by Steve Ware

I have been hooked on air pistols ever since the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association (IHMSA—PO Box 95690, South Jordon, UT 84095; phone: 801-733-8423; online: ihmsa.org,) sanctioned Air Pistol competition. In fact, I was fortunate enough to win both the Unlimited and Production titles at the first International Championship in which Air was sanctioned in 2002. Thus, I jumped at the opportunity to evaluate Crosman Corporation’s (7629 Routes 5 & 20, East Bloomfield, NY 14443; phone: 800-724-7486; online: crosman.com,) first ever PCP silhouette pistol, the 1700P Silhouette PCP.

Upon its arrival I unpacked the pistol and carefully examined its visible features. It is a .177-caliber single-shot pre-charged pneumatic pistol capable of 3,000 psi fills to provide longer shot strings. A 3,000 psi Manometer is installed to prevent overfilling the pistol. The heat-treated bolt is installed on the left, side convenient for right-handed shooters. Left-handed shooters can return the pistol to a Crosman authorized service center to have it reversed to the left side. The receiver is made of anodized aircraft aluminum with a 3/8” dovetail and caliber specific loading tray.

I was pleased to see that the pesky screw that is in the middle of the Crosman 2300S loading tray is gone. Thus, there are no obstructions to catch a pellet, and loading is smooth and easy even with a large riflescope mounted. The Foster-style fill nipple is covered with a well constructed plastic cap that fits snuggly and clicks into place. The trigger pull weight and over-travel are both adjustable. (One comment here concerning the over travel adjustment—back the over-travel screw out until the trigger disengages, then back it out an additional quarter turn. This will ensure that the pistol will cock reliably.) The barrel is a .177 caliber Lothar Walther precision barrel.

Before beginning to work with the 1700P, I added two accessories that I consider necessary for comfort and accuracy. I removed the Crosman trigger shoe and RB Grips (PO Box 473756, Aurora, CO 80047; phone: 303-632-1426; online: rbgrips.net) from my Crosman 2300S and installed them on the 1700P.

It is rare that any handgun has a trigger that is acceptable to silhouette shooters, and the 1700P is no exception. However, a trip to my gunsmith remedied that problem nicely. The trigger is now light and breaks cleanly.

As with any firearm, I read the owner’s manual to familiarize myself with the working features of the pistol. I was pleased to see that both the hammer spring and hammer stroke are adjustable for velocity string tuning and accuracy. Of course, increased velocity means decreased shot strings. Crosman advertises 50 shots with a factory set velocity of 450 fps. The first thing I wanted to find out was just how many shots could be taken before velocities fell off.

The first job was to fill the pistol with compressed air. Since all my air pistols are either single-stroke pneumatics or CO2, Crosman sent a pump along with the pistol. My gunsmith had pretty well emptied the pistol doing the trigger job, and I found out that 70 strokes filled it from virtually empty to 3,000 psi.

Silhouette matches allow five shots at sighter targets prior to the beginning of the match. A regular match consists of 40 shots, 10 each at metallic chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams set at various distances, depending on the discipline being shot. A championship match generally consists of 60 shots, 15 at each of the four animals. The exception is the International Championship which is an 80-round match. Thus, I was interested to see if the pistol was capable of 65 consistent shots.

Using the chronograph, I adjusted the pistol’s velocity to 450 fps then refilled it. Five shots were fired over the chronograph before the pistol settled in. I then ran 60 more shots over the chronograph. The velocity of all 65 shots was recorded. The results of this testing are shown in the attached spreadsheet. The 50 shots advertised by Crosman yielded an extreme spread of only 20 fps with very low standard and average deviations. The 60-shot string’s extreme spread was 31 fps, 55% greater than the 50-shot string. However, this increase in extreme spread does not necessarily indicate a decrease in accuracy. My years of reloading centerfire ammunition have proved that to me. A trip to the silhouette range would be necessary to determine that.

I was curious to see how many strokes of the Benjamin pump it would take to fill the pistol after 65 shots. I was pleased to see that 33 strokes did it, just one-half stroke per shot.

I have a spare Tasco (9200 Cody, Overland Park, KS 66214; phone: 800-423-3537; online: tasco.com) riflescope that I use for testing purposes. I installed the scope and headed for the range to see just how accurate this little pistol is. Our silhouette range is indoors; thus, wind would not be an issue with testing. I wanted to eliminate as much human error as possible; so, I C-clamped a vise to a shooting bench, then clamped the pistol in the vise using the pressure reservoir, padding it with a piece of leather to prevent marring. IHMSA sanctioned air matches are fired at four distances, 10 yards (chickens), 12.5 yards (pigs), 15 yards (turkeys), and 18 yards (rams). Thus, I set the target at 18 yards. After zeroing the scope, I settled down to shoot groups. I used several brands of pellets, but the two outstanding groups were fired using JSB Exacts (4.51 mm) and H&N Finale Match (4.51 mm). The JSB pellets shot a five shot group of .168”, and the H&N’s fired a five shot group of .061”. Measurements were made by measuring the widest point of the group then subtracting one pellet width, .177”. All of the pellets tested fired respectable groups. JSB Match Diablo’s fired a group measuring .319”, Crosman Premier’s fired a .256” five-shot group, JSB Express shot a .318” five-shot group, and Vogel Yellow Lid’s fired a .288” group.

There is no question that the Crosman is extremely accurate. In fact, my fellow silhouette shooters who were at the range when these groups were fired were all impressed. The only question left to settle was how it would perform in a match.

IHMSA classifies handguns with iron sights into two categories, Production and Unlimited. These two classes are determined by barrel length, overall length and weight. Since many air pistols are generally of the same dimensions another variable was factored in for air pistols—manufacturer’s suggested retail price. A $2,000 PCP air pistol with a 10” barrel has a decided advantage over a Crosman 2300S. Thus, a Production gun must have an MSRP no greater than $275. This price is reviewed from time to time by the IHMSA Board of Directors and increased as necessary. Current pricing of the 1700P is running at $399; thus, it is an Unlimited pistol.

When I received the pistol it had no rear sight. My 2300S has a Williams rear notch sight, and I feel that the width of the notch is a bit small for my eyes considering our matches are fired indoors and I wear a diopter on my shooting glasses that restricts light gathering. Crosman offers an LPA rear sight that is adjustable for elevation and windage. I asked for one to see if it was an improvement over the Williams. It arrived, and was easily mounted.

The following week was a silhouette practice week. I was back at the range to see how the pistol would perform in a simulated 60-round match. I took five sighter shots to get on the chickens with the new sight then decided to use the same hold I use with my 2300S through the rest of the course of fire. After firing the simulated match, I had hit 56 targets out of 60. I felt darned good about that considering I really had no sight settings. The rear notch on the LPA sight was a bit wider than I would have liked but it was manageable and an improvement over the Williams as far as getting a good sight picture with side light bars. Our Oregon State Air Pistol Championship was the following week, and I decided to enter the pistol as an Unlimited entry.

I was excited to give the 1700P a go at a real match. At the end, my score was not what I would have liked, but it was good enough to take first place in my class. I’m an AAA class Unlimited shooter, and beating those International shooters is not easy! Considering the fact that I had not had much time to really work with the pistol and get good sight settings I was pleased with the outcome. What really convinced me that this is an excellent pistol was the fact that I took five shots at our 1/20th scale pigs that we use for shoot-off targets to break ties. They are set at the ram distance of 18 yards. The pig is about the size of one of your fingernails and not all that easy to see with older eyes. I hit four of five of the little critters, and all four hits were in the same place, just right of center. That told me that I needed a click or two of left windage to really dial the pistol in.

All in all, Crosman has produced a PCP pistol that is affordable, extremely accurate, and easily tunable to the needs of any shooter demanding superior accuracy. Additionally, it is at least two thirds the price of the next lowest PCP pistol that I could find on the web. I am so convinced that this is an excellent pistol that I have purchased a used scuba tank and have a DIN to Foster valve adaptor on order. I’ll be buying a Crosman 1700P Silhouette PCP pistol next. I know my fellow silhouette shooters will be seeing my Crosman in the winner’s circle soon.