In this Field Test Shooting Video for the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol I perform two main tests to find out what the velocity and accuracy capabilities are for it first using my Chronograph and shooting several rounds through it averaging out the fps. For the second test I shoot 7 rounds into a fresh paper target 30 feet down range to see how tight of a grouping I can get.
For my Velocity test Beeman claims the P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol is capable of around 410 fps using standard lead pellets which I found to be a very close estimate as my results using 6.9 grain lead pellets achieved a 4 shot average of 404 fps so only 6 fps off the claim. There are lighter lead pellets out there and even lighter alloy pellets so higher velocities are possible using less grain pellets but a decent grain pellet hitting 400+ fps is not bad considering only one pump is required to get max velocity from the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol.
Moving on to the accuracy portion of the test I setup a fresh paper target 30 feet away and proceeded to put 7 rounds into it shooting from a seated and rested shooting position (sand bag up front, seated in the back). I was a bit surprised to only get a 1.5 inch grouping but it seemed like there where three separate sub groups that each overlapped within themselves? I think perhaps when I pumped the gun I may have been disrupting the rear sight a bit as it does have some play in it for adjustments so you want to be careful not to place your hands on the rear sight when cooking the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol. Out of the box the shot placement was fairly well centered with two of the rounds right dead center of the bulls-eye.
I kind of want to do a retest at some point maybe with a different pellet and also making sure not place my hands over the rear sight when cocking the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol as I feel this Target Pellet Pistol is capable of .5 inch groupings. The trigger is really nice and the rifled barrel is a decent length with easy to use sights so this Air Pistol should do a bit better than I was able to get shooting it on this day. Either way it is a really fun gun to shoot and with a bit of time figuring it out I am confident you can get better results than I did.
Trigger Pull: The Single action only trigger pull on the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol is excellent, super light with just a little bit of take-up, the release is very predictable, one of the best target pistol triggers I have reviewed for sure. There is no adjustment but I do not feel it is nessisary at all.
Accuracy: Spoiler alert! Before posting the written version of this review I did make the Field Test Shooting Video so I can give you a little bit of a heads up on how well the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol in its Field Test Shooting Video. In terms of velocity it was really close to the 410 fps using lead pellets and for accuracy I was pleased with there results but feel the gun can do better than the result I got on this day, perhaps a different pellet choice, some more break in time or maybe just me shooting on a different day. That said I confident this gun is very capable of getting groupings under an inch in the right conditions, maybe even 1/2 an inch.
Build Quality: The build quality of the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol is good considering it is a sub $100 target pistol with a great trigger, fully adjustable fiber optic sights and only one pump to get maximum velocity. The outer shell is polymer while the pump and valve body are aluminum with the barrel and main valve made out of steel. the trigger and latch are also metal.
Realism: The Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol is not really a replica of a real steel gun in production per-say but the pistol grips are very Walther P series looking so if you are Walther owner or like the grips on the Walther P series guns then you will enjoy the hold of the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol.
Pros:
Reasonable price for an accurate full featured target pistol.
Safety automatically resets to the safe position when you pump/charge the pistol.
No need for CO2 so very inexpensive to shoot.
Virtually no recoil or vibration like you find in spring piston airguns.
Fiber optic front and back sight, also fully adjustable for windage and elevation.
Quality materials where you need them for expected long life and use.
Only requires one pump for full 410 fps power.
Works great for left and right handed shooters.
Good if you like Walther type pistol grips, same shape and feel as many P series pistols.
Excellent trigger feel and pull.
Cons:
Loading pellets is a bit awkward.
Have to pump it for each shot, no action shooting here.
Not rally a replica if that’s what you are after but generally most Spring Piston or Pneumatic Airguns are not replicas with a couple exceptions.
Comments: So the Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol is not really a Replica or even an action shooter but it does have its place in an airgun collection. I love blasting pop cans just as much as the next person but sometimes I like to slow things down and see how accurate I can get with an Airgun and not be too concerned that the gun is interfering with the accuracy. This is one way to really improve your shooting skills and having to work for each shot makes it that much more rewarding. The Beeman P17 2004 Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol allows you to have a great time honing in your shooting skills for not a lot of cash up front and cost per shot is only whatever the pellets cost you.
In this Preview Unboxing Video I showcase three Pellet Guns from Beeman, one Single Stroke .177 Caliber Pellet Pistol and two Break Barrel .177 and .22 Caliber Pellet Rifles. I don’t go into a lot of details on each Airgun as I am leaving that information for my future Table Top and Field Test Videos. This video is mainly a heads up on these products with links to where you can buy them in our Online Replica Airgun Store.
