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Umarex Legends MP40 BB Submachinegun: Part 1

Posted on September 21, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 62 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Umarex Legends MP40 BB submachinegun.

This report covers:

Texas airgun show
Description
Rate of fire
Select fire
Magazine
Sights
Open bolt
Blowback
Folding stock
Why this airgun?

Here is an airgun we have all been waiting for since the SHOT Show — the Umarex Legends MP40 BB Submachinegun. PAY ATTENTION! There are two versions of this airgun at this time. One is the weathered one that comes with a leather sling. and the other is a blued steel gun that apparently has no sling. I asked for the weathered one because of what this is — a battle-ready WW II replica. Beautiful bluing belongs on replicas of Colt Pythons, not on guns that have served in war! There is a price difference of $50 between the two offerings as this is published (the weathered version with the leather sling is more), but I would watch them because I think that’s will change from time to time.

The 2017 Texas airgun show: Part 1

Posted on August 29, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 87 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

Smaller show
Fewer dealers?
On the other hand…
TX200 Mark III
Behind me — a Supergrade and …
What about dealers — Sig
Crosman
Umarex
More to come

Last Saturday the 4th annual Texas airgun show was held at the Arlington Sportsman Club in Mansfield, Texas. Let’s begin with the weather, since Hurricane Harvey had many people concerned.

Smaller show

We lost many dealers from south Texas. It’s hard to say how many for sure, but I estimate 5-10 at least. Then there was the loss of the public that I would put around 50. They had to stay home and contend with the weather, and I understand that.

But there were also lost a lot of folks from other states who read the word Texas and Hurricane and thought the entire state was getting hit. Folks, Texas is large. Very large. The airgun show is hundreds of miles inland from any coast (about the distance NYC is from Washington D.C.), so by the time it gets up here it’s just a lot of constant misting rain and perhaps a constant gusting wind of 40-50 mph. The Arlington Sportsman Club ranges are all covered very well, so shooters and guns didn’t get wet from the several brief showers we did have. The wind was very pleasant 10 mph and the day was a balmy 78 degrees at the hottest. That’s paradise in Texas in August! I’m saying the weather was perfect for the show and anyone who was there will tell you the same thing.

Sig Sauer Spartan BB pistol: Part 2

Posted on August 24, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 96 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sig Sauer Spartan BB pistol offers a lot of pistol at a budget price.

Part 1

This report covers:

Install the CO2 cartridge
Velocity with Daisy BBs
Recoil
Air Venturi Copper-Plated BBs
H&N Smart Shot lead BBs
Trigger pull
Shot count
Evaluation so far

Today we look at the velocity of the Sig Spartan BB pistol. The specs rate it at 410 f.p.s. Today we find out. I will also comment on things like the blowback and the trigger. Let’s get started.

Install the CO2 cartridge

The first step is to put a fresh CO2 cartridge in the gun. It goes into the grip, of course. Lift off the left grip panel and then pull the mainspring housing from the back of the grip. That is the lower flat part of the grip that’s has a coarse raised pattern in the metal for a better grip. In the 1911 firearm, it houses the mainspring, but on this BB pistol it’s the lever that pierces the CO2 cartridge.

Sig Sauer Spartan BB pistol: Part 1

Posted on August 15, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 33 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sig Sauer Spartan BB pistol offers a lot of pistol at a budget price.

This report covers:

Sig firearms
The airgun
Manual safety
Full blowback
Grips
Finish
Sights
Trigger
Magazine
Light rail
Evaluation

Today we begin looking at Sig Sauer’s latest BB pistol, the Spartan. It’s a faithful copy of their Spartan 1911 firearm, which has upgraded features that put it ahead of many production 1911s. And it’s made in Japan.

Sig firearms

I will say this about Sig firearms — when they decide to make something they don’t cut corners. I never had much contact with them in the past, but since they have started making airguns I have been giving their firearms a look, as well. I am a died-in-the-wool conservative when it comes to firearms. Don’t try to sell me on a process like metal injection molding (MIM) unless it performs better than machining in some way other than just the cost to manufacture.

Gletcher Stechkin APS BB pistol: Part 3

Posted on July 27, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 63 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Gletcher’s Stechkin blowback BB pistol.

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

The test
Daisy BBs
Correction to the hold
Hornady Black Diamond BBs
Air Venturi Copper-Plated Steel BBs
What gives?
Last group
Summary

This will be an interesting report. I had something astounding happen in this accuracy test, so let’s begin! Today we are looking at the accuracy of the Gletcher Stechkin APS BB pistol.

The test

I shot from a seated position at 5 meters from the target, using a UTG Monopod as a hand rest. Each group was produced by 10 BBs. I shot the pistol in the single-action mode for every shot.

Daisy BBs

I consider Daisy Premium Grade BBs to be a standard among premium BBs. They are no better than other BBs, but I have confidence that they are uniform and usually perform reliably.

Collecting airguns: Scarcity 1

Posted on July 17, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 41 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

A history of airguns

This report covers:

Success!
Reality
How rare is rare?
Second gun
The big one
A defective design
USMR
History is the point
Scarce gun number 2
The difference
Celebrity association
Moral?
Is it real?
Sow’s ear
Don’t fall for it
Market-driven scarcity
Summary

Success!

This history section of the daily blog is a big success. Many readers are interested in collecting and learning about vintage airguns, so I am starting a series on collecting. There will be some things that you have seen before, but I hope to put it in a new light. And I have some new things to share, as well. I have already identified several topics for reports, so this promises to be a long one! I won’t run it consecutively, though. I’ll weave in in amongst the reports on historical items of interest. In the end I may turn it into a feature for “Firearms News”.

Gletcher Stechkin APS BB pistol: Part 2

Posted on July 13, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 23 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Gletcher’s Stechkin blowback BB pistol.

Part 1

This report covers:

Velocity day
Piercing pin
Daisy BBs
Slide stays back after the last shot
Air Venturi Copper-Plated BBs
Umarex BBs
Shot count
Don’t count on the brand of CO2 cartridge!
Recoil from the blowback
Trigger pull
Summary

Velocity day

We learned a lot about the Soviet Stechkin select-fire pistol in Part 1, or at least I did, when researching it. Today we discover how powerful this Gletcher Stechkin APS BB pistol is. I will also comment on the trigger and the blowback feel.

Piercing pin

The pistol is rated to shoot at 410 f.p.s., so let’s see what this one will do. Before we dive in, though, let me give you a peek at the piercing pin and corresponding CO2 cartridge seal.

The piercing pin is hard to see because it’s slightly out of focus. It’s a hollow tube that’s ground on an angle on one side to have a pointed tip on the other side. The green around it is the seal material that the face of the cartridge pushes into.