1960s | Air gun blog - Pyramyd Air Report

Crosman’s V-300 BB pistol: Part 3

Posted on June 26, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 54 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

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.

Crosman’s V-300 BB pistol: Part 1

Posted on June 16, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 126 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

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.

Crosman’s M1 Carbine BB gun: Part 3

Posted on April 14, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 81 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

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.

Crosman’s M1 Carbine BB gun: Part 2

Posted on April 10, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 56 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

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!

Crosman’s M1 Carbine BB gun: Part 1

Posted on April 7, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 102 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

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.

BSF S70 air rifle: Part 3

Posted on April 3, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 58 Comments

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.

Diana’s model 5 air pistol: Part 3

Posted on March 31, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 91 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This Diana model 5 air pistol is marked as a Winchester model 353.

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

This report covers:

The test
Hobbys
A couple observations
Air Arms Falcon
Crosman Premier lites
Qiang Yuan Training pellets
Summary

Today is accuracy day for the Diana model 5 air pistol I’m testing, which is labeled a Winchester 353. We heard from several owners who like their pistols, so let’s see what this one can do.

The test

To get right into it, I didn’t know where the sights were adjusted. You may remember I mentioned that the rear sight was adjusted all the way over to the right. I decided to shoot the first group as the gun was set up. After that I could adjust the sights. All shooting was done from 10 meters with a 2-hand hold and my arms rested on a sandbag. I used a 6 o’clock hold.