Newbie, First post - co2 pellet pistols

[yodapete]

First time I've posted a message so please bear with me. Haven't done any serious airgunning for many years, though I still have my old Falcon Raptor I bought about 20 years ago. A mate loaned be his Walther CP88 co2 powered pellet gun to plink in the garden, and I was seriously impressed with it. I'm toying with the idea of buying one myself for plinking in the garden but there seems to be so many available I'm spoilt for choice. Can anyone suggest which are good guns to buy and which to stay clear of. I know personal choice plays a great part and as I said I was impressed with the Walther for weight, accuracy and just general "feel". Any suggestions please. Not necessarily looking for a new gun and would certainly consider a good used one.

[JerryD]

Hi Yodapete and welcome to the forum. Been a long while since I was in the 'boro - so long that the house I was in has been bulldozed!

Any of the Umarex pistols with the 8-shot mags are pretty good: robust, reliable and fairly accurate for what they are but don't expect pellet-on-pellet at 15yds! If you prefer revolver style to the more modern automatic look then the Smith & Wesson 586 is great, and has the advantage of 10-shot mags and a bit more power, plus you can get the 4", 6" and 8" barrels for it.

Personally, I would avoid the blowback action guns. They appear to be more fragileand lower powered. Also, stick with 0.177 pellet rather than BB - lead doesn't come back at you like steel bbs do!

If you do go down the pistol route, try to find a club that does IPAS: you'll have more fun that just plinking, and you'll likely find the types who can steer you the right way for tune-ups and repairs.



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[blooregard]

I'd disagree with the above, not because it's wrong but because we all want different things from our shooting.

The Umarex guns are no doubt well made, slightly more powerful (though it translates into very little useful power, you will be luck to break 3FPE) and accurate over a bb gun but they are not as good as a dedicated pellet pistol in terms of power or accuracy. In terms of fun they are nowhere near as good as a blowback BB pistol and a lot more expensive.

If you want accuracy and power get yourself a dedicated single shot pellet shooting pistol. If you want fun action shooting or a decent replica then get yourself a blowback bb automatic. If you're in the middle get yourself a Umarex.

I would have a lot more time for the Umarex pistols if they were better at what they did. If they had used the mechanism for revolver type air pistols I'd have no issue with them. Dressing them up as real automatics and sticking a load of moulded on controls makes them a bit of a enigma. Umarex should have set out to make a great airgun that was a great replica, instead they ended up making a mediocre gun that is a rubbish replica.

I know people enjoy shooting them but for me if you are shooting tin cans in the back yard, a classic blowback BB pistol and a big pile of magazines will give you hours more entertainment. I have loads of them, some of them over a decade old and only 2 have given me trouble, my PPK/S (whose frame snapped after years of service and tens of thousands of BBs) and my Peacemaker which works perfectly but has an annoying wobbly barrel!

But each to their own, try everything and see what you like.

[300bhp/ton]

First time I've posted a message so please bear with me. Haven't done any serious airgunning for many years, though I still have my old Falcon Raptor I bought about 20 years ago. A mate loaned be his Walther CP88 co2 powered pellet gun to plink in the garden, and I was seriously impressed with it. I'm toying with the idea of buying one myself for plinking in the garden but there seems to be so many available I'm spoilt for choice. Can anyone suggest which are good guns to buy and which to stay clear of. I know personal choice plays a great part and as I said I was impressed with the Walther for weight, accuracy and just general "feel". Any suggestions please. Not necessarily looking for a new gun and would certainly consider a good used one.

Hi and welcome

I think the best think to do is have a think about what you want from the gun. And then narrow down the options. I honestly doubt any are a 'bad' purchase and all should be capable and fun. But it's more to matching what you want to achieve with budget and then looking at the options.


If you want realism, as in as close to the same experience as a real firearm. Then you may want to look at the more accurate replicas. There are some good revolver types such as the Webley mk6, Colt single action army and the many of the Smith & Wessons. Take a close look and watch some YouTube reviews of the ones that interest you. Some are more realistic than others.

Most of these will be BB guns. But don't let it out you off. They shoot fine for plinking and you can lead BB's is you don't want to shoot steel ones.

If you want a more modern looking gun. Then there are quite a few BB ones with drop out mags. Personally I think blow back adds to the realism and experience. The best shooters are probably the pellet ones, but by and large these are the less accurate replicas and the Umarex pellet ones are pricey. I have the Umarex Beretta 92. It's nice, but less realistic than some of the BB ones. The Cp99, Desert Eagle and a few others are essentially the same setup. And all carry the bigger price.


For realism I like the looks of the KWC Makarova, KWC Mauser broom handle (Umarex do one too, but not as realistic looking) and Umarex Walther P38. From my research I think you'll struggle to get a more "realistic" non revolver pistol. There are some 1911's that fall into this category too. But that could need a thread in its own.

Pistols like the Cp88, Cp99 and some of the others. They look nice. But the fidelity isn't as high on them and they don't function in such a realistic manner. Nothing wrong with this. But worth noting.

I also personally really like the looks and spec of the Gamo p-25 and pt-85. These are not replicas at all, but both have real gun traits and looks. And offer a good shooting sensation with blowback, drop out clips. But also the advantage of being a pellet shooter.

Unless you want to go really cheap. You might want to avoid things like the bady desert eagle and similar from Umarex. They shoot fine. But are very basic and generally don't look great. I think they offer the least of all the points really.


If it's good shooting you want, then the CP1 and CP1-M pistols are great and can be had for under £70 new online. These are more like target pellet pistols. Much more powerful and more accurate. But lack the fast firing and replica nature. Although the M version has a magazine, but you need to manually cock and advance it.

There are also some nice single stroke pneumatics. Again these are generally accurate and often still look good. But very much a single shot nature.

[Marc.RG1]

First time I've posted a message so please bear with me. Haven't done any serious airgunning for many years, though I still have my old Falcon Raptor I bought about 20 years ago. A mate loaned be his Walther CP88 co2 powered pellet gun to plink in the garden, and I was seriously impressed with it. I'm toying with the idea of buying one myself for plinking in the garden but there seems to be so many available I'm spoilt for choice. Can anyone suggest which are good guns to buy and which to stay clear of. I know personal choice plays a great part and as I said I was impressed with the Walther for weight, accuracy and just general "feel". Any suggestions please. Not necessarily looking for a new gun and would certainly consider a good used one.

Hi pete welcome to the site and welcome back to the hobby..
your going to get many views and opinions here mate, for me i like most airguns, so the umarex pellet pistols, umarex beretta 92fs, cp88, but i also like the BB blowback pistols, but i do not like the pellet blowback pistols that are out at the moment for a few reasons..

But to keep this message short as i feel your going to get blasted with a lot of different opinions anyway, As you have shot and really liked the CP88 i would buy one of those first, you cant go wrong with it really mate, its high quality, and accurate and reasonably powerful as well, and you can get spare parts for them, which you can not get for most other airguns, It will also do what you want it to do, it has already ticked the boxes for you so buy one of those first..

Then at a later date if you want something more realistic go for a blowback BB pistol, (dont let rebounds on steel BB's put you off there are a good few ways around that) but get one with a full size drop out magazine that also functions like a true semi auto, dont get one with stick type magazines or trigger indexing systems..
But we can point you in the right direction for one of those closer to the time..

Personally, i still feel that their is NO blowback pellet pistol on the market worth getting, as they are only ok, they have blowback, but it does not function realistically, (does not lock back on empty and does not have a cutout ejection port cover) none of them seem very accurate, compered to say the umarex pellet pistols or even more good BB pistols, also they have plastic stick type drop out magazines with a trigger rotating system, like i say they are an OK pistol but do nothing good.. hope that makes sense..

As a side noted, my first airgun/pistol was the umarex beretta 92fs, its over 12 years old now and still going strong, its very accurate with the right pellet and shooter it gives near pellet on pellet groupings at 20ft no problem.. The cp88 is capable of doing the same..

Then my next airgun was the KWC swiss arms p1911, blowback BB pistols, as realism goes, airguns dont comes more realistic, (the cybergun p226 x-five and others are similar in realism and function)

Then i just got the bug and it was one gun after another lol i have a lots of guns, brought loads sold loads, kept loads, broke a few, or should i say they broke on me lol, one type of airgun that has not stayed in my collection and one type i still will not go out and buy again, are the blowback pellet pistols, for the reasons i stated above..

Go for the CP88 mate, you like it already so your going to enjoy it and thats what its all about, everyone is different and likes different things but we are all in this hobby for the same reason, enjoyment, so get the gun you enjoyed shooting then go from there.. Hope this helps a bit..

All the best, marc..

[David22]

It's hard to say what's best, it's always a matter of personal choice. I have a S&W 586 and it's beautifully made in Germany but not cheap. I believe you could have as much fun with a Crosman Vigilante or the older 357 both £75 rather than the £200 ish for the S&W.

I'd say the multi shot revolvers are all a little bit more accurate than the false 8 shot autos CP88, CP99, Colt 1911, Beretta 92 etc. I've read these all shoot 2inchs high

IMO Blowback is a waste of gas, but I also have a Swiss Arms P1911 and it always puts a smile on my face. It's field stripable if you're into that sort of thing. In general I think steel BBS are dangerous and you should ALWAYS wear glasses. I had to build a special trap to shoot the gun safely so be warned ! Pellets compress on impact, steel BBS rebound so you must always consider your target. There are several variants of the gun, I love the way the slide stays back when the clip is empty.

On my wish list is the Umarex Colt 1911. Essentially this is very similar to the CP88 and Beretta 92
If accuracy is your most important criteria then none of the above come close to single shot pellet pistols.

If you want a fun, accurate, powerful, all round single shot target pistol that's cheap (does need gas) you can't go wrong with a Crosman 1377 or if you can find one, it's re-released big brother the .22 1322. If you want C02 how about a 2240 ? It's powerful, accurate and a huge range of customised after market mods.

[lensman57]

First time I've posted a message so please bear with me. Haven't done any serious airgunning for many years, though I still have my old Falcon Raptor I bought about 20 years ago. A mate loaned be his Walther CP88 co2 powered pellet gun to plink in the garden, and I was seriously impressed with it. I'm toying with the idea of buying one myself for plinking in the garden but there seems to be so many available I'm spoilt for choice. Can anyone suggest which are good guns to buy and which to stay clear of. I know personal choice plays a great part and as I said I was impressed with the Walther for weight, accuracy and just general "feel". Any suggestions please. Not necessarily looking for a new gun and would certainly consider a good used one.

If you want plinking gun leave the CP88 alone. My experience of it has not been great although I have to admit that it is great fun to shoot it and make a lot of noise. They are not exactly cheap either. If funds permit go for a proper pellet gun, either a springer or a PCA one.
I can not recommend the HW 45 highly enough. The point that you can have it at two powers is also a bonus. It is not cheap and mastering it takes time as it has a powerful spring but out of the box even an untrained shooter can hit cans at 10 yards easily and even at its low power it is more powerful than any CO2 plinking gun. The alternatives are the PCA pistols such as the Zoraki, HW 40, HW 75, Gammo Compact. These have no recoil to worry about and therefore can shoot very accurately. If CO2 is your favourite then have a look at the Crosman 2240 and its siblings and even the Airforce Trophy ( very accurate guns , I have both the .22 and .177 ), these can be imported quite cheaply from Europe if you choose to do so.

A.G

[Araon]

Look at what you want from the gun look at your budget find a good shop or club your not a million miles from Richmond the gun shop there has a very good selection of new and used pistols upstairs he'll let you play a bit too but you might want to take some pellets if you don't want to take the p.

For IPAS the 586 6 is a good performer as are the other Umarex range cp99 cp88 berretta 92 etc... You'll need pellet pistols if that's the type of shooting your going to try, a bb ricochet at 10yds won't be fun even at the relatively low power these spit out

But it really comes down to personal preference.. Try before you buy...and have fun...

[David22]

Look at what you want from the gun look at your budget find a good shop or club your not a million miles from Richmond the gun shop there has a very good selection of new and used pistols upstairs he'll let you play a bit too but you might want to take some pellets if you don't want to take the p.

For IPAS the 586 6 is a good performer as are the other Umarex range cp99 cp88 berretta 92 etc... You'll need pellet pistols if that's the type of shooting your going to try, a bb ricochet at 10yds won't be fun even at the relatively low power these spit out

But it really comes down to personal preference.. Try before you buy...and have fun...

This is excellent advice, the question is a matter of personal preference, I suspect most ranges don't like or allow BB firing guns as you do need traps that prevent bounce outs. You've tried and liked the CP88, so go for it and..enjoy safe shooting

[yodapete]

Thanks everyone for all the advice/suggestions. Sorry it's taken me so long to reply, this is the first opportunity I've had to sit down at the computer.
You've certainly given me some food for thought. I think I need to find some time to visit a some gunshops and try out a few pistols. As I said, I was impressed with the feel of the Walther CP88 but after reading your replies, I know there will be a lot more out there that will "feel" just as good if not better.
Once again, thanks for all the advice and I'll be visiting this forum a lot more in future.
Regards
Yodapete