Anyone shoot the new Pardini Rapid Fire yet?

[Benjamin]

Just some note on the trigger of the Pardini RF pistol. It is virtually single stage, as a two-stage trigger isn’t much use in the shorter series... This means you have to make a decision on the main use of he gun and decide if you buy the RF or standard configuration.
Bob

I have a Pardini that I bought from Don Nygord. I bought both the standard "Standard Pistol" grip AND the "Nygord Master" Bullseye grip. Although I only use it for Bullseye, I can easily take off the scope and swap grips and it will be a regulation Standard Pistol.

It came with a two stage trigger, which I don't like even for Bullseye "rapid pistol". No problem - just turn the adjustment screws and the 2nd stage goes away! There is a screw that adjusts how far from the firing point the 2nd stage spring kicks in, and it can be turned so that point is past where it fires. The first stage has enough adjustment to meet the pull weight requirements.

I haven't measured the barrel on mine, but it seems short (because the operating mechanism is between the trigger and the barrel). There is more change in point of aim between 25 and 50 yards than some other 22s, and the accuracy is adequate but not really great.

The biggest problem for me is that most of the weight is in the middle of the gun so it is not very steady in my hand. I would prefer an equal division between the barrel end and the back end so the moment of inertia would be greater to cut down on jitter.

It is somewhat sensitive on ammo choice. My last practice session I tried some Federal Gold Medal Target, and it always fired but wouldn't cycle the action reliably. Back to RWS Target Rifle and it's working fine again.

- Benjamin

[Rapid2]

So far my experience with the new Pardini RF (Electr) pistol has been very satisfying. I just need to avoid Eley ammo. RWS or SK ammunition work flawlessly. The new RWS special pistol 250 works fine, and feels great (but there may we some velocity issues).
Trigger lasts and lasts, have done a 2 K live and > 5 K dry shots with it.
When I get the grip right it will be near to perfect.
Not shure why you say it is not accurate enough. Is this a 50 m issue? When Pardi and I are in a good mood we need half of the ten for our group at standard pistol. You do not want to know what happens on other days :-(, hope that changes when I get the grip right.
Cheers,
Bob

[IPshooter]

RWS or SK ammunition work flawlessly. Bob

Bob,

Which RWS and SK ammo have you been using? It's good to hear they have been reliable. And, you have not checked the velocity yet?

Stan

[F. Paul in Denver]

Benjamin,

I'm also interested in your opinion that the accuracy of the SP is "adequate." Did you do some real testing using a Ransom or similar type rest??

Like you, I also have the Nygord Master grips for BE as well as a set of ISSF legal Morinis. For me, going back and forth between two different grips was very detrimental. I've found that a consistent grip is very important and it was difficult to achieve with two different setups. Eventually I got rid of the Nygord master grips to achieve that consistency.

Wolf and R50 are the only two types of ammo I have found so far that reliably feed in my SP. Replacing the recoil spring at 7-8000 rounds is also necessary.


F. Paul

[rapid2]

Hi Stan,
Have used SK pistol match (briliant ammo and good value, in my opinion)
RWS pistol match (no problems)
RWS special pistol 250 (nice and soft, and so far reliable)
Eley pistol blue (nothing but trouble)

Alas, do not posess a chrono device.

Cheers,
Bob

[Benjamin]

For bullseye shooting, a 1911 .45 is considered really great if it will fire 10-shot groups of typical 1-1/2 inch size from a Ransom rest at 50 yards. With the right ammo, my Pardini can probably match this accuracy, although I don't remember right now what group sizes I was getting with RWS Target Rifle. I shoot the RWS most of the time because it is reliable in that gun. The Bullseys 10 ring is more than 3 inches diameter, and anything that looks good stays in the 9 ring at least. I am completely certain that the majority of points I lose are due to miscues on my part, flyers that I myself shoot considerably out of the main group, and not in any way the fault of the gun or ammo. As I said, the accuracy of my Pardini is adequate.

I also have a Browning Buckmark pistol. With the original 10 inch "silhouette" barrel, it is supremely accurate, averaging about 0.7 inch 10 shot groups at 50 yards (0.5 inch 5 shot groups) with the best ammo (Eley EPS or Lapua Midas L) using a 6X scope from sand bags.

Neither the Pardini, nor the same Buckmark with a shorter Target model barrel that I bought to make it more shootable one handed, can touch that level of accuracy. I believe that a standard Ruger Mark whatever heavy barrel will usually have a more accurate barrel than these, although its other features will not be as good without extra cost upgrades; accuracy is one of the Ruger's best features, while out of the box ergonomics and reliability (with the right ammo) are better on the Pardini. There are custom barrel makers that typically duplicate the long Buckmark. If I ever get caught up on other projects, I plan to get my short Buckmark barrel re-bored to see if that helps with accuracy and/or reliability, especially since the chamber seems a little rough and it doesn't always cycle properly either; reliability is also excellent with the original long barrel.

-Benjamin