Sportsman Series Deluxe Air Pistol - Model 2004

I am a airgun collector and have been for over 50 years. I started when I was about 11 years old. I have handled all types of airguns and pistols. I own more than 50 by now and this is one of my favorite guns to shoot.I have read all the reviews to get a feel of what this air gun was like and how it was designed. At this stage of my life I am fortunate enough to be able to buy whatever I choose so price is not an issue with me. I have two of the P17s. I have had them for about 5 months now and have had no problems at all. I know some people say they will leak and some have had bad experiences with them right away. But no product is perfect every time. It is really not hard to replace the O rings if they fail. You can get pictured instruction to show you how to do this on the web. I thought about doing this when I first got my guns but since they worked great right out of the package I decided to wait until something goes wrong. Going back 30 or 40 years the quality control of Chinese made air guns left a lot to be desired. One of the reason I own so many Chinese made air guns is because I have in some cases 3 or 4 of the exact same model. I have four B3 air rifles. One is a gem. It shoots as accurate as some of my 5 or 6 hunderd dollar German made models another is very good and the other 2 I just have for parts because they spray pellets all over no matter what tunning I have tried. That being said the qulity of the 2 P17s I own is outstanding for the price paid. One shoots an average 380 fps on my Chroni. and the other 391 with the same RWS pellets. Yes they take effort to cock but you do not need CO2 and you only need one pump to be able to shoot. What I like best, other than the price is that the trigger is very light and smooth and these guns are very accurate. I do not care how cool a gun looks or how much it costs if it cannot shoot straight I will not use it. Since it is only a one pump gun it should not be used for hunting or pest control but it is geart to practice with, for target shooting and plinking. I have since bought a P3 just to see what the differences were. On gross inspection they look almost the same. Both have adjustable rear sights. The P3 has fiber optics on both the front and rear sights. That is nice but not neccessary to shoot straight. they both have a scope rail built into a polimer frame. I think it is 11 mm. this is nice if you want to mount a red dot sight. I have done s on both of my P 17s. with these I get 3/4 inch or less groupings at 10 yards rested. Free hand I do not do nearly as well but that is because I cannot hold the gun as steady as I would like and not he fault of the gun. Inside you can tell that the P3 is made from better materials but the P17s are made with metal too but with aluminum for the compresion chamber. I believe the design is the important part. Both the P17 and P3 are built the same way. I really like the P3 and it will probably last longer without maintenance but it also costs 4 to 5 times as much. If you do not get a lemon I guarentee you will not get a better air pistol than the P17 for the money. If you compare it to some of the CO2 air pistols you will see what I mean. The only pistol that comes close in my opinion is the Crosman 2240 and you need CO2 to power it and you need to upgrade it to a steel breach to be able mount a scope securly. The 2240 is a nice pistol too but like I mentioned it needs CO2 to work were the P17 you can just pick up and use. If you do get a P17 that has problems you can return it to Amazon with no hassle. Two more things, if you do buy the P17 I would suggest getting some type of rubber grip sleeve or decal to put on the grip. The gun itself is not small and because the frame is made from a form of tough plastic it can feel slipery. you can get them on Amazon for 10 to 15 dollars. Lastly, if you mount a red dot sight mount it as far forward on the frame as you can so that you have room to place your hand when you push closed the compression chamber. Don't let any of the negative reviews keep you from buying this gun. I am sure you will be greatly impressed. I know I have been. I do not work for Beeman. I am just a very pleased buyer.

This is my second P17. This is an incredible air gun, not just for the money, but in general. I like this gun so much, that the one I just bought is a gift for a friend who appreciates fine guns. This is not a powerful gun, but it is amazingly accurate. I have no trouble with dime sized groups at 10m and often just leave a ragged hole in the center of the target. The sights are bright, not too large and adjustable for both windage and elevation. The only complaint I have is that with my large fingers, it is a bit of a challenge to load. As others have mentioned, it does have a heavy cocking stroke, but I am 61 with arthritis, and manage quite well. Believe me, it is worth the effort. Edit: As I read through the negative reviews, it became evident to me that many people did not know exactly what they were purchasing. At the price point, this gun might be attractive as a casual shooter, or as a first gun. So, first, what this gun is NOT. This is not a BB gun. It does not fire multiple shots without reloading. It is not an "airsoft" gun.Above all, this is NOT a TOY. This gun is not at all what you would expect at this price point. So, what is it? This is a single shot, single stoke, pneumatic powered pellet pistol, suitable for serious target shooting, and fun plinking. Pneumatic powered means it fires using compressed air, not a spring loaded plunger. Single stroke means it compresses all of the air needed to fire in one stroke of the cocking lever. Even as small as a .177 cal lead pellet is, it takes a lot of air to move it to 410fps. That makes it something of a challenge to cock. As I mentioned before, this is not a toy, it is a serious gun suitable for building proper shooting skills, and maintaining those skills without spending a lot of money. This is not an Olympic free pistol, but it is incredibly accurate. With this pistol, you can transfer the skills learned to any pistol. This pistol was designed with mature users in mind, who practice good safety, and have reasonable dexterity. Do not trust young people who have never handled a firearm to use this by themselves. Can you hurt yourself with it? Absolutely. If you don't read and follow the manual explicitly, I almost guarantee you will hurt yourself with it. Is that a reason not to buy it? Of course not. Refer to my description of the user for which this was designed. If you read and follow the directions, chances are good you won't injure yourself, and you will enjoy this pistol immensely. Everything thing should work out of the box. If it doesn't, you have a valid complaint. But this is a gun that requires maintenance. Occasionally you may need to tighten a screw, or reseat a pin to keep it working properly. Sooner or later, the seals will wear out. It won't hold air, and the seals will need to be replaced. It needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. In the event that a pellet lodges in the barrel, you need to know you can use your cleaning rod to dislodge it. This gun has much more in common with a "real" firearm. In short, it is NOT what you expect at this price point. It is much more. Use it as such, be prepared to do the routine maintenance, and you will enjoy this gun for years to come. EDIT: I just ordered #3 from Amazon... Not because of issues with my gun, but because I gifted my old one to a friend. I decided I missed it so much, that I had to order another. To comment on another review regarding pellets... This gun is not particularly picky about the pellets it shoots. Yes, pointed pellets are easier to load, but wadcutters while requiring more patience to load, do load and fire just fine. I actually find Wadcutters to be more accurate. Having shot 3 different guns of this model, I have fired just about everything through it , without issue. My favorite pellet for this gun is RWS Meisterkugeln's, closely followed by RWS Hobby's. I have also fired Crosman Premier Hollowpoints, and Gamo Tomahawks. As noted, wadcutters may require more patience, but once you become accustomed to them, they will load as fast as anything else