A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to buy a C02 pistol which I knew next to nothing about. I got a really good deal because although the gun came in it's original box and looked to be in decent shape, it was completely disassembled. The gun is a Schimel GP-22. Since then I've learned a lot. I was surprised to discover all the parts were there, and the seals, which can be difficult to find, were in pretty good shape.
After a thorough cleaning and lube I reassembled the gun using the original seals. It's .22 cal and uses the short 8 gram C02 cartridges. Hit the reset button and pull back on the rear of the receiver to cock the action. Pulling open the toggle exposes the breech to load a pellet. Test fired it this morning, and surprisingly, it works.
I got 20 rounds off before pressure started to drop. It's noisy. Muzzle velocity is supposed to be somewhere around 600fps. Gotta drag out my chrono and see if the claim is true. It definitely hits hard. Trigger is pleasant, breaking at around 4lbs. It approximates the weight and balance of the Luger P08 pretty well. Given the low serial number I'm thinking it was manufactured in 1948. Regardless, it's easily the oldest airgun in my collection. Just a fun bit of airgun history.
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Weight, balance, and overall proportions are pretty close to the real P08.
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Schimels are awesome! Loud and powerful, more like a .22 short than an airgun. Just plain cool!Amazing condition Schimel you have there....maybe the best one left in the world. The now defunct 8 gram bulbs ran at a higher pressure than the 12 gram bulbs, making the Schimel very powerful albeit lower shot counts and noisey.
Yeah, I was surprised the first time I test fired it after re-assembly. Noisy sucker! From what I've read, the cast metal components are pretty delicate and replacements are not available. Like you, if and when something breaks, I'll be making a steel duplicate replacement part. It sure is a neat gun, and it's the oldest in my collection.Schimels are awesome! Loud and powerful, more like a .22 short than an airgun. Just plain cool!
Some parts (seals, grips) are still available. I can no longer find the metal parts and must replicate them out of steel as needed. The cup seals (2 per gun) are still available but only one of the cups moves (during loading), while the other remains stationary with the barrel. I've replaced both with similar seals from McMaster (with a bit of trimming) and they work, but in future I'll use the legit spare Schimel seal for the sliding seal ..... it's a tad more flexible and slides more easily.
Nice work, how do you find the Holosun.
Thanks Steveoo, the Holosun projects a very round dot and holds adjustment well. I missed your write-up in the rail. Mine is a slightly modified Magpul rail so that I could use the 4.5mm threads, the screws for which are rather rare in the US.Nice work, how do you find the Holosun.
Did you follow my lead on the Piccy rail placement on the breech housing, or parallel development of your own...
Either way nice work.
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I do love the 600. However, that cam ring setup could use an update. I’m thinking of a linear ball bearing setup to replace the sliding arrangement it was built with. Another project for a rainy dayWho needs a Huben...
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Found that it works well with Excite Plinking, got around 40 shots from one capsule.
Happy days.