Steyr LP 50 questions

[Ray Dash]

I am looking to pick one of these up to practice Bullseye with when I can't make it to the range. The 5 shot rapid fire is the main selling point for me. I see that they come in three power versions but for the one I would choose, the RF which is right in the middle power wise doesn't seem to be imported by anyone in the States.

I really don't think I would need the power of the HP but there may be a time when it would be nice to have the option. I know I read a post where someone adjusted the regulator on the standard version to get more power out of it and I am wondering if this is something that can be reliably done without damaging the internals of the pistol.

My other thought is can the HP versions regulator be turned down to maybe 7.5 or 8 joules to be more in line with the RF version?

Last question is will more speed effect accuracy at 10 meters? I know you would need more speed at 25 yards but at 10 meters I am thinking more is not needed and may in fact have a negative effect on accuracy considering none of the high dollar 10 meter pistols shoot much over 500fps.

[brent375hh]

Since nobody has responded, I will say that I don't have an one, but do have an LP10. The LP50 regulator looks to be identical to the LP10. On the LP 10 the velocity can be adjusted from 480-600 fps with a screwdriver once the grips are removed. The regulator comes off with 4 screws, and comes apart with two screws. From there the washers can be arranged for more plenum pressure, but I have never tried any configuration other than the lowest value. I don't know what speed you are looking for, but mine seems to shoot best right around 530 with 7.0 grain pellets

The host of this forum could answer all your questions with a phone call.

[Ray Dash]

If the reg on the LP 50 can be turned up to 525 or so I think that would be perfect. I was told out of the box its closer to 480 and that seems a bit on the slow side to me.

[brent375hh]

I would call Scott or Buck at Pilkington. I am sure they can help get you what you want, or configure what they already have to suit your needs.

[Gwelo]

If the reg on the LP 50 can be turned up to 525 or so I think that would be perfect. I was told out of the box its closer to 480 and that seems a bit on the slow side to me.

My LP50 “Standard” full size (March, 2019) came out of the box shooting the 7g Meisterk’s at 530 FPS. The compact shoots somewhat slower (485) in my experience. I think either can be tuned to shoot at 525 without the need for the RF or HP, both of which suffer in shot count with the increase in power. Also possible that the RF and HP can be detuned but have no experience with that.

You may be referring to this thread https://targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=55275 discussing the “New RF and HP Models”where I did some testing on my “Standard” compact model. After testing I adjusted the reg to 515 with the 7g Meisterk’s which I felt was the best performance for my intended use at the time.

I have since replaced the compact with the above mentioned full size and use it for targets and rapid fire shooting gallery at 10M. Also shoot AP Silhouettes from 10 to 20 yards, it has plenty of knock down power on the 20 yard rams.

Very versatile air pistol! Good luck with your choice, can’t go wrong either way.

[Ray Dash]

If the reg on the LP 50 can be turned up to 525 or so I think that would be perfect. I was told out of the box its closer to 480 and that seems a bit on the slow side to me.

My LP50 “Standard” full size (March, 2019) came out of the box shooting the 7g Meisterk’s at 530 FPS. The compact shoots somewhat slower (485) in my experience. I think either can be tuned to shoot at 525 without the need for the RF or HP, both of which suffer in shot count with the increase in power. Also possible that the RF and HP can be detuned but have no experience with that.

You may be referring to this thread https://targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=55275 discussing the “New RF and HP Models”where I did some testing on my “Standard” compact model. After testing I adjusted the reg to 515 with the 7g Meisterk’s which I felt was the best performance for my intended use at the time.

I have since replaced the compact with the above mentioned full size and use it for targets and rapid fire shooting gallery at 10M. Also shoot AP Silhouettes from 10 to 20 yards, it has plenty of knock down power on the 20 yard rams.

Very versatile air pistol! Good luck with your choice, can’t go wrong either way.

Can you tell me the full barrel length on the full size?

[thirdwheel]

The standard LP50 is superb at 25m you do not need any more speed , test it using a PROPER pistol clamp and you will get a single hole over 5 shots with a properly serviced pistol. From 10m to 25m I go up 8 clicks but that is due to the relative sizes of the two targets and not the fall off. I use it over 25m for Standard, sport and rapid fire pistol and love it, lots of others here do the same and with standard a power LP50 you will get a full match out of one cylinder, compact users change at 40 shots. What you want is consistency not speed.

[Ray Dash]

The standard LP50 is superb at 25m you do not need any more speed , test it using a PROPER pistol clamp and you will get a single hole over 5 shots with a properly serviced pistol. From 10m to 25m I go up 8 clicks but that is due to the relative sizes of the two targets and not the fall off. I use it over 25m for Standard, sport and rapid fire pistol and love it, lots of others here do the same and with standard a power LP50 you will get a full match out of one cylinder, compact users change at 40 shots. What you want is consistency not speed.

Since I have other 10 meter target pistols the Steyr is only going to be used to replicate the 22 bullseye pistols I am using now so that is why I am thinking the shorter compact would be the better choice for me. The slower speed of the compact is a bit of a concern but at 10 meters I am not sure it would really be noticeable plus it seems from another post that if it was a bit on the slow side the reg could be adjusted slightly for a higher speed if needed. Just like in 22 shooting sports there has always been the debate if a longer barrel is better than a shorter one and from my research with such a small caliber I don't think it matters?

[brent375hh]

I am a paradox of opinions, and I will admit it.
I like the longer barrel versions of pistols for the sight radius, but know that a shorter barrel time makes triggering mistakes less punishing.

I have never seen any documentation on just how much off barrel time effects the final outcome, and the difference may be very slight. If a projectile has gone from zero, up to X fps in the initial run of barrel, the that it spends in the last inch or two has to be minimal.

[Gwelo]

Can you tell me the full barrel length on the full size?

Measured at 9.25” which confirms manual at 235mm.

[Ray Dash]

Can you tell me the full barrel length on the full size?

Measured at 9.25” which confirms manual at 235mm.

Thanks for the measurement, for my purpose I think the compact will def be the better option. 40 shots per fill is not great but not a deal breaker either.

[Gwelo]

My compact was getting 90 shots per fill at 485 fps and 70 at 515.

[Ray Dash]

My compact was getting 90 shots per fill at 485 fps and 70 at 515.

Perfect!

[thirdwheel]

The compact is very popular and is not only shot by small girls and oldies, I only quoted 40 shots in context of competition where you always make sure everything is perfect but it would see out 60 shots plus sighters without problem, it just what people do in competition. The compact just seems to balance better as it brings the point of balance back to just in front of the trigger guard. Using the scatt as evidence I find for me the long version has the effect of damping my at times poor trigger pull in the last 250 m/s but with training I've sorted that, remember you can use a combination of barrel lengths and cylinder lengths. For a long time I used the long barrel and a short cylinder to good effect but now gone totally compact. A superb competitor here uses a short barrel and a long cylinder to devastating effect on his LP50. No body messes with the velocity as there is nothing to be gained at 25m plus we have laws that will get you into a lot of bother if you do. A pal shoots a rare pistol, an electronic LP50 compact, the electronic is no longer in production. For rapid fire in competition I find the sights just that bit faster with the compact.

[Ray Dash]

I received a call from Jennifer at Pilk today and my compact is on the way...can't wait.