a update on the Brodax.
Punchin Holes
In todays competitions if you want to win at FT that’s what it takes to win is pure dedication and obsession with every detail possible. I shoot hunter FT for the fun and camaraderie with my fellow shooters and started only about a year and half ago after I watched the nationals being held at our FT course in October of 2014 and was hooked. I will never be at any level close to him or some of the other members that are past national champs with one being a three time champ but it is fun to shoot with them and definitely learn all I can from them. If you want to learn about FT competition check out this link.
http://www.aafta.org/
He shoots in the ” World field target federation ” WFTF class which follows the rules of the world organization in that he is only required to shoot at 12 FPE or below and anything else go’s. Meaning he can use any gun, scope combo he chose’s so long as its 12FPE or below and is allowed to click his scope for different distances so his crosshairs are always dead on at any range. He shoots AA 8.44s at 790 fps which is right below the limit of 12FPE and uses a 80 power scope that is a first focal plane and is half the cost of his setup so roughly 5 grand for the Steyr FT gun and 5 grand for his March scope.
I use NSK digital micrometers to randomly check pellets myself but its just for amusement as I don’t have the light touch required to not deform the pellet when measuring LOL. I like you have always tried to spend as little as possible and buy used to repair myself to save money and with my bikes and cars have had good luck at turning some heads of those with far more invested than me when I outrun them at their own game. My days of competing to be the best are behind me as now it all about just having fun and enjoying what I do with like minded people.
I have my 76 shovel and 77 KZ 1000 that outrun most bikes in their class and that’s enough for me now to keep the need for speed quelled. Besides stupid hurts and us old guys don’t heal as fast as we used to so its air guns for me mostly now.
BD
B.B.,
Oh, I forgot you said you are colorblind. Orange looks brown to you. Either way, the orange seal seems to be the softer, squishier o ring of the two to deform and seal the receiver end of the compression chamber when pressurized. The black piston seal is a bit harder for higher durability on a moving part. At one time they provided both o rings in standard black.
Paperweight,
There was no problem. The orange seal is so light that it stands apart from the black one. I took the action apart and swapped them.
Both o-rings that were in the rifle were black. They were starting to harden, so I threw them away. I normally save good o-rings that don’t have nicks or cuts, but Daisy is so efficient at supplying the parts that I feel there is no worry getting more.
Thanks,
B.B.
B.B.,
It was 45Bravo’s comment on the 853 part 2 that clued me in to which seal went where. The color change must have been fairly recent since most pictures on the net seem to depict two standard black o rings. The kit could still use a simple label on the seals.
Paperweight,
Either I missed 45Bravo’s comment, or I read it wrong. At any rate, I went out of my way to put the o-rings in the wrong place. It’s straightened out now.
B.B.
B.B.
I’ve ‘almost bought’ a Crosman 101 several times. Like my Sheridan C-model, it’s just classically cool; I look forward to the rest of this report. Thank you.
take care & God bless,
dave
BB
Was the piston cracked on the 853 between the felt wiper and the o ring or was it just a reflection in the picture you posted of it in the report. Did you have to replace it or not.
BD
BD,
Not gonna tell you! You guys are weedling the next report out of me, one fact at a time.
Monday — I promise! 😉
B.B.
BB
Ok I can wait and not wanting to spoil the report for you so works for me.
BD
B.B.,
I have been aware of the Crosman 101 for a long time, but I have never known much about them. I have always wondered about their power and accuracy, so this is a compelling subject for me to read about. Interesting that even not souped up they still shot well over 600 fps. That is much more than I would have guessed.
Perhaps I should have been reading about these for a long time by now!
Any ways that you know of to determine whether one has a brass or steel barrel just from looking at the exterior?
Michael
Michael,
One in good shape will go that fast. I’ve owned some that topped out at 575 f.p.s.
B.B.
B.B.,
Well, to me that means this is one hard hitter if it is in proper working order, or more, as is the case with yours.
That long action to grab onto makes this look like it might be easy to pump up. True? Or am I stepping on your next installment?
I can’t wait to see how accurate the 101 is / isn’t.
Michael
Michael
A magnet will tell you if the barrel is steel or brass and is easy enough to carry in a pocket.
BD
‘Dawg,
Hah! I forgot, this air rifle was made before the phrase “barrel sleeve” had to be coined.
Michael
Michael
Yep no sleeve on the 101 to confuse the would be buyers.
BD
Have seen these for sale Online for years, and wanted to try one, but had never actually touched one.
Until a powder burner friend asked me if I could fix his dad’s old pellet gun.
He brought it over, and left it in my care, it was a 101 same model as yours, I cleaned it up, used a fair amount of pelgun oil on it. And it started holding pressure.
I ran about half a tin through it, with no issues.
I returned it to him, with a tube of pelgun oil, and proper care and use instructions.
I offered to reseal it, but he said as long as it will keep shooting, he was happy, and would cross that bridge when it needed it.
2 years later, it’s still running strong, with regular use.
Shooting it that week satisfied my urge to buy one.
But I still am drawn to them.
I don’t know why, maybe the funky looks, but as you say, that is part of the appeal.
I like the old crosmans, the Mark 1&2 are my favorites.
RamboRob,
There is some hope I can offer you. There is shop in South Africa producing molds for big bore air guns.
http://www.africanairordnance.com/424820687/category/618414/pellet-molds
I found this on Facebook and tracked down their webpage. They do 5.5mm to 0.73 cal
I will agree the Crosman 100 series looks old, but “funky”? I’ve always found these rifles quite attractive. They have a Winchester-type style in my eyes. And boy, are they a pleasure to shoot! I am fortunate to own two model 101s and while both are quite accurate with several types of ammo, my two guns absolutely love RWS Super-H-Point pellets.
Looking forward to part II.
Update
Just got the Brodax. Haven’t got it out of the packaging yet though. It’s got that hard clear plastic packaging like what you see at Wally world and such.
But it’s a big pistol. Didn’t realize it was that big. By the way BB. Remember when I asked you if you would put a Co2 cartridge next to a Co2 gun so we could have a size reference.
Oh and the 3 metal mags are heavy. Was surprised when I picked up the package. But getting ready topen it up and do some open sight shooting with some pellets. Hope it works in its smooth bore. And with the pellet mags at that instead of the plastic bb mags.
Will give a update later. But definitely a cool look’n pistol.
GF1,
🙂 Christmas in May? It don’t get any better than that! Keep us posted. Oh yea, before you go there, I do not want to hear any stories about 1/2″ groups at 50 yds.! 🙂 Don’t even think about any 100 yd. stuff.
Yea,…. starting to get you figured out and how that mind of yours works. 😉
Chris USA
Writing a update below on the Brodax.
No 50 yard shooting. But pleasantly surprised with it.
GF1,
Remember my comments about Hellboy?
Just hold the revolver and it will get much smaller.
B.B.
BB
Yep. You are right. The gun feels real comfortable when I hold it. My oldest daughter shot it. She likes it.
Read below in a minute. Getting ready to write a up date.
GF1
I’m excited to see how you made out with the brodax. It was nice of you to volunteer for what at least I was wondering. 😉 (pellets in this baby, good connection with the python clips)
Yeah I work in a couple shops over the years. Being a well rounded forming guy (roll form, hand diacro and several different kinds of brakes mechanical, hydraulic even fancy window based varying axis hydraulics. The last one I was on had independent guage “fingers” that had an almost infinite amount of positions (within the xyz parameters of the physical “reach”) I absolutely loved it but the way the employers saw it the guy running it was a monkey because you could just trash parts until you get a part within tolerance and save the program and then the next time anyone could run the program (yeah right). It got to a point where I couldn’t move up because jobs were scarce when catepillar moved a lot of manufacturing out of central Illinois. There were too many fish in that pond and even though I never found anyone as good as me at my age it didn’t matter cuz the older guys weren’t moving up either. (And some of them could just blow me away) So I jumped out put myself through school and I’m an hvac tech for now looking to eventually move up. I took extra courses that aren’t needed to fix equipment in hopes of going a different direction. Thats why I picked HVAC. definitely not because I love it haha.
My first love was an 88 camaro with a throttle body that I bolted anything I could on to it when I was 16. I spent a lot of money on extras instead of motor guts and I finally blew it up. My second and last love was an 87 fox 5.0 mustang gt with flawless original trim. I spent a lot of money on a cam edlebrok intake, can’t remember what throttle body I ended up with. (I haven’t been kind to my memory) I put nice Shorty headers on it and a h pipe with dual flowmaster 40’S ran out of money for heads and it totally showed. I planned on buying a new long block for it but my my middle brother totalled it. It already had a race clutch put on when I bought it but the guy sold it to me cuz he loved his new saleen so much.
I really got rambling on that one. One day I’ll go back to cars and motorcycles. Bikes are already too fast for me!!! I just love all the wind and cheap acceleration. 🙂
PH
Got the results posted below.
And I don’t want to even talk about all the things I did on cars and money I spent. Seriously would be a millionaire I bet if I would of just saved the money in the bank or something. And all the other hobby’s I have had through time. Speaking of hobby’s. I did just break out my R/C 3D aerobatic plane and gave it some flights this week. Ain’t done that in a while.
My brother was a fox body racer. He had I think about 5 different ones. Last one had the GT 40 intake and heads and if remember right the 303 cam. He was running the bottle on it too. And you know how the car stories go. Yes it ran.
And my brother opened his own HVAC biusness about 10 years ago after getting out of a personnel manager job that he worked his way up through the ranks after he got out of high school at ABB Westinghouse after getting his bachelor’s degree in electronics. Said he got tired of hearing people wining and telling him what to do. So he quit and opened his business. One of my buddies does it too. He’s doing good with it. So maybe you made a good choice.
But anyway into air guns as you can see now. And luv’n it.
Cars, yes. My son suddenly has developed a “Need” for a new 4X4 truck. So, something will have to go. It looks like it will be his 2003 Mustang Cobra. I wonder who will buy it…………:)
Mike
BigIron
O yeah!! That would be a great way to help him out! 🙂
Big iron
Keep the Mustang. A Cobra. Yes keep the Mustang if he can.
Punchin Holes figured it out right away. I’m going to buy it from him. Then, in a few years when he wants it, it will still be in the family…………with a few more miles on it!
Mike
Mike
And dad’s don’t go out hot rodding the car around town right. 😉
Well you know now you will find out if your son’s car has a name for itself don’t you. Been there done that in the old days. My dad was going to do that for me. All these visions started racing through my mind. I told my dad no way. I will find a way to keep my car.
And I did. And many more to come at that. Sorry. Just how it was back then.
I have just seen a demonstration of XF-7 weapons grade gun grease and lubricant. It looks interesting, it is supposed to be O-ring friendly. It might be useful for our air guns. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of XF-7? They have a web site, but they oinly discuss its use on firearms. Ed
Ed,
While I have not heard of that, sometime back I saw a video of firearm parts that were coated with ceramic. They showed a full auto gun, one with,.. and the other without. The one with kept on going, while the other one, without, proceeded to full melt down and failure. That was astounding.
I am always looking for things from other fields to bring over to airguns. Keep us posted.
Beware of reversing parts. The backwards op rod spring in my M1 cost me hundreds of dollars and years of frustration.
With all the expertise in reactive targets, I could use a bit of technical advice. The other night I received in the mail what was supposed to be my ultimate target. It is a ball made out of a self-healing polymer that can withstand anything up to 50 BMG. Sounds like the answer for every gun. The construction is interesting. While it is not rigid like steel it is hard and extremely dense. And the surface, rather than being smooth, is made up of intersecting ridges that create deflecting surfaces. So, they are being defensive in the design as well as the material. It looks like the inside of a pellet trap that has been everted.
Anyway, reading the directions and watching a few video reviews, I see some unsettling facts. You’re not supposed to shoot the thing closer than 30 yards which is going to make it a stretch for pistol shooting which is partly what I had planned for it. This was going to be my way of kicking the can across the yard. Even worse, it says that I must not shoot the target with anything other than soft-nose bullets or risk bodily injury. What exactly are those? I’ve never paid attention to bullet construction since I only shoot paper targets. I had supposed this meant pure lead bullets from a mold. But a bit of research indicates that this term refers to jacketed bullets with lead exposed at the tip. But then the directions go on to say that I am strongly advised to use full-metal jacket bullets or ball. Doesn’t that mean that the lead is completely enclosed and no longer a soft nose? So, my alternatives are either to risk bodily injury or use non-recommended ammo. I don’t get it. At best, it looks like this will be a limited product usable only past 30 yards with certain kinds of ammo. Maybe this is because the product was originally developed for U.S. Marine snipers to practice range estimation, so it was not designed for close combat.
Before reading the instructions, I shot it a few times at 5 yards with my Crosman 1077. The ball hardly moved! Even as the champion of low power, I found myself wishing for more power. But the pellet did ricochet all over the place. The directions say that the ball should not be used for airguns, so I’m glad I didn’t try the B30 with more power. Generally, the ball seems like a great advertisement for a Ruger 10/22.
It looks like I’m back to the old reliables for targets like aluminum cans and pine cones. One of the most memorable shots in my life was firing my Walther Nighthawk with a red dot sight at a soda can 20 yards away. My zero and and sight picture were way off, and I just threw the shot out there. But through blind luck it connected and lifted the can in magnificent fashion.
Matt61
Matt61,
Uhhh?,….. maybe one of those “live and learn” situations? I do not know. I do know that you are well read and resourceful,… so I am sure that you will find a suitable use for it. And no,… I do not mean a “paper weight”. Shooting related of course.
Chris
Matt61
Now that’s a good one as you must use soft nosed ammo only which as you have found out and is to my understanding as well meaning exposed lead nosed ammo, but then it contradicts itself in stating to use only full metal jacketed ammo which again to us both means no exposed lead on the nose of the bullet. So which is it as it appears its for long range use only such as the sniper training you mentioned.
I would call the manufacture and get clarification on exactly what is safe ammo and distances to use it at and if it does not serve your intent of purchase I would request a return authorization since it appears the intended use was not clearly explained for the end purchaser to understand and make an informed decision on it purchase.
BD
Matt 61
I too have purchased such a ball in the past. I don’t have all the answers but I will tell you a few observations. Mine could stop a 30-30 round dead in it’s tracks at 30 yards if hit center. If you hit where there’s less material it will rip through the ball (ball will still “heal”) and drive into the ground. That is obviously where part of the danger comes in due to chance of richochet. I was launching regular round nose .308 150grain caliber factory ammo designed for lever actions. (haven’t been able to mold any soft .308 to try, that is on the back burner) I imagine you were planning on shooting a 30-06 round into it? I know you also said pistol but I have no experience with that on my ball. I bought a single six since then and don’t ever plan on using that target with that handgun.
I think what they are getting at is the round in question needs to have enough power to either pass through without disrupting trajectory or less power to be stopped? Full metal jacket won’t perform the same and you will have drastically different results than me. Its going to penetrate much more and your projectile is going to be screaming fast compared to mine. A soft point has more chance to cancel energy but as I understand it it is a delicate balance.
I’m not an expert, obviously, but the only way I use mine anymore is at 40-50yd minimum with my 22lr. I also keep my angles in mind although that may just be precautionary. Hopefully this helps a bit.
Off topic, but i know the best brains in air gunning are here, and I need advice.
In March, I purchased a refurb HW75 pistol from Pyramid. It shoots just a little high at 10-18 yards (pistol metallic silhouette distances). When I adjust the rear sight all the way down, the hammer hits the bottom of the sight. For silhouettes, I like to put the sights right on the animal, or right at the “feet.”
On the Pyramid site, a reviewer, “Catherine,” reported the same problem, and wrote that Weihrauch sent her a replacement barrel, which fixed the problem. (Her barrel was bent.)
I wrote to Pyramid and to Weihrauch on May 1, but neither company has answered yet. Because this was a refurb, I guess there is no warranty past the 30 days.
Now I need advice on what to do. I’m not much of a tinkerer, so I don’t want to tear in to the gun. But it looks like there are some options:
1. Just use it for bullseye, and get another gun for silhouettes. There is enough sight adjustment for a 6 O’clock hold on bullseye targets.
2. Try different pellets. Would heavier or lighter lower the impact? I have tried Hobby, JSB RS Diabolo, H&N FTT, H&N Match pistol, and Gamo Match. Of these, the Gamo hit lowest, (closest to point of aim).
3. Grind some metal off the bottom of the rear sight, so that the hammer doesn’t hit it any more. I may be able to get a couple more clicks down this way.
4. File the rear sight down and deepen the notch.
5. Take the barrel out, bend it, and put it back in with the bend up.
I’m a little disappointed that neither Pyramid nor Weihrauch saw fit to reply, as they both have good reputations for service. But I guess I’m on my own. What would you do?
Flintrocker,
Number 5 is backwards. Why not just loosen the barrel clamps and rotate the barrel AS IT IS? It may already be what you need.
B.B.
AHA! Why didn’t I think of that? Because I’m not BB, obviously. Thanks, BB I will give that a try!
Ok here is some stuff about the Brodax.
First the metal steel mags work fine in the Brodax. Maybe jumping ahead here but got pretty much the same shot count BB did with his using bb’s and mine with pellets.
What was interesting is the POI stayed consistent for all the shots. Then there was about 5 shots and the cartridge was empty. I like that. That means its using the Co2 efficiently.
So that said yes the smooth bore barrel shoots the pellets good. Well real good. You all know I’m not a pistol shooter but I was making 2-1/2″ groups at 10 yards resting the bottom of the pistol on my Monkey bag. And I tryed 6 different pellets.
Guess I should list them. AirArms Falcons, Crosman premiers, H&N feild targets, JSB 8.4 and 10.34 and Daisy wadcutters. The best consistent groups was with the JSB 8.44’s. So that’s what it will get from now on. Well of course I will try some other types through it too. Probably will get some of the smart shot lead bb’s to try with the metal pellet mags too. Maybe they will fit better than in the plastic bb mags.
And I did shoot 3 mags of steel bb’s in the bb mags that come with the gun. Forget it. Hit the target paper 3 shots out of 30 at 10 yards. I mean terrible. If I would of got this gun and shot only bb’s out of it and got those results the pistol would of got thrown in a corner to never see the light of day again.
And a note. I took a Bic pen cap and seated the pellets in the mag. I could feel a little click like the skirt was seating. The bb’s in the plastic mag just feel like they slip in. No click or any feel that they were held in.
Oh and the trigger is fabulous in double action. And single action is just crazy good. Does not feel as heavy as what BB recorded when he put the trigger gauge on his. I just totally like like the pistol.
The oldest daughter said dad let’s get up early tomorrow and shoot the pistol all day. And she goes but if you want you can take a break and shoot your other guns and I’ll just keep shooting the pistol. As she smiled and nudged me on the arm.
So pistol shooting it will be tomorrow. It’s suppose to be really nice again. So definitely ready for some more shooting with it. And Chris USA I did strech it out to a little over 20 yards and was hitting a aluminum can 6 out of 10 shots bench resting it. For me that’s good for pistol shooting.
GF1
Sounds like that turned out to be a VERY fun little cheap gun. Gotta love when a low price delivers a good value. And that’s awesome your daughter is in on it with you. My wife likes my benji 392 the most but doesn’t shoot very much with me.
PH
Yep very happy with it. And it’s well constructed for a low cost gun.
Both of my daughters have been shooting since about 7 years old. They are 15 and 18 now. They both give ole dad a run for his money with the airguns. We shoot air guns, rimfire, shot gun and bow and arrows. The wife shoots occasionally but the daughters shoot with me always at some time of the day when I’m shooting. They both ask all the time if they can shoot. I grew up on a farm so I guess they got it in their blood from me.
But yep ready to shoot that Brodax more tomorrow. Got a lot of Co2 cartridges that have been waiting for the right gun to come along. Time to empty em out. 🙂
GF1
Good luck holding the daughters off! Ill post if I do something miraculous today with the p17 or M36. 😉
PH
Ok yes post how it goes today with your shoot’n.
Getting ready to go out in a bit to shoot. So will see if I can give some more results today.
Have fun shoot’n. 🙂
GF1,
I ordered a set of the metal clips with my order when PA had its 20% off sale to try in my older Colt Python. They worked fine in the python. Accuracy was around 3″ at ten meters, after I started seating the pellets. I used a bamboo skewer instead on an ink pen.
Jim
Jim
Good. Glad they worked. I was wondering if they changed the guns design. You mentioned it was a older design. That is good news if somebody wants to try it with older guns.
BD 76,
Going to jump down here ran out a room up there.
I am going to check out that link tomorrow for some leisure reading. I have always found silhouette and field target very cool especially since I don’t hunt. I gotta up my game if I ever want to try. 😉 I will probably never be able to shoot a Springer good enough but maybe if I venture to the darkside… 🙂 I’ll have an mrod or maybe one of the airforces (talon maybe?) one of these days.
As far as glass I need to master the basics. My first scope was a $50 tasco with very picky eye relief. I took for granted that it forced my cheek weld to be very consistent. I bought a nicer Leapers but it caused more issues because I haven’t mastered it yet. Adjusting the objective without the nice marks on the better Scopes is maddening to me at this point. That’s why I’m trying to master the open sights first.
Punchin Holes
There is tons of info and links to all things air gun on that link do you will be reading for hours if you try to cover most all of it but you have it now so no rush and just take your time. The resources tab at the top will take you to links at left with several forums listed under the forums tab with the green forum (FT forum ) and yellow forum being two of the best.
I have shot FT with a springer and actually my first match was with a off branded crosman model spring gun called the firepower FP1 and I scored a 7/44 so it was not my best day but I had fun and learned a lot. I now use either a 177 Mrod or B40, FWB 300s, FWB 124 or RWS 48 withy the Mrod being my go to gun and have scored my best to date of 30/44 with the Mrod. The champ members shoot in the 38-46/44 or 48s depending on the number of lanes open for the match.
We are having the Southern open in June 25/26th which will be a AAFTA sanctioned match with PA being there for a fun shoot after the match on Saturday which is a European style match of 25 lanes with one target per lane and two shots per target with a time limit of 3 minutes to complete the two shot for a perfect score of 50 and then Sunday will be a US style match of 15 lanes with two target per lane and two shot per target with a time limit of 5 minutes to complete the 4 shots for a perfect score of 60. I am hoping to do good but mostly going for the fun and camaraderie and to meet shooters from all over the country and world as well. the nationals in 2014 we had 86 shooter attend from as far away as Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Scopes are something that does take time to learn and use effectively as I am still learning myself and I have many type, styles and brands on most all my guns so it always fun to try and test and learn new sight pictures. I am limited to about 25 yards with open sights due to poor eyesight but can kill the feral cans easily at those ranges with open sights.
Practice, practice, practice is what it takes to get better something that GF1 has drilled into me since we started posting and texting for over two years now. He has taught me more than I can remember at times and has to remind me since my mind is not always with me these days. Such a drag it is getting old. LOL
BD
BD76,
Yep I’m going to be pushing hard on the practice I’m planning on shooting some old pointed crosman just to work on form. Don’t wanna use up ALL the good stuff too fast. 🙂
Punchin Holes
There you go that’s the way to break it in and learn how it like to be held and not waste the good ammo on break in. Enjoy it and after about 500 of the cheap stuff try some good pellets to see how it is doing.
BD
Oh and just an FYI, no I have not been to bed yet and not the least bit sleepy but going to try now to see if I can sleep for a few hours as its 3:47am here now and the sun will be up before I am asleep that I am sure of.
BD
BB
Can you please suggest some accurate
.22 pointed pellets.I use RWS Super Points
but would like to try others I like JSB’s but PA only carries their Stratons in the sampler.
Thank you, and wonderful that your eye
seems to be healing so well. Lots of people were praying!
Fido3030
Fido3030,
I;m the wrong guy to ask. I never use pointed pellets unless there is a reason. I find them inaccurate in most guns.
But Superpoints work well in a Hakim, that much I will give them.
B.B.
BB
Thanks, I usually use domes or wc but working on a new project.
Fido3030
Ok another Brodax update.
JSB 8.44’s are the best so far. Falcons are next. That’s at 10 yards. If you remember I said I tryed out at 20 yards. Well today I have a slight crosswind of about 5 mph. Yesterday was dead calm pretty much. Yesterday the JSB 8.44’s would hit the can 6 out of 10 shots. And that was from the top of the can to the bottom and fromw the middle to each side of the can. So they were going everywhere. Today I hit 4 out of 10 shots. So 20 yards is to far I believe.
Moved in two yards at a time till I could get a group centered on the can without looking like a shot gun blast. 16 yards is about it. So I shot one mag of each different pellet at 16 yards again. Jsb 8.44’s is still the best.
Wish I still had some Superdomes to try. I think I’m going to make a small list of pellets I want to try and see if I can come up with something better.
Haven’t chronyed it yet. Don’t know if I will. Probably should just so I know. But even out at 20 yards when it did hit. It with athourity.
Anyway back to shoot’n .
One more thing. I’m more accurate with the Brodax shooting single action. Notice I said me and not the gun.
20 yards I can hit the can repeatedly at 20 yards now resting the bottom of the gun in front of the trigger gaurd. Even with the cross wind.
I was watching the muzzle of the pistol dry firing it. Double action the muzzle shook around. Like a vibration shake. Then in single action I hardly saw the muzzle move.
Got to retry all the pellets again now. Darn anyway. Looks like I got to shoot it some more now. 🙂
A bird pooped on my LGU! 🙁 Getting pooped on by a bird is a “sign” in some cultures. Not sure what it means for me,.. other than me getting it cleaned up. Perhaps?,.. it is now “blessed” and will be a “1 holer” out to 50 yds. from now on. ?
Chris USA
I don’t know what culture you have.
And sorry if I offend anybody. But if that bird pooped on my gun here in my neck of the woods here in the it would be lights out.
We have blackbirds and starling problems out here where I live as well as the other house I lived at. You know that it will eat the paint on your car. Messes up sidding on houses.
So don’t know about where your at but we have mulberry trees. The birds poop purple. It will stain everything it touches.
Can’t help that I sound like I do. But delt with it for to many years. Even had problems with the buildings on the farm when I was growing up. My dad made me shoot sparrow’s. And I know why. They will damage the rafters.
Shoot the male’s is all I can say. There is no control on the pest birds. And they are out of control.
Now song birds. No way do I shoot them.
But take it as you will. Maybe your gun is blessed as a pest bird killer now. Let me know what your LGU thinks about being pooped on.
GF1,
I was over at the neighbor’s house for a few moments. About all I see are Robins and Cardinals. I will not be shooting them, even if they pooped,… on me.
On a more lighter,… and less gross note,…. I did shoot the springers a fair bit. Last 2 shots of the day were with the TX at 100 yds. with 18.13 JSB’s. 3 dot holdover,… a guess,… since I had never tried it.
2 for 2 on a 15 oz. steel can. The last shot sent it flying off it’s prop.
I called it quits after that. Dreams of Air Gun World Championship Domination tonight!!!! 😉
Chris USA
Oh no. Now a Tx hitting at a 100 yards. What is this world comming to.
😉
Yes that’s the way to end a day of shooting. Don’t mean to bring you down. But tell me what happens if you try again next weekend.
Your getting as bad as BB. Now I got to wait all week to see if you can do it again. 😉
GF1,
Hopefully, I will have a 12# spring by then and do the O-ring tune along with the spring. Then of course the initial chrony,… and fine tune. As the “Buldawg” says,… once you go “dark”,.. it is hard to go back. Plus,… for someone that likes to “play” and “tune”,…. the M-rod is Kryptonite to a springer,…. especially if you ignore the manual,…. ok,… for the most part. 😉
I did do some looking into the SSG device that BD was talking about. I did not and do not fully understand all it’s principles,…. YET,….. but it looks quite amazing. Crude in some of it’s construction, but WOW on the results!
As for the LGU,… I will consider it a “sign”,…. hence,.. the bidding starts at 1000$. Then again,… I just might hang onto it,…… 😉
Glad you are liking your new pistol…….. Chris
Chris USA
I started doubting myself with the Brodax.
It was hard for me to see the sights. I found as long as I watched the front sight and kept my hold. Even on the bench I hit. As BB has mentioned to many times.
Probably everybody is board with my results. But I think I may just become a pistol shooter one of these days. Hope’n any way.
GF1,
A laser,.. and it is point,.. and forget about aiming. You got the rails to do it. A real nice indoor shooter to plink in the living room while watching the tube. Ok, maybe not,… but I do it.
You just might have to work that new backstop into the wife’s “décor” theme though. Good luck on that! 😉
Outa’ here,….. Chris
Finally a nice weekend in Norther Michigan. Shot Cowboy Action most of the day on Saturday. Today, Air Guns at home in the morning…….Church………..Trap at the range in the afternoon. A great time!
Mike
Mike
That’s cool. You should tell more about cowboy action shooting.
Maybe there is some air gun shooters that would like to know more about it. Is there air gun category’s in that type of shooting? Or are you doing air guns?
I’m not involved in shooting Cowboy Action with air guns but it is out there. I shoot spring guns and old pumpers. Diana 52’s, a FWB 124, Sheridan and Benjamin pumpers and such. I have been shooting Cowboy Action since 1999 when it started in our area. It started small, and then took off for a few years. We had 60 shooters at one of our two day shoot in the early 2000’s. Then more clubs formed and the economy went south around 2008 and the numbers shooting fell off. With gas at over $4.00 a gallon the people that in the past drove 3 to 4 hours to get here stayed home. Today, we normally have about 15 people attend our monthly shoots and about 20 for our two day shoot in September. I don’t mind this since it makes for a easier day. I started shooting Trap with my Dad when I was still in school. You would think I would be better at it than I am. It’s the one type of shooting that I have to really work on. But, it does help me hit a few more pheasants and grouse in the fall!
I started shooting air guns when I was young and just never quit.
Mike
Mike
I’m sure it gets tough with the events being big
I never shot cowboy action. Don’t even know what you shoot at. At how the event goes.
Guess I could search it. But still not the same as a blog member telling about it.
Would like to know more about it. Not trying to put you on the spot. Would just like to know more.
OK, Cowboy Action shooting. It requires four guns to shoot it. Two single action revolvers, a pump or lever action rifle that shoot pistol ammo, and a double barrel shotgun without ejectors or a pump shotgun that has a hammer or is a lever action like the 1887 Winchester. They need to be original or replicas of the guns of the old west or close copies. There are some exceptions. The match is shot with lead bullet ammo since the targets are most often made of steel. This is great for those watching since they know right away if it is a hit or a miss. The course of fire is often based on something that happened in the old west or could have happened. It’s all in fun. While it is a competition, it is really layed back for the most part. Some folks don’t even look at the score! There is a vid of me shooting on You Tube, I’m the one on the right. Do a search for CCSA Cowboy Shoot Man Against Man September 16, 2012.
Mike
Mike
So it’s kind of like 3 gun but with old west guns?
Yes it is but without most of the running.
Mike
Mike
Sounds like fun.
Big Iron
I find CAS to be pretty cool but never have checked out an event. What equipment do you use?
I most often shoot a pair of Ruger New Model Vaqueros in .357, a Navy Arms Winchester 1873 in .45 Colt and an original Winchester 1897 Shotgun in 12 ga. I have some other guns that also get some play.
Mike
Thanks for all the helpful feedback on my indestructible reactive target. It is nice to know that I’ve got the bullet terminology correct even if the target does not make sense. I think that Punchin Holes has the right approach to think about the principle behind the right kind of ammunition. It’s easy to see why hollowpoints are prohibited; they will tear the target up. Airgun pellets are too light. So, they will bounce off without penetrating, and, at the short distances of airguns are likely to rebound back to the shooter. So, what is the difference between soft-nose and jacketed ammo? The instructions say that anything other than soft nose might cause bodily injury. That coupled with the fact that non-jacketed ammo will expand tells me that these bullets are supposed to penetrate the ball and stay inside. Full metal jacket will obviously penetrate, but since it doesn’t expand as fast, it will presumably go all the way through. So what? Perhaps anything that goes through will have a danger of bouncing back although I don’t see why that would be a greater danger than for paper which bullets will penetrate every time.
ChrisUSA, thank you for your comments about being well-read. I certainly am with respect to internet reviews which I respect very much for their collective opinion. Just about all the reviews for these products are stellar. In real life, people take few precautions and hit these targets with just about everything under the sun with almost no complaints. The once incidence of a ricochet that I’ve heard of was due to a .22 short cartridge and that probably had the same dynamics as an airgun pellet.
Putting this all together, I believe I’m safe with centerfire ammo over 40 yards. The question is whether to try the target for pistol shooting at short range. My rimfire Single Six was going to be my first choice, but I’ll put that and the other pistols on hold. Maybe I can start experimenting by shooting from behind cover, if the range has got that available.
Matt61
Matt61,
Good point on “collective opinion”. Really, that is what many choices in life come down to. Of course, one must decipher that information, and proceed onward. I would rather have too much info.,… and struggle with a choice,…. than be ignorant of options.
It sounds as if you have it figured out,…. at least in the short term. Be careful. Firearm ricochets do not sound like anything to mess with.
Chris
Chris USA
Or air gun ricorches.
Your .25 caliber Mrod is getting into different territory. There is alot of lead flying at a velocity that is usually not thought about.
I mentioned before where do you think that pellet that hits that can and pokes through both sides goes out at a 100 yards.
I rember my neighbor at the other house would shoot at cans placed in trees. I’m going man where is that pellet going? I would just stop shooting. And I’m thinking the whole time. What if the police mam shows up and goes let me see what you have.
Scary ain’t it.
GF1,
As it turns out, minus the trees, I have a pretty good 100 yd. range. Banked about 6-8′ to 100 yds. and another 3′ rise behind that. Plus,.. at about 110, there is 2 big trees that make a solid stop.
Yes,… that extra power is something to respect.
I will think twice before taking a shot a “fuzzy butt”,… up in a tree,…. and think what is beyond that trajectory,… (before) I pull the trigger.
Oh,… and now that Summer is here,…. I was shooting and these big Ol’ Bumble Bees were like 5′ behind me,…. going at some flowering wild bush like crazy. They left me alone,.. and I left them alone. ((No problem)). Carpenter bees going after my shed,… or house,… again,… if they show up,….. it is full on war.
Chris
Chris USA
But what’s on the other side of the 100 yards?
The higher velocity big chunk of lead will beat right through that 3′ dirt rise on your hill. Your going to see when you shoot at the 2×4.
Matt61
I have looked at those balls and they have squares too.
I personally don’t like them targets. When you shoot alot and different guns with different ammo you will see that crazy ricorches will happen.
I don’t like them for plinking. Remember when I talked about ping pong balls. That’s why I brought that up. Ricorches are bad biusness. No matter how controlled you try to be.
But on the other hand I use the flat animal shaped targets made out of that self healing orange material. At least that way the projectile is not purposely directed off in a odd angle.
Just me. But I don’t like them.
Matt 61
If you are still wondering about the difference between full metal jacket and soft nose maybe this analogy can help. Fmj is like an M&M soft with a harder shell, although lead and copper aren’t as tasty 😉 . Soft nose is an M&M with some of the shell off. I believe you had stated an educated guess that amounted to the true difference of these constructions in your earlier post.
Both projectiles will expand but it will take different speeds. Two different 30 calibers 300 savage and 300 Remington Ultra Mag. The 300 RUM that shoots considerably faster will expand the Fmj projectile much more efficiently. So the 300 savage could be more effectively expanded (compared to itself with the Fmj) if a soft point is used. (Lets assume a moderate range around 100yds-ish) Now all this info is relative to the mass that is the intended target.
Quality hunting projectiles kind of act in the middle of the road depending on what your using. I wouldn’t suggest varmint bullets. They will expand violently maybe even fragment. Bullets for larger game will vary in “hardness” and are designed to expand at different rates for speeds, ranges and skin of game. Nosler partitions are an old standard and have taken a lot of game over the years. Most modern hunting projectiles follow the same principle. Quick initial expansion as much as physically possible but still being able to retain as much weight hence inertia to penetrate deeply. You have to experiment with cartridge velocities and game types to determine your projectiles. You won’t use the same 7mm projectile when shooting a deer at 100yds using a 7mm08 that you would use hunting elk at 100yds hunting elk with a rifle chambered in 7mm Remington ultra mag. And you may even change projectile types when you move the range out a few hundred more yards. And you would probably make a change again if you chose to shoot deer with the 7mm RUM.
All the info above is for reference only. I am only trying to illustrate the differences in bullet performance. I have listed very superficial information and have not added in all pieces of the equation. Even further, any remarks about calibers and the game animals I listed with them are also just to illustrate a point. I am not advocating choosing hunting calibers on the basis of what has been stated. I am not directing these remarks to you specifically Matt61. These remarks are for any current and future readers.
This got very lengthy very quickly but the main Takeaway is that there is a lot to consider! 🙂
PH
Works the same with airguns but on a different scale. I bring up velocity, weight and diameter in relation to distance.
It’s something that is mostly not understood but should be.
GF1
I see what your saying. Hopefully I can find some solid material to read on. I have a jsb sample pack for .22 and wish I had more power in my benji to play with the monsters. I understand BC well enough to make a guess that pellets like those can do really well at longer ranges. And I can see that skirt size and shape relative to size of pellet body is fairly optimal because of the results you and Buldawg 76 get on the .177 jsbs and aas. But past that I’m pretty clueless on specifics. O well Ive got time 😉
PH
No matter what your shooting when you try different ammo you will see a difference no matter what you shoot.
Vortek Break in update.
Had a lot more stuff going today than I realized but I did squeeze a session in today. Unfortunately it was cut short. But I learned a valuable lesson.
I originally somewhat neglected relubing the breech block washers. Today I was noticing more resistance than usual… so I took off the breach and barrel assembly. (Not sure I’m nailing the terminology 😉 )
I originally couldn’t find the lube of grease with moly so I just put some of the Vortek grease on everything. Poor choice… I opened everything back up and saw the wear that had occurred… I dug high and low and finally found the lube I originally was going to use. It is a moly-phite mix it says. With moly and graphite. I cleaned it all up with my good 91% isopryl alcohol that I keep around and gave all a good coating. I put it back together and now returning the breech block to the locked position is so smooth! I was hesitant on using it at first but I guess it will either be a champ or chump as time passes. I also watched my bolt tightness as I am positive this also led to the problem.
So I only got 70 shots downrange today. I have tender spots on my body from the picnic table from today and yesterday taking my time to “settle in” between shots. It was kind of humorous I thought 🙂
GF1 the falcons did OK and the 7.87 jsb express did somewhat better. the crosman pointed were all over the place but those were before the lube service. I also tightened the forearm screws. I’m going to keep going with those jsbs though because I think the group was so large because of me. Both groups are larger than the nickels I shot yesterday and my focus left sooner. Which I expected. Just gotta build up some day to day stamina. 😉
I’m glad the brodax is doing everything, it seemed, that you hoped. (Definitely impressed me 😉 )
BD76 Read some of that literature today and it has made me even more interested and driven to improve. I have been looking at a disco so seriously and thought about skipping the hw30s but I know I would have to pump too much for my taste and I would probably wear out the pump that comes in the package on PA. Its getting hot outside and that means I’m getting closer to a new toy. The air arms t200 is stealing my heart at the moment and it looks like I can adjust the power somewhat. But the price is mrod territory…
PH
Well it sounds like those 70shots told a story. You by chance have any H&N Superdomes? They tend to work good in some guns.
And yep the Brodax is well worth the money.
I have just acquired a 101 with pellet in the side stamping it has a hint of gold paint,did these ever get painted.it should be black,was it crinkle paint or just a satin black?
petethebrit,
There were paint changes over the years. I have seen shiny black, but never satin. Crinkle is the most common factory finish, I believe.
B.B.
I have a 100 percent all original Crossman 101, do you know a reputable company that would put new seals in it, I’ve received it from my dad 50 year’s ago at ten years old, and I believe he received it from his dad when he was a child, I wasn’t going to do anything to it but I have a 4 Year old and would like to give it to him when he is old enough to use it, but I don’t know who I can trust to rebuild it and get it working, my contact info is: Brent H. Hillier, (406)607-1277 Email: brenthhillier@gmail.com
Bent,
Sounds like a great gun. Glad you plan on passing it to the next generation.
Post your question on today’s blog and more folks will see it. I am sure you will get many responses.
I resealed mine with a seal kit. I think Cloud9 did a report on rebuilding the 101.
/blog/2021/02/rebuilding-a-crosman-101/
Don