New member, with a few questions and a "what would you do?" Scenario

[Trashy]

First of all, hi from Phoenix, Been lurking a long time, but figured I would finally join.

I have a few questions regarding free pistols and a "what would you do" question.

Looking at the morini cm84e, the walther fp500 and the pardini fpm. What kind of manufacturer support do any of these have in america? Does anyone know the prices of the morini and walther? I cannot find a price anywhere for those 2. And how bad are these bad chickens to pull apart, for cleaning and minor service?

I'm leaning heavily towards the pardini, and seeing a rep from pardini post here is making it seem like an easier choice.

Now for my predicament.
In the past year, range time and ammo has been a royal pain to come by, so bad In fact, I bought a custom crosman 2300 to keep my skills sharp in the backyard.
I have a ton of fun with it, but I'm limited to 20M or so in my yard. And I'm not in love with the trigger and ergos. I'm kind of stuck between buying a nicer pcp air pistol, or a free pistol.

I do not compete (yet, I was gearing up to in bullseye but then covid riots election combo has kept ammo shelves empty)
And I'm an avid distance handgun shooter, so 20M in the backyard is boring to me. Last time I went shooting I took my air pistol for fun and was giving redbull cans attitude adjustments at 75 yards. I had a blast, but cannot replicate that fun in my backyard.

So now I'm at a crossroad.
Do I buy a nicer pcp airgun for home?
Do I buy a free pistol for the range?
And can free pistols rear sights be adjusted for longer distances? Like can I get away with 100 yards if I use a center of target hold?

[Rover]

Buy the air pistol for home. Shoot it at ten meters. Buy used, SSP or CO2 for lower cost and cheaper support. Enter the matches here on TT. Revel in the abuse.

[brent375hh]

I posted a reply, but it didn't show up. My 2nd attempt.

The Walter FP500 does not seem to exist. My attempts at contacting them about its availability proved futile. The other pistol that can be had cheaper is the Toz 35M. Brand new ones are $500, but require you to make or buy grips. They could easily shoot at 100 yards with a center hold as they are designed for a sub six possibility at 50m.

Having a really nice PCP for use in your basement range would be my choice if I had to only pick one.

[william]

"Having a really nice PCP for use in your basement range would be my choice if I had to only pick one."

To quote Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: I second that emotion.

If you miss the thrill of long-range shooting, you can use it to knock over little steel animals at 20 or 25 meters. The pellets will have plenty of oomph to do the job as long as you do your part and get clean hits.

[KDZ]

Agree with all the above on 10M AP. Rimfire and other ammo is ridiculously expensive now. Pellets are ridiculously cheap, and even the "Basics" shoot better than almost anyone. This along with the ability to shoot and practice at home makes AP an easy choice.

[DWood]

I found myself asking the same questions about a year ago. I have two young kids, so that also factors in for my limited time and resources. I was looking into a full 1911 build for bullseye, but then I started coming to my senses. I wont be able to shoot it nearly enough to justify the cost. I’ve got other pistols that are super accurate already and I barely shoot them. Then the ammo shortage hit and that put the nail in the coffin for my new center fire pistol idea. I settled on buying a Hammerli AP20 to shoot at home. It was a budget friendly PCP pistol that could get me started. So far, I’ve shot my AP WAY more than all other guns combine this year. I can sneak away for 30-60 minutes a few time a week and get some shooting in. Shooting at 10m on the AP target is plenty challenging. I’ve even made a portable setup for when I go out of town. And this is all for less money than I would have spend on center fire ammo (even reloading).

The the AP. Once you start shooting 600s, you can sell it and move to Free Pistol.

[william]

This just came to mind. If 10M targets at 10M aren't sufficiently challenging try reduced distance targets, but at full distance. That'll get you tearing your hair out. And when you can shoot 600 on those, then you're good enough to shoot 10M rifle targets with your pistol.

[B Lafferty]

This just came to mind. If 10M targets at 10M aren't sufficiently challenging try reduced distance targets, but at full distance. That'll get you tearing your hair out. And when you can shoot 600 on those, then you're good enough to shoot 10M rifle targets with your pistol.

Evil.....just say'in

[6string]

Greetings and salutations,

Dear "Trashy": Welcome to the forum!!

Well, if the 10m AP targets aren't difficult enough (!), you can try the TQ-9 target. This is the 50m free pistol target scaled own for 25 ft. At 10m, shot with an air pistol, it is quite challenging.

Since you're in the US of A, you'll find that the Morini and Pardini enjoy good support. The Walther free pistol is fundamentally the same as the Hämmerli FP60, which in turn uses many of the same parts as the older, Swiss made Hämmerli 160.

[Trashy]

The 10m targets at 10m are definitely challenging, and it's great to actually have measurable results. I just really love long bombing pistol shots. Nothing better than outshooting ar bros clinking steel at 200+ yards with a .22 pistol.

I feel if I was happier with the crosman It would be a no brainer towards the free pistol, but shooting at home has been fabulous.

I actually have free time, now that I've had a schedule cut from 75 to 60 hours a week (!) I actually have time to slip out to the range.

@dwood I actually have a custom 1911 build I'm waiting on, that I ordered before covid. Good thing I grabbed 45 and reloading components before hand or I would have a very expensive paperweight when it comes in...

[Green_Canoe]

I'd get the air pistol. If you like plinking and want a challenge try 9mm cases at 10m.

[Trashy]

Case hunting is my jam. Trying to attach a .22lr case I split in half with a volquartsen scorpion at 20 paces, but it keeps saying it's too large despite cutting out the fluff.

That's a good idea, didnt think about that because I've been trying to keep it in the 7s so hard. I can, but I ordered too long of a barrel I think...

[Mike M.]

I agree with the advice to get an air pistol first. Then...it's a tossup. You can still find Toz-35s for $550 or so, but expect to toss the grip blanks and spend $250ish in grips. On the other hand, a Morini CM84E is great...but expensive. Of the free pistols, I would buy those two. They were the serious contenders.

[Rover]

Join the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club. (I think the rod is what you hold while surfing the web.) You can play with the big dogs in the area. (See Desert Midwinter.) If you can't take the abuse (my kinda guys), there are other clubs in the area.

Also, the post above mentions having to work on the grips. Do it! You can't really screw anything up, and you'll learn how to fit grips. You'll spend a little on putty, but you'll be able to fit your Free Pistol (and other) grips while you're at it. Don't think that you'll be able to buy grips that fit.

[Trashy]

I'm willing to bet I would get my shit ruined by actual air pistol competitions, but it would be fun. I live about 30 mins away from there.

[Rover]

Right on both counts! If you can't handle that, see my post in Bullseye about pussy shooters.

[B Lafferty]

For most folks air pistol competition is a bit like running 5K road races, duathlons and triathlons. The fun comes from trying to better your pr. Rubbing shoulders with the best overall or in your age group is simple fun.

[Trashy]

For most folks air pistol competition is a bit like running 5K road races, duathlons and triathlons. The fun comes from trying to better your pr. Rubbing shoulders with the best overall or in your age group is simple fun.

Agree. I have no delusions thinking I'll win anything I enter, haha.

[B Lafferty]

For most folks air pistol competition is a bit like running 5K road races, duathlons and triathlons. The fun comes from trying to better your pr. Rubbing shoulders with the best overall or in your age group is simple fun.

Agree. I have no delusions thinking I'll win anything I enter, haha.

Back in the early 1990's I competed in a few of the Coors Lite Dualthlons that were held outside of Boston. 1990 was my first year competing in the 40 year old starting wave of the Coors. Great hopes lining up for the start. Then they began announcing the competitors of note in my wave. Standing next to me was a guy named Bill Rodgers....