Tag Archives: CO2 guns

ASG CZ75 SP-01 Shadow BB pistol: Part 3

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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.

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

  • Function alike
  • To be honest…
  • How to test
  • The test
  • Accuracy Daisy BBs
  • Accuracy ASG Blasters
  • Accuracy Dust Devils
  • What now?
  • Discussion
  • More to come

Today is accuracy day for the ASG CZ75 SP-01 Shadow BB pistol, and there is more besides. As you know, I am very excited about this air pistol because of its realism. The shooting population thinks that all lookalike air pistols are good substitutes for the firearms they copy, but I have had reservations about that for years. Lookalike pistols have been with us a long time, but pistols that function alike are relatively recent. I think this BB pistol is one of them. read more

Sig Sauer X-Five pellet pistol: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

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

This report covers:

  • X-Five P320 or P226?
  • Velocity — RWS Hobby
  • Velocity — SIG Match Ballistic Alloy
  • Velocity — JSB Exact RS
  • Will the X-Five shoot BBs?
  • Velocity — Dust Devils
  • Shot count
  • Trigger pull
  • Evaluation

Today we look at the velocity of the new Sig Sauer X-Five pellet pistol. I told you in Part 1 that the firearm version of this airgun is now on my bucket list. Here is why. The X-series Sig pistols have all been through Sig’s Custom Shop, where their triggers have been tuned to perfection and where their parts have been hand-fitted to achieve accuracy that was once just the claim of the legendary Sig P210.

Most readers know that I am a handgunner at heart. I grew up longing for the most accurate handguns available, and all my life the Sig P210 has been one of them. It rivals S&W and Colt revolvers and accurized 1911s. And they cost accordingly. The Sig X-Five will cost just under $1,700. That’s not cheap by any means, but compared to what a vintage P210 costs, it’s very reasonable. read more

We The People BB pistol: Part 2

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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