CP1-M pistol first impressions

[HueAirgun]

I too think the CP-1 is a higher quality pistol but here are some additional things to consider.

Price: Within the US, the Amazon/Walmart price wars at times have driven the 2240 under $40 ( $80 for CP-1) may make a difference for some

Size/Shape: The CP-1 is and feels larger. The grip is in places a cm larger in perimeter and the trigger is about a cm longer reach. May be an issue for smaller hands, though plenty of options for carving away. Also the CP-1 grip has a different angle, more of a target "broken wrist" hold. some like it some don't

Breech/sights: The CP-1 is better on both accounts , and you may be able to get the bolt on the side you prefer. Note: I and others had to disassemble and clean up the breech/leade on the CP-1 because of rough pellet feed (no feed issues on my 2240). For sights, if this is to be used as a pistol with open sights, I replaced the rear sight plate on the 2240 with one with a narrower slot, and for handheld shooting the performance of the sights on the two pistols is comparable.

Trigger: You will want to tune the trigger on either gun to get best accuracy. Both are relatively easy to do. Once you get them under two pounds, which is better will be a personal preference.

Efficiency and CO₂ usage: Stock, both pistols waste CO₂ unless you need max power. On the 2240 a power adjuster is an easy and relatively cheap add-on (the one in the picture is home made). For the CP-1 the valve buffer as described by Jason works great but takes a little more effort to implement. That said, the shorter barrel on the 2240 will not be as efficient as the CP-1. These adjustments also help with the noise.

Caliber: If you are paper target shooting, the .177 available in the CP-1 is usually easier/cheaper to get wadcutters.

So in the end, it all depends on what you want to use it for. The CP-1 is higher end, but the size and shape of the grip may be an issue for someone that want an easy pistol to shoot with either small hands or with their kids. With the tuning described, for handheld shooting, I've gotten both pistols to comparable accuracy.

Luckly i think ill be able to get both of them (CP-1 for half the price without maganizes). Thank you for the advice.

I'd go with the cp1 if you can afford it. Much better, steel breech instead of plastic, magazine. No comparison really. Plus you can get the new grips and stock for $25 if you decide you want to carbine it.

CARBINE STOCK?
Where, and how much?

Thanks, Rick

This stock was made from another brazilian guy, but i think it was an one time thing.

[Xraycer]

This stock was made from another brazilian guy, but i think it was an one time thing.

Very nice!

[nervoustrigger]

Hi Stan, that's a nice comprehensive comparison.  With most of it I agree but I wanted to comment on the trigger.  I've had several Crosmans with the 2240 type trigger group but only one CP1-M so I don't know if I got a factory freak whose trigger is somehow better than most but they are not remotely comparable.  The Crosmans have a creepy behavior even after polishing and lubricating and installing a lighter spring...kind of a stick-slip, stick-slip, hang, break. 

The CP1-M trigger is so much nicer.  Buttery smooth all the way with a clean break.  All it really needed was to take up some of the overly long travel.

If I could get the Crosman trigger to behave so well, I would be elated.  I do agree it doesn't seem to adversely affect accuracy but it demands sufficient concentration to not pull the shot that it makes shooting it less enjoyable.  Granted, at the $40 - $50 price point, it seems to be an unfair comparison...until adding a steel breech which puts them at a price parity.  Then the CP1-M is a no brainer.

[rrdstarr]

Yah the CP-1M is a far cry better then the Crosman trigger!  I have two and the .177 I bought first is a tidge better.

[WhatUPSbox?]

Jason,
What I've been doing with my Crosman pistol triggers is replacing the sear spring with an inverted adjuster/spring shown in the photos.  In my mind, this gets the spring out of the guide channel and replaces it with the smooth plastic sides of the block. I've made these out of some Delrin I had but also out of a thick plastic clothes hanger. The screw hole is blind so the sear rides on a smooth surface. I also do the usual polish and sear pin washer. The shorter, softer spring is out of a HF spring set.

I also use power adjusters on the 2240's

What I found is that with the power adjuster backed out to around 400fps, and with mods above, I get about a 1 1/2 pound trigger that has a short, relatively smooth motion, then I can feel the slight hang you describe before it breaks. If I'm patient to feel through those steps, it is very predictable.

I'm still working on the 13xx. without the power adjusters, the preload on the sear is higher and I have not fully duplicated the 2240's

All that said the CP-1 trigger is easier to tune.

[WesBob]

Thanks for sharing that! Great idea.

[nervoustrigger]

That's clever, Stan, thanks for the photos and description!  I've tried a few different approaches over the years but that's one I haven't seen.  I may give that a try. 

I wonder if the little hangup just before the break is something I can deal with by altering the geometry of the parts.  A slight radius of maybe 0.010" on the sharp corner of the sear might do the trick.

Another thing I've been thinking about is cutting a groove in the hammer in line with the sear to see if it would eliminate the effects of sear drag that occurs when using an overtravel screw.  I wanted to add a spring plunger to my 2400KT as shown in the following thread but it didn't work out due to the drag.  http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=125063

I realize the practical solution is to get the drop sear trigger group but the cost kinda blows the budget aspect of the 2240 / 1377 / etc.

[imadunatic]

The 2400kt has an over travel screw in the stock group doesn't it? How does Crosman handle the drag? Adjusting it until there is lots of over travel? Lol.

I agree with you on the cost of the prod triggers, but they sure are sweet. 

For some reason though, I still prefer my 2240... By a hair (granted, it's like Grandpa's hatchet at this point, the only stock piece left is the pressure tube... ) I think mainly because I feel like I'm still getting cheated out of some power on the CP1.

[WhatUPSbox?]

I actually like a slight hangup before the break. I force myself to feel for it which usually keeps me from yanking on the trigger.

During the smooth/polish, I inadvertently put a slight radius on the sear of my 1322. It would not hold. I had to increase the sear spring preload to get it to do so. Fortunately, I think there is enough stroke to re-establish a sharper corner the next time I have it apart.

Yes, I'm definitely in the trigger should not cost more than the pistol camp

[nervoustrigger]

The 2400kt has an over travel screw in the stock group doesn't it? How does Crosman handle the drag? Adjusting it until there is lots of over travel? Lol.

Unfortunately that is exactly right, speaking from experience.  It has to be adjusted quite loose or drag is plainly apparent in the chronograph readings.

I think mainly because I feel like I'm still getting cheated out of some power on the CP1.

Yeah, I hear you on that.  Prior to getting the CP1-M, I had very little interest in a pistol...a real pistol, not a powerful hog leg gun like the PP700 or P-rod.  But somehow the CP1-M won me over with its accuracy, trigger, and shot count.  Running it at modest power means I won't use it for anything larger than a chipmunk but getting over 80 shots per CO2 cartridge makes it a fun gun for reactive targets.

[imadunatic]

Yes, I'm definitely in the trigger should not cost more than the pistol camp

But I'm glad it's available... the barrier to entry being ~$40 (some days) and then the sky being the limit is why I love the 22XX series.... I would like to see more (upgrade) options being offered on the CP1 series for sure.

[nervoustrigger]

During the smooth/polish, I inadvertently put a slight radius on the sear of my 1322. It would not hold. I had to increase the sear spring preload to get it to do so. Fortunately, I think there is enough stroke to re-establish a sharper corner the next time I have it apart.

Stan, would you hazard a guess as to how much radius it was? 

The hangup just before the break on all of mine is something I find very objectionable.  It's not at all like hitting the second stage of a decent 2-stage trigger.  I think I'd rather trade a slightly heavier trigger pull than deal with the hangup.

[imadunatic]

Jason,

Do you polish the engagement face of your hammers? I had one stock hammer that had a significant machining groove protruding from the face and it actually caused a very similar condition to what you're describing.

[WhatUPSbox?]

Jason,

I was sanding out the usual stamped steel features on the sear and noticed I had rounded the corner a bit. I usually try to avoid that. It was visible, but not intentionally radiused. Also at that point the trigger was at a pretty light pull, down around a pound. Having the adjustability on the sear spring preload made the recovery easy.



 

[nervoustrigger]

Do you polish the engagement face of your hammers?

Oh yeah   Frankly that's what makes the trigger pull so disappointing.  Despite careful treatment of the affected surfaces, it just doesn't seem to respond with a clean pull.   

[nervoustrigger]

I was sanding out the usual stamped steel features on the sear and noticed I had rounded the corner a bit. I usually try to avoid that. It was visible, but not intentionally radiused. Also at that point the trigger was at a pretty light pull, down around a pound. Having the adjustability on the sear spring preload made the recovery easy.

Gotcha, thanks.  For what it's worth, I try to take extreme care not to change the geometry of the surfaces, just get rid of the stamping artifacts like you said.  First with flat diamond files to knock down the surface level with the tearout side, then final smoothing with wet/dry paper on a glass plate.  The sear has a sharp 90° angle and seems to hold very securely so that's why I figured a very slight softening of the corner would be okay without requiring a lot of spring force to avoid a bump fire.  I'll just have to experiment.

[WhatUPSbox?]

Jason,
You don't mean 90 degree, just sharp, at the slant edge angle, right?

BWT, found a picture of the guide block in the channel. That was the first one I did...I got lazy and didn't make the bottom spring guide for the others. I don't think it affects the smoothness but I may experiment.

[nervoustrigger]

Oh yeah, sorry, the picture in my mind's eye was a 90 but you're right, it has a shallow angle.

[HueAirgun]

Well, finally both guns arrived.
Soon ill get a chrony and get some numbers.

[rws_53]

Regarding the Mrodair CP1-M pistols for $89:
Do the front sights still need to be shimmed about 3/8 inch?
Does Mrodair sell the shim and longer screw?
Do the new ones come with the trigger set screw or just a threaded hole?
Does the muzzle brake reduce the noise?

I picked up a CP1-M two years ago...Mike had promised to send out a shim and screw to everyone to adjust the front sight height but never came through.  see  http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/message/1437582793/It+gets+better.+We+also+are+including+a

I fixed mine this way....you could use a small flat file too.