SSP ?

[old sparky]

Does anyone make a in production quality SSP. I have tried browsing, looking up on the web and the airgun world is like a secret society. I bought the FAS the other day and it shoots really good but I don't like the ragged holes. But do like being free from my tank.

thanks

[kevinweiho]

The only quality production SSP’s for sale on the market are the FAS 6004 and the IZH46M (currently unavailable in the U.S. due to sanctions, secondhand Izzies frequently appear on airgun forums).

Your other options that don’t come up as frequently (if you REALLY want one, jump on it, they get snatched up pretty fast!) are top tier SSP’s: FWB 100 series, Pardini K58 and Walther LPM-1. They all have better triggers, adjustable grips, and higher velocities than the FAS, producing round holes on paper targets with ease.

I finally sold my "anemic" Gamo Compact and still fully enjoy my Izzy and FWB 103 for their simplicity without the hassle of air cylinders.

[slofyr]

.... it shoots really good but I don't like the ragged holes.

SSP's cut cleaner holes with Kruger targets.
http://www.kruger-us-targets.com/index. ... -b-40.html

[deadeyedick]

Compressed Air guns cut clean holes with ALL targets.

And as for the " glad to be free of my tank" ....well what an exchange...screwing a cylinder onto a scuba tank, turning the valve and then having access to over 150 shots with more no effort than blinking your eyes.....or you can be "freed up" by cranking a god awful lever 70 or more times during the match.

Liberated from your tanks.....c'mon !

I used a friends K58 the other day and refused to finish the match. The pistol performed well but I needed ISSF to change the rules allowing me to employ a hand crankier between every shot.

[kevinweiho]

I used a friends K58 the other day and refused to finish the match. The pistol performed well but I needed ISSF to change the rules allowing me to employ a hand crankier between every shot.

You said it yourself, “the pistol performed well, but I refused to finish the match”... My friend, you’re outta shape!

[deadeyedick]

Ha Ha.....definitely out of shape for using a K58 ...........however in perfect shape for compressed air pistols.

The thought kept entering my conscious mind.......why ?

[Rover]

So if you'd used a PCP you would have won the match?

It's comments like yours that keep SSPs out of the hands of the "feeble few" and available to the rest of us. Thank you.

[PFribley]

Dick. Time to get "pumped up".

[deadeyedick]

So if you'd used a PCP you would have won the match ?

I would probably have won that particular competition even if I had finished using the K58, however the amount of strain needed to cock the pistol was causing me to laugh so much that the RO had to warn me about distracting other competitors. As a result I felt that the risk of personal injury ( and in fairness to others ) it just wasn't worth continuing.

My point is : Why ? Unless a person has a need for discomfort and a longing to stay rooted in the past I am at a loss to get it ?

My car has an electric starter...I definitely would not go back to a crank handle !
My trousers use zippers...why would I want buttons ?
I once used CO2 but then along came PCP !

And so it goes on !.. and on...and on.

I don't object to, or make fun of others using pump guns, it is more a case of admiration and wonderment watching them straining their ( in some cases ) old arthritic joints, and creating a situation where fatigue slowly develops towards the end of the match even in the most fit of people.

If a shooter is so financially challenged that the cost between an SSP and a PCP will either enable them, or prevent them from shooting.. then I apologise. But for the rest I still don't get it.

I know there are people that like living the past and maybe this is an offshoot, however after reading endless posts by Rover over the years praising PCP and the memory of using FWB 65's myself having dimmed, I could not resist the chance to take up the offer of using the K58.

Maybe deep in my soul it is all about the disappointment of not having "felt the glory".....who knows !

[Rover]

"wonderment watching them straining their ( in some cases ) old arthritic joints, and creating a situation where fatigue slowly develops towards the end of the match even in the most fit of people."

You have got to be kidding! There are two others in my club besides me using SSPs. There were three others no longer here. We ALL laugh at comments like the above.

BTW We also have PCPs, so it's not like we're stuck with SSPs. We use them because we like them.

[slofyr]

....We ALL laugh at comments like the above.....

+1

[stuart]

I think Deadeyedick is trying to wind up SSP pistol users, the idea that the average man would struggle to cock a Pardini, Walther or FWB SSP pistol is joke. I also enjoy the simple pleasure of not needing to recharge cylinders but just taking the pistol and pellets when on holidays and travelling
Yes, I also have a Steyr LP2 compact PCP pistol so I am not blinkered or prejudiced, just telling the truth about SSP pistols.

[old sparky]

Thanks for telling me options. I will keep my eyes open toward the classifieds. I already have a air tank and a air arms s400. I may never shoot a ten meter match. I don't get out to shoot firearms as much as I use to and using the pistol to have fun shooting targets in the house or the shop. I do like shooting small groups. PCP pistols are more expensive and there are a lot of makes. After buying the FAS I want to be sure of the quality, parts and service available for the next one.

Oh I will buy some 10 meter targets. I found some old 50' small bore targets in the shop from around the 80' and holes cut much cleaner.

thanks

[deadeyedick]

I think Deadeyedick is trying to wind up SSP pistol users, the idea that the average man would struggle to cock a Pardini, Walther or FWB SSP pistol is joke. I also enjoy the simple pleasure of not needing to recharge cylinders but just taking the pistol and pellets when on holidays and travelling
Yes, I also have a Steyr LP2 compact PCP pistol so I am not blinkered or prejudiced, just telling the truth about SSP pistols.

Hello Stuart. " wind up SSP shooters" ....who me ?

As far as owning older technology such as pump guns, and occasionally using them to re visit the past for whatever nostalgic benefits, or even the convenience of taking them travelling is something I personally do not have any problems with.

I have an old Jaguar as well as a new one. I occasionally take the old model out for a spin and although it triggers memories of years gone by and faded dreams, it does not replace the sheer luxury and technological comfort provided by the new model.

Sure I will keep it....but I would never embark on a religious campaign to encourage people to drive older cars, or to try and convince them that I have been freed from the computerised perils of modern technology....I now have a manual choke !

One of the TT contributors has a quote at the end of every post that says something like " perspective is worth 80 points of IQ"..... Or something to that effect.

By not putting this discussion into correct perspective possibly the 80 points heads in the opposite direction.

Correct me if I am wrong but my impression of perspective is:

SSP air pistols have a convenient self loading feature, which however is not as simple as raising a cocking lever.

SSP pistols maintenance parts are becoming harder to source. And qualified technicians even harder.

New SSP pistols arrive at a cheap price, often needing the owner to make special tools and possess special skills in order for them to perform as promised in the brochure.

New SSP pistols even after "home improvement" tear the target rather than punch a perfect hole. Scoring involves a measure of artistic license.

If for financial or even nostalgic reasons a shooter chooses to invest in a SSP pistol then we all should wish him/her all the best.

But perspective is providing the benefits/drawback to both sides of the discussion!

[kevinweiho]

After buying the FAS I want to be sure of the quality, parts and service available for the next one.

I like the FWB 100 series the most because of superb build quality and parts availability from the manufacturer. If you’re mechanically inclined, you should be able to service the pistol by yourself.

[kevinweiho]

But perspective is providing the benefits/drawback to both sides of the discussion!

My philosophy is stop being so perspective about things and shoot that darn SSP to your heart’s content...

[DFWdude]

Something to consider when buying a SSP that has not been discussed...

Posters have talked about the effort (or not) needed to cock the pistol. Often left out of the discussion is the additional need to break one's stance to do so properly.

Let's say you are a right-handed shooter. After firing a shot, the temptation is to bring the pistol across your torso to cock it, muzzle pointed in any number of (unsafe) directions. Instead, to cock the pistol correctly, one must break one's shooting stance, rotate the body essentially 180° to keep the muzzle pointed down range. Then re-establish the shooting stance after cocking. Some ranges insist on this, while others are looser in their interpretation of the safety rules. Twist your body instead to keep the muzzle (generally) downrange, but that physical exertion is also taxing during a match.

Bottom line -- and etiquette/safety aside -- the effort needed to rotate the body for every shot, in addition to cocking the pistol itself, then resume a shooting stance, can be physically (and mentally) taxing, taken in total.

In contrast, it is less complicated (read easier) to shoot a PCP or CO2 pistol without breaking the stance for every shot to cock and load, then rebuild a stance.

Some will say that you should break your stance after each shot to manage one's shooting rhythm and pace. Back in the day of 2-1/2 hour matches that might be doable, or even advisable. With today's shorter match requirements, not so much.

I enjoyed shooting ALL the SSPs available during the era when they were popular, and likely sold as new most of the Pardini K58s found in the US today. I have no problem with SSP shooters. Just advising that people weigh all the factors in shooting an SSP before buying one today.

Flame away...

[Rover]

I'm still laughing... This SSP thing has gotten sooo far out of hand from my original intent.

At the beginning I proposed SSPs (and FWB 65s and CO2 guns) for newer and poorer shooters who felt they were handicapped by not having the latest & greatest PCPs and all the necessary expensive paraphernalia to go with them. I STILL think they give up NOTHING to do that. I STILL feel that SSPs are the simplest and lowest maintenance guns out there. I STILL feel that you are not handicapping yourself if you use one.

I currently own two PCPs and a SSP. I wish I could find a difference in the scores I shoot with them. There are plenty of SSP users (and buyers) I believe will agree with me. As for you guys who guzzled the PCP Kool-Ade....enjoy!

These days I enjoy tossing out the SSP bon mots just to watch the veins in PCP users heads throb.

[Joe58]

I'm curious off hand, what models were considered the top of the line CO2? I'd be more willing to try a CO2 match gun, then the large expense of PCP. Mostly just cause where I live, there aren't that many matches offered, so I just can't justify it. That and I stink at it anymore. :) Most of my air pistol is here at my house.

Some of my "fun guns" are CO2 and I enjoy those too, but I admit I am fond of my old FWB65 and my Izzy.

[Rover]

Probably the top of the line CO2 gun is the Steyr LP1. I've owned Walther CP series guns and Pardini K60s. The last two would be the cheapest CO2 guns you can find, but I just saw a FWB 2 in the classifieds reasonably cheap, but there are newer models out there. Any one of these is capable of winning.