Older air pistols to consider?

[MDriskill]

I love the Tempest, an elegant classic design, great power for its size, and about as fragile as an anvil. A gun every airgunner should have IMHO.

The FWB 65 is the all-time classic match gun. Again, pretty much a must-have. No less an expert than Scott Pilkington has said if he could own only one air pistol, that would be it.

The HW 45 / P1 is the best spring-piston pistol ever made this side of recoilless match guns, period.

The Crosman 150 is to me the ultimate American classic (get the later version with the 1-piece barrel and breech). Elegant simplicity.

 

[Steveoo]

Agreeing with the above post but with the possible exception of the 45/P1…
It just performed so badly in most shooters hands on the MPL circuit.
As quite the pistol marksman myself, i gave it more than a fair shot down the years and tuned many.

Rear piston moving guns, seem to get a more complex recoil as the piston flying into the hand gets a secondary bounce, from how its held, slightly to the right and downward, as does the Tempest (when right handed)
Slightly oversprung, the spring wants to cant over at the muzzle end and gets kinked fairly quickly…as its left completely un-guided at the distal end.
It needs better guides to sort this issue, employing muzzle end top hat and guide of 30 grams down inside the piston. Polished and nice slide fits, they remove a bit of the torque and improve the life of the mainspring by years.

Its pretty good for power, sights and trigger, but the complex recoil spoils things, with the humble Gamo Center, HW40 and Diana 5 variants all trouncing it in MPL competitions. Most of these competitions were won by the above mentioned FWB 65 and Walther LP53 ..one time an LP3 won 3 straight competitions and a number of Daisy variants usually top 5.
Shooters entering with 45s never did any good.

 

[holo07]

I love the Tempest, an elegant classic design, great power for its size, and about as fragile as an anvil. A gun every airgunner should have IMHO.

The FWB 65 is the all-time classic match gun. Again, pretty much a must-have. No less an expert than Scott Pilkington has said if he could own only one air pistol, that would be it.

The HW 45 / P1 is the best spring-piston pistol ever made this side of recoilless match guns, period.

The Crosman 150 is to me the ultimate American classic (get the later version with the 1-piece barrel and breech). Elegant simplicity.

here is a pic of the 1 pieces barrel / breech

 

[jaykb49]

Yes, I have to agree with MDriskill. The FWB 65 is really an amazing air pistol. It’s feasible that you might find one in your price range but most folks are asking $500 or more for one these days. I also second his recommendation of the P1/HW45. It is also a classic in it’s own right. The trigger is Weihrauch superb. The P17 you mention charges as you return the barrel to the receiver. The P1/HW45 cocks and compresses the spring as you pull the barrel away from the receiver, just the opposite. It’s not unreasonable to find a P1/HW45 for around $325.

One pistol that hasn’t been mentioned yet is the IZH 46M. It’s a very accurate target pistol, an SSP and very nice to shoot. I would guess that you either love or hate the look. It can be found in your price range although I’ve seen people ask ridiculous prices for them as well.

Finally, since you seem to be interested in researching air pistols, I’d recommend you have a look at the Diana Giss pistols. These would be the Model 6, 6G, 6M and I don’t know what others would fit in your price range. These have a remarkable anti-recoil system and are really fun to shoot. Any of these would have to have been resealed by now since the original seals kinda disintegrate.

There are many great recommendations in this thread, good luck with your search,

Jay

 

[MDriskill]

8)i

Yes, I have to agree with MDriskill. The FWB 65 is really an amazing air pistol. It’s feasible that you might find one in your price range but most folks are asking $500 or more for one these days. I also second his recommendation of the P1/HW45. It is also a classic in it’s own right. The trigger is Weihrauch superb. The P17 you mention charges as you return the barrel to the receiver. The P1/HW45 cocks and compresses the spring as you pull the barrel away from the receiver, just the opposite. It’s not unreasonable to find a P1/HW45 for around $325.

One pistol that hasn’t been mentioned yet is the IZH 46M. It’s a very accurate target pistol, an SSP and very nice to shoot. I would guess that you either love or hate the look. It can be found in your price range although I’ve seen people ask ridiculous prices for them as well.

Finally, since you seem to be interested in researching air pistols, I’d recommend you have a look at the Diana Giss pistols. These would be the Model 6, 6G, 6M and I don’t know what others would fit in your price range. These have a remarkable anti-recoil system and are really fun to shoot. Any of these would have to have been resealed by now since the original seals kinda disintegrate.

There are many great recommendations in this thread, good luck with your search,

Jay

I second both these motions.

The Giss Diana model 6 variants are amazing and truly totally recoilless guns. But always verify the state of the seals and springs when you buy one. Rebuilds are not easy or cheap.

The IZH 46 is just a fantastic shooter, and the easiest SSP to charge considering its power too. And I love the styling, just so exquisitely RUSSIAN - like a collection of tool-room scraps flying in loose formation, LOL - but it definitely has the quality where it counts. One of the guns I very most regret selling...very hard to find an affordable one these days.

 

[MDriskill]

Agreeing with the above post but with the possible exception of the 45/P1…
It just performed so badly in most shooters hands on the MPL circuit.
As quite the pistol marksman myself, i gave it more than a fair shot down the years and tuned many.

Rear piston moving guns, seem to get a more complex recoil as the piston flying into the hand gets a secondary bounce, from how its held, slightly to the right and downward, as does the Tempest (when right handed)
Slightly oversprung, the spring wants to cant over at the muzzle end and gets kinked fairly quickly…as its left completely un-guided at the distal end.
It needs better guides to sort this issue, employing muzzle end top hat and guide of 30 grams down inside the piston. Polished and nice slide fits, they remove a bit of the torque and improve the life of the mainspring by years.

Its pretty good for power, sights and trigger, but the complex recoil spoils things, with the humble Gamo Center, HW40 and Diana 5 variants all trouncing it in MPL competitions. Most of these competitions were won by the above mentioned FWB 65 and Walther LP53 ..one time an LP3 won 3 straight competitions and a number of Daisy variants usually top 5.
Shooters entering with 45s never did any good.

Stevoo, great comments as always!

I can't match your experience in shooting or tuning the HW 45 / P1, and should clarify that my comment above referred more to its quality of construction and finish. Love it or hate it, it's a powerful and well-made air pistol; I have one from the first year of production that's never missed a beat.

 

[Trunion]

Here's another vote for a used Webley. I have a Webley Senior in .22. If you see one buy it, they're built like a Sherman tank. The entire body is machined out of a single piece of steel.

 

[Rickem88]

Crosman 150/157, Smith and Wesson 78g/79G, Sheridan E series, Benjamin E series, Crosman MKI/II are all CO2 and great shooting guns.

Good suggestions above now may I? How about the crosman 600 for the next gun you buy and the last! 60’s ergonomic design and OMFG 1st to boast 10 (recoiless) shots in 3 seconds with a hair trigger in semi-auto! (Factory Stock) let’s just say my collection consists of dozens of various and it’s the only one I ALWAYS want to shoot ..

 

[houston]

Cr600 is going to be the most fun... the rest fall way short in that category.

The only thing is it's loud....which i like.

 

[Rickem88]

Or if you prefer quiet.. hehe

 

[Roboslug]

Rickem88, tell us more about your barrel & moderator on the 600, please.

 

[Rickem88]

Rickem88, tell us more about your barrel & moderator on the 600, please.

Nothin to tell. Santa clause machined the barrel then I called TK for the moderator..

 

[Deleted member 46449]

Wow! Loads of guns to consider. I need to create a list of all of them and start doing research. No idea when I'll buy another gun, but if I have a list handy I can keep an eye open for them.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[Roboslug]

Nothin to tell. Santa clause machined the barrel then I called TK for the moderator..

Thanks

 

[Rickem88]

Sorry to post this silly question here but: where are the classifieds on this site?? Is there a special search filter?

 

[Deleted member 46449]

Sorry to post this silly question here but: where are the classifieds on this site?? Is there a special search filter?

There's a Classified section and board. It's the second to last section

There is a search function. I've tried searching a few times. I haven't got this search completely figured out yet. It's just a matter of me learning the way this search reacts to differently phrased input.

 

[jkingrph]

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

I know this is an older thread, but where did you find that pellet pouch?

 

[Trunion]

I know this is an older thread, but where did you find that pellet pouch?

Airguns of Arizona, look in the Accessories folder, then under magazines, holders etc

Wilkins Pellet Pouch 2.5" Brown: Airguns of Arizona

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

Zoraki hp02. Was discontinued and has been brought back from the dead since a surge in popularity, and requests. Max armory sells them

Zoraki HP 01-2 Ultra .22 Cal Black - Multi-Pump Pneumatic Air Pistol - MaxArmory

Our Zoraki HP1 Ultra Multi-Pump Pneumatic Air Pistol is built for extreme accuracy and power. This is the last air pistol you will ever need. Fully a adjustable trigger and sights allow simple, accurate, and safe operation

maxarmory.com

 

[jkingrph]

8)i

I second both these motions.

The Giss Diana model 6 variants are amazing and truly totally recoilless guns. But always verify the state of the seals and springs when you buy one. Rebuilds are not easy or cheap.

The IZH 46 is just a fantastic shooter, and the easiest SSP to charge considering its power too. And I love the styling, just so exquisitely RUSSIAN - like a collection of tool-room scraps flying in loose formation, LOL - but it definitely has the quality where it counts. One of the guns I very most regret selling...very hard to find an affordable one these days.

I have one of the Beeman (Diana) original 6. It is heavy and as said totally recoilless, the trigger is ok, not the best. I have a AV 46m and it is probably the best shooting pistol I have, the trigger is ounces, very light two stage. Cocking effort is stated to be 18 lbs, but it seems much less, balance is excellent. It does look rather strange when cocking, with that articulated, linkeageI , but that is what makes cocking so easy. Velocity with the single stroke is about 480 fps, so no slouch.
I have a FWB 80 on the way so it will be interesting to compare. The old Daisy 747 and 777 pistols are great, and easy to rebuild, I did several and it only took 20-30 minutes each to strip down clean and replace all the seals and valve.