Decided to get a pneumatic pump rifle

[35 shooter]

Yep...after a ton of research the last few weeks on springers vs, gas piston, vs. pneumatic, i picked up a Benjamin 392 at Academy Sports today. With a 90 day return or money back policy i decided i couldn't go wrong.

Had just enough daylight left to shoot outside for a few minutes when i got to the gfs house. I need glasses bad for iron sight shooting, but despite a fuzzy front sight, the first 4 shots were in a about a 1/4" group and the 5th stayed in 5/8" at 15 yds. with 4 pumps and 14.3 gr. discovery hollow point 22 cal. pellets.
Got off a couple of 8 pump 5 shot groups in the half inch to 5/8" range before it got dark.

The bore was very dark when shining a light through the chamber area and looking down the barrel from the muzzle end before shooting.
After shooting, it was very bright except the last 3/8" at the muzzle. I think there may be a bit of paint overspray at that point, but it shot very well despite that....nothing a little non chlorinated break cleaner won't take out.
Normally i would have cleaned the bbl. before shooting, but i was in a hurry to try it out before dark lol.

I brought it inside and shot about 30 more rounds down the hall at about 8 yds. after dark, and it continued to give tight groups considering my (by then) blurry eyesight with the irons.
I think it's going to be a ragged hole shooter for sure with a scope or good peep sight...or lol...a pair of glasses that i've been needing anyway.
VERY HAPPY with it so far.

Looks like i may have found a good pellet for it right off the bat. The discovery's were all they had in 22 cal.

BTW, after all the negatives i've read about "hard" triggers on the 392 and 397 rifles, i have to say this one can't be more than 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. and breaks like glass with just a hint of over travel...nice!

I just may be doing more squirrel hunting than deer hunting this fall.

[gtrpickr]

I got me one of those a few years back. I had always wanted one, when I was younger my cousin bought one and I loved to shoot it. I put a peep sight on mine and it shoots some really nice groups. My old eyes just cant hang with the plain iron sights lol.

[35 shooter]

Yeah, i can see a peep sight in the near future for mine. My eyes really need a scope for best shooting, but it's such a handy little rifle, i hate to hang the extra weight of a scope and mounts on it.

[GhostHawk]

I have been considering one of the Williams Peep's for my Sheridan Blue Streak.

Most of my other airguns have been scoped. So Ol Blue gets feeling left out when it does not get shot much.

After 40 years it will still put 5 in one ragged hole smaller than a dime if I can do my part.

IMO they are a very handy and versatile tool. Hardest part is learning the ranges. 3-4 pumps from zero to ? 6 from there to ? 8 to ? Then holdover or rethink beyond that.

Once you get those worked into your brain it can all become kind of automatic.
Your intuition guides your hand when pumping, it just becomes second nature.
The more you trust it and use it the better it gets.

[35 shooter]

Well...it turns out my "new" rifle turned into a 1" to 6" grouper at 20 yds. and further with several different pellets.
Long story short...i got suspicious and went back to the big box store i bought it at.
They had one left in an "opened box" with a blue label on it. I took it up front and asked about the blue label and was told it was a customer re-turn item....they had it for sale on the shelf as new!!

I remembered mine had a blue label on it too, but wasn't told it was a return item when i bought it for a brand new price!
Got my money back and ordered one from Pyramid. It should be here next wed. or thurs.

I think whoever had the rifle before me damaged the crown, which i could probably fix, but didn't feel like fixing someone elses problem on what was supposed to be a brand new gun. Plus i would be voiding the warranty.

[Multigunner]

When I bought a rifled barrel made for an M4 177 Crosman to replace the smoothbore barrel of my 760 I found the barrel had a very raggedly cut crown. Accuracy was not very bad but so so at best. I recrowned that barrel and it now prints consistent one hole groups little larger in diameter than the pellet at 25 yards.

I suspect a subcontractor for Crosman barrels may have skipped a step in manufacture like final finishing of the crown.

Could be that it affects only a few barrels, since overall these rifles have an excellent rep for pin point accuracy.

I do seem to remember someone on another board complaining of a loose sight on a 392 causing wide groups.

In any case returning the rifle was the correct course.

These show up as refurbed often enough at a decent discount if you look about the net.

A supplier of reseal kits I bought from awhile back stated on his site that he repaired returned airguns for Crosman and also sold refurbed returned rifles on his site. He had several of the refurbed 397 rifles priced at less than 100 USD.

There are several air gun dealers with online stores that sell new rifles of various brands only after they themselves have disassembled and checked them out thoroughly, sometimes performing upgrades of their own devising to improve performance.

[35 shooter]

Yeah, it was definitly the right move to return it since it was a returned item from a previous owner for a new price. I thought about the rear sight on it, but it was on rock solid.

I'll start over with one i know for sure is "new in the box" and go from there.
I can't wait for it to get here as i'm already hooked on these little light weight pumpers despite the problem i encountered with this one.

[clodhopper]

Let us know how the new one shoots. I bought a used one back in 1975, shot the heck out of it until something in it broke.
Traded it off for next to nothing in the late eighties.
Now the internet is here, information on how to fix anything is so easy to find.
Sure wish I had that ole brass airgun now.

[jcwit]

I still have one of those pumpers, but my go to air rifle is the QB 78 in Co2. No pumping, and the paper target knows no difference!

Difference in cost per shot? Less than a penny a shot!

[enfield]

I have a 392 as well, got it a few years ago and recently installed the Williams sight. I was very impressed when I shot 2 rats in the back yard. they were coming from somewhere to pick up seeds under the bird feeder when I spotted the first one out the bathroom window. 10 pumps at about 15 yards and the pellet went right through him, flopped onto his back and made a few leg kicks that was it.

[35 shooter]

I'll definitly report back on it when i get it. I intend on putting it through it's paces as soon as it comes in.

Looking forward to some small game hunting with it this fall.

[15meter]

Yeah, i can see a peep sight in the near future for mine. My eyes really need a scope for best shooting, but it's such a handy little rifle, i hate to hang the extra weight of a scope and mounts on it.


Don't hesitate, order up the Williams peep sight if they still list it and your rifle is drilled and tapped for it, on my Silver Streak it shrunk my groups by 50% @ 10 meters.

[35 shooter]

Took a break from work and drove by the house about 3:30 this afternoon, and sure enough, i had a box under the carport lol.
Talk about fast delivery...it shipped sometime monday.

I had just enough time to unbox it and take a quick look, then back to work.

It definitly has about a 1/4" deep spot in the barrel coated with paint overspray...just like the other one. I'm in the process of trying to clean it out with cutips and non chlorinated carb cleaner right now.

In the meantime, i just had to take a few shots before dark this evening.
I've got the paint thin enough now that i can see a bit of the bbl. starting to show through it...wish i had a nylon 22 brush.

[35 shooter]

Took a break from the paint cleaning and shot 25 rounds through it at 15 feet with 2 different pellets.
It's already improved some with the cleaning efforts....crosman premiere hp were only doing about a half inch for 5 shots, but 4 of 5 shots were in 3/8" each time for 3 different groups.

Discovery hp were trying to get into 1 hole for 5 shots for 2 different groups.
I was getting 3 in i hole and one just above and cutting the hole and 1 just below and cutting, all in a straight line up and down....not bad for my eyes and iron sights even up close like that. Certainly no more than a 1/4" c to c with the discoverys.

15meter, i'll definitly order a peep before long....maybe a scope too.
Although a pair of glasses might just fix my iron sight shooting with the existing sights on the gun.

The trigger is just as good as the previous rifle, but maybe a 1/2 pound heavier. There's just a hint of take up slack, then about a 3 pound pull that breaks like glass and not much over travel at all....no gritty feel to it.
I've read some complaints about the triggers on these rifles, but have no issues with them on either of these two 392s i've tried.

It's brand new, so a bit early to judge, but i think when the rest of the paint is cleaned out, i'll have a shooter and a keeper.

Btw, i shot a discovery pellet into a 5" pine tree with the last rifle i returned to academy, and on 8 pumps it buried to about 1/8" past the skirt @ 20 yds.

This afternoon before dark, i shot the same pine about an inch lower with a discovery hp pellet with 8 pumps with the new rifle, and it buried completely out of sight @ 20 yds.

[jh45gun]

The last one was probably buggered up by some one aggressively trying to clean the paint out. Why I bought a Crosman 22 cal 1300kt. I think it sucks Crosman sells these with paint over spray in the barrels.

[35 shooter]

The last one was probably buggered up by some one aggressively trying to clean the paint out. Why I bought a Crosman 22 cal 1300kt. I think it sucks Crosman sells these with paint over spray in the barrels.

I'll bet if the company made the guys painting these have to clean the overspray out of the bbls. before packaging them for shipment, they would learn to put a cork stopper in the bbl. before painting real quick lol.

No telling how many of these fine little air rifles get returned or just stuck back in a closet with little use, because the customer doesn't have a clue the paint is even in the bbl., or as you said...ruins the crown with over aggressive cleaning trying to get it out.

I've already spent over 45 min. cleaning it out of this one. I believe this one is going to turn out well when it's finally all out though.
I wish they would come out with a 25 cal in this little pumper. Maybe a beefed up pump mechcanism on it and shooting around 650 fps....just a thought!

[Multigunner]

"I wish they would come out with a 25 cal in this little pumper. Maybe a beefed up pump mechcanism on it and shooting around 650 fps....just a thought! "

There was a knock off or license built airgun of this type marketed in the 50's that fired .25 lead shot or steel ball bearings. I suppose it was smooth bore since it handled both. Apparently a pretty deadly small game air gun.

[jcwit]

Hatsen already makes a break barrel that meets that specification!

It's a gas cylinder and more than likely will last longer than a pumper.

They also have a springer for $123.00 bucks.

[Multigunner]

"It's a gas cylinder and more than likely will last longer than a pumper."

So long as reseal kits and piston arm parts are available the multi pump Crosman and Sheridan rifles will last for generations.
The early Benjamin rifles with valve bodies soldered into the pump tubes are a lot harder to work on, and require special tools, but the more modern modular designs require very little in the way of tools to completely rebuild and up grade.

[35 shooter]

Nothing wrong with a good break bbl. gun. I may well have that and a pcp before it's over.
However, for my first(since I was a kid) air rifle... It had to have a fixed bbl. so no problems with scope alignment, metallic(not plastic) sights, ready for peep sights without modification, and no automatic safety on cocking, and variable power for different shooting conditions.

I am thinking hard about a Hatsan 125 in 25 cal. now. Still wish one was available in a pumper though.
there's just nothing else as versatile.

[jcwit]

So long as reseal kits and piston arm parts are available and whatever other repair parts are needed a breakbarrel will for generations.

[Tracy]

Hatsen already makes a break barrel that meets that specification!

It's a gas cylinder and more than likely will last longer than a pumper.

They also have a springer for $123.00 bucks.

No flame intended, but I really, really doubt that. First, on what do you base your statement? Gas ram guns have only been out for a handful of years. So if you have some kind of arcane knowledge the rest of us aren't privy to, I'm sure we would all like to hear it.
Second, pumpers are already proven to last 50-plus years, and there are many, many of them out there that old and older, still soldiering away. One member of GTA forum has one that he has had since it was new, and it required no work until it was over 50 years old. There are also quite a few Crosman 101s that still shoot great, and none of them are less than 67 years old. Some are over 90 years old.
Third, I have personally owned cars that had nitrogen gas ram struts to hold a hatch open, and had the gas rams fail when the car was no more than 10-12 years old.

I could fix a leaking 392PA even if I couldn't get a factory seal kit.
Breakbarrels are known to get weak and worn and have their barrel start drooping. The springs are also known to weaken over time, and sometimes break. And they need an airgun-specific spring to fix them. I could reseal a pumper with squirrel hide and pellets that I recovered from the same squirrels.

[jcwit]

Well my Benjamin .177 pumper pooped out after 30 years IIRC. I replaced it with a new one 35 years ago, it now leaks, and yes the felt washers were lubed correctly.

None of my breakbarrels have given me any problems, even the early Chinese my wife & I sold at the local flea Market almost 40 years ago.

So yes I have more than a little experience with springers and gas rams also.

My air gun collection consists of 15 rifles & pistols, all the way from single pump pistols to PCP rifles.

My Crosman .22 pumper gave up the ghost way back when I was still in my teens.

Maybe I just got 3 lemons.

[Tracy]

Maybe you did. My main point though, is that pumpers don't really require any dedicated parts to fix. A factory seal kit makes it easier, but it can be done with hardware store parts. For some of the older designs, even the hardware store parts are not an absolute necessity.
Your Benjamin could almost certainly have been fixed, and for not much money either. I have a couple of old pumpers (a Benjamin and a Sheridan) that didn't hold air when I got them, and I fixed them by repeatedly oiling with non-detergent motor oil, pumping and dry firing. Both came around within a few days of this treatment. I also have a Benjamin that is just under 50 years old that would pump up and shoot, but weakly and with lots of retained air after shooting. I bought a seal kit and tore it down. Ended up just cleaning well, replacing the valve spring (because the one in the kit was weaker) and one lead washer. I still have the rest of the kit. I could have made the lead washer, and cut a coil off the original spring to weaken it.

Most people don't realize just how simple these pumpers are. And the new Benjamin 392s are even simpler; the entire valve comes out with no special tools and it doesn't even use seals per se. Just 3 o-rings that are not all that critical, a brass-on-brass valve poppet and seat (can be lapped together if it stopped sealing), and a Delrin check valve in a brass seat. That Delrin valve is so simple, it would be easy to replicate out of any number of different materials.

[jcwit]

Sure it could have been fixed, just as most anything that doesn't work can be fixed!

But the pump arm froze up so bad IIRC it sheared the rivit and the pump itself still refused to come out!

I have my own machine shop so I'm not a noob to making things work.

[jcwit]

Just to let you know I'm not helpless when it comes to air rifle,a few months ago I finished completely rebuilding Anschutz Match Model 220, this is a highly accurate, recoiless, side lever cocking, .177 --10 meter competition air rifle.

I went completely through it, replacing all seals and springs, even rebuilt the oil cylinder that made it recoiless.

So you see, I do have some experience in working with air guns!

[35 shooter]

Got the paint in the bore down very thin now. It's grouping 5 shots right together all the way to 20 yds.(as far as i've shot it so far).
Looks like this is going to be a shooter.

I think i'll stop cleaning on the paint at this point and just shoot the rest of it out, as long as it keeps grouping like this lol.
I noticed the thinner the paint gets, the tighter the crossman hps shoot, the discovery hps don't seem bothered by the little bit of paint left at all.
Can't tell much difference in the groups from either pellet though.
The discoveries may have a slight edge at this point, but either would do fine for hunting.

If i decide to order a peep sight for it, i may order some domed pellets for it,as all they have locally are the hollow points.
I'd like to try some polymags in it too.
Hope to get some time to do some longer range shooting with it this weekend.

[35 shooter]

I guess i need to mention another point about this new 392...it's very easy to pump compared to the one i had to take back. Even with 8 full power pumps on it, i could easily shoot this one all day.

The other one seemed to be well oiled on all the pivot points and the piston head, but was much harder to pump for sure....another reason i'm glad i took it back.
I think the folks at Pyramid hooked me up with exactly what i was looking for.

As far as working on or fixing an air gun ...they all look pretty straight forward and doable to me from the videos i've watched on it.
One feature i liked about the pneumatic type, was the fact i wouldn't need to make a compression jig to take it down if it needed cleaning, greasing, or broke down on me and did need repair. Seemed a little simpler to work on to me.
Springers look simple enough too though.
As long as the warranty is still good though, i'll probably just let Crosman take care of all that if it needs it.

[Multigunner]

My1377 was extremely difficult to pump when I first got it. Liberal applications of silicon oil , mineral oil, and ATF transmission fluid brought it around.

A friend brought an old model 1377 around that had been in storage for many years and had near zero pressure when pumping. I soaked its innards with ATF and it began improving with each pump up and shoot cycle till it began to work as good as new.

The old Benjamin pumpers are sought after in just about any condition because so long as no vital parts are missing or just plain destroyed these guns can be resealed. Its just a matter of looking up the specs on the specialized valve tear down tool needed and fabricating one.

The 1377 and 1322 based guns are marvels of simplicity and anyone with opposable thumbs can repair or upgrade these. Only hard to find tool is the extremely tiny allen wrench needed for the breech screw, the older models use a plotted head screw. I found the right allen wrench in a rather modestly priced kit at Auto Zone.

[GhostHawk]

I agree about the 13xx series. I bought a pair of 1322's some 3 years ago. I bought the shooters kits with the carbine stocks. 75$ ea seemed pretty well spent.

I put a laser on one for my wife, recently put a scope mount and Red Dot on mine.

Both will put 5 rounds into one ragged hole with a chair back to rest on at 20 feet.
Plenty good enough to take care of critters around the house or at need to put meat in the pot.

[35 shooter]

Trigger seems to have lightened a bit on pull now after about 100 to 150 shots.
Got it sighted in good at 20 yds. now about a 1/2" above the front sight.

Got a nice surprise with Gamo Magnum pointed 15.42 gr. pellets indoors at about 6 yds. tonight with the first 3 literally in 1 hole.
The Gamo's weren't shooting like that at all till i got most of the paint out....now they're driving a nail...at least at that range.

This little rifle didn't quite make me a kid again, but so far i do feel about 20 years younger lol.
Don't know why i waited 63 years to get one.

[Multigunner]

I'd tried some Gamo .177 10.5 gr pellets in my rifled 760 and other than a few fliers due to out of the round skirts they grouped very nicely with many one holers at 25 yards, but when I went to Wally World to buy some more I found every tin (they have clear plastic lids) was full of badly mutilated pellets. Some skirts were mashed into hour glass shapes and many pellet bodies had marks that looked like those left by the jaws of a pair of pliers. I doubt that could happen by accident. I think some disgruntled factory worker sabotaged a shipment of these.
Otherwise the design and hardened alloy of these are excellent features. Greatly increasing energy from the small .177 bore guns. they worked very well in my 38T revolver though due to the hard alloy pushing some of those with out of round skirts into the chambers took some force.

In .22 so far the most impressive pellet I've tried in my pump up carbine is the Benjamin Destroyer 14.3.
I filled some aluminum cans with water and at 50 feet the destroyer pellet basically destroyed those cans. Some sort of rebounding shockwave effect split the cans from top to bottom down the front and the remains of the cans were blown up like balloons. Never saw a pellet do that before. It was exactly the same for both cans so its not a fluke.

[15meter]

For paper punching I have been using Vogel wacutters I bought from the CMP. They shoot as well as full on RWS R10 match pellets in my vintage Benjamin. I won the air rifle league at my club with the Vogels and the Benjamin last month against some fairly high dollar match rifles.<br><br>And they are about half the cost of the R10's.

[35 shooter]

Thanks for the reports on the pellets you guys are using,,,i'm filing lots of things under my "need to know" list.

Yeah, i've seen some reviews on the gamo pellets complaining about flashing on the skirts, lots of deformed pellets, etc. Some of the more recent reports were better though about the qc on them, so maybe they're improving.
This particular tin of pellets "looks" like good quality.

I was really looking forward to some range time with the 392 tomorrow, but looks like some really bad weather is headed our way. Just have to wait and see.

[35 shooter]

Got a surprise today when only 4 pumps went through a steel dog food can at
10yds with crosman hp, and again at 25yds. 3 pumps went through 1 side at 10 yds. and put a dent in the other.
8 pumps was flying through it at 25 yds. in a perfect straight line side to side.....wish my chrony was working.

[35 shooter]

Finally got to do some longer range shooting and sighting in done today.
So far the crosman hps and the piranahs are the tops in accuracy.

Most of the shooting was done from a rested position just laying the rifle across my rear bag. Took me quite a few shots to get satisfied with the zero, and finally left it about 1/2" high at 30 yds. above the front post.

I shot several groups at 30 to 45 yds. and pretty well kept 5 shots anywhere from 1/2" to 1 1/2" in height, to 1/2 to 3/4" in width....plenty good enough for me with the iron sights that came with the gun.

Offhand wasn't as pretty on the targets, but i rested my eyes for a while, then set some cans up with just the bottom ends showing at 40 to 50 yds., and from a sitting or kneeling offhand position, had no trouble at all drilling them.

I wasn't sure about the performance untill today, but i must say, i wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone considering one of these to go for it.
Just be sure to check for paint overspray in the muzzle, get it out the best you can, and your good to go then.

It's not hold sensitve at all, and with a good scope, will be a squirrels worst nightmare....heck, it already is.:smile:

[35 shooter]

Need some opinions from some of you more experienced with air rifles.

I'm considering ordering the air venturi scope mount for the 392. I was going to order an air gun rated scope for it also.
Since this gun is a pneumatic without the slam bang and vibration of a spring or gas piston air rifle...do you guys think an old m8 6 power leupold would hold up on this one?

This old scope is not parallax adjustable, but is clear as a bell from about 15 yds. on out.
A four power leapers air gun rated scope is cheap enough for sure, but i already have this one sitting in the closet not mounted on anything.

I wouldn't consider putting a non air rated scope on a springer, but the pneumatic rifles shoot so smoothly i thought it might hold up ok?

[enfield]

For long range fun I raise the sight on my 392 and hang an old frying pan in a tree at 100 yards. Trajectory is similar to BP cartridge.

[Tracy]

Pneumatics are not hard on scopes at all. Any scope that will work on a .22 rimfire should be just fine.

[GhostHawk]

Might want to consider a williams peep sight for it.

I have not scoped my Sheridan. I did buy a set of the blocks that clamp on the barrel. But Sheridan barrels are brass, did not want to squeeze it.

Many of my other air rifles are either scoped or have Red Dot sights.

With any of the pumpers you should not get enough recoil to bother the scope.
Assuming you are not spraying flammable materials behind the pellet.

I have a couple of Bushnell Banner's on air rifles and have experienced no problems.

If you are going to put a scope on it I would recomend one with Mil dot reticule. This will make it a lot easier to learn to adjust hold over/under at different ranges, power levels.

Amazon sells a very nice Hammers 3x9x32 AO with a one piece mount for 60$ that has that reticule. Just one more thing to consider.

[clodhopper]

While the weight and durability of iron sights are big plusses. Back in the day, my eyesight was much better, I only had one air rifle so I shot it enough to just "know" where to hold.
Now I have many rifles, I do not really know any of them well enough to just "know" where to hold.

Perhaps the best solution is to get rid all but one rifle. Yah, right that aint gonna happen......

Here is what I'm putting on my .25 marauder http://athlonoptics.com/product/talos-btr-4-14x44-aplr-ffp-ir-mil/
Still have to make or buy a rail to set the scope far enough forward to see through it while shooting slung up prone.

[w5pv]

Reminds me of this VetNam place that was in Port Author,Texas that was taking uneating portions off the plate and putting them on other people's plates instead of dumping in the trash.I think that this is true because it was on the evening news is how I remember it and thinking that I had taken my family there to eat.lol

[35 shooter]

Appreciate the replys about putting a regular scope on the pneumatics. I thought it would be okay.

I don't see me leaving a scope on this one all the time...just would like to see just how accurate this little rifle really is lol. If i like the scope set up on it, i can get something with mildots and maybe variable power and parallax later on.

Clodhopper, that's going to be a super nice setup when you get it all together.

[35 shooter]

Reminds me of this VetNam place that was in Port Author,Texas that was taking uneating portions off the plate and putting them on other people's plates instead of dumping in the trash.I think that this is true because it was on the evening news is how I remember it and thinking that I had taken my family there to eat.lol

???....Think i missed the point on this one?

[35 shooter]

I ordered the scope base, rail, and rings for the 392 Thursday. "Should" be here tommorrow.
Meantime i did some more iron sight shooting and today did some more steel dog food can testing @ 50 yds.
Crosman hp would penetrate one side and put a dent and a split you could see daylight through on the other side.
Gamo pointed magnums @ 15.42 gr. were fully penetrating both sides and not even moving the cans.

Can't wait to do some scoped shooting with this little rifle. Definitely impressed with what i would consider a medium power air rifle.

[35 shooter]

Well, i put the bases and rail over the breech area and used low weaver rings to mount the scope on the rail.
Using my 6 power leupold i could barely get part of my chin on the stock to see through the scope...not good for parallax lol.
You would definitely need a raised cheek comb to go on the stock to keep your eye in proper alignment with the scope on this one.

I think even with a parallax adj. scope you would still have problems with this stock design without some kind of raised cheek piece on the stock.

I did shoot some very good groups at 25 yds. with it, but the slightest head movement on the stock and i could watch the crosshairs seemingly move over 2" or more.

I think the scout mounts that mount a pistol scope low over the bbl. would be a better setup for the way the stock is designed on the 392.
Anyway, for now i took the scope off and went back to the irons.

I may look for a raised cheek piece, or make one for scope use on this rifle, but would rather go to the scout mounts than do that, as i think the overall balance of the gun would be better that way.

In the meantime, i'm just going to order a peep sight for it.

[GhostHawk]

I have a Handi rifle with a shotgun stock. I ended up buying one of the strap on ammo carriers/pouch for it. Once I had it in place I grabbed a 3" chunk of swim noodle and started carving.

Within 15 minutes I had my comfortable check weld and I was strapping down and locking it tight.

Been a simple effective method of getting that check weld you need.

One of the things I love about the Hatsan 135 is that it has an adjustable check riser. 2 screws, losen them, play with it till you get it where you want it. Try it, tweak it. Then lock it down and there you are. Perfect check weld.

Like you I have found I have my best results when I leave the scopes off the pumpers.

[35 shooter]

Yeah, i agree about the scopes on the pumpers...for one thing they're so light and handy, you kind of hate to hang the extra weight on it.
It's still a light package even with the scope added, but the balance isn't the same.

Had a brain storm though lol...i turned the rail backwards on the breech mounts and let the longest part hang back out along the stock.
That puts my cheek against the highest part of the comb. Still have to raise my head more than i like to see in the scope, but it's better.

Think if i rig something up to raise the comb about 1" it will be perfect.
Something to play with anyway.

[Multigunner]

"Think if i rig something up to raise the comb about 1" it will be perfect.
Something to play with anyway.

How about an elastic sleeve with a section of foam insulation tubing under it?

I have a molded hardened leather cheek piece I use on several of my rifles.
I took a piece of very thick saddle skirt leather that had been water damaged then dried out to much to use for anything else and soaked it in scalding hot water till it softened. I then let it dry to a clay like consistency and wrapped around some plastic pipe . while still moldable I cut it to the shape of a roll over cheek piece, did a bit more shaping and let it dry till hard as wood.
The surface was already marred so once dried thoroughly I soaked inner and outer surfaces with spray paint.
The piece fits most butt stocks tightly enough for temporary use, but could be held tighter with double sided tape or glued or tacked in place if the finish of the stock is not a concern.
I made another for a ratty old Enfield stock by stacking layers of leather and trimming to shape before adding the cheek piece. That one was glued and nailed solidly in place. The finished stock was painted and looks as if made that way.

[35 shooter]

Yes, an elastic sleeve, or a leather lace up type like Ghost Hawk mentioned. Either type would work.
i've got an old shotgun slip on type shell holder around somewhere..also have leather for making archery gear like back quivers.
I'll get something made up for it.

[35 shooter]

Ordered a peep for my 392, it should be here tommorrow. The regular irons work pretty well, but at 50 yds. i start seeing 2 targets after awhile lol.

I think the peep will be a big aid for my old eyes.

[enfield]

you may need to make the front sight taller , the rear peep will not go low enough. I ended up using a small piece of sheet metal pinched on the original blade with a little JB Weld to make it about .080" taller ( experiment before making it permanent )

[35 shooter]

Enfield,

I was worried about that very thing after reading several reports about having to build up the front post, or file some of the bottom of the peep sight itself.
I was very relieved to find out it's virtually dead on at 7 yds. with a 6:00 hold with the sight bottomed out.
Makes me wonder if crosman is making the front post a bit taller now, or i just got lucky with where the holes in the reciever of my rifle were bored?
I'll know more when i get it outside tommorrow and shoot at longer ranges.

It's definitely made a difference in my grouping even at close range already.
It was already bug holes at 7 and 10 yds. with the original sights, and with the peep, it's more like a pellet and a half size hole for 5 shots even with my less than perfect eyesight at close ranges like this.

If i find it shooting high at longer ranges, i'll definitely build the front sight up a bit though. The way it seems to be shooting, it'll be worth the time and trouble to do it if i have too.:D

[35 shooter]

Shot with the peep sight all afternoon today. All of you guys that suggested the peeps over the irons that come with the gun were right lol....difference as in night and day.

Got lucky and with the peep bottomed out with a 6:00 hold it was about 3/8" high at 21 yds., and about an 1/8" high(as far as i could tell) at 30 yds. It was about 2" low at 40 and about 4 1/2" low at 50 yds.

Thinking about sighting it in dead on at 50 yds. and just cut the amount of front sight sticking up in the peep for closer ranges for hunting.

Of course if you had 8 pumps on the rifle and forgot to cut the sight a bit at 25 yds., you would be about 2" high.

[mac1911]

Shot with the peep sight all afternoon today. All of you guys that suggested the peeps over the irons that come with the gun were right lol....difference as in night and day.

Got lucky and with the peep bottomed out with a 6:00 hold it was about 3/8" high at 21 yds., and about an 1/8" high(as far as i could tell) at 30 yds. It was about 2" low at 40 and about 4 1/2" low at 50 yds.

Thinking about sighting it in dead on at 50 yds. and just cut the amount of front sight sticking up in the peep for closer ranges for hunting.

Of course if you had 8 pumps on the rifle and forgot to cut the sight a bit at 25 yds., you would be about 2" high.

Don't forget your zero will change for each pump level.
I have mine set up for 5 pumps at 30 yards for plinking and fun.
At 8 pumps.... shooting jsb match I'm getting just under 700fps with these pellets. I zero at 18-20ish,yards and the pellet will hit about 1" high about half way to the 35-40 yard range.
Now I have a crosman 1400 pumper that's always by the door for garden patrol which is 20 yards from door to garden and I just have it POA/POI zero at 20 yards. You can down load chairgun pro for free and it's a fun calculator and pretty darn on spot. You can figure out the point blank range that works best for you.

[mac1911]

Well, i put the bases and rail over the breech area and used low weaver rings to mount the scope on the rail.
Using my 6 power leupold i could barely get part of my chin on the stock to see through the scope...not good for parallax lol.
You would definitely need a raised cheek comb to go on the stock to keep your eye in proper alignment with the scope on this one.

I think even with a parallax adj. scope you would still have problems with this stock design without some kind of raised cheek piece on the stock.

I did shoot some very good groups at 25 yds. with it, but the slightest head movement on the stock and i could watch the crosshairs seemingly move over 2" or more.

I think the scout mounts that mount a pistol scope low over the bbl. would be a better setup for the way the stock is designed on the 392.
Anyway, for now i took the scope off and went back to the irons.

I may look for a raised cheek piece, or make one for scope use on this rifle, but would rather go to the scout mounts than do that, as i think the overall balance of the gun would be better that way.

In the meantime, i'm just going to order a peep sight for it.

Its really strange crosman has not did a bit of redesign to allow a better scope mount option.... I do get they use a soft alloy to build the 392 so it would be a problem with stripped mounting holes and such. For the most part almost all air guns are going to need a higher comb for scope use
http://i.imgur.com/CnxCOZi.jpg

[enfield]

Weve all heard that guy at the range " I filed the front sight 3 times and it still shoots too high " :)

[35 shooter]

Mac1911,

I really like the adj. cheekpiece on the benji in your pics. That would be ideal!

[35 shooter]

Got out with the peep again today and sighted it dead on at 40 yds.
That puts it about an inch high at 20 yds., but was easy to just hold a bit low on close targets and nail them....squirrel heads won't be a problem at all.
50 yds. was about 2" low.
I'll shoot a bit indoors tonight to see how it does up really close and have the total sight picture from 0 to 50 yds. down pat.

[mac1911]

Mac1911,

I really like the adj. cheekpiece on the benji in your pics. That would be ideal!

I need comb kits in almost every gun. Even iron sights if I want to have a full cheek weld for best accuracy.
Been using these simple graco 870 model for years.
https://graco-corp.com/product-category/adjustable-comb-hardware/
Then I use a coping saw to cut the comb out. If you know someone with a nice band saw and decent cutting skills it will make for a better cut. Or you can send the stock to someone like Ken Rucker and have him install a kit.

[35 shooter]

I need comb kits in almost every gun. Even iron sights if I want to have a full cheek weld for best accuracy.
Been using these simple graco 870 model for years.
https://graco-corp.com/product-category/adjustable-comb-hardware/
Then I use a coping saw to cut the comb out. If you know someone with a nice band saw and decent cutting skills it will make for a better cut. Or you can send the stock to someone like Ken Rucker and have him install a kit.
Thanks for the link. I just took a look at that web site, and the 870 kit you mentioned looks simple enough, good price too.

I do have a good friend that has a good band saw set up, so i can easily see taking on a project like this , plus the rifle is super accurate and worth getting it set up right....Thanks again.

[rfd]

the old workhorse 397 got scoped again ...

http://i.imgur.com/jI37Hob.jpg

[35 shooter]

the old workhorse 397 got scoped again ...

http://i.imgur.com/jI37Hob.jpg
Nice set up. I've got the same rail mount for mine.

[35 shooter]

My plan was to turn the rail around backwards and let the long end hang out over the stock and mount a short 3x9 bug buster scope on it. I was hoping that would leave enough room in front of the scope to pump the rifle in the normal manner.

I happened to see a pic of that very set up on one of the airgun sites the other night and from the pic it looks like it will work just like i was hoping it would.
Lol, already told the gf what i want for my birthday in July.

Finished getting the peep sight dead center for windage today, which is somewhat of a chore. It would really be nice if Williams included a screw adj. for windage like they do for elevation on this model.
I wound up keeping the 40 yd. zero elevation for 8 pumps(pellet hits dead on top of the front post)to get the most range for hunting.

With a bit of Kentucky windage(elevation), it just eats ragged holes in 12 oz. coke cans turned end ways at 50 yds. with just about any kind of improvised rest.
I'll report back on it when i get the scope, but i think the most fun will probably be shooting it with the peep most of the time.

[35 shooter]

197407
Sorry for the sloppy pic. I see i managed to cut off some of notes on the right.
Anyway, the first 5 shots rested at 21 yds. went into .366" c to c with my peep sights holding 6:00 at the bottom of the dot.

I took another shot offhand at the bottom of the black diamond at the same distance, which is the shot high left of diamond, and then one more offhand at 6:00 on the bottom of the dot and hit 1 pellet low of my .366" group and opened it to .425".

Lol, wish i had'nt taken the last offhand shot at my .366" group, but was pleased to see it go that close to the rested group.

This was with crosman premier pyranahs.
Think i've found my hunting pellet.

This was with 8 pumps for each shot and the peep sights.

[35 shooter]

[attach=config]197450[/attach
Little better pic of the whole target.

[GhostHawk]

I'd say that is looking good. Critters better make for the hills.

[35 shooter]

I'd say that is looking good. Critters better make for the hills.
Thanks GhostHawk,

Everything you have told me about the Benji pumps has been just as you said.
It's for sure this one "shoots" better than i can "see" and hold with peep sights.
Hope to have it scoped with some type of AO style scope soon. One with mil dots should allow for some very accurate long range shooting...can't wait.

[35 shooter]

Put my set 6 power leupold scope back on the 392 and turned the rail backwards to hang over the shoulder stock more. This let me get a better cheek weld on the highest part of the comb...still could use some building up in that area of the stock, but was much better than before. I could tell i had a bit of parralax problem at 50 yds., but not near as much as before..maybe a half inch left, right, up and down at the most.
I could shoot pretty relaxed with this setup the way it is and a adjustable objective scope, or just a bit of build up on the comb will solve the parralax.

I sighted in at 25 yds. about a half inch high and moved to 50 yds. I was just shooting off a little round metal stand like a flower vase would sit on using my rear bag to rest the rifle on and a stool no more than 7" high with my shooting arm rested on my knee.

The shot cycle is so smooth on this little pneumatic rifle, i could easily watch the pellets fly to the target...even at 50 yds.
Even with the "not so stable rest" set up, my groups while shooting at 50 yds. were 1" or less, with the biggest one being 1 1/4" and the smallest about 5/8"
for just 3 shot groups.
I was moving the scope a bit between groups to get perfectly centered at 50 yds. and getting dark quick, so didn't bother with 5 or ten shot groups today.

I intend to have a AO bug buster scope on it by my birthday in a couple of weeks. I'll get my portable bench rest set up then with a rock solid front and rear rest and try to cut those groups in half? We'll see. I'll try to post some more picks then on targets and the scope set up.

At a half inch high at 25 yds, it only dropped about an inch at 40 and about 3 1/2" at 50 yds.
I found that the tip of my bottom vertical post was dead on at 50 yds. Lol, wherever you put that post on the bottom of a 12 oz. coke can at 50 yds. is exactly where the pellet hits. Lol, i seemed to do better on the cans than the targets.

Btw, i didn't have to remove the peep sight to install the rail, so it's still sighted in with the irons to, just can't see them with the rail mount on.
I like everything about this set up so far.

[GhostHawk]

May want to look at the Hammers 3x9x32 AO scope at Amazon for 52$.
Mildot reticule for easy holdover. Will focus down to less than 20 feet for indoor shooting, or out over 100 yards.

Glass is clear and sharp, is designed to stand up to magnum class spring guns. So that little pumper of yours will be nothing to it.

I have 2 of these and would say they are easy worth double what I paid for them.
Ohhh and they ship standard with a 1 piece mount designed to take the abuse.

[35 shooter]

Ghost hawk,

I like the sound of the hammer scopes, and told my brother about them. He has a Hatsan 95 in .22 cal.j
I'm thinking of the bug buster scope for the Benji, because it's so short. I'm hoping I can get my hand in front of it to pump in the normal fashion.
I've got a springer in mind I'd like to have and the hammer sounds like a great choice for that one.
I like the fact the hammer's come with the one piece solid mounts for sure. If it's holding up on your 135, it' got to be a good scope....great price too.
Thanks!