They were all .177. I have a very good LP53 so it will be interesting for me to compare in a day or two. I truely love the LP53, made so well.
I bought two of these at the CINEY collecters fair in Belgium last october 2015.one is in a delux leatherette caes with oil bottle in minty
cond. the other without. Price paid in euros was guns 80euros each, delux case 20 euros. at the time that was 180euros = £120. approx.
Plus two cleaning rods at 4e. each.
Got my Predom today. I think it's best use is as a trainer to take apart the LP53. Lol Really cheap next to the Walther. Had to strip it entirely down, clean it and lubricate the springs and seal. That was a good exercise, never had a air pistol, totally down before. Too late to chrony but the pellets seem to be traveling at a pretty good speed into my pellet trap. The plastic grips remind me of the cheap plastic on model airplanes I used to build as a kid. See how it looks tomorrow when I can shoot it more. This makes my Walther look like a Colt Python.
Last edited by 45flint; 03-03-2016 at 12:10 AM.
Has anyone converted one to .22 or .25 yet?
The Walther is very tricky to shoot accurately, I think a very firm grip is the only way to go, and an LP2 is a far better tool.
A Predom in .25 would be cool though, 250 fps of can-flattening fun.
converted to .22 rimfire.
I wonder if this relatively recent crop of Predoms could be a resurrection of the original pistol of the late 1970’s, but with more corners cut, possibly originating from China? This happened with the Czech Tex 3 air pistol, a good quality pistol of the 1970’s, which was closely copied in China in the late 1990’s and which was then sold up to about 2005 under various brand names. Parts were interchangeable with the original Tex, but of poorer quality.
As far as is known, the original Predoms were made only up to about 1980. The company was in financial difficulties by 1990 and was declared bankrupt in 2000.
I wonder about this because I have owned a minty 1978 Predom for many years, and when I compare it with my equally minty LP53 I can’t honestly say that I can see that much difference between their build qualities. Yes, the front sight is not adjustable, the rear sight is not as cosmetically slick (although equally functional), and the grip lacks a thumb rest, but I can’t discern any major differences between finish quality, trigger sensitivity, muzzle velocity, general heft or weight.
Although the LP53 is undoubtedly the better gun, IMO the Predom still has some better build features than the LP53. The barrel is bored from solid steel, is deeply rifled and has a traditionally blued finish. In contrast the LP53 barrel consists of a steel tube sleeved into an alloy outer tube, and has a chemical anodised type finish that does not wear well. The solid steel barrel of the Predom probably accounts for its slightly heavier weight.
It would be interesting to know if these currently prevalent Predoms have different markings to the 1970‘s guns. For example, are they stamped PREDOM LUCZNIK on the rhs of the receiver, and date stamped along with a 5 figure serial number on the rhs of the barrel housing?
I have good results with a two handed grip on the LP53. The way I would shoot a regular firearm. To me the fun of this pistol is that it appears to be a firearm given the piston is in the grip. I can't think of another mechanical pistol like it. I am sure the the LP2 is a better shooter but it looks like a air pistol and I hear the system is less robust? I can get the 1" group at 30 feet, not ever time but the pistol is capable of it. That said, I would love to pick up a LP2 as well, if I can find a shooter.
Last edited by 45flint; 03-03-2016 at 12:00 PM.
Interesting thought but I doubt that the one I got is a Chinese copy. For one these are Polish surplus trainers. Mine came and it was no doubt used but not that much. But the internals definitely had the look of grease and lubricant that was totally dried out. I cleaned everything no way was this a new gun. I soaked the leather seal in 30W nondetergent oil for a while and it was fine. Not worn out but lubricant dried out. Mine has serial numbers on barrel along with date 1975. I think in comparing to the LP53, they may have varied in finish quality over the years. But my mint 1955 LP is a much better pistol. I can give you the steel blued barrel argument but the sights, trigger, and fit and finish don't compare with my LP53. Still have to do more shooting with Predom, only have had 10 pellets through it.
Last edited by 45flint; 03-03-2016 at 12:24 PM.
As far as I know the LP53 is an air-pistol 'trainer' for their .22 rimfire target pistol which would definitely NOT be fired using a two-handed grip as it is a target pistol and not a defence or 'combat' pistol. 1" at ten yards is pretty good I would say, but try it with one hand! The LP2 is very solidly made but it is a nasty piece to cock.
How much are they from Europe?
In US we have pistol qualifications with 22 pistol that use mostly two handed grip. There are 4 levels of qualification. Only the third level is one handed. International competitions are all one handed. In some ways it seems funny really. Isn't the object to hit the target and I was given two hands?
Chrony tested at 380+ with OK accuracy. Trigger is pretty stiff, haven't tried to adjust or work on it. Cocking knob would be a big help.
In Europe pistols are only really used for duels. A single-handed grip is used so that a sidelong stance can be employed, thus reducing the target area for the opponent and lowering the chance of a 'hit'. It may be that pistol shooting in Ohio is more informed by home defense or police practice.
It is strange but the Pistol Marksmanship guide for the US Army, published by the US Department of Defense, also uses a single-handed grip for shooting the semi-automatic pistol. It may be outmoded. Perhaps soldiers and officers of the US Army at one time needed to shoot their pistols one-handed as they might be doing something with their other hand while firing, e.g. helping a wounded buddy, signing an order or carrying a pot of collard greens.
See Figure 1-6
https://archive.org/details/firearms...hip-training-g
You can also see in this training film from WW2 that G.I.s were taught the one-handed pistol technique. Given that America was one of the victors of the war against German Fascism and Japanese Imperialism, I'd say it worked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAni9lK-RvQ
Last edited by Hsing-ee; 03-03-2016 at 04:19 PM.
Good post, lots of good things in that manual really. I think the Army probably teaches one hand shooting cause in combat that translates well into instinctive shooting where you use the gun as an extention of the arms with no sights as in the Utube. No time to sight with a handgun, leave that to the riflemen.
Last edited by 45flint; 03-03-2016 at 04:36 PM.