.22 Conversion for LP50 or other repeater target air gun

[DaFonta]

Hello,
I shoot a Bullseye match near my place of employment after work. The problem is the company d/n alow firearms on it's premises. I have to drive almost an hour home and back to participate in the match. My boss has agreed that an air gun is not a firearm. Here's the scheme. Are there are any repeater .22 airguns that are target grade like a FWB C55 or LP5, LP50 etc. Can I rebarrel a high end air pistol to work?
Thanks
DAF

[RobStubbs]

Would it not be easier to just shoot it with a 177 air pistol ?

Rob.

[TomAmlie]

No, unless you want to spend several thousand $ and essentially build a new firearm from scratch, using the AP grip, trigger, and sights). (Oh, and the BATFE might be interested in your project as well).

[WarWagon]

Are there any police stations in the area? I once faced a similar scenario (was an on-campus student needing to store a target rifle), and the local PD had no problems storing the equipment for me, so I could later swing by and pick it up.

[Richard H]

Hello,
I shoot a Bullseye match near my place of employment after work. The problem is the company d/n alow firearms on it's premises. I have to drive almost an hour home and back to participate in the match. My boss has agreed that an air gun is not a firearm. Here's the scheme. Are there are any repeater .22 airguns that are target grade like a FWB C55 or LP5, LP50 etc. Can I rebarrel a high end air pistol to work?
Thanks
DAF

Is there a parking lot near by where you could leave your equipment in the trunk then just walk to work from there? Is there anyone else that is going to the match thats is either near where you live or where you work that you could leave you equipment with? There's lots of things that I'd try before I'd rebarrel a target air gun.

As for the BATF why would they care if it shoots .177 pellets or .22 pellets its still an air gun and they really don't care about them (call them and ask them questions about air pistol they really don't care). Were you thinking he wanted to change it into a .22 cartridge firearm?

[pilkguns]

the LP5/50s work fine on the rapid fire range at 25 meters. The Brits shoot them a lot since they can't have .22s anymore

[Ted Bell]

Hello,
I shoot a Bullseye match near my place of employment after work. The problem is the company d/n alow firearms on it's premises. I have to drive almost an hour home and back to participate in the match. My boss has agreed that an air gun is not a firearm. Here's the scheme. Are there are any repeater .22 airguns that are target grade like a FWB C55 or LP5, LP50 etc. Can I rebarrel a high end air pistol to work?
Thanks
DAF

Can you share what state you are in? A lot of states have passed laws in the last year or two prohibiting companies from banning employees from keeping firearms in their cars parked on the company parking lot.

-Ted

[tenex]

Hello,
I shoot a Bullseye match near my place of employment after work. The problem is the company d/n alow firearms on it's premises. I have to drive almost an hour home and back to participate in the match. My boss has agreed that an air gun is not a firearm. Here's the scheme. Are there are any repeater .22 airguns that are target grade like a FWB C55 or LP5, LP50 etc. Can I rebarrel a high end air pistol to work?
Thanks
DAF

You could just shoot the .177 air gun and score with a .22 overlay. A .22 plug will also fit the .177 hole with a little nudge. I think you'll go nuts trying to mod a C55 or LP50. The league sponsors might just want you to shoot .177 for a handicap to make up for the advantage in rapid fire due to the non existent recoil.

I think that's a great idea, a Bullseye league where you can shoot .22 or air pistol. I wonder how the scores would compare?

Steve.

[TomAmlie]

Were you thinking he wanted to change it into a .22 cartridge firearm?

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking (and also why I commented that the only transferrable parts would be the grip, sights, and trigger). It didn't occur to me that someone would want to create a .22 air pistol. I should have read the post more carefully.

[bummer7]

Forgive me for asking but wouldn't the air pistol be at a disadvantage shooting at 50 ft?
-Steve

[Richard H]

Forgive me for asking but wouldn't the air pistol be at a disadvantage shooting at 50 ft?
-Steve

Not much.

[cdf]

I think an LP 50 could give most stadard pistols a pretty good run for their money . I wish I could use mine in the league matches around here .

Chris

[Cricman]

nt

[tenex]

Forgive me for asking but wouldn't the air pistol be at a disadvantage shooting at 50 ft?
-Steve

I wouldn't think so (other than the smaller hole). I'd be suprised if a .22 was more accurate than an air pistol at 50 feet. Outdoors in the wind might be another matter. You might get an advantage from the higher velocity of the .22, but the raw accuracy difference probably outweighs that.

Steve.

P.S. I occasionally shoot reduced size NRA B2 targets with my air pistol at 9 meters (all the distance I have), and I shoot comparable scores with the AP to my 50 foot .22 slow scores.

[jipe]

I can shoot 25m distance in my home but for legal reasons, I cannot shoot 22lr or any firearm there so I sometime use my LP10 to shoot at 25 as practice for 22lr.

The results are in fact better than shooting 22lr at the same distance.

My explanation for that is:
- the better accuracy of a top AP compared to a match 22lr due probably to the longer barrel and better repeatability of shots (top match grade pellets are closer to each other in size/shape/weigth than 22lr bullets, the energy of an AP is delivered by the pistol instead of the ammunition for 22lr and has less variations from shot to shot, there is no case and crimping for AP.
- less energy for AP so also less recoil and pistol movement.
- top AP have globally a better trigger than many top 22lr match pistol, trigger weight for AP is lower than 22lr trigger weight

[Steve Swartz]

DaFonta:

All the above information is good (albeit tangential to what you may have been after); it seems we are assuming you will be shooting the BE matches at reduced distances indoors?

This might seem kind of obvious but air pistols outdoors and/or beyond 25 meters is a totally different ball game . . . also, we potentially have the dot sight mounting issue as well . . .

While there are some "match capable" .22 air pistols, none that I know of are repeaters.

To the heart of your question: there are no conversions that I am aware of that would allow you to shoot .22 sized "near match grade" pellets (another problem; finding match grade .22 pellets) in current match grade .177 repeaters. Issues:

- Rebarreling not as easy as a cartridge gun1
- Rechambering not as easy as a cartridge gun1
- Modifying frame/magazine
- Modifying regulator to accomodate higher air volumes and/or pressures

Mechanically, it would probably be easier to build your own from scratch . . . using a nominal amount of existing components from current .177 equipment.

Hope that helped at least a little- short answer is that only a highly qualified gas gun mechanic would be able to tell you for sure; this is not something done with any regularity.

Steve

1 Check with a gunsmith who works on gas guns; I believe that while many AP barrels are "sleeved" (one would think you could just replace the .177 sleeve with a .22 sleeve) this does not really simplify a caliber conversion.

[RobStubbs]

This might seem kind of obvious but air pistols outdoors and/or beyond 25 meters is a totally different ball game . . . also, we potentially have the dot sight mounting issue as well . . ..

Steve,
AP outdoors at 25M is no problem. That's how us Brits shoot all the 25M pistol events. I would however imagine doing so with a 22 air pistol would be more problematic.

Rob.

[Steve Swartz]

Slow fire for NRA Conventional Pistol is fired at 50 yards. Generally outdoors; there are not a lot of 50 yard indoor ranges for bullseye shooting (some, just not many).

Based on our experience stateside with shooting .177 air pellets on silhouette targets, 50 yards is quite challenging for air pistols. With "ram" targets at ~44 yards, the "sub mm" sized groups at 10 meters really open up- particularly if there is any breeze at all. At local matches at least in north Texas, I don't see many match grade repeaters (successfully) shooting the rams. There are a surprising number of CO2, 22 single shots though.

I am assuming I guess that the original poster intends to shoot a normal (not reduced) Conventional Pistol course of fire, under normal conditions.

Steve Swartz

[Richard H]

A lot of the problem with the silhouette is that they are trying to balance accuracy with the power to knock the target down. The faster you start pushing the pellets after a certain poin the groups really open up. You realy don't have to increase the velocity 530-550 range to punch holes at 25 m.

[Steve Swartz]

. . . I think he needs to punch holes at 50 yards . . . generally against an NRA style target (with cardborad backer) . . . the pellet needs to at least make a "scorable mark" on the face of the target (which again, may be problematic for .177 match guns & pellets at 50 yards) . . .

He may be able to get the MDs of the matches to relax the rules bit, since his scores wouldn't count (won't be turned in) in any case.

Fascinating academic exercise though! I think I'll take some NRA targets and my Morini to the 50 yard line next time I'm burning cellulose at the local facility just to see how feasible this is!

Steve Swartz