What to do with a box-stock 1377?

[Donewiththis]

So, I was ordering 20,000 pellets, some new Caldwell Shooting bags, some new rings, etc., and I was "angry" at the shipping fees!  Hey, $20.00 plus for shipping is just plain crazy.    So, I started adding some "on-sale" items to my order in order to see if the shipping charges changed.   At the end of the day (order) I ended up with extra stuff I didn't intend on ordering, including a Crosman 1377 at an on-sale price.  NOW, the 1377 has been sitting new in the package for a few weeks, and I've wondered what I'm going to do with it?   It seemed like a good idea at the time.     I'm sure I'm not the first guy to buy things like this.   I've read about mods that can be done, flat top pistons, shoulder stocks, tuned triggers, longer barrels, but I'm left wondering why I should spend a couple of hundred bucks turning a cheap pistol into a rifle?   I kind-of-like the idea of a powerful pistol, but I already have decent rifles.  I have a Diana 34 in .22, with a Vortex tune, and it shoots very well, despite the hold sensitivity issues.  I have a Benjamin 392 in .22 that shoots as good or better than the Diana 34.   I have several Daisy 853 rifles (thank you CMP), and I also claim ownership of a Crosman 2100.    There might be a few others on my rack.    So, while I like the idea of mods that increase power of the 1377, I'd like to keep it as a "pistol" or handgun.   Scopes are always a good idea, but I don't really want to put a rifle length barrel on it.   So, what should I do to keep it a pistol, with a scope and reasonable power?   Feedback, ideas, suggestions?       Thanks in advance. 

[Railbuggy]

I bought one years ago to train my children how to ...
 Last year I bought some of those cheap barrel clamps and mounted a reddot sight on it. Then I saw that DoomsdayBugOut Kit at DICKS, then I ordered a 2400KT from the custom shop....

[avator]

Whatever you decide to do, keep this in mind. Do some research and ask questions. Buy your upgrades from Crosman as parts. You will save a ton of money in shipping alone. Betty Lou and I shoot every chance we get but at the end of the day, we always end up in our 20' indoor range shooting our little 1377 carbine pumpers at little flys printed on paper targets at 3 to 4 pumps. My best was last night.. 24 out of 25 flys in just under 10 minutes.

[Rivers3Plinker]

If you're trying to decide, I think a 12 inch barrel is just fine for this gun as a pistol. Some might even say a 14 inch is OK and others even longer. I've seen many pics with 1377 and long brakes on them etc. Really depends on your preference and keeping it from getting unwieldy. I don't know crosman part numbers for .177 caliber but for a specific project I would consider one of the guys like Mellon Air or online custom barrel cut and crown guys.

Along the same lines as you're thinking, I have a 1322 with a 12 inch barrel off the latest 2289g kit and plan to leave it pistol. At this point, other than the barrel and the 2289 pump arm, it is stock, but I already have the steel breech and FT piston for it sitting in boxes. My goal is a powerful target type pistol with which I can walk my property and pop chipmunks. I want to put target style grips on it and a red dot. Money wise, I understand I could probably get a NP break barrel pistol that makes more power for less money but where is the fun in that? I'm all about the mods and tinkering which is why I love this gun platform.

[BillK]

IMO just shoot it and enjoy.
When or if you come up with changes you think will improve your shooting enjoyment you can usually find someone who has done it before.  With all the mods available you can tailor the gun to your own preferences.
Happy shooting.

[Donewiththis]

Thanks for the feedback & suggestions.   I'm going to upgrade to the steel breach as soon as Crosman has them in stock, and then put a low powered pistol scope on it.        Please, if someone could educate me on the "Flat Top Piston" install.   Please be very specific.   Which parts or kit do you buy; where do you buy it from, and how is it installed?   I understand that velocity increases vary from gun to gun, but overall what could be expected?     

[nervoustrigger]

I'm going to upgrade to the steel breach as soon as Crosman has them in stock, and then put a low powered pistol scope on it.

A low powered scope?  Nah, go ahead and put 6-24x44 scope on it like this 



Yeah, I know it's pretty silly.  I was just checking out the scope which I bought second hand.  But what it did show me is that it's a pretty solid shooter with good glass on it:



If you haven't already seen the evidence, the models in this family (1377, 1322, 2289, etc.) are without a doubt the most popular guns to modify.  There is a healthy aftermarket of vendors making parts for them, and there are quite a few upgrades sold by Crosman themselves.

Please, if someone could educate me on the "Flat Top Piston" install.   Please be very specific.   Which parts or kit do you buy; where do you buy it from, and how is it installed?   I understand that velocity increases vary from gun to gun, but overall what could be expected?

Firstly, please note that you will need both a flat-top piston and flat-top valve.  Either one alone would yield worse performance than the stock parts.  The principle is to eliminate as much headspace as possible...meaning the gap between the end of the piston and the face of the valve is minimized.  In this way, more compressed air is forced into the valve on each stroke and it will build higher pressure.

Installation is pretty easy.  Hopefully someone will come along and point you to some instructions or a video.  Meanwhile, this Youtube video by Airgunsnirvana shows a nice cutaway of what is going on between the piston and valve.   



In stock form, there is some headspace which limits power.  For almost no cost other than your time, you can shim the pump cup and stiffen the piston to achieve similar performance.  By doing that to my 2289, I gained 90fps and energy increased by almost 50% at 10 pumps.  There is a DIY writeup linked in my signature if you are interested.

I later converted it to .177 cal with a long Discovery barrel to get what I consider to be a much improved trajectory for this type of energy level.  With 14 pumps, it is producing 10.7fpe and is quite accurate as you can see from the group above.

[Tater]

Cool stuff Jason.
For reference of barrel size for the OP, here's my 1377. Steel breech, 11 1/2" or 12" barrel (can't remember), 6 1/2" TKO, red dot, backpacker forearm...



Red dot has been upgraded since then, can't believe I don't have a pic with that.

[Donewiththis]

Thanks for the all the information guys.   That's a cool looking pistol.   Now, where do I buy a Flat-Top Piston and Valve kit?   And, what can I expect (approximately) the velocity to be after the FT Piston & Valve upgrade?     I suppose the velocity (and FPE) of the 1377 will tell me if it will be a plinker or a something more serious.  Thanks again. 

[Donewiththis]

Okay, so I found the Mellon-air web site, and he lists the Flat top piston at $15.00 and the valve at $15.00.   I'm a little confused because he makes mention of sending him my valve?   Okay, I'm new, and I have no idea how this works.   Also, what other parts should I order at the same time?  He says that delivery time is about 12 weeks, so I'd like to get my order in.  I'm going to keep the factory barrel, and see how it goes.   Thank again.

[Gertrude]

Ishootforblood,

The 1377 is probably the most modifiable platform out there, and can be modded into anything from Mild to Wild. Basically the sky is the limit on these guns.
Check out these older threads for just a little teaser as to what can be done with them...

 http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=54131.0

 http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=45838.0

Also, here's an endless supply of videos on youtube...

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=crosman%201377%20valve%20mod%20&sm=1

[BillK]

Here is a few links to vendors who have a few day lead time for parts as opposed to months of waiting.

http://www.mountainaircustomairguns.com/

http://www.accustommods.com/

http://www.alchemyairwerks.com/

http://www.bryanandac.com/

http://www.cothranmachine.com/

http://www.mac1airgunshop.com/rebuild-parts-s/1826.htm

Alchemy air & AC Customs are also on Ebay. 
I have ordered from all these guys and have been happy with the service & parts.  All good stuff.

[Rivers3Plinker]

Okay, so I found the Mellon-air web site, and he lists the Flat top piston at $15.00 and the valve at $15.00.   I'm a little confused because he makes mention of sending him my valve?   Okay, I'm new, and I have no idea how this works.   Also, what other parts should I order at the same time?  He says that delivery time is about 12 weeks, so I'd like to get my order in.  I'm going to keep the factory barrel, and see how it goes.   Thank again.

AC Customs will ship you a nice FT valve and piston setup within a week of ordering. He has a couple options for a FT piston. You can order right off his site with PayPal and he has instructions too. Be aware youll need to spend some time de-burring the pump arm slot and making it super smooth so it doesnt damage your o-ring during install and use. Same for the pivot pin holes in the pump tube. If you are comfortable taking the gun almost  completely apart, this is for you.

There's much more you can do. So much more. Welcome to the addiction!

[plinker331]

subscribing due to recent purchase

[Rivers3Plinker]

Cool stuff Jason.
For reference of barrel size for the OP, here's my 1377. Steel breech, 11 1/2" or 12" barrel (can't remember), 6 1/2" TKO, red dot, backpacker forearm...



Red dot has been upgraded since then, can't believe I don't have a pic with that.

This is just plain cool. My gun looked very much like that but with a UTG dot and at the time, no brake.

That said I ended up going the other direction and put a 18" barrel and 1399 stock on it.
Now after seeing this pic I might convert my 14" barrel 2289 back to pistol by Simply swapping the 1399 stock for grips! Love that about these guns.

[breakfastchef]

My recommendation is to do absolutely nothing. Just shoot it! It may do everything you want it to do right out of the package. Make sure to put at least a tin of pellets through it so the pumping action and trigger smooths out a bit.

[avator]

I think I would at least put a steel breech and a red dot on it. I mean, they will serve you well as a pistol and if you ever do go to the next level, you will be that much closer. And if you decide to go with the steel breech, order it as parts from Crosman and save about 40%. Search some threads or just ask and one of us will give you the part numbers.

[mudduck48]

Take the grip panels off. Pull out the trigger spring. Go to Ace hardware and get a softer spring the same diameter. Cut the spring to the same length and install. You have just took the trigger pull from about 6lbs to about 3lbs. This is what I did for my sons 2289G. 

[F7FTIGERCAT]

Hi
Take the darned thing out and shoot it, break it in stock then when you make changes later you may be able to see the difference
And you can have some fun while you decide what you want to do   


Ed   



If you are reading this thank a teacher,   It your reading it in English thank a soldier 

[Rivers3Plinker]

I would just like to add shooting it in stock form for awhile is a very good suggestion as you will not only quickly learn what you would like to improve, but you will also more greatly appreciate mods that do so. Personaly I most greatly appreciate the backpacker pump arm and red dot sight.