Category Archives: CO2

CO2 Category

Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole pellet revolver: Part 3

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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!

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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

Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole pellet revolver: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

Legends Ace revolver
Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole revolver.

This report covers:

  • Interest
  • CO2 cartridge
  • RWS Hobby
  • Air Arms Falcon
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • Shot count
  • Trigger pull
  • Evaluation

Today we look at the velocity of the Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole revolver. The specs say 340 f.p.s., but today we’re going to find out for sure.

Interest

There is a lot of interest in this sawed-off Colt. Many of you readers either have one already or are wanting to get one. Let’s see how they work.

CO2 cartridge

First I installed a fresh CO2 cartridge. The captive Allen wrench in the left grip panel made installation a breeze, but don’t forget to put a drop of Crosman Pellgunoil on the tip before you install it. The oil gets blown through the valve by the gas and gets on all the inner seals. The cartridge pierced and sealed in less than a second. Turn the piercing screw one more turn after piercing, but then stop. That will ensure sealing, while not compressing the face seal too much. read more

Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole pellet revolver: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Legends Ace revolver
Umarex Legends Ace in the Hole revolver.

  • History of the Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolver
  • Buntline Special
  • Sheriff’s model
  • The Shopkeeper’s model
  • Ace in the Hole
  • Fanning hammer
  • Don’t fan!
  • Removable front sight
  • Weathered finish
  • Pellet pistol
  • Heavy
  • Safety
  • Evaluation

Today we begin our look at the Umarex-Legends-Ace-in-the-Hole-revolver. This Legends airgun is different from all others because it does not attempt to copy the firearm exactly. It takes the kind of license you would expect from a person who wanted to customize his sidearm. To appreciate today’s report we’re gonna need to know some history of the Colt single action.

History of the Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolver

The SAA came into being in 1873, two years after the expiration of S&W’s patent on revolver cylinders that were bored though, front to back. Colt started by modifying their 1860 Army cap and ball revolver to become the Colt 1871/72 open top cartridge revolver, but in late 1872 they began producing what would become the most famous revolver of all time, the 1873 Single Action Army. read more

How to treat a new airgun

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

  • New airgun — what do I do?
  • Be careful!
  • DO NOT GET IT “TUNED” FIRST THING!
  • Lube it?
  • CO2
  • Pre-charged Pneumatic (PCP)
  • Multi-pumps and single strokes
  • Spring piston guns
  • Do I need to clean it?
  • What about disassembly?
  • How should I protect my new airgun?
  • The most important thing

Every so often I am inspired to stop and cover the basics for our readers. Many of you who have been with me off and on over the past 13 years (yes, this blog turned 13 this month) will find the things I am about to say rudimentary, but each of you went through them in your own way. My recent encounter with the Sub-1 crossbow made it clear to me what it’s like to have something about which you know very little. And, as I was in the midst of my discoveries, reader Johncpen asked this.

“When lubing the bolt of a PCP like a Benjamin Maximus would you use silicone oil on the O-ring and Remington oil behind that or just silicone oil on the whole thing?” read more

Old versus new

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

A history of airguns

  • Wait
  • Old airguns
  • Pistols?
  • Broomhandle Mauser M712
  • Lookalikes
  • Get it?
  • The moral

Are old airguns better than new ones? “Yes!” says the guy who likes them for their wood and steel. He doesn’t want any plastic on his guns. It bothers him that the firearm handguns of today are made from as much plastic as steel.

Wait

Hold on, brother! That plastic Glock that offends you so much has been test-fired 30,000 shots without a major failure. The 1911 you love so dearly was praised in 1910 for shooting 6,000 shots  with the same results. The Glock endured 5 times the punishment as your venerable Browning design.

The Glock is also built for ease of manufacture. It’s so simple that a guy can build one in his workshop, starting with a plastic frame that’s 80 percent finished. All it takes is a file, a drill and some time. Oh, and a lot of money! When it’s finished he will have about as much tied up as if he had bought the gun over the counter. But it is possible. read more

Crosman 2400KT CO2 Air Rifle — Part 14

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This is Part 14 of the Hiveseeker guest blog on the Crosman 2400KT. Today is titled Modding the Crosman 2400 family — Primer 3.

This is the most popular guest blog series we have ever published. Hiveseeker says it is the last in the series, but I think it might not be. You readers will help him decide.

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

Crosman 2400KT CO2 Air Rifle – Part 14
Modding the Crosman 2400 family — Primer 3
By Hiveseeker

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13

2400KT cover photo
The 2400KT CO2 Air Rifle that I modded for this report is only available directly from the Crosman Custom Shop. It is shown here disassembled with a mix of stock and modded parts. For scale, the background grid on all photos is one inch square. read more