TargetTalk

Cany anyone offer an opinion as to the relative merits of these two pistols (eee guns)

tia

xeye

I am going to talk with prejudice for the Pardini SP---up until now they are the "in" gun throughout the world (it seems to me). I have had an SP for the past 5 years and an HP for about six years. I have been through the MG-2, 208s, DES96U, IZH35 and the Pardini is by far over and above all the previously mentioned IMHO & experience. As for the SP20 I have heard and I know lot's of shooters who use them---as with all guns they all get cranky and have some minor issues. The only "problem" I have heard is the case of the frame (composite) cracking in timeon the SP20---that being said the older SP's also had similar problems---but not since Pardini took over the manufacture from FAS. The current SP has three variations which you can choose from especially if think you would like an electrical trigger. Here is an area I would stay away from as I had the old RF GPE "Schumann" and those trigger modules were replaced after every tournament---I sold it right after the Sydney Olympics.

I don't have the breadth of experience Bob has with other guns -- the only other .22 target pistol I've owned was the S&W 22A I started with -- but I certainly agree with everything he says. I have a Pardini SP that I've owned for about 6 years and it's an absolutely fantastic gun. I love the trigger, a roll-type 2-stage mechanical with a delightful, barely perceptible creep on the second stage to give just the tiniest bit of feedback that you are indeed increasing the pressure before the release. It's adjustable in every conceivable way. Disassembly for cleaning (only required about once/season) is the easiest of any of the roughly 30 guns I own: There's a single hex bolt under the muzzle that you unscrew and it comes right apart; putting it back together is just as simple. If you have a red-dot, you do not have to take it off for cleaning. (But it's worth mentioning that you do need special rings to mount a red-dot on a Pardini.)

When I bought my SP, the Hammerli was the other gun I considered but there were several factors that caused me to favor the Pardini. The Pardini was very popular among the best shooters in the league I was in near Boston at the time and I figured maybe they knew something. (I think they did. :) But also, when I dry-fired the Hammerli at a local dealer, I did not like either the trigger, which is too crisp for my taste, or the grip, which required turning my wrist down more than I thought was comfortable.

I have never regretted buying the Pardini SP and soon after, also bought the HP, which I also like. Not surprisingly, when the time came recently to buy a free pistol and another standard pistol (so I can shoot international rules without having to take the red-dot off my current SP) I ordered two more Pardinis, the SP New and the K22.

Regarding the various Pardini SP models, I've exchanged mail with some other Pardini SP and SP New owners and also talked with Larry at Larry's Guns. Though I haven't yet gotten the SP New to make my own comparison to the SP, I understand the differences to be of the nature of minor refinement. Since the big attraction for me of the Pardini is that wonderful mechanical trigger, I couldn't see much reason to bother with their new electronic trigger; Larry tells me he doesn't advise it except for rapid fire anyway, where the basic SP is already a great gun.

For Hammerli concerns look over the recent posts. Same goes for Pardini SP.

Now my opinion between these two...

I asked the same questions myself before buying a sport (now also rapid) pistol a year ago. Not only did I look at the equipment itself, I also looked at the companies that make them. I wondered who would be around the next 10-20 years.

For that, Hammerli is definitely out no matter what they make for rifles or pistols of any kind. They have backstepped in every possible avenue: product line, customer service for legacy products, pricing, marketshare, and quality. Just look at the podiums in the last ten years of the major competitions. Look at the posts on this board.

I own both Hammerli and Pardini pistols. The Hammerli I own is very old, a 230 rapid fire. I love it. I even had it converted to a two pound trigger for indoor conventional pistol so I could still use it in competition. But it was made during a different era when Hammerli was dominant. Now the emphasis seems to be to maximize shareholder return with plastic and steel stamped out parts from subcontractors and sold under the Hammerli name recognition ploy for high prices. Those who do know Hammerli only want the 208 series that now sells used at twice the price for what it used to retail for over a decade ago.

Pardini has been expanding their product line and constantly improving. While all new products have bugs that need to be worked out (electronics modules) they have been redesigned and fixed at no charge. They make guns from steel, alloy, aluminum and real wood, not plastic. They also do not make plinker guns either, only competion guns (even if that includes IPSC).

Remember, my opinion.

Lonnie Meyers
Pro Pardini and Hammerlis made before 1993

Hmm....

Personally, I'm partial to Hammerlis - but I own a 208S and an early 280.

These days, I'd call Larry Carter at larrysguns.com and get his recommendation. He sells both, so he doesn't have a dog in the fight. With American business ethics, he can't afford to sell junk - he'd be out of business quick as a flash.t

I own both the SP20 and New Pardini pistols, both in .22 and .32.

Two cracked Hammerli frames and a .32 slide with two cracks. The factory are seeking payment for the slide and I still await after three months a rely regarding the frames. I had to purchase via a dealer a single frame for an important overseas match.

Mercifully, both Pardini pistols shoot excellently. I still hope to get the Hammerli pistols running as spares for myself and new team members to borrow.

If I ever receive a reply or offer of replacement for fault components, I will in fairness post to this forum.

IF I had to choice today between, the two, it would be a very simple decision!

Just a word about Nicole's comments about special mounts for a dot on the Pardini SP & HP. Along the "upper shroud" , for lack of a better description check the upper left and right hand edges for a machined indent along the length of the shroud. You can mount a set of weaver rings carefully on this small surface. I have ADCO and Old Milletts on my SP & HP, as well as several shooters I know who shoot Pardini's as well. I mount the rings next to each other and the the sight with the front of the tube in the rings. This is not my idea but something passed on to me by Don Nygord (RIP) several years ago.

Bob Riegl wrote:Along the "upper shroud" ... check the upper left and right hand edges for a machined indent along the length of the shroud. You can mount a set of weaver rings carefully on this small surface.

Apparently, YMMV. That didn't work for me. Ordinary Weaver rings don't usually have a sharp enough edge to grab into those little grooves securely. No matter how tight I tried to make them, the rings would soon begin slipping up and down the gun. I'm surprised Don told you to use ordinary Weaver rings. When I talked to him, he told me I was wasting my time trying to make them work and sold me were some rings he'd modified by milling off the bottoms to give them a very sharp edge.

Here are some pictures of my SP with a 30mm Aimpoint, mounted using Don's modified rings. These work really well and have been very secure for about 6 years. I have them on both my SP and HP. If you're buying a new SP today, I don't know if Larry Carter has anything similar.

I just talked with Larry Carter at Larry's Guns, who tells me he sells modified rings for the Pardini similar to the ones I bought from Don Nygord that you see in the pictures.