beeman r1 review

Have a picture of Beeman R1?, please send it to us.
Picture courtesy of bernard.

Average Ratings

Accuracy	9.6/10
Handling	9.3/10
Value for Money	9.4/10
Reviewer Rating	9.5/10
Overall Rating	9.6/10

100% Recommended11 out of 11 Reviews

• Overview
• Reviews
  • Eeyore's review
  • 6 Comments
• Write your review
• Ask a Question

By Eeyore on 23rd Mar 2005

Eeyore's Ratings

Accuracy	10/10
Handling	10/10
Value for money	10/10
Overall value	10/10
Eeyore's recommendation

Good Points

- wood-to-metal fit is excellent
- steel stampings (caliber, serial number, etc.) appear to be perfectly uniform
- metal work and craftsmanship are superb
- all metal parts (trigger, safety, trigger guard, etc.)
- blueing appears to be perfectly uniform
- stock finish and stain appear very uniform
- the fit of the end cap, recoil pad, and white spacers are as good (or better) than some high-quality production firearms
- trigger is crisp and smooth, truly adjustable
- short cocking stroke
- higher velocity and more energy than Beeman advertises (even at the 4,700 feet elevation where I live)
- better accuracy than Beeman advertises - with several different types of pellets
- functional iron sights with assortment of front sight inserts

Bad Points

Bad Points: Rough when new - but quickly smoothed out.

General Comments

Beeman R1:
General Comments:
Although I've been enjoying the shooting sports for almost fifty years, I am submitting this review as a NOVICE because air rifles are so vastly different than firearms and I have only worked with six diferent air rifles.

I chose the Beeman .177 R1 as the latest addition to my collection because it appeared to be the "Classic" air rifle, and one of the best, all-round spring-piston models in production. It was purchased from Straight Shooters in St. Cloud, MN, USA. They provide an informative web site and chat line, very competitive prices, and top-notch service.

After my initial inspection, a quick wipe of the bore, and the normal tightening of stock screws - I found this rifle hard to cock, hard to close, and the shot-cycle produced very heavy vibration and movement (more than my RWS 350!). The first few days of bonding with this new 'baby' were troubling. As noted by another reviewer, one can expect a new R1 to "feel a little rough for the first few tins of pellets." The good news was that the groups produced by this rifle were simply amazing by my standards.

I also purchased a Bushnell 5-15x40 Legend scope and BKL mount for the R1, but after shooting the rifle, decided to stay with the iron sights until it smoothed out.

After 100 shots (I keep a log on each rifle) the R1 shot-cycle was much smoother with far less vibration. While it was easier to cock, it was getting harder to close the barrel until at 176 shots the barrel would not close.

I was desperate and thought I'd try 'just a drop" of Beeman's MP-5 oil on the barrel lock pin. Have you ever tried to put 'just a drop' of MP-5 on anything? That stuff goes everywhere! After cleaning MP-5 oil off the rifle stock, my jeans, the floor, etc., I discovered that the barrel (with lubricated lock pin) opened and closed smoothly - exactly what one would expect from a quality air rifle.

With the cocking/closing problem solved, I noticed that the groups produced by this rifle with iron sites were becoming smaller and smaller. For example, some 3-shot sight-in groups at 100 feet were under one-half inch, c-t-c. The rifle's shot-cycle continued to improve so at 210 shots I installed the scope.

My first 5-shot group after installing the scope was indoors at 25 feet with Kodiak pellets: it measured .09 inch, c-t-c! Upon measuring that first group, I put the rifle away, hung the target on the wall, and had a drink. I've been shooting long enough to know "they got to go somewhere," while that group was delightful, I knew that it was simply an anomaly (WRONG!).

Now, with over 1200 shots on this rifle, it continues to shoot better each day, and has met my expectations for quality and performance.

ACCURACY:

Beeman advertises .177 R1 accuracy to be .15" c-t-c. I have been advised that this level of accuracy was achieved by an experienced shooter with three-shot groups, using a pellet the rifle likes, at 10 meters. I can report that my R1 performs at (or better than) that accuracy level with at least five different types of pellets.

I had gathered several different types of .177 pellets to try in this rifle, hoping to find at least one that it 'likes.'All I have successfully accomplished was to discover that it 'likes' just about anything. I normally use a Beeman Pell Seat tool for accuracy testing to insure consistent seating depth, but it should be noted that this R1 barrel is so tight that a Pell Seat tool (or something similar) is required to seat several types of pellets. Recovered pellets show beautiful engraving from the 12-groove barrel.

This rifle has produced good groups with all pellets tested so far, but with the pellets it really likes, I'm getting amazingly small (for me), very consistent groups. These pellets include: Beeman FTS & Kodiak Match, JSB Exact, CPL's and CPH's. Each of these pellets typically shoot within my wobble area - and that is the best I expect. Specifically, I find that 5-shot groups (from a bench rest) at 10 meters that measure .15" c-t-c (or less), and 10-shot groups at 10 meters of .20" c-t-c (or less) are more typical than an anomaly.

If it ever quits snowing and blowing, I plan on testing pellets at 100 feet with 20-shot groups and will update this review when (if) I can identify the 'winner."


Beeman advertises the velocity of the .177 R1 to be 950 fps with muzzle energy of 14.23 FP.

The following list shows chronograph results of my R1 logged after 1,100 shots when the velocities stabilized. The list includes pellet name, average actual weight, velocity, velocity spread of five shots, and approximate muzzle energy.

Beeman #1222 Gold - 7.16 gr., 969 fps, 8 fps, 14.9 FP
Gamo Hunter - 7.45 gr., 934 fps, 7 fps, 14.4 FP
Beeman Silver Bear - 7.47 gr., 921 fps, 23 fps, 14.1 FP
Gamo Match - 7.65 gr., 925 fps, 9 fps, 14.5 FP
Beeman Trophy - 7.8 gr., 912 fps, 9 fps, 14.4 FP
Beeman #1261 Wadcutter - 7.9 gr., 905 fps, 19 fps, 14.4 FP
Crossman Premier - 7.94 gr., 888 fps, 5 fps, 13.9 FP
Beeman Bear Cub - 8.23 gr., 886 fps, 10 fps, 14.4 FP
RWS Superdome - 8.3 gr., 866 fps, 16 fps, 13.8 FP
Beeman Silver Sting - 8.38 gr., 881 fps, 27 fps, 14.4 FP
Beeman H&N Match - 8.42 gr., 867 fps, 5 fps, 14.1 FP
JSB Exact (4.52) - 8.42 gr., 880 fps, 4 fps, 14.5 FP
Beeman FTS - 8.53 gr., 873 fps, 10 fps, 14.4 FP
RWS Supermag - 9.3 gr., 798 fps, 10 fps, 13.2 FP
Logun Penetrator - 9.6 gr., 811 fps, 8 fps, 14.0 FP
Crossman Premier - 10.5 gr., 733 fps, 10 fps, 12.5 FP
Beeman Kodiak Match - 10.57 gr., 737 fps, 10 fps 12.8 FP

As can be seen, this R1 exceeded the advertised velocity with one pellet, and several pellets exceed the advertised muzzle energy. My chronograph results have always shown pellet velocities well below those published due to the 'thin air' at the 4,700 foot elevation of my home. This is the first air rifle that I have tested that performed as advertised! Also note the number of pellets with a 5-shot velocity spread of 10 fps or less - no wonder this rifle shoots well!

HANDLING:

Now that I've completed a '1000-shot tune,' this rifle has become much easier to shoot and is getting better every day. The weight absorbs the recoil very well. The Rekord trigger is simply wonderful. Although I prefer to shoot from a bench rest, the R1 balances well for me in the different shooting positions. Cocking and closing the barrel has been smooth and easy with proper lubrication of the lock pin.

VALUE FOR THE MONEY:

In this case, I feel like I truly got what I paid for - an air rifle that performs as advertised. What a concept! Yes, it cost a little more than my other air rifles, but when I was listing the 'good points' for the header of this review, I realized that it was money well spent.

Recommendation:

Shooters willing to invest the time (and pellets) to break in this classic rifle will be rewarded with magnum class power and exceptional accuracy.

Total Respect: +5