Category Archives: CO2

CO2 Category

We The People BB pistol: Part 2

Posted on by ↓ 34 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

We The People pistol
We The People commemorative BB pistol from Sig.

This report covers:

  • Questions answered
  • Velocity Daisy BBs
  • Cooling effect
  • Air Venturi Steel BBs
  • Blowback
  • Dust Devils
  • Shot count
  • Trigger
  • Overall impression

Today we will look at the velocity of Sig’s We The People BB pistol. They rate it at 340 f.p.s., so we will see about that and also what Dust Devils do. Let’s get to it.

Questions answered

Reader Shootski asked whether the sights adjust. The manual doesn’t address it and I tried to move the rear sight gingerly and found it doesn’t move. The factory agrees with this.

Reader Ken wondered why the magazine follower doesn’t stay down like the follower on a couple of his BB pistols. I read the manual and it does mention this, so I tried it and it did stay down! The top of the follower has to raise up and get caught by the feed hole on the mag, and then it stays open. On the test pistol this sometimes take some fiddling. read more

Must an airgun use air?

Posted on by ↓ 138 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

  • Carbon dioxide
  • Green gas/red gas
  • Catapult guns
  • Caps!
  • Not the end!
  • Ulterior motive

Simple enough question, no? Maybe you get confused by certain air-powered tools or perhaps a slang reference to a paint sprayer, but most folks know exactly what you mean when you say airgun.

Think so? Think again.

The term airgun isn’t found in most dictionaries, yet. You’ll find that your spell-checker wants you to write it as two words, but that’s not what today’s blog is about. I really want to know if you know all that is encompassed by the term airgun.

Some of you have already stopped reading to formulate an official-sounding definition that goes something like this: An airgun is any smoothbore or rifled gun that propels a projectile by means of compressed air. As you stand back to admire your work, it suddenly dawns on you that your definition doesn’t encompass any of the guns that are powered by CO2. Don’t you hate it when that happens? read more

Sig Sauer P226 X-Five pellet pistol: Part 1

Posted on by ↓ 42 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sig P226 X-Five
Sig’s P226 X-Five pellet pistol.

This report covers:

  • PELLET pistol?
  • The quiet reader
  • What’s an X-Five?
  • Back to pellets — features
  • Sights
  • Trigger
  • Blowback
  • Safety
  • Grip
  • Magazine
  • Slide and frame
  • Size and finish
  • Summary
  • Note to Sig

If it sounds like this blog has turned into one long commercial for Sig, don’t blame me! They are the ones who keep on bringing out significant new airgun products. Today we begin looking at the Sig Sauer P226 X-Five pellet pistol.

PELLET pistol?

That’s right, sports fans — this pistol shoots lead diabolo PELLETS! Don’t get it confused with the Sig Sauer P226 X-Five BB pistol that looks very similar. I have already gotten confused a couple times, so I know how easy it is.

The quiet reader

I’m starting this report today for the quiet reader. He’s the guy who has commented that he would sure like to see each BB pistol I have tested in a version that shot pellets. The belief is since pellet pistols have rifled barrels they will be more accurate at greater distances. I think that’s true, as long as we bear in mind that a repeating pistol with blowback will never be as accurate as a dedicated single shot pistol, when all other variables are the same. But in all probability a rifled bore should put the pellet pistol ahead of a smoothbore BB pistol at distances of 10 meters, or so. That’s the hope, and that’s what I will be testing. read more

We The People BB pistol: Part 1

Posted on by ↓ 67 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

We The People pistol
We The People commemorative BB pistol from Sig.

This report covers:

  • Texas Airgun Show
  • E Pleb Nista
  • Description
  • Sig 1911s
  • Grip safety
  • Night sights
  • Controls
  • Field strip
  • Manual
  • Realism
  • The plan

Texas Airgun Show

Well, it happened a year later than I predicted, but it happened. The Texas Airgun Shot has sold out all the spaces in the hall, they have filled all the spaces on the porches outside the hall and now they are starting to fill a large tent outside the building. What this means is there will be more dealers than ever before and that means more airguns that we have never seen! I predicted this would happen last year, but the hurricane stopped all traffic from south Texas, and it also kept a lot of others away, even though it didn’t come close to where the show was being held. read more

ASG CZ75 SP-01 Shadow BB pistol: Part 1

Posted on by ↓ 83 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

ASG SP-01-pistol
ASG’s CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow BB pistol is large and heavy. The guns they are shipping have red fiberoptic sights in front, like those found on the firearm.

This report covers:

  • Rich history!
  • So what?
  • Anywhere?
  • The BB pistol
  • Adjustable rear sight
  • Front sight
  • Full blowback
  • Single action and double action
  • All controls are real
  • Grips
  • Summary

I recently started exploring using airguns as stand-ins for certain self-defense firearms. This has now taken a turn, and today I will start reviewing one that I am serious about — the ASG CZ75 SP-01 Shadow BB pistol. I will get to the description in a bit, but before I do, let’s first look at the prototype firearm — the CZ75.

Rich history!

There are a few sidearms that stand out from the crowd. The M1911 is one, and the P08 Luger is another. And today’s pistol, the CZ75, is right there with them. We start by recognizing that the 9X19mm cartridge that we know better as the 9mm Luger, is the most popular handgun cartridge in today’s world. Nearly everything else is compared to it, and most successful semiautomatic pistols are chambered for it. read more

Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole pellet revolver: Part 3

Posted on by ↓ 65 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

Legends Ace revolver
Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole revolver.

This report covers:

  • The test
  • RWS Hobby
  • Air Arms Falcon
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets
  • RWS HyperMAX
  • RWS Meisterkugeln
  • Evaluation
  • Next

Things are back on track today and we will look at the accuracy of the Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole revolver. I hope it’s good!

The test

I shot from a sandbag rest at 10 meters. Ten meters is far for an action pistol, but I am trying to establish where the Ace is, in terms of hitting the target.

I wore my reading glasses so the sights would appear sharp. Single action sights work a little differently than any other revolver sights, because the rear sight is a notch in the back of the frame. The sides of this notch slope up toward the notch on both sides and I find myself holding the front sight blade a little higher than I am used to. Once I get the sight picture, though, I can do good work with an SAA. read more

Smell the roses!

Posted on by ↓ 71 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

  • Price-Point PCP
  • Silencers
  • Lookalikes
  • More lookalikes
  • $100 PCP
  • More than just guns
  • Hand pumps
  • Compressors
  • Airgun technology
  • Big bores
  • There’s more

Today’s report came to me as I was planning to test the accuracy of the Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole revolver. I have so many tests waiting for my time, but today’s report had to come first.

Gentlemen — we are living in airgunning’s Golden Age. I know I have written that many times, but today I would like to reflect on all the good things that are happening in our world. Let me start with the Price-Point PCP.

Price-Point PCP

When I got into precharged pneumatics in 1995, I was dragged into it kicking and screaming. No PCP rifle cost less than $600 in that day (think $900 today) and the high-pressure hand pump had just been invented. I had to use a 3000 psi aluminum scuba tank that cost an additional $120 and I had to beg the local dive shop to fill it for me. I actually created a release form that I signed and left on file with them to absolve them from all risk of selling air to a non dive-certificated person! That might sound extreme in 2018, but in 1995 that was the way it was done, and plenty of dive shops refused to sell us air. read more