TargetTalk

I was looking for an air pistol suitable for my daughter to start on AP shooting.

She is 14 and somewhat skinny and currently shoots open sight air rifle in the local state matches (that is a popular category in Brazil) and is willing to get into Olympic pistol shooting.

She tried some of my old FWBs (65, C20), to no avail. They are way too heavy or nose balanced for her.

Then we started to look for something suitable. Here we do not have local dealers for the renowned brands and most shooters rely on purchasing abroad or second hand equipment.

I searched TargetTalk looking for information and found some scattered pieces about pistol weight and balance. But as factory specs are somewhat standardized and may not reflect what actual equipment wights (grips, barrel weights, even trigger shoes make a difference,) so I choose to do my own research.

Here are some measurements I did while evaluating some pistols with a kitchen scale.












FWB 65: 1299 g
FWB 80: 1287 g
FWB C20: 1167 g
Morini CM162EI: 1040 g
Steyr LP2: 902 g

As expected, the Steyr LP2 presented itself as the most comfortable pistol for her to start offhand shooting. She is still on her first steps, but was able to lift it for 40 shots without excessive fatigue.

I was not able to let her try a short model as they are relatively scarce around here.

And about the scale... that is a humble $5 Chinese scale, but it is true to about 2-3 grams when tried with a reference weight.

Any additional insights on this issue is more than welcome.

And to Rover: I do practice holds with the 65. It is superb to make you steady with any other lighter pistol.

*Saran

Try to find a Tau-7 Jr. They are perfect for small young shooters. The collegiate team I help coach has six of them, and we have a lot of small Asian women we start out with them.

saran wrote:I was looking for an air pistol suitable for my daughter to start on AP shooting.

She is 14 and somewhat skinny and currently shoots open sight air rifle in the local state matches (that is a popular category in Brazil) and is willing to get into Olympic pistol shooting.

My daughter started wityh a Steyr LP2 compact when she was 12 and also skinny! I think they are about 800g, so very light. She is still using it 2 years later is happy with it. One comment I will make on the compact though, it is louder than the long version and earmuffs are definately needed.

saran wrote:As expected, the Steyr LP2 presented itself as the most comfortable pistol for her to start offhand shooting. She is still on her first steps, but was able to lift it for 40 shots without excessive fatigue. I was not able to let her try a short model as they are relatively scarce around here.

If the LP2 compact is unavailable, you can use a short cylinder for the standard LP2 to lighten the weight.

A good solution for a top class gun would be a Steyr LP10 compact with shroud removed, and fitted with an LP2 front sight holder.

As usual though, it might not suit some people. Finding one to try might be a bit difficult.

The closest I know of is the Steyr LP2 compact at 780 grams.

Tau-7 Jr's run about 730 grams empty. With a good fill of CO2 or a fresh cartridge, they will weigh ~ 745 grams.

If she can shoot an LP2 OK for 40 shots, I'd get her one with a short cylinder & she should be fine. That also gives you a good pistol for her to grow into.

.... and also the Pardini "Kid", which is around 700 grams, and the Benelli "Kite-young", which is around 750 grams. s.

Morini, is okay. I would go with the long barrel one (best resale), and move the front sight as far back on the block to get used to the idea of the sight picture.

Not too nose heavy, which can make things harder for people without a lot of strength; as you alluded to in her difficulty with the C20 in your OP.

Good news, kind-of, is past a certain point of strength and conditioning the weight is a null factor. If you are shooting enough to get good, you are shooting enough to be strong, also. Unless you go with the FWB P30, you need to strength of a thousand suns for that one - for model that I recommend bench-press, overhead curls, and pushups.

SamEEE wrote:Unless you go with the FWB P30, you need to strength of a thousand suns for that one - for model that I recommend bench-press, overhead curls, and pushups.

The FWB P30 weighs a bit lighter than the C20, with the advantage of using short air cylinders for weight reduction.

You might want to consider the Hammerli AP20 pistol which weighs about 870 grams and has a multi-adjustable grip and can be configured with the air cylinder down at an angle in front of the trigger or conventionally under the barrel.
This is an easy pistol for all to use and there are enough adjustments to allow the shooter to grow into the pistol.

Most of the kids pistols are unseen around here: Tau, Benelli, Pardini.

A son of a fellow shooter uses a Hammerli AP 40 and we heard good remarks about the AP20.

We see some compact models around, but not frequently.

With the available offers, the LP2 proved itself adequate. The Morini was too heavy for her to begin with and we shall try the Steyr with the short cylinder. That shall save additional 40 grams and push the balance further back.

She will probably need several years to outgrow this equipment.

Thank you all for the tips and if you have your own weight measurements I will be glad to add to the original topic.