Friday, April 27, 2007

Air Pistol





Small-bore air pistols powered by a cocking lever, generally .177 caliber, sometimes .22, aren't nearly as powerful as the PCP guns; however, they will shoot better than you can. The newer ones have electronic triggers and can put the pellets through the same hole all day long.

Some years ago, I taught a kung-fu class. One Christmas, the students all chipped in and bought me a single-shot target pistol, the Diana M-10, carried by Beeman, and at the time, was the most accurate production gun you could buy.

Look at the three-shot group at ten meters, pictured above. The target is somewhat deceptive, since what they did was to put the gun into a rest, crank off three rounds, and then paste the target over the group to center it in the bullseye, but still, what you have is one ragged hole, and adjusting the sights will put 'em higher or lower, left or right, as necessary.

I love the etching on the top of the receiver, that of the Goddess of the Hunt, Diana, tossing her bow away in favor of a rifle.

The gun has
reciprocating pistons, , so that when you fire it, one goes one way, and the second the opposite, to make the mechanism Newton-bleak -- i.e., no recoil.

At five meters, I used to be able to light kitchen matches with it, and I'm not that good a shot ...

2 comments:

Bobbe Edmonds said...

Is it just me, or is the Diana made in...I won't say it...I CAN'T say it...You don't want to hear it...GERMANY? And the targets as well??

Wanna come over for some beer after you shoot the prisoners, mein herr? ;-))

Steve Perry said...

Oh, God, yes --I got nothing against Jerry's hardware! One thing the Nazis knew how to do was make shooters and stabbers -- Lugers, Walthers, Eye-brand, give 'em credit where it is due.

Guns and knives travel; beer? it just goes flat ..