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.

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.