Beeman 1073(RS2) owners

[hopper]

Has anyone attempted to remove the sights from their barrels?

[supertiger]

I did. It s basically pressed on, but underneath the sight the barrel is cut down. Doesn't look good without the sight. I basically wrapped it with a rag and grabed it with vice grip and twisted. My sight was broken so it had to come off. Not sue I would recomend it if you plan to put it back on.

[Iznadatoomah]

I was wandering through the fishing department at Wally World about a year ago and happened upon the "BB Guns" section and saw a Daisy Red Ryder. Well, I had one of these as a kid and felt a wave of nostalgia come over me. Underneath I saw some more "grown up" pellet rifles and decided to take home the Beeman. I had never heard of Beeman or anything, but the extra .22 cal barrel and the pretty wooden stock turned me on, so I bought it. I'm not prone to impulse buys, but that was definitely all impulse.

Anyway...I shot it a couple of times at a home made target and was concerned about ricochet, so I put together one of those silent pellet trap kits from Archer. I had meant to stain and varnish it, but I just never got around to it. Long story short, the gun just sat in my closet for the better part of a year.

Well, I asked my brother-in-law to help me sight in the scope this past Thanksgiving, and I haven't been able to put the thing down yet. Then I found this site and saw many others tinkering with the same gun and how people have been tuning the gun and getting even better experiences and more accuracy.

I shot about 300 pellets using the .177 barrel and those standard Crosman pointed pellets. Then, after reading this site, I picked up a tin of the Crosman Premier Hollow Point pellets, and the gun shoots much more consistently now. The standard Crosman's seemed to be inconsistent inasmuch as some pellets would fit tightly in the breach and some would fit rather loosely...the Premiers all fit nice and tight.

I adjusted the trigger some so that the 2nd stage doesn't have such a long throw and to decrease the overall pull weight some. That helped quite a bit as well. Other than that I haven't done a single thing to this gun and can shoot 5 shot groups with only 2 or 3 holes in the paper target at 10 yards and 1-2" groups at 25 yards. I don't know if that's good or not, but I like it!

I'd like to recrown the barrel, and debur and relube the innards to try and get some better action and accuracy. I'm also looking forward to reworking the trigger as well...the 2 stage action is much better after my adjustments, but it's not very smooth.

I hate the open sights. You can actually see the front sight in the scope...it's all blurry and is very distracting. So, I yanked the plastic front sight off the .177...now it's just ugly. Looks like a muzzle brake is in my future.

I'm also considering a new scope and single mount. The concensus seems to be that a single mount is a must, and I'd like a 3-9x scope vs. the 4x scope that came with it.

So far my experience with this air rifle has been very pleasant. I can't wait to get in there and start tinkering to make it even better!

Any suggestions or helpful advice is obviously welcome.

Iznadatoomah <---excited noob

[Karl der Grosse]

Welcome, and thanks for the info about the Beeman.  I,too, just re-discovered air rifles within the last year.

[johnnyutah]

Hey guy's is there a difference between the walmrt 1073 and online models (1073 RS2) or are they all the same gun?
the reason i ask is they only want $98 for the wamart 1073, but it seem to have no mention of (RS2)on the box and the (1073 RS2) from pyramid air is $135 + Shipping, so i figure it has a better trigger and guaranteed to be a brand new unopened box might be the reason for the price diff?


https://www.pyramydair.com/product/beeman-rs2-dual-caliber-air-rifle-combo?m=1334

[jeeperatt1]

There's a disclaimer in the box that says it is indeed an RS2.......the one from Wal-Mart.

[darryl]

My Beeman 1073 from Walmart says "Sportsman RS2 Series" on the receiver just behind the breech. I say save yourself a few bucks and go with Wally unless PA tells you it's RS2 is made in Germany. Worth a phone call to find that out before going with either one. Just my two cents. BTW the trigger on mine seems quite good. Most will say give it a polish, but I like to rough it.
darryl

[Bentong]

Hey guy's is there a difference between the walmrt 1073 and online models (1073 RS2) or are they all the same gun?
the reason i ask is they only want $98 for the wamart 1073, but it seem to have no mention of (RS2)on the box and the (1073 RS2) from pyramid air is $135 + Shipping, so i figure it has a better trigger and guaranteed to be a brand new unopened box might be the reason for the price diff?


https://www.pyramydair.com/product/beeman-rs2-dual-caliber-air-rifle-combo?m=1334

The difference is $37 + shipping. It's basically the same air rifle.

[johnnyutah]

Thanks for the info,

One of the boxes at walmart was opened and i checked the receiver and it say's Sportsman RS2 Series, so it's the same gun as the PA (1073 RS2) only less money, i think the PA gun is $135 because you get free shipping, but if i need to return it to PA they charge restocking fee, so if i get a lemon from walmart i can just take it back until i get a good one or my money back.

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE HELP GREAT FORUM BTW

Hey Any one know any thing about the beeman kodiak x2, just a little more $$$ then the 1073 but with a synthetic  stock and nice looking muzzle break on both barrels.

http://www.rlairgunsupply.com/cart/products/Beeman_Kodiak_X2_Dual_Caliber_Air_Rifles_177_22-225-70.html

[Blastum]

Question re peep sight:

Howdy, folks.

I bought my rifle to dispatch grackles at relatively short range (generally under 80 feet), and since I don't want to freak out the neighbors by opening my window very wide, I'd rather not mount the scope.

I do pretty well with the standard sights but I'm used to a peep sight so I prefer an aperture sight.  I'm none too impressed with the stock rear sight and it makes sense that I'd get better accuracy increasing my sight radius so dramatically.

Does anyone know of a peep that I can mount without having to mess around with the front sight, too?  Both of the aperture sights recommended on Pyramydair (from Beeman and Mendoza) have been discontinued.

Will the Williams GRS-54 work?  I don't mind having to machine the underside of it to fit the dovetail on my Sportsman RS2, but I'd rather leave the front sight as is.

Thanks for any help you may offer.

BTW:  Sometime when I get out in open country I'll mount the scope.  What does everyone think of the scope included with this kit?

[darryl]

Hi Blastum,
I have Williams peeps mounted on my rifles. The model you want is the FP_AG or the FP_AG_TK (for Targeting Knobs). Go to Midway USA's site here: http://www.midwayusa.com/ and type Williams FP_AG in the search box. I tried to do that for you, but the site must be doing maintenance at this hour. This is Williams's site:
http://www.williamsgunsight.com/gunsights/gunsightsdefault.htm

14168   FP-AG   For air guns and .22 rifles with dovetail grooved receivers and high line of sights. (No drilling and tapping required.)   $73.95   

14170   FP-AG-TK   For air guns and .22 rifles with dovetail grooved receiver and high line of sights. No drilling and tapping required. (With Target Knobs)   $85.95
Midway offers slightly lower prices, I think. Also, I found my TK used on the Yellow.   

I think the stock scope will be OK for what you want to use it for (grackles). Others can chime in about that.  Hope that helps,
darryl

[Blastum]

Thanks, Darryl.

So neither of those would require modifying the front sight?

I have dialed this thing in so that at 70 feet I can generally place 6 or 7 of ten shots in a 2-inch circle.  If I can keep that up I might actually pass on the peep sight, since my rifle kit only cost $140, tax included.  Those sights are very pricey considering the price for the rifle.  (Of course the first time I saw the price on a Centra peep I thought it was a misprint!)

This is my first springer and I'm told that the accuracy improves as it breaks in.

This rifle (at least mine) seems to like Beeman pellets.  The skirts fit in the breech very nicely and feel just right.  I have gotten the results named above with Kodiaks.  I tried Silver Arrows and they didn't work as well.  Daisy and Crosman pellets seemed to spray all over the place.

I haven't put many Crow-Magnums through the bore but while my Benjamin 392 was working, the C-Ms gave me very erratic accuracy.  Pity, because when I peg a grackle with one of those it usually never moves again:  lights out.  The Kodiaks bring them down but it's not always an immediate kill.

When I line up on a grackle I prefer a copper Kodiak; the finish is quite consistent and I think that they have taken special care with those.

[darryl]

Blastum,
I can only speak to my experience with the peeps. I have two RWS rifles. I put peeps on both of them while using the original front sights, and had good results. Having said that, the front post on these rifles are rather wide, so I ordered globe sights for both of them, and extra inserts. Doing that gave me finer aim points, and my groups improved. As I recall, the RS2 has a much smaller front post, and it's a brighter front sight than on my RWS rifles. I will hazard a guess that it will work just fine. If I still had mine, I'd put a peep on it to check it out for you. But I would not blame you if you were hesitant to try it.

[Blastum]

Hi, Darryl--

Thanks for the clarification, sir.

I think if I had a really slick German-made air rifle I could see putting $75+ into the nicer Williams sights.

Since I only paid $140 for this rifle and I'm getting pretty good accuracy with the open sights, I ordered a basic Williams GRS54 from Midway.  The thing *looks* as if it's low-profile enough, and with an extra aperture at .050" (the supplied aperture is .093"), at $47 including the shipping it's really more than I'd prefer to pay but not exactly a ripoff.  So if this works out I should get better groups; if not I'm basically okay as is.

Tell you what:  I'm somewhat surprised at how pellet-sensitive the 1073 is.  I get reasonably tight and very consistent groups at 78 feet with Beeman Kodiaks; the pattern is even better with the copper Kodiaks, so I do an occasional round of practice with those, and if I'm lining up on a grackle I always load a copper Kodiak.

Since dialing in the open sights for the Kodiaks, I tried a round with Crow Magnums, and again I was disappointed.  Not that the C-Ms are a bad pellet; they just don't give me the accuracy of the Kodiaks.  I'd prefer to use the C-Ms for the grackles, what with all the C-M's great expansion & knockdown. . .but if I don't always get the round on target, it doesn't matter whether it's a hollowpoint or not.  (I may eventually fill the expansion cups on a few C-Ms with wax to see if that improves their ballistics.)

I don't have a chrony, so I'm not sure what sort of velocity I'm getting with the Kodiaks--probably fairly slow, probably not anywhere near the 850 fps listed on the 1073 box--but again, I bought this rifle to thin out the grackle population and put them on notice to stay away.

Whatever velocity I'm getting, the grackles cannot outrun it, and it delivers a wallop when I hit the s.o.b.s.

[darryl]

Hi Blastum,
Good  luck with your selection. Let us know how it works out (I might try one myself, depending).
darryl

[Blastum]

Dialing in the open sights.

While I wait for my peep sight to arrive in the mail, I've got the open sights adjusted so that of 10 shots at 70 feet, I usually place 7 within a 2-inch ring.

The other three are simply a matter of not keeping cool enough as I ease the trigger back.  Still working on that.

[darryl]

Most of my concentration is n the trigger pull (don't JERK IT Darryl!!)

[Blastum]

Darryl,

Yup, slow & easy seems to get it best.

Frankly, the tip I've heard since I was a kid about squeezing the trigger has never worked for me:  That motion *is* a pull, but a very even and deliberate one, simultaneously keeping the sights glued right on target.  My groups may not be world-class, but they are tolerable.  I bought this rifle to rid my yard of grackles and most of the time I line up on one it will not fly away.

I'd really like to sit out back with the rifle leaned against the table ready to blow those darn things right out of the trees, and by right someone should pay me a bounty for every grackle I drop, but the neighbors would get all torqued and you're not supposed to use an air rifle in my city anyhow; so. . . .

I don't know how this will work--I'm sure that it is not orthodox--but when my peep sight arrives, since I have been getting decent results with my open rear sight, I may use that as a guide for my initial setting of the peep:  that is, I will probably mount the peep's base and then align the movable part so that through the aperture I can see the front sight right on in the notch.  That could be a little crowded for ordinary shooting, but it stands to reason that that would serve well as a starting point.

And then the increased sight radius combined with the restricted view of the peep ought to help improve my accuracy.  We'll see.

If I had my druthers, I'd get an underlever instead of a break-barrel; the simple reality that you swing the barrel radically out of firing alignment every time you cock & load it kind of bugs me.  But a really nice underlever would be at least 3 times what I paid for this rifle--and I cannot complain about its performance to date.  I liked my Benjamin 392 until it crapped out, and I will get it fixed and use it some more in the future, but this little springer has demonstrated the utility of one stroke to fire.

[darryl]

Side levers need love air_gunner too. I have two currently, and bought globe front sights for both, as well as a  couple of inserts. The rifles are in my signature.
Post a picture of your setup when you've got it where you want it. I'd like to see it.
darryl   

[Smackey54]

I also bought one from Wally World about 5 months ago. I removed the sights and installed the scope, although I installed a 11mm to picatinny adapter and the stronger picatinny mounts. It has held up  nicely.  As for the front sight, I warmed it up with a blow dryer and then placed a piece of wood against it and rapped the wood with a hammer. Sight came right off. I removed the rear sight as well, and threaded slotted set screws in the rear sight holes, cut them off with a dremel, then filed them flat. Then touched up with cold blue. Prior to inserting the set screws, I used threadlock on them and let them set. As for the choked section of the barrel inside the sight, I removed it with a hacksaw, filed it level, and recrowned it. Shoots very nicely and without any tuning (yet), and am getting between 800and 820 fps with CPHPs (14.3 gr). I also dismantled the trigger, deburred and polished the mating surfaces ....then light coat of molly.....pull is much smoother and reasonable.
Tip: Check your stock screws...and put a little threadlock on them (blue color) so that you can still remove them later. Also, if you mount your scope, use the same threadlock on the mount bolts.

I was wandering through the fishing department at Wally World about a year ago and happened upon the "BB Guns" section and saw a Daisy Red Ryder. Well, I had one of these as a kid and felt a wave of nostalgia come over me. Underneath I saw some more "grown up" pellet rifles and decided to take home the Beeman. I had never heard of Beeman or anything, but the extra .22 cal barrel and the pretty wooden stock turned me on, so I bought it. I'm not prone to impulse buys, but that was definitely all impulse.

Anyway...I shot it a couple of times at a home made target and was concerned about ricochet, so I put together one of those silent pellet trap kits from Archer. I had meant to stain and varnish it, but I just never got around to it. Long story short, the gun just sat in my closet for the better part of a year.

Well, I asked my brother-in-law to help me sight in the scope this past Thanksgiving, and I haven't been able to put the thing down yet. Then I found this site and saw many others tinkering with the same gun and how people have been tuning the gun and getting even better experiences and more accuracy.

I shot about 300 pellets using the .177 barrel and those standard Crosman pointed pellets. Then, after reading this site, I picked up a tin of the Crosman Premier Hollow Point pellets, and the gun shoots much more consistently now. The standard Crosman's seemed to be inconsistent inasmuch as some pellets would fit tightly in the breach and some would fit rather loosely...the Premiers all fit nice and tight.

I adjusted the trigger some so that the 2nd stage doesn't have such a long throw and to decrease the overall pull weight some. That helped quite a bit as well. Other than that I haven't done a single thing to this gun and can shoot 5 shot groups with only 2 or 3 holes in the paper target at 10 yards and 1-2" groups at 25 yards. I don't know if that's good or not, but I like it!

I'd like to recrown the barrel, and debur and relube the innards to try and get some better action and accuracy. I'm also looking forward to reworking the trigger as well...the 2 stage action is much better after my adjustments, but it's not very smooth.

I hate the open sights. You can actually see the front sight in the scope...it's all blurry and is very distracting. So, I yanked the plastic front sight off the .177...now it's just ugly. Looks like a muzzle brake is in my future.

I'm also considering a new scope and single mount. The concensus seems to be that a single mount is a must, and I'd like a 3-9x scope vs. the 4x scope that came with it.

So far my experience with this air rifle has been very pleasant. I can't wait to get in there and start tinkering to make it even better!

Any suggestions or helpful advice is obviously welcome.

Iznadatoomah <---excited noob