Author Archives: B.B. Pelletier

Tuning Michael’s Winchester 427: Part 5

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana 27
Michael’s Winchester 427 is a Diana model 27 by another name. The rifle pictured is my Hy Score 807/Diana 27

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • SHOT Show
  • Today and Monday
  • New parts
  • Scragging?
  • Lubricating the mainspring
  • Rust removal
  • Lubrication
  • Putting the piston into the spring tube
  • Pull the trigger!
  • Attach the barrel
  • Break

Many of you have been reading this series in which I tune reader Michael’s Winchester 427 that is actually a Diana 27. This is not an air rifle for beginners to learn on! The mechanism is too complex for first-timers for a number of reasons that should become clear today.

SHOT Show

I have to tell you — this is a very lengthy report. I won’t get it all done today, so Monday I will finish up. And on Monday I will be in Las Vegas at the SHOT Show. I won’t see your comments as frequently as usual while I’m there next week, plus after I walk out of the show every day I have to go back to my room, write the next day’s blog and have it ready to publish by 9 p.m. which is midnight on the east coast where the WordPress server publishes the blog. So please don’t ask me any lengthy questions. I am not going to have dinner with anyone this year, so I can do my work without being whipsawed! read more

Webley Mark VI service revolver with battlefield finish: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Webley Mark VI
Webley Mark VI service revolver with battlefield finish. This one is rifled and shoots pellets.

This report covers:

  • Long time coming
  • Some history
  • The pellet gun
  • Realism
  • CO2
  • Sights
  • Weight
  • Flies in the ointment
  • Lookalike airguns
  • A brief tutorial
  • Summary

Long time coming

Sometimes I wait a long time to start a report. Today is one such time. This report on the Webley Mark VI with battlefield finish began back in June of 2018, at the Texas Airgun Show. A reader came to my table and talked about the Mark VI pellet revolver with a battlefield finish. We went outside to talk, and by the time we finished I was the proud owner of a .455-caliber Mark VI revolver! I have shown you that gun in the past.

Webley”
I showed this .455 Mark VI revolver back in July of 2018. This is the revolver I acquired at the show. It was made in 1916. read more

DIY Rifle Stock – Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Today’s report is Part 4 of reader Vana’s excellent report on stock making.

If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me.

And now, over to you, Hank.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Slavia 618

This is my original 55 year old Slavia 618 in its new “firewood” stock. I made this one in a “camo” style, using cherry and maple blocks in a random arrangement of the pieces.

This report covers:

  • The Firewood stock
  • Why firewood?
  • How do we do this?
  • Some design considerations
  • Is your wood dry enough?
  • What if I want to start right now?
  • Microwaving wood – how does it work?
  • Art or science?
  • Microwaving wood summarized
  • Working with the blocks
  • Summary

The Firewood stock

And now for something completely different – an additive construction stock made from firewood. I’ve made a couple of these and have been pleased with the results — there’s lots of artistic opportunity to make a stock that is special. read more

The Beeman P1 air pistol: Part 12

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11

Beeman P1.
Beeman P1 pistol.

This report covers:

  • The test
  • Sight adjustments
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • H&N Finale Match Light
  • Crosman Premier Light
  • What is happening?
  • Discussion 2
  • Summary

Today we will look at the accuracy of the Beeman P1 pistol on high power with the UTG RDM20 Reflex Micro Dot sight that Pyramyd Air doesn’t currently stock. This sight is quite small and light and I thought it would be ideal for the P1, which we proved in Part 11, when the pistol was shot on low power. Today’s test on high power will test both the accuracy of the pistol as well as this sight’s ability to remain in one place. Dot sights that are larger have to be butted against the front sight to stay in place, but so far this one doesn’t have to be. read more

Crosman’s Mark I Target pistol: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Crosman Mark I
Crosman Mark I target pistol.

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The test
  • Hobby pellets
  • Crosman Premiers
  • RWS Superpoint
  • Discussion
  • Summary

Today we look at the accuracy of the Crosman Mark I Target pistol. After adjusting the trigger in Part two, I feel confident it won’t let me down.

The test

I put in a fresh 12-gram CO2 cartridge. We learned in Part 2 that there are around 45 full-power shots in a cartridge and I plan to shoot less than that in today’s test. I will shoot a 5-shot group on high power and a second 5-shot group on low power with each pellet. That’s 10 shots per pellet times 3 pellets is a total of 30 shots. The range is 10 meters and the gun is rested directly on a sandbag. Let’s go. read more

Treasure of the pond

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by Tom Gaylord

A history of airguns

This is a special day. You will notice that I did not use my pen name today.

I’m showing you the first chapter in my next book. My last book was BB Guns Remembered, which is a collection of short stories I wrote about vintage pictures of boys with BB guns. I make nearly $100 a year from the online sales of that book, which beats the thousands I lost on the R1 book. So, I obviously don’t do this for money. I do it for fun. Have some fun on me this weekend!

boy dog gun

My gosh! I never looked that clean a day in my life! I had to take a bath and get on my best summer clothes for that picture. See those shoes? Never wore them in the summer, except to church. And the hat? Not on your life! It made me look like a girl. read more

Air Venturi Nomad II air compressor: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

Nomad II air compressor
Air Venturi Nomad II air compressor.

This report covers:

  • AirForce Extra Air Tank
  • Time test
  • Two tests
  • Test one
  • Filling the tank
  • Dumped the air
  • Fill from a car battery
  • Thank you — battery makers
  • Second fill
  • Summary

Today I will test the Air Venturi Nomad II air compressor for you. In Part 1 I filled a BSA R10 Black Wrap rifle from empty in about 8 minutes. That gun takes a 232 bar fill, which is 3,365 psi. Today I will do something different.

AirForce Extra Air Tank

I chose an AirForce Extra Air Tank as my test tank for today’s work. The current tanks on AirForce airguns do not have to be taken off the guns to be filled, but the older-style tanks did. I’m doing this for the convenience of not needing to find a place to rest a whole airgun.

I used the tank from my 2001 AirForce TalonSS. That tank had been holding 3,000 psi for at least the past 5 years and was still completely full, so I had to attach an old-style refill adaptor to exhaust all the air. To do that I put three pennies into the adaptor before attaching the tank. The pennies push the valve cap down as the tank and adaptor are screwed together, to release the air in the same way the gun’s striker does it, only the pennies hold the valve open as long as you desire. In this case it was until the tank was empty. read more