co2 instead of .22 for practice?

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badbadtz560

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I never entertained the idea of buying a .22 for practice until ammo prices shot up... has anyone ever tried or considered pellet guns for practice?

http://www.pyramydair.com/p/Heckler-Koch-p30-CO2-pistol.shtml

That thing looks so real.. I wonder how it shoots/feels compared to a .22... especially b/c .22s feel like they have no recoil to me.

I have to say I enjoy shooting my pellet rifle a lot esp b/c it won't disturb the neighbors... but this co2 is causing me to really want to consider pellet guns for fun too :D
 
Better than CO2, get a Beeman Tempast spring air pistol. They have the piston traveling to the rear of the gun, giving a bit of recoil to simulate a real firearm like a .22 target pistol. I use one down the basement in winter and bad weather to keep up my handgun skills. Some gun clubs have an indoor air pistol league you can compete in.

It's all good for drill in the Holy Trinity; sight picture, breath control, trigger squeeze.
 
I have a few of them, and think it's a great idea, so long as you match the gun to your needs. For example, based on my experience with my Walther pistol and S&W revolver CO2 guns, I'd say they are good for general plinking and for drills you'd ordinarily do as dry fire, such as practicing your holster draw and getting your 1st shot on target.

I agree with Carl that they're good to practice the Holy Trinity with, but in my experience, the accuracy and triggers of guns in this category are so-so, so if you're looking to work on your target marksmanship, I recommend getting an air gun designed for that. There are some good ones, but the price generally goes up as well.

Another comment on the triggers: Although it may look like a semi-auto pistol, if it has a rotary magazine, it'll function like a double action revolver. All your shots will be double action unless you manually cock the hammer. Again, maybe not a big deal, depending on what it is you want from the gun.

Recoil is even less than a .22.

If you want something that functions as a semi-auto, operates in single action, is quieter and can be shot indoors, maybe consider an airsoft 1911. The operation of the slide even seems to move the muzzle a bit, simulating a bit of recoil.

http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=1365
 
I shoot Colt OMM's on a weekly basis (and my .45's). Years ago about 1980 i purchased a Crossman 38T, .177 Co2 Pistol, used it for a year or 2, and put it away. Last month i wondered where it could be, because i didn't sell it, and my kids knew 'nothing' about it either. It took me about 2 weeks to find it. (nobody could remember seeing it for years) In the original box, Like New, stashed away up in my attic. Well, put her back in service. Funny thing, almost the same deminsions and weight as my 6" OMM's. Thing still shoots perfectly. Now i can shoot at the house or at my office. :D
 
I actually do airsoft normally. however, the companies didn't make a p30 or p2000 =\ . I'm thinking the p30 might feel like my hk45c... or atleast be the closest thing for it. USPs feel different to me for some reason. I haven't checked if they point differently or anything, but just seemed different when I held it in my hand.
 
I have a Glock 18 airsoft, when I was in Glock mode I did quite a bit of practice in my house drawing, firing, re-holstering. It did improve my skills and was very handy for a quick round in the house.

Not to mention that shooting it in full auto was / is a real blast. Anytime I get it out it puts a smile on my face.

Was thinking about buying a .22 conversion unit for my 1911, just might get a 1911 Airsoft instead
 
Even a .22 rimfire needs a range facility (open land with backstop) of some sort, while an air or CO2 pistol "range" could, with a suitable projectile trap, be set up in a room of your house. Don't let the neighbors see you.
 
I have both a pump air pistol and a CO2 revolver. Great for keeping in tune in the winter time, when there is no indoor range near.

I got a 2'x1' steel plate at the junkyard, and with a sand box it works fine as a backstop. Even if I miss, the pellets won't hurt the cement block wall.

Jim
 
I just have a cheap Daisy CO2 pistol. it is not the most accurate but I have noticed that I seem to improve when I practice with it. I figure trigger time is trigger time.
 
I used to shoot C02, spring, and PCP air guns all the time to keep in practice quietly.
These days I keep bricks of .22 Colibri (for hand guns) and .22 Super Colibri (for my rifles) on hand instead. That way I can shoot the .22 firearms I would normally use with .22LR's. And I can use the same pellet trap that I use for my air guns.
Quiet practice with Colibri, then out to the range with LR's.
 
I shoot a Baikal IZH46M match pistol and a Smith & Wesson co2 6" revolver right here next to my desk. I have a pellet trap that's a wooden box filled with duct seal putty and fire at the NRA 12 bullseye 10 meter air rifle target that slips into a routed notch at the front of the putty.

Works great for bullseye type shooting that is my first love. The only sound is the sounds that the guns make - I haven't detected any impact sound from the putty.

I bought about all of the setup from Pyramid linked above, and it has kept me shooting through the winters for a few years now.

I buy good RWS match pellets for $12. per 500 (pyramid gives you every fourth box for free) so it comes down to $36. or so for 2000 shots.

The firing is more demanding than shooting a .22 because follow through gets more effect on the outcome because of the slower velocity, but good follow through is one of the keys to good accurate shooting.

I've been shooting match air pistols for well over 30 years and went to the invitational tryouts for the first U.S. International air and Rifle teams that were going to be fielded for the 1980 Olympics (using a Feinwerbau Model 80 that I've since sold. The Baikal is every bit as good, maybe even a little better in it's balance and ease of cocking). Our teams did not go, but it was the first Olympics in which air gun shooting was accepted as an olympic sport.

The S&W ( made under license by Umarex in Germany) revolver (as differentiated from the similar looking Crossman product) is a pretty nice job of duplicating either the single action or the double action of a Smith revolver. The single action trigger is heavier but breaks almost as cleanly - any hint of creep went away within the first 500 shots. I'm getting 50 shots per CO2 cartridge and buy those in bulk numbers from pyramid. He sells as many as 500, 100, or boxes of 40 a lot more reasonably than they are when you buy a pack of two to five at a hardware store.

Need I say that I recommend airguns as a viable alternative to ammo shortages and high prices?
 
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In terms of minute of angle accuracy, the high end air rifles (think Olympic grade) are the most accurate projectile firing instruments made. Compare a 10 meter air rifle target to a 25 foot small bore rifle target. The reason is pretty simple when you think about it. You eliminate the variability of the primer/powder combination. The pressure driving the projectile is metered to an unbelievable level of accuracy.

They are definitely not toys and are serious shooting tools in their own right. And somewhat cheaper to shoot (depends on how much you WANT to spend-some of the high end stuff prices into the thousands of dollars).

These ain't your daddy's BB guns.
 
That's right. To score a "10" in 10 meter air rifle competition a shot must hit a dot. No kidding, the 10 on the NRA and International target is the size of the period when you type ( " . " ). The nine ring is just one millimeter bigger than the 4.5mm pellet and to shoot at a competitive level you'll need to fire 60 shots with a score above the 90% level. Last I knew world class shooting was at 96% levels and that means that only three shots can not take out the center dot.

Or as we used to joke........you choked on the last shot and scored a seven!

The entire black area on the rifle target is only a little bit bigger than one inch in diameter.

The official pistol target is a little more forgiving. To score a ten your shot only needs to hit a circle thats about 1/4 of an inch and they don't let you use both hands to hold your pistol.
 
I practice year round with my pellet rifles and pistols. In my yard and in my basement when it is cold out.
I have both single shot target pistols and CO2 revolvers. basic technique is basic technique.
 
In the winter I set up a 10 yard combination soft air pellet & C02 pistol range in my garage. Straw bale fronted by a cardboard box filled with cardboard. I attach the target to the front of the box. I always wear goggles and a kevlar cup:)When the weather gets nicer I move it out to the back fourty.
 
Hmm I was actually looking at the Baikal IZH46M. Can I assume that it shoots dead on at 10M?

My other option was a beeman p3, which is said to be amazingly accurate for its price.

What if I had a few pesky squirrels in the attic.. any idea if it'll have the power to take'em out at 10-20 yards?

I guess I've almost converted this to just airgun now lol.. Didn't realize there were options other than c02 that were more powerful and accurate
 
FWIW, and going a little off-topic, what I do (or did before primers became impossible to buy) is to put wax bullets into brass loaded only with a primer. They are not loud, and I get to practice fire with my carry pistol in my basement or garage. I can't do double taps, because I am a semi-auto type of guy. If I was into revolvers though, I could. I practiced drawing and firing on the move, behind barricades, etc. I couldn't do that at my range, they wouldn't allow it.
 
FWIW, and going a little off-topic, what I do (or did before primers became impossible to buy) is to put wax bullets into brass loaded only with a primer.
Click to expand...

Another fun option to look at is to primer (only) your brass, and then compress individual ear plugs and stuff the brass with them.
Great for shooting rubber ducks while sitting in a deck chair sipping Marguerita's by the side of your pool. ;)

The earplugs float, so you can collect and re-use them.
Rubber ducks everywhere fear them.
 
Hmm I was actually looking at the Baikal IZH46M. Can I assume that it shoots dead on at 10M?

My other option was a beeman p3, which is said to be amazingly accurate for its price.
Click to expand...

How do you want to shoot? The Izzy is designed to be shot 1-handed (right handed), bullseye style, whereas the P3 seems more flexible (can be shot 1- or 2-handed, left- or right-handed).
 
I compete in two Bullseye leagues, and a couple of years ago invested (and at what they cost, "invested" is the right word) in a Steyr LP50 compressed air pistol so I could practice in my basement. The LP50 is a 5-shot repeater, so it allows you to practice all three stages (slow, timed, rapid). As I hoped it would, it's really helped my league scores, but what I didn't expect is that I'm enjoying shooting the air pistol even more than the .22. It's nice to be able to shoot without the muffs and respirator, not to mention being able to head downstairs and shoot a little or a lot anytime I like. Highly recommended.
 
When I was competing in bullseye pistol I was also shooting in an International Air Pistol league that had a series of matches culminating in the California State Air Rifle and Pistol Championships. It was fired on the indoor range at Lockheed's big facility in Sunnyvale, CA, adjacent to Moffet Naval Air Station.

I was so much involved that I built a 10 meter range in my basement complete with a self made electric target carrier/returner and fired so many pellets that I'm probably in a world of hurt if I ever try to sell that house because of the lead contamination under the floor joists. :)

I was obsessed in those days..


Back then Speer had a setup, a kit, that had plastic cartridge cases and plastic bullets that were supposed to simulate firearm shooting using a primer for propellant. I bought the whole deal and remember it as being pretty expensive for what I got - a box of 50 cases and a box of fifty 'bullets'. I wanted to practice slow fire with my K14. But the bullets went every which a way, seeming to spiral out of the barrel like corkscrews. It wasn't pretty and it sure wasn't near accurate enough for me. Crawling up under the floor to try to find the bullets sucked too.
I just found the boxes with whatever's left of the plastic. Probably a collector thing now, maybe I'll list them in ebay........no, ebay would ban the projectiles.
 
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All I am shooting anymore is airguns. I just bought a Crosman 1377 multi pump pistol. The cool thing about these is that there is a whole cottage industry now for custom parts and mods for this thing. You can turn these pistols into something very cool.
I also have a Daisy Co2 pistol but I don't use it. It's not accurate and the trigger is horrible.
For air rifles all I have right now is a Gamo 220. It's not a bad rifle for the money I guess. It's pretty accurate, but one has to figure out spring piston guns to be accurate with them.
I've hunted with this gun, and it takes squirrels cleanly out to 30 yards if you do your part.

J.
 
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