We "the kids and I "used to plink with a couple of BSA cadet majors. Easy to cock and accurate enough. Favourite targets were plastic airplane or military vehicles. the bigger the better. Lovingly built and even painted. Could take ages to reduce to bits , shooting at around ten yards.
As a kid myself in the 1940s bulrushes on the canal bank were a favourite target with Webley junior pistols. Could take many hits on the stem to bring one down, or shoot the head to bits and watch the seeds float away in the breeze.