AKA: When life deals you lemons, make lemonade!
So, you’re low on ammo, powder, primers, etc. (or conserving it!), and/or you’re stuck at home.
You can keep up or improve your pistol shooting by getting a nice quality Air Pistol!
If things play out the way they are starting to look, we’ll all be making some changes in our day to day lives, at least for a while. Likely, you’ll be doing a lot more at home!
I have been seriously shooting airguns for almost 50 years. At one time, I was a coach and assistant with a competitive air pistol program. During that time, I owned, used, repaired and maintained pneumatic, CO2, spring powered, and compressed air pistols by all the major European makers from the past 50+ years.
Many shooters, especially Americans, don’t consider air guns to be “real shooting” irons. Certainly, if you’ve been exposed to budget quality examples there is a basis for this bias. But, off the radar of many shooters, there is, and has been for some time, a serious business about making, shooting, and competing with air guns at the very highest levels. They won’t help in a defensive capacity, but for most other uses you can find something appropriate.
If your bias runs deep enough, you might be hit with “sticker shock” for the top of the line air pistols. $1000 is about the entry level minimum for a competitive target grade air pistol. But, once you factor in all the related expenses, and amortize it over time, you realize what a bargain it is! First, the top level air pistols are engineered and built to amazing standards. You can expect to shoot hundreds of thousands of rounds with very little trouble or maintenance.
Then, there’s the cost to feed them.... Even the most expensive match grade pellets are a fraction of the cost of plinking grade 22lr ammo. And, you can bet the latter won’t be getting any cheaper for some time!
But, then there are the often forgotten hidden extras. Once you set up a range at home, you’ll be saving a ton of time and gasoline otherwise spent going to and from the range.
And, who hasn’t gone to the range and forgotten some little, but crucial, item? Would you rather pack up and drive home, do without,.... or just get it from the next room?
Oh yeah, if you're a reloader and bullet caster, the fired pellets are an excellent source of soft lead. Here's a few ingots cast from used range pellets.
Here’s a few points to consider....
SHOOTING CHARACTERISTICS
We mostly all are familiar with the benefits of a 22 lr pistol for inexpensive practice, taking the kids out for some fun, or refining your shooting technique. All of these are improved with air guns.
Target grade air pistols tend to have fantastic accuracy, balance, sights, triggers, and overall adjustability for each of these points. Take the trigger, for example. A target grade air pistol will have a trigger adjustable for 1st and 2nd stage weight, pull length, trigger position and angle relative to your index finger, sear engagement, etc.
The sights are always fully adjustable, but additionally can be expected to have interchangeable blades, or even adjustable sight radius. Grips are usually ergonomic, with options for (left or right) hand size.
And, additionally, air pistols offered by comprehensive manufacturers of target arms (ie: Pardini) will often be available with similar features and handling to 22lr and/or centerfire counterparts.
RANGE SPACE
“Official” international air pistol target distance is 10 meters (33 feet). A basement, attic, hallway, garage, or backyard area can all serve well. Plan for lighting and a safe backstop.
Here's my basement pellet trap.
TOP OF THE LINE
Top of the line, target grade air pistols are primarily of European manufacture. No surprise. With centuries long traditions of shooting sports, Europe is the origin of much of what we have come to know about firearms.
My short (and subjective) list of best grade air pistols are those made by Feinwerkbau, Morini, Pardini, Steyr, and Walther.
If you go to a “big box” store, don’t expect to find any of these. The airguns offered by such establishments tend to be for the budget conscious shooter, and offer neither the quality, accuracy, shooting characteristics or lasting performance and value of the top level names. When they fail (and they will), you generally throw them away. Overall, this is the basis for the negative connotations associated with airguns, and why they are often not taken seriously.
Consider also, like too many areas of budget conscious manufacturing today, many of those familar brands are built or part-sourced from manufacturers in China. No offense intended, but my inclination to avoid sending my hard earned $$$ to that regime is only getting more steadfast.
Personally, I will stick with the better European brands.
BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
If you still can’t get over the price tag of a new target grade air pistol, there are some options. Older, used pistols are often available. Older models using single stroke pneumatic or CO2 systems are seen less and less in competitive circles. The better ones are still serviceable, quality arms. A Feinwerkbau FWB 65, for example, is still in demand and tend to sell in the $400-500 range. Owners selling them today are often pleasantly surprised that such prices not only provide a good value for new shooter, they also represent an appreciation of value relative to their original purchase price!
--------
My personal air pistol of choice is a Pardini K2s made around 1999. I’ve had it for about 20 years, and have had many, many thousands of pellets through it. It has served me well at home and in competition.
Here it is, accompanied by a few 10 shot targets fired from 10 meters (33 ft) using the International style one-hand hold.
Powered by compressed air, it comes with two interchangeable cylinders which, when fully charged, are good for about 150 shots. They can be quickly refilled by a SCUBA air tank or a specialized bicycle tire type air pump.
From a machine rest, the Pardini, indeed ALL top line air pistols, will put 10 shots into a single hole not much larger in diameter than a single .177” pellet. Likewise, the current top of the line air pistols are totally recoilless. Any error in hold or trigger release is instantly apparent. Not even the lowest recoiling 22 allows for such analytical study of marksmanship technique.
Speaking of technique, as your ability quickly improves, your tastes for trigger, sights, grip, etc will evolve. A top grade air pistol, supported by the better manufacturers, will be right there with you, allowing for whatever adjustments or modifications you may wish.
Going back to my Pardini, I have mine set up with a trigger pull of just over 500 grams (that’s not quite 1.25 lbs). It is adjusted with a light 1st stage pull for the first 300 grams or so, then a crisp 2nd stage.
I previously mentioned sights. The Pardini rear sight is not only adjustable for windage and elevation, but has a hex screw just under the rear sight notch that adjusts to width of the notch.
It is a fast and easy adjustment that can be made for changing light conditions without affecting point of impact.
My favorite 22 semi auto pistol is the Pardini SP22. It is a nice compliment to the air pistol. Even the grips on mine are interchangeable. Here they are together.
I hope this write-up inspires you to look into the fascinating and rewarding world of air pistols.
Best Regards,
Jim
So, you’re low on ammo, powder, primers, etc. (or conserving it!), and/or you’re stuck at home.
You can keep up or improve your pistol shooting by getting a nice quality Air Pistol!
If things play out the way they are starting to look, we’ll all be making some changes in our day to day lives, at least for a while. Likely, you’ll be doing a lot more at home!
I have been seriously shooting airguns for almost 50 years. At one time, I was a coach and assistant with a competitive air pistol program. During that time, I owned, used, repaired and maintained pneumatic, CO2, spring powered, and compressed air pistols by all the major European makers from the past 50+ years.
Many shooters, especially Americans, don’t consider air guns to be “real shooting” irons. Certainly, if you’ve been exposed to budget quality examples there is a basis for this bias. But, off the radar of many shooters, there is, and has been for some time, a serious business about making, shooting, and competing with air guns at the very highest levels. They won’t help in a defensive capacity, but for most other uses you can find something appropriate.
If your bias runs deep enough, you might be hit with “sticker shock” for the top of the line air pistols. $1000 is about the entry level minimum for a competitive target grade air pistol. But, once you factor in all the related expenses, and amortize it over time, you realize what a bargain it is! First, the top level air pistols are engineered and built to amazing standards. You can expect to shoot hundreds of thousands of rounds with very little trouble or maintenance.
Then, there’s the cost to feed them.... Even the most expensive match grade pellets are a fraction of the cost of plinking grade 22lr ammo. And, you can bet the latter won’t be getting any cheaper for some time!
But, then there are the often forgotten hidden extras. Once you set up a range at home, you’ll be saving a ton of time and gasoline otherwise spent going to and from the range.
And, who hasn’t gone to the range and forgotten some little, but crucial, item? Would you rather pack up and drive home, do without,.... or just get it from the next room?
Oh yeah, if you're a reloader and bullet caster, the fired pellets are an excellent source of soft lead. Here's a few ingots cast from used range pellets.
Here’s a few points to consider....
SHOOTING CHARACTERISTICS
We mostly all are familiar with the benefits of a 22 lr pistol for inexpensive practice, taking the kids out for some fun, or refining your shooting technique. All of these are improved with air guns.
Target grade air pistols tend to have fantastic accuracy, balance, sights, triggers, and overall adjustability for each of these points. Take the trigger, for example. A target grade air pistol will have a trigger adjustable for 1st and 2nd stage weight, pull length, trigger position and angle relative to your index finger, sear engagement, etc.
The sights are always fully adjustable, but additionally can be expected to have interchangeable blades, or even adjustable sight radius. Grips are usually ergonomic, with options for (left or right) hand size.
And, additionally, air pistols offered by comprehensive manufacturers of target arms (ie: Pardini) will often be available with similar features and handling to 22lr and/or centerfire counterparts.
RANGE SPACE
“Official” international air pistol target distance is 10 meters (33 feet). A basement, attic, hallway, garage, or backyard area can all serve well. Plan for lighting and a safe backstop.
Here's my basement pellet trap.
TOP OF THE LINE
Top of the line, target grade air pistols are primarily of European manufacture. No surprise. With centuries long traditions of shooting sports, Europe is the origin of much of what we have come to know about firearms.
My short (and subjective) list of best grade air pistols are those made by Feinwerkbau, Morini, Pardini, Steyr, and Walther.
If you go to a “big box” store, don’t expect to find any of these. The airguns offered by such establishments tend to be for the budget conscious shooter, and offer neither the quality, accuracy, shooting characteristics or lasting performance and value of the top level names. When they fail (and they will), you generally throw them away. Overall, this is the basis for the negative connotations associated with airguns, and why they are often not taken seriously.
Consider also, like too many areas of budget conscious manufacturing today, many of those familar brands are built or part-sourced from manufacturers in China. No offense intended, but my inclination to avoid sending my hard earned $$$ to that regime is only getting more steadfast.
Personally, I will stick with the better European brands.
BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
If you still can’t get over the price tag of a new target grade air pistol, there are some options. Older, used pistols are often available. Older models using single stroke pneumatic or CO2 systems are seen less and less in competitive circles. The better ones are still serviceable, quality arms. A Feinwerkbau FWB 65, for example, is still in demand and tend to sell in the $400-500 range. Owners selling them today are often pleasantly surprised that such prices not only provide a good value for new shooter, they also represent an appreciation of value relative to their original purchase price!
--------
My personal air pistol of choice is a Pardini K2s made around 1999. I’ve had it for about 20 years, and have had many, many thousands of pellets through it. It has served me well at home and in competition.
Here it is, accompanied by a few 10 shot targets fired from 10 meters (33 ft) using the International style one-hand hold.
Powered by compressed air, it comes with two interchangeable cylinders which, when fully charged, are good for about 150 shots. They can be quickly refilled by a SCUBA air tank or a specialized bicycle tire type air pump.
From a machine rest, the Pardini, indeed ALL top line air pistols, will put 10 shots into a single hole not much larger in diameter than a single .177” pellet. Likewise, the current top of the line air pistols are totally recoilless. Any error in hold or trigger release is instantly apparent. Not even the lowest recoiling 22 allows for such analytical study of marksmanship technique.
Speaking of technique, as your ability quickly improves, your tastes for trigger, sights, grip, etc will evolve. A top grade air pistol, supported by the better manufacturers, will be right there with you, allowing for whatever adjustments or modifications you may wish.
Going back to my Pardini, I have mine set up with a trigger pull of just over 500 grams (that’s not quite 1.25 lbs). It is adjusted with a light 1st stage pull for the first 300 grams or so, then a crisp 2nd stage.
I previously mentioned sights. The Pardini rear sight is not only adjustable for windage and elevation, but has a hex screw just under the rear sight notch that adjusts to width of the notch.
It is a fast and easy adjustment that can be made for changing light conditions without affecting point of impact.
My favorite 22 semi auto pistol is the Pardini SP22. It is a nice compliment to the air pistol. Even the grips on mine are interchangeable. Here they are together.
I hope this write-up inspires you to look into the fascinating and rewarding world of air pistols.
Best Regards,
Jim
