Page 26 - Beeman P17 Reviews

Great value for the money. Nice, light trigger with short travel. Adjustable rear sight. Nice weight and balance.

Add 11mm scope mount. I bought a scope thinking that the notch along the top would work for it. It did not, it's narrower that 11mm mount.

Takes some muscle to cock it but getting a bit lighter over time. Someone with bigger fingers might have trouble dropping pellet in.

A direct authorized Chinese copy of the Weihrauch HW40 PCA ($200) and the Beeman P3 ($230) single stroke pneumatics. The P17, at the insanely low price of $35, is an absolute steal. The gun's trigger, accuracy, sights, and balance are simply not obtainable on any target pistol until you reach the price level of the P3 and the HW40.

More positive click indents when adjusting the rear sights.

Most single stroke pneumatics are not meant for those with weak arms, but any healthy male over the age of 13 and female over the age of 15 should be able to handle the cocking pressure required to charge the P17.

roll the dice with this pistol! before buying this gun i heard of people having no problems for 2 years and others saying the piston went bad very quickly. this gun was very accurate and i liked the one pump to get 400 fps

use better parts and raise the price of the gun. maybe something around $100

the piston in mine started leaking after around 2 or 3 months. If the gun lasted 1 year then broke i would buy a new one every year since it works great when it works. this broke way too early so i wouldnt recommmend this pistol even though it has great potential

I reviewed here before and don't usually but I think everyone should have one of these and get youngsters into shooting so we can keep our common sense exercised. I got two of these. One right away and another after a long wait b.o. First one, while impressively accurate, had seals leak after 50 shots, fixed w/O rings from carb. kit. Cool. Second one seems better and has already lasted longer than the first. Get one and teach a kid to enjoy hitting where he aims. Will hit a quarter at twenty paces if you can hold still.

My hands are big and the grip is not. A white dot or triangle on the front sight would help see it better.

These are inexpensive and very accurate as well as serviceable. Get two and have a pop can shootout at thirty paces. I can stay with the IZH 46 with either of mine at this distance and it's fun to see how good a shot grandma is too.

Very accurate. Easy to cock. Best deal for a sub-$40 air gun out there. It is a bit of a pain to load. A multi-shot clip would have been a good improvement to the design, IMO. But , then again, it IS only $40.

It has two potential defects that you need to be aware of. Both are easily fixable, though. One is if it won't hold pressure properly. There are two tiny adjustment nuts that work themselves loose after about 100-200 shots that need to be tightened. My guess is that the factory in China doesn't put a drop of loc-tite on the threads and the German version does or has an extra retaining screw. Look online for instructions on where this part is and consider applying a drop of the lower strength(so you can readjust it later - just don't want it creeping back out slowly is all) loc-tite on the nut(s). The other is the trigger. I've heard grease and other explanations for why this happens but the real reason is obvious with the grips removed. There are two springs that give tension on the trigger assembly. The larger one is held in place by pretty much nothing except the outer case and has a LOT of play in it. If it slips too much or if the thing works a groove in the plastic over time, it can slip enough to not cock reliably. If it doesn't fire when it is cocked, open it up fully, remove the grips and gently nudge the firing pin/valve to its fully extended position. With the cover off, it's clear that they cut corners and the stamped pieces are cheap and quite loose. So it gets a bit sideways/bent and won't work. I think a solution might be to put a shim around the screw post that the loop in the spring goes around to make it fit snugly/with no movement.

It likes to shoot moderately heavy pellets. I got almost the same FPS out of 10-11gr pellets as 8gr ones. Super-heavy ones did lose about 100fps, though they had a definite "rainbow" arc to them. This appears to be true of pneumatics and PCP in general - use as heavy as you can be accurate with.

Note: The reason why is that as a spring-piston design moves forward and compresses the air, pellet weight and resistance matters more and slows the mechanism down a little bit. It it cocked and when you fire, it slams the piston down the tube - so resistance that it is pushing against is a big factor.

Pellet weight is critical in a spring-piston design, and doubly so for a single-stroke type like the IZH, FWB, or other match/competition type rifle. Often a specific gun will only "like" a couple of pellets.

A pneumatic or PCP generally is more efficient as it lets the pressure go at once in a quick blast. There is no resistance on the mechanism. It lets X PSI go every time no matter if it's 5gr or 50gr. So the only real issue is friction in the barrel and being hard to aim when shooting heavier pellets with one. Pellet weight is really not a huge factor any more, which is why most competitions have moved to PCP or pneumatic designs(also the lack of recoil is a plus)

The price! The amount of service info available on the net. Easy to disassemble and reassemble without extra parts left. Fun little gun! Not for everyone though. Cocking effort while avoiding ANY contact with the rear sight assembly. from the factory the elevation adjustment moves with the slightest touch or after as few as 12 pellets you can watch your shots go higher and higher but I LOVE the Gun.

Things I Fixed/Changed: 1. Drift pins will drift from use - Fixed added (4) 4-40 3/16" set screws 1b. Piston Rod Pin was loose and drifted to a point case would hump when closed. Fixed - Centered pin and tightened set screw I may use LocTite if this happens again. 2. Gun WILL leak fast Hiss after light use (mine at 100 shots) Most common cause - Partial Fix -Tightened nut in valve assemmbly with LocTite Blue. 3. Slow leak head a fizzle sound- Fixed disassembeld the entire pistol found a brass "swirley" from brass valvebody threads cross thhreaded and stripped during assy was blocking the valve from closing completely. Cleaned out the valve and assembled using teflon tape. 4. While cylender was open an piston out checked O-Rings and cleaned heavy greasy Gunk from the cylinder tube, Piston, Valve Assy. lightly greasd seals and oiled gun via intake port. checked for rough edges on any surface O-Rings com in contact with. 5. To-Do need to polish the barrel breach to smooth breach seal seat 6. To-Do need to prevent rear sight elev adj from moving during normal use WARNING - DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN GRIP SCWEWS - can cause a fail to fire on the first pull but may fire on subsequent pulls.

This is a great value if you don't mind working on air guns. If you do not or can not work on small to medium mechanical things. This is NOT the gu for you. However if you enjoy it once complete you'll have a decent little shooter for only $35.00 + minimal parts that is fairly accurate and the confidence that you can fix most issues down the road. Only time will tell how reliable she'll be. I'll try too check in and comment every once in a while.... Bill

price, weight, feel, power, accuracy

scope mount is a little weak, gotta be gentle. top hurts the hands when pressing down to cock gun (sharp edges) design leaves you changing o-rings, maybe 'shimming' the o-rings, smoothing the rough edges, etc., so it's a gun you should plan on taking apart and 'tuning' a little bit. it's not hard to do, requires minimal knowledge and tools, and much info available just by googling 'p17 airgun'

it can lose pressure, etc., and require some work. pyramyd will gladly exchange it, but that's a pain for all concerned, however if you're not a 'repair person,' then that's your good option. also, if you take the gun apart and modify it in any way, then it's not really in warranty any more.

if you want a perfect one, buy the (expensive) p-30, but if you like the idea of making a really cheap gun work well, get this one and be ready to do a little tweaking. the box of o-rings from harbor freight tools has several that fit this gun.

Looks good, feels good, nice trigger (adjustable) easy to hold (i have small hands) easy to shoot offhand, good 'iron' sights (adjustable) has a rail for scope or red-dot sight. pretty quiet, absolutely the best price for anything even remotely calling itself an air pistol.

Just a little more attention to the o-rings used in manufacturing, and the design of the parts made to hold the o-rings (they need a little shimming). I put black 'gaffer' tape over the sharp edges of the rail to save my hand while cocking this. children will not be able to cock this gun.

many people have had problems with this gun losing pressure, leaking, etc. the fixes are remarkable simple (i'm no airgun mechanic and i took care of mine just fine with a few very simple tools. lots of blogs online with complete instructions, diagrams - look for one by 'derrick.'

it's not a perfect gun, but if it has problems, you can either return it or fix it yourself. very easy. I love mine and even though it falied (leaked) two different times in the first 1000 pellets, it was easy to fix and i wouldn't give it up for twice the price. If you're not a tinkerer, buy the German-made version (the Beeman P3) for about six times the price.

Lightweight, great feel in the hand, extremely accurate!!!, good power, super simple to service, excellent trigger, auto safety, unbelievable price, good with a variety of ammo, 11mm rail, pretty good sights, recoilless, inner frame is metal at all important points... This is a keeper and a super value. I consider this pistol perhaps the BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK among airguns. I rarely write reviews, but I had to stop and write this one due to the super value!

The plastic used seems like it might be a little different than the p3 or hw40, but it's holding up fine. Original o-rings are low quality, or just compressed/aged from storage. You will probably need to recondition(soak in silicone oil)/replace them sooner than later. However these o-rings are very cheap and easy to find at any hardware store, and the repair is easy enough for anyone. Drift one pin out, no special tools needed, to take it all apart. When you do it, you realize just how easy this gun is to maintain forever. A super bargain.

Use lighter pistol pellets for best results at longer ranges. Shoots just under/about 400fps, so they drop off as range increases. Uses a variety of pellets accurately. I was shooting RWS Hobbys, RWS R-10 pistol, 5.4 gr Hyper Velocity (strings in rifling), Superdomes, Beeman Lasers, and others...all with excellent results. You will be amazed at the accuracy and sweet trigger! Under 1" groups at 15 yards easy freehand. Put a little locktite/threadlocker on the sight screws to keep them from moving while cocking and carrying. Use a light coat of silicone oil (chamber oil type), silicone grease, or lithium grease on the tube once in a while and when servicing. Get a few thicknesses of o-ring and find the one that fits just right so its not too hard to cock, nor underpowered. You can also shim the o-ring with plumbers tape if you like. Thicker=little more power/harder to compress. Replace the small breech o-ring too for an even better seal if you like (easy). If you want a P3 or Weihrauch HW40 but find them a little expensive for your budget then this is the way to go. You wont be disappointed. It's almost the same in every way...except the o-rings might need an initial change or reconditioning (soak them in silicone oil etc). Everything else is just about the same. German engineering and super accuracy. If youre a collector or want perfection and have the extra money to spend, then go with the Weihrauch hw40, or hw75. This p17 is a gun you wont fuss over, and will last 4ever.

Trigger, sights, accuracy, price, price, price... Not that sighting in a new pistol is that big of a deal, but somehow this thing showed up with it's sights already set. We began shooting GatorAid bottle caps at 20' right out of the box.

I wish the manufacturer cared half as much about their customers as Pyramyd Air does. Don't bother wasting your time attempting to contact Beeman / Marksman for any information regading this pistol, they won't return your phone calls or e-mails. They're pretty much worthless when it comes to customer service. Pyramyd Air's employees however are extremely helpful & knowledgeable.

This has got to be the best deal in air pistols out there. This is the third one I've bought in the last 3 years (all 3 have been gifts for other people) & it appears the quality is improving.

El peso es ideal y da la sensacion de ser de metal

Es un poco dificil insertar el pellet

Tiene gran potencia para ser una pistola pero necesita un buen esfuerzo para cargarla

Adjustable rear sight and very good trigger release. High velocity in a single pump pistol. Super accurate. What else could be expected from a pistol in this price range ?

Nothing.

A great buy. You won't find any other gun in this price range loaded with so many features.

I bought two of these so we could have family matches while camping or picnicking or just sitting on the patio. They are accurate and fun. Will put 'em in the same hole @ twenty feet all day long. Pop cans at thirty yards not a problem. They are inexpensive and easy to replace o rings if needed. I did with one, not the other yet but haven't shot it much yet.

Put a white dot of enamel or something on the front sight so you can see it.

It you start missing low, pull the rear sight back up. It gets pushed down when you close it and sometimes doesn't pop all the way back up.

Accuracy !!. Straight out of the box. I shot six shots @ 50 yrds in a 2" circle WITHOUT the scope and no sdjustments to the sights, fairly quiet, can be shot inside without disturbing the neighbors

I think an amidexterous saftey would have been a plus, and it's just a touch too much for my daughter to pugh the pump back down other than the battery being dead for the reddot (not really a problem-easy to find cr2030 lithium is popular)...besides that its a very well built pistol, similar to a Glock 17. shoots well right out of the package, I'm sure with a little tweaking on the red dot, I was Highly impressed !

It's kinda tough to pump for a younger child, but I do like that it was a single shot...makes you be a little more careful about aiming to do well, instead of the "spray and pray" like some of the CO2 multi shot + the power is the same every time unlike charge loss of a CO2.

* Solid, I've dropped it multiple times and it is still accurate and only slightly scuffed, no real damage * very well contoured grip * surface finish is good, it doesn't have any checkering or significant reeding to collect dirt. Easy to keep clean and good looking * price! * very durable, I've pumped at least 2500 rounds through mine so far, will probably be up past 3000 by next week

* rear sight adjustment mechanism, as others noted. * the pivot pin for the pump lever likes to slide out the side slightly after a few hundred shots. Should be retained a little better.

Great introductory air pistol, I would buy it again in an instant.

Powerful, strongly made shell, nice trigger, satisfying overall in feel, hackable to some extent.

I've already cut a secondary 'backup' O-ring seat in the main compressor piston, as per the anotherairgunblog posting on this gun. Time to go O-ring shopping. That, and a couple of other O-ring related changes and general cleaning and proper lubrication should make this quite a reliable pistol. I've filled the area behind the barrel with metal-filled epoxy putty to make a better 'funnel' shape, considerably improving loading ease. Got to be careful there to leave room for the breach block, but that's not too hard. Also polished the ends of the barrel and slightly counter-sunk, at the front for kicks, but at the rear to extend O-ring life and improve the seal. Adjusting the barrel position relative to the breach seal is easy enough, through trial and error, and does wonders for that fit.

For a tinkerer/hacker this is a lot of fun, as the basic quality is sufficient as a platform to work from and the price low enough that there's little at risk. It's a big pistol, kind of a handful even in my large hands, but workable. Accuracy isn't all that, but usable enough at short range. Loud pop, but hey, there isn't a spring piston version in this price range. I'd suggest reading all the blog postings with pictures about the P-17 on anotherairgunblog - loads to be gleaned there.

This pistol has a solid feel to it. The pumping action is ok, but make sure you don't don't the rear sight when pumping. The nut inside holding the position of the rear sight sometimes gets out of place.

Make the trigger set screw adjustable without having to take the gun apart. Use a locking nut for the rear sight.

At first, my gun was flaky on firing. Sometimes it would fire, and sometimes it wouldn't. I fixed this by remaking the trigger set screw. I wouldn't recommend this gun for a person who just wants to shoot without taking some time to smith up this gun. You have to take care of it, and modify it a bit before it is really rugged. Once you do though (such as nylock nut on rear sight, adjust trigger set screw, polish up some rods inside, etc.) this performs like a dream.

Accuracy

Reliability

Not a reliable gun. Died after 150 Shots

For the price, an excellent gun. After 200 rounds, no seal leak problems, no pin creep problems. Feels like a real gun in terms of balance and grip. Mostly plastic but of good quality. Nice power for a one pump (400fps +). Accuracy quite good. Adjustable rear sight for both dimensions. Still can't believe what you get for under 40 bucks - waiting for the downside but potentially disposable if something wears out at this price. Nice trigger feel for an inexpensive gun.

Fake hammer latch looks like it will be the first thing to wear out. Smaller front sight width would be nice for target. (No daylight on either side of front post in sight picture.)

Hard to pump. Average kid won't be able to do it. Be careful of sharp edges of sight when doing so to avoid cuts or pinches. Takes almost 30 lbs of pressure to do the single pump. A little tricky for loading the pellet if you have big fingers. Medium quiet.

Solid feel, weight, trigger and design of the gun.

The people that put the gun together.

These guns are well worth the money if you can work on them a little bit. The first thing I did was put some Teflon tape on the screw which holds the sight in place to keep it from creeping. Also I took the O-ring out where the barrel meets the air chamber and made a gasket out of typing paper the same size as the O-ring. Then I put it in place then I put the O-ring back in. Also the barrel can be loosened up and slid forward to help tighten up the O-ring. The pins in the gun have a problem of wanting to come out so I have put some set screws where there are holes all ready drilled out. Be careful if you do this the set screws have to be tiny. On the air chamber it self there is a set screw on the end of piston shaft. Before you pull the piston mark it so it goes in the same way it came out. Loosen the set screw and slide the pin out now the piston is ready to come out. Once the piston is out clean it up and take the O-ring off and clean out the grove. Next clean out the shaft. Once everything is cleaned out I take Valvoline sae 30 moter oil dip my in it and oil the shaft, it takes very little oil to do this, Then with the piston I will lube the grove and put the O-ring back on giving it a twist, then lightly lube the piston and slide it back in the same way it came out. Now you are in business. It is easy to pull the piston to clean so I will do this every 1500 pellets. A good hardware store sells the O-rings. I hope this helps some of you out Since I have done these things I have shot several thousand pellets through the gun with out any problem. The gun will blow your mind when you see how accurate it is. Go to the blog on the P 3 to get more info.