by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
The IZH 61 sidelever repeating air rifle.
This report covers:
- The start
- Fast-forward to 2019
- Incomplete?
- Get a clip
- The rifle
- Sights
- Front sight
- Rear sight
- Repeating function
- Clip release
- Barrel
- Summary
“I hear it’s really a 10-meter target rifle the Russians disguised as a cheap toy, so their kids would learn to shoot like marksmen.”
“No, it’s a magnum in disguise. They export it shooting 500 f.p.s., but with a little tweaking you can get it over 800 f.p.s. with no problem.”
“The ones with metal magazines and steel receivers are the only ones to buy. When they switched to plastic the rifle went in the trash can.”
“I used to buy them 10 at a time for $30.”
“I know a guy who spent over $500 dressing one up to shoot as a target rifle. He beat FWB match rifles with it.”
The start
These are just a few of the many things that have been said about the IZH 60 and its repeating brother, the IZH 61. Today I begin a review of the infamous IZH 61 repeating spring-piston air rifle. Let’s begin with an interesting story of the start of Pyramyd AIR. Founder, Joshua Ungier was in the former Soviet Union, buying decorative architechtural stone for his company, Pyramyd Stone. But I’ll let him tell the story.
“I believe what really started PA was my non-stop traveling to Russia and Germany, sometimes for a month at the time. One day my wife asked me not to go to Russia anymore, or at least not to go for awhile. I had been on the road a lot that year, and to be honest I got really tired of frequent travel. Freezing in Siberia one day and the next day boiling in beautiful Uzbekistan was really a lot of fun but after a while it got old.”
After seeing the sleek IZH-60 in a window display in Moscow, I decided to buy one for myself and bring it back to Ohio. Well, it didn’t happen. That rifle is still in Russia. The paperwork required and the little time I had to register it and get a permit that was not issued in time were the reason I missed out. In the meantime, my former partners produced a series of air pistols that were sold in the USA.”
After my partners and I split to pursue different business directions, I had a eureka moment. It was an epiphany. I liked airguns. Period. And you can shoot at home without wrecking your house. Although I have a very large basement that in one area offers almost a 30-yard range, shooting a firearm of any caliber bigger than a .22 long rifle has, sometimes, disastrous consequences — like ventilating a perfectly good cinderblock wall. ” Yada, yada…
So, is that how the first IZH 60 came into the United States? Who knows, but it is an interesting story. The point is, they did come in and for many years they were priced well below $100. They were never as cheap as $30, but I remember seeing them for under $80. And I do remember a special sale where a desiccant package broke open in the shipping container and a whole bunch of rifles had to be stripped completely to remove all of the granules. Those rifles might have been priced close to $30 — I really can’t remember.
I tested and wrote about them a lot in the 1990s, and some of the lead-in discussion is true. A man I knew really did spend over $500 on his rifle (half was spent on getting a laminated stock made, then there was the Anschütz target rear sight), but that rifle did not outshoot real 10-meter rifles. In the end it was probably as good as a Daisy 853.
Fast-forward to 2019
Last year EAA, the last company to import the IZH airguns before the import ban, sold off all their remaining airguns. I bought several to review for the blog, including two IZH 61s. Both rifles were in the box, but they were both incomplete.
Incomplete?
One was just the rifle in the box. The other had a lot of stuff with it, but was still incomplete. Was it missing the paperwork and the manual? No. It had both the acceptance certificate and the EAA manual. Was it missing the cleaning rod, spare mainspring and piston seal? No. It had the rod and seal, but no spare mainspring. Was either rifle missing the sights? No, both rifles have their sights, front and rear.
Manual and certificate. Don’t strain your eyes. This one was accepted on November 26, 2005.
Well then, except for the spare mainspring, what was missing? Neither rifle had a clip. And the IZH 61 is designed to need a clip to operate. The single-shot 60 doesn’t need one, but the repeating 61 won’t work without one. What to do? By the way, almost everyone calls this clip a magazine, so use that term if you are looking for one. Only use the term “clip” when you want to be correct.
Get a clip
I went online to Ebay and found IZH 61 clips — labeled as magazines, of course. Some of them were even the highly-regarded metal ones. I bought three from Ivan in Russia. I know that sounds like the setup for a joke, but it’s the truth. I paid $7.50 for three metal IZH 61 clips and Ivan paid about $4.50 in Russian postage to send them to me. I ordered them in November and they were due by the first of February, but they arrived in late December.
Three shiny metal clips.
Of course while I was doing my thing Pyramyd AIR went out and had the magazine (I’ll call it that because Pyramid Air does) for their TR-5 rifle modified so it also works in the IZH-61, but I didn’t find out about that until the SHOT Show. The TR-5 rifle is a copy of the IZH 61 and I have already tested both it and the TR-5 Pro target rifle for you. Now I’m going to test the rifle they were copied from.
The rifle
The IZH 61 is a unique spring-piston air rifle. It has a space-age look and yet was designed to be a youth target rifle. It cocks via a long sidelever on the right side that makes cocking easy. However, the spring-loaded latch to unlock the lever has to be pushed back and that takes some getting used to.
The sidelever is held shut by a spring-loaded latch that takes some force to release.
The gun is not powerful, nor can it be “magnumized” easily, as you read in the beginning. It is possible to boost the power but you do so at the cost of a harder cocking effort and possibly a stronger jolt with more vibration. Just leave it alone and enjoy an air rifle that’s designed for a kid, though he be 50+ years of age.
The stock is adjustable for length of pull. The range is from just under 12-inches to just under 13-1/2-inches via a thumbscrew that loosens and tightens anywhere within the range.
The buttstock adjustment screw sets the length of pull anywhere you want within the limits.
Sights
Both of my rifles came with sights. If they had not, sights are available on Ebay, though they may not always be the sights you need. When the design changed from a metal receiver to plastic the design of both of the sights also changed — though I can’t say that both changes happened at exactly the same time. The later sights that are still being made are simpler in design.
Front sight
My rifle has the later front sight design that does come off the rifle, and will accept an aperture insert, but the aperture is very hinkey because of how small it has to be to fit through the slot in the globe. The square post that comes in the sight is crisp and is probably the best bet unless you change everything. The fact that the entire sight comes off the rifle means that an different front sight globe could be put on, if one can be found.
My front sight disassembled.
Rear sight
The rear sights on my two rifles are later ones, as well. They don’t look like they accept the peephole plate. But they adjust in both directions and, for a rifle in this price category (a US retail of perhaps $150-175, if they could be legally imported) that’s probably as good as you’re going to get.
Rear-sight.
Back in the day the IZH 60 and 61 rifles came with a globe front sight that accepted conventional replacement inserts and a rear sight that could be converted to a peep sight if a round plate that came with the rifle was attached. The top of the rifle’s receiver was dovetailed so the rear sight could then be moved back, once the peep conversion was made.
The old-style rear sight could be converted into an adjustable peep sight.
That peep sight wasn’t much as target sights go, but the cleverness of the Russian design captivated everyone who saw it and that 50-cent part in the box bought the IZH brand thousands of dollars of goodwill.
Repeating function
This is where the little rifle gets complicated. To feed the pellets the bolt must be withdrawn from the clip so the clip will advance to the next pellet, which happens when the rifle is cocked — or it is supposed to. My two rifles are very stiff from sitting around for 15 years and the clip advance function was a sometimes thing. But the mechanism is external to the receiver and I could always push on the catch to make it work, so it’s still a repeater — sort of.
I lubricated all the parts that I could reach in the mechanism on one rifle and got the repeating function working 80-90 percent of the time. I believe as the rifle gets used more it will start to function as it is supposed to at some point.
When you pull back the sidelever to cock the mainspring the clip pops out to the left by one chamber. When loading a clip with 5 pellets you push it all the way in to the right, putting tension on the clip spring. Unfortunately after the final shot the bolt is still stuck through the last pellet chamber, so the rifle has to be cocked again to remove the clip. Or, you can just leave the empty clip in the receiver until you want to shoot again and no dry-firing is required.
The clip is out as far as it comes without removing it from the rifle. The silver lever on top of the receiver can be pushed down to remove the clip when the sidelever is pulled back for cocking. The dot sight shown here does not come standard.
Clip release
A silver lever on top of the receiver releases the clip anytime the sidelever is pulled back. This allows unloading the rifle at any time.
Barrel
The rifle has a hammer-forged barrel that in the early model 60 was very accurate. When the design changed to plastic receivers I did test some model 61s whose accuracy had fallen off, but I bet that wasn’t due to the barrel. I will try to see just how accurate these two later rifles may be.
Summary
The IZH-61 is a nifty little plinking air rifle, very much like the TR-5 that you can buy today. It was never as good as its reputation made it out to be, but it is still an iconic air rifle for those looking to shoot for fun! I plan a thorough test of the rifle and, who knows — I might test both of them at some point. We shall see!
I wish I had been able to get a model 60 single shot, because that is the rifle I liked the most. I will always be open to getting one if the price seems right, but these days they do command a lot of attention.
Good morning, everybody,
No interest in the IZH-61? Wow.
B.B.
The blog didn’t show up for a while. Did you forget to delete the workpress cache or something?
Edw,
No, that’s not what happened.
Several weeks ago Pyramyd AIR migrated their website to new servers. When they did there were numerous issues with the blog that they were unable to fix. So they upgraded the WordPress software to the latest version. We were running a version that was many revisions out of date when that was done.
The new software operates differently, giving Pyramyd AIR IT personnel more problems than they had before the upgrade! But that has nothing to do with why the blog didn’t come up this morning when you expected it to.
About 10 years ago when we switched from Blogger to WordPress software to host the blog, we set the publish time as one minute after midnight. Their server was in the Eastern Standard time zone, and I believe it still is. So, all blog readers have gotten used to the blog publishing at that time — whatever time it happens to be for the time zone they are in.
The upgraded WordPress software will not permit publishing at that time. The earliest that I have been able to schedule the blog to be published on a given date by the upgraded software is at 1 a.m., Eastern time. It has been doing that for 9 or10 days now.
The moral of the story is don’t let software engineers near anything that has to work properly! I used to work with software engineers in the Department of Defense and I can tell you such stories! They will claim that they aren’t given proper requirements — which is often the case — but they also fail to thoroughly test their work before letting it go live. It’s like — well I won’t say what it is like because I can find no good analogy that can be published on a family-friendly website.
That’s why the blog published later than you expected today.
B.B.
BB
Just going to mention they are changing stuff around at work with emails and servers and among other things. It’s been a real pain in the butt.
Gf1,
I’m the guy who manages most of that stuff for 1000 people. If you’re noticing it then they aren’t doing it right.
Edw
That’s the truth.
Bb,
That’s the difference between a good and great IT team. I have several WordPress sites for work, and they are the least of the stuff I manage. If you’re having issues it’s likely poorly made custom code or plugins that are out of date or just not great. In this day and age updates are mandatory. Sometimes they cause issues, but it’s better than having your site taken over and serving malware. Just as an example what can I access the wp-admin page for the site? That should only be available to admins.
Edw,
That is exactly the problem! You have obviously been there and done that!
B.B.
Hi BB, yes, still very much interested in the IZH-61. In fact I have both the later models purchased from Pyramyd AIR, just before they sold out. I still use them frequently for practice and fun. One thing I did notice was went I switched to alloy pellets (H&N Match Green), the occasional one would not fire out of my IZH-60. It would take several shots before the pellet clears. Almost think the pellet was a tad too big or the bolt probe was placing the pellet over the air transfer port. I hadn’t any problems with the lead RWS Hobbies or Meisterkugeln…any ideas? I probably have most enjoyment using these two rifles and very much looking forward to reading version 2.0 of this article!
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
H&N Match Green pellets are pure tin which is harder than lead. In a weak airgun they may offer too much resistance to being pushed out the muzzle by air.
B.B.
Thanks BB, do you think the spring has worn out on my MP-60 or this airgun just doesn’t have enough power (495fps) to push these tin pellets thorough? I really like the non-lead pellets because I use them in my basement and don’t want to have any lead contamination!
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
495 f.p.s. is where the 60 and 61 should be. That is often too slow for tin pellets. Some tin pellets have thicker skirts and may not work well. I have heard of this from others. You might try the Journey pellets that are made for a weaker air rifle.
B.B.
Hi BB, thanks for the recommendation. i will get order from Pyramyd AIR. Will you do or have you done a review on these? I know you done testing on the Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellet, but that’s even more expensive! 🙂
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
Yes, I have. It’s here:
/blog/2017/12/umarex-embark-breakbarrel-spring-rifle-part-5/
B.B.
Thanks very much BB. I will have a read! hope you have a great weekend!
Regards,
Peter
Hi BB, apart from a thicker skirt, tin is harder than lead, so will it wear down the barrel faster? is the IZH-60/61 made of steel. will that stand up to a primary diet of tin pellets?
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
No, tin won’t wear out a steel barrel. Not in several lifetimes.
B.B.
I have been trying to comment. Though above it says I am logged in, when I posted it said I was not.
RR,
Thanks. I wondered what was going on.
I think WordPress may be responsible for some of this.
B.B.
BB,
It is. When I first logged in I went to some WordPress page showing dates and times of your blog postings.
OK, I am in now.
I notice at least one of them has a metal receiver. I hope both of yours are, but for testing it would be nice to compare the metal receiver to the plastic receiver.
I too would prefer the 60, but if a 61 was to show up at RRHFWA I would not turn her away. I used to see these at the Roanoke show. I was not impressed with them. Now that you cannot get them, I want one.
One was for sale at the North Carolina show this past year, but another dealer snatched it up before the doors opened. It had a metal receiver. He had converted a plastic receiver 61 to the PCP version. I think that was in store for the “new” one.
RR,
Both of mine are plastic. So I get to test what most of the world now has.
Of course you want one! To go with your New Coke and that case of Billy Beer. 🙂
B.B.
BB,
There is no “New” Coke or Billy Beer here at RRHFWA. The only thing collected around here are old airguns, knives/multitools and Longaberger baskets.
It has been a long time since I have heard of Billy Beer. I actually do wish I had a case right now.
RR
Probably the worst beer in history that’s worth more than what it took to make.
GF1,
Oh, I am certain of that. I wasn’t about to drink it. Trade it maybe.
RR
Back in the day I’m sure someone would be laughing at you.
“Trade what for Billy Beer” ???
Now you could have a small fortune if you had some unopened specimens.
GF1,
Most definitely. I wish I had thought of that when I was younger. Same thing with baseball cards. Ah well, hind sight is 20/20.
RR
If I kept all the muscle cars I had I would easily be a millionaire now.
GF1,
No you wouldn’t, you would have to keep adding on to your garage.
RR
Ifi was able to do it over again I probably would have a couple pole barns. They are not too bad priced depending what you do with them.
GF1,
I have built a couple in my time.
RR
Same here. They are nice if you option them up.
My buddy has a nice one.
Scared to admit that I have spent enough time reading comments on the blog to know what RRHFWA means!
Bejezus,
LOL! We are now accepting donations. Make your checks out to RRHFWA now. Help us to keep these old gals shooting. You can sponsor an antique air rifle for as little as $100 a month. Any size donation will help us to clean, oil and buy pellets for these ladies. Help us to make their retirement years a wonderful time.
RR,
With that kind of “line”,… you should be running for some official type political office,… or something. 😉
Chris
Ain’t no way I’m politicin’! It ain’t gonna get that cold!
I’ll just sit up here at RidgeRunner ‘s Home For Wayward Airguns and take care of the ladies. Y’all can go and do all that lyin’ and stealin’ and other slimy stuff thank you very much.
Now perhaps you would like to make a contribution to The Save The Webley Fund? Shall I put you down for $5000?
RR,
LOL! 🙂 You have done well on collecting some fine specimens. 5 ehh?,… Not likely. I would be puttin’ that down on the principal of my most humble abode. Best wishes though on achieving your donation goals.
Like you,… I have my lower, bottom feeding, scum sucking, slimy (limits).
I will say though,… that was a pretty good “pitch”. 😉
Chris
Chris,
So, I gave a good pitch? So there is a check in the mail? 😉
B.B.,
I don’t see how that rear sight can be mounted to that dovetail so that it can be used as a peep sight. I cannot imagine using the peep sight at that distance (where it is currently positioned) in any manner. Is there any discernible slop in the fit with the plastic receiver to the barrel which causes the (perceived/actual) decrease in accuracy?
Siraniko
Siraniko,
The “old” ones had a read sight that mounted to a dovetail, allowing you to use the conventional sights out on the barrel brace or move it to the back of the dovetail behind the breech and install the aperture. There really is not much of a dovetail back there. Special mounts were designed to allow a scope to be mounted on these.
Siraniko,
Look at the picture at the top of the page. See the silver rod sticking out the back if the receiver? Just above that is a short section of dovetail where the rear sight is mounted when used as a peep. It’s in exactly the right place for a peep.
Or look at the picture where the silver clip sticks out the left side of the receiver. See the dot sight mounted above and behind it? That’s where a peep sight goes.
B.B.
Siraniko,
Just looked at the rear sight closer and see what you mean. Like RR said, the old ones did attach to a dovetail.
Sorry!
B.B.
B.B.,
Ahh I see I was not the only one confused by the mixing and matching of photos and parts of old and new models. Matt61 has been silent for over a year now last I recall he had broken his leg and was on the mend.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
Sometimes I get so wrapped up in writing that I forget to examine the airgun like I never saw it before. This is what can happen. No, these rear sights cannot be repositioned like I said, but neither do they accept the peep sight plate that also doesn’t come with the newer models of the 61.
Right now several readers are turning themselves inside-out because I called the Virtus a true semiautomatic. The next time I report on it I will have to define what I said and get into some really excruciating detail, to try to unwind them.
Gotta watch what I say! 🙂
B.B.
BB
We just want to know the truth. Remember your writing the report not us.
Maybe a little research before you post a report from now on and then we dont have to do the detective work. Just say’n.
GF1,
Think about what you are asking, you know B.B. does a lot of research for each report.
The only way to do more research would be to reduce the number of reports.
Usually any discrepancies start a lively discussion and we learn more than we would have otherwise.
Just say’n
Don
Don
I did think about what I was asking.
BB brought up the subject about the “uproar” about the Vertus.
I would rather have less inaccurate reports then ones he has to come back to explain why the “uproar” on the report.
And to say I think Sig should of made more info available to the media so this wouldn’t happen. Not effective planning or should I say in the long run. Marketing.
Oh and it already sounds like they didn’t market the gun right on the otherside of the pond. I don’t blame BB about Sig calling it a semi auto and it can’t sell over the pond.
As I said a few times already. Sig should be helping the media on this subject. Not the readers trying to help.
Or maybe I’m just way off here.
GF1,
My point was not about a particular report, or information provided by others (sig). It was about the time it takes for B.B. to put one of these reports together. To put out 5 reports a week is not 8 hours a day five days a week. I bet with the blog software issues he has had a few 12 hour days and worked weekends just to get the reports out. I am basing the time on the fact that each of the guest reports I have provided took me over 5 eight hour days. Double checking the numbers and data. I admit I am slow, but these reports take time.
I think in general the reports are very accurate, especially the data collected and compared with previous reports. I think there is a good balance between getting it correct and getting it done. Getting it more perfect would take significantly more time.
That’s why I said doing more research would result in less reports.
Sorry I came across stronger than I intended,
Don
Don,
I agree with you. Sometimes it takes me more than an hour to just compose and proof read a comment! I can only imagine how much work is involved in making a complete blog report. Besides, if we know everything up front, what would we have to discuss and comment about? I for one, am truly grateful to B.B. for this informative and educational blog everyday.
Geo
Don
I guess that’s why they call it work.
Not fun and games all time.
Don,
No offense taken. I was just having a bad day yesterday.
B.B.
B.B.
Sorry I am a baby of the Cold War. I don’t trust anything Russian. Unfortunately, the “Evil Empire” has gotten more evil lately. That said, I once shot an Izzy 46 and liked it a lot!
Happy weekend all…
-Yogi
Yogi,
Politics is one thing, and I agree with you there. But the Russians have made some very fine firearms over the years. They appear odd to our western tastes, but they do work quite well.
They aren’t quite as good with airguns as they are with firearms, but the IZH 46 that you mention is a good example of what they can do. And this 61, while not in the same class as the 46, is another good example of their engineering skills.
B.B.
Ditto on the Soviet era artifacts, though if my Vietnam vet friend ever wanted to part with his war trophy 1954 Mosin-Nagant scoped rifle and ammo-filled pouches, wouldn’t turn it down.
Fawlty
I would hope he wouldn’t let go of it.
I would love to see that gun. To own it would be be unbelievable is the best I could say.
Yogi,
Korean War, Bay of Pigs, Cuban Blockade, Vietnam…
My Daddy hated the Commies. I remember JFK’s election. I am not a fan of the Commies either. They sure did and do make some fine firearms and air arms though.
Now the Chinese Commies, they are starting to learn how to make stuff. They certainly have stolen enough from us to figure it out.
B.B., I am really looking forward to this report. I have the 61 with a metal receiver that I picked up on an online auction years ago. My interest was to have a plinker that the nephew and niece could have fun with when they visited. They have long since “moved on” from air guns to other interests so it mostly sits on the gun rack now but it is a still a fun little rifle. It came with the metal clip but I bought one of the plastic ones from PA and it works just fine too. Both feed without issue so it will be interesting to see if you figure out what is going on with yours.
Accuracy wise, it’s better than I am (but these days what rifle isn’t, lol). I will be especially interested in seeing if you plan to go inside yours to see what is in there and how to get to it.
Jim,
I think I have the cycling of the clip figured out. I have it working most of the time, now that I’ve lubricated it.
I never mentioned Matt61 who owns and uses an IZH 61 more then anyone I know. When last I heard he was closing in on 100,000 shots fired. He did go inside his rifle, I think. I hadn’t planned to do that with these, but who knows?
B.B.
I’ve rebuilt Matt61’s IZH rifle twice–mostly consisted of a new mainspring and piston seal. He was having some cycling problems that were traced back to worn out clips. The index notches were worn down.
I’ve got a pair of plastic receiver 61’s. No accuracy complaints with either one. I believe I have around ten clips. The only one that gave me trouble was metal. Its fine now, but it was initially too thick front to back. I documented some of the modifications my rifles have gone through if anyone is interested here:
http://anotherairgunblog.blogspot.com/search/label/IZH%2061
The short barrel is my favorite by far.
Derrick!
I do enjoy your blog very much! I did not realize you were the same Derrick. Although you do not post near as often as I would like, I do enjoy peering over your shoulder as you tinker with your airguns. I am really quite impressed with your skills.
RR,
Me, too!
B.B.
Derrick
Aother big “thank you!” for your very interesting and informative blog! I refer to it often and always learn something when I visit it.
Regards, Mark
I know most of you out there in airgun land do not agree with me on many facets of this hobby. That’s OK. I know many of you are into replica and tacticool airguns while I just cannot seem to get into them. I believe that part of this is due to the fact that where I live there is a plethora of firearms and it is a rare day I do not hear shooting.
Another reason is most of the replicas and only a few of the more expensive tacticools will produce the accuracy results I look for. My bb gun is a Model 99. I bought my grandson an HW30 to learn with. Many of my antique airguns are meant for target shooting and competition. I am a long range, one shot kinda dude.
These 60’s and 61’s appeal to me. They look Sci Fi. I would like to see more airguns made to look like something from Star Trek than Vietnam. Just a me thing.
RidgeRunner,
Sci Fi looking guns also evoke less fear in the minds of those who fear guns (hoplophobes) compared to being shown a tacticool black rifle.
Siraniko
Best medicine for hoplophobia is to invite a hoplophobe to do some target shooting. My shooting buddy and I did that with another, anti-gun friend a few decades ago – he became totally fired up with firearms after that one session. We still get together for some firing range fun.
It’s a nice thing to see your approach every time R R. Regarding firearms and leaving politics aside I don’t think that many better tools for the task exist than the AK47… Regarding airguns the Baikal models, like the 10 m rifle that BB tested recently and the 46, what can we add? The Russian technicians are really good. I also agree with your comments about the non replica choice. I am also a fun of original, purpose built, airguns. One exception only; My beloved MP654 Ks. Although it’s not really a replica but a co2 version of the great Mak.
Bill
Bill,
Baikal has built many other airguns besides the couple we have seen. They have several PCP air rifles and pistols. They have also made a version of this 61 that is PCP. There is a kit you can get to change one over. It is not cheap and very difficult to get.
I really didn’t know about the kit you mention. Thanks for the info. Being a European I am quite familiar to most of their models. I really love though, as it’s obvious, their co2 versions of the originals. I expect to fund an AK 105 “replica” some time in the future, although I already use two Saiga 410s. This is the next best thing, smooth bore, to the legendary AKs, in the oplophobic Europe. Enjoy your freedom of choices.
Bill
Bill,
Once upon a time I owned the .410 AK semi. Nice shotgun.
RR
I have been thinking about something along those lines.
Now that wouldbe a fun plinking gun.
😉
It also comes in 12 gauge.
RR
I think I would go with the .410. They make a tighter pattern. It would be like getting shot with a 3″ projectile at say 20 yards and in.
The 12 will usually pattern bigger with the more power it has.
GF1,
I think it will only handle 2 3/4″. I am not sure, but the 12 is a little bit harder to control. Personally I would just as soon have 7.62×39.
RR
I was thinking the tactical semi auto 410 for home defense and occasional plinking.
GF1,
That .410 is really pretty big. Picture an AK with a long barrel out the front. I think the action is a little longer also.
Maybe you should look at a “snake charmer”.
I need to bust out the 61 again, it’s kinda fun awkward with its clip routine.
Nice rear sight.
It’s the Shanghai airgun company one, a good match in crude but effective…
I have the “cheap” FWB rear sight. It will end up on my Grandson’s HW30 soon.
You can very likely change out the aperture. Most of them are a common size metric thread. Of course that is Chinese. It is probably an odd size from the rest of the World.
I rock the cheap sheet metal Asian Daisy on my HW30. Had to use the UTG mount to get the sight line I wanted…
Whatever works.
Morning B.B.,
I’m looking forward to reading what you think about this fun little sci-fy rifle. I bought one when a store found stock after the import ban was imposed. It is so peculiar looking that I couldn’t figure it out when I first saw one on my computer screen. People talked them up on line and, since they were banned, of course I had to have one. I’m glad I have it and have embraced it’s oddness, but mine is more of a can chaser than a fine target shooter. Maybe you will fine a way to make it better. I plan to set up five targets, one for each position in the clip, to see if the clip influences accuracy. Learned that here! Thanks.
Best regards,
Will
BB,
Probably should have addressed this to Gene Salvino ,but here goes. Recently acquired an older Crosman 101, got it home, oiled her up, lasted for maybe 12 or so shots and then no more puff puff, The usual! Ordered a reseal kit and proceeded to have a go at her. No problems whatsoever with the valves. But for the life of me I can’t get the brass pump cup holder off the pump rod! No corrosion at all but it still won’t budge. I’ve soaked it in penetrating fluid, brake fluid, heated it several times. Even went as far as to heat and then chill the shaft in ice to try and shock it. No budge! I’m about ready to go little pipe wrench and have at her and then just turn a new cup.
Any suggestions or tips will be greatly appreciated!
BobF
BobF,
LOL! You are not the only one. My pump head is in good shape so I left it alone. Before you break out the pipe wrench, try to find two small strap wrenches.
I have an issue with the seal between the valve and reservoir. Odd sized o ring.
Bob,
Gene doesn’t work on 101s, so you did come to the right place. I have no experience with that part, but RidgeRunner seems to. Listen to him.
B.B.
Bfrey56,
I rebuilt my old Crosman 147 muti-pump this past summer. I’m wondering if your brass cup seal holder is similar to the one on my 147. If so, the brass collar is pressed on. I took a fender washer and cut it so it looked like a horseshoe. Then I ground it to a wedge shape thin enough to go between the brass collar and rod. The cup seal occupies a little space where you can wedge the fabricated horseshoe washer into. Carefully tap on the washer until it wedges between the rod and the brass collar. It’s a very tight press fit. Then I used an old flaring tool and clamped it onto the rod under the washer. Then I used the actual flaring piece as a puller to lift the brass collar off from the rod. It left a small dimple in the end of the rod but did get the job done without destroying anything. Hope this is helpful to you. The place where I bought the seal kit stated on their web site that special tooling was required to remove the collar, and they offered to disassemble it and install a new cub seal for a nominal charge if sent into them. My method worked quite will so I didn’t have to send mine into them. Here is a photo of my pump rod, felt washer, backup aluminum washer, and brass collar.
Geo791
Nice photo of your pump rod end for your Crosman 147. I can already see design differences between this and my 101. I was going on the premise that because all of the brass pieces that are in the intake and exhaust valves in the power plant were threaded and removable to allow seal removal and installation that this piece should also be threaded to allow seal replacement. The 147 rod end appears to be solid aluminum its entire length and is either the same diameter or slightly smaller than the rod diameter at its end. On my 101 the brass cup and seal go directly on the end of the steel operating rod and the aluminum wiper holder must be machined to just slide on the rod and is held in place by the brass cup / seal assy. I just don’t know at this point so maybe I should take your lead and make a few phone calls and find out before I booger something up! This 101 is a 37 / 38/ 39 vintage, and really don’t want to mess anything up as it was my dads pet plinker / blackbird gun.
Thanks for the info and have a good weekend!
BobF
Bob,
Here are a couple of web sites that have information on the Crosman 101. I actually used Rick Willnecker’s web site to purchase a seal kit for my 147.
His web site is Then JG Airguns at
has some info.
Maybe some of this information will be helpful. It does appear that the brass collar on the 101 actually screws off from what I see viewing various parts
Geo791
BobF here, and after reading your post, and a little reasoning on my end, I now owe you a big one!
Got to thinking about how hard it would be to install that seal if the cup was threaded. So, went down to the barn and got the smallest Snap On puller I have ————- had the darn thing off in less than 15 sec. after getting the puller set up. “THANKS FOR THAT PICTURE”
Well, I’m off to the basement to clean things up and reseal the pump. Hopefully the old girl will be slinging lead again in the AM!!! Will be storing those two websites away for future reference.
Thanks again!
BobF
Bob,
That’s great to hear…the brass collar was pressed on then? I found a YouTube video of a guy resealing a Crosman 101 too. It’s a 19 minute video and I did not watch it through, but I did not post it because I did not see him removing the pump cup seal. Maybe you would like to take a look at it in any case. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dPPxPFSvoU
Geo
Geo,
Glad you finally dove in and got your 147, back up to snuff. Wish I could of been more help. It looks like the repairs came out great.
How is it pumping and shooting?
Don
Hello Don,
Yes, the rebuild worked out very well, and I learned some things along the way. As you recall, initially my objective was to repair the broken rivet pin and bushing. Then when I had fixed that issue, I thought, this old gal is 50 years old and I should just tear it down and do a complete rebuild with new seals. It really did need it and the insides were in need of a good cleaning. She’s back to her original like new condition, maybe even better with the new improved check valve and spring.
I shot it a few times to make sure everything was working okay. I haven’t actually tried shooting groups with it yet though, but I do want to do that soon and post the results here in the blog. I do appreciate your efforts in trying to find the rivet pin and bushing for me. I think I paid $15 with shipping for those. Then the seal kit was like $35. So, I invested more in the rebuilt & repair than the rifle originally cost, but I’m certainly glad that I went ahead and did the job. Like B.B. says, that one will be in my estate auction. Neither my son, nor my daughter, have any interest in guns or shooting so some lucky individual will get a very nice old Crosman 147.
Geo
Geo,
Great that your Crosman 147 turned out as good as new. Can’t wait for your target results.
Don
BobF,
A very good site to search for 101 info is Derrick’s Another Airgun Blog. He has a bunch of stuff about rebuilding the 101.
Off topic today…
The three stooges showed up last night.
Twotalon,
Absolutely awesome! I have not seen any flying squirrels since I was a teen! I was just thinking of them earlier this week! Thanks!
RR
They are fun to watch.
You never know if they are going to be slow at feeding, or if it is going to be a 20 minute frenzy.
You never know when it is going to start either.
Usually a little boring after a while, but once in a while they will have a squabble back there.
There is a cat that tries to get one once in a while.. The squirrels can see the cat. The squirrels are gone by the time the cat jumps up there.
tt
TT,
I see right now I am going to have to invest in a trail cam.
RR
There are some things to watch out for with trail cams and surveillance systems.
Many trail cams are too hot for close range. You have to put electrical tape over most of the LEDs or you will end up with “white” video or pictures.
Next problem…how sensitive are they to very small critters ? Some are hot enough, while others need something much bigger to trip them off.
Surveillance systems have the same problems. Too much sensitivity trips them on anything, and not enough sensitivity will not trip on anything small.
Smear some peanut butter on the side of an old tree that has a lot of squirrel sized holes in it and watch for signs that small rodents are chewing on it at night.
tt
TT
Sounds like the old car alarm motion detectors. 80 and 90 era. They would always go off.
You had to figure out were to place them. Then figure out the sensitivity setting.
Reminds me of the pass through sensors we have on our production machines at the machine shop I work at. They signal that the bad part went down the proper exit chute. If it doesn’t catch it the machine faults and we have to find that part in the pan it runs into. A major pain because you have to screen through that pan of parts to get that one out of the system.
Wonderful technology.
GF
I been using this new system manually. I have to wait for the squirrels to show up before I push the button. It’s either that or put it in continuous record, then scan through an all night recording session.
tt
TT
I had in the back of my mind that you was working a bit to get these nice photos.
What time do they show up?
GF
They show up when it’s dark . Really dark. Then they come around at different times during the night. As soon as there is any sign of lite in the morning they go to bed.
Better pictures with the Nikon, but takes a lot more work.
tt
Twotalon,
Check this out: https://www.ifm.com/us/en/product/O8H220?pcc_keyword=&gclid=CjwKCAiA1fnxBRBBEiwAVUouUrdy0VUFPnAVRnTxey3RX2hQRxMcR2VCWMSnu5Tub2_yHTvGUgyIaRoCWlIQAvD_BwE
Or some of the companies other detectors.
Might help you not need to sit waiting.
shootski
shootski
I don’t think that will do the job. Might as well use the driveway alert, but have to mount the sensor unit somehow.
Used that plenty of times to catch unwelcome critters outside.
tt
TT,
Thanks. I will keep that stuff in mind.
TT
Nice.
And darn cats. Where are the cats from anyway? Not your cats are they?
GF
At least 3 of them. Could be more .
People complain about squirrels getting into their bird feeders. I complain about birds getting into the squirrel feeder.
The birds will eat all of the nuts in the daytime. I have to feed the squirrels when it gets dark.
tt
TT
You know them fly’n squirrels love you.
GF
They like the food anyway.
I doubt they would take the friendship much beyond that.
tt
TT
Right I know. But they know you are helping and not hurting. They won’t stay long if it’s not a good situation for them. They have to feel comfortable or they won’t be around. Most critters are like that.
GF
Just neighborhood cats. There is a food dish on the other side of the house, but cats like to hunt.
tt
TT
True.
Dear BB
Though I read the blog every day, I seldom comment. I want to point that, at least in my 61 (bought here in Buenos Aires about a decade ago; they are no more imported), there is a spring loaded silver lever at the right side, sort of a silver triangle, which allows the bolt to retract without cocking the action. In fact, when you press this lever, the bolt pops back, as it is spring-loaded to do so. Thus you can then press the upper lever and take out the clip without operating the side lever.
Vassili
People will appreciate your comment if they don’t already know. I love when little things like that are brought to attension. Now its a big thing. 🙂
Vassili,
Good catch! My two 61s have the same feature. I will put that in the next report and credit you with it!
Thanks!
B.B.
RidgeRunner
Thanks for your input! No movement as of yet, guess I’ll just have to keep on a trying. That’s sad, Just reread my comments and it sounds to me like a commercial for a laxative manufacturer. OW
The pump cup reservoir to valve seal in my rebuild kit was not an o-ring. It is actually a rubber washer that fit very snuggly in a recess on the valve. I guess an o-ring of the right dimensions would work but you would have to figure out a way to hold it in place during installation. Short of super glue, things might get a little dicey unless you did the install with the barrel pointed at the ceiling.
Off topic: Is it true that you now have you own outdoor merchandise line? Got a LLBean catalog awhile back and low and behold they have RidgeRunner coats, RidgeRunner shirts, RidgeRunner pants, RidgeRunner hats, and I believe I saw RidgeRunner undies. You have been holding out on us you entrepreneur!
Have a good one!
BobF
I years ago, was given a metal receiver 60 that had been abused, and left out in the rain and was very rusty.
After some TLC, it was back to shooting, at that time, they were selling for about $100 online.
I had nothing in the gun other than some time, so I gave it to a friends son to learn to shoot.
I remember it to be reasonably accurate, even after removing the rust from the bore.
But it was delightful to plink with.
the stock was comfortable,
the pistol grip fit well.
It was easy to cock.
I the kid (now an adult) still owns it, and has used it to teach his kids to shoot.
I am glad I could put it into a place where it would be appreciated.
That what we are supposed to do with airguns.
Ian
B.B. do you think that it will be possible to find and test an Artemis SR 900, if I remember the model correctly? It seems that is the best evolution of this platform.
Bill
A few weeks ago I bought a some new pellets to try in my Tomahawk. One of those pellets was the new JSB Hades in .22. Here is a picture of two of the groups of Hades at 25 yards. The hole in the bottom right is from a different pellet group. The scope I am using is a 3-9X32 BugBuster.
/product/utg-3-9×32-ao-compact-cqb-bug-buster-rifle-scope-illuminated-mil-dot?a=4222
It is looking like my Webley/Hatsan Tomahawk likes them.
Today I started an experiment with a Diana ZR Mount. I am using my Tomahawk shooting Hades pellets at 25 yards. First I shot my Tomahawk with the BugBuster rigidly mounted as in the previous tryout. This is what happened.
I then took the BugBuster off and mounted a Hawke 2-7X32 using the Diana ZR Mount. Once again shooting the Hades at 25 yards gave me these results.
/product/hawke-sport-optics-hd-ir-series-2-7×32-ao-rifle-scope-illuminated-mil?a=3864
I decided to give the Hawke and the Hades another try.
Does the Diana ZR Mount improve performance? Quite frankly, I have no idea at this point. The Hawke scope may have some bearing on it. I may have settled in to the shooting more by time I tried this setup. I know I do like what I am starting to see.
I really do think I need to spend a lot more time with this air rifle. It does seem to like the JSB Hades. For now I am going to leave the Hawke scope with the ZR Mount on it. The Hawke scope is so much better than any of the BugBusters and the mount lets me use it on a sproinger without ruining it.
RR
Since you brought up pellets. I did a test in my left hand walnut stock TX 200 today.
First off it is a very calm day. Next my TX 200 is extremely accurate with JSB 10.34 pellets that I mentioned to Jane the other day about them.
Well i did a little experiment today. I shot the cheapy Winchester round nose pellets in it. Guess what. Pretty darn well the same results as the JSB 10.34’s. Same poi. And they shoot just as flat at different distances. The only thing that so far has been different is they start falling apart group wise after 55 yards which is no big deal. My TX for the most part is s 50 yard and in gun.
My next experiment will be with different wind mph and direction to see if they perform like the JSB’s do in the wind. Needless to say I was well surprised at the results.
If this works out I will save close to $9 per tin of 500 pellets from the Winchester’s over the JSB’s.
GF1,
Go for it. I have been thinking of breaking out my collection of cheapies and giving them a go myself. Who’d a thunk.
RR
Yep those other pellets for sure. You just never know.
And I would say your getting pretty well the same results with your different combinations. Just a different day.
Did you shoot all the targets the same day or was different days involved?
I see different results from day to day. I say alot more shooting for your experiment and mine to know the true average of what’s going on. Whatever way still interesting results with both of our shooting.
GF1,
The one with two groups on it I shot a couple of weeks ago. The next three I shot in their order.
There are some real tight clusters in the ZR-Mount groups I shot yesterday. The “flyers” may be due to my wiggling the ocular around. I most definitely need to do more shooting and pay close attention to whether I wiggle the scope or not and what it does down range.
RR
More shooting time needed is what I’m thinking.
GF1,
It is as good of an excuse as any and better than most. 😉
RR
Right.
RidgeRunner,
Interesting comparison results! Did you shoot more groups than the ones in the posted pictures? They would/could add to your decision on which scope. I would also put a non ZR mount into the testing mix for both scopes…unless you already did that in another test sequence.
I know nothing about the Diana ZR Mount other than it results (supposedly…in zero scope busting sproinger recoil) and that a guy named Hector accurizes them…? How it do that? How and why Hector need to do that for a Diana product?
What power setting on the two scopes? Both of them are MilDot?
shootski
Shootski
My thoughts exactly.
The more you shoot the more you know.
Gunfun1,
Also, “The more you shoot the more you know.”…you are having fun!
Some of those .177 pellets are starting to show up as well as the 10 meter pistol targets.
I just watched a rerun of COMBAT and in this episode Sarge (Vic Morrow) lost his Tommy-gun in a river swim!!!! Needs to scrounge another one, Lol!
shootski
Shootski
Wonder if there is any of them “bargain” pellets in .22 or other calibers.
I need to check that out also.
Daisy, Gamo, Seneca, Skenco.
RR
Yep.
Gunfun1,
… “bargain”… I don’t know. After buying rounds that cost over US $1.50 each I figure that any pellet that shoots really well in a rifle or pistol that costs Pennies is a bargain; any pellet that doesn’t shoot really well in any of your airguns is NO bargain. Good Luck on your search for outstanding pellets. It is always fun when we find one that gets it done!
shootski
Shootski
More of a bargain. If a $5 tin of 500 pellets shoot the same as a $14 tin of 500 pellets why not use the lower cost pellets?
Gunfun1
I guess if you’re just plinking, the cheaper pellets would be okay. But, when I have tried cheaper pellets, I have found them to be very inconsistent. The head size and weight of the cheaper pellets, compared to the more expensive pellets, varied a lot. I attributed that inconsistency to getting one or two flyers out of ten shots almost every session. So, when pesting, I don’t want to take a chance on a flyer. If 10% to 20% of the pellets are flyers, then I will most likely miss the pest that percentage of the time too. That’s not acceptable in my opinion. Sometimes you do get what you pay for 😉
Geo
Geo
Your missing what I’m saying.
The $5 tin of 500 Winchester round nose pellets are shooting as good as the $14 tin of 500 JSB 10.34’s in my Tx 200.
I guess I need to be more specific with my comments.
I’m sure you read right on your “computer “. 😉
GF1
No, I understand what you are saying. All things being equal, go with the cheaper pellets. I get that, and it makes good sense. But, I question the quality and consistency of the cheaper pellets. Have you done any measuring, or weighing, of your pellets for consistency? It’s great that you don’t get any flyers with the Winchester pellets. I don’t remember, who actually makes the Winchester pellets? I’ve never seen those in my area.
Geo
P.S. got the little sarcasm at the end there too 🙂
Geo
These pellets. And yes they have given consistent results with multiple guns. They are really nice looking pellets.
Here is the ones I’m talking about. And I wish the PA page would show the back of the pellet. They have a deep cavity. Really nice design on the inside.
/product/winchester-177-cal-pellets-9-8-grains-round-nose-500ct?p=1036
Gunfun1,
I agree with that concept. I have got no argument against accuracy regardless of price was my point. What some Bean Counter/Marketing type/Retail Outlet thinks their pellets should cost means nothing to me.
Only accurate ammo is interesting!
shootski
Shootski
Yes sir only accurate.
Shootski,
The first picture with the two groups I shot several weeks ago with the BugBuster on 9. The first group yesterday was with the BugBuster on 9 again. I then removed the BugBuster and installed the Hawke on the ZR-Mount and shot the next two groups with the scope on 7. With the exception of a few zero shots for each scope, I only shot the three ten shot groups yesterday.
Both scopes are MilDot. The Hawke is glass etched and much finer. It also has superior optical quality. Due to the distance between the rings, the ZR-Mount will not except the BugBuster. It was necessary for me to adjust the front ring back about half an inch to mount the Hawke. It wants long scopes.
/product/bullseye-zr-1-pc-mount-fits-1-and-30mm-tubes-11mm-dovetail-0-04-droop?a=5495
I have had several “conversations” with Hector Medina concerning this mount. This is the third generation of this mount. It comes in a very nice white box. The first two generations were made by two different companies that could not get it right. You know, like TCFKAC having to bring out gen 2 or 3 to fix the problems.
Hector claims that this gen mount is very precisely made and has only an extremely small tolerance, one that would be unnoticeable at 25 yards. Well, I can wiggle the ocular lens around noticeably. With recoil and spring tension it may return to the same location and rest there and my intentional wiggling may be throwing the shots off, but…
Another question is why does he feel the need to “accurize” them? They obviously are not good enough for FT. If that is so, why would I want to take something like that hunting? I am not trying to hit a six inch target at 25 yards, I am trying to hit a dime at 50.
He also informed me they are coming out with a gen 4 in the near future which is supposed to be even better. Why would someone who has burned their fingers desire to stick their hands in the flames again? It is a real shame that the corporation is using the Diana name to bring out all of this “stuff”. When all of the dust settles, nobody will think very highly of anything with Diana on it.
I really do think this mount has potential, but it ain’t there yet. I may be able to tinker with it some and improve it. I have a couple of ideas.
RidgeRunner,
I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS! lol!
That was a really great mini blog. I no longer feel the need to invest in one to protect the iron sights on my one sproinger! Also when(if) I get that Sproinger that deserves a scope I will not feel the need to run out and get one! At least not until you write your final thoughts on the BEST generation ZR mount ;^)
Sounds like they don’t guarrantee anything about accuracy!
shootski
Did the 60 or 61 ever come with a steel muzzle weight as part of their included extras, to go in place of the foresight that is shown completely removed?
The break-barrel 512 did, at one time at least, but then that’s more likely to be used with a scope due to the room there is to fit one.
Iain
Iain,
I never heard of a muzzle weight for these rifles. The Russians meant them to be kids’ guns, so weight added was not important to them. I doubt they ever had weights.
B.B.
What are you folks doing with all of those empty CO2 cartridges? Why not make them into reactive targets? Go to the nearest hardware store and pick up a bunch of eyebolts. You can use wood or metal screws also. Screw them down in the hole, tie on some string and viola! You can even paint them if you wish.
For those of you who are fortunate enough to have a chunk of woods to walk around in and shoot your airguns, you can hang them at different locations and heights and ranges along a path. Take your airgun for a stroll and practice your different shooting positions, angles and ranges.
Golf balls and ping pong balls also work, but are not near as durable. Fun hint: If you fill the ping pong ball with talcum powder or flour, you will most definitely know when you have scored a hit.
RidgeRunner,
Please, please, please have them use flour (whole wheat, rye, or buckwheat.) California has determined that Talc causes cancers in flying squirrels!
;^)
shootski
Oh my goodness! Please do not use talc or bleached flour either! We really must protect the Western Spotted Pinecone Flying Squirrels! Yes, they are just like all of the other millions of flying squirrels, but because in California they have given them a different name they are an endangered species!
RR
Very innovative. I like it 🙂
Geo
Geo,
The 88 gram cartridges are great for big bore at long ranges. Cow bells work nicely also, but the big bores have a tendency to wrinkle them badly.
This video is an introduction, overview, and user’s guide for the Hatsan NuetronStar (NovaStar) .22 airgun. Steve also has a lot to say about all of the new slugs coming on scene as well. It’s an interesting video, though longer than his usual videos. There’s a lot of information in this video though. He states that he is going to post a shorter actual review at shooting at longer ranges in a few weeks. Something to watch on a cold Sunday afternoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0lmY3BIOac
Geo
Geo,
Fine job once again on pulling a diamond from the rough. Good video. Much to learn. That is the most I have watched him. I watched over a couple of hours off and on,… while cooking up some goodies. About 75 min. for anyone concerned. Worth a watch ya’ all,… for anyone interested in slugs (good info.), Patch Worm, Lab Radar, Hatsan barrels,… or many of the other “finer” points covered.
He is a natural on video, comes across very genuine and truly does seem to do his homework. If we all could be so lucky to do the same. He seems to be doing well.
Thank you for keeping us a abreast of the latest and greatest of stuff that most of us do not have the time to seek out and watch.
Well done,… Chris
Thanks Chris, I thought you would like this video. Steve is quite a guy. He left the corporate world to work professionally in the airgun world. In his normal reviews, he covers every aspect of the airgun, compressor, or whatever he’s reviewing. He always does a lot of prep work with the airgun before he even reviews it. He makes his way around to many of the airgun shows, here in the US, as well as Europe. He also covers many of the airgun competitions. He has sponsors and this is how he makes his living now. A man who loves what he does will never work a day in his life…I think Steve fits into this category now.
Geo
Geo,
Yes,.. he has my admiration, as well as my jealousy,… 😉 ,…. LOL! I have seen more than a few of the regular reviewers showing up at events and even competing. I wish each and everyone of them the (very best) going forwards. By them doing what they are doing,.. they are helping each of us to do what we enjoy even more,.. and make smarter decisions on buying,…. just as BB does each and every day,… right here. 🙂
Chris
Geo791,
He stole all his material!
; ^)
shootski