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Older air pistols to consider?

  • Thread starter Deleted member 46449
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Deleted member 46449

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I just put a post up laughing about how much more I've bought since I first got my 1377 given to me. I've already bought way more than I had intended, but I'm enjoying it so, what the heck.

My question here is about older, discontinued pistols. There is always a gun or other item that guys chase because they were such a great product. I'm wondering if there are any pistols from the past I might want to consider looking for. Keep in mind that for now, I'm sticking to springers and pneumatics. Who knows what the future will bring, or what you guys convince me to try? But, just considering non-PCP and non-CO2 guns, is there something from the past I should seriously consider trying to find and buy? I've played with the P-17 just a little bit. Didn't even try zeroing the thing. I just stopped by the wooded area by the house and put 5 rounds through it to see how it shot. Yes, it has a wonderful feel for a $35 airgun. I'll have to agree with you guys on that issue. I also have to agree that thing can be a real bugger to cock. I managed to NOT get any skin, but I did get my shirt tail clamped in it once. So, you guys that recommended it deserve a hearty thanks. I'm sure it will be a source of fun and relaxation in the future.

Back to older guns. Does anybody have any thoughts about something from the past I might want to be on the lookout for?
 
Ahh. Yep, I should have provided a few more specifics. OK. I have no preference of country of origin. I'm definitely not looking for something that needs completely rebuilt to be functional. I also don't need a like new, perfect item. I can do some maintenance/repair things, but anything really intense will be beyond me at this point. I wouldn't be interested in something that will cost me thousands of dollars and at this point, probably not even several hundreds of dollars. I wouldn't be opposed to a gun that is in good working condition and cost $250 +/-. If it happened to be the Holy Grail of guns and was in really great condition, a bit more $$$ wouldn't be out of the question. I'm in this hobby for fun. Spending thousands of dollars on a gun just doesn't fit into my plans. I'm never going to be involved in serious competition so I have problems with sinking a lot of money into a gun.

I just bookmarked that site you provided. I'll be reading over it later today. Thanks for that.
 
I would never recommend a pistol I haven't owned and shot a good amount with.

The HyScore spring pistols are fun. Decently accurate and triggers aren't that bad. The 700 I have is nearly silent. The 80x series is good too, but avoid the 803 with interchangeable barrels as it's a rough shot cycle.

The Walther LP2/LP3 SSP are nice.

Daisy 717/747/777 SSP.

A used HW70A.

The Crosman Mark I / Mark II pistols. They are CO2, but very nice shooters. It's the one Mac builds his LD off of. If noise is your concern, Mac sells a screw in moderator that works extremely well.

The Weihrauch/Beeman line of springer and SSP pistols are a touch more expensive, but have phenomenal accuracy and superb triggers.

If you can find a FWB 90 w/ Electronic trigger I would buy it, expensive but amazing springer with a unique recoil reduction system that takes away all but a tiny bit of recoil.
 
BTW - there is a Daisy 747 that posted up yesterday. Looks to be very good condition and price is reasonable for the LW barrel.

 
A Beeman Tempest. I Picked this one up at AoA`s pre-owned pages earlier this year. It is in very good condition and a really nice shooter. It is branded San Rafael, .177 caliber.
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BTW - there is a Daisy 747 that posted up yesterday. Looks to be very good condition and price is reasonable for the LW barrel.


That's a fantastic looking gun. I don't have a problem with that price. It's just that I'm really not ready to step out and buy today. I thought I'd ask for suggestions, then spend some time looking for something. I've bought two new guns and a small boatload of parts and pieces for my 1377 in about a month's time. Not sure I want to buy another gun this soon. That IS a really tempting offer though.
 
That's a really nice looking gun. The specs I saw on it say it's a 500 to 600 fps gun. A couple of different write ups I found say it's very accurate. Does that jibe with your experience?
I don't have a chronograph but that probably is the ballpark. When I first received it I riddled a soup can at about 10 yards. Most shots breeched both sides. As far as accuracy goes... I'm sure it shoots better than me if you get my meaning.
 
The Tempest is a good pistol. They prefer a pellet with a bigger dia skirt and run about 450 fps once running nicely. I have indulged in major tuning of the gun in the past, for a number of shooters, but never achieved much above OEM….maybe an additional 30fps (470/480 fps) being already well put together from stock, but ultimately limited by its volume and 90 degree bend TP.
They are nice to hold, handy and easy enough to work on.
The new Turkish version is not so well made and needs refitting with the Webley OEM spring which works much smoother and is easier to cock….still available at spares outlets.

For the record, the Premier is even better made but its piston is too heavy and not so nice to shoot, with a more dated piston head design.
The Senior is potentially a little more powerful at upto 500 fps as it has a longer stroke but requires constant lubrication to the Phosphor Bronze piston ring, unlike the Tempests which requires none.

For me though, the LP53 when tuned will outshoot all of them…so i prefer it, but the Tempest has a nice feeling firing cycle and is an appealing gun, especially when smooth tuned….just do not expect the grouping below.

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A Beeman Tempest. I Picked this one up at AoA`s pre-owned pages earlier this year. It is in very good condition and a really nice shooter. It is branded San Rafael, .177 caliber.
View attachment 294359
Trunion, nice looking pistol. I bought the other one in.22. solid guns and fairly accurate after understanding it's firing behavior. Happy shooting. Mick.
 
BTW - there is a Daisy 747 that posted up yesterday. Looks to be very good condition and price is reasonable for the LW barrel.

Those are fantastic guns. If you can find a 777 it is a bit better, wooden grips fs plastic, although the plastic grips are quite comfortable, a milled steel cocking lever vs cast or stamped on the 717and 747 and a fully adjustable steel rear sight vs plastic on the lower numbered models. Nice thing about that sight is the notch width is adjustable via a small screw on the side. Downside is that you will pay quite a bit more, but worth it in my opinion, especially for target shooting. They are very easy to rebuild, meaning reseal, I have probably done nine or ten over the last year. just having completed two of the basic 717 models for my son and grandson. The internal parts that need work are the same on all three, actually four models as they do make one in .22 cal, but it also has the same internals. I had found some seal kits that use polyurethane O rings and little teflon washers/rings, split so 5 stack in the piston groove where the foam washer usually fits. Foam will harden an flake off and cause problems, the relatively loose fitting washers hold enough oil to wipe the inside of the cylinder and keep it oiled. I can probably rework one in 20-30 minutes max.