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Beeman P17 best value out there?

8K views 26 replies 17 participants last post by  SOUTHERN S/PAW 
#1 ·
I was glad to see that Pyramid announced the Beeman P-17 as the 4th best selling pistol in their lineup. This, BTW, is a Chinese clone of a HW40 at about 1/10 the cost.

I was looking for a pellet pistol to get me through a few months, and could not help but notice the glowing reviews of the P-17. Pyramid was OOS so I got it at my local walmart for $32. Yes, that's right, $32.

It has the right power (low 400's), accuracy (adjustable fiber optic), and size (fits hand like a glove).

The only drawback is it takes a while to learn how to put the pellets in, and if you have large hands, it doesn't help. Now I can put any pellet in w/o even looking.

Here is a comparison of the P-17 and the MUCH more expensive Weihrauch by t-cooper at the Yellow forum:

I had some time to tear the side plates off the HW40 and P17 and do some simple comparisons. Here is a list of similarities and differences that I noticed. This list only shows that the pistols are not "mirror images" of one another. However, they are extremely close in appearance.

- My HW40 weighs 1 lb 11.6oz and my P17 weighs 1 lb 11.0oz.
- P17 has a "F" pentagon on the left side of frame (behind fake slide release). The HW40 does not have the symbol.
- The pistols have a slightly different shape on the end of the groove located at the end of the seven indents (near the muzzle).
- P17 has a wider indentation on sides of grip (Walther P22 style indent - see pics).
- Trigger, mock hammer, and safety on HW40 are aircraft aluminum. P17 is a plated metal (chromed?).
- Mock slide release has a larger fake pin on P17.
- Very slight difference in fake "slide release" button.
- Long ridge under front of lower frame is tapered on HW40 and straight on P17 (flows from trigger guard).
- HW40 has more pronounced stops for rear sight elevation and windage adjustments.
- HW40 has 2.5mm set screw for cross pin lock (compression chamber pin). P17 screw is 2.0mm.
- HW40 has bevel on breech end of barrel. P17 does not have the barrel chamfer.
- Both pistols have full length metal frame inserts that appear to be the same thickness.
- Piston rod lock screw on HW40 sits in recessed hole (below surface). P17 screw sticks out of hole.
- Pump rods, pistons, and compression tubes are within .003" difference.
- Hammer spring mount is different.
- Grip screws are the same.
- HW40 has shiny internal metal parts in grip (black lube I added). Parts appear to be stainless steel. P17 has blued steel parts with brown lubricant on the hammer. Brown lube wipes off with oil to expose the blued steel.
- P17 has blued nut on bottom of blued valve stem. HW40 has what appears to be a stainless steel stem with integrated bottom disc.
- Hammer springs and sear springs are same wire thickness (.062" & .039")
- Trigger adjustment screws are both 2.0mm.
- Triggers can both be adjusted to a crisp and light release.
- I tried switching grip panels but neither would fit. The proper panels easily push into place. The screw holes match up but the grips won't push into place.

I'm not interested in risking the fit and finish by attempting to swap out each part in each pistol to check for function/fit. The internal parts appear to be the same thickness and very close in shape. My guess is that the P17 parts may work in the HW40 (fitting may be necessary).

The above items are just a point of interest and do not effect velocity or accuracy
.


https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/yellow/weihrauch-hw40-vs-beeman-p17-t165707.html

In addition the thing falls apart for cleaning, has simple replaceable o-rings, and looks like it would last forever. Love this gun.........

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Beeman_P17/614
 

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#2 ·
The P17 is a mediocre pistol but a fantastic value. I bought one to check it out even though I own a Feinwerkbau 80 and a 100. The trigger is heavy and has a ton of creep, but it’s capable of surprising accuracy. Learn to shoot it accurately and you’ll be a master with a better gun. I played with my P17 for a while, wrote it up on my web page, and then shipped it off to a friend for him to play with. Even if it only lasts a year of regular use you’d probably spend more on pellets than you did on the gun.
 
#4 ·
Fantastic value! For less than $40 you get a pistol that will shoot 1/2 inch groups at 15 yards. I have had mine for 4 years or so and can hardly believe how well it shoots for such little money. I expected it to have problems as they are widely reported but mine is flawless in all that time, My only gripes are that I hate the automatic safety feature which is annoying and that the breach is very hard to load. For the best accuracy it likes the good stuff, either RWS Meisterkugeln or JSB Diabolo Exact. The only cheap pellet it shoots somewhat well is the Beeman hollow points.
 
#5 ·
Well, I'll chime in with the conclusion that the P17 is a great value and a fine air pistol. I bought a used Beeman P3 ( HW40 ) years ago for around $120 and then later talked my son into getting a P17. I really can't tell the difference when shooting them. The story I heard was that Beeman sold the detailed design to China and so because of that they are almost exactly the same. Accurate, fun, great trigger.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the replies, and yes, I have noticed that these have been a little hard to locate lately, but so are a lot of things these days.

I hope Beeman doesn't know that would have paid twice what I paid for this gun.

Myself, I lube it with the White Lithium, and had it apart once to clean.

Simple beyond belief. It is hard to load at first but becomes second nature. May be a problem if you have really big hands, though..........
 
#7 ·
Be careful what you lube it with as there are lots of o-rings in these guns. I only use synthetic air gun oil on mine. As to the China angle, Beeman was acquired by a Chinese company called Shanghai Industrial Company in 2009. They are responsible for the Chinese version of the pistol. They, in turn, sold the rights to import, distribute and service the high-end Beeman airguns and products to Air Venturi.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Be careful what you lube it with as there are lots of o-rings in these guns. I only use synthetic air gun oil on mine.
Hey GladesGuy,

Regarding my post about using white lithium, it's due to a YouTube I watched where the guy used white lithium for this gun. I use the usual stuff; RWS Air Chamber Lube, Pellgun Oil, etc., but this was a different animal.

Unfortunately, I don't know what else to use white lithium for, so I guess I have a lifetime supply of it. :)

BTW, added a $32 walmart scope. This is my first red dot; never even shot one before. Again, I'm impressed with the quuality, doesn't feel cheap at all, metal adjustment caps and nice precise detents.

Funny thing is, the laser shakes, but it's not the laser, it's you :)

I had to move it forward to give me an area to cock it, but NBD; looks a little wierd.

"Soda" cans at 20yds are NBD, though..............

I should add, I used the UTG/Leapers 11mm to Weaver adaptors.
 

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#11 ·
I bought my son one about 10 years ago. That thing is really accurate. He took it to college and i miss it. Even nailed a mouse in the eye at 10-12ft.

Questions
Beside the fiber optics are the new ones any different from a 10yoa model, side by side?


Anyone try a heavy pellet and did it make it quieter for in town use?



thanks
 
#13 ·
I bought my son one about 10 years ago. That thing is really accurate. He took it to college and i miss it. Even nailed a mouse in the eye at 10-12ft.

Questions
Beside the fiber optics are the new ones any different from a 10yoa model, side by side?

Anyone try a heavy pellet and did it make it quieter for in town use?

thanks
Yes, as a matter of fact I was just shooting my P17 this weekend and tried some Crossman magnum 10.65 grain pellets I bought for my springer rifle that likes them. I expected it to shoot badly with such a heavy pellet, but it shot about as well as it does with it's preferred 7-8 grain pellets! My P17 is not very loud so I did not notice much change, BUT in my rifle it was MUCH quieter than the lighter pellets.
 
#12 ·
Just picked one up as my first venture into air guns. Wanted something that I could use to keep my skills sharp during the Winter months. With the current shortage of ammo and reloading components, seemed like a good move for those of us on a fixed income.

So far, I am pretty impressed with the accuracy of such an inexpensive pistol. Feels solid, balance is not bad, and fits my shaky hands well. Sights are easy to use with old eyes, and it is easy enough to charge but I would not want to do it all day.

Out of the box(actually plastic encased) it has a 2 pound trigger pull and a predictable, clean break.

Got a cleaning kit coming on Monday so it will get a good tuning while disassembled for the initial cleaning.

Overall, I would call it a great value for the money, and an excellent choice for anyone's introduction to air pistols.

I am certain that like my other toys, more will be added in the future as my addiction grows.
 
#14 ·
Have a scad of .177 pellets sitting around and a back yard full of woods, ordered a P-17 from Amazon and its due to be here tomorrow...$36 delivered to the front door, I won't drive to Walmart for the difference in price.:bthumb:
 
#15 ·
Delivered before 2pm today, put about 30 pellets through it so far, got the sights very close and am impressed with the trigger and its accuracy. Cocking effort is pretty high for a broken down old guy recovering from heart surgery but its good therapy. Going to be easy to get my moneys worth out of this one.:bthumb:
 
#19 ·
Got it apart and cleaned today. While I was at it, I removed the rough edges from all of the internal parts, lubed it well, and adjusted the trigger.

It now breaks cleanly @ 1 pound, 11 ounces, almost no pre-travel, and very little creep. Very impressive for such an inexpensive air gun.

Got the sights adjusted to a 15 yard zero. What an awesome training tool for use at home. Could also be useful for controlling small pests.
 
#20 ·
I have both the P17 and the Weihrauch HW45 Silver Star (Pictured). They HW45 is definitely a better made and finished item and it is very nice. The two have opposite forces when cocking.

I was very surprised, like folks are writing here, about the value for the money with the P17. I don't believe there is $400+ difference in the two.
 

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#24 ·
P17 barrel issue

Agreed they are a fun tin can gun, but quality is spotty, as you can see here by the off-center muzzle on mine. Accuracy was horrible, and I ended up machining down a Crosman 2400 barrel, and adding a few layers of metal duct tape to the piston top and now it's an accurate .22, the still shoots pretty hard (325-350 ish).

 
#25 ·
When I had mine apart for tuning, I discovered that the auto safety can easily be disabled by removing a little zinc block and a spring. They have no other function, and the safety still works manually.

Sorry, that's all of the details I remember about it after four years. No doubt there's a YouTube on it. :)
 
#26 ·
P17

Been shooting the p17. It is accurate so I mounted a red dot just for grins. Actually made the gun easier to close for shooting. I'll keep the gun, but to be honest, I still prefer shooting my vintage co2 guns in the shop. At 80 years old, I guess I just like the easier to load guns that are just as accurate. Besides, all but two (S&W 79G and Crosman Mark2) of the vintage guns are .22 which I prefer.
 
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