New to pistols need advice please

Will take a stab at this one... I cannot speak to the HW as I dont own one, but I do have the PP700 single shot version and the PRod. The Prod was a little ungainly for me to use as a pistol. I think it's great as a carbine, but as a pistol it just seemed off to me.

I had a serious itch for the Kalibrgun Ocelot and then the Ataman pistol, but my PP700's have scratched that itch nicely. Plenty of shots per fill for plinking and the accuracy to go with it. In addition, they are highly adjustable. 

I know you said price wasnt a concern, but seems that these are a lot of gun for the money. Ron Robinson, someone I highly respect the opinion of, speaks to them very favorably in his latest book. That's good enough for me!

the hw44 is an absolute laser , but it is pricey. very quiet and light. might be a lot of coin for a plinker. but the 22 cal version hunts well. 

When the SPA 750 comes in from the factory, probably around February, it would be my first choice for accuracy, power, and price point. I have owned the Prod, the TalonP and the SPA 700 and of these the SPA was the least expensive, strangely accurate, 25 to 30 shots per fill, and plenty powerful for a $200+ pcp pistol.

All three pistols had their good and bad points, but when the SPA 750 arrives, it will be my go to gun for backyard targets...large shot count per fill, accuracy, and plenty of power for the 30 meter range I need for backyard duties. Put a DonnyFL on it and it is very quiet.

I know for a fact the SPA will take out a goose-sized bird at 30 meters with one neck shot. Wes at https://airgunarcheryfun.ca/ is getting a shipment of these, probably in February, and I expect, based on the positive reviews of the SPA 700, it will sell out quickly. He's making an early buyer's list...you might want to consider a prepayment to hold one for you.



Kindly 'Ol Uncle Hoot

Of the three you are mentioning I would go with the HW44 for sure. It oozes precision shooting and is an all around amazing pistol. I prefer it in .177 as I can shoot the 8.44gr pellets around ~800 fps for a flatter shot. Also a few more shots per fill in .177 than .22. Can shoot the 10gr Heavies over 700fps as well. I don't think you could make a bad choice with either caliber though. It's also super quiet with the supplied moderator.

If price doesn’t matter it’s a no brainer. The HW44. The Artemis offerings are for the budget people who are feeling lucky when they click “add to cart” and don’t mind tinkering to correct issues. You probably will never see an 80+ page thread on a HW44 or Ataman AP16. They are about perfect out of the box. 

I’m going to say that the HW44 in .177 is the one. Like ctshooter said it oozes precision and shoots fast and flat. Awesome pistol for sure.

I have a Steyr LP50 HP in .177. Love it! Quality build, power enough to kill close range squirrels (tree stand when bowhunting). Very cool 5-shot semi-auto loading. Extremely accurate. Pretty expensive though. 

Just received a Beeman P17 about 45 minutes ago. Single pump action. For $37 I'm shocked at the quality! Feels good, looks good, and dead in the hand when shooting. The pump action requires a bit of umph.

I was searching pretty hard for an air pistol, non-PCP the past 3 weeks. I settled on, and it will arrive tomorrow, an HW45 Black Star in .177. I expect to like it as folks rave about the quality, durability, and accuracy. Supposed to shoot about 600FPS in .177. I'll see.

Congrats - glad you are happy with the purchase. You got the best of the best without venturing in 10m pistols.

Vetmx, the Artemis and the Ataman look like the same pistol to me, what makes the P16 Ataman so much better???

Thanks 

Doesn't the HW44 have a plastic frame? That would make me concerned about POI shifts with it.

Never experienced any POI shift indoors or outdoors. Always shoots where it did last time. I definitely cannot say the same about any Artemis/Diana CO2/PCP pistol I've used - the ones with the floating barrels have always been a pita.

Love my Ataman, very accurate and confortable to shoot.





I’m also currently looking at an automatic Russian model : Kampo ППК-17 «ВАЙГАЧ»

https://youtu.be/NYpXeGGUga8

Doesn't the HW44 have a plastic frame? That would make me concerned about POI shifts with it.

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No POI shift at all. Very well built, extremely accurate, and plenty powerful. Expensive but if you want top quality then....

I also have a pp700 that is quite accurate, powerful, and much less expensive. It works well but can't match the HW44 for quality.

Once you hold the HW44 you’ll see that the plastic frame is super high quality composite plastic. Totally awesome pistol no poi shift whatever. It can hang in there with my Steyr LPS as far as accuracy!

Vetmx, the Artemis and the Ataman look like the same pistol to me, what makes the P16 Ataman so much better???

Thanks

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They couldn’t be further apart. First and foremost is where they are made. The Ataman is a multi shot, has a reg that works, O-Rings that don’t leak, a barrel that doesn’t need crowned and is basically a Rolex compared to a Walmart watch. Both still tell time but you get what I’m saying.

Vetmx, the Artemis and the Ataman look like the same pistol to me, what makes the P16 Ataman so much better???

Thanks

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They couldn’t be further apart. First and foremost is where they are made. The Ataman is a multi shot, has a reg that works, O-Rings that don’t leak, a barrel that doesn’t need crowned and is basically a Rolex compared to a Walmart watch. Both still tell time but you get what I’m saying.

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Thanks for the explanation. Don't judge by looks alone is the lessen. But that extra $700 is a big difference in price.

I wonder how close the new PP750 will be in quality compared to the Ataman???

Vetmx, the Artemis and the Ataman look like the same pistol to me, what makes the P16 Ataman so much better???

Thanks

Click to expand...

They couldn’t be further apart. First and foremost is where they are made. The Ataman is a multi shot, has a reg that works, O-Rings that don’t leak, a barrel that doesn’t need crowned and is basically a Rolex compared to a Walmart watch. Both still tell time but you get what I’m saying.

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Thanks for the explanation. Don't judge by looks alone is the lessen. But that extra $700 is a big difference in price.

I wonder how close the new PP750 will be in quality compared to the Ataman???

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Won’t even be close. Look who makes it and their track record. But a Huma reg, some barrel work, quality O-Rings, and some polishing might turn it into a nice gun. Let’s hope so. The community will fix it and there will be topics how to do it. Try and find one about guys having to fix an AP16. But we pay $ for that.