Beeman P11

The Beeman P1 (Weihrauch HW45) is the most famous gun made by Beeman in collaboration with Weihrauch. Dr. Beeman is responsible for the styling and high level design of the gun (top lever, spring piston) and Weihrauch for putting the finishing touches and manufacturing the pistol. After the P1, several variations were developed:

• Beeman P1/Weihrauch HW45 stainless look - this one is similar to the P1, except the lower part is silver stainless steel
• Beeman P11/Weihrauch HW45 silver star - this is like the stainless look version but with a sculpted wooden grip replacing the Colt 1911 grip - this is the model on which this review is based
• Weihrauch HW45 black star - I have not seen this model from Beeman - this one has the sculpted wooden grip, but not the stainless look, so it resembles more the P1

There should not be much difference between these models other than in the stainless/grip aspects. I liked the stainless steel aspect and I also liked the sculpted grip more than the 1911 one, so I decided to get the P11 over the P1 and P1 stainless.

The sculpted grip of the P11 is also shared with the pneumatic version - the Beeman P2/Weihrauch HW75. Story has it that when Dr. Beeman designed the P1, he did not make it clear on the scheme that he wanted a spring piston, so Weihrauch put a pneumatic one and that is how the P2 was born. I considered the P2 as well, but as I already have the Beeman P3, I went for a spring piston model.

Operation

Unlike most other spring piston pistols that operate by a break barrel mechanism, the Beeman P11 uses a top lever mechanism. Furthermore, this mechanism compresses the spring towards the front of the pistol, so when it is released, it will kick back, like the recoil of a firearm. This is the aspect that interested me the most, because I found the forward kick of the IZH 53M rather weird. This aspect also means that the top lever works a bit differently than on a pneumatic piston; on a pneumatic piston, the top lever opens easily and then effort is needed for closing it, because that is when the pump is compressed; on the P11, the effort has to be made when opening the lever, because that is the action that compresses the spring - closing the lever back is easy.

So the P11 works like this:

• you release the top lever by cocking the hammer
• you then grab the lever (it has smooth edges and a groove that allow a comfortable grip) and pull it away - you can pull it to 80 degrees for low power or to about 150 degrees for full power
• you place a pellet in the breech
• you press the lever back until you hear it lock in place - I pull the hammer away during this part, to prevent it from rubbing unnecessarily with the lever lock

Note that the safety on the P11 is manual, unlike that on pneumatic guns like the P3, which gets automatically set when closing the lever. So you should set it before this operation. It works by blocking the trigger operation.

Package and build

Like the P3, the P11 came in a generic Beeman cardboard box, except this time the manual was included as well. This gun deserves a much better package. The Webley Alecto puts it to shame.

I had to order a separate case and I went for a small SRC tactical pistol case rather than the usual small Plano case model I ordered in the past. When it came, it looked as if it was going to be too small to hold the P11, but it actually fit in very well (with very little space to spare) in a straight position (I keep the P3 angled inside a Plano case). I like the SRC case over the Plano one because it locks better and feels sturdier.

The P11 is built entirely from metal. There is no plastic. The finish of the metal is excellent. The black anodized top is smooth and cleans up very easily. The stainless lower part has a bit of texture to it and is more resilient to fingerprints - this is the reason why I wanted a stainless model. The safety lever and the trigger are also made of black metal. Everything feels very well put together.

The wood grip is the only non-metal piece and it is a beauty. Its shape is excellent and it makes it very comfortable to hold the gun despite its heft. The upper part as well as the base of the grip are laminated and very nice to the touch, while the rest of it has this irregular non-slip finish that I have not seen before. It looks and feels like a high quality piece.

Adjustable settings

The rear sights can be adjusted for elevation and windage via two flat screws. The strength of the trigger spring can also be adjusted with a 2mm Allen wrench (not included) - there is a hole into the trigger guard through which this can be inserted to reach the trigger adjustment. These are explained in the manual.

I have not made any adjustment yet - the default settings worked perfectly for me. This is actually the first pistol for which I did not make any sight adjustments.

Performance

The Beeman P11 is very accurate. I already get results as good as with any other airgun in my collection and I think there is still room for improvement. The low power setting works great for shooting targets - it punches clean holes in the paper. I have tried the high power setting a few times and my aim got seriously off - it looks as if the sights need to be readjusted when used this way. The difference in effort needed for compressing the spring at the two power levels does not seem to be very high. In fact, the effort required is quite reasonable considering the resulting power. The P11 requires less effort to use than the P3.

The P11 is also fairly silent. I mainly hear the thunk of the spring and the impact on the target trap, but no loud pop from the compressed air.

The fact that the spring moves backward rather than forward seems to make a significant difference in control and accuracy too - I hoped for this and my expectations were met.

Conclusion

The Beeman P11 is a beautifully crafted airgun. Build quality is excellent, employing high quality materials. Operation and handling are very nice and its accuracy is top notch. This is one of the best spring piston airgun pistols available on the market. I just wish it would be sold with a custom case.

Digest 2013/07/21

It does not look like I will get any new airgun for a while. I explored CO2, single pump pneumatic, multi-pump pneumatic, and spring piston technology, so now I only plan to acquire airguns whose design is special in one way or another. I do not intend to try any pre-compressed pneumatic (PCP) guns because I am not particularly attracted by their operation mode.

For target shooting, I found the pneumatic guns to be the best. These guns tend to be longer, so their sights will be more precise as well. The Webley Alecto is the gun I would pick if I only wanted to keep one airgun, but there are other less expensive options that are also very good: Beeman P17 if you can get one that does not break, Beeman P3 if you want to pay more so it does not break, and the inexpensive but very versatile Crosman 1377C.

Spring piston technology is great in rifles and I like my IZH-60 very much, despite a few manufacturing issues, but in pistols it is usually implemented via a break-barrel mechanism, resulting in very large guns. My experience with the IZH-53M left me uninterested in trying another such design. I find more promise in the design of the Beeman P1 (top-lever, with the piston moving backward rather than forward), but then its high price makes me wonder whether the money would not be better spent on a P2 (single pump pneumatic) and then I wonder what the P2 could offer me over the Alecto/P3 other than a more compact metal and wood build.

The Crosman 3576W and the S&W 686 are the best suited CO2 guns for target shooting and the Crosman happens to also be very affordable. Other guns (Colt 1911, Beretta 92FS, Walther PPQ) are fun to use, but I found it harder to obtain repeatable tight groups with them - the reason for this is probably a mix of CO2 control, sights precision, trigger performance, and gun weight.

In terms of pellets, I prefer Umarex/RWS Hobby - in accurate guns like the Alecto, they seem to perform better than the Diabolo Basic and I did not see any improvement from using Meisterkugeln. Crosman pellets are also very good and inexpensive, so they tend to be my choice for CO2 pistols.

Airguns do not need maintenance like firearms do. But occasionally, you may want to lubricate a part or apply some coating for protection when storing the airgun for a longer period of time. Before using any material, make sure to check your airgun's manual for recommendations of products to use. For example the Beeman P17 recommends the use of white lithium grease for lubricating the piston. For general purpose lubrication, I use Slip 2000 Gun Lube. For wood parts, I use mineral oil to prevent the wood from drying up and cracking. And to protect the metal from rusting over long periods of storage, I use Hoppe's 9 Gun Grease.

For target shooting accessories, I found the Gamo pellet trap and the Gamo paper targets to work great, but keep in mind that most of the guns I used shoot up to around 500fps. The Alecto and the 1377C can shoot faster, but I do not pump them for such result. If you use rifles that shoot above 700fps, you will probably find the Gamo trap to last very few shots. If you look around you may also find other types of paper targets that fit in the Gamo trap. I particularly like one model that has 5 smaller targets printed on it - one in the center and four in the corners - it provides a nice challenge for the more accurate pistols - I would provide a link for it, but it no longer seems to be available.

Umarex Colt 1911 A1

The Umarex Colt 1911 A1 is a replica of one of the most iconic handguns ever produced. This was the standard sidearm for US military from 1911 until 1985, when it was replaced by the Beretta 92. Like the Berretta 92, the Colt 1911 firearm operates on short recoil. It is also known as M1911.

This Umarex airgun replica was actually produced before any of the other Umarex guns that I reviewed so far. Like the Beretta, it is made in Germany.

Operation

The Colt 1911 works very much like the Beretta 92FS, except for the safety aspects where Umarex has replicated both safety types of the firearm.

Loading a CO2 cartridge requires pressing the button on the left grip to push the right one out. You then need to pull out what looks like the magazine bottom and to unscrew the screw attached to it. Oil the tip of the CO2 cylinder, insert it and tighten the screw against its bottom - no effort is needed in this tightening, just ensure that the cylinder is not loose. Then replace the grip and slap the "magazine bottom" lever to pierce the cartridge.

Next step is to load pellets in one of the standard 8-pellet clips used by Umarex. To load the clip, open the slide by pulling down on the left side lever located above the trigger. Drop the clip in there, ratchet teeth towards the rear of the gun, and push back the slide.

Up to this point, everything worked like on the Beretta. Now comes the different part. To shoot, you need to deactivate two safeties. The first one - the thumb safety - is a one sided lever on the left side of the gun. When this is on, it disengages the trigger from operating the hammer (like on the Walther PPQ). Push it down to deactivate it. The second safety is the grip safety - you just need to hold the grip to engage this - without it being engaged, the hammer cannot strike the firing pin (well, the gas-release valve on this replica). The gun is now ready to fire.

If the grip safety sounds strange, do not worry: it operates very nicely when you just hold the gun as firmly as you would hold any other gun.

Like the Beretta, this Colt can fire in double action mode (just pull the trigger) or in single action mode (cock the hammer before pulling the trigger).

Package and build

As all other Umarex metal replicas, the M1911 comes in a plastic case with all its materials and accessories. This case is much nicer than those used with all other Umarex guns I tried so far. It lacks the precut foam and the etched firearm company logo (it just has a sticker), but it feels much more rigid and solid than the other cases. It is basically of similar sturdiness to Plano cases, whereas the usual Umarex cases were a notch below. This was a pleasant surprise.

The Colt comes with two clips, a key, a manual, safety instructions, and a promotional poster. The key can be used for adjusting the rear sight, just like on the Beretta.

I had mentioned a bunch of minor issues with the build of the Beretta. Fortunately, none of these were present for the Colt. In particular, the CO2 compartment was uniformly finished and the metal piece of the removable right grip had no traces of rust. The Colt is entirely made of metal except for the grips, which are made of what feels like rubber on my model (you can also choose wood, if you prefer). Even the sights appear to be made of metal. On the Beretta, I was annoyed by the looseness of the front sight, but this is not an issue with the Colt. Getting back to the grips, Umarex mentions that they are plastic, but to me they feel very much like rubber, so either they switched to using rubber or they used a very special plastic that feels like rubber. Regardless, the feel of these grips exceeded my expectations (I expected some plain plastic).

Bottom line is that the build of this Umarex pistol has no faults - it is a very very nice replica.

Let me comment a bit on a few more differences from the Beretta:

- the grip lever for piercing the CO2 extends much more in front of the grip than on the Beretta
- the right grip does not pop out as easily when pressing what on the firearm is the magazine release button. This is because the grip has two long pins for aligning it on the handle and, their material being flexible, they have more friction against the metal holes in which they are lodged; just pull the grip and do not be afraid to bend these pins a bit.
- the slide of the M1911 closes very nicely with a more muted sound than on the Beretta
- the handle of the M1911 is thinner than the Beretta's and it feels just right to me; the Beretta handle always felt "fat"

The Colt 1911 was offered in black and nickel with wood or plastic grips, but I have not seen the nickel version in merchant listings so far, so that may have been discontinued.

Adjustable settings

Like with the Beretta 92FS, the only adjustable setting is the rear sight, which can be adjusted for windage using the provided key. To do so, loosen the sight, then move it manually and re-tighten it - this is a bit finicky, but I only had to do it once.

Performance

In double action mode, the trigger operation feels rough. It will probably get better in time, but so far I can only say that it works, but I prefer the double action of any other airgun I reviewed so far. Single action is very interesting - the effort that is needed here is very small, which helps accuracy, but you do need to pull the finger all the way towards the handle for it to fire, which I am still trying to get used to. That being said, the little effort required in this mode meant that I could get much better accuracy from the Colt than I did from the Beretta after a similar breakdown period.

The sights work well and switching between this and the Beretta I realized that both of these need to be aimed exactly like the manual says - under the bullseye, otherwise you will shoot high.

The M1911 is an accurate airgun. It can probably fire as well as the Smith and Wesson 686 with practice, but the lack of full sights customization will make it more challenging.

CO2 use is very good. Like with the Beretta, you can get 60-80 shots easily (depending on ambient temperature) and you can push it well beyond if you do not care about clean target holes.

Conclusion

The Colt 1911 is a very nice pellet airgun replica. It has an excellent build, it handles nicely, it is accurate, and it has a unique enough mechanism (safeties + trigger) that it can complement the possession of another Umarex pistol replica. If you only want to get one Umarex pistol, this is a good choice. If you are intrigued by the S&W 686 as well, make the choice based on whether you prefer a pistol or a revolver.

Webley Alecto Ultra

Webley is one of the few companies that had a long history of producing both firearms and airguns. They discontinued the production of firearms in 1979, to focus only on airguns, which currently seem to be produced mainly in Turkey. The Alecto is a recent multi-pump pneumatic model, introduced in 2009, that comes in either .177 or .22 caliber and also provides a choice between the standard model and the Ultra model, which has a 3 inch longer barrel. The Ultra version confers slightly more velocity to pellets, but other than that, there are no significant build/operation differences between the two variants.

Operation

The operation of the Alecto is typical of top lever pneumatic guns like the Beeman P3. There are two metallic locks at the rear of the gun that release the top when they are pulled up. You then extend the top to about 120 degrees (not almost 180, as with the Beeman). You can pump the Alecto up to 3 times and you need to load a pellet into the breech before the last pump. If you only want to pump once, you should load the pellet and close the top, otherwise, just close the top and repeat the process while making sure that you remember to load a pellet before the last pump. Loading a pellet is much easier than on the Beeman because there is more space around the breech. Pumping is amazing - this is the smoothest pumping action that I have seen so far. One pump is really easy, two pumps still feel easy, and only at the third pump I felt that I approached the effort required for pumping the P3 once. Considering that the Webley puts out more power than the Beeman, this is remarkable.

There are two aspects that make the Alecto much nicer to pump:

1. it is a large gun, so you can get more torque on the top lever operation
2. the force required to close the lever peaks at around 45 degrees, very much unlike the behavior of the P3 pump, which peaks at around 10 degrees

The engineering of this pump is remarkable and just by itself justifies the price of the gun, but there is more on offer here!

I have seen several users complaining about the effort needed to do the third pump. I found it to be acceptable, especially when considering that you don't need to pump the Alecto thrice and that the effort when choosing to do so is comparable to pumping the Beeman P3 once, when you don't even have a choice. That being said, I usually pump this gun only once as it provides enough power for target shooting. This is actually the main reason why I picked the Ultra version - to have good enough power on a single pump.

The pumping of the gun automatically engages the safety - a blade that covers the front of the trigger and also blocks its operation. Once the guns is pumped and loaded, this blade can be pushed out of the way and the gun becomes ready to fire. The trigger is very light at default settings, so be careful with it.

Package and build

The Webley Alecto comes in the nicest package I have seen so far (which perhaps is not surprising, given that this is also the most expensive airgun that I reviewed so far). For one thing, the Alecto comes in a nice solid case that is a far cry from the flimsy Umarex cases. This case is above the quality of Plano cases - it feels very sturdy and rigid, and locks tight. There is just a small opening under the handle, in an area where you can add a padlock, but otherwise, the case closes very tight. The inside has a cutout for seating the gun, a bore brush, an oil bottle, and a pellet tin case - the brush, oil bottle, and a Torx key are included. There is also a manual and a test page showing the results of factory testing, which include a photocopy of a target showing 4 shots and other test data - this is quite nice and adds to the professional feeling of the package.

The Alecto is a big gun - its size was actually one of the things that made me delay the decision of purchasing it, but I shouldn't have worried: while the gun is large, it also handles beautifully. The core mechanisms are all metal, with the exterior being built from high quality plastic. If the gun would have been all metal, it would have been a chore to hold it, but the plastic allows it to be very light for its size, without sacrificing robustness. The grip is molded, so you need to make sure that you pick the right version for you - this is the first gun I review that does not have an ambidextrous grip. Build quality is top notch here - I can find no fault.

Adjustable settings

This is an area where the Alecto excels and can make much more expensive guns feel like amateur offerings. All essential features are configurable:

The front sight can be pushed in and rotated to expose a second shorter blade, to be used for 25m target shooting (assuming that the default longer one was calibrated for 10m target shooting). This is a very nice feature and I know of no other airgun currently being produced that offers it.

The rear sight can be adjusted for elevation and windage via two standard flat screws.

All aspects of the trigger functionality can be adjusted using the included Torx key. You can cant the trigger left or right, so a finger can pull it more comfortably. You can move the trigger forward or backward; you can change the length of its pull; you can adjust the strength of the trigger spring. You cannot ask for more customization than what is being offered here. I tweaked all these settings and in particular I strengthened the trigger spring, so that it would oppose a bit more resistance - I prefer this because it gives me a chance to tighten and stabilize my grip before firing.

Finally, the grip can be adjusted as well - there is a frame on one side of the grip (right side for the right handed grip, left side otherwise) that can be adjusted so it fits your hand - you can tilt this frame and you can raise it or lower it, so it provides a comfortable rest for the base of your hand.

All these configuration settings make another great reason to like the Alecto - they really allow you to tweak an already comfortable airgun into one that fits your hand like a glove.

Performance

The Alecto is a winner in this area too. Pumping it is very easy, so you do not feel exhausted by the process; holding it and operating it is comfortable because of its light build, contoured grip, and all the customizations you can make; the iron sights are very crisp; the trigger operation is smooth - the result is that the Alecto can be fired very accurately. This is one of the top airguns that I used so far and will be the yardstick by which I judge others. I could shoot this all day and everytime I use it I am impressed by the quality of its engineering.

I almost forgot - with one pump, the Alecto Ultra is also very silent - I suspect that the longer barrel also helps with this, as it allows the compressed air to dissipate its energy more before it gets out.

Conclusion

The Webley Alecto is an exceptional airgun, worth every penny. Its top-notch engineering, excellent build, and superb performance make it an easy recommendation if you are looking for a target shooting pistol.

Beeman P3

After reviewing the Beeman P17, which is an inexpensive clone of the Beeman P3, I finally decided that I should get the original airgun made in Germany by Weihrauch. The P17 performed superbly, but its pump failed after less than 100 shots - it served a role, however, as an inexpensive way of getting acquainted with the P3, which I might not have tried otherwise.

I recommend reading the P17 review first, as I will mainly go over the differences between the P3 and P17 in this one.

Operation

The P3 operates identically with the P17 - it is a single pump pneumatic gun. Notably, the force required for pumping them is the same - the P3 does not have a more efficient pump - just, hopefully, a better built one.

One thing that I omitted mentioning in the P17 review is a warning for when opening the top lever: you need to hold it firmly until you hear air hissing into the pump, otherwise it will snap back, so avoid releasing it early.

Package and build

The P3 came in a large generic Beeman cardboard box. The airgun was seated in a cutout that was made for a gun with a longer barrel. Beeman appears to have forgot to pack in the manual, so the only thing I got was the gun. Pretty spartan for the price.

The P3, like the P17, is built from a combination of plastic and metal, except the plastic and especially the metal appear to be of better quality. The plastic is a darker black and might have a smoother finish if memory doesn't play tricks on me (as I returned the P17 due to its failure, I can no longer compare them side by side). The pump and the top release lock of the P3 look as if they are made of steel, whereas I remember those in the P17 as being made of some kind of lower quality alloy. The trigger of the P3 also feels nicer. In terms of overall handling, the differences are not significant, but I hope that the higher quality materials of the P3 will ensure a much longer life.

The most notable difference is that the P3 features fiber optic front and rear sights. Intriguingly, some of the online images of the P3 do not show the rear fiber optic sights - maybe these are an addition in more recent production units. They are a nice touch.

An important feature of the P3/P17 is that they are very compact pneumatic airguns that are styled to look as firearms. Thus, they are very different from guns like the Crosman 1377C or the Daisy Avanti models.

Adjustable settings

Like on the P17, the rear sights can be adjusted precisely for elevation and windage, through the use of two flat screws.

Performance

The fiber optic sights are a nice bonus over the already excellent sights of the P17. And the P3 trigger feels smoother than the P17 counterpart. Thus, it should come as no surprise that the P3 is as great a performer as the P17. Its comfortable shape, size, and weight, combined with the light, smooth trigger, make it very easy to shoot accurately. This is one of the nicest air pistols I own and its only drawback is the effort required of pumping it, which prevents me from using it for extended periods of time.

In terms of noise, the P3 is about as noisy as a CO2 gun. The P17 might have been a bit less loud, but I cannot remember exactly.

Conclusion

The Beeman P3 is an excellent target pistol that is very fun to shoot until you get tired of pumping it. Its price is its main drawback and I understand why the owners of Beeman concocted the P17 as a less expensive version. However, the P17 seems to have a very limited lifespan, so it only works as an advertisement for what the P3 can offer. If you are looking for an accurate pneumatic airgun that is also compact and styled as a firearm, then the P3 is the least expensive offer currently on the market.

Beeman P17

Beeman Precision Airguns had a close partnership with German airgun manufacturer Weihrauch. BPA have initially imported Weihrauch airguns to the US and then they partnered with Weihrauch to develop a number of airguns that got marketed under both the Beeman and Weihrauch brands. Thus, the spring piston Beeman P1 corresponds to the Weihrauch HW45, the pneumatic Beeman P2 to the Weihrauch HW75, and the pneumatic Beeman P3 to the Weihrauch HW40. At this point, you might wonder what all of this has got to do with the Beeman P17 - well, this is the interesting part: after BPA got acquired by S/R Industries, this model seems to have appeared as a less expensive clone of the Beeman P3 that is manufactured in China. The P3 is a plastic pneumatic top lever airgun that is manufactured in Germany by Weihrauch. The P17 is the same design, but is much less expensive because of its place of manufacture. At a 5th of the price of the Weihrauch 40, the P17 sounds too good to be true - is it really so? Read on for the details.

Operation

Being a single shot, pneumatic pistol, the P17 is very simple to operate. Cocking the gun releases the top part, which includes the barrel, and exposes the pump mechanism. The top part needs to be pulled forward -  there is no pumping during this move, so this is an easy motion. Once the lever is extended, you need to load a pellet in the breech of the barrel - this is the finicky part, because there is just enough space for adult fingers to do the operation. Make sure that the skirt of the pellet is flush with the breech, otherwise it will damage the seal around the pump opening. Now comes the physically demanding part - you need to push back the top part and close it - this move gets gradually harder as you get closer to the end and it will take a noticeable effort to close it. It feels ok a few time, but do it twenty times or more and it will start wearing you off.

Closing the lever also engages the pistol's safety, which is a lever above the trigger, on the left side. This needs to be pushed away from the grip before firing. If you are right handed, you can conveniently do this with the thumb.

Package and build

Like all inexpensive airguns, the Beeman P17 comes in a plastic package that you can throw away. I actually got the version that came with a red dot sight, which I found to be useless for target shooting. I imagine it helps with situations where you want to aim fast, but it didn't look like it would help with precision shooting because of parallax issues.

The pistol is very nicely built. It is mostly made of plastic, but it has a very nice feel to it - it reminds me of the Walther PPQ both in terms of feel and in terms of stylistic touches - the grip and trigger guard in particular seem to take a clue from the Walther pistols. Note that the internals of the P17 are all metal - that includes the trigger, the hammer, and the safety lever.

For a top-lever pistol, the P17 is very compact and it is also very light.

One nice touch that the P17 includes is a builtin compensator. I have no idea how effective it is, but it looks nice.

Adjustable settings

The rear sight is adjustable for both windage and elevation and the adjustment mechanism works great, allowing precision changes.

Performance

The P17 impressed me with its accuracy and handling. It was one of the most accurate pistols I used so far. I say "was" because after less than 100 shots the pump failed and I was left with a piece of junk - fortunately, this happened during the period within which I could still return it, which I promptly did. I would have got a replacement but I have seen multiple reviews describing pump failures for this model, so I decided not to risk again. I actually read those reviews before ordering the P17, but I wanted to see for myself, so I did.

It might help to describe the pump failure in more detail. It happened as I was reloading the pistol, in the middle of a shooting session. I had fired it a few times and then the pump just failed as I was closing the lever for another shot. By failed, I mean that I heard a sudden hiss of air and the lever closed instantly with no effort. Further attempts to pump it led to similar results - I would get resistance when closing the lever up to about 40 degrees and then suddenly the air would gush out and the lever would snap closed with no resistance. I suspect that the head of the pump just started giving way under pressure - it would work up to a point, but then it would just fail and let the air out.

Leaving aside this unfortunate pump failure for the P17, my experience with this pistol design was very positive. Because of its shape and weight, it was a pleasure to use. The only downside was the force required for pumping it. Accuracy was excellent, the trigger was light and crisp, and power was sufficient to cut clean round holes in targets - all of these made the Beeman P17 a very nice pistol for target shooting.

Conclusion

I cannot recommend the Beeman P17 model - unfortunately, it looks like the attempt to provide an inexpensive version of the P3 has compromised the robustness of the pump and through that it compromised the entire product (yes, it was too good to be true). However, while it worked, the P17 worked very well and this makes me think that the Beeman P3 would make a very fine airgun.

So this is an unusual review, because I started by reviewing one product, only to recommend another, more expensive, one. Take it as more of an indirect review of the design of the Beeman P3.

Crosman 3576W vs Umarex Smith and Wesson 686

As promised in the review of the Crosman 3576W, I am going to compare that revolver with the Umarex Smith and Wesson 686. Both of these are similar in the high level specs - both are CO2 revolvers, both use 10 pellet clips, and both have a 6" barrel. There is an obvious difference in the materials used, but what else does one get for the significant price difference? To answer this question, I will use the same format that I used for airgun reviews, except now, each section will address the differences between these two airguns.

Operation

Both revolvers use CO2. The 686 requires removing a single grip side and the piercing is performed by the lever that masks as the grip bottom. The 3576W requires removing both grips and the piercing is performed by turning a screw that is revealed when opening the grips. In general, I prefer the approach taken by the S&W, but in this particular instance, I found it a bit more finicky than on the Beretta 92FS, which uses the same mechanism.

The clip loading is done using a swing out cylinder mechanism, while the Crosman uses a top break approach. The swing out approach is simpler and more robust.

Overall, there is no significant difference in operation. Users may prefer one approach over the other, but both revolvers are nice and easy to use.

Package and build

The S&W 686 impresses here, as it comes with a nice custom case and is built to look like the firearm it replicates. The 3576W is built very well, but this is an area where the price difference has an obvious justification.

Adjustable settings

Both revolvers have a nice adjustable rear sight. The S&W offers two additional options for customizing the front sight and those give it an edge.

Performance

Both revolvers do a great job of regulating the CO2 consumption. By this, I mean that the airguns maintain high enough power for longer, with the result that they also consume the CO2 powerlet after fewer shots. This is a good thing though, because fewer stronger shots are better than a lot of weak ones when it comes to target shooting. The S&W 686 seems to do a superb job here, as it cuts clean holes through paper for 50 shots, then loses power very quickly after that. The 3576W seems to lose power a bit faster, but after 60 shots, it still produces enough power for punching holes in paper targets and can go 20 more shots if you don't care about scoring - the sudden drop in power that I noticed with the 686 is not present here. The 686 seems to have a stricter consumption regulation, but the difference is pretty small anyway - both revolvers are great CO2 airguns.

Both revolvers also have great triggers. The 686 has a lighter trigger and the double action is exceptionally smooth. The 3576W double action is very good, but the 686 is just special here. Both triggers work great in single action - the 686 is still smoother here, but I actually prefer the resistance of the Crosman single action, so I'd call it a draw.

In terms of handling, the plastic build of the Crosman works in its favor, as it makes it easier to use for longer sessions. I also find the handle-trigger ergonomics to be slightly more comfortable than on the 686. The S&W 686 is a large and heavy revolver and its weight and size take their toll after a while - this is a plus if you want it for training to use a similar firearm, but a minus if you only care about target shooting.

The accuracy of both these revolvers is excellent and I cannot pick one over the other. Neither is designed for target shooting, but they can work in that role pretty well.

Conclusion

Both the Crosman 3576W and the Umarex S&W 686 are excellent CO2 revolvers. The 686 is a showpiece and in this aspect, it has no competition from the 3576W. But when it comes to actual use and results, the differences are smaller than one might expect. The 686 offers an adjustable front sight and an exceptional double action trigger, as well as an excellent use of the CO2 powerlet, but these differences aside, there is very little to separate these two airguns when it comes to accuracy - in fact, here, the plastic build of the Crosman make it a bit easier to use over longer periods of time.

If you are split between these options, I hope this comparison will help. And if you are still split, consider doing what I did - get both! They are worth it.

Crosman 3576W

As I mentioned in the review of the Smith and Wesson 686, the other CO2 airgun that I wanted to try was the Crosman 3576W. These are CO2 revolvers with similar specs - both have 6" barrels and use 10 pellet clips. They both also have very good reviews and the Crosman costs about a fifth of the cost of the Umarex revolver, so I was curious to compare them, especially since I liked very much the Crosman 1377C, so I knew that Crosman can provide great quality for an affordable price.

The style of the Crosman 3576W revolver draws inspiration from the Colt Python, but it replaces the swing out cylinder mechanism of that revolver with a top break mechanism that I first saw in the S&W Schofield; also, the Python did not seem to have contoured grips, so those are probably inherited from some other revolver model. As such, the 3576W is not a firearm replica - it is just styled to look like a firearm.

Crosman has quite a history of producing CO2 revolvers. The 3576W comes from a series of 357* revolver models that goes back to 1983 - 30 years! I imagine that the "357" part of the name hints to revolvers using the .357 Magnum round and I know that the "6" stands for the 6" barrel, but I do not know what the W is meant to suggest - perhaps higher power compared to previous generation? As with the S&W 686 airgun, this Crosman revolver also used to come in versions having different barrel sizes, but now only the 6" version is available.

Operation

One other aspect where the 3576W shows that it is not a replica is the presence of a safety. This safety takes the form of a bolt that can be pushed in the path of the hammer - to engage it, you have to pull the hammer slightly, to allow the safety to slide in front of it; to take it off, simply push it out of the way of the hammer.

As usual, the CO2 powerlet can be loaded in the grip of the revolver. The grip mechanism is rather unique in that both sides come off. First pull the right side by holding it from the middle and pulling it away - it should detach with little effort and once it comes off, the left side will be easy to remove too. What remains is a grip skeleton that is shaped to receive the CO2 powerlet. The piercing mechanism is a simple screw - this needs to be unscrewed first to make place for the powerlet. After oiling the tip of the CO2 cylinder and placing it in the grip, you can turn back the screw to pierce it. Do that by turning the screw firmly once you feel stronger resistance. As I mentioned in the review of the Walther PPQ, which uses a similar piercing mechanism, I like to turn the screw a bit after it pierces the cylinder, but then I unscrew it just a tiny bit. Now it is time to replace the grips. I do that in the reverse order in which I removed them - I first fit back the left grip and then the right one - when they are fitted correctly, pressing them together will result in a snapping sound and they'll get secured. Removing and putting back the grips requires very little force - if you find it to be otherwise, you are doing something wrong. The grips are made of plastic, so you should never apply excessive force - it is not necessary and it can break the attachment clips.

As mentioned earlier, the clip loading mimics a top break mechanism. To break open the revolver, you need to push a lever on top - keep it pressed while pushing down the barrel and release it only once the barrel is clear of the lock. You can now mount a clip on the short protruding pivot at the back of the barrel. Once a clip is loaded, I press again the top lever while pushing the barrel back to its normal position. I always press the top lever during this operation, to avoid wearing the locking mechanism.

The revolver is now ready to fire either in single action, after cocking the hammer, or in double action with a longer trigger pull.

Package and build

As usual for airguns in its price range, the 3576W came in a plastic wrap that I cut with scissors. One clip was included besides the manual and warranty cards. As it seems to be usual with Crosman packaging, the manual was rolled so I had to roll it in the opposite direction to get it to sit flat. I recommend getting one set of extra clips - they are inexpensive and make recharging easier.

The Crosman revolver is built from metal and plastic. The grips are plastic and attach to a metal frame, the clips are made of plastic, and the barrel is shrouded in plastic. The safety bolt is also plastic, but the rest is metal - the trigger, the hammer, the grip frame, and the barrel. I liked that a metallic piece was also used in the top break locking mechanism to protect the plastic of the shroud. Basically, all essential parts that suffer wear and tear are made of metal or protected by a piece of metal. The only parts that may get worn out are the attachment clips of the grips, but so far I saw no issues with them. This is a very nicely built revolver.

I also like the plastic parts - they look and feel very nice. They also make the 3576W very light, especially when compared with an airgun that uses more metal such as the Smith and Wesson 686.

Adjustable settings

The front sight is fixed, but the rear sight adjusts for both elevation and windage via a couple of screws.

Performance

The 3576W does a very good job of regulating CO2 use and it provides pretty constant power over the use of one powerlet. I can get 80 shots per CO2 cylinder, but after the first 60 shots, the power starts dropping and the pellets no longer cut clean holes in the paper targets, so I stop after 6 clips. This revolver definitely maintains constant power better than the Beretta 92FS and the Walther PPQ.

The Crosman 3576W handles very nicely - I really like the shape of its grips and its light weight also makes it easy to handle it for extended periods. The sights are also very good.

The trigger is crisp and precise in single action mode. In double action mode, it requires a stronger pull, but it still works very predictably - I was quite impressed with the overall performance of the trigger.

Given all the above observations, it should not come as a surprise that the accuracy of the 3576W is excellent and that this revolver is very suitable for target shooting. Everything works great here.

Conclusion

Crosman has engineered another classic airgun in the 3576W. No wonder it is so popular. Even ignoring its very affordable price, this revolver offers pretty much everything that you could expect to find in a CO2 revolver.

I am impressed with Crosman - they offer excellent features in very affordable models.

In my next post, I will attempt to answer the unavoidable question - how does the Crosman 3576W compare to the Umarex Smith and Wesson 686?

Umarex Smith and Wesson 686

After the Beretta 92FS and the Walther PPQ, I decided to try two more CO2 airguns that had a great reputation for accuracy. The Umarex Smith and Wesson 586 and 686 revolvers were said to be as good as many target pistols, so they formed option #1.

The only difference between the 586 and the 686 models is that the latter has a nickel body. These revolvers used to come with several barrel sizes and you could even buy the barrels separately to exchange them, but these days only the 4" and 6" versions of the 586 can be found and the 686 only comes in a 6" version, with its 6" barrel also available separately (I wonder why). I picked the 686 because I liked how the nickel contrasted with the black grips and clip, but other than this aspect, I am not aware of any essential differences between these models, so this review will apply just as well to the 586 model.

Operation

The Umarex pistols are revolvers in disguise and thus their operation differs significantly from the firearms they copy. The Smith and Wesson revolvers do not have such problem. The only important difference is that instead of a full cylinder, these replicas use a rotating clip that masks as the front part of the cylinder (and doesn't mask too well on the 686, because the clips are black). The rear part of the cylinder is fixed and its only purpose is to mimic the look of the cylinder.

There is no safety on these revolvers, so it is better to perform the CO2 loading without a clip inserted. To reveal the CO2 compartment, open the lever at the bottom of the grip and then pull out the right grip. The CO2 mechanism is similar to that of the Beretta 92FS. There is a retainer screw that needs to be unscrewed before inserting the gas cylinder. Once that is done, oil the tip of a CO2 powerlet, insert it into the compartment, and tighten back the screw without exerting any force - you are just trying to secure the powerlet, not to pierce it. Once this is done, place back the right grip and then firmly push close the bottom lever - this will pierce the CO2 cylinder. This piercing part is trickier than on the Beretta - I found the grip lever to be harder to close quickly and I even managed to be slow enough in doing it that I once wasted two gas capsules. Just hold the grip tightly with one hand and then press the lever firmly with the other until it snaps shut.

With the CO2 loaded, the next step is to load a clip. Again, I remind you that there is no safety, so stay away from the trigger during this operation. The S&W 686 mimics a swing out cylinder loading mechanism - the clip needs to be loaded on an arm that is unlocked by pushing a lever behind the left side of the cylinder. Swing that arm out all the way, then slide the clip on it and close it back. The revolver is now ready to shoot.

The 686 works either in double action by directly pulling the trigger or in single action, by cocking the hammer and then pulling the trigger.

Package and build

The Smith and Wesson 686 came in a larger plastic case than that of the Beretta 92FS and this is not only because the 686 is a larger airgun, but because there is a lot of space inside. The case feels slightly sturdier than that of the Beretta, but is still not as solid as a Plano case. As usual with Umarex replica cases, the S&W logo is nicely etched on the front of this case. The foam inside is already cut to offer a lot of storage inserts - I am not even sure what they are all meant to hold, but it is better to have more storage options than less. Unlike with the Beretta case, the foam inside the S&W case is glued to it - I like to store the airgun papers under the foam, but I cannot do that here. A manual, a warranty card, safety rules, and a Umarex brochure come in the case. There are also a few accessories - two clips, two front sights of different widths, a barrel removal key, and a barrel cleaning brush.

As usual for the high end Umarex replicas, this airgun is mostly made of metal - the main exceptions are the plastic front sight and the rubber grips.

The plastic front sights are a nice idea. The gun comes with one sight mounted and two others of different widths are included as customization alternatives. I found the one that was mounted to be of the right width for me, but others may find one of the other two alternatives to work better for them.

I liked the intention of these sights but they also happen to generate my only trouble with this gun. One problem is that their base is wider than the metal slot where they were supposed to fit over the barrel, so they cannot be attached in a straight position and instead they end up sitting tilted to one side or the other. This is not what I expected from German manufacturing. I had to remove the sight piece and file the edges of its base, to get it to sit flush with the barrel. Another problem is that the sight is long, is not made of very rigid plastic, and is attached by a single screw - the result is that it moves slightly when touched - this contrasts unpleasantly with the otherwise very solid feel of this airgun. There is no operational impact, however, and this is a much shorter list of issues than I had with the Beretta 92FS.

Front sight aside, the 686 is very solidly built and looks very nice, even better than the Beretta. It is also a very large gun and thus it is quite heavy too.

The clips deserve a bit of commentary as well. They are very solid and heavy and their size permits housing 10 pellets. They only come in black, so there is no nickel version to match the 686, but I actually like the contrast they make with the body of the 686 - they act as a cylinder accent. On the Beretta/Walther style of clips, the ratchet teeth are extending from the clip body, but in these S&W clips, those teeth are recessed, which is very convenient because you can store more than a pair of clips in contact with each other without having any contact (and wear) between those teeth.

Also, many online reviews mentioned that the extra clips that Umarex sells are actually having larger pellet holes than the clips that came with the revolver. If that was an issue at some point, it appears that it has now been resolved - I have seen no difference between the original clips and the extra set I purchased - they are identical.

Adjustable settings

I have already mentioned that the front sights can be changed to adjust their width. In a nice change of pace from the Umarex pistols, the 686 rear sight can now be adjusted for elevation as well as for windage. The adjustments are done by turning a couple of screws, so they can be done with more precision than on many other airguns.

Performance

The 686 behaves very differently from the Beretta and Walther pistols when it comes to CO2 consumption. It seems to regulate the use of CO2 much better, so it keeps almost constant power for 50 shots (5 clips), after which the power will drop abruptly. The first time I used it, I fired 6 clips and about halfway through the 6th one I felt the power dropping severely, so now I stop after 5 clips.

The better CO2 use regulation leads to shots being more powerful than with the Beretta/Walther, so they cut cleaner holes in paper targets and they are louder as well. The 686 is distinctly louder than the other CO2 airguns and in fact it might be the loudest airgun I have.

The sights, with all the adjustments available, are among the best sights I used.

This revolver is indeed very accurate. It lives to the reputation of being as accurate as a target pistol. Only its size and weight prevent me from shooting it as accurately as a target pistol, but without doubt, this is one of the most accurate airguns I have.

Special praise needs to be given to the trigger action. I expected it to be smooth and crisp in single action, but I was very surprised about how nicely the double action worked - it is both light and crisp, so this may well be the best double action available in any airgun pistol or revolver.

Conclusion

The Smith and Wesson 686 sets the standard by which CO2 airguns should be judged. Front sight nitpicking aside, it offers a superb build and operation coupled with excellent accuracy. I would only caution about its size - it could be found to be too large and heavy to use comfortably, but if that is not an issue, I cannot see why anyone would be disappointed with this revolver.

PS: Do you remember that at the beginning of the review I mentioned trying two CO2 airguns? Well, the other one is the Crosman 3576W, which I will review soon - I also plan to compare the two in a separate post.

Umarex Walther PPQ

I wanted to try another CO2 pistol after the Beretta 92FS. The Walther PPQ drew my attention for several reasons:

• it is also produced by Umarex and it shares the same clip with the Beretta, so I could reuse the clips in both pistols
• Umarex owns Walther and I heard that this pellet pistol was launched at the same time as the Walther PPQ firearm
• the Walther PPQ was relatively inexpensive and I was curious about the quality available at this price point
• the PPQ is one of the smallest pellet pistol replicas that Umarex makes these days
• I liked its look

Operation

The PPQ is based on a similar revolver mechanism as the Beretta 92FS and it shares the same clip with that pistol. The main differences are that the PPQ:

• is double action only (DAO) and has no hammer
• has a safety on the right side only (the safety of the 92FS has levers on both sides)
• has a plastic exterior
• has a rather unique CO2 loading mechanism
• has sights marked with paint
• is less expensive

The CO2 loading mechanism deserves more attention. It basically consists of two lids that cover the back of the grip and its bottom. Pulling down the bottom lid by its tip will open both of them. The bottom lid covers the screw for securing and piercing the CO2 powerlet, while the back lid uncovers the compartment where the powerlet should be introduced. Unscrew the piercing mechanism, oil the tip of the powerlet and introduce it in the compartment, then firmly screw the mechanism to secure and pierce the CO2 cylinder. I usually turn the screw a bit more after I hear the gas hissing and then I unscrew it just a tiny bit to make sure that the gas can flow out easily - I started doing this after reading about an issue that Tom Gaylord described in his review of the pistol (see part 2). Finally, the lids should be closed and here you need to close both by only pushing the back grip lid - that should engage and close the bottom lid as well. This is important - closing the bottom lid first will make it hard to close the back lid and you may damage the plastic as well, so remember to close both by having the back lid push close the bottom one. And keep those fingers out of the way!

Loading the clip is the same as on the Beretta 92FS and once that is done, the gun is ready to fire. Disengage the safety by pushing it forward and up and then you can fire by pulling the trigger.

The PPQ can fire both pellets and steel BBs and comes with separate clips for each of these. The pellet clip is a metal clip, identical to those used in the Beretta 92FS. The BB clip looks the same but is made of plastic. I have not used BBs in this gun, so my evaluation is done using only pellets.

Package and build

The PPQ is wrapped in a plastic box that you need to cut with scissors to extract the pistol, the manual, and the two clips. This is typical for pistols in this price range.

I like the build of the PPQ very much. The plastic looks even better than in the pictures I had seen online and feels very nice to touch. The trigger and the slide mechanism are made of metal - only the exterior is made of plastic. I expect this pistol to last as much as the Beretta.

I also like the shape of the pistol very much - it is very comfortable to hold. Looking at pictures of the firearm, it is hard to tell the difference. This is a very well made replica.

Unlike the Beretta, which was manufactured in Germany, this Walther pistol is made in Taiwan. It is not clear to me whether Umarex owns manufacturing facilities in Taiwan or simply contracted one of the experienced Taiwanese airgun makers, but whatever may be the case, I found this PPQ to be very well built and without the many small issues that I discovered in the Beretta 92FS.

Adjustable settings

The rear sight can be adjusted for windage. While there is no adjustment for elevation, I did not miss one.

Performance

Let me get the bad out of the way. During the first couple of CO2 cartridges, I experienced many misfires where gas would be released, but the pellet would remain stuck in the clip. I am not sure what caused this, but the situation has improved with subsequent use. Now, I might still get a pellet stuck, but it happens once per CO2 cartridge, if at all. Because of this initial issue, I have also avoided pushing the use of one CO2 powerlet beyond 60 shots. If you have the same experience, be patient - it should improve after about 100 shots.

The trigger of the PPQ, being DA, requires a longer pull and more force, but I found it to be very predictable (a good thing). As a result, I get pretty consistent groups with the PPQ. On average, I get better groups with the PPQ than with the 92FS, but with the 92FS I got better all-time groups.

Like the Beretta, the PPQ seems able to use the CO2 powerlet for more shots by using less gas with each shot. This also makes the PPQ as silent as the 92FS - they are both louder than the Crosman 1377C, but still more silent than other CO2 pistols.

I initially thought that the sight markings would be more helpful, but after a while I started ignoring them. The sights are pretty good.

As I said earlier, I really like the shape of this pistol - it feels very, very comfortable to hold.

Conclusion

There is nothing to reproach to the PPQ once you accept it as what it is - a replica pistol, not a target pistol. It is inexpensive, it looks and handles very well, and it shoots great even with the challenge of DAO. If you are looking for a reliable and inexpensive pistol replica, you should definitely have a look at the Walther PPQ.

IZH Baikal 60

Before I formed an opinion about the IZH 53M, I was intrigued by the IZH 60 rifle and I decided to try one.  This rifle also had good reviews, so it seemed like a safe investment.

There is a repeater version of the IZH 60 - the IZH 61 - which uses a 5 shot clip, but I decided to go with the one shot IZH 60 because the clip operation of the 61 model was reported to be a bit finicky.

Operation

The IZH 60 is a spring piston rifle, but while most spring piston rifles use a break barrel mechanism, this Baikal model uses a side lever. This side lever is normally locked against the rifle body and needs to first be released by pressing a rod under its handle - this releases the lever, which can now be pulled to compress the spring - this movement will also release the bolt, exposing the breech for loading a pellet. Once the spring is cocked, the lever can be brought back along the side of the rifle to be locked. Not getting the side lever locked will prevent the bolt action from staying closed, so you need to push the lever against the rifle body to engage its lock. Next step is to load a pellet into the breech and close the bolt - the gun is now ready to fire; like the 53M, it has no safety.

I was confused at first by which steps are required to operate this rifle, so I will repeat them again:

1. Unlock the side lever by pressing the rod under its handle
2. Pull back the side lever to compress the spring (the bolt will open automatically)
3. Bring back the side lever, making sure to get it locked
4. Place a pellet into the breech
5. Close the bolt action - the rifle is ready to fire

The lever action is very easy and comfortable - it is only the pushing of the bolt to release the lever that can get a bit hard on the tip of the fingers, but I got used to it after a while.

Package and Build

Like the IZH 53M, the IZH 60 came in a cardboard box sealed in thick plastic. The rifle is wrapped in a piece of special paper that appears to be lightly oiled. The other contents are the manual, a cleaning rod, and a few spare pieces (a seal, a washer, and a small spring) that are wrapped in a tiny piece of paper and are attached by a small staple to the packaging of the cleaning rod - this small package is very easy to miss, so look out for it. I have not yet figured out where the spare pieces can be used, but it is nice to see them included.

BTW, additional spare parts can be found separately. Spare main springs can be purchased - these seem to have the same coiling as the spares for the IZH 53M pistol, but they are slightly shorter. However, one of the spares I acquired for the IZH 53M is exactly the same length as the spares for the IZH 60! I believe a spring from the IZH 53M could very well work in the IZH 60, but it would produce slightly less power, if it is of the shorter variety.

The Baikal model 60 is built from a combination of metal and plastic. Like in the case of model 53M, all pieces under stress are built out of metal. The trigger piece is plastic, but the trigger mechanism is metal. I have no concern about the durability of this rifle. Furthermore, the plastic used here is of higher quality than the one used for the stock of the IZH 53M - it has no blemishes and is very nicely textured. The rifle barrel is metal forged, as all Baikal barrels appear to be. The lever seemed a bit frail - it is basically a thin metallic U frame - but I do not see any signs that it cannot fulfill its job.

At 33" long, the IZH 60 is also one of the shortest adult rifles available on the market. I liked its style in pictures and in real life it looks even better. Both the pistol grip and the forward grip are nicely shaped and very comfortable to hold.

There is one big problem and it took me a while to notice it and to get certain that I am not imagining things: the barrel is not mounted parallel to the stock - it is slanted towards the right. This is an assembly issue and based on other reviews complaining about the rifle shooting to the right, I suspect that this is a general manufacturing issue.

A couple more issues are related to the shape of the rod that needs to be pushed to release the side lever and to the shape of the bolt handle. The side lever release rod is a bit harsh on the fingers - a flatter surface would help there. The bolt handle is too thin and is lacking the classical round end. I got used with both these aspects after a while, but they are worth mentioning.

Adjustable settings

The two main adjustable settings are the rear sight and the shoulder stock length.

The rear sight can be adjusted for both elevation and windage. Elevation can be adjusted very conveniently and precisely by rotating a wheel, but windage adjustment is less elegant and requires loosening two screws to move the sight laterally.

The degree of freedom for the windage adjustment is insufficient to allow compensating for the degree of barrel slant - I have it set all the way to the left and the rifle still shoots a bit to the right. The rear sight also has a weird design: there is a fixed post on the rifle that has two elongated holes through which two screws go into the moving sight piece. The holes in the fixed post determine the degree of adjustment of the sight piece and they cannot be enlarged further. If the elongated holes would have been on the sight piece and the screws would have went into the post piece, I could have built a new sight piece easily, but as it is, I need to not only drill holes into a replacement sight but I also need to get them threaded for the size of the screws.

Adjusting the stock is very easy - loosen a screw at the bottom of the stock and then pull the stock back. If you want more length, you need to completely remove the screw, pull out the stock, and then move the piece into which the screw engages into a second slot away from the gun, then screw the stock back against that - this will give you an extra inch over the factory setting. I pulled the stock all the way back at the first setting and that works great for me - it is nice to know that it can still go either way.

Performance

The IZH 60 is a very accurate rifle and, as a result, I use it as the standard against which I judge other airguns. This rifle is also rather silent, just like its relative, the IZH 53M pistol. Power is excellent for target shooting, maybe even a bit too strong for that. However, among airgun rifles, the IZH 60 probably has the lowest power, so keep my previous comment in the context of target shooting. There are pistols that have more power than this rifle (the Crosman 1377C is one of them), but they also require more force (to pump or to compress the spring piston), so when it comes to target shooting, my Gamo pellet trap feels the difference.

The sights work very well (with some caveats I mentioned earlier) - the distance between the front and rear sights also helps with accuracy. The trigger is crisp - it has little travel, requires an adequate amount of force, and then breaks quickly - I might criticize it a bit on a pistol, but it feels right for a rifle that is easier to hold steady. So far, I did not see the degradation in performance that I noticed in the IZH 53M trigger.

There is nothing not to like about the performance of the IZH 60 - this is a very well designed rifle.

Conclusion

What I like the most about the IZH 60 is how reliable its accuracy is. Together with the Crosman 1377C, this is one of my most reliable airguns. The style of the rifle also makes it very attractive and pleasant to use.

The only significant negative is the assembly quality, which for my sample resulted in a barrel that is slanted against the stock of the rifle. But even this drawback does not remove much from my enjoyment of this nice rifle.

IZH Baikal 53M

When researching alternatives to CO2 airguns, I found out about the Crosman 1377C, but also about the IZH 53M. "IZH" comes from Izhevsk Mechanical Plant, a Russian factory that also produced firearms like the Makarov pistol; Baikal is the brand under which this factory is manufacturing airguns.

Model 53M is a spring pistol that has suffered some changes over the years. The version that is currently available is very different from the one depicted in the Blue Book of Airguns. I understand that plastic replaced some metal components, but I have never seen the original model other than in pictures.

I decided to try this pistol because it was inexpensive and promised to be of a sturdy build. Users also claimed that it was very accurate and a great 10m target shooting pistol.

Operation

The IZH 53M is a break barrel pistol, which means that its barrel also represents the lever that is used to compress its spring. The pistol consists of a barrel that sits in front of a cylinder that holds the spring. The trigger mechanism sits under the spring cylinder and a large set of plastic grips attaches to it. By pulling down on the barrel, the spring is cocked. A pellet can now be introduced in the rear end of the barrel before straightening it out. Once that is done, pressing the trigger will fire the pistol - there is no safety mechanism, other than the one that prevents firing the gun while the barrel is bent. Very simple operation.

Cocking the Baikal requires very little effort. Firing it, however, is the tricky part, as you will have to deal with the kick of the spring that first jerks the pistol forward, then backward. The artillery hold is recommended for such airguns.

Package and Build

The IZH 53M came into a cardboard box, including instructions and a metal cleaning rod, in addition to the pistol itself. The box was sealed in a very thick plastic bag that felt very Russian in style.

This is a Russian pistol indeed. Everything feels very solid, although a bit unrefined. The barrel is metal forged, which is supposed to be a costly process that results in more accurate barrels - this operation is usually too expensive, but Russian manufacturing costs appear to still be low enough to make it economically feasible. The grip, front sight, and a few other parts are made of plastic, but none of them is under any kind of stress, so they will probably last as much, if not more, than the metal parts.

The large plastic body of this Baikal pistol looks a bit industrial and could use a bit more refinement. However, this is just the looks - its shape is very comfortable to hold.

One thing that needs to be pointed out is that this pistol is very long. I could not even find an inexpensive case to hold it. I picked a 2 pistol pillared Plano case, only to find out that the Baikal could only fit inside by breaking its barrel without actually compressing its spring. Despite its large size, the 53M is quite light - this is because other than the barrel, all metal parts sit right above the grip.

The long size is a direct result of the break barrel mechanism. Using the barrel to compress the spring requires the barrel and the spring cylinder to be in line, which means that despite the overall length, the gun still gets to have a shorter barrel than a pneumatic gun like the Crosman 1377C, where the barrel and the air piston cylinder are overlapping. All break barrel pistols will be long like this.

One last point - despite its large size, the 53M is not heavy and it is easy to hold steady - until you press the trigger.

Adjustable settings

The only adjustable setting for the IZH 53M is the rear sight, which can be adjusted for both elevation and windage. The adjustments are made via knobs that can be rotated. In theory, this should allow for fine adjustments, but in practice, the operation of these knobs was rather bumpy - I had to work them back and forth a bit to smooth out their operation.

Performance

The operation of the IZH 53M is very quiet and the power is very good - this gun can cut very distinct holes in paper targets. Speaking of which, 400fps seems to me to be the speed at which neat round holes are being cut reliably in target paper.

Aside from the finicky aspect of adjusting them, I really liked the size of the iron sights

Initially, I shot the Baikal all over the place, until I managed to sight it in so I can at least hit the target reliably. At one point, I got a very promising group where 8 out of 10 shots were very close to each other. But I never managed to get such a result again! I am not sure what the problem was - either the performance degraded or, as I was getting better with other pistols, I got worse with this one. I simply could not get reliable results - the spring movement was jerking the pistol too much in my hand and none of the grips I tried actually worked. Of course, I also tried the artillery hold, but it did not produce much improvement.

To top it off, after a while, performance clearly degraded in one area - the trigger. Initially, the trigger was rather stiff, with little travel and a sudden break - not unlike that of the Crosman 1377C. But after a couple hundred shots, the trigger started getting mushy - it could be depressed a bit with no effort and then it would just break - sometimes with a bit of resistance, sometimes without. Without any safety, this was a bit scary.

In the end, I just threw away this gun - using it was aggravating, a waste of pellets, and even felt a bit dangerous once the trigger started acting up.

Conclusion

I did not like the IZH 53M. Perhaps I did not figure out how to use it well, but I tried and I just did not like the experience. The gun seemed very accurate if you can handle the spring movement, but that is trickier than you might think because, unlike a firearm's kickback, the jerking of the gun happens while the pellet is still travelling inside the barrel. As I discovered nicer airguns, I just could not see much use for the Baikal 53M, so I ended up getting rid of it. This is the worst airgun that I used so far and it has cured me from using any other spring piston pistol, though I realize that some are much better.

Crosman 1377C American Classic

Sometimes, I just want to practice a few shots and be done with it. With the Beretta 92FS I have to go through many targets to exhaust a CO2 powerlet, so I started looking at pneumatic and spring piston airguns. The Crosman 1377C was both held in high regard and available at an affordable price, so I had to give it a try. This airgun is available with brown or black plastic grips and I picked the black version, which is listed as PC77 Pumpmaster Classic on Crosman's site - there is no difference between them other than the color of the grips.

Operation

The "classic" aspect of this airgun's name comes from its design originating with Crosman model 105, which was manufactured between 1947 and 1953. So this design has been around for some time and the fact that it is still sold today is a testament to its quality.

The 1377C consists of a long barrel sitting over the compression cylinder with the pump masking as the forward grip. The manual states that the pistol should be pumped at least 3 times and no more than 10 times. Pumping it less than 3 times could lead to a pellet getting stuck in the barrel (although I did an experiment and even one pump will work, but with little force); pumping it more than 10 times will not increase the shot power and might damage the pistol's seals, so it is best avoided. For target shooting, I started with the minimum 3 pumps, but now I use 4 pumps, to get cleaner holes punched in the paper target. With 3-4 pumps, the Crosman pistol is also very silent.

Pumping the 1377C is very easy if you do not attempt to go for all the 10 pumps. Pumping will get progressively harder, but it is relatively effortless for the 4 pumps I go with now. The last couple of pumps in a 10 pump set are getting very hard; also, the pistol will make more noise at these settings.

The pistol has a safety bolt behind the trigger, which can be pushed on the left side to engage and on the right side to disengage.

After pumping the gun, you need to expose the breech and cock the trigger by pulling the bolt action back. Note that the bolt can slide back forward after this operation, if you tilt the gun, so you will want to keep it back while you load the pellet. Loading a pellet is a bit finicky - the problem is that the breech has a small step, so you cannot simply drop the pellet on it, you need to lift its tip a bit, so it gets into the barrel. Some pellets are easier to load than others. Once the pellet is properly seated, you can push the bolt and lock it. You should do this with little force, to make sure that you do not bend the pellet, if it is improperly seated. Once this is done, the gun is ready to shoot - aim, push the safety bolt out of the way, and then just pull the trigger.

Package and Build

Given its low cost, the American Classic comes with no case - just a plastic packaging that needs to be cut to remove the gun and manual out of it. I do not understand why they had to roll the manual in this package - I had to roll it the opposite way, in an attempt to straighten it out. Anyway, the only things you will need out of the packaging are the pistol and its manual.

The 1377C is made of metal and plastic. The frame of the pistol is metal, but the grips and the handle of the pump are plastic, as well as the receiver portion and the front sight. The rear sight is made of metal and is held in place by a screw - reversing it offers the option of switching between straight iron sights and a peep sight. Of special note is the bolt, which is made of brass and looks and handles very nicely. I do not mind plastic, as long as it is used in the right places and Crosman uses it in the right places here - I do not see anything likely to break soon in this assembly.

I should mention here that soon after I acquired the 1377C, I also purchased the 1399 shoulder stock that can be used with it, as well as with other Crosman airguns that share the same grips. This shoulder stock is made entirely of plastic and can be installed easily, by unscrewing the original grips, sliding it over the grip frame, and screwing it using the original grip screws. I have no criticisms for the build of this shoulder stock - it works exactly as intended; I was initially worried about whether its length would be suitable for an adult, but it turned out to be just the right length.

Adjustable settings

The only setting that can be adjusted is the rear sight. The rear sight consists of a metallic piece that is held into place by a screw. By loosening the screw, the sight piece can be raised or lowered to adjust elevation and can also be tilted left or right to adjust windage. By removing the screw, turning the sight upside down, and reattaching it with the screw, we get to use the peep sight. All this seems rather hard to adjust precisely, but in practice, on my gun, I only had to adjust it a bit for windage and it worked great from the first adjustment.

I recommend trying the peep sight first - I just find it more enjoyable to use than the standard iron sights post system.

Performance

The American Classic really delivers in the accuracy department. Put simply, it is one of the most accurate guns I have. It shoots well in factory setup (after sighting in), and mounting the 1399 shoulder stock will boost accuracy further by improving how well you can hold steady this long pistol. You can get very tight groups reliably with the 1377C/1399 combo - better than with any CO2 gun that I own.

Pumping the Crosman 4 times for target shooting is easy and the pistol works silently at this power setting - the sound of the pellet hitting the target will eclipse the sound of the pistol itself - the long barrel is probably also helping here, as the air gets to expand before the pellet gets out.

The only place where I would like to see improvement is the trigger. The 1377C trigger has little travel, is rather hard, and breaks rather unexpectedly. It is not as bad as it sounds, but I wish this gun had adjustable trigger settings. Crosman may want to consider producing a slightly higher end version with such a feature.

Maintenance is rather simple - use Pellgunoil on the pump joints and on the piston head. Work the oil in by using the pump without actually pumping any air - just start closing it until you feel resistance, open it, and then repeat this a few times while the oil works its way around.

Conclusion

The 1377C fully deserves its nickname of "American Classic". It is a very nice, simple and effective design that provides great accuracy for a very reasonable price. With varying power from the multi pump mechanism, this gun is also very versatile. The only thing I would change about it is the trigger - I would really like a lighter trigger, or even better - an adjustable one. There are very few airguns that offer such accuracy within this price range, so this is an easy choice.

CO2 airguns

I decided to write this post so I can collect some general information about CO2 airguns in one place, rather than spreading it across several reviews.

The advantages of a CO2 mechanism are that it takes little space, it operates with few moving parts, and provides enough power for several dozen shots. The main drawback is that once you load a CO2 powerlet, you need to expend it, because storing the pistol with it will damage the seal; also, CO2 airguns are noisier than spring piston or pneumatic airguns.

The small size of the CO2 mechanism makes it the best solution for powering firearm pistol replicas, as the 12g powerlet can easily fit inside the grip of a pistol.

When it comes to maintenance, the most important thing is to oil the tip of the powerlet with a special oil like the Crosman Pellgunoil - this will protect the seal from the cold CO2. Other moving parts need to be oiled sparingly, as needed. This makes CO2 airguns very easy to maintain and very robust as well.

Umarex Beretta 92FS

The Umarex Beretta 92FS was my first pellet airgun. I picked it up because it seemed a safe choice based on all the online reviews I read about it. In this review, you will see how this turned out.

The manufacturer of the 92FS - Umarex - is currently the leading maker of pellet guns that are firearm replicas. They also make airsoft and BB replicas, but in those areas they have strong competition from Taiwanese, Japanese, and Chinese manufacturers. The 92FS is made in Germany and is a replica of the Beretta 92FS firearm, which has replaced the Colt 1911 A1 as the standard sidearm of US Armed Forces (Umarex also produces a Colt 1911 A1 pellet gun replica).

Operation

This airgun gets its power from a 12g CO2 powerlet.

The Beretta 92FS firearm is a semi automatic pistol that operates on short recoil. When such a gun is fired, its slide moves back, the spent shell is ejected, and then, during the return movement of the slide, a new cartridge is loaded from the magazine. Some airsoft and BB guns simulate this operation using gas from their power source to push the slide back while a new BB ball is loaded from the magazine. But while BB balls can be fed from a magazine, it is much more complicated to do so with pellets; though it is possible: I just read about BACS, which involves compressed air cartridges, and such a system would do the trick, but it would also be very cumbersome to use - not just for loading the cartridges with pellets, but for retrieving them after each shot. So Umarex sacrificed some realism and instead designed a revolver mechanism so tiny that it fits within the slide of their pistol replicas. The immediate impact is that if you are looking for a replica with a moving slide, you will be better served by an airsoft or a BB replica, because pellet replicas are all operating as revolvers. The revolver mechanism on all Umarex pistols is exposed by pressing a lever on the left side of the frame - that lever will release forward the portion of the slide containing the airgun's barrel - you can now drop one of the provided clips inside and then push back the slide to shut it - the clip is effectively a revolver cylinder. This loading operation is one major difference from the operation of the firearm. The tiny size of the clip is also the reason why the Umarex pistol replicas are limited to 8 pellets per clip. On the other hand, these clips are standard and they can be used on all their pistol replicas. When loading a clip, no special alignment needs to be ensured other than the facing of the clip - flat side forward, ratchet side backwards. Loading/unloading a clip is a very easy operation - the only caveat is that you need to keep the gun straight, otherwise it is easy for the tiny clip to roll out of the slide and fall down.

The other major difference compared to the firearm appears in the trigger operation. The 92FS model is a double action/single action (DA/SA) gun, where the first trigger pull is double action (DA), but then the following ones are all single action (SA), until the magazine is spent or the pistol is uncocked. As the SA operation is enabled by the short recoil mechanism, this aspect cannot be reproduced by the replica. Instead, the trigger of the airgun can either work DA or it can work SA if you cock the hammer first - just like a revolver.

The safety works just as the one on the firearm and I always keep it on when loading and unloading a pellet clip. Like the grip, the safety is ambidextrous, with a lever on both sides of the frame. However, I find it easier and smoother to operate the safety by pulling or pushing on both levers at the same time. Speaking of safety, I also never keep a clip inside the gun when loading and unloading a CO2 powerlet.

For installing a CO2 cylinder, the right grip of the pistol needs to be removed by pressing the magazine release button on the left grip. What looks like the bottom of the magazine is actually a plastic lever that needs to be opened before continuing, as it will provide more space for the cylinder to fit in. Next, unscrew the large brass screw at the bottom of the grip, by rotating it clockwise (from front to rear). Now, the cylinder can be inserted and I always put a drop of Crosman Pellgunoil on its tip before doing so, to protect the seal and extend its life. Slide in the powerlet with its tip first and let it rest in the grip. Now you can tighten that brass screw by turning it in the opposite direction - you are just supposed to tighten the cylinder, not to pierce it, so do not exert any force here - just stop once the screw encounters resistance. Check that the cylinder does not move inside the grip and then you can snap the plastic bottom shut - that is what will pierce the cylinder. You can now place the right grip back - you can actually do this before piercing the cylinder, if you like. Now the gun is powered and you can load a clip as described earlier. Do not pull the plastic bottom open until you are done using the powerlet - doing so will release the remaining gas, after which you can remove the grip and unscrew the brass screw to let the powerlet fall out of place. The powerlet cylinder will be very cold, so avoid touching it.

It is very helpful to watch someone else go through these steps. Luckily, you can do that by watching video reviews on YouTube. For example, here's one I watched before ordering the gun.

I have seen some users complaining that loading a CO2 powerlet is hard. It is not. The mechanism that Umarex employs here is very simple and effective and does not require any special effort or dexterity.

Package and build

The Beretta comes in a plastic case padded with foam, with inserts cut for the gun and the two clips that come with it. Additionally, you can remove foam to reveal inserts for a pellet box and a CO2 powerlet. There is also a small key that is needed for adjusting the rear sights. A manual, a warranty card, safety rules, and a brochure showing other Umarex products complete the package. It is a nice package but I wish that the plastic case was of better quality - its locks do not stay close and there is space gawking open under the handle - a Plano case is much better built and I would have replaced this case with one if it wasn't for the nice Beretta logo and the nicely cut inserts.

Umarex offers both black and nickel versions of this gun with either plastic or wood grips. There is no functional difference between them - the price differences only reflect the different materials used.

The gun itself is made of metal with very few exceptions. The only non-metal parts other than the grips are the grip lever used for piercing the CO2 cylinder and the front and rear sights. The metal build gives the Beretta a good weight - it is heavier than it looks.

The grip of the gun feels very wide - I am not sure if that is the case with the original firearm as well, but it feels different from other guns I held.

Given the price of this airgun, a few aspects were disappointing, although none of them affected its operation:

• The interior metal part of the right grip had rust traces to the point that it would leave rust marks on the grip metal to which it would attach. I used 3-IN-ONE oil to clean that piece of metal in two sessions and now it looks clean and shiny - note that I did not use that oil for any other purpose than cleaning this rust.
• The front sight is a bit loose - it does not affect functionality, but it is easy to notice that it is not rigid. I don't think it will ever break, but I wish it was made of metal and was one piece with the slide.
• The right lever of the safety is attached via a screw that was a bit loose on my copy. I tightened it slightly but it loosened again after more use. I now tightened it even better and I hope it stays that way. Again, no functional impact, just not what I expected from a quality assembly.
• There is also a screw at the tip of the gun, just under the muzzle. That screw was also loose on my gun, got tightened a bit, then got loose again, and now I tightened it better - I hope it lasts. This screw under the muzzle is important because it allows removing the slide and cleaning it on the inside. Which leads to another small issue:
• The slide did not have much lubricant on it and I didn't like how it worked after a couple hundred shots, especially as the gun was getting cooler from firing shots in succession, so I decided to take it off and apply some Slip 2000 Gun Lube. When I removed the slide, which also holds the barrel, I noticed that there were two more screws securing the barrel in place. Those were also not tightly screwed for some reason.
• The inner part of the nickel grip frame and that of the nickel slide have some stains on them - I have no idea what caused them and whether they are the result of the manufacturing process or an issue with my copy of the gun.
• The hammer is made of black metal, but after hitting the valve pin or the safety for hundreds of times, it lost some of its black surface and started revealing the original silver color of its alloy. I do not understand why it was not made of the same material as the barrel on the nickel version that I have.

Again, all these issues were minor and none affected functionality, but I did not expect them.

Since I mentioned oiling the gun, here is one more tip: when opening the slide to load a clip, you can notice a seal around the end of the barrel - I also wiped that with a drop of Pellgunoil when I oiled the gun. Just opening the slide allows access to this seal and I plan to apply Pellgunoil on it whenever it starts to look dry.

Adjustable settings

The only thing you can adjust on the 92FS is the rear sight, and that can only be adjusted for windage, not for elevation. To adjust the sight, you need to use the provided key to loosen the sight screw, after which you can shift the sight to the desired position, and then secure it by tightening its screw again. This is not a precision operation, but it actually worked out pretty well and I did not have to fiddle much with it to get it where I wanted.

As a side note, I had to adjust the sights on all the airguns I used so far - even on those supposedly tested at the factory!

Performance

I was surprised by how long the Beretta 92FS could go on a single CO2 powerlet. In one session, I fired around 120 shots (pausing between clip changes to let the gun warm up) and I only stopped because I was concerned about the pressure dropping suddenly and getting a pellet stuck in the barrel. I do not recommend attempting to replicate this feat though - these days I do not shoot more than 60-80 shots on a single powerlet, depending on ambient temperature. The reason for this is that the power of the shots slowly decreases with each subsequent one and after about 40 shots, the decrease in speed means that the pellets no longer cut clean holes in the target. It appears that you can shoot 80 shots safely, if you want to go on using the powerlet, but beyond that, I would be very careful with how the performance changes from shot to shot, to avoid a stuck pellet. For reference, I use Crosman powerlets - I understand that the volume of gas varies a bit across manufacturers.

I mentioned that the power decreases slowly with each shot. This gun will be particularly powerful (and I feel it is less accurate too) on the first clip - it will be louder and will also release some CO2 with each shot, but after the first clip, both these issues will disappear. I have seen similar behavior in other CO2 airguns, so there is nothing special here. As you keep shooting, if you aim consistently, you may be able to notice that groups slide down about an inch for 80 shots, but this will happen gradually.

The trigger operation is very smooth in both DA and SA mode. Cocking the hammer is also very smooth. Everything feels right in this area.

The iron sights work well. I had some trouble using them at the beginning, but that was due both to my lack of experience and to poor illumination of my targets.

The Beretta 92FS is probably a very accurate gun if fired in a vise, but being a firearm replica, it is more difficult to shoot accurately than an airgun designed for target competition and I feel that the variable CO2 power may provide another challenge.

My best group from the Beretta is about 0.25in wider than the tightest groups that I get from other guns, which is ok, but when I look at consistency, I also get much more variation in the size of the 92FS groups. I think there are several factors at play here:

• the CO2 power source introduces too much power variation across 10 shots
• the pistols that give me better results have lighter triggers
• the smaller length of the Beretta compared to a regular target pistol makes its iron sights less accurate
• the shorter barrel may also affect accuracy, although this effect may be minimal for distances under 10m

The Beretta shoots really well, but it was designed as a replica, not as a competition pistol, and that shows in my results. But if I compare it to other CO2 pistols whose design is based on firearms, the 92FS can hold its own against the best of them.

Conclusion

This was a long review and I tried to cover a lot of details, but now is the time to put them all in perspective. Is this a nice airgun or not?

Well, I like it a lot. I like the 92FS style and I like the sturdy build. I nitpicked on some aspects, but this was just because I had very high expectations from German manufacturing; however, none of those aspects prevented me from enjoying this airgun. The only thing that I would change about it is the front sight - I would make that be one piece with the slide. The trigger and the hammer operate very smoothly and the gun is accurate enough to have fun with a target.

I expect that this gun will last a lifetime given its components, with proper care of its seals. It is a nice airgun to collect too. It is not my favorite gun when accuracy matters, but it is an airgun that I enjoy using while the CO2 lasts.

Updates

--- 2013/02/20 ---

I continued testing the Beretta and I once managed to get a very tight group that reinforced my feeling that this pistol can be very accurate. I then remembered reading a comment about a gun being more accurate in double action than in single action, so I decided to try DA again and my groups improved immediately! The DA has a much longer pull and requires considerably more force than the SA, but I guess that makes me hold the gun better because my results were consistently better.

My copy of the 92FS shoots a bit high. I was trying to adjust for that and I ended up with worse results, so now I just aim for the center and I try to get tight groups. It would have been really nice to have an elevation adjustment - I guess this would be another aspect I would change about this pistol.

I earlier mentioned the screws that loosened - well, today I had to tighten the screw at the end of the barrel again. It got loose and I could hear the spring inside vibrating when opening the slide.

And I noticed again that the Beretta is less noisy than other CO2 airguns after the first clip - this is very nice behavior.

--- 2013/04/13 ---

I am starting to get more reliable groups from this Beretta in SA mode. I am also aiming, as the manual suggested, just below the bullseye of my Gamo paper targets - that makes the shots go to the center. Looks like all Umarex pistols have the sights set this way (the Walther PPQ and the Colt 1911 A1 are the same) and since there is no sight elevation adjustment, one needs to get used to it. The trigger might have become smoother as well after all the use it got. One last thing that I noticed is that the gun no longer impresses me as being overpowered and noisier on the first clip - use of CO2 seems more even - this is either due to break in or to the weather warming up. All in all, I continue to be happy with this purchase.