new guy with a question

I'd like to buy a .177 air pistol with some real accuracy, good sights and crisp, preferably light and no overtravel trigger pull, for precision practice in my home. I can group 2" at 50 yds with a match .22lr autopistol, using iron sights and a sitting-braced firing position, or 3" if standing, unsupported, both hands. So i do understand sight alignment and trigger control. I'm not, however, willing to drop more than at most $100 on this. Given a crosman 2240 or a pump up benjamin, sheridan or crosman, what sort of groups can i expect at 10m of distance? I'd be happy with 5 shots averaing 3/4" or less. is that feasible to get? Thank you for your reply. I am capable of filing or drifting fixed sights to get a proper zeroing of this pistol. i do greatly prefer a nice trigger pull, also. So please tell me about those attributes of whatever guns you recommend? Thanks again.
 
Welcome, Whyno!
It sound as if you pistol skills are enviable. One thing you can do to lighten the trigger pull on the Crosman 13xx series guns is the 'squash mod'. Remove one of the grips, take out the trigger spring, put it on a phillips screwdriver to keep it straight and squish it down some. Re-install and check that the sear still engages. If it does and you like the pull weight , you're done. If the sear doesn't engage, then stretch the spring till it does. I found it helpful for lightening the pull on my 1322 pump up, pretty sure the 22xx C02 guns have the same trigger system.
There are loads of aftermarket parts for both the 13xx pumpers and the 22xx C02 guns, but that will likely take you past you price point.
Keep us posted!
John
 
If you want to go cheap, the Beeman P17 is a surprising value. Single stroke pneumatic, no pumping, no CO2 cartridges. Expect 1/2" or better groups from a rest. JSB RS 7.33 grainers shoot well in mine. I put a little red dot sight on mine and can make smiley faces at will from a rest.
You won't get a match grade trigger with your $100 limit.
For a match grade SSP with awesome trigger, sweet molded grips, look at the Weirach HW-75. 

Buy nice, not twice.
 
Big negatory on the Benjamin Trail NP pistol. Have owned 2 - and neither lived up to the hopes or hype. Do they have power? For a spring powered pistol (yes, the gas strut Nitro Piston is a type of spring) the Trail has some kick and knock-down power. That comes at the price of a decent trigger; both of my Trails had/have heavy, long, creepy triggers. Worse, the trigger housing is sealed, unlike the housings on the Crosman/Benjamin NP rifles I own. Where I can take the rifle actions out of their stocks and work on the triggers to improve the crispness and lighten the pull, the Trail Pistol would require me to break open the trigger assembly and then figure out a way to seal it again. Further, the dovetail grooves on both of my Trail Pistols were not centered over the top of the pistol stock. Honest to goodness, the air cylinder with grooves was assembled into the gun's action canted to the left in both cases. I gave up on trying to use 'em. Saddled one of my sons with the first one (sweet revenge for all those tools that went missing over the years!) and the second sits in a corner of my workbench collecting dust. Skip 'em!
 
Lots of folks like the P17-it's a single stroke pneumatic that cocks with an overlever stroke. The gun handles very much like a semi-auto firearm. They do have a few quirks which need to be addressed, such as the air intake hole in the large compression chamber will usually have a burr which will eat the large O-ring if not smoothed out with fine sandpaper. Still, for the money they are very nice.
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
I found it a little fiddly to load and a potential finger pincher. They are usually accurate and make around 400 fps. I never warmed up to the trigger on mine. It eventually quit holding air and was traded for Daisy 717. 
I only have about 5 yards in my garage so I can't really speak to the longer range accuracy but I did do a little 10 yard outdoor shooting with mine and it showed good potential.
 
I'd say go with the crosman custom shop or the crosman PCP pistol if you don't wana use C02. Forget about the Benjamin trail NP pistol. The sights suck. Actually I don't know anyone who hasn't had a hard time sighting it in. It has significant drop.I tried a number of scopes and could never get the elevation low enough! I'm surprised they made a new generation of that thing. The trigger pull is about 3 1/2 miles long. I have one for sale