Tag Archives: Collecting

Action targets throughout history

Posted on by ↓ 121 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Bleed, break or fall
  • History
  • Live animals
  • Ad Topperwein
  • Shooting was king!
  • End of the Civil War
  • Early mechanical target
  • Quackenbush bell and mechanical targets
  • Targets 2, 3 and 4
  • Target 3
  • Target 4
  • Quackenbush targets 5 and 6
  • Targets 7 and 8
  • One more galley target
  • Summary

Bleed, break or fall

“Airgun targets have to bleed, break or fall.” said Leigh Wilcox of the now-defunct Airgun Express, many years ago. Leigh was one of many who felt that punching paper was like watching paint dry. A lot of you readers feel the same, as we have seen in this blog recently. Today’s report was requested by reader GunFun1, but I know that a lot of you are looking forward to it.

History

I will get back to airgun targets in a bit, but first let’s travel back in time to see where action targets began. For that we need to go to Europe around the year 1300, when shooting events lasted for many days and took on a carnival atmosphere. read more

What good is the Blue Book?

Posted on by ↓ 75 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Blue Book
The Blue Book of Airguns is a valuable reference for all airgunners

This report covers:

  • Hot news
  • What good is it?
  • Airgun shows
  • How much is a Benyamin worth?
  • The deal
  • No free pass
  • Cha-ching!
  • What it doesn’t have
  • Use common sense
  • No sales job
  • Summary

Hot news

Pyramyd Air is now offering Life Extended carbon fiber air tanks at far below the normal commercial rate for a new CF. tank. If you are already in precharged airguns, this might be of great interest. Now, let’s talk about today’s topic.

What good is it?

For some people the Blue Book of Airguns is of no use, whatsoever. These are people who don’t have books in their lives. If they own a book it’s being used as a doorstop or to level a piece of machinery in the garage. I’m not making fun of them. They simply do not have books in their lives, and nothing is going to change that. read more

Build a good airgun library

Posted on by ↓ 239 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Diana 23 refinish project
  • What next?
  • An Airgunner’s library
  • Blue Book
  • Others?
  • Are there more?

Diana 23 refinish project

Yesterday, reader Errol asked me this.

“Hi B.B.
What happened to the Diana 23 that you were going to fit a new barrel, blue & tune up some time ago. Just happened to remember Sir.” 
Errol

He is referring to the Diana 23 I was refinishing for you. That came at the end of a performance test of the rifle where I even tested it out at 25 yards. It’s pretty accurate, if not very powerful.

Part 5 was published on July 2, 2015. For the next two weeks I worked on sanding down the metal even better than you see in Part 5. Then, on July 14, my wife Edith went into the hospital, and she passed away on July 26. I had other things on my mind for the next several months. When I looked at the project again I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to buff it as aggressively as I had once thought, or just blue it the way it was. read more

Chinese B3 underlever: Part 7

Posted on by ↓ 92 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

B3
The B3 underlever from China.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Refresher
  • The test
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • Sight adjustment
  • On a roll?
  • Air Arms Falcon
  • POI change
  • RWS R10
  • Best for last
  • JSB Exact RS
  • Summary

Today was day of learning, or perhaps I should say remembering, because today’s test of the Chinese B3 underlever took me back to my early days with spring-piston air rifles. I will explain as the report unfolds.

Refresher

I found this tired old air rifle in a pawn shop many months ago. In this series I have replaced the breech seal with a faucet washer, opened up the powerplant, lubricated the moving parts with Tune in a Tube and shot the rifle for accuracy. That was when I discovered how accurate this old Chinese underlever is. So I vowed to shoot it for accuracy once more, now that the powerplant has been tamed. read more

Sheridan Supergrade: Part 4

Posted on by ↓ 40 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sheridan Supergrade right
My new Sheridan Supergrade is in fantastic condition, despite the wood check at the butt.

Sheridan Supergrade
The cheekpiece makes the Supergrade stand out!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The test
  • Sheridan Cylindrical
  • JSB Exact
  • Adjusted the sight
  • Velocity
  • Crosman Premiers
  • H&N Field Target Trophy
  • Next

Today we test the accuracy of the Sheridan Supergrade at 10 meters. Let’s get started.

The test

I shot off a sandbag rest at 10 meters. The rifle was pumped 4 times for every shot. As you learned Friday, the trigger was set as light as it will go, which is 4 lbs. 10 oz.

I decided to shoot 5-shot groups and then to select the best pellet to shoot a 10-shot group. I went that way because a multi-pump takes so long to get ready for each shot. read more

Sheridan Supergrade: Part 2

Posted on by ↓ 48 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sheridan Supergrade right
My new Sheridan Supergrade is in fantastic condition, despite the wood check at the butt.

Sheridan Supergrade left
The cheekpiece makes the Supergrade stand out!

Part 1

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Chronograph
  • How long can a multi-pump be left fully pressurized?
  • The point
  • Smith and Hatcher were right!
  • Condition of the rifle
  • Last comment

Before we start I would like to introduce you to Jake. He is the best Sheridan resource I know. Here is his website. Much of the information I have is either obtained from or corroborated on that site.

Siraniko, you were right. I’m doing Part 2 today!

Chronograph

Reader GunFun1 wondered how velocity was determined back in 1947 and 1956, when General Hatcher and W.H.B. Smith wrote their reports on the Supergrade. Well, it’s found in that book nobody wants — Smith’s Standard Encyclopedia of Gas, Air and Spring Guns of the World, by W.H.B. Smith. At least the method that Smith used is found there. It was called the Potter chronograph and occupied several rooms at H.P. White Laboratories. At its heart was a quartz crystal oscillator that cycled 100,000 times a second. read more

Sheridan Supergrade: Part 1

Posted on by ↓ 122 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sheridan Supergrade right
My new Sheridan Supergrade is in fantastic condition, despite the wood check at the butt.

Sheridan Supergrade left
The cheekpiece makes the Supergrade stand out!

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The back story
  • Early reports
  • How many pumps?
  • So — how many pumps?
  • We’re just getting started!
  • Description
  • Why so much?
  • SO — why 12 pumps?
  • Summary

Awww! Not again! BB — you promised us something very special today. You have reviewed and tested the Sheridan Supergrade so many times on this blog!

Yes, I have. But this report will be different. This report will have a major impact on not just Supergrade owners, but on most multi-pump owners.

The back story

Several weeks ago a new reader posted that he had a Sheridan Supergrade to sell. I have to approve all new readers’ comments, so I approved and posted his, welcomed him to the blog and, because he included his email address in the message, I contacted him. read more