Category Archives: lookalikes

lookalikes category

ASG CZ 75 Shadow 2 airsoft pistol: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

CZ75 Shadow 2
ASG’s CZ 75 Shadow 2 airsoft pistol.

This report covers:

  • Different
  • Batteries
  • SHOT Show 2019
  • Bashed Sig
  • Bob Li
  • Not stocked at Pyramyd Air
  • The airsoft gun
  • Caliber
  • CO2 powered
  • Hop Up
  • My plans
  • Summary

Different

Something a little different today. Many newer readers aren’t aware that years ago I wrote a lot about airsoft guns. I even rebuilt some guns with tighter barrels, stronger mainsprings and advanced meca boxes (airsoft term for the actions on automatic electric guns — AEG). In 2013 and 2014 I wrote a 3-part airsoft primer to bring interested readers up to speed.

Over the years I have tested various airsoft guns for you. I won’t link to them all, but back in 2007 I reviewed the UTG Shadow Ops Type 96 sniper rifle and even tested it for accuracy at 50 yards! If you want to see more of these reviews, type airsoft into the search box at the top right of this page and hit the Go button. read more

Umarex Legends Cowboy Lever Action BB gun: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Umarex Lever Action
Umarex Legends Cowboy Lever Action BB gun.

Part 1

This report covers:

  • Charging the gun
  • BB velocity
  • Umarex Precision Steel BBs
  • Loading cartridges
  • Dust Devils
  • Air Venturi Steel BBs
  • Shooting faster
  • Smart Shot
  • RWS Hyper-Max Lead-free pointed pellets
  • Air Arms Falcons
  • Shot count
  • Trigger pull
  • Feeding
  • Lever safety!
  • Feeding
  • Summary

Today we look at the power of the new Umarex Legends Cowboy Lever Action BB gun. Yes, I will test it with pellets, though it wasn’t designed for them. And. in case you wonder whether the new Marksman Premium Grade steel BBs will work in it, I submit the following picture.

Umarex Lever Action Marksman BB
The new Marksman BB is too large for the lever action barrel.

Charging the gun

Step one is to charge the gun with CO2. This gun takes two 12-gram CO2 cartridges, nose-to-nose, in the buttstock. I put the usual Crosman Pellgunoil on the tips of both cartridges, so the oil would be blown through the valve when they pierced. It keeps the seals fresh and doing their job. read more

Remington 1875 BB and pellet revolver: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Remington 1875
Remington 1875 pellet and BB pistol.

Part 1

This report covers:

  • Finish
  • Big report!
  • The cartridges
  • Velocity
  • Marksman BBs
  • Remove the cylinder
  • Crosman BBs
  • The test
  • Air Venturi Steel
  • Dust Devils
  • Smart Shot
  • Black Diamond
  • Trigger pull
  • Safety
  • Summary

The first report on the Remington-revolver didn’t elicit the response I expected. I thought that because this is not a common firearm, the fact that there is an airgun lookalike would be met with enthusiasm. The Colt SAA is certainly very popular, and with good reason, but the S&W Schofield that tried to compete with it back in the day isn’t — either as a firearm or as an airgun. Now we have the 1875 Remington that is just as rare as the Schofield and airgunners are saying, “Ho hum.”

Finish

Several of you wish that this air pistol was produced with a finish other than nickel. I hope Crosman is listening. Oddly enough, the 1875 firearm I once owned was a nickel gun, as well. Of course my gun was old and pitted with rust and the nickel was flaking off. I don’t think that’s the sort of finish airgunners want. They want a gun that looks like it has been there and done that. Look at the success of the SAAs and the Webley Mark VI that have such a finish! Those guns are as popular as the shiny ones — more popular, perhaps. read more

Umarex Legends Cowboy Lever Action BB gun: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Umarex Lever Action
Umarex Legends Cowboy Lever Action BB gun.

This report covers:

  • Description
  • The cartridges
  • Will it shoot pellets?
  • Sights
  • Loading the CO2
  • Discussion
  • Summary

The moment I saw the Umarex Legends Cowboy Lever Action BB gun at the SHOT Show this year I knew it was going to be a hit.

This is a lever action repeater that holds 10 realistic cartridges, each holding a single BB that’s loaded into the base. The cartridges load into the rifle from the right side of the receiver and feed through the action exactly like firearm cartridges.

Lever Action Loading
The Umarex Cowboy Lever Action gun is loaded exactly like a lever action firearm.

When the lever is pulled down the bolt slides back, ejecting the now-empty cartridge, and the next cartridge is fed by spring pressure onto the elevator. As the lever is returned, the cartridge is aligned with the breech and fed into the breech. It takes a few moments to describe but far less time to happen — making a lever action almost as fast as a semiautomatic. read more

Pioneer model BB76 BB gun: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Pioneer BB gun
Pioneer BB76 BB gun.

Part 1

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • More about the gun
  • Feeding
  • Velocity
  • Hornady Black Diamond
  • Dust Devils
  • Air Venturi H&N Smart Shot
  • More ammo
  • Marksman Premium Grade steel BBs
  • Cocking effort
  • Anti-beartrap
  • Summary

Well, well. I finally found something to write about that a lot of you didn’t know about. You guys are getting so savvy that it’s harder and harder to do. I actually did write about this BB gun back in 2005 when the blog got started, but that was a one-time report and this will be a full test. So, it’s the same gun but different stuff being reported, and a whole lot more this time.

More about the gun

I said I’d have more to say about the gun as we went, so here are a couple new things. The first is that the rear sight is adjustable — sort of. It slides up and down on an inclined ramp, and, because the notch is only fastened by a single screw, you can also swing it to the right and left — a little. read more

Pioneer model BB76 BB gun: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Pioneer BB gun
Pioneer BB76 BB gun.

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • 1976
  • Getting ready to shoot
  • This is a big gun!
  • The firearm
  • And the key!
  • Look for them new in the box
  • Broken
  • Summary

I’ve got a strange one for you today. It’s a copy of a copy! This must be one of the strangest lookalike airguns ever made. And it copies a firearm that is itself just mimicking an era, without copying anything in particular.

1976

The American Bicentennial in 1976 was a gala year-long celebration. Grand parties were held and everyone was euphoric that the nation held together for 200 years. There were no end of special bicentennial commemorative items available. Even the airgun community had one — today’s topic gun, the Pioneer model BB76 BB gun. It is a 50-shot repeating spring-piston BB gun that cocks via a concealed underlever. It looks like a percussion rifle from a century earlier, and I think it was supposed to resemble a flintlock rifle of one additional century earlier. I guess most people don’t know the difference between a flintlock musket and a percussion rifle. read more

Springfield Armory M1 Carbine BB gun: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

M1 Carbine
Springfield Armory M1 Carbine BB gun.

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

  • Different mag
  • The test
  • Air Venturi Steel BBs
  • Close to the aim point
  • Smart Shot
  • Discussion
  • Hornady Black Diamond
  • Gas management
  • Air Venturi Dust Devils
  • Summary

Today we look at the accuracy of the new M1-Carbine from Springfield Armory. I think you’ll be surprised, because I certainly was!

Different mag

You may remember from Part 2 that I had difficulty loading several different brands of CO2 cartridges into the magazine. They were just too fat to fit in easily and I had a problem getting the first one out after it was used up. One brand that was particularly difficult to load was the Crosman cartridge. So, Tyler Patner from Pyramid Air sent me a different magazine, and I returned the magazine from this rifle, along with the Crosman cartridge that was too big. That way he can see what I’ve seen and, if there is a problem, maybe they can fix it. Tyler also sent me a new box of Crosman cartridges that I started today’s test with. There was no problem loading them into the new magazine. I don’t think you will experience the same problem I had, although if you do, Pyramyd Air now knows about it. read more