Getting back into the AP game, trying to decide what to buy.

[22match]

I've decided to get back into the AP game, again... I sold my Steyr LP10 a few years back, should have kept her. Now I'm looking for another AP, so what about the new Steyr EVO10? or maybe a Morini? Walther? Pardini? or what about that new FWB P 8X? I have decided to buy new, not going to pay 1200-1400 for used when I can get a new pistol for a few hundred more and not have to worry how it was taken care of. Another question, electronic vs. mechanical trigger? Does the E trigger make a difference? Thanks all.

[David Levene]

All of those guns and manufacturers, yes.

Try as many as you can and choose the one that suits YOU best. The same goes for mechanical or electronic triggers. Choose what suits YOU best.

The majority of advice you receive online will be to recommend the gun that suits the poster best.

Having said that, there isn't much difference between the EVO10 and the LP10, so draw your own conclusions.

[william]

It's still early, and Rover probably hasn't roused himself to take the hair of the dog. I'll spare him this little task:

http://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=55072

My Gawd! A top-of-the-line SSP that's gone twenty hours, and it hasn't sold!

[Rover]

You da man, Willie!

I had to get out early today for an AP match (yes, I won). THEN came home for a "hair of the dog." I found I shoot better when I feel like crap.

And yes, that IS the gun the guy should buy so he doesn't have to put up with the cost and hassle of air. He should use RWS Basic pellets, too.

He should do these things only if he wants to win, though, since he found an LP10 less than satisfactory.

Ooops.....sold. Another guy a day late and a dollar short.

[22match]

Thank you David, not sure what the other 2 have been drinking, but I hope it's good.

[Chia]

David's advice is spot on. I personally don't think electronic triggers are very useful (based on my background as a pipe organist where there was a lot of debate about this type of thing), but if you think it helps, get it.

Do you have a scuba tank/hand pump, SCATT, or a target shooting area already?

[Gwhite]

If done properly (like the Morini design), an electronic trigger allows divorcing the forces required to release the "hammer" from the forces required to operate the trigger. The result is a VERY repeatably trigger with a wide range of possible adjustments. I have a 162EI, and I love it. I suspect the Steyr electronic trigger is at least as good.

The other advantage is that you can dry fire repeatedly without any intervention. I find that being able to dry fire easily encourages the practice, which is a good thing.

A good mechanical trigger should be every bit as adjustable as an electronic one. However, they will wear over time, and may need readjusting. They require lubrication (even if it's at the factory), and are more susceptible to dust & dirt. This is not to say that electronic triggers are 100% trouble free, but they should be less prone to those issues. The impact on accuracy of one vs the other should be negligible.

One serious downside of an electronic trigger is the possibility of forgetting to turn off the power. At least in the Morini, it will eventually kill the batteries.

[22match]

Thank you all for the advice, I have been an rifle competitor for many years, including air, so I have scuba tanks, an older scatt plus other equipment, just need a good AP. I've competed with air pistol including the nationals but was still concentrating on smallbore rifle so I wasn't dedicating much training time. I'm done paying the increasingly higher price for Tenex and lugging a hundred pounds of gear to the range. I had sold my LP10 to a promising young junior that needed a better AP. Now it's time to make a decision! Thanks again.

[m1963]

Greetings- perhaps one answer to your question- you state you already have a Scatt- and are interested in either a Steyr LP10 or a Morini 162 EI. We never could get a Scatt to work reliably with the Morini electronic trigger. We suggest that if you want to use the Scatt go with the Steyr. Also, the last time we spoke with Neal Stepp at ISS he still had 2 or 3 LP-10's at a favorable price- about the same price as a used one, on TT.

Cheers!
m1963

[hundert]

@m1963 even when engaging the cocking lever?

[m1963]

Yes, that is correct. We were shooting pellets out of the 162EI, while using the Scatt.

[David Levene]

Yes, that is correct. We were shooting pellets out of the 162EI, while using the Scatt.

Which model?

I've heard of problems using the 162EI with an MX-02, but not with the USB.

[m1963]

David, you are correct it was the MX-02. Nothing we did made any difference. The sensor could not detect the Morini trigger. We would not try the others, with our Morini's (3) at this point. It would not be fair to us, or Scatt.

[sparky]

A few thoughts. I think Steyrs tend to fit folks with bigger hands and longer fingers, while Pardinis tend to fit folks with smaller hands and shorter fingers.

After seeing how things worked out with some guns and their electronic trigger parts no longer being supported, and the virtual impossibility of making circuit boards for them, I'm pretty leery of getting an electronic trigger gun, except maybe a Morini, and only because there are so many of them...and I'd still be uneasy about that.

I'd limit my search to guns that can be easily serviced in the U.S. That would likely put Steyr, Morini (both by Pilkington), and Pardini (Pardini USA) at the top of the list, and drop MatchGuns toward the bottom. Not sure about Walther and Feinwerkbau.

[wasatch]

The grip of the K12 i had was pretty 'full'.
Walther USA provides support here.
FWB has dealers (ISS, Pyramyd & Champ Choice afaik).

22match... your profile says Nashville, TN. Both Pilkington and Champions Choice are fairly close to you. I'm envious!

I have a P8X and really like it. The trigger is nice, very dry, consistent and it doesn't collapse after the break. I like the balance and it is light, about 950g. The ability to adjust the grip w/o removing it is really convenient & I don't notice the holes. Maybe other pistols are setup this way, not sure, but all common adjustments can be done with one supplied allen key. Adjusting the grip requires a larger allen key to loosen it first.

[Chia]

Whatever you get, make sure you have a system to test the trigger pull. I've heard stories from a few friends who have purchased guns that had "very nice triggers" that turned out to be a little TOO nice (as in under 500g). Not naming names, because it could have just been a mistake or something came loose, but definitely check on that sort of thing.

[Rover]

Yeah, be careful when buying a used one. We know everyone on TT is beyond reproach and would NEVER use a too-light trigger (especially when no one is testing), but excrement occurs.

[wasatch]

Changing trigger position can change the leverage such that tested pull weight would increase or decrease.
Out of the box my P8X supported >500g. Then i slid the trigger further away, increasing leverage, so i had to increase the spring tensions a bit.
A bent coat hanger and a couple tins of pellets hung from the coat hanger in a ziplock, adding/subtracting pellets to set the weight works well enough.

[Rover]

"A bent coat hanger and a couple tins of pellets hung from the coat hanger in a ziplock, adding/subtracting pellets to set the weight works well enough."

Great idea! Where'd ya get that one?

[SamEEE]

I liked the Morini 162EI enough to buy one.