Is it possible to buy a cheap target pistol?

[I. J.]

My vote is for the LOV 21.

[Benelli B76]

I got a FAS 604 for under £200 and an Airmatch 600.

Baz

[Grunalf]

If you can stretch the budget you could get a Baikal IZH46m (MP46m) from Sportsman Gun Centre - probably about £300 with RFD charges.

You'll need to work the grip - it's basically a block of wood, but when you're finished it'll fit pretty well.

HTH

Paul

[NeilnrLincoln]

Budget wise I'm thinking less than £100, ideally around half that. That's why I was wondering if for example the old underlever Gamos were worth a look.

[Grunalf]

Hi

Most pistols will work at 10m - for precision target work you need repeatability, balance and a good trigger, that's why target pistols are so expensive.

However, you might like to look at the CP1 and it's variants, you might find one new for under £100 in the UK and should be able to get them from Europe for less if you are OK doing that. I've no personal experience of the CP1 except a few shots at my RFD - you may need to fettle the trigger but there's plenty of info on the web.

Any recoiling pistol will add another variable to your shooting (hold susceptibility) - I've a Webley Hurricane which on a good day I can shoot as almost good as my IZH46m but on a bad day most of the shots don't even hit the black! That's not to say you can't have fun with a recoiling pistol.

The Crosman 1377 has a lot of followers and can be fettled - self-contained no need for CO2 just pump it up and go (again no 1st hand experience) but I did a lot of research before I bought my IZH46m - I needed a step up from my Hurricane and C225. The C225 and similar CO2 pistols tend to have heavy triggers which make them difficult to use for precision target work.

HTH

Paul

[zephyr]

If you have a chance, try the Gamo Compact. One draw back is no dovetail, open sights only - perhaps a sign that it is designed as a target pistol (as well as the 'target' grip). 2hand, round the £100 mark.

[Geezer]

Under or around £100 (most s/h) and better than a Hurricane:

HW40 and copies (P17 etc)
Webley Nemesis
Gamo Compact
Gamo Center
Gamo PR-45
LOV-21
Diana LP5/5G
Diana LP6/6G
Daisy 717/747/777
Oddball: Predom Lucznik

The Daisy feels cheap, but is a better 10M target pistol than, eg, the Crosman 1377 or 2240.

You might get an FWB 65 for £150-170. If you can stretch that far, job done (ditto with a recently re-sealed Diana 6G).

[Bjacobs571]

The Daisy feels cheap, but is a better 10M target pistol than, eg, the Crosman 1377 or 2240.

I agree the Daisy is a underrated pistol. It is possible to improve the trigger quite easily.

Most springer pistols are not suitable for serious target work; the LP53 is one exception. The Predom is not nearly as good as the Walther; the trigger is not nearly as good.
I would recommend a SSP pistol for budget target shooting or a Co2. I don't personally think much as the Crosmans as you have to spend quite a lot to make them a decent pistol. The CP1 is an accurate pistol although it goes through Co2 as if its going out of fashion. The trigger needs work out of the box but this is easy and only takes 10 mins to do

[Garry]

I'd go for a 2nd hand Gamo Compact for about £100. I think you'd take it more seriously as a target pistol than something like the Alecto or HW40 which are both accurate but have a more "casual" air about them, if you know what I mean.