GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Air Gun Gate => Topic started by: Dedrickrich25 on August 02, 2024, 12:20:53 PM
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Im going to give a bit of information of what i expect out of a beginner gun and i would be extremely glad if someone can give me advice/recommendations so i can check reviews on guns and pick which one would be best for me. feel free to ask me any questions and ill reply as soon as i can!
Budget, ideally under $300. I also probably would not want to deal with Co2 cartridges to avoid extra longterm cost but am open to it if the gun suggested requires it. I do not have any way to fill them, i do have an air compressor? i dont think that works for air guns? im not sure, please feel free to educate me. I am not opposed to using pumps on the gun.
I really do "THINK" i would like to get into competitions EVENTUALLY but not now as i am the type i would want to practice a lot first and it would not have to be with this gun that i begin with, if i got into shooting seriously i wouldnt mind investing in a better gun.
I am looking for a reliable gun that shoots accurate enough that i can get real practice in and put real time into and be happy with in that regard.
I dont want a pistol that makes me wonder if the pistol is performing incorrectly causing accuracy issues because I am the type that would get discouraged by consistent bad results. If its me thats fine, I can practice and work on improving that but if its the gun, i wouldnt have the knowledge yet to know/understand that it is the gun and I also dont want to waste money on a gun that is very subpar.
I understand that i get what i pay for and $300 may be a low budget, but Id like to get into this and give it a try to see how much i will enjoy it before jumping and spending big money.
Again this is for 10m air pistol, Thanks in advance for ANY input.
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Beeman P17
Entry level - not a budget breaker by any means.
I’m sure others will provide options for you as well.
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Beeman P17
Entry level - not a budget breaker by any means.
I’m sure others will provide options for you as well.
The Beeman P3 also costs under $300 and checks off the other boxes.
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Beeman P17
Entry level - not a budget breaker by any means.
I’m sure others will provide options for you as well.
thank you both for the recommendation, i will read up on them and see what i think.
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This is just my opinion. And it is not really a strong one. Just a suggestion really. Avoid a lower cost brake barrel pistol. At least at first and this is for a beginner gun. They are very difficult to shoot with any accuracy for a beginner. Or maybe if you can hit anything with one they you can shoot anything. But I found them frustrating. And by brake barrel I mean the type that the barrel brakes at the front. P17 is awesome
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This is just my opinion. And it is not really a strong one. Just a suggestion really. Avoid a lower cost brake barrel pistol. At least at first and this is for a beginner gun. They are very difficult to shoot with any accuracy for a beginner. Or maybe if you can hit anything with one they you can shoot anything. But I found them frustrating. And by brake barrel I mean the type that the barrel brakes at the front. P17 is awesome
i appreciate the advice, ill take that into consideration!
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Gamo make some pistols that are advertised for just what you describe.
Gamo compact is one and is single stroke pneumatic and there is a target version.
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Gamo make some pistols that are advertised for just what you describe.
Gamo compact is one and is single stroke pneumatic and there is a target version.
ill check them out, Ive not heard of Gamo yet so ill check them out, thanks
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Hands down a Beeman p17 is a great 10 meter gun. Accurate, Easy to reseal if ever needed, Nice trigger, No recoil,and won't break the bank. The best thing about it is its simple to operate and a ball to shoot!
Don't let the price fool you it's the best bang for your buck!
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Hands down a Beeman p17 is a great 10 meter gun. Accurate, Easy to reseal if ever needed, Nice trigger, No recoil,and won't break the bank. The best thing about it is its simple to operate and a ball to shoot!
Don't let the price fool you it's the best bang for your buck!
as ive been reading up on the recommended guns throughout the day, it def seems like a lot of people have used the p17. A lot of people have really good things to say about it and have really good things to say about the accuracy of the gun. Im leaning more towards this gun now and to be honest the cheap price of it doesnt really worry me about me buying it and disliking it. Worse comes to worse ill just gift it to my nephew and he can keep it haha but by the reviews of it, it does seem to be a very good beginner gun.
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LOL... for $300 you could buy a whole case of P 17s and invite all your friends to come shoot with you.
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Looks like buying two p17s is in order.
One for you and one for your shooting partner and still have plenty of budget left for pellets, targets,ect
2 P17s = TWICE THE FUN
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I bought a P 17 when I first became interested in 10M pistol competition. I worked the trigger, stippled the grips and installed a red dot and it's a pretty good shooter. I love this AG and it can't be beat for the money. But as soon as I shot a better 10M pistol, well then I instantly knew the P 17 wasn't going to cut it. I next bought an Avanti V-10 ( I believe it's the same as a Gamo Compact). The V-10 was OK for my first year of competition. But as soon as I shot an IZH 46 M, I knew I "needed" one. I've used the IZH for several years now and it's as good a gun as I will ever need for club level competition. I could go with a new PCP 10M pistol but then I'd have to get a compressor. The IZH is on the heavy side and it's almost a sure thing that you will need to sand down the grips to fit your hand but it has an excellent, adjustable trigger and is Olympic level accurate (not that I am).
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I have a few P17’s I bought for $7/ea from Amazon 4-5 years ago. The P17 is not a 10M pistol. They are pretty decent for what they are and will scratch the itch while you save for something better. For a $300 budget I would consider the Avanti V10. I have no experience with them but they appear to be a decent attempt at a starter 10M pistol.
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Crosman 1701P. It is a very accurate PCP pistol with a very good trigger as well.
Amazon had them for $315 but the price has now risen to about $100 more.
It goes up and down.
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Daisy 717, more accurate than most shooters, super easy and inexpensive to reseal, if needed. I had a 747, same pistol with LW barrel and trigger adjustment. Either can be had well under your budget.
However, I will 2nd buelim2’s recommendation for a V-10. As an amateur, entry level pistol, you cannot go wrong with Gamo Compact/Avanti V10. The only negative, for me, is loading.
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Daisy 717, more accurate than most shooters, super easy and inexpensive to reseal, if needed. I had a 747, same pistol with LW barrel and trigger adjustment. Either can be had well under your budget.
However, I will 2nd buelim2’s recommendation for a V-10. As an amateur, entry level pistol, you cannot go wrong with Gamo Compact/Avanti V10. The only negative, for me, is loading.
Sounds like i need to do some reading about the V-10 then! ive not decided on what ill be buying yet as im taking my time on that decision but ill check out the v-10 since two of you had really good things to say about it. Especially seeing how they believed it was definitely better than say the p17
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One little thing that bugs me about my V-10 is pellet selection. The chamber on mine is a little tight so some pellets are just too big. I can't remember which ones I had trouble with. Most were no problem and I now use Meisterkugelns with zero problems.
Also some shooters, particularly those with giant fingers, find loading a bit fiddley. The P-17 is the same way.
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Get a p17 and see how things go. It's a great pistol.
If you want something better after, you'll still be glad you have it around..
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The P-17 is a steal. You have to get one if you like to shoot pistols.
Shoot that while you skim a gun fund.
Then pounce on what your research tells you.
I research for months and then buy the shiny one.
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A P 17 is not a competition pistol and you will not get into a good competition pistol for $300. The v 10 (Gamo compact) is about the best cheap pistol and it has adjustable width rear sights and grips.
A used Daisy 717 or 747 will have target styled sights but no width adjustment or grip adjustment unless you get custom grips.
All of the single pump pistols cause you to move your hand grip while loading every shot.
If shooting with friends, buy a P17. If competing grow a bigger bank account but have fun either way.
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The P-17 is a steal. You have to get one if you like to shoot pistols.
Shoot that while you skim a gun fund.
Then pounce on what your research tells you.
I research for months and then buy the shiny one.
yeah like splitbeing said, i think i may end up just getting a p17 because of the price. From there ill really know if its something i wanna get into more and then ill up my game and buy something more expensive and from there i could be more realistic if i wanted to get into competing.
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A P 17 is not a competition pistol and you will not get into a good competition pistol for $300. The v 10 (Gamo compact) is about the best cheap pistol and it has adjustable width rear sights and grips.
A used Daisy 717 or 747 will have target styled sights but no width adjustment or grip adjustment unless you get custom grips.
All of the single pump pistols cause you to move your hand grip while loading every shot.
If shooting with friends, buy a P17. If competing grow a bigger bank account but have fun either way.
thanks for the advice, i figured that would be as much. Ill probably end up with a p17 just to see if this is really truely something id even be interested in. In the meantime it would allow me to save more money for future investments should i enjoy doing this.
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the more important thing that im gathering from this is im at least getting options where as before I had no idea where to look or what gun to even think about. Yall have at least given me guns to look up and research which gives me options. It kinda gives me an idea of where I wanna start and then options to grow from there should i become more interested in it, regardless i definitely appreciate all of the help thus far. The community here seems good and im glad to have found these forums
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We've got a bunch of honest, good hearted airgun enablers here.
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Once you get your P17, there are number of threads on tuning/mods to refine an already great pistol.
Example https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=166452.0
You didn't say where your practice range will be. There are some useful targets for both 10M and 5M in the shooting match gates
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?board=17
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If getting the P17 one of the best mods is doing the champagne glass mod to the loading end of the barrel. It makes loading pellets so much easier.
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=203277.msg156376882#msg156376882
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Once you get your P17, there are number of threads on tuning/mods to refine an already great pistol.
Example https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=166452.0
You didn't say where your practice range will be. There are some useful targets for both 10M and 5M in the shooting match gates
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?board=17
oh this will be very helpful, one things i was kinda worried about is i have zero experience doing anything with the gun haha so i wouldnt really know how or what i should be doing however I gotta start somewhere. Im not 100% sure on where my practice range will be, i will most likely be just doing it at my house because i dont live in a very populated area so there arent really much options in regards to air pistol classes or groups. Ill probably just make my own set up at home and measure it out etc
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If getting the P17 one of the best mods is doing the champagne glass mod to the loading end of the barrel. It makes loading pellets so much easier.
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=203277.msg156376882#msg156376882
ill be sure to check this out when the day comes thanks!
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how do any of you feel about buying used guns? I know buying used items in any circumstance has risk involved but have most of you had good results when buying used guns or would you advice against it?
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how do any of you feel about buying used guns? I know buying used items in any circumstance has risk involved but have most of you had good results when buying used guns or would you advice against it?
the reason i ask is because i could get a "better" gun for a used price. "better" being that the gun is in good working condition after buying it.
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Once you get your P17, there are number of threads on tuning/mods to refine an already great pistol.
Example https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=166452.0
You didn't say where your practice range will be. There are some useful targets for both 10M and 5M in the shooting match gates
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?board=17
oh this will be very helpful, one things i was kinda worried about is i have zero experience doing anything with the gun haha so i wouldnt really know how or what i should be doing however I gotta start somewhere. Im not 100% sure on where my practice range will be, i will most likely be just doing it at my house because i dont live in a very populated area so there arent really much options in regards to air pistol classes or groups. Ill probably just make my own set up at home and measure it out etc
Making our own ranges is what most airgunners seem to do.
Look in your yard and measure out suitable stretches to accommodate 10 meters plus another 2 meters for your body in shooting stance, plus room in back for placing a backstop, even if you use a pellet trap. If you’re brand new to shooting, assume you will have misses that don’t go in the pellet trap. After some practice, you’ll know when it’s very unlikely that shots stray outside of the trap.
You may well start off by practicing at less than 10 meters, too. And somewhere early on, learn to adjust the gun’s sights.
It’d be good to shoot whatever gun you buy as-is before tinkering.
Don’t be in a big hurry to skip the learning stages, whether it’s shooting or anything else. Shortcutting tends to bite you in the butt later on, more so if you aspire to higher levels of performance...
Oh, yeah, one more thing, just in case you have no experience in this: buy some protective shooting glasses. They can be found for only $15 or so. Pellets WILL ricochet sometimes, especially light ones. And they can bounce back surprisingly far, like right past your head! Nothing is worth losing eyesight for, so spend the few dollars for the glasses.
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If you are new to pistol shooting, I would stick with the P17 recommendation, it will take you a while to outgrow it.
There are a number of online resources for target shooting technique, example: https://targetshooting.ca/technical-pistol/
You will want to use wadcutter style pellets for clean holes. No need for expensive competition level pellets, if you have Prime, something like this should work fine at $6/500
www.amazon.com/Sport-Excite-ECON-II-500S/dp/B07R1K6KYJ
I would start at 5M using the scaled targets https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=114750.0
At 5M you reduce wind issues and you can see the holes (especially those in the white :()
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I'm probably gonna take a few lumps here, but I'm in the P-17 corner. I converted mine to 22 with a 1322 barrel, it's a very good gun. I talked a friend into buying one, he has a V-10 and was on the fence about the "cheap" P-17. I offered to buy it if he didn't like it. He's kinda bummed about the V-10 not beating it at 7 times the money. I would have to bench them both to sort it out, but he's a serious target shooter and I'll trust his word
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We all love accuracy but what does accuracy really mean? Accuracy from a bench rest is nice and the tiny groups are fun to photograph and feel good about. I'm guessing that my P-17 is not as accurate as my V-10 which is not as accurate as my IZH 46M, from a bench rest but they are all probably pretty close and I've never checked because it's not that important. 10M competition is not from a bench rest. Offhand accuracy is a whole nother world and is dependent on more than theoretical bench rest accuracy. With competition level guns your money hopefully buys a MUCH better adjustable trigger, much better sights (irrelevant if you use aftermarket optics), better ergonomics, better reliability.
Although I did some trigger work on the P-17, it's not at all in the same league as the more expensive guns. In offhand shooting, the trigger matters a LOT. I can't overstate how important the trigger is when you are competing. It's not everything but it's a LOT. Adjustable triggers are a wonderful thing and is missing on the P-17. The P-17 still has a pretty nice trigger for a $30.00 gun but not at all compared to a $300.00 or more gun.
The P-17 sights are pretty good although the fiber optics don't contribute anything for 10M shooting. More expensive guns will definitely have much better sights and a longer sighting radius. I don't particularly like the adjustment controls on the P-17 and have found that Point Of Impact moves around a bit. This never happens on my IZH 46M. Again if you use aftermarket optics the deficiencies of the stock sights are irrelevant.
Ergonomics are a very much a personal thing so check out every gun you can. Adjustability is a nice feature which the P-17 lacks but the P-17 ergonomics might be perfect for some. I like a grip that makes my hand feel welded to the gun. I ended up using a soldering iron to melt/stipple the grips on the P-17 which was a huge improvement.
You'll care about reliability and consistency if you start practicing a lot. I've had to fiddle/repair the P-17 a few times. Minor stuff but I did have to take it apart a few times while firing it approximately 4,800 times. The V-10 has been rock solid reliable over 3,800 shots. I've had to fix the IZH 46M a couple times. Minor stuff but one time a tiny internal spring broke and I made a new one by modifying a ballpoint pen spring. The IZH46M is up to approximately 21,500 shots. Shooting/practicing a lot usually means you better know how to fix your guns but breakdowns are often simple to repair and the guys here can tell you how to fix anything.
Nothing matters more than the skill level of the shooter. Consistent, quality practice is a big deal. By quality practice I mean making every shot count and focusing on the fundamentals of marksmanship on every shot. Your skill will improve more by shooting 20 quality practice shots every day onto a 10M target and tracking your scores than blowing off 200 shots at tin cans on a weekend (no matter how much fun tin can shooting is). Marksmanship is a mental game as much as it is a physical skill. A good shooter with a mediocre gun will beat a mediocre shooter with an excellent gun every time.
All this is just my personal experience and opinion. I'm not much of an expert and certainly not exactly an Olympic level shooter. I have been competing in various forms of offhand pistol competition since the early 70s with occasional minor league success. I also hope I don't sound like I'm disrespecting the P-17. It's a wonderful gun for $30.000 and a great choice to see if you like pistol target shooting.
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We all love accuracy but what does accuracy really mean? Accuracy from a bench rest is nice and the tiny groups are fun to photograph and feel good about. I'm guessing that my P-17 is not as accurate as my V-10 which is not as accurate as my IZH 46M, from a bench rest but they are all probably pretty close and I've never checked because it's not that important. 10M competition is not from a bench rest. Offhand accuracy is a whole nother world and is dependent on more than theoretical bench rest accuracy. With competition level guns your money hopefully buys a MUCH better adjustable trigger, much better sights (irrelevant if you use aftermarket optics), better ergonomics, better reliability.
Although I did some trigger work on the P-17, it's not at all in the same league as the more expensive guns. In offhand shooting, the trigger matters a LOT. I can't overstate how important the trigger is when you are competing. It's not everything but it's a LOT. Adjustable triggers are a wonderful thing and is missing on the P-17. The P-17 still has a pretty nice trigger for a $30.00 gun but not at all compared to a $300.00 or more gun.
The P-17 sights are pretty good although the fiber optics don't contribute anything for 10M shooting. More expensive guns will definitely have much better sights and a longer sighting radius. I don't particularly like the adjustment controls on the P-17 and have found that Point Of Impact moves around a bit. This never happens on my IZH 46M. Again if you use aftermarket optics the deficiencies of the stock sights are irrelevant.
Ergonomics are a very much a personal thing so check out every gun you can. Adjustability is a nice feature which the P-17 lacks but the P-17 ergonomics might be perfect for some. I like a grip that makes my hand feel welded to the gun. I ended up using a soldering iron to melt/stipple the grips on the P-17 which was a huge improvement.
You'll care about reliability and consistency if you start practicing a lot. I've had to fiddle/repair the P-17 a few times. Minor stuff but I did have to take it apart a few times while firing it approximately 4,800 times. The V-10 has been rock solid reliable over 3,800 shots. I've had to fix the IZH 46M a couple times. Minor stuff but one time a tiny internal spring broke and I made a new one by modifying a ballpoint pen spring. The IZH46M is up to approximately 21,500 shots. Shooting/practicing a lot usually means you better know how to fix your guns but breakdowns are often simple to repair and the guys here can tell you how to fix anything.
Nothing matters more than the skill level of the shooter. Consistent, quality practice is a big deal. By quality practice I mean making every shot count and focusing on the fundamentals of marksmanship on every shot. Your skill will improve more by shooting 20 quality practice shots every day onto a 10M target and tracking your scores than blowing off 200 shots at tin cans on a weekend (no matter how much fun tin can shooting is). Marksmanship is a mental game as much as it is a physical skill. A good shooter with a mediocre gun will beat a mediocre shooter with an excellent gun every time.
All this is just my personal experience and opinion. I'm not much of an expert and certainly not exactly an Olympic level shooter. I have been competing in various forms of offhand pistol competition since the early 70s with occasional minor league success. I also hope I don't sound like I'm disrespecting the P-17. It's a wonderful gun for $30.000 and a great choice to see if you like pistol target shooting.
Yeah that certainly is a lot of shooting you have done. I def appreciate all the advice everyone is giving. With that being said i am getting a P17, its going to be a good start anyway and if its something that i end up really enjoying then i can take my learning experiences from using the P17 and apply that into the next more expensive gun i decide to buy. For now I am going to roll with the P17 and see what i think!
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The Gamo Compact or V10 is so much easier to cock and shoot than the P17 or HW40. I have strong arms and hands but find the Beemans to be annoying to cock in comparison. A long session gets to be tedious. I also like the Gamo target grips better. It's trigger is easy to improve as well.
Definitely prefer the Gamo to a Daisy 717. All day.
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The Gamo Compact or V10 is so much easier to cock and shoot than the P17 or HW40. I have strong arms and hands but find the Beemans to be annoying to cock in comparison. A long session gets to be tedious. I also like the Gamo target grips better. It's trigger is easy to improve as well.
Definitely prefer the Gamo to a Daisy 717. All day.
the v10 is on my list for a future upgrade should i get more into it. $300 is still way cheaper than the higher end guns ive seen plus a lot of people seem to like the v10s they have owned
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The P3/P17/HW40 cocking effort is surprisingly high, but it can be done much more easily with a technique that uses mid and upper body instead of only the hands and wrists. You would need to be good with kneeling repeatedly. I am a small, 60-something woman and have done sessions of 100+ pellets from the P3. That is more than I can concentrate well for, but it is doable. Also, I switch cocking sides when I shoot shooting hands, so that distributes the “weight training” over both sides.
The point about keeping shot numbers fairly low but with sharp mental/physical focus is good advice. If nothing else, your eyes are likely to get tired until they become accustomed to shooting. They need training, too.
An eye doctor warned me long ago that my eyes would feel tired after going through a standard eyesight exam. All that focusing on things both fuzzy and sharp, letters getting smaller and smaller, simulating different corrections, WAS tiring indeed. Small muscles are involved in focusing. You have three different distances to account for when shooting, even with focus concentrated on the front sight.
This will apply no matter which pistol you start with, assuming you use open sights.
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The P3/P17/HW40 cocking effort is surprisingly high, but it can be done much more easily with a technique that uses mid and upper body instead of only the hands and wrists. You would need to be good with kneeling repeatedly. I am a small, 60-something woman and have done sessions of 100+ pellets from the P3. That is more than I can concentrate well for, but it is doable. Also, I switch cocking sides when I shoot shooting hands, so that distributes the “weight training” over both sides.
The point about keeping shot numbers fairly low but with sharp mental/physical focus is good advice. If nothing else, your eyes are likely to get tired until they become accustomed to shooting. They need training, too.
An eye doctor warned me long ago that my eyes would feel tired after going through a standard eyesight exam. All that focusing on things both fuzzy and sharp, letters getting smaller and smaller, simulating different corrections, WAS tiring indeed. Small muscles are involved in focusing. You have three different distances to account for when shooting, even with focus concentrated on the front sight.
This will apply no matter which pistol you start with, assuming you use open sights.
thanks for the advice, yeah ill know more about the p17 when i get it to see how much id want to shoot etc. It helps im only 33 years old, male so im not really "expecting" it too be too difficult but we will see! I expect more mental fatigue than anything at least to start with as I plan to try my best to take everyones advice on really focusing on my shots and taking my time with "good" shots instead of rushed ones or ones where im just playing around. I absolutely would agree even before hand that good practice makes better use of my time. I am in good physical shape even arm wrestling is a big hobby of mine so my hands and forearms are in good shape and i have no issues kneeling etc so i could use more core/lower extremities to help cock the gun as well.
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Derrick,
Pull the gun in to your chest and use your chest muscles and upper arms to close the gun. It's not too bad like that. I had to ask a couple ten year olds to give my gun back, they were burning through the pellets. Technique is everything, physical strength isn't the most important aspect.
Buellm2 gave some great insight and advice. Sounds like he's a serious target shooter, those guys shoot A LOT. As I said, my friends P17 gives his V10 a run for the money, but he's done some polishing and lubing. In the short term the p17 is a good target gun if it fits your hands, but the V10 will outlast it, and it's a more refined piece. There's some adjustment on the P17 trigger, it can be pretty good, but it's not world class. In the right hands it's a tough competitor, but once you can get all it offers you'll be ready to spend some money for a couple steps up. The IZH is a really nice one, my friend has one of those, too. It's a first class target pistol.
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I just rest the under side of the barrel on my thigh and push the breech closed with the palm of my hand. I use a padded fingerless leather glove from my Harley days.
I sent a pair of them out west to Stalwart and he worked magic on them. He's the one that did the champagne glass barrel for easy loading. He did other things that I don't remember right now. I do know they have very nice triggers now. I have a couple that are stock and you can really feel the difference shooting them side by side.
Another nice mod is to cut a section of bicycle inner tube and stretch over the grip. I have them in open sights, red dots and pistol scopes.
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Want some fun? Load up a sandwich tooth pick and shoot a dart board. ;)
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All the P-17 discussion made me haul one out and shoot a couple groups. Also shot the IZH 46M for comparison. Today I felt pretty good and my shooting was about as good as it gets for this old guy. The P-17 has a cleaned up trigger but not nearly as nice as the IZH. The fiber optic elements on the rear sight fell out of the P-17 a long time ago and the tiny little holes creates an additional fuzziness in the sight picture. The IZH has a BSA 1.5X pistol scope for sighting. I was shocked but pleased to find the differences in group sizes between the two guns was pretty darn small. It would be cool to shoot my 10M competitions with the P-17.
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All the P-17 discussion made me haul one out and shoot a couple groups. Also shot the IZH 46M for comparison. Today I felt pretty good and my shooting was about as good as it gets for this old guy. The P-17 has a cleaned up trigger but not nearly as nice as the IZH. The fiber optic elements on the rear sight fell out of the P-17 a long time ago and the tiny little holes creates an additional fuzziness in the sight picture. The IZH has a BSA 1.5X pistol scope for sighting. I was shocked but pleased to find the differences in group sizes between the two guns was pretty darn small. It would be cool to shoot my 10M competitions with the P-17.
that sounds good to me then! glad to see it wasnt a big difference as im getting the P17 to start with. I dont think id ever get into competitions with it but this is going to let me know if this new hobby of mine is going to be serious or not. If i got deeper into it i would definitely save up and buying a better pistol. I am excited to get it though and start shooting.
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Go straight to a true 10m pistol, whether its an 46m or the budget Hammerli AP 120 or a second hand FAS. Why? If one does end up staying with the discipline eventually you will have to move up a few tiers in pistol quality to be competitive as you enhance your performance. A 300 dollar pistol here. A used beginners true 10m pistol at roughly 800-1100 used, there. and then if you start making finals: Bang! Moroni / Steyr/ FWB: 2k+. A be stuck with two lesser items with money tied up. Just wait your time and get a quality: top tier used pistol when savings allows. Plus their are huge disadvantage's in learn all over again feel for the pistol and getting comfortable. Scores often reflect 20 or more point drops and a 6 moth or more recovery time. It's better to just save, save, save a head straight into a quality pistol. Used IZH 46m's are out there. In thee right hands still capable of 590 scores. Patience is your friend. I found my 46m walking through my local gun show, believe it or not. Little back water pond in Arkansas. Most of you have much much better opportunities.
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All great suggestions.....
IMO get the P17,find a pellet that it likes and start shooting it at 5 yards for a while. After you understand the pistol a bit more, then start according to ISSF pistol rules. When youve shot that discipline for a while, you'll hvae a way better idea if you wnat to continue.......
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I have both the P17 and P3 - they shoot good, but for 10m I would get a "more better" target pistol.
Something designed for target shooting with a longer barrel.
Just my opinion, but I do not know if getting and shooting a P17 will convince you to proceed.
It may even go the other way and discourage you.
I have a CO2 Crossman 2240 which I put a 1377 10" barrel on - easy to cock and shoots as accurate as the P17.
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Yep, the P17 does take some effort to cock and I can see it being discouraging to some. But if you can get past that issue it's very rewarding.
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Yep, the P17 does take some effort to cock and I can see it being discouraging to some. But if you can get past that issue it's very rewarding.
True, and if you can handle cocking the P17, the nicer guns that require cocking will seem like no big deal at all.
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Very sorry for the grammatical / spelling errors. Site won't let me edit post. ????