Help me pick an air pistol

[wahoowad]

I haven't shot an air pistol since I borrowed my cousin's S&W 78G. That was a .22 cal CO2 pistol. I recall it packed a punch but ran out of air fast, real fast. A gun similar to that gun but powered by PCP would be interesting. Anyway I am interested in adding a pistol to the stable. Planned uses are for yard plinking and light duty pest control where distances are short such as shooting pigeons/starlings in a barn. I do have some nasty possums that eat my cat's food and are getting pretty bold. I can walk right up and pop them if I want.

I'm open to PCP, C02 or pump/cock. I like the idea of CO2 less of all just because of keeping up with cartridges. I like the idea of mounting a red or green dot laser so a rail of some sort would be desired. Don't think I want a big pistol and don't want one too small. .177 or .22. I think the new Marauder pistol would be bigger than I want. I have an average size hand.

Budget - would like to keep it under $200. What would you recommend?

[ssminnow]

I have just picked up a crosman 1377c pumper. It's a fun little shooter and there are tons of hop-ups for it. I've just gotten finished polishing the trigger parts and added a guide to the sear spring. I removed all the mold flash from the trigger housing and painted it with semi-gloss black. I don't have a chrony yet but what I've been reading I would geusstimate it shooting in the mid 4's to 500 fps.

It was $55 at walmart. I plan on puttin around $150 more in tune-up  parts. Plus grips ......ok $220 or so.


There's my .02 cents worth.

Regards, Skip

[TCups]

Don't jump in at the $200 point.  Unless you can find a good, used Baikal IZH 46-M for that price.  If I could own one and only one air pistol, it would be my "Izzy".  Single pump pneumatic target pistol.  The most accuracy out of the box short of the $1000 plus target pistols.  Fun to shoot.  You should be able to find one around $350 to 400 if memory serves.  Maybe order from Pyramid, and find a discount code for 10% if you can.

http://www.pyramydair.com/p/izh-46M-match-air-pistol.shtml

http://www.gunforall.com/shopcart/mcartfree/product.asp?intProdID=13256

http://www.airgundepot.com/izh46m.html

[adrian]

look at the browning 800 mag very powerful spring pistol PYRAMID AIR has them and you can watch a video review on the gun

[Brutuz]

Maybe this one? (not available yet)

[daveshoot]

I highly recommend the Beeman P3 or HW40. It is the next best thing to an Izzie and can be had more cheaply. If pistols work for you, you can always trade up to the Izzie.

The Marksman 2004/Beeman P17 is a cheap clone of this gun at less than $50. I had terrible luck with them, but if you get a good one, they are supposed to be nearly the same thing.

The guns are single pump pneumatic. Very sweet triggers, over 400 fps on one pump, and quite accurate. I killed a gopher with one yesterday, and dispatched sparrows with it.

I like the 1377s a lot but I don't find them as simple to shoot, and the triggers can't be nearly this good without a lot of work. I have two Izzies and they are marvelous, but pretty expensive for first pistols, and larger. The ergonomics of the P3 are just marvelous. If you get serious about 10 meter shooting then you will want the Izzie, but for general yard plinking and small critters I give the edge to this black beauty. It will also shoot pretty well at 10m!

[wahoowad]

One thing I want out of a new pistol is a gun that doesn't warrant any polishing/tuning etc to be a real good gun. Fine if it can take some mods and tuning but I don't want a project. I'm not gonna shoot hole in a hole with a pistol anyway as I'm no sharpshooter. Good ideas guys, I'm checking all these out!

[bodiej]

I have the Beeman P17 which is supposed to be the same as the $200 P3.  Single stroke pneumatic..  I did a little research and after tightening the bit that needed tightening and cleaning out some of the mystery lube, It's never let me down.  Less than $50, no mods, very accurate, very quiet, and the best trigger I've handled on any air pistol - I'd definately buy another one.  Some have mentioned good batches and bad batches.  Seems like they all leaked eventually - some out of the box and others after a few hundred shots (until you find the nut on the valve which needs to be tightened a bit).  I've put 5-600 pellets through with no further issues.  Can take the tab off a soda can at 20yds.

[Anglander]

So, is this real?  If so, when is it likely to be available and what is the price point?  If not, congratulations, its a pretty good mock-up.

[Brutuz]

Anglander - 6/1/2010  10:04 PM  So, is this real?  If so, when is it likely to be available and what is the price point?  If not, congratulations, its a pretty good mock-up.

http://www.crosman.com/pdf/Crosman-2010-Catalog.pdf

Yes this is real.

As I wrote before: not available yet.

Haven't read anything regarding the price.

Only one way to find out when it will be released at what price: ask Crosman.

No need for me to give it a try, I'm not from the US so have been and will be completely neglected

[daveshoot]

That's why I like the P3/HW-40 route. Good outta the box, and usually good used, too.

I have over 10 air pistols now, including Izzies and a P1/HW-45. I have springers, SSPs, multi-pumpers, and one lonely CO2.

The one I always find in my hand is the P3. For me, it is the best value in the bunch. I have never touched it except to shoot it, and have no intention of opening it unless something goes wrong. It is not real scope friendly, if that is a concern... you can definitely fit one to it, but it will take a beating on closing when you cock the pistol.

If I was shooting competition, it would be the IZH-46M, and you won't hear anything bad about them from me. I am a huge fan of the 1377 and wish Crosman would do a little more with that platform. The Daisy Avanti isa decent SSP but not even close to the P3 in quality, especially the trigger. The P1 is great, but they are really overpriced for the result (IMO). You can get a truly great spring rifle for the price of a new HW45.

[TCups]

Hey Dave:

You should occasionally put a small amount of silicone grease on the compression tube so the seal on the P3 doesn't dry out.  I did put a red dot scope on mine and it's not so bad cocking it scoped.  I agree the P3 would be another good choice, for target or silhouette shooting.  The P3 isn't going to crank out much over 410 FPS with 7 grain pellets, so it is not a powerhouse hunter.  But it is extremely accurate, and has been known to pop an occasional squirrel at close range with an effective head shot.

[wahoowad]

I like the size and looks of the Crosman 2240 series but it is CO2. Are there any people who produce a standard conversion kit for it to be HPA?

also, I see people referencing Crosman pistols (I assume pistols, like 2260) where I don't see them on the Crosman website.

[itsnotom]

eb22

[daveshoot]

Agreed, the P3 is not a real hunter. If that was my main purpose, P1 or P5 would be better choices for power.

Actually it was starting to honk a bit and it is probably time for lube.