Below are my 3 favorite air pistols. I’ve done quite a bit of work to all of them and they’re all great guns. I really enjoying customizing air guns. It can be a lot of work, but it's always well worth it to me.
Here’s my .25 caliber 2240.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h261/tmmiller57/CIMG1003.jpgI recently installed the short steel breech from Crosman and it has made quite a difference! It feels lighter and is much better balanced. The weight isn’t so far forward now. It’s actually a pretty light gun. It has a 13†barrel and runs on co2 carts. The gun is extremely accurate, shooting one hole groups with the H&N FT&T pellets all day long at 20 yards. I use a cheap 4 power scope on top of it - works well for me. Here are some chrony numbers from the gun (I rechronied several of my guns today at 86 degrees):
Beeman Laser, 17.7 grain......643 fps...16.3 fpe
H&N FT&T, 20.06 grain.........619 fps...17.1 fpe
Hornady #3 buck, 24.0 grain...558 fps...16.6 fpe
Beeman Crowmag, 26.2 grain....542 fps...17.1 fpe
Beeman Kodiak, 30.9 grain.....514 fps...18.1 fpe
Here’s my 1322 (bad picture).
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h261/tmmiller57/CIMG1001.jpgI’ve had problems with this old digital camera lately; some pics turn out and others don’t. It does have a polished steel bolt handle on it that adds a nice touch. This gun has an adjustable brass piston from airgunsmith installed. I also lightened the valve spring, used ¼†poly for the t-port, and did a few other power mods. I’ve also lightened the trigger. This gun is pretty accurate, too. It has the LPA sight on the back of it. I don’t care to shoot groups with open sights, but consider the gun to be accurate enough if I can consistently hit bottle caps at 15 – 20 yards. I hit em most of the time with this gun, shooting offhand and under 20 yards. I don’t have much use for the open sights beyond 20 yards. I really like this gun and it will be with me during the winter (a month or so long here, hehehe) when it’s too cold for co2. This gun sports the stock length 10†barrel. I also rechronied this gun today:
Crosman Premier,14.3 grain... 522fps....8.7 fpe (10 pumps)
Crosman Premier,14.3 grain... 584fps...10.9 fpe (15 pumps)
Crosman Premier,14.3 grain... 621fps...12.2 fpe (20 pumps)
Here’s the old Sheridan
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h261/tmmiller57/CIMG1002.jpgThis gun is as old as I am! It was made in 1979. When I received the gun, it had several deep fried seals and some corrosion. I resealed it and tuned it up a little. The valve stem that I received with the reseal kit wasn’t the right size, so I used one from a 2240. The back half of the stem is slightly shorter than a Sheridan valve stem, so I know I’m losing a little power there due to reduced valve duration. I have ordered the correct valve stem for it and will put it in soon. It still shoots pretty hard for such a small pistol anyway. What’s amazing to me is this gun’s accuracy. I like to shoot it one handed because it’s so small. Out to 15 yards, I can nail bottle caps all day long (when I use both hands). This gun might not have tons of power, but it is tons of fun to shoot! Here are the chrony numbers:
Beeman Silver Sting, 10.96 grain....498fps...6.0 fpe
Beeman Kodiak, 13.3 grain...470fps...6.5 fpe
Benjamin Cylindricals,14.3 grain.....455fps...6.6 fpe
Now I need some custom wood! I plan on getting some nice grips for the 1322 and the Sheridan. I kind of like the black/silver scheme on the 2540, though. Maybe I'll add a shiny stainless steel bolt handle to it, too. All 3 of these airguns are going to play a role in my hunts when small game season comes around!
Tim
