New to me Crosman 1701p...what to do?

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dennisu

Member
Jul 6, 2019
110
11
Florida, United States
Just picked up a new to me 1701P and I’m looking for some advice. I purchased it to begin learning how to shoot silhouettes. Looked like a lot of fun on the internet so I thought I would give it a try. My previous experience has been shooting open class field target with higher end regulated pcp rifles. I suspect that I have a lot to learn....

The 1701 I picked up came with a mounted Mantis 3-9 scope as pictured.

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The pistol arrived with about 2500 psi and seemed to function well for 10 test shots. I filled the pistol to about 2900 psi and shot 10 JSB 8.4’s over my chronograph with the following results: 404, 406, 407, 412, 413, 412, 413, 426, 411 and 420. Average: 413; ES: 22; SD: 7. Seems to be shooting around 3.18 pounds. Trigger breaks at about 1 pound 3 ounces. Pulled a cleaning patch through the barrel and it came out dirty but no sign of rust or large lead flakes.



So what do I need to do to get the best out of her and increase my chances of knocking down some very small metal critters? I don’t plan on using iron sights at this point so your opinion on whether to keep or replace the Mantis scope with a different scope/red dot would be welcome. Thoughts on weight/brand of pellet to begin testing with would also be appreciated.

Dennis
 
Shoot it as is until you find a limitation. Airgun pistol silo is from 10 to 18 yards for the different targets. 10m power level will be a challenge, I shoot silo on my own and can hit more rams (18y) than chickens (10y) with my 10m pistol. Makes no sense to me since I shoot 10m targets all the time. But when I put the silo targets out on stands I cant hit crap. Prob my eyes vs the open sights I use (that my excuse anyway).
 
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If you want to reliably hot rod it to shoot 55 yards then swap that 0.043 1701P transfer port with an OEM 0.08 Benjamin P-Rod buy from Crosman or do an irreversible (never go back to low speed without replacing the OEM factory 1701P spec) drill that factory TP to 0.079. No tuning headaches just adjust hammer spring over chrony to flatten the curve. Go with the 0.067 1720T OEM TP for in between 10 meters and 50 yard shooting. Buy all and duplicate OEM 1701P maybe 8 extra so you custom power tune different drill bits since you pay same price to ship just one tiny TP or 10 of them in that padded envelope. I have taken out birds at 55 yards with one of mine swapped with an OEM 0.08 P-Rod TP and a TKO silencer and AR15 carbine stock.

Or leave it be if that's enough power for you. I have 4 of these set up differently so I don't have to keep swapping out TPs depending on my mood for the day and if close range 10-15 yards day or 10-40 yard or 10-55 yard day with less shots the higher power you go but no problem just refill and stays consistent start to finish without having to waste air space with a regulator.

If you go larger than the 0.08 P-Rod size (maximum I recommend) you are going to waste air trying to get even more power but you may try and get different favorable results.
 
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I have my 1720 at 11.8 ft/lbs. Like Yo advice, I used a larger transfer port. It's set up for Pistol Field Target. Wicked accurate. 

I had to order 3 pistols before Crosman finally sent me one that was not defective. Customer service was fine but a huge pain to return ship twice.

I don't feel a regulator is necessary. Never fill higher than 2900 for best shot curve. Enjoy your pistol, it looks great.
 
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If you want to reliably hot rod it to shoot 55 yards then swap that 0.043 1701P transfer port with an OEM 0.08 Benjamin P-Rod buy from Crosman or do an irreversible (never go back to low speed without replacing the OEM factory 1701P spec) drill that factory TP to 0.079. No tuning headaches just adjust hammer spring over chrony to flatten the curve. Go with the 0.067 1720T OEM TP for in between 10 meters and 50 yard shooting. Buy all and duplicate OEM 1701P maybe 8 extra so you custom power tune different drill bits since you pay same price to ship just one tiny TP or 10 of them in that padded envelope. I have taken out birds at 55 yards with one of mine swapped with an OEM 0.08 P-Rod TP and a TKO silencer and AR15 carbine stock.

Or leave it be if that's enough power for you. I have 4 of these set up differently so I don't have to keep swapping out TPs depending on my mood for the day and if close range 10-15 yards day or 10-40 yard or 10-55 yard day with less shots the higher power you go but no problem just refill and stays consistent start to finish without having to waste air space with a regulator.

If you go larger than the 0.08 P-Rod size (maximum I recommend) you are going to waste air trying to get even more power but you may try and get different favorable results.
Click to expand...

+1

The TP's from crosman were around $6 each the last time I ordered them. Seals were $1.15 each. Shipping for small parts is $4 an order.
 
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Pointers from the Voice Of Experience on air pistols, AP Silhouette, AP sighting systems, and the 1701P.

1) You'll get a lot of competition-worthy shots at the power level she's shooting now, however I'd shoot about 8 grain pellets for the higher velocity in order to get the pellet out the barrel quicker. You can always soup it up later, but no need for your purpose.

2) The trigger is probably pretty good already, but can be smithed to less than 1/2 pound let-off if/when you feel the need.

3) Though that 3-9X rifle scope is fine for silhouette competition, getting used to the "taco hold" required for same will take some doing. A non-magnifying red-dot scope/sight would be easier to get used to, and is just as excellent for silhouette shooting. The download below is a whole chapter on air pistol sighting options (from Custom, Classic & Otherwise AWESOME AIR PISTOLS!).

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View attachment 1596855736_17828526625f2e15b865b7d6.52248519.pdf


 
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If I may suggest,do nothing until you get confident that you can shoot pistol good., your goal is to get in alignment with it's capabilities.

By becoming "in tune" with pistol you will know more of what You are looking for.Pistol shooting is more like a Zen experience,or Gasalt,the whole is greater than the sum of the parts....Don't matter how good your sighing system is if your trigger pull is pits and visa versa.

The more a pistol is like a pet dog the better off you are....

AirNGasman always has great advise,as they say the proof is in the pudding......um got to look that up....
 
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AirNGasman, thanks for the advice and link to the chapter on sighting options. I’m trying a red dot and the 3-9 rifle scope using the taco hold. I think it’s gonna take awhile to get used to the taco hold. Saw a few postings/videos on the internet with lots of different ideas about the taco hold. Any recommended links to sites that you have found to be the most useful?

l am going to take your and boscoebrea’s advice and shoot her pretty much as is until I get the feel for her. Always time to make changes once I become more “in tune” with the pistol. I’m also going to continue shooting the JSB 8.4 per your and old sparky’ s advice.

Thanks for everyone’s advice on how to get started with shooting my new 1701p. I think I’m going to learn a lot and have fun doing it.

Dennis



 
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"Any recommended links to sites that you have found to be the most useful?" Sorry Dennis, but can't say I've visited or even seen anything to that effect.

One piece of advice I would offer that pertains to any kind of competitive shooting is to try to find a position/form that is as comfortable and natural-feeling as possible. Not the easiest thing to do with the taco hold. But having used long eye relief pistol scopes for years before attempting a rifle scope on a pistol made me not only appreciate the taco hold, but (consequently) embrace it quickly. FOLLOW THROUGH is all important.

BTW, turn the magnification all the way down on that 3-9X from the get-go and I think you'l acclimate quicker. Then increase magnification as you adapt to the hold.


 
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