Page 18 - Beeman P17 Reviews

The overall feel,fiber optic sights, automatic "safety-on", smooth trigger action and out-of-the-box accuracy. I'm no great shot, but my first round from 20 feet was within 3/4 in from target dead center. Not being tied to a co2 cartridge is great! Partially cocking the gun without loading a pellet and dry firing is great for learning trigger feel.

As others have said, pellet loading and cocking effort can be hard. I solved the pellet loading problem using a section of soda straw, insert the pellet in the end, align with the breech and press home with a thin wooden dowel. The manufacturer could develop its idea further. The hard cocking turned out to be an advantage. Since I gas using it to teach my grandson range safety and marksmanship, the break in the action while I cocked it gave me extra time for "words of shooting wisdom".

To get such accuracy at this price is teriffic. If you look, there is enough good advice in cyberspace (pyramyd and youtube) to anticipate and overcome problems. The smile on my grandson's face the first time he came within a nickel of dead center was worth a million. This P17 is a super gun both for shooting instruction and my own plinking pleasure.

Light, Comfortable, and accurate.

Nothing, Perfect the way it is.

Great gun for the price.

Superb value for the money. Very accurate. Light trigger pull. Good sights.

Nothing.

Power, accuracy, trigger, weight, fit in hand

Rear sight adjustment changes.

Based on what I read, I was expecting maybe an O-ring problem but I had a trigger problem after 60-70 shots. Inside, the sear had a burr which caused the internal hammer to hang every 20-30 shots. I used a file to remove it, no problems after that. The sight elevation screw moves clockwise a bit with every shot, I will need to loctite it. Left bicep was hurting after doing 30 - 40 shots a day for several days to see if the gun would fail. The joint between the upper and lower parts is a little uneven. I imagine the P3 and HW40 versions maybe nicer.

For the price, this pistol can't be beat. No recoil, low noise, fine trigger, good ergonomics all help make this an accurate pistol. Hasn't been finicky about pellets whether they be rifle or pistol match, or even the less precise alternatives. Sights are fine for hitting cans, rotten fruit or even the wife's Beenie Baby collection. Nice to have the built in scope rails.

Make the hole where the fake hammer sits bigger so you can load the barrel with a pellet pen-straight shot, instead of the somewhat awkward way of loading it. Took a Dremel tool and in 2 min. made one of the easiest mods. to make this pistol a dream to load.

The trigger, except on much higher priced guns, is just about perfect. You can adjust out most of the fist stage or leave it long. The second stage is as crisp as a Diana pistol. For 40 bucks it's a fine, fine trigger. I have 2 of these pistols both with Aimpoint red dots and they're a hoot. The red dots also make it easier to close during the compression stroke. No more pinched finger fat or wrestling the pump closed while having the web slide up the rear sight.

Good power and accuracy. Best value in a precision airgun. Looks like a real firearm.

Don't like Tru-Glo sights on an air pistol. 3 fuzzy dots are not conducive to accuracy. Hard to load the pellets. Rear sight interfers with charging.

Similar to the Gamo AF-10, but the larger P-17 has more power and is single-shot only. This model is known for pump seal issues. Would make an excellent first airgun, but charging effort may be too high for women or kids. Make sure the pellets are seated completely, or you may damage the breech seal.

Looks and feel.

Cocking effort is so great it takes all I have to accomplish it! Takes all the fun out of shooting. My son-in-law, much younger and stronger than I, also had a very hard time getting it cocked. I've noticed in the specifications that the cocking effort is not listed, now I know why! This actually could be quite dangerous if care is not applied during the process.

I can rate the gun on everything but the accuracy. By the time I finally got it ready to shoot I was too tired to hold it steady! I have a Beeman P17 w/kit for sale. Gun is like new, only fired twice!

I ordered two P17's-sent one back after about twenty five shots even though I had done the 10 for $10 that PA offers. lost compression-seal I imagine. Had no experience at the time. PA did the usual quick turn around-no hassle-good service. I wanted to be able to fix if necessary so I found some online info and bought some 0rings. After a few hundred pellets, the ring where the barrel closes had a cut in it-probably my fault- so I changed piston ring and that seal ring before it failed. I use that P17 all the time and have about 4000 pellets thru it-still LOVE it! other P17 only has 200-300 rounds thru it.

When I shot in a league (with the P17) last winter, I let one of the bullseye shooters try it. He irritated me, after two site-in shots he put it in the 10 ring! It shoots better than I can! It may cock a little hard for some folks, but my fifteen year old granddaughter managed just fine. I'm of slight build and 71, but I love this gun! Just watch the finger and shirt pinches--and ladies tilt it away from your front! and use the open hand to close it! You may have to locktite your rear sight adjustment, and check once in a while, the hinge pins can work out a little.

Very accurate, solid, decent trigger, nice weight and balance. I actually sold my HW pistols and bought a second P17 after shooting both side by side for a while. Put a red dot on one and it is great for outdoor plinking.

Grips are small for my XXL hands. I would gladly pay more for better quality control and also better maintenance and repair instructions (include some spare o-rings). Also I would pay more for better quality interchangeable grips. They should do a $100 target version but I could see it cannibalizing the German Beeman/HW sales.

Compared to my HW75, the trigger creeps a bit and the cocking is more difficult by half. And the plastic build isn't as nice, the in-place grips are better than plastic Crosman grips but that ain't saying much. But overall it is a tremendous value! I was scared of the repairs and quality control stories but I have bought two from PA now and both have been fine out of the box.

one of the best values out there for 40 bucks.i love this gun. has a great feel to it, it shoots great and is quite accurate, what more could you want?

not a thing!

I bought this gun to have something to shoot without always having to go out and buy co2, boy what a pleasant surprise,i hope they keep making this model gun for a long time to come, because I'm the kind of guy that would like to see bunches of other shooters get the enjoyment I get out of shooting such a great fun gun!!!CAN"T go wrong here!

Price! Accuracy. Balance. Price! My brother has the German P3 version of this China made gun. I almost didn't buy this, because my experience with Chinese made stuff has been terrible. I thought for $39 it was worth the risk. I have now put over 4,000 rounds of just about every type of pellet through it, and it works well with all of them. It is acceptably accurate. I can "walk around" a 6 X 6 target of 1" squares at 7 yards, with only the occasional "flyer." I would like to blame the gun, but . . . .

I have read about people not liking the sights, or the trigger, but come on, its a $39 pistol and is a great value. Spend $239 on the P3 and earn the right to complain about something.

Needs better quality control. I feel lucky with the one I got. My son-in-law ordered 10 of them as groomsmen gifts, and 5 of them were either DOA, or failed within a few shots. To the best of my knowledge they were replaced quickly, but still.

The size, the feel, the price, the trigger and the way it shoots. The gun will out-perform me, and is a pleasure to shoot.

nothing.

I ordered this gun while waiting for a P3 to become available. I was worried because of negative reviews, but decided I couldn't go too wrong for $40. If it broke, I wouldn't be afraid to work on it. After about 800 shots, the P3 arrived and I have shot them both to compare. The P3 is a better gun and I am more consistent with it, but it cost 6 times as much. Love both pistols, and plan to leave them both to my grandson. Don't think I will live long enough to wear ether one out.

everything is good,trigger, accuracy, weight & looks. for the price awesome

nothing

when cocking watch for fingers & t shirts lol

Boy you can't beat the price, worth it to do the $10 test for ten offer to make sure you get a working one out of the box. Mine is surprisingly good brand new, knock on wood, after reading the internet I was scared!

They should do higher quality control level and charge fairly for it - and include a few spare O-rings. Some interchangeable grips would be nice. It is hard to cock but that's the nature of the beast. I don't find it that hard to load even with wadcutters but I have used other overlevers.

The fiber optic sights are nice for beginners but not so accurate after you settle down... but for this level pistol they're fine. I have this as a good second so that friends can shoot with me and they like them.

This looks just like a modern firearm. It has a good balance in the hand and points easily. The sights are easy to use at short range.

Make the safety ambidextrous! I can reach it but I have large hands. Someone with smaller hands would have a little trouble to release it.

Make sure you open the top all the way slowly. I found that if you don't it will not give you all shes got. Flat palm when closing this pistol too or it will give you a nasty pinch!

Very accurate for the price. Came with fiber optic sights.

Nothing.

This gun is perfect for backyard plinking.

Accurate with great trigger pull. The trigger pull is very smooth and light allowing for a very precise break. The barrel is also very flush with the underside of the slide which makes it be close to the sights so not much drop off from 3yrds to 10yrds.

The gun is right for the price. I wish they had a better version with decent poly frame (not cheap plastic). The loading of pellets is a bit cumbersome since the barrel is flush with the "slide"

I'm not that great a shot but with this gun I can hit 7/10 times a quarter size target from 10yrds with GAMO match wad cutters. Definitely a great buy for fun and training the kids.

This gun is extremely accurate. After adjusting the sights, another great attribute, I was placing shots in the same hole off-hand from 7 yards. The trigger breaks crisply after a long pull and the gun is quiet enough to shoot indoors without disturbing anyone. I have a short fingers and this gun fits my hand surprisingly well for it's large size. The gun is really fun to shoot.

The rail on top of the poly frame is very sharp. Cocking the gun takes some pressure and, after some time, my hand was raw from gripping the frame. I'm looking for a makeshift cover for the rail rather than use a glove.

Follow some of the great videos on Youtube for maintenance. Be sure to break down the gun, clean off the old grease, and polish the little gas-hole as many recommend. You will notice the difference. The gun is tricky to load but, with a little practice, you'll get the hang of it. My goal was to get more trigger time and become a better shot with open-sighted pistols. To that end, you can't go wrong with this extremely accurate, reasonably priced pistol.

great accuracy , good trigger feel, fits the hand very well.this gun is tons of fun to shoot, with amazing accuracy for this price range.

better quality control

like many others, my guns o rings failed at around 700 shots. I disassembled the gun cleaned and polished piston & cylinder, replaced o rings with Viton o rings. the gun shoots reliably now, and is well worth the price.

The P17 is a made in China clone of the German made P3 and I have shot them side by side. The P3 has a little better trigger but costs a whole lot more. I like the ergonomics of the handle and the adjustable rear sight. It's very comfortable in a medium sized hand. I've had the P3 about 15 years so we will see how the P17 holds up. I found the P17 to be very accurate in the 10-12 yd. range and have been using 8.8 grn. Beeman Crow Magnum HP pellets. I like the single stroke to charge it.

Nothing. Maybe a better trigger but it would probably drive the price up.

Great plinker, lots of fun. A little weak for pest control. Quiet and recoil-less. You could shoot this all day. Great value for the money. It has a narrow dovetail scope rail.