Did a Steyr LP50 help your timed/rapid shooting?

I realize air pistols in general can help your fundamentals, I've got a Steyr Evo 10 that I've used quite a bit during the winter months in my basement.

I've seen several people with LP 50's and have always wondered how well they translate into real bullseye shooting due to the extremely low recoil. Obviously it would be fun to have. I could literally shoot 900's or even a 2700 in my basement even have a turning target with commands. Would make for a fun Sunday afternoon but curious how much benefit I would see.

Shot one today!  I like it and super accurate, more than I ever could be.  I would see it as a plus for timed and rapid.

Scary, I’m also considering the same!

Too bad they cost $1650 from Krale, that's where I bought my Evo10. I think the only US dealer is Pilk and he's about $500 more and he only includes 1 cylinder where Krale gives you 2, the extra cylinder is about $200 I think. Then I live in TN which has almost 10% sales tax so there's another $200. So Krale would save almost a grand. To bad loading the LP50 for single shots is kind of lame as I could almost just go with the LP50 and sell the Evo. Shot a 570 with the Evo using a dot so will have a hard time parting with it.

I had one, liked it, but got bored with it.  It seemed to have helped at the time and it was something to do at night in the winter. There is no recoil so rapid fire takes like 3 seconds.

I bought one for sustained fire practice.  I have the heavy trigger kit in it set to 3.5lb roll that feels just like my KC triggers, also a 1911 grip and optic mount.  My only complaint, I was going through a ton of targets.  Fixed that when I found a smoking deal on a SIUS eTarget.

Definitely helped my timed and rapid fire scores.  It's great to be able to go downstairs and practice or train any time day or night.  Even though I have a great indoor range close it still takes up 45 min just to get there and back - that's 45min I could have been shooting on my air pistol range at home.
- Dave

Great practice for rimfire.  Nothing like a .45.  But neither is a .22.  I have had the LP50 for a year and I think its another tool that can be very useful.  Lots of tools, lots of ways to practice, nothing better than the real thing.  But I can't shoot a .45 in my basement, and I'd be lucky to practice 2x per week if I couldn't shoot the LP50 in my garage.  With the Steyr I can practice whenever I want.  Six targets today so far.  Dave's mention of the heavy trigger kit makes me even more excited.

Are you guys running the full size version or the compact model? My Evo is full size and I handle it well, I shot a 571 with it tonight. I'm tempted to get the full size so it's a seamless transition from pistol to pistol especially if I'm running 900/2700 simulated matches.

Zane - I have the full size version but chose it for winter use in air-pistol competition (irons only) and thought the longer sight radius would be useful.  I haven't tried the compact. Cliff.

Not being critical, but curious why do you think loading the LP50 with single shots is lame? Or required?  You likely don't load slow-fire rimfire one shot at a time?  Steyr makes a one-shot mag for LP50, but the 5 shot can be loaded with one pellet just as easily.  Compared to my one-shot pistols, the Steyr one- or five shot mag is more certain to get the pellet pointing the right way than either my fat fingers OR the pellet pen.  Dropping a pellet into the single-shot chamber/tray and having it flip end over end before disappearing into the chamber hasn't happened to you?

Zane...any choice yet.  I’m so on the fence between compact and longer version.  Compact would seem more in line with sight radius that we use in BE

Still not sure. I would probably go with a red dot anyway so sight radius isn't a issue. Might go long so it matches my Evo.

The more I think about it I don't think the LP50 would be bad for slow fire. Just load 5 like you would in a BE match and shoot your 10 shots in 2 magazines. I wonder what the accuracy of the LP50 is compared to an Evo10, since I can shoot over 570 with a red dot it may make a difference.

I could honestly sell my Evo and get an LP50 to shoot a whole match with one pistol complete with slow fire, rapid and timed fire.

zanemoseley wrote:Are you guys running the full size version or the compact model? My Evo is full size and I handle it well, I shot a 571 with it tonight. I'm tempted to get the full size so it's a seamless transition from pistol to pistol especially if I'm running 900/2700 simulated matches.

Full size, I was looking at getting a new Compact and scored a screaming deal on a used full size.  No regrets!
- Dave

dronning wrote:

zanemoseley wrote:Are you guys running the full size version or the compact model? My Evo is full size and I handle it well, I shot a 571 with it tonight. I'm tempted to get the full size so it's a seamless transition from pistol to pistol especially if I'm running 900/2700 simulated matches.

Full size, I was looking at getting a new Compact and scored a screaming deal on a used full size.  No regrets!
- Dave

This brings up a good point.  What’s a screaming good deal?  Best I can do so far is 1300 ish. Seems fair

Zane:  it’s accurate enough to shoot 570s.  I think the NRA is losing out by not having dots in air pistol. Here a a couple of targets shot at 10m.

Wobbley wrote:
Zane:  it’s accurate enough to shoot 570s.  I think the NRA is losing out by not having dots in air pistol.  Here a a couple of targets shot at 10m.

Compact?

Yup, compact...I don’t think the longer version is being imported anymore?

Wobbley wrote:Yup, compact...I don’t think the longer version is being imported anymore?

I’m starting to think the compact is the right answer.  Almost same sight radius as a 1911

Shot a couple of 98's the other day with the Evo. I would almost wanna buy an LP50 to try before I think about selling the Evo. Maybe I just need both lol.

I had an LP50c and an IZH-46.  After a while, I sold the LP50c.

LP50 was amazing and everything you could want. Single or multiple shot, red dot, 1911 grips.  Really great, but...

IZH-46 needed no babying.  You can pick it up and shoot at any time, no need to fill a tank. It was an AP for shooting 10m, not an AP doing a bad job pretending to be a .45 at the 50-yd.

Basically shooting the IZH teaches me what can be taught by an air pistol.  The LP50 was super fun, but not a good teaching tool.  It gathered dust on the shelf, while my Izzy got used constantly.

No use keeping the LP50 to sit around when I could turn it into cash for guns and ammo.  No complaints about it at all, just seldom found it in use vs. an AP that has literally sat on my counter for six months ready to be picked up and fired within a few seconds anytime I walk past it.

The best pistol is the one you shoot the most. 

zanemoseley wrote:Still not sure. I would probably go with a red dot anyway so sight radius isn't a issue. Might go long so it matches my Evo.

The more I think about it I don't think the LP50 would be bad for slow fire. Just load 5 like you would in a BE match and shoot your 10 shots in 2 magazines. I wonder what the accuracy of the LP50 is compared to an Evo10, since I can shoot over 570 with a red dot it may make a difference.

I could honestly sell my Evo and get an LP50 to shoot a whole match with one pistol complete with slow fire, rapid and timed fire.

I have a Steyr LP50C and a LP10E. As far as accuracy both have almost identical test targets included in the manuals and I have shot the same scores in competition (mid 530s). I use a single shot magazine for Air Pistol competition as the match director sticks to ISSF rules for loading. The single shot magazine is easy to use as after shooting it sticks out for loading but doesn't need to be removed from the pistol unless you need to stick an empty chamber indicator into the magazine well. I bring it to matches as a loaner for new shooters or I use it over the LP10E sometimes if I haven't been practicing as it is more relaxing to shoot. The LP10E gets more tens but also more sevens than the easier to shoot LP50C. 

I love the LP50C for being able to go to my basement 10 meter range after work and practice Ed Hall's Progressive Drill. We try to have a monthly AP60 match a little south of Atlanta every month. We run qualifying and then a final. Art Rozier got us into running a final as having a shoot off really gets the nerves tingling. Good times.

Also, I have Steyr Weaver mounts on my LP50C and will sometimes mount an Ultradot for practice or for new shooters to use to learn the fundamentals.

Also Also: The compact cylinder on the more air hungry LP50C will last for sighters (usually I shoot ~ 10 to 15), qualification and then all of the final. About 100 shots. I've never gotten too low on air in a match so far.

See also https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t10466-steyr-lp50#90922 and https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t7515-anyone-practice-timed-rapid-fire-with-a-lp50#61321