Entry Level Pistols

 By Jason Curtis 

Are you new to air pistol shooting? Maybe it’s something you have been thinking about giving a go and you’re  looking at getting your first pistol, or you want to get the kids involved in your hobby, but don’t want to splash out  too much cash, then you might find this article helpful.  

I have been having fun with air pistols for many years, from top end competition models to backyard plinkers, and a  vast array in between. So to get involved you need your first pistol, as a rule I always recommend the Umarex  Walther CP88 as a good starting pistol, it was the first replica co2 pistol Umarex made and it is still being made over  35 years later, so it has stood the test of time and there’s a lot to be said for that, not forgetting it looks good, feels  nice to hold, is accurate and doesn’t break the bank at around £240 

That said not everyone wants to pay £200+ for their first pistol, and you don’t have to, there are some nice pistols out there in the sub £100 price range (ok two here are a little over that), but they will all give you hours of fun  plinking away and even a bit of target work. We will be looking at 13 yes 13 pistols, mainly 4.5mm bb co2 pistols at  this price range, though we will look at a couple of pellet spring guns, and a sub £150 pellet blowback. As there are  13 pistols to get through the reviews will be short, but it will give you an idea of what they are like. All were shot at a  distance of 6 yards in my home range from a rested position to make it as uniform as possible for each pistol, with  the point of aim at the centre of target, it’s the grouping we are interested in, point of impact can be adjusted later, the temperature was 20°C for new shooters temperature affects the CO2 capsules, the colder it is the less shots you  will get and vice versa. All pistols are less than 3 Joules (approx. 2.2 foot pounds) and for testing purposes all were  loaded with either Umarex Steel 4.5m BB’s or Umarex 4.5mm Mosquito Pellets. 

Right let’s begin with a pistol I reviewed in September’s issue. 

Umarex Ruger MkIV 

This little spring powered single shot pistol is light weight, but not the lightest here, having a polymer frame and  barrel shroud weighing in at 625g and 274mm in length, the silver version I have has imitation wooden grips that  look really nice, the build quality is solid and the most accurate of all the pistols in this review. It looks great, easy to  cock and load, fully adjustable sights, comfortable grip with an automatic safety, the more .177 pellets you put down  the rifled barrel the better it gets. Great fun for plinking and perfect for some decent target work and with a RRP of  £74.95 in Black or £89.95 for the Silver you just can’t go wrong.

Umarex HPP 

From a light weight to a heavy weight, the HPP is the second heaviest and second highest priced on the list, with its  full metal construction, this blowback steel bb firer weighs in at 815g and is 175mm in length, it feels nice in the  hand, has a 15 shot BB drop out plastic stick mag, which gave 120 shots from a single CO2 capsule. It has fixed sights  and all the catches work and not just for show, and the safety is a manual solid slide action. The trigger is broad and  lighter than expected and is double action only, the blowback isn’t harsh, and it does lock back after last shot, not as  accurate as some of the others here, but add a laser to the lower frame picatinny rail, put some tin cans out and this compact handful with put a smile on your face for a RRP of £109.95 

Umarex Tornado 

The Tornado is a 10 shot rotary mag futuristic looking BB revolver, it has a polymer frame though still a nice weight  at 687g and 260mm long, has a metal hammer and trigger, a slide safety under the hammer, fixed sights and two  picatinny rails to add a red dot and laser if you wanted to add to that futuristic look. Its single and double action, though double action is a little heavy, it’s an accurate little gun, giving 120 full power shots from a single CO2, and  they really pounded the back of the target box, it did give me another 20 lower powered ones before the CO2 ran  out. Perfect for plinking and target work, hours of family fun for a bargain RRP of £74.95

Umarex Colt Defender 

The Defender is a bit of a personal favourite, this stubby non blowback 1911 is all metal weighing a nice 760g and  only 177mm long, the mag release allows the grips to slide back and reveal a built in 16 bb shot magazine so no  chance of losing it, and simple CO2 fitting. From a single CO2 capsule I squeezed out a staggering 192 full power  shots, and it still managed another 48 lower powered ones. It has nice trademarks and really looks the part, it has  fixed sights, a single slot weaver rail, and imitation moulded catches. It’s comfortable, feels great and the double  action trigger isn’t too heavy, with the safety being a nice press and slide action. Accuracy is pretty good for an entry  level pistol, groups well with a few fliers. There you have it, compact, accurate with an amazing shot count for a RRP  of £95.95 

Umarex Smith & Wesson M&P 40 

Dare I say another favourite, the M&P 40 has a polymer frame and a metal non blowback slide, weighs 577g at  194mm long. It is very similar in build to the Defender above with nice trademarks, imitation moulded catches  except mag release, same press and slide safety, fixed sights, picatinny rail and double action trigger that’s slightly  heavier than the defender. Though the M&P benefits from a metal 19 shot drop out BB magazine, from which I  managed another high shot count of 171 full power shots and another 38 lower ones, accuracy again was very good,  giving a reasonable group from this bb firer. This really is a great pistol if you’re on a budget at an incredibly cheap  RRP of £79.95

Umarex Makarov 

The Makarov is an all metal non blowback with a moving slide for cocking, weighing in at 684g and 162mm in length,  and has imitation Bakelite grips that slide bake to reveal the single CO2 compartment. It has an 18 shot drop out  metal stick BB magazine from which it managed 126 full power shots, and like the Tornado they hit the back of the  target box with some force, which makes sense considering the lower shot count from these two pistols, though it  did manage another 36 lower powered shots. Its single and double action with a heavy trigger, the safety is thumb  operated, along with fixed sights and nice trademarks. Though compact it felt nice to hold as the grips are broad, it is  accurate for this type of pistol leaving a nice big hole in the target with only a few fliers. if you fancy a nice little  replica, you can pick this up for a RRP of £89.95 

Umarex TDP 45 

The Tactical Defence Pistol 45 is the light weight of the bunch weighing in at only 455g and 165mm long, it is also the  cheapest of the bunch, it does feel very plastic, but the price reflects this. Thank fully it has a 19-shot metal drop out  BB magazine, had it been a plastic stick mag the TDP may have floated away. Sounds a bit naff I hear you say, oh no you would be wrong, if this is your first ever pistol, it will put a smile on your face just like the rest of the list, with its  high 190 shot count, firm but smooth double action trigger and white dot sights, it’s a fun little gun. The back strap  lifts up for easy CO2 insertion, a safety that does what it should, it also has a picatinny rail for a nice little laser. Yes, it’s simple, a no thrills budget pistol with accuracy that matched and beat some of the other pistols tested, and it can  be yours for a bargain basement RRP of £54.95

Umarex IWI Jericho B 

This was my first time shooting one of these, it was very comfortable with the finger grooves on the grip and felt  substantial in the hand even though its only 548g at 190mm long. It has a polymer frame and metal slide, its stated  as double action but you can pull the slide back, to give you a sort of single action, it’s a nice touch all the same, the  trigger is however a bit graunchy but useable. It has fixed sights, a weaver rail and moulded catches apart from the  right-hand thumb safety and mag release. The magazine is a full drop out version which houses the single CO2 and  23 BB’s, which gave 138 pretty accurate shots. It’s a shame this wasn’t a blowback version it would have made it  even better, but it is entry level and it’s a fun pistol all the same. You can pick this up for a RRP of £79.95 

Umarex Heckler & Koch HK45 

Another new one to me, and this felt just right straight out of the box, the stippled grip and finger grooves felt comfortable and a nice weight at 630g and 203mm long. The HK45 has a polymer frame with a metal fixed top slide so no blowback here. It has a nice matt finish with H&K trades, fixed sights as we have come expect from this price  range with a picatinny rail. The back strap lifts for a single CO2 capsule, the safety is thumb operated and the mag  release is incorporated into the trigger guard, which drops a metal 19 shot BB stick magazine. The trigger is double  action only and squeezed off 209 shots all staying in the black of the target, now that’s impressive. This pistol feels  more expensive than it is at a RRP of £99.95

Umarex Browning Buckmark URX 

I have always liked the Buckmark, its cheap for what you get, self-contained being a springer and accurate. It is a  mostly metal construction with a polymer barrel shroud, it has a rubberised grips with finger grooves, which makes it  comfortable to hold, and its well-balanced weighing in at 680g and the longest of the bunch at 305mm. It has fully  adjustable rear sights, and a picatinny rail fitted to the top, so you could add a red dot or scope to further improve its  accuracy. The trigger is metal and quite broad, the pull is firm without being too heavy and has a predictable let off  to each shot. Cocking this single shot shooter is easy and smooth, and like our other springer the Ruger it has a rifle  barrel and is the second most accurate pistol here. All this can be yours for the truly amazing sum of £74.95 RRP  

Umarex Colt Python 357 Magnum 

Bring out your inner Dirty Harry with this light weight 357 Magnum, the most powerful handgun here, weighing in at  561g and 290mm long, it’s lighter than it looks, but still a hand cannon. The Python really does look the part. As you  can guess it is mostly polymer, and has a metal hammer, trigger and pellet mag. You get three 10 shot rotary mags  included, two that are metal for pellets and one plastic that’s for BB’s. Even though the barrel isn’t rifled, more just a  touch of swirling it’s still accurate, and its pretty good with BB’s too. It managed 100 shots, less than others on the  list but with more hitting power. This can be shot single or double action; the trigger isn’t heavy and rather light once  cocked, and the safety is found under the hammer. Fitted with fully adjustable rear sights, chequered grips, one of  which houses the hex key for tightening the CO2 capsule. It looks nice in its matt finish with subtle trades. This is a  lot of pistol for a RRP of £84.95

Umarex Legends P.08 

The P.08 is a heavy weight, it’s all metal and the second heaviest here at 818g and 216mm long. This is the non blowback version, with imitation action and catches, apart from the sure-footed safety and mag release. It is fitted  with plastic grips, of which the right-hand side comes off to reveal the CO2 compartment. The stick mag is metal and  holds 21 BB’s and fired off a healthy 147 shots and kept them all in the black of the target. The sights are fixed, and  the trigger blade is wide and heavy, not one for the kids, but it somehow suits this pistol. Give your trigger finger a  workout and grab this piece of history for a RRP of £99.95 

Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm 

We have reached the final pistol, an entry level blow back pellet and BB shooter. The Storm has a polymer frame and  metal slide, its well balanced and feels nice in the hand weighing a 755g and 192mm long. The mag is a plastic stick  drop out that has an 8 shot rotary mag at each end, which take both pellets and BB’s and houses a magnet to stop  the BB’s falling out. The shot count is low at only 80 shots as the blowback takes up a lot of CO2. Shooting with pellets it can hold its own accuracy wise, with BB’s you better find yourself a nice barn door, to be fair for some plinking at tin cans it will be plenty good enough. It has fixed sights with nice white dots to quickly acquire your  target, along with a picatinny rail for a laser. The blow back is strong and adds to the real feel and will have you  grinning from ear to ear. With nice trades it’s a good looker and a worthy first pistol. We are breaking the sub £100  with this but it’s still a steal at a RRP of £145.95

There you have it, after approx. 1800 shots and one sore trigger finger we have a baker’s dozen of pistols, types and  prices to suit everyone, all you have to do is decide which one. Once you have shredded a few tin cans why not go to  the Umarex Boys Club website and print off some free targets and enter our competitions to keep the fun going.  Happy Shooting and Stay Safe. 

I would like to thank John Rothery Wholesale, who kindly supplied the pistols I didn’t own to be able to complete  this review, your support and help is always greatly appreciated. 

www.umarexboysclub.co.uk 

www.bisley-uk.com 

www.umarex.com

New Ruger MKIV Review by UMAREX Boys Club

By Jason Curtis 

Obviously, I like my shooting, both pistols and rifles, whether HFT, paper punching or just good old plinking. I’ve always been more into my pistols, but I have to say I really do enjoy a budget spring rifle. The UBC has a budget rifle comp that I enter 10+ rifles in a month, and it is really enjoyable, it’s a budget rifle so there is no pressure for high scores, it’s just proper good old fashioned fun, and there is something about trying to get the best out of these budget bits of kit using only open sights, and some can really surprise you with their accuracy, even if they do twang a bit. So, I was quite pleased when I got to review a new budget spring pistol, the Ruger Mark IV, best of both worlds possibly. It arrived in a nice cardboard box as do a lot of the Umarex mid-range pistols. 

Now I hadn’t even seen an image of this budget pistol, I knew what the Ruger Mark IV looked like it’s a classic, all I knew was I was getting the Stainless version to review, it is also available in all black. On opening the box I was a little disappointed that the stainless I was expecting was more of a silver powder coating, as I do like a bit of shiny bling, but it is a budget pistol so I was probably expecting a little too much, it still looked very nice, especially with its plastic imitation wooden grips, which again as on some of their other pistols Umarex have made a good job of, so budget yes, but the effort has been put in to looking the part.

Reaching in to pick it up I was surprised how light it was, weighing in at only 625g not that its small at 274mm in length. Looks like this how they kept the price down, with a plastic/polymer lower frame and barrel shroud, but it does feel quite nice, and is comfortable to hold, it’s just missing that bit of heft, though at the price you can’t have everything, that said if you do fancy a budget pistol with a bit of weight and power to it, check out the review of the New Browning Buckmark Magnum from Umarex by the UBC’s Kevin Cudmore aka Combat Gerbil. After giving the Ruger the once over, it was time to see what this .177 rifled barrelled spring powered lady could do.  

I broke the barrel and cocked it, it was very easy to cock with a relatively smooth action, I popped a pellet into the breach and took aim at the first object that came into sight which was a tin can, I pulled the trigger and oops the safety was on, I flicked the safety off with my thumb and took aim again, I squeezed on the trigger again which wasn’t as heavy as I thought it might be and totally missed my target, thinking I pulled the shot I put in another pellet and oops safety again, ok so this pistol automatically engages the safety every time you cock it which isn’t a bad thing, and as a starter pistol for the younger shooters, it helps build on their safe gun handling, oh and yes I missed again.

Ok I should have started on paper to see where I was shooting but tin cans just have that fun grass roots fun appeal. Now with a 14 cm target in my sights I took aim and it clipped the bottom edge of the target, no wonder it missed the tin can. This may be a budget pistol but it does have fully adjustable rear sights, so a quick twist of the elevation screw and the pellets were dancing around the middle of the target. 

Now that it was on the paper, it was only right to give this lightweight budget pistol a fair crack of the whip by grabbing a shooting bag and see what she could do rested. My next 10 shots at 6 yards gave me a sub 3-inch group, not great but ok, I put another 50 shots down range and the group tightened up to a sub 2 inch group, much better. This pistol is no powerhouse, but I was still curious on what she was putting out, so out came the FX chronograph and I was pleasantly surprised to see the RWS Geco’s I was using flew out the barrel averaging 305 FPS giving an acceptable 1.8 FT LBS (2.44 joules) not bad at all, as Umarex state 308 fps / less than 3 joules so bang on the money. Just for the heck of it I shot our 6 Yard Pistol Comp, this is just 5 shots single handed and 5 shots two handed, standing unsupported, I managed a 43 two handed and only 37 single handed, I just found it too light shooting single handed, but it’s not a target pistol so I was pretty happy with the results.

About a week later I fancied a bit of fun shooting, I set up some tin cans, chalk disc’s, plastic soldiers, bottle tops and anything else I could find for a proper plinking session, I was about to grab my Beretta 84 FS as it hadn’t been out the cupboard in a while, when I saw the boxed Ruger and decided what better way is there to test it. I will be honest I was missing things left right and centre, except for the cans as the rest were small targets but I didn’t care I was having fun and every hit was an achievement. After about 100 shots I rested my cocking arm, reset the targets and had a coffee. A short while later I was back in the range continuing the destruction. 20-30 shots in I noticed I was hitting more than I was missing, as little green plastic soldiers pinged over the range. I must have put at least 200 pellets through the Ruger by the end of play time and decided to shoot another paper target rested to see what the results were.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised, it seems now the barrel is nicely leaded up, things start coming together with a very respectable 10 shot inch group. With these results I thought I would enter our Budget Pistol Comp, with a twohanded grip, free standing I was more than happy with a score of 96/100. I have heard some bad reviews about this pistol, and the only one that has any validity is the fact it is light, but it’s budget pistol that punches above its weight in its class. So, if you do fancy one, feed her half a tin of pellets to bed in, and I’m sure you will be happy with the results for the money you paid. 

I was then joined by Amanda who wanted to have a go, she does prefer Co2 pistols but any excuse to have a shoot. She found the cocking a little harder than I did, but to be fair I shoot a lot more springers. Loaded, she took aim, flicked the safety off and happily put a pellet in the 8 ring. She continued to happily pepper the target with holes until after 20 or so shots her arm was getting tired, so she called it a day, she really enjoyed the pistol and said she would do better once she got used to the recoil, which her Co2 pistols don’t have.

The last test was to take it with me to the Greyhound Shooting Club in Coventry, where Amanda and I were meeting up with the rest of the UBC Review Team, for a Fun day of HFT and pistol shooting. They all had a go with the Ruger, and the same comments came from all of them, its accurate enough for the money, seems to be built well, it’s just very light.

There you go, a budget, reasonably accurate, pellet spring pistol, that’s cheaper than a tank of fuel at the moment, if you just like reading this magazine and haven’t taken the plunge into buying your first airgun, give this ago, all you need is a tin of pellets, and your imagination on what to use for plinking targets, but be warned this shooting lark, grows on you and gets very addictive very quickly. Happy Shooting.

Specifications:

Energy: <3.0J 

Velocity: 94 m/s (308 FPS) 

Caliber: 0.177 

Sights: Rear Adjustable Power 

Source: Spring-Operated 

Safety: Automatic 

Length: 274mm 

Weight: 625g 

www.umarexboysclub.com 

www.umarex.com 

www.bisley-uk.com 

www.drapers-airguns.co.uk