Indoor shooting, more pump classics
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 12:01 pm
It's solidly winter, now, with highs only in the teens and several inches of snow on the ground and it's still early. That means mostly indoor shooting with the air guns, now, with an occasional quick step out to the backyard air gun range to shoot metal targets. Then it's back indoors to warm up. 
Been in a classic pump gun mood, of late, so here's another one from the collection. It's our Benjamin 397P Nickel in 177 (the 392 is the 22 version). This one is vintage 1992, one of the last guns made in Racine, Wisconsin, before Benjamin got bought out by Crosman. Quality gun, throughout. All walnut and metal. No plastic anything. Wears a cheap Rex 4x airgun scope for now.
One thing I've found with all three of our Benjamin 397Ps is that they prefer the heavier 10.5 grain class pellets. I use 4 pumps for target work out to 30 yards and then go 6 pumps out to 50 yards. This one's indoors at 10 meters.
These vintage Benjamin pumps are every bit the shooters that our Sheridans, are, by the way, and you can still get these older ones at very reasonable prices. People haven't gotten as nutty about prices as they have with the Sheridans. Price on this one was $100 from a local gunshop. Don't pass one of these up if it's in good working order. Get some of the heavy 177 pellets and go to work, right in your basement or your backyard. You won't be sorry.
Been in a classic pump gun mood, of late, so here's another one from the collection. It's our Benjamin 397P Nickel in 177 (the 392 is the 22 version). This one is vintage 1992, one of the last guns made in Racine, Wisconsin, before Benjamin got bought out by Crosman. Quality gun, throughout. All walnut and metal. No plastic anything. Wears a cheap Rex 4x airgun scope for now.
One thing I've found with all three of our Benjamin 397Ps is that they prefer the heavier 10.5 grain class pellets. I use 4 pumps for target work out to 30 yards and then go 6 pumps out to 50 yards. This one's indoors at 10 meters.
These vintage Benjamin pumps are every bit the shooters that our Sheridans, are, by the way, and you can still get these older ones at very reasonable prices. People haven't gotten as nutty about prices as they have with the Sheridans. Price on this one was $100 from a local gunshop. Don't pass one of these up if it's in good working order. Get some of the heavy 177 pellets and go to work, right in your basement or your backyard. You won't be sorry.