24 replies to this topic

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Hi fellow CPC members,Well, I've done what I said I wasn't going to do. I purchased another air gun. Here's the main reason:I've been wanting to get something that my child (6 yrs) could shoot along with me (I always get asked to shoot my much larger air guns and they just can't get a proper hold or position with what I currently have). I had purchased a Ruger Blackhawk .177 thinking I might be able to use it for that purpose, but it was really, really heavy and the LOP was too much for a small child anyway. So, I ended up offerring up that one to my younger brother since he didn't have any air rifles and I was in the generous mood .I wanted something light and at the same time something that they (the young ones) would have to have a parent or adult around to help with (the pistol/carbine will never be where any child can get to it without asking (under lock and key)). So I ended up ordering a Crosman 1322 pistol, a set of the intermounts (I'll use them until I order a steel breech) and a fairly simple Leapers 4x32 mildot scope (will eventually get a Bug Buster or similar with AO down the line if the kids show a major interest).Knowing that to get more power out of the 1322 I would have to do some modificaitons, and knowing that I would want to do this in the future, I decided to go to Mellon Air's website and ordered the following:1) Adjustable FT (Flat Top)Piston1) FT (Flat Top) Valve1) Long Probe Bolt (.22)1) Crosman 12" Barrel (.22)1) 2289 Barrel Band w/Screw (to allow longer barrel to be held in place (replaces factory one))1) Fiber Optic Front SightI also ordered an extra Discovery Barrel Band with set screws for my Disco while I was at it since he carries them too. Have any of you ordered anything from Mellon Air? If so, how long does it typically take once an order is placed with Mellon Air to receive it in the mail?Anyway, I plan of making a custom carbine stock attachment for the 1322 that will have a shorter length of pull so a young child can hold it properly and comfortably. I had thought about ordering the 1399 Stock and modifying it, but I want the stock to be solid and possibly have a cheek rest, plus this way I can make it exactly how I want and the best fit for a young person (I know with the tools I have it won't be quick and simple, but I can do it).I do plan on eventually ordering a steel breech for it in the future and possibly getting a longer barrel too. I ordered the 12" barrel so that it was a little bit longer than the stock one (which is 10 1/2") but would not add too much additional weight to the gun (and that way it would hopefully be on Mellon Air's "Magic Shelf" ). I want it to stay lighter and easier for a child to balance and hold. I'm sure I'll shoot it too, but my main intent is that it will be for a younger person with shorter arms.Is there anything that I haven't mentioned that I should consider purchasing either right away or in the near future to help the 1322 get a little more power or operate more smoothly and, or accurately? I've read about forum members of other sites ordering a Discovery spring and putting it in the 1322 or 1377. Is that something you would recommend? Any other simple mods or things I need to know about installing the new Mellon Air parts? (for those of you who might have ordered the same parts)Thanks for any help or suggestions, and I am looking forward to getting the 1322 next week and eventually modding it after getting the Mellon Air parts. The kiddies are going to go crazy about this one! Of course, as always, gun safety will be paramount and always discussed with the kids too.

[STPilot]

You may already know about these guys, but just in case... Pretty trick stuff! http://crosmods.com/index.html

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Thanks for the link. Yes, I have looked at that site before and while their product is nice, it is a bit much more than I want to spend on this project. I have also heard that a lot of people have had order issues as of late and poor commuication. I can't vouche for that, but that's what I've read lately. Thanks again for the reply.

[STPilot]

Yeah, no sweat.. I've never ordered from them either, but I know a few people that have had good luck with them.

[crazyhorse]

I have a 1322...installed a Crosman long steel breech and a 1389 Forearm (Crosman was still selling these before Xmas). I might do some power mods later..You may want to consider installing a lighter trigger spring...it sure makes a big difference with accuracy in shooting.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Crazyhorse,Where can I purchase on of those lighter trigger springs? I'm sure that would be a benefit for a younger shooter with less grip/hand strength.I saw those fore arm/pump grips too. I know they use them on the 2289 Back Packer and helps to not get your fingers pinched while pumping. I was thinking about getting one and using that spray paint that sticks to plastic and painting it black so that it would match the factory parts of the pistol. There is a guy on the GTA that has one listed in in the Classifieds, but he hasn't responded to a PM I sent him about two or three days ago. Maybe he's on vacation or already sold it, but you think he would at least let me know. :crazy:When I do the mods to my pistol I'll take photos at each step and post it in a topic here so you can see all the steps/mods I do and I'll also post a pre and post mod FPS string too.Anyway, if you could tell me where to get a lighter trigger spring I would appreciate it. Thanks.

[crazyhorse]

Take your stock spring with you and go to Ace Hardware store or Home Depot might have some..??...Ace Hardware generally have a good selection...you will notice how stiff the stock spring is and you need one about half as stiff...in my case I had to buy a 3" long spring and cut it to length....I got mine at Paytons in Lakeside.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Ok. Thanks. I'll check it out.

[screwwork]

ARH,Home Depot has some springs too. Spring 5/16 OD x 1.5" long 0.028 dia.It worked great for my 1322. Looks like you got all of the cool parts for your 1322.Let me know how much power you gain from the Mellon Piston & Valve install.I dont have a crony to see how much FPS I gained with the Mellon Piston & Valve installed in my 1322 with a AC custom 14" barrel.gmac trigger too, adjustable all I can say SweetShots really nice with the Bug Buster 6x32 mil dot scope.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Thanks for that information Screwwork! Knowing the dimensions will help to find it easier. ;)I received the 1322 today and fired it a few times before running it over the Chrony. It seems to be around 445 to 447 FPS with the 14.3 CPHP pellets. Since the package says 460FPS, that is a good sign I guess. I'll let you know what the velocity difference is once the Mellon Air parts arrive and I install them.I also purchased a 1399 Stock with the "Comfort Grip" pump arm piece on Ebay. I was going to make the carbine stock myself, but once again... time is a factor so I'm going with the easier route and will just modify the 1399 stock for a shorter length of pull for the kids. Now I just need to order the Steel Breech kit to finish it off for now. I think I'm going to have to call a nearby (about 1 1/2 hours) away Crosman service center to try a get one of the Steel Breech kits because they are always out of stock on Crosman's website.I'll post some pictures once I get the parts and get everything installed. It will probably be another two weeks before the parts from Mellon Air arrive, so it may be a while before I get to post some pictures.

[Bennie]

That will be a nice project for your son. Waiting to see the end results.

[mtn dog]

I've heard that the 1377 can be converted into a 1322. Anybody done that?

[Air Rifle Hunter]

That will be a nice project for your son. Waiting to see the end results.

Thanks. Actually it is for my daughter. ;)She doesn't even know about it yet and won't until I've got it completed. I want it to be a big surprise. She has a wooden rubber band shooting carbine gun that I've been using to help teach her some aspects of gun safety. My wife calls her "Little Annie Oakley" because she is a pretty good shot with the rubber band shooter hitting the little rabbit, squirrel and coyote knock-down targets I made for her. It's also much easier to teach her with the rubber band gun and to accidentally get hit by a rubber band than a pellet or bullet. :)Once I feel she's ready for it I'm going to surprise her with it and take her to the next level of gun safety, knowledge and hunting ethics (which I've already been talking to her about). This way by time she's old enough to handle one of my larger air rifles or shoot a powder burner, she will hopefully have all aspects of safety down and have already been able to hunt rabbits and squirrels with me.Hopefully it won't take two weeks for the parts, but I've heard that Charles at Mellon Air is super busy right now and that it is taking two to three weeks to get the orders out. So I'm just patiently waiting for them to get here. Now if I can only get my camera to take better pictures...

[screwwork]

mtn dog,To convert a 1377 from 177cal to 22 cal you only have to change the barrel to 22cal.All parts are interchangable 1377 - 1322.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

I've heard that the 1377 can be converted into a 1322. Anybody done that?

I know some have done that conversion. You just need a .22 Bolt Probe (with O-Ring) and .22 Barrel. I'm not sure if the breech block is different or not. I think it is just the bolt probe that differs with the factory breech. If you have a 1377 and are interested in parts to switch it over, I'm probably going to be selling the factory breech block, bolt probe and barrel, and possibly some of the other parts I'm replacing once I get the build complete. Let me know and I'll let you know when I'm done.

[screwwork]

I forgot about changing the bolt and o-ring to the 22cal too.Change barrel and bolt o-ring to the cal you want it to be.yes, right again about the factory breach, they 177 & 22 cal are the same.I changed over a 1377 to a 1322 last month.

[mtn dog]

I know some have done that conversion. You just need a .22 Bolt Probe (with O-Ring) and .22 Barrel. I'm not sure if the breech block is different or not. I think it is just the bolt probe that differs with the factory breech.If you have a 1377 and are interested in parts to switch it over, I'm probably going to be selling the factory breech block, bolt probe and barrel, and possibly some of the other parts I'm replacing once I get the build complete. Let me know and I'll let you know when I'm done.

I'll send you a PM.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Well, Crosman finally got the .22 Steel Breeches in stock, so I ordered one. Should be here in a couple of weeks, which will be close to the time the Mellon Air parts will be close to arriving. I'll be glad to get everything and be able to get it rebuilt, tested and then be able to present it to my daughter the next time we go camping, that way I can start teaching her the next stage of gun safety and shooting.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Well, I got tired of waiting for Crosman to send me the .22 Steel Breech kit I ordered and stole the one off of my 2240 so that I could complete my daughter's 1322 Carbine Project. Here's a list of what I did:

1) Started with 1322 Pistol.
2) Replaced the trigger spring with a lighter one to lighten up the trigger pull and put a spring guide on the spring.
3) Replaced the 10.25" barrel with a new Crosman 14.6" barrel and Fiber Optic End Cap.
4) Replaced plastic factory breech with steel breech.
5) Replace factory brass bolt with Long Probe Bolt from Mellon Air.
6) Replaced the factory valve with a Mellon Air Flat Top Valve that was ported to allow more air to escape when fired.
7) Replaced factory piston with Mellon Air Flat Top Piston.
8) Replaced factory barrel band with new barrel band that would allow the longer barrel to pass through and be tightened down properly.
9) Removed the grips and mounted a modified 1399 Skeleton Stock (stock cut to shorten lenght of pull).
10) Added homemade Retaining Pin and Spring to the back area of the grip frame to allow for quick removal of 1399 stock (like the BackPacker model) if needed for future backpacking.
11) Added a Tasco 3-7x20 scope (will eventually replace with a Leapers 3-9x32AO Bug Buster) because it kept the carbine light and easier to hold for a small child.

After reassembling it, I shot it over the Chrony using 14.3 grain CPHP's to determine the average velocity per pumps.

Here are the numbers:

(3) Pumps - 320FPS Average
(4) Pumps - 370FPS Average
(5) Pumps - 410FPS Average
(6) Pumps - 448FPS Average
(7) Pumps - 472FPS Average
(8) Pumps - 502FPS Average
(9) Pumps - 535FPS Average
(10) Pumps - 537FPS Average

I'm not sure what happened at (10) pumps and I don't know why it didn't seem in increase the approximate 30FPS plus extra velocity per pump. Does anyone have any ideas about that?

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the completed 1322 Carbine project.







It turned out to be a little more expensive of a project than I expected and I know I could have done more to it and spent more money on it too, but it is going to be a good starter gun for my daughter and she will be very happy with it. It will shoot fast enough to take down a rabbit out to about 20 to 25 yards once she learns to shoot it properly and gets accurate with it. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out why the number of pumps at 9 and 10 don't differ much. Perhaps something is interferring with the hammer spring...

[screwwork]

ARH,

1322 is looking really good and thanks for posting the pumps/FPS too.
I like your shortened stock, once you add the leapers scope your daughter will be a bunny & ground squirrel sniper.

You should look in to getting the backpacker forearm, it really does make it easier to pump and gets ride of the pinch point from the stock forearm.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

I would, but Crosman no longer offers them or sells them from what I understand. That is unless you have a source...

[screwwork]

ARH,

Sorry about the backpacker forearm PN: 1389-010 was disconinuted and I didn't check it first before posting.
PN: 1389-014 is the Backpacker forend with the arm linkage, from what I understand the costs $14.52 and it could be dark green or black. Crosman was out of stock back in April.

check out Crosman Air Pistol Owners Forum, it is all about Crosman air pistols

www.crossman-air-pistol-owners-forum.com

[Papertiger]

Please share where you got parts and how you added homemade Retaining Pin and Spring to the back area of the grip frame to allow for quick removal of 1399 stock (like the BackPacker model).

[Air Rifle Hunter]

 I downloaded the exploded parts diagram from the Crosman webite and ordered the parts I wanted to add. I wouldn't recommend making the backpacker pin, just order one from Crosman (and the spring for it). It is much easier that way and a tighter fit. If you call Crosman's service department (number is on their website) you can order the parts. Ask for Jan, she is great at helping to order the parts you need. The nice thing is they only charge $4 to ship all of the parts you order.

[CBR400RR]

Nice setup.