pistol power

[astraman1]

whats the most powerful pistol "legal" you can get.

i want something that is about 5 ftlbs out of the box and nothing to rare something i stand a chance of getting hold of please single or multi shot

thank you

[caer]

The legal limit is 6ft/lb for a pistol - the hw45 is pretty close to this - but to be honest I don`t see the need for a powerful airpistol - their plinkers not hunters.
Sure i`ve heard of people using them for rats - but even rats deserve to be knocked over cleanly.

The only multi-shots I know of are the gas cartridge type, the ones i`ve used produce only about half the legal limit.

[astraman1]

i hunt with my rifle pistols are fun guns i want it for long range plinking thanx for the suggestion

any more keep them coming

[fok]

5+ lbs/ft multishot: PCP - Falcon Raptor or FX Ranchero

5+ lbs/ft single shot: PCP - Falcon (single shot version) / CO2 - Crosman 2240 & 1740 or Benjamin EB22 & EB17 / Springer - HW45

I'm sure that there are more but those are the ones i know of.

[cookie]

No input needed from me, Fok has just about summed that one up.

[Rob M]

I'm convinced that the HW45 doesn't deserve its reputation for high power, sure, it's more powerful than the majority of pistols but people seem to think every single one is nudging the legal limit. I've seen a bunch of these and so far the only ones that were over about 4.5 ft/lbs were dieselling pretty badly!

People tend to forget about the BSA Scorpion because it's been out of production for a long while, but I really love Scorpions. They are well made, robust, reliable, have a good trigger and are pretty accurate, and, if lubricated and serviced right they are more powerful than the HW45 by quite a margin.

I serviced one for somebody recently, all new seals, new spring from Helston gunsmiths, and my preferred lubricants, the first few shots after reassembly, it was doing over 5.9 ft/lbs, 5.94 IIRC. I was a bit concerned by this as I fely that on a hot day or with different pellets it could be illegal, but I continued chronographing it, over the following thirty or so shots it settled down to a nice, consistent 5.7 ft/lbs. It was sweet to shoot and accurate too.

The HW45 is a good, accurate and well-made spring pistol. Having said that I find mine ugly to look at, and somehow boring and unsatisfying to shoot, it just doesn't have the spirit or power of a Scorpion, which I find much more satisfying, enjoyable and fun.

[caer]

The scorpion was just so long for a pistol though .. that black shiny plastic .. urgg!

My hw45 is/was well over 5ft/lbs .. this with an original spring since 2001 and numerous tins of pellets put through it.

Incidently - isn`t the hw45 spring the same as they put into the hw25 starter rifle .. this rifle I imagine spits them out at around 4ft/lb .. with the shorter chamber compressing the spring into the hw45 I`d imagine a very healthy 51/2ft/lb no problem.

[Rob M]

The scorpion was just so long for a pistol though .. that black shiny plastic .. urgg!

I actually like the Scorpion's looks, and find the HW45 ugly. That big overlever and frame looks so out-of proportion with the grip, it just looks horrible to me, it's a typical piece of German engineering, technically good, well made, but graceless and lumpen. And I stand by my comments on these, I have seen five or six HW45s up to now, ones that are well-run-in and have burnt off most of their oil do around 4.5 ft/lbs or less, some do a bit more, but usually only when they're dieselling. The .22s tend to be more powerful than .177s apparently, and I admit that most of the 45s I have seen so far are .177, but I remain to be convinced that the 45 is the more powerful pistol. I prefer the Scorpion in every respect really. In fact, the HW45 is one of my least favourite pistols, if it weren't for its sentimental value I would flog it. I reach for my Webley Tempest most often, then my BSAs (Scorpions, then 240 Magnums), then Hy-Scores, then the Cometa Indian, Baikal and Records. There's just something unattractive and somehow lacking about the 45. It's powerful enough, well made, and accurate, but it's just somehow dull. It's difficult to say exactly why I don't like it really.