Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Fathers Day Gift for the Airgunner with Everything!

Richard Middleton's book, "The Practical Guide to Man-Powered Bullets", may make the perfect gift for the airgunner who has everything.





















While the book deals with catapults, crossbows and other man powered weapons a huge portion is dedicated to theoretical and practical information on both low-pressure and high-pressure airguns.

Many those chapters not directly dedicated to the discussion on airguns layout physics principles and experiments with direct application to the sophisticated airgunner. For instance Middleton's simple analogy's clearly illustrated the difference between muzzle energy and momentum with regards to on-target performance. He helps us understand the science behind why a heavy slow moving projectile that has 10 foot pounds of force versus a light projectile with more velocity and an equal 10 foot pounds of force have a substantially different terminal effect.

"Middleton's narrative is lively, humorous and full of exciting information and experimentation."

"He likes to test things for himself rather than to believe handed-down orthodoxies - an attitude not without its costs, some might add." Which is another way of saying that the furniture in his home has more than the occasional spherical impact mark and his garage has more than one or two holes in it's door.

If you or the person you are buying for is interested in constructing or modifying their own home-made airguns, this book is a must read.

Anyone with a general interest in airguns, blowguns and other man-powered weapons will find this treatise absolutely fascinating, will occasionally chuckle out loud during the read.

Printed by Stackpole Books in England, with a retail price in the US of $39.95, The Practical Guide to Man-Powered Bullets, By Richard Middleton is an absolute must read.

Until Next Time....

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Gamo P-23 Review Velocity PART II Velocity with Gamo Raptor, Match, Rocket, Hunters & other Gamo Pellets


This is a follow up to a post started sometime ago regarding Velocity of Gamo Raptors and other Gamo Pellets (plus Copperhead BB's) from the Gamo P-23 Pistol.

As you may know, the Gamo P-23 is a CO2 operated double action pistol. It is capable of firing .177 caliber round lead pellets and .173 cal. BBs semi-automatically. It also fires any .177 caliber pellet loaded individually into the tip-up barrel.

Part 1 of this P-23 Velocity Post, included testing with the Gamo .177 Match Pellet (7.7gr). This wadcutter pellet served as our control pellet displaying velocities as high as 417 fps, with most shots falling between 394 and 409 fps.

For part 2, we begin testing with another popular pellet as our control. The Crosman 7.9 grain, brown box, Premier, a pellet of known performance it serves as this weeks benchmark. As done previously shots were made 3 and 1/2 feet from the muzzle to the Alpha chronys 1st skys-creen/sensor.We observed the following velocities:

Crosman Premier (Domed) .177 cal, Highest Velocity Measured from Gamo P-23 is 424.3
Shot
Lo: 393.0 5 397.2
Hi: 424.3 4 393.0
Av: 407.2 3 410.8
ES: 31.22 2 410.9
SD: 12.24 1 424.3

Note: Cardboard Box - Premiers used, 7.9 gr.

Gamo Round Ball .177 cal. 8.2gr, Highest Velocity Measured from Gamo P-23 is 400.2 ft/sec.
Shot
Lo: 387.3
Hi: 400.2 4 382.2
Av: 393.4 3 387.3
ES: 12.94 2 397.9
SD: 6.46 1 400.2
Note: Shots were rapid fire from the magazine.

Gamo Hunters (Domed) .177 cal. 7.6gr, Highest Velocity Measured from Gamo P-23 is 448.4 ft/sec.
Shot
Lo: 424.5 5 424.7
Hi: 448.4 4 431.5
Av: 437.9 3 440.0
ES: 23.7 2 445.0
SD: 9.94 1 448.0

Gamo Magnum (Pointed) .177 cal. 7.9gr, Highest Velocity Measured from Gamo P-23 is 437.2 ft/sec.
Shot
Lo: 407.6 6 422.1
Hi: 437.2 5 407.6
Av: 424.4 4 420.9
ES: 29.6 3 422.4
SD: 11.18 2 436.4
1 437.2

Gamo Master Points (Pointed) .177 cal. 7.9gr, Highest Velocity Measured from Gamo P-23 is 433.0 ft/sec.
Shot
Lo: 405.3 5 405.3
Hi: 433.0 4 424.0
Av: 423.9 3 426.0
ES: 27.73 2 431.4
SD: 11.09 1 433.0

At this point I installed new CO2 cylinder lubed with a drop of Crosman Pelgun Oil then discharged a few shots before letting the pistol rest for a few minutes before continuing. Normally I expect at least 40-60 shots per cylinder. This time I put the new cylinder in just to be safe. When I saw the velocity drop in shot 5 above this was done in order to guarantee that reported Raptor Velocity did not drop from a lack of gas.

Gamo Raptor (Specialty) .177 cal. 5.4gr, Highest Velocity Measured from Gamo P-23 is 489.9 ft/sec.
Shot
Lo: 467.5
Hi: 489.9 4 467.5
Av: 475.8 3 489.9
ES: 22.35 2 477.0
SD: 9.94 1 469.0
Note: Light weight domed shaped pellet from non-lead alloy (PBA).

Gamo Rockets (Specialty) .177 cal. 9.6gr, Highest Velocity Measured from Gamo P-23 is 386.0 ft/sec.
Shot
Lo: 368.7 5 368.7
Hi: 386.0 4 384.7
Av: 379.6 3 372.8
ES: 17.34 2 386.0
SD: 8.36 1 385.9
Note: Rockets are a composite pellet with a steel shot pressed into the nose and a lead body.

Crossman Copperhead BBs (Premium) .173 cal. 5.1gr, Highest Velocity Measured from Gamo P-23 is 443.3 . ft/sec.
Shot
Lo: 390.1 5 390.1
Hi: 443.4 4 421.6
Av: 424.5 3 426.1
ES: 53.30 2 441.1
SD: 21.3 1 443.4
Note: Crosman Copper Plated steel bb.


RESULTS OF ALL TESTS:
As we should expect highest velocity was achieved by the Raptor at 489.00 ft/sec. Although it came at the expense of both accuracy and power.

Highest Velocity among the standard weight projectiles was the Gamo Hunter (Domed) at 448.4 ft/sec. The Magnum at 437.2 and the Master Point at 433, came in second and third both of these are 7.9 grain pellets against the Hunters 7.56 grain, so this is not a surprise.

Discussion:
There are two of items that I noticed or would like to discuss. For one , the pistol seems to deliver the first couple of shots at a higher velocity. This happens after a period of resting on it's side for a while (maybe 15-25 min.). And seems to happen for all pellet types.

Second, this kind of pellet velocity out of a barrel measuring less than 4.5 inches is a pleasant surprise. My sense was that this pistol did not shoot that fast out of the box. Unfortunately I didn't have I Chrony to test it then, but I'd swear it shoots harder now. Of course, Gamo had stated a velocity of 410 ft/sec., but I'd always suspected that number was for bbs. I was pleased to see the claim met with pellets as well. Given the velocities produced and the high number of shots produced per cartridge, the valve system seems to be well optimized. Since the pistol is pretty loud and there is often a discharge of vapor from the muzzle I doubt that the pistol could be modified from much higher velocities. Even if the modification were done at the expense of gas per shot/shots per cartridge.

Still it might be fun to try.

Until next time..


Thursday, June 4, 2009

Spring Gun Twang - Where did my grease go?

The is much talk about firing behavior in spring powered airguns. Some guns are described as smooth firing out of the box. Many rifles are described as exhibiting a fair amount of vibration and "twang" upon firing. The conventional wisdom is that the firing characteristics of these twangy rifles may be improved through tuning, by a competent tuner.

I also read a posting on another blog the other day, where an individual had described a great deal of twang in a rifle he just purchased and was told to keep returning it to the retailed until he got on that shot smoothly as it was generally known to be a smooth shooting rifle.

I happened to own one of the rifles in question and had always found mine to be remarkably smooth firing, so I tended to agree with the advice given.

A few days later, I got my own rifle out to shoot after it had been in storage for the winter and I noticed it had developed an incredible twang. The rifle had been stored standing barrel up with the action slightly open. And it had been stored in an area that gets pretty warm.

What happened to my rifle? Well about a year ago I had a similar experience with a springer that was stored in the trunk of a car for several days during the summer. As a result of the two experiences, I've come to develop the following theory.

AJ's Theory:

When some spring piston airguns are stored in certain positions and exposed to heat for a protracted period, the grease which lubricates the spring and piston is migrating away from it's intended area and pooling up somewhere. The result is an under lubricated spring and piston which is producing the increased vibration and twang. To test the theory on this rifle. I moved it to another location (although still very warm) and stood it on it's barrel (action closed, butt in the air) for about 72 hours. What do you know? Now it shoots as smoothly as it did a year ago.

If this theory about the spring lubricant migrating during storage is accurate, the next question becomes how should they be stored.

In an ideal world all airguns would be stored in a cool and dry environment. Unfortunately that does not always happen. Manufacturers, distributors, retailers and frequently the owners are sometimes forced to store them in areas that are warmer than we would like. Also, many of the commercial groups are storing large quantities (sometimes boat loads) and tend to store rifles on one side for months on end. I've truly come to believe that this is part of the explanation for variance in some "stock" rifles.

Without any real knowledge coming from the manufactures, it is my guess, that a springer which is stored horizontally in a shooting orientation (sites on top, trigger on the bottom) will be less likely to be effected by this phenomena (if that is really what's going on here.)

Please feel free to post your thoughts on the matter.

Until next time...

Saturday, May 23, 2009

$60.00 AIRPISTOL SHOOTOUT - Part 2, Crosman 1377c, Beeman P-17, Gamo P-23.


In part one we completed an overview of the Crosman 1377c, Gamo P-23 and Beeman P-17 Air pistols. We then examined the Crosman 1377c American Classic, and Gamo P-23 CO2 pistols in greater detail. Today, we'll take a more in depth look at the Beeman P-17.


P-17 History. As I mentioned in part one, the Beeman P-17 has a strange pedigree. Originally Weirech (Germany) designed and introduced the HW P 40 PCA with Beeman carrying a close copy marketed in the US as the Beeman P-3. Both were incredibly well engineered and well produced air pistols. Later things get fuzzy. At one point the US we saw three distinctly marketed products.

1. The Beeman P-3
2. The Marksman 2004
4. The Beeman P-17

(As I understand it both the Beeman and Marksman lines changed hands ending up held by S/R Industries (Sports and Recreation.)

I've yet to have anyone show me the specific differences between a P-3 and a Marksman 2004 (although I understand early 2004 quality control may have been off). Beeman states that the P-17 is the same pistol as the 2004 with a new name, so I'm not really qualified to illustrate any differences between them.

Why does any of this matter? Well for one thing the HW 40/ Beeman P-3 sold for a lot more money than the current Beeman P-17. If we can have the same performance for 60% less money that seems like a pretty strong value! (Don't worry for earlier owners though, I suspect their pistols will appreciate greatly in the collectors market).

Beeman P-17, single stroke pneumatic Air pistol, .177 Cal.
The P-17 is a single shot air pistol. Cocking the hammer allows the top half of the pistol to clam shell up and act as a lever for the single stroke pnuematic power plant. Pellets load directly into the breach inside of the top half which also contains the barrel. Closing the two halves completes the cocking stroke and resets the automatic safety.


I paid around $40.00 for my P-17 in a kit that came with a pair of shooting glasses and a tin of 250 Beeman Wadcutter Pellets.

The pistol itself resembles the Walther P-99 Series in the grip which is one thing I really enjoy about it. Although the P-17 is a large pistol, the excellent grip shape and medium weight make it easy to shoot well. It is also a very quiet pistol.

Recoil is almost non-existent, thanks the the pneumatic power plant and built in muzzle porting. Also, the trigger is pretty good right out of the box. Beeman rates the pistol at 410 fps (we'll check this soon), and describes the intended application as target shooting. And, I agree, for an
air pistol in this price range it's accuracy will amaze you.

P-17 Advantages.

1. Ergonomic grip fits wide variety of hands making the pistol easy to shoot well.
2. Has almost no recoil.
3. Outstanding accuracy.
4. Extremely quiet.
5. Low Cost.

P-17 Disadvantages.

1. Automatic safety takes getting used to.
2. Cocking effort is substantial and will be to great for some shooters.
3. Difficulty in loading pellets.

The last two disadvantages, particularly number three are what make me not shoot this
delightful airgun as much as I would like. The cocking effort is not that big an issue, but I have a terrible time getting pellets loaded because of difficulty in accessing the breach (see picture). Some times I think I actually end up getting the pellets flipped and loading them backwards.

In summary the outstanding accuracy of this German designed air pistol make it a must try for informal target shooting. Although the difficult pellet loading and strong cocking effort make reloading a chore.

For part three of this series we'll move on to performance testing. As we continue to evaluate the Crosman 1377c American Classic, the Gamo P-23, and the Beeman P-17 to find out which of these air pistols come out on top.

Until then...

Monday, May 18, 2009

Cork Gun's Seen in 1970 Daisy Catalog


I was on one of the major image sites today looking for a picture on an unrelated project when I came across a photographer that has digitally reproduced the 1970 Daisy Catalog, including pages on the cork guns I've been researching.

The item is on flicker with information on use. As I unerstand it, it will be okay to show you here. Of course many of you are probably smarter than me and already using google images, flikr and the like.

But I thought this was worth passing along.



Tuesday, May 5, 2009

$60.00 AIRPISTOL SHOOT OUT! Crosman 1377c, Beenman P-17 & Gamo P-23 which is Best?

In this series we will be pitting the The Crosmam 1377C American classic against the Beeman P-17 and Gamo P-23. to find out which is king of the hill?

As most air gunners will quickly notice, these are three very different air pistols. 

I've chosen these three because they are some of the most popular in US. This may be due to each pistols inherent strengths combined with thir outstanding value for the dollar. Guns acquired for this review were purchased from various sources, generally for less than the price listed.

Let's take a look at what they have in common..

All pistols are fire .177 cal lead pellets.
All are used with open-sites (although other siting options are available.)
All are primarily constructed of polycarbonate (plastics)
They are each widely distributed in the US.
All are available for less $75.00 or less (sometimes much less.)
All have a huge consumer following.

The basic differences.

1. Power plants & Actions.
  • Crosman's 1377c is a single shot bolt action using an on board a multi-pump pneumaticpower plant.
  • Beeman's P-17 is single shot, a single stroke pneumatic that uses direct breech loading.
  • Gamo's P-23 Pistol is a double action only pistol that uses CO2 for it's power. It is theonly pistol of these three that also fires BB's or round lead pellets as an 8 shot repeaterPellets are loaded as single shots directly in to the breech.

Now let's take a look at the pistols themselves.


Crosman 1377c multi-pump pnumatic pistol, .177 cal lead pellet. 
The Crosman 1377c is a single shot bolt action using an on board a multi-pump pneumatic power plant.

Crosman bills the 1377C as an "American Classic" and I'd have to agree.

With over 600 fps in .177 caliber this portable, and accurate pump up pneumatic, offers target accuracy and small game pest eliminating power that has been appreciated by Americans since the original model 1300 Medalist II (22 caliber) debuted in 1970.

In 1977 production was switched to the 1377 in .177 caliber and a velocity of 560 fps.

The 1377 was produced in a shoulder stock version as the 1388 from 1982-1988.

The model 1377C was introduced in 1998. With adjustable sights, a 10 & 1/4" barrel this version is rated at over 600 fps or over 6 foot-pounds of energy.

Crosman 1377c, Advantages.

  1. Long site plane and decent adjustable sites help w/ accuracy.
  2. Muzzle heavy with ergonomic grip angle for good off-hand hold.
  3. Decent Trigger Pull.
  4. Nothing required but pellets and a willingness to pump.
  5. Exceptional power and value.
  6. Adjustable power.
  7. Great after-maket and custom performance upgrade support.

Disadvantages.

  1. "Cheesy" look to current plastic forearm and stocks which are prone to shifting. (See note on upgrades.)
  2. Limited range and authority compared to .22 caliber offerings.
  3. Scope mount is impractical without optional or aftermarket steel breach w/dovetail.

Desirable Upgrades.

  • Factory shoulder stock or custom replacement from Crooked Barn by Keith or RB Grips.

  • Steel breach with dovetails for optical sight mounting.

  • Trigger work.

  • Port Polishing.

  • Custom caliber conversion to .22 or .25 caliber.

Notes. 1377c is a large pistol that points & holds well, it's grips/stocks are the greatest complaint.


Gamo, P-23 .177 cal CO2 pistol, .177 cal. lead pellet, .173 cal steel BB.
Now let's take a look at the Gamo P-23. This CO2 powered Double action only pistol is capable of firing 12 round pellets or bb's in rapid succession. Pellets are single-shot and are easily loaded into the tip up barrel.

The fit and finish on excellent on the unit we tested. This particular gun has been in my family for the last several years and gets a good bit of use.

The gun comes equipped with a non-automatic safety which is good.
The safety is easy to understand & manipulate with the non-shooting hand(See. Pic).





Gamp P23, Advantages.

  1. Compact Size.
  2. Tip up barrel for easy loading.
  3. Quality finish and construction for this dollar level.
  4. Nice feel and grips. Sit well in the hand,points well
  5. CO2 operation is efficient and powerful.
  6. Repeater option and ability to shoot steel .173 cal. BB's.

Disdvantages.
  1. Requires CO2 cartriddges to operate & temprature above 50 degrees farenhiet.
  2. Small Sites and site-plane.
  3. Heavy trigger-pull with no Single Action alternative.
  4. Cost - this is the most expensive of the three pistols compared.
  5. Limitted power and accuracy?



Beeman P17 Single Stroke Pneumatic Air Pistol, .177 cal. Lead Pellet.

The P-17 has a strange history/back story which we will start
next. 

Until then, take care and thanks for reading.

More to follow - in Airgun Shootout 1377c,P-23 & P-17 Part II

Monday, January 12, 2009

Gamo P-23 Review Velocity /Gamo Raptor, Match, Rocket, Hunters & other Gamo Pellets


This is actually a follow up to an earlier post I did on the Gamo P-23 Semi-automatic CO2 pistol. The pistol's double action semi auto mode is for BB's or round lead pellets which are loaded into a spring loaded magazine inside of the "slide" beneath the barrel.

The P-23 may also fire .177 caliber pellets as a single shot. This report covers the velocity for the following projectiles.

1. Gamo Match Pellets (these were also used as the control pellet)
2.Gamo Raptors (the much advertised high velocity pellet)
3. Gamo Huners (domed)
4. Gamo Masterpoint (field point)
5. Gamo Magnum (field point)
6. Gamo Rockets (lead pellet w/BB inset in nose)
7. Gamo Round (sphere/ball)
8. Crosman Copperhead BB's

Testing Procedures.

All shots were indoors with tempature and humidity recorded. Velocity was chronographed on my Alpha Chrony with sun-shades attached and under strong incandescent light.

The initial velocity testing used Gamo's Match Pellet (1.77 cal. 7.71 gr.) which also served in later sessions as a control pellet. Control shots were made when CO2 cartridges were changed (to elliminate any "hot shots" from a new cartridge, and before each day of shooting began in an attempt to control CO2 related variables. Single shot loading, deliberate time between shots and room temprature will help mittigate the cooling/regrigerant effect of the CO2 gas. Test with rapid fire vs single shot on the Gamo Round (balls) and Crosman BB's should demonstrate how this cooling effects velocity.

Shoots were made 3 and 1/2 feet from the muzzel to the chronys 1st skyscreen/sensor.
We observed velocities as high as 417 fps with the Match Pellets with many hovering between 394 and 409 fps.
Please stay tuned for the additional pellet velocities and theories.
NVB

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Where can I shoot airguns in Oregon (part 2)

In my search for places to legally shoot airguns in Oregon, I've compiled a list of firearm shooting ranges that list airguns shooting as an accepted feature. One of those closest to me, is the Public Safety Training Center in Clackamas Oregon (just east of Portland). Which by the way is an excellent facility that should as an example for others around the nation. I was some what surprised that they listed airguns as this indoor facility's range caters primarily to handguns. However, I had a new .22 cal Ruger Charger that I wanted to test and sight so decided visit.

The range is excellent with top notch air filtration, target retrieval and shooting stations. It is a 25 yard+ range, which is large for an indoor. However there are only perhaps 10 shooting stations, and during standard hours of public access the range tends to be very busy. On a range like this that also translates to very loud. Shooters of various skill levels also can be distracting. I had a fairly good lane which I started on with the .22 Caliber Pistol and was getting phenomenal groups after sighting in a Red-dot site I'd mounted. Not long in to the session I was surrounded on each side by very new handgun shooters one of which seemed to think they'd do better by leaning an the wall between us and then leaning further out and close to her target. While I didn't feel it was to far out safety wise, it did place the muzzle of her auto loader next to and in front of the blast shield such that I got an awesome muzzle blast of her high-power defense loads. On the other side was a equally distracting as a fellow struggled to get on top of a pistol that seemed a bit much for him (hand cannon). So there was a lot of retrieving and resetting of his target (pretty much every shot).

Don't get me wrong, I believe this type of public facility is the right place for them to be. They belong here (as do I when shooting fire arms), but is this a decent place to shoot airguns?

I'd have to say no. It's to loud and to busy, teaching a child or new shooter would be somewhat difficult here and it certainly does not promote accuracy or a teaching environment. After shooting a while I was able to chat with a couple of the range officers (these guys are great) about whether or not there were other more appropriate ranges in the facility that might be better suited for airgun shooting? Also I inquired about any existing or future scheduled time for airguns only.

They explained that the facility was simply overbooked and already running at full capacity and needed to be expanded as it was. Should that happen, we might see an improvement then.

Well, the short version is that airgun shooting is ok'd at the Public Safety Training Center in Clackamas Oregon (just east of Portland) but it's noise level and lack or segregation between weapon types can make shooting airguns distracting.

I did get a lead on an extremely airgun friendly range in Oregon. That is the one I'll be checking out next.