Hardest springer (pistol) to shoot well..at least of what I have….is an old Webley Jr. Tiny, over lever cocking, piston running right back at you. May have been smaller springers….just not as common as this tiny one. Several springer pistols use the same kind of system and it does make for a compact system.
Does illustrate the springer’s need for consistent hold better than anything else I own.
Run a rod though the bore to represent bore line.
Lay around across the sights to represent sight line.
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Holy crap….the sights line up like way-way UNDER the bore line. It’s set up to include the “jump down” of the rear moving piston. Piston moves, pistol pivots, (hopefully) pellet exits at the point that coincides with the target.
(this is also the way short barreled center fire snub noses are designed)
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Harder I grip the pistol, the HIGHER it shoots...doesn’t pivot as much down from recoil.
Rest the pistol, and it shoots way higher...doesn’t down pivot, jumps up and away from the contact point.
Loose grip, letting the recoil pivot the pistol in my hand, and they POA/POI line up rather well.
IMPORTANT PART:
Actually shoots better than most people give the Webley system credit for….it’s just super hard to be hold- consistent, but the pellet spins and goes where it was pointed.
I had a similar problem with a Beeman P1. Despite my best efforts, I could never master that pistol. Beautiful gun, well made, but I just couldn't get it to shoot for me. At the same time, I had a Webley Hurricane, which, despite it's remarkably inferior trigger, I could actually shoot with somewhat more of a degree of accuracy than I could ever attain with the P1.
Handguns are DEFINITELY NOT my strong suit, and recoiling spring handguns are an extreme challenge. I've had my best luck, (and I do mean luck,) with the older Diana 5s with the nylon grip. They seem to fit my hand and feel just right. I don't currently own one, but I will again some day. The only recoiling spring handgun that I currently own is an IZH 53M, with which I can currently hit close to where I'm aiming.
My Diana 6M is the only spring pistol I didn't sell. Giss system is sweet.
Some great thoughts - and a beautiful old Junior too! Your photo of the sight alignment and description are perfect, the issue is that the initial recoil stage in these "backwards" pistol pivots the muzzle down...then milliseconds later, the piston's halt pops the nose back up again!
There's a similar thread on another forum, where "Steveoo" from the UK - the master tuner who created the 500 FPS Walther LP 53! - points out that one secret to these pistols is finding a pellet that gets out of the gun as quickly as possible, i.e. literally "outruns" some of the crazy recoil movement.
For the P1, I have found that pellet to be the JSB 7.3 Exact, and its sister design the Air Arms Falcon. The light weight, thin skirt, and soft lead combine for a fast start, very smooth firing behavior, and excellent accuracy. The difference from any other ammo is downright startling. (The Exact has also turned my R7 into a pretty much recoilless wonder gun, by the way - amazing).
Hard to shoot well….but it fits in a normal sized pocket so it’s handy to take along with you. It’s only real use is to keep me entertained if the fishing (sitting on the bank type fishing) is really slow.
7.3JSB’s seem to shoot well (so do the 7gr. RWS WC’s). Might be right about barrel time vs. recoil.rebound effects in these little pistols.
Thanks for the read, enjoyed it with a cup of Community dark roast
