Air Gun Home :: View topic

Qncy · New Member

I've been a cartridge gun shooter for many years and like most, started out with an air rifle. Now I am looking to get into shooting air pistols. I'll have a number of questions, but first; spring or pneumatic. I have ruled out PCP or CO2 for now. My interest lies primarily in target shooting and plinking, mostly outdoors, but could be in my basement also. Range anywhere out to 25 meters.

So the question, does a spring gun have any advantage over a pneumatic? I am considering a number of pistols, such as an Avanti 747, IZH 46M or the RWS LP8. It seems that pneumatic should have little or no recoil, whereas a spring gun is going to move some, even if it is "recoil-less". So what does the spring do better than compressed air? Thanks.

rsterne · Moderator

The spring requires only cocking once.... whereas the pneumatics require several pumps to reach pressure.... Many require 8-10 pumps although the new Zoraki/Alecto wil shoot with 1 or 2 and only requires 3 at most.... It achieves that through a three stage pump....

Bob

Qncy · New Member

Most of the pneumatics that I am considering require only one pump, such as the Baikal or the Avanti. Thanks.

rsterne · Moderator

Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to what you were looking at.... Embarassed

Of the three guns you mention, the clear winner on power is the LP8.... and the Daisy comes in a very poor third.... A .177 at 360 fps is pretty dismal and for nearly $200 I think you would be pretty disappointed.... The Alecto in .22 cal is about 350 fps on 1 pump and 500 fps on 3 pumps.... In .177 cal, you can add about 100 fps to those numbers.... The .22 cal Alecto is easily the most powerful of the four.... I personally love plinking with a .22.... you just get so much more reaction out of the targets....

The highest quality of the group, bar none, is the Baikal.... You are virtually looking at a match pistol.... No question here, you get what you pay for....

Bob

jlwilliams · Veteran Member

For an indoor target range, it's hard to beat a single stroke pneumatic. As much as I like springers, the smoothness of the pneumatic is a big plus for target shooting. They can be a little underpowered for field use (can be, but not always). For a strictly target pistol, the Baikal is a strong option and one I've been coveting for some time.

My general knock around air pistol has been a Webley Tempest for a few years, and it's also become my go to target pistol. The vibration isn't bad at all, but the desire for a dedicated targer pistol is growing. What research I've done has me really leaning toward the Baikal. It's not cheap, but it's way cheaper than a comparable gun from almost any other maker. Those who have them seem happy.

As an aside. The classic sport of 'free pistol' has been declining for a number of years. I see the air pistol in the basement range as where that sort of shooter is going.

Slavia · Moderator

My Marksman 2004 (Beeman P17) doesn't match the others mentioned quality-wise, but I can say that the single-stroke pneumatic design is very pleasant to shoot. It's true that it doesn't produce much power, but it's fun for paper punching in the basement and cans outdoors to 25 yards.

GrizzlyMan · Member

I got a pneumatic for those rainy or party Bar-B-Q days to shoot indoors and dont want the full power of a break barrel.

AirGunEric · Site Admin

The Daisy is actually a nice gun for the money, if they only had it put out another 100fps it would be GREAT. But, I doubt that will be occurring anytime soon...

bobtodrick · Member

Another one to consider is the Gamo Compact.
Sort of midway between the Avanti and the IZH46, both in terms of price and features. Better grips than the Avanti, but not quite the adjustability of the Izzy.
The power of the 747 us of no matter if you are just plinking or for target practice. 25 years ago it would have been of Olympic calibre and it routinely wins local club level competitions today.

walter · Veteran Member

i like the power of a spring but i agree the lower recoil of the other is nice. my 1377 is real accurate of a bag totally stock! 3/8 ctc 5 shot group at 20 yrds was my best. rws 7.0 pellets. Mr. Green

walt.