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All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => European/Asian Air Gun Gates => Gamo & Spanish AirGun Gate => Topic started by: mav72 on July 01, 2011, 12:53:25 AM

Title: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 01, 2011, 12:53:25 AM
I was waiting all day today for my Norica 56 .22 to arrive... It finally came and I met the delivery guy out in the drive way and snuck it out to the back yard... I know... I could have gotten that refirb Crosman Nitro .22 Titan that just came up on agdaily for a little more cash BUT I got this air gun for the purpose of 10 meter ratting in close quarters because, as I mentioned before, I'm not too good with a pistol. I liked the "youth" size rifle so I could turn and maneuver quickly. (Have you ever had a chiwawa sized rat charge you at eye level!? LOL)  I wanted a quiet lower powered rifle because of neighbors and I didn't want the pellet going through the rats damaging mine or somebody else's property...

From what I've read the Canadian Beeman 1040, and the US Beeman GH650 were Chinese copies of this gun...

After opening the box, I did the minor cleaning of old dried up lube. I pulled the action off the stock and wiped all the lube that oozed out to the inside of the stock and then I polished up the wood with furniture polish. I reinstalled the action and put blue loctite on the stock screws and cleaned out the barrel... The blueing was ok, about average but good for an 80 dollar "youth" rifle. I don't have any way of measuring but cocking wasn't bad at all... While cleaning the barrel I noticed that it was a 10 land/groove rifled barrel... The trigger wasn't bad at all for a "fake" 2 stage trigger... I've had Crosmans that had worse....  That was the main concern that prevented me from buying the gun sooner.  The trigger "brakes" predictably and with a little polishing, I think I can get it to where I'll really like it...

Anyway, enough of that... I'm just having too much fun with this gun... I couldn't put it down until it got dark... In nine shots I had the open sights shooting dimes at 10 meters... No worries at all from the neighbors... The only thing you hear out of the gun is the spring action and the impact of the pellet... There's not loud "POP" like out of my pump guns or my other more powerful spring rifle... Being new to spring rifles, I would have not identified the noise out of this rifle as that of an air gun... I didn't get a chance to test for penetration yet because it got dark out but it was shooting pretty well with CPHPs..

I'm very happy with this gun for the price... A couple of things I'd like to comment on is that I'd like to ad some sort of stick-on butt pad because the wood stock has the tendency to slip off my shoulder...  (Any Ideas welcome.) Another thing is that I don't like directly touching the barrel because I get finger prints all over the bluing of the barrel and I'm constantly trying to wipe it down... I'm thinking muzzle brake but I'm not sure yet... I haven't measured the barrel OD yet... Last, the front sight is slightly off... It's plastic with a metal guard. I'm not sure if I can adjust it with a little heat... There is no set screw that I can see...

Finally, here are some bad phone pics of my Norica 56...

Edit: Forgot to mention... I didn't know it when I bought it but mine is a right hand stock (cheek form is on the left side) and the rated low power is at 7.8 Joules of energy... It came with Norica pellets but I didn't try them out...
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: cole5169 on July 01, 2011, 08:30:01 AM
Nice :)

Gotta love the little breakbarrels!
Where'd you order it from?
-joel
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: RedFeather on July 01, 2011, 10:28:18 AM
Welcome to the enjoyable world of "low powered" springers.  Fun to shoot, ain't they?  And, within short ranges, they will get the job done.  I have some of these "wimpy" guns - older Norica's, Diana 24's, Slavia 631, etc - and there's nothing really "boy's gun" about them.  Does anyone call an R7 a kid's gun?  Same basic thing.  I look at it this way.  A "magnum" springer will hit harder, but, once the pellet has gone twenty yards, it's probably now doing what a low powered gun will spit one out at.  So get closer.  Consider that some of the dandiest centerfire guns are those "little", relatively small caliber European stalking rifles.

If I'm not mistaken (and I often am), the Norica 56 has been around a long time.  Might have debuted here in the States as the Marksman 35.  Inexpensive but good quality.
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: lizzie on July 01, 2011, 11:08:35 AM
That gun sounds like it would be right up my alley. :)
I think you guys are rubbing off on me and giving me air rifle fever. ;D

Congrats and enjoy!
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 01, 2011, 04:45:57 PM
Thanks... I'm enjoying the little gun a lot.... I was amazed that I could hit dime sized targets at 10 meters with open sights, being new to spring rifles...

@ cole5169 : I was searching around and found that Pyramid Air had the best deal... I got free shipping by making my order a little over 100 bucks with tins of ammo and also got the buy three tins and get one free deal...  It also came with ammo that I didn't know about...

@ RedFeather : Yea, I've read stories about people having these particular Noricas in the 80s. Back then, I only knew about pumps and co2 air rifles... Yea, I'm pretty much hooked on these little "wimpy guns" now. LOL People don't understand that there is a use for them... I've tried to enter the spring air rifle world with open eyes and not be dazzled with brand names, suspect speed ratings, and excessive muscle. I'm more into accuracy, how the gun feels in my hands, and what job the gun is going to be used for...

@ lizzie : Yep, the thing is fun + pretty and you can get the deal that I did.... I can't use my stronger spring rifle around the house without fear.... The Norica 56 has fun factor written all over it....  Maybe that's why they call it a "kids rifle." lol It makes you feel like a kid...
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: lizzie on July 01, 2011, 06:24:14 PM
@ lizzie : Yep, the thing is fun + pretty and you can get the deal that I did.... I can't use my stronger spring rifle around the house without fear.... The Norica 56 has fun factor written all over it....  Maybe that's why they call it a "kids rifle." lol It makes you feel like a kid...

How does it shoot at 25 yards? If it can group at 1", I really may buy one.
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 01, 2011, 08:36:57 PM
Hey lizzie.. My back yard isn't that big so I haven't had a chance to test the Norica out at 25 yards... From what I've read they say that heavier pellets are more stable in flight... This may be true because when I get a slight breeze the .177 pellets seem to wander a little more compared to when I'm shooting .22 pellets... Since it's a low powered rifle I would only recommend it for pestling for animals with thin skulls...

From the plugging in the numbers in to the formulas in this page, you don't seem to loose much speed or energy at a 25 yard distance... The Norica 56 is rated at 590 FPS .177 and 492 FPS .22 (I have no chronograph) @ 7.8 joules for both... I'm using 14.3 grain .22 Caliber Crosman Premier Hollow Points...

http://www.airgunexpo.com/calc/index.cfm? (http://www.airgunexpo.com/calc/index.cfm?)

I tried also tried to do some Youtube research and all I get is some guy shooting an MP3 player at 30 yards....

I didn't get to play with the Norica today because little children are visiting and running around the house, maybe tomorrow...
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: lizzie on July 01, 2011, 08:56:29 PM
Thanks Mav. :)
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 01, 2011, 10:06:30 PM
Ok... I got in a few shots before the kids returned.... It's just too fun to shoot... I shot into a (I don't know what kind of wood) piece of wood that they used to use at the bottom, underneath the box spring,  of old bunk beds... It's not too soft or hard with an orangey yellowish cardboard color with a thin grain....

At 10 meters it was able to bury the .22 calibur CPHPs, skirt deep into the wood... So it's plenty of power for what I'm using it for... The rat's aren't going to like it one bit... LOL

@ lizzie : I don't know if you can compare the accuracy because it's a .177 but I think you mentioned that you have an accurate Remington AM77 (crosman 2100).... How well does that shoot at 25 yards...? I ask because I also own an AM77 and the Norica seems to shoot slightly better at 10 meters with same hole shots a little cleaner. Out of all my airguns these two are my most accurate with the Norica in the lead for accuracy now... I haven't broken in my Stoeger X!0 yet because I don't want to disturb the neighbors and my custom Crosmans are still works in progress...
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: lizzie on July 01, 2011, 10:10:18 PM
@ lizzie : I don't know if you can compare the accuracy because it's a .177 but I think you mentioned that you have an accurate Remington AM77 (crosman 2100).... How well does that shoot at 25 yards...? I ask because I also own an AM77 and the Norica seems to shoot slightly better at 10 meters with same hole shots a little cleaner.

My AM seems very accurate to me, but I'm still a novice. I use a beer bottle cap at 25 yards, and my accuracy is that I hit the target around 80% of my shots. I use it to kill sparrows and starlings, and mostly just to shoot for fun.
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: AirScopes on July 02, 2011, 12:46:48 PM
Interesting choice! In the range of the R7 and the Cometa 220 Compact. I have the latter for several reasons but saving over $100 from the R7 is a big one. But did you get this in the $120-$160 price range? Looks like a nice stock, and a good deal!

Richard
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 03, 2011, 04:15:56 AM
Richard, I got my Norica 56 for $80 but added pellets with my order to get free shipping... I think the suggested retail price is $120. Yes, the stock is really nice that's what drew me to this model... 

lizzie, a beer bottle cap at 25 yards with 80% sucess? I think that's pretty good... I was a better shot when I was a kid because I had better vision... Nowadays, I probably can barely see a target that size without a scope.. I only rediscovered  that airgun target shooting for fun helps me to relax. I usually I don't go out of my way to kill animals unless I'm going to eat em or they are causing problems... Rats are a pest around our house and causing problems. They communicate with each other by urinating  plus poop everywhere and I don't really like that smell in our patio area... LOL 

Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: AirScopes on July 03, 2011, 09:04:31 AM
$80 new??
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 03, 2011, 04:25:00 PM
Yes, $79.99 at Pyramid Air... The other places sell them for more or try to compare but then get you on shipping. I'm getting the idea that maybe the lower powered spring rifles don't sell as well and they are trying to sell off their inventory of Norica 56s.. It was a good deal for me so I'm not mad... LOL Plus, it's real wood with the choice to get it in .22 cal so that's a plus for me...
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 04, 2011, 08:37:32 PM
Shot my Norica again today along with my Model 1 pump..  I never noticed quality control on the CPHPs in the tin before but the Norica was picking the bad ones out for me... The good ones fit the barrel snugly and the bad ones just seem to fall in... Then, I'd shake the bad ones out... I tried shooting one of those loose ones and the pellet was off about 3" from target... So, I just started feeding the bad ones to my Model 1, since that gun isn't too picky about pellet fit.. I was at 10 meters again... I really want to try out further but I have no way in doing so around the house...

Being new to spring rifles, I noticed that after getting a little tired sitting out in the sun, I really had to concentrate on where I was putting the pellet... If I didn't focus and some random thought came into my head, I'd tend to "shank" the pellet off target about 1/2-1". It's a very interesting experience and I noticed that keeping my focus is helping me shoot my non-springers better....

Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: lizzie on July 04, 2011, 11:08:54 PM


lizzie, a beer bottle cap at 25 yards with 80% sucess? I think that's pretty good...

Yeah, it's not too bad imo, but when I put the cap up for target practice, my shooting got noticeably better. I think it's because it psychologically narrowed my focus point.
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 07, 2011, 11:04:45 PM
Shot my Norica again today... I was thinking of scoping my Norica but I'm not sure about the scope stops.. It has a threaded screw hole. How would I know what scope mount to use with it...? My other spring rifle is different with a cut channel across the action and I have a better understanding of what would fit on that gun... I also have a hard time figuring which scopes are airgun rated..

Went looking for more CPHPs in .22 today at my local W*lmart but they're all out... I don't even know who, besides me, is buying all the pellets... Nobody seems interested in the airguns when ever I go there.. I always see people buying "real" bullets and I always feel odd when the powder burner people stare at me buying pellets..

Anyway, back to the Norica... I was testing damage on small dried up under developed Pomegranate fruits that fell to the ground... They are about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter... I know it sounds morbid but I thought that they could be good substitutes for rat skulls since the things are hard as wood... So, I proceeded to hang a few with string...I tried to get back as far as I could in my back yard, about 14 meters. Then I began to shoot... The pellets were doing what I had hoped...They were penetrating the hard little fruit and staying inside... I must have shot 20 of those little things then I stopped because I was running out of pellets.... I wonder how the spring action sound coming from my little Norica sounds to the neighbors. It has to be less annoying than a little motor bike being ridden up and down the street...

Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: tom96 on July 08, 2011, 03:04:25 AM
glad to hear its an accurate reasonably powered gun maybe i'll have to get one.....hope PA doesnt run out.
also just as a test maybe try jsb exact rs they are a bit pricey but very good and extremely accurate from my .22 RWS34 but so are all JSB pellets. try a red dot for those rats. it should help acquire targets quickly.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/bsa-30mm-red-dot-sight-3-8-and-weaver-mount?a=2944 (https://www.pyramydair.com/product/bsa-30mm-red-dot-sight-3-8-and-weaver-mount?a=2944)

some tar on the spring could quiet it down just dont overdo it

http://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/catalog/item/251484/42985.htm (http://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/catalog/item/251484/42985.htm)
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on July 08, 2011, 07:51:15 AM
I just can't get enough of this gun... ;D I'm even new to spring powered rifles and I'm thinking that since the power isn't high, the gun is allowing me to shoot it fairly well..  I keep telling myself, "One last pellet... One last pellet..." That's why I was wondering what the neighbors were thinking... I couldn't stop shooting and it sounds like I have some sort of weird stamping machine in the back yard. It' isn't loud though, just odd sounding if a person didn't know what it was...

Yea, I've heard about how accurate those JSBs are... I was even tempted to get some when I got the Norica...

How well does a red dot stand up to a spring rifle? Any word what scope stop would work with the threaded hole?

Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: tom96 on July 08, 2011, 11:37:49 PM
that particular rifle shouldn't be powerful enough to break a scope as long as its a quality air rifle scope check out the leapers line of scopes at PA they will deffinately hold up on  that gun. as for the gun it seems much louder to the shooter because of vibrations that travel through the stock try  having some one else shoot it and stand 10ft. away to know what others are hearing and most red dots are so light weight they wont move on the rail anyway and are very tough so they shouldn't be an issue on a trainer rifle like that
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on August 08, 2011, 05:25:00 PM
I haven't been shooting my Norica 56 .22 cal a lot lately because W*lmart seems to always be out of it's favorite readily available pellet, CPHPs (14.3 gr)...  :( Today, I decided to try out some of my other pellets at 10 meters... I have some CPDs (14.3 gr) and RWS Superpoint Extras (14.5 gr) that I was keeping around for use my other air guns and making kills... At first I tried the CPDs... Man, those pellets don't group well... My Norica hates those things.... The pellets went all over the place.... It looked like a smoothbore Crosman 760 group on a bad day. I recently lubed the safety and I thought I did something wrong with the gun and messed it up... It really confused me... I figured the CPDs would shoot similar to the CPHPs since they look similar but boy I was wrong... After a little wondering, I decided, what the h*ll I'll try and shoot the RWS pellets... The first shot put a grin back on my face, no problem here... The gun was still on point. It was stacking those things as it does with the CPHPs... 

I did notice that PA no longer sells the Norica 56 in .22 caliber... So I may have been correct in my assumption that they were trying to sell off their left over inventory... Well, I'm glad I got mine while they still had them in .22...
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: northern lights on September 11, 2011, 10:23:38 PM
Next time for order from pa try the dasiy 22cal wadcutter super cheap an shoot very well out most of my 22cal guns. Will outshoot the more expensive ones on two of my guns. They might surprise you.
Title: Re: Norica 56
Post by: mav72 on September 12, 2011, 12:52:09 AM
Yea, it's almost about that time where I need to order more pellets from PA.. So, I may try those Daisy wadcutters and get more RWS pellets for my Norica... When I have time I'm gonna mess around and throw on one of those cheap scopes that I have for a day to test out...