One of the best inexpensive air pistols for the shooter and the tinkerer is the Crosman 2240
. The basic 2240 is a .22 caliber, CO2 powered, bolt action pistol with adjustable sights, suitable for plinking, target, or pest control at short range against small birds, but the same basic gun comes in a wide range of variants, and a lot of customization parts are available from Crosman and aftermarket suppliers. Crosman offers a steel breech assembly with grooves for scope mounting for only $29.95, hand grips, shoulder stocks, different barrels, etc.
One of the more complete suppliers of custom parts is SD Custom Design, who have stocks, grips, muzzle weights and adapters, moderaators, bulk CO2 adapters, trigger springs, breech assemblies… and more. They’re in the UK, but will ship internationally. In the US, Mac 1 airguns have been customizing Crosmans for years (I used to have a Mac modified Mark-II). Mac supplies bulk CO2 kits, an accuracy prep kit (for only $25), a steel breech kit, and longer barrels.
Airgunsmith has custom triggers, sears, power adjusters, springs and folding stocks. RB Grips has grips and stocks for the Crosman and many other guns. No doubt there are a probably a lot more suppliers I have yet to find.
Two very similar pellet pistols. Both are single stroke pneumatics, both have rifled steel barrels, both are recoilless, both have a rail you can mount a scope or red dot sight on, and both have adjustable sights as well. They look very similar, too. But the P3, on top, retails for $270, and the P17, for under $50. What gives?
Both are sold by Beeman, and they share a common design, but the P3 is made by Weirauch in Germany (it’s actually a Weihrauch HW40), and the P17 is an authorized Chinese-made knockoff. Yes, it’s cruder, the trigger isn’t as good as that on the P3/W40, it lacks the fiber optic front sight, it has stamped parts where the P3 has machined ones, and it’s probably not going to last as long. But it’s still a remarkable good value in an accurate pellet pistol. If you’re used to the spray-and-pray CO2 pistols that have a hard time hitting a 12″ target at 10 yards, the P3 will surprise the heck out of you. It’s a great way to get started in bullseye shooting on a budget. And if you want a quality gun that will last a lifetime with care and maintenance, and that will produce near-match accuracy, get the P3.
You can get a P3 for $219.95 plus shipping, here
, and a P17 for $35.99 plus shipping here.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Here’s a rare bird that was recently seen for sale last August on The Yellow Forum. If you think it looks a lot like a real submachine gun, there’s a good reason for that. Like the famous Russian-made Makarov BB pistol, the Tyrek is manufactured on a modified receiver of a real gun- the Kedr PP-91 (9 x 18 mm Makarov) submachine gun used by Russian security forces. And like the earlier Makarov BB gun, that pretty much guarantees you won’t ever see this gun officially imported into this country- which is not to say that some samples didn’t find their way in. This one sold for $395, and given the quality and the rarity, I suspect the seller could have gotten significantly more. He noted that he had obtained just 9 units, and that the gun sells for around $500 in Europe.
Unlike the Drozd and similar guns, the Tyrek doesn’t use batteries or an electric motor. It’s a real blowback action, powered entirely by CO2. I’m generally not a fan of BB machine guns, but for a gun of this solidity and high quality, I’d make an exception.
Crosman now has their own outlet store, where you can buy reconditioned airguns at a significant discount. For instance: This Classic 2100 sells new for $69.99:
at the outlet store, a reconditioned unit is only $39.00- a discount of just over 44%. Not bad. The stock changes as guns come and go, so it’s worth dropping in regularly to see what’s being offered.
