The Ounce pistol.
This report covers:
- Dragging my feet
- Much easier to operate
- Today?
- Sights
- Second time at the range
- Light
- Trigger
- Ejection
- Summary
Today we take our second look at the Ounce pistol. Today we get to see how it shoots. I’m having medical problems today (last Friday) so this report will be short.
Dragging my feet
After the first report in February I spoke to Bill Osborne, the creator of the Ounce and the president of Third Bay LLC, the company that manufactures it. He told me he was receiving a large number of orders and inquiries about the pistol and when I told him the size of my readership (110,000+ registered and 250,000 est. worldwide) he understood why. He said he was currently flooded with orders and many folks were going to have to wait a long time as Third Bay is still ramping up production. Success can also be a bad thing when there is too much of it.
I promised Bill I would drag my feet on the reports and that I would also tell my readers the situation. Third Bay is producing the pistols, but the number of orders is quite large and it will take them some time to attend to all of them.
Much easier to operate
Do you remember that I said that the Ounce pistol does take some learning? That is still true, but since the last report I have learned the pistol a lot more and now most of its functions seem like second nature to me. A few still require thought, but that should go away with more practice.
Today?
Today I’ll describe shooting it for the first time. In part one I said that a velocity and accuracy test were forthcoming. They still are. My first and second trips to the range were just to learn how the Ounce pistol shoots.
The Ounce works well with CCI Standard Velocity as well as with Winchester Xpert rounds. The Xperts are more powerful, so I keep them in the pistol when I carry it. When the pistol is folded the hammer does not align with the firing pin, so it is completely safe to carry. Deploy it, though, and it’s ready to go.
The first time out I discovered two cartridges the Ounce likes. CCI Standard Velocity are an old standby of mone and the Winchester Xpert has a 42-grain hollowpoint!
If you go to the Third Bay website you are told and shown how to disassemble the pistol so you can clear a jam and also so you can clean carbon buildup off the moving parts. They tell you to clean the pistol about every 500 shots. Yeah right! Like I’m going to shoot this pistol 500 times. Well, it’s like eating peanuts, folks. Anybody got any Hoppes Number 9?
I didn’t really shoot the pistol 500 times — yet. But, boy it will be easy!
Sights
I shot this pistol one-handed and offhand. The first time at the indoor range I noticed I could not see the pistol’s sights. So I pointed it at the target and made sure I couldn’t see either side of the pistol. That meant it was pointed straight away from me. I also tried to align the top where the sights are so it was pointed level. The target was about 18-20 feet away and I had pasted a 12-inch Shoot-N-C bullseye target to the belly of a silhouette target.
I aimed the Ounce by keeping both the sides of the firearm invisible to me. It kept the pistol pointed straight away from me which wasn’t the best way to aim but I did manage to put 23 of 33 bullets in the bull. The other rounds in the head are from a .38 special revolver.
I talked to Bill about the sights and he sent me a group his son fired. It is much smaller and more like what I expected to shoot, but for some reason I couldn’t.
A group shot by Bill Osborne’s son. It is possible to be accurate with the Ounce. Why not me?
Second time at the range
My second time at the range I vowed to do better but I didn’t. In fact In did much worse. And that was on the day when I shot the targets with the Hammerli free pistol that you all saw last week. So you know I can shoot a pistol. What was happening?
Light
Then I discovered the problem. There is no light shining down at the spot where I shoot offhand. I’m shooting in the dark! That makes the black Ounce Pistol’s sights extremely difficult to see.
This is what you see with the Ounce sights. This is from a CAM drawing Bill Osborne set me. The Ounce is all black, so that’s when you actually see.
At the place I was standing on the range, there is no light where I shoot offhand. I am literally shooting in the dark. ˜The sights are incredibly hard to see when that happens. I need to get on a range where there are lights to see the sights. Because I know I can shoot better than I have. When I shot the free pistol on the same day I was hunched over and in the light, and you saw what I did there.
Trigger
The trigger pull is heavy. Though I haven’t measured it I would guess it goes 8 pounds or more. I can shoot with it but I have to get used to it. I do like it because there is no manual safety on the pistol. When the pistol is deployed it’s ready to fire, and the heavy trigger adds a measure of safety..
Ejection
I tried holding the pistol with two hands but got a hot cartridge case in the palm of my off hand because they eject through the hollow grip. Nope, that’s not for me; from now one it will be a one-hand hold, only.
Summary
I have started shooting the Ounce pistol and it is easy to run through a LOT of ammo. It works well with both CCI Standard Velocity and with Winchester Xpert rounds. I need to get on a range where the sights aren’t in the dark when I shoot, but my method of watching the sides of the pistol does work at typical defense distances.
Remember, folks, Third Bay is ramping up their production so orders placed now will take some time to fill.
This definitely looks interesting! .22 pistols go through ammo pretty easily, especially if they work.
Hope you’re getting better.
This goes through .22 ammo very easily. Note: heed the legal advice, for whatever it is worth, disclosed on the video. Also, do not recommend this method of food processing due to potential toxic metal contamination.
https://vimeo.com/89892913
FM
Having done so ,, many years ago when I didn’t have to pay for the ammunition nor have a license,, I don’t seem to have the desire to do so again. There are obviously many who do, and so this fellow plans to separate them from a bit of money. It is, after all, the American way and that I have no trouble with at all.
I will be quite interested in seeing how this little pistol shoots once BB has figured it out. I could see myself carrying one should it prove satisfactory to him. He is The Godfather of Airguns,, and perhaps the Goduncle of other weapons.
Ed
Good shooting Tom.
That target has more holes in it than a wiffle ball!
The Shoot N C makes those small holes stand out.
Hope things are going well.
Ian
BB,
OK, I saw a couple of videos, one on how it works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvQOtV03mmw
…and one shooting it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHNgWRtSKzs
It looks like the sock is to catch the brass…interesting!
“I need to get on a range where the sights aren’t in the dark when I shoot” — BB
Yes, for sure that would be most interesting!
Thank you for sharing this most intriguing little pistol. 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
Well, maybe Tru Glo sights to the rescue?
Find a range that replaces light bulbs?
-Y
Tom,
I hope and pray you are getting better. It may be odd looking with a heavy trigger but being concealable, portable and made in America outweighs those negatives. Your accuracy might improve by shooting in a well lit place but that is not going to be a given during the circumstance when you will use it. Your shot group shown is probably more representative when used under pressure. I think that is very acceptable under those circumstances.
Siraniko
Tom,
I hope you are getting better.
You might try a tiny bit of glow in the dark “sight paint” I put some on the front sight of my KG-99 and it really improve my speed and accuracy.
Mike
BB
The unique design and function of the Ounce is intriguing. I am reminded of hand made carry arms hundreds of years old in the Doge museum in Venice.
I look forward to your reports to see how reliable function is. That spent cartridge has a long way to travel to eject from the grip’s bottom. Accuracy seems adequate even with poor light for last ditch defense.
BB, please don’t respond, just get well!
Deck
BB,
I must agree with Siraniko. I do understand your desire to show what this pistol will do under the best of circumstances, but one who carries this thing for defense must learn to use it in the worst of circumstances. I for one can visualize situations in which one will not even have the opportunity to bring this pistol up and “aim” it.
This is my personal opinion and I do not expect others to agree, but though this would be neat to own and fiddle with on occasion, I would not rely on it for self-defense. IMMHO (for 3hi – in my most humble opinion) there are better choices.
You are hereby ordered to expend what energy you have in getting well.
“I would not rely on it for self-defense. ”
RidgeRunner,
Concur. It is a clever set up and rather ingenious. It would be fun to own, but I think that there are better options for self-defense.
MiTurn
MiTurn,
I am glad someone else sees this. Personally I have always wanted the Hi-Standard DA derringer made into a wallet for concealed carry. You hand your wallet to your antagonist and pump a couple of bullets into their belly. Far easier to conceal, deploy and use.
As I said though, “this would be neat to own and fiddle with on occasion”.
RidgeRunner,
thank you for remembering my poor understanding of abbreviations and acronyms.
Yes I know that I am the only one who currently claims to struggle. So, I particularly appreciate the effort to include me! 🙂
However, I wonder if there is one, maybe even more than one, among the “… readership (110,000+ registered and 250,000 est.[?] worldwide)…” who is / are similarly non-fluent in this language?
So, on the strength of that possibility, thank you too, on behalf of anyone else. 🙂
3hi,
I myself often struggle with these “abbreviations and acronyms”. My primary language is not English, it is Appalachian-American. I am also an old, fat, baldheaded geezer who uses a flip phone instead of those overly expensive doodads those young’uns use these days and I do not do texting. Therefore, all those “abbreviations and acronyms” those kids use these days are usually lost on me.
Also, being primarily very lazy, I do not attempt to work out the meanings of those “abbreviations and acronyms”. I do attempt to commit them to memory for future reference when their meanings have been defined.
I must apologize for my use of PSI, FPE, FPS and such that pertain directly to this subject. I use them frequently without thought that others, most especially the newbies, do not understand. As you have pointed out, there are many here that “English” is not their primary language and understanding slang, abbreviations, acronyms, etcetera is challenging at best.
Having said all that, I do hope that this readership will forgive me when I use terms and phrases such as sproinger, feral soda cans, RRHFWA and such. I just cannot help myself. 😉
BB-
Be well in mind and spirit. Let the body heal and our prayers will be answered.
It’s Monday and I’m really striving to be positive about today’s subject gun. If, and I will use ‘if’ to denote the multiplicity of that small word. ‘If’ the goal is a self defense pistol, and not just a product to separate cash from buyers, I see several major design failures.
Requires two hands to deploy into shooting condition. Check.
Shoots a non-defense capable cartridge. Check.
Inability to aim due to inadequate sights. Check.
$900 cost for what is a toy. Check.
Paco, say what you want.
But I think it’s better than the Lifecard single shot folding pistol that was popular with gun tubers a few years ago.
https://trailblazerfirearms.com/shop/lifecard/
BB owns one I think.
Can you say a head to head comparison blog when he gets back on his feet?
Ian.
Ian,
A “head-to-head” would indeed be most entertaining to see/read. I for one would not use either for personal defense, but they would be nifty to play with. The price of these “toys” is most prohibitive though.
I would Ike to have the pair just as the unusual factor the two guns represent.
(My love of prototypes.)
The Life Card has sold enough to not be a rarity JUST UNUSUAL.
But unless the Ounce pistol can seriously ramp up production I fear we will see it in a Forgotten Weapons video in a few years.
The entire Ounce Pistol is so far out there, it deserves a place in firearms history.
Ian.
pacoinohio,
Thank you!
Could NOT have put it better.
shootski
PS: Manual of Arms, too difficult and time consuming to learn, IF your other points weren’t already individually exclusionary.
BB,
Take care of yourself and heal well.
I am intrigued by this pistol. It is probably too far out of my ability to do enough ‘mental gymnastics’ to justify buying one. I will certainly enjoy seeing how and how well it works.
I think that most of us have convinced ourselves that we need to buy something, when we only ‘really want’ it. Isn’t that is why this is a hobby? It’s all about having a good time.
Enjoy the day, however you can.
Bill
I always thought that a self defense gun should follow the rule of KISS (sorry 3hi but you must look it up yourself). This one leaves much to be desired although I can see the logic of carrying it instead of being unarmed.
Bill,
ah, nice of you to remember my acronym aversion. 🙂
For the record, I almost never look up the meanings of acronyms. I just ignore those sentences and read on in the hope of understanding whatever follows.
In this particular instance, I have not just come the acronym “KISS” before, but, and this is unusual, I actually remember what it means:
KISS = Keep It Simply Stupid
3hi,
I personally prefer to substitute Son or Sweetheart for the final S, but you do have the true definition there. 😉
I see that IT has once again changed some things around a bit. Not better, just different. Was there supposed to be a Tuesday blog?
I hope it is just another IT issue and not health related.
CB
I was just thinking that. BB has had some issues lately and, in fact, mentioned that yesterday’s blog would be a short one for just that reason. I, too, am concerned.
Ed
Me too.
Everyone,
Pyramyd has scheduled a new blog for tomorrow — March 27. No new blog is scheduled today.
I woke up late and am fuzzy so please don’t ask me a question.
BB
Even should BB recover fully, it may behoove us, if such is possible, to find another site where our comments or opinions will at least be looked at, if not listened to. I am certain that the new Pyramyd AIR would just as soon shed themselves of us as continue to financially support this. They are primarily concerned with profits after all.
It is good to read/hear something out of you BB. We at least know you are still on our side of the Great Divide. That is rather selfish of us, but I do hope that you understand.
RR,
Please relax. Pyramyd AIR is trying to post blogs without my help, but they don’t understand what you guys are doing as far as the comments go. They were unaware they needed to inform you about the possibility of no blog being posted today.
Ian has written a blog and it is scheduled for tomorrow.
BB
BB,
Relax. That is an order. PAIR is going to have to put up with me for a while yet.
The blog did not happen today. OK fine. I am not panicking. I am just stating what I see in my crystal ball in the future.
Hey RidgeRunner,
Go run a ridge!
As the Godfather has stated, RELAX….
-Y
I wonder if anyone can help with this question: Who are Pyramydair?
The following I expect to remain unanswered: Why do the people appear hidden?
————
On their website’s home page, I scrolled to the very bottom and selected “GET TO KNOW US” and then chose the option “About Us” and on the next page, a little below half way, in the chapter “Our History”, I found the name of the company founder:
Josh Ungier.
Furthermore and from my recollection:
Tom Gaylord, obviously, is part of Pyramydair.
Ian McKee is another, also employed as a writer.
Then there’s Tyler Patner, who’s something to do with ‘Products’, and
Ton Jones who works as, hmm, dunno.
Val Gamerman appears to be some sort of Chief.
Who else is part of the Pyramydair Team?
That sounds like a great way to replace today’s blog. What do you say, Tyler, Val, or Josh, would you care to give us the rest of the P.A story up to date, picking up where the website leaves off? I remember B.B. doing a multipart series on Josh’s backstory.
hi3,
Here is a little on how Pyramyd AIR was srtarted:
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2020/02/izh-61-repeating-spring-air-rifle-part-1/
BB
BB, that is pretty interesting; thank you. And I pray that you are OK. 🙂
Hello hihihi,
What can I tell you about us? We employ 77 people, we love airguns, and lately – we started to love everything outdoors.
Just kidding. We have many, many folks who love outdoors; always have. For the past 3 years we have been celebrating it as a company by taking a day off 1st Friday of each March, for the national unplug day (supposed to put down electronics and go outside).
Roots are with Josh when he founded the company in 1995-1996. I met him in 1998 and build 1st e-tail website to sell airguns online. Just semi-retired in 2010 due to health issues; I took over. He completely retired in 2016. If you receive our catalogs, you can see a letter I have been writing there. Sometimes, I feel like Big Cheese, not a Chief. Tyler has been here for 10 years. I see BB already linked to the blogs where Josh shares how it all got started, and yes, I listened to those stories in 1998 😉
Ton – as much as he is one of many people in the industry, he used to work for AirForce airguns, currently works for Firebird target.
All of the people who work at the company are people who are passionate about what we do.
Thank you for asking!
Val Gamerman: Cheese Executive Officer? 🙂
I am pleased you commented about those employees I remembered, including yourself! Thanks.
You know, letting us peek behind the scenes, can feel a bit like a backstage pass. Very nice! 🙂
Maybe, once in a while, we can be treated to the reality behind the marketing curtain?
Anyway, both you and Tom Gaylord have awakened my appetite for more Pyramydair history. If the details of something remembered are still vivid, then surely it’s worth sharing?
Also, I bet there’s a fair sized audience here, interested to get to know the humans who make Pyramydair happen: how about an occasional introduction of one of those 77 passionate people? Please.
____________
By the way, I like cheese and happily, here in France, I’m spoilt for choice… 🙂
France? That’s pretty cool to know there are airgun enthusiasts in France! Like BCEO – Big Cheese Executive Officer? My alias on internal company chats is “Big Cheese?” (yes, with a question mark), somebody changed it as a joke and we left it alone.
Val, thank you for that update; that’s pretty cool! 🙂
When one works in a place where work = fun, it is no longer work. It shows too. Sez a happy, satisfied customer. Like the “unplug day” concept and the notion of putting down electronics. FM would love to put down a lot of electronics…at 25 yards. Sadly, Mrs. FM won’t allow it. 🙁 🙂
FM,
The “unplug day” is something I remember doing in the past, and getting important stuff done: creative target shooting and working on projects in the shop.
Yes, tech is fun to shoot at! The family’s old flip phones (sans batteries) met the same end in the basement target range. It was hard to keep the pellets inside the keys, without hitting the edges with a springer at ten yards.
Best regards,
Will
BB,
Take care of yourself. Blog only when you feel up to it. We will understand. But we do look for you each weekday.
BB,
Thank you for what you do for all of us. If your readership is about a quarter million, there are a lot of readers who are wishing you well while you are in the shop being repaired and then healing well afterward. Only some are responding, but there are many, many who are keeping you in their prayers. We are thinking the same thing: may everything go smoothly while you’re “on the bench” and may you get better quickly.
Best regards,
Will
Will,
Thanks for that. I am aware of the good wishes of those readers who aren’t registered. And how about Pyramyd AIR? I was given this whole week off to recover and was told to take more time if needed. I am fortunate to have a wonderful support group! 🙂
BB
Glad to hear from you, B.B. Also glad to know management is giving you the time to recover. That’s important to your recover not to have to worry about work.
If there is anything we can do to assist, let us know. I’m sure several of us could write a longish comment / guest blog to fill a day or two, if that helps. I could write about my “new” (to me) airgu acquisitions or a recent shooting session with my son, who suddenly suggested we go down to the basement to shoot airguns! Music to my ears…while it lasted. Perhaps a Friday blog about memories of teaching, or plans to teach, someone about shooting airguns?
Roamin,
Pyramyd Air is supporting me in ways you readers don’t see. Thanks for your offers but at present I think we have things covered.
Nice to know you guys want to help.
BB