Tag Archives: 1960s

The Diana 27: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana 27
My .22 caliber Diana 27 is actually a Hy Score 807.

Part 1

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • RWS Superpoint
  • RWS Superdomes
  • Crosman Premier
  • Am I satisfied?
  • Cocking effort
  • Trigger pull
  • The ball bearing trigger
  • How to adjust the ball bearing trigger
  • Summary

Today we look at the velocity of my vintage Hy Score 807 breakbarrel air rifle that you now know is a Diana 27. Besides that I will test the trigger pull, the cocking effort and I will tell you how to adjust the ball bearing trigger. That, alone, is worth what you paid for this entire blog, so settle in and let’s have some fun!

RWS Superpoint

The first pellet I tested was my go-to pellet for a .22 caliber Diana 27 and many other old air rifles — the RWS Superpoint. I believe that Superpoints have such thin skirts that they seal the bore better in these lower powered spring rifles. I told you about the lithium grease “tune” I did about 20 years ago. It’s still performing well after all this time, and I never oil the leather piston seal. As I recall, the Superpoint averaged around 475 f.p.s. in the past. Today 10 pellets averaged 468 f.p.s. The spread went from a low of 458 to a high of 474 f.p.s., which is 16 f.p.s. So, the rifle is still pretty much where it has always been. At the average velocity this pellet generated 7.05 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. read more

Crosman’s V-300 BB pistol: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Crosman V-300 BB pistol
Crosman V-300 BB pistol.

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Update on the 2017 Texas Airgun Show
  • Update on the V-300
  • The test
  • Crosman Copperhead BBs on high power
  • Air Venturi Steel BBs on high power
  • Air Venturi Steel BBs on low power
  • Crosman Copperhead BBs on low power
  • Summary

Update on the 2017 Texas Airgun Show

If you have plans to get a table at the 2017 Texas Airgun Show, you had better move fast! The inside of the hall is almost sold out! AirForce and Sun Optics have decided to move outside, to make more room inside for private dealers, but there is still not much room left. There will be room on the covered porch outside the hall, and there will be two large swamp-cooling fans to help with the heat so there is still some room left, but when that is filled the show will be sold out.

I expect to announce a major attraction soon who will draw many more firearms shooters. He is coming to film the show for his You Tube channel. Those who attended last year will tell you this show is jam-packed and there is a lot of money spent, so make your reservations today. For registration information, read their show flier. Now, let’s get to the report. read more

Crosman’s V-300 BB pistol: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Crosman V-300 BB pistol
Crosman V-300 BB pistol.

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • For those who care
  • History
  • M1 Carbine
  • Enter the V-300
  • The model name
  • Oiling, loading and cocking
  • Sights
  • General specifications
  • Summary

Sometimes I write these historical reports about airguns that many of us know and have either owned or wanted. The Beeman R8 is one example. American readers could have bought one when they were new and readers from other parts of the world could have bought the now-obsolete Weirauch HW 50S that it was based upon. Both air rifles are no longer produced, but used examples should be available in their respective markets. And Weihrauch does still make a rifle they call the HW 50S, although it is based on a different platform.

Then there are times when I dredge up some strange airguns that few of us have ever seen. The Lov 21 target pistol I recently reported on is such a gun. Unfortunately I have jammed the CO2 fill cap in the gun and am still trying to extract it so I can write the accuracy report. That one will have to wait, but it wasn’t the only odd duck I found at the Findlay airgun show this year. Today we start looking at a scarce and little-known BB pistol that Crosman once produced — the V-300. read more

Crosman’s M1 Carbine BB gun: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Crosman M1 Carbine
Crosman M1 Carbine BB gun is a classic lookalike airgun.

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The test
  • Daisy BBs
  • Hornady Black Diamond BBs
  • Accuracy spoiler
  • Air Venturi Steel BBs
  • H&N Smart Shot BBs
  • Hornady Black Diamond BBs
  • Results
  • Value
  • Summary

This is accuracy day for the Crosman M1 Carbine BB gun we are testing. I have tested this BB gun several times in the past, so I have a pretty good idea of what it can do, but there is always the hope that a new BB that hasn’t been tried will surprise us.

The test

I shot from 5 meters (16 feet 4 inches) using a UTG monopod rest to steady the gun. I was seated for this.

Daisy BBs

I have tested Daisy BBs in this gun several times in the past, so I didn’t test them again. The last time I tested them at 5 meters, I put 10 into 5.148-inches, with 9 landing in 1.354-inches. I think that one wild shot was a fluke and the 9 shots better represent what this gun will do with this BB. In fact, I learned something in this test that probably explains that wild shot. I’ll tell you about it in a moment. read more

Crosman’s M1 Carbine BB gun: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Crosman M1 Carbine
Crosman M1 Carbine BB gun is a classic lookalike airgun.

Part 1

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Cocking effort
  • 2013 test
  • Oiled the gun
  • Magazine
  • Velocity Daisy BBs
  • Air Venturi steel BBs
  • Hornady Black Diamond BBs
  • Trigger pull
  • Summary

Today we look at the velocity of Crosman’s M1 Carbine BB gun. You learned in Part 1 that this gun is based on Crosman’s V-350 powerplant which gets its name from the expected velocity — 350 f.p.s. That’s pretty hot for a BB gun — especially one from the era of the 1960s.

I may not have mentioned it before, but my Carbine weighs 5 lbs. It’s a good weight for kids. Too bad they can’t cock it!

Cocking effort

Let’s get this out of the way first. I think this will be the first time I have measured this effort, and I made a big deal of it in Part 1. So I placed the muzzle of the gun in the center of my scale and pressed down until the gun cocked. It took about 42 pounds of force to cock my gun. It was hard to measure it precisely because the gun jerked a lot while being cocked, but it was definitely greater than 38 pounds to engage the sear. No wonder kids had a hard time! read more

Crosman’s M1 Carbine BB gun: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Crosman M1 Carbine
Crosman M1 Carbine BB gun is a classic lookalike airgun.

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • History
  • Tom the doofus
  • Modern Quackenbush
  • The danger
  • A classic based on an icon!
  • Different valve
  • Repeater
  • Sights
  • More to come

Daisy may have given lookalike airguns the name “Spittin’ Image” but Crosman gave us the most iconic BB gun of all time — the M1 Carbine. Yes, I have written about this gun in the past. Now I’m getting it into the historical archives.

History

The M1 Carbine first came out in 1966. For all of that year and the next it had a genuine wood stock. These early variations are easy to spot because the sides of the stock are flat, since they were basically cut from boards. In 1968 Crosman began producing the gun with a synthetic stock they called Croswood, and production continued until 1976. Let me tell you — except for a plastic-y shine, Croswood is very realistic. In my opinion the Croswood stock makes the more attractive gun, because the stock is rounded and fully shaped. read more

BSF S70 air rifle: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

BSF S70
BSF S70 rifle is the father of several famous Weirauch models.

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The test
  • Shoots low
  • Hobbys
  • Premier lites
  • The sights and my new eye
  • RWS Superdomes
  • JSB Exact RS
  • Conclusion

In Part 2 we learned that this BSF S70 breakbarrel springer is more powerful than German law allows, despite the presence of the Freimark. Today we discover if it is accurate.

The test

I shot the rifle off a rest at 10 meters. I used the artillery hold. And I used the sights that came with the rifle, because that was part of why I conducted this test. My other BSF S70 is more powerful and has an aftermarket peep sight. And I had to bend its barrel down to get it on target, because somebody in the past had fired the rifle with the barrel open. read more