Although this article focuses on improvements to my QB/XS 7 co2 gun, the information will most likely transfer directly to most basic co2 rifles. The QB 78 is a good out-of-the-box pistol and the one I currently own and use. I’ve only made three mods to my QB since new:

1) I adjusted the trigger, which is an easy job for anyone who can handle a screwdriver and doesn’t need extra parts to make a big improvement. A further improvement could be gained by adding a few shims to each side of the trigger to stop slope, which is quite noticeable, though I haven’t bothered with this yet. Trigger feel is now smooth and sure, whereas before it was clearly choppy, making it hard to tell when the weapon was going to fire.

2) I improved the stock by adding some height to the comb to make the gun more comfortable and improve my accuracy, especially when using scopes. This was a more complex job, though easy enough for anyone with some basic carpentry skills and access to a table saw or more skilled at hand sawing than I am!

3) Added an adjustable butt plate/pad. This was an easy job with some filing down of the new butt plate and just screwing it into the position that works best for the shooter.

These measures have greatly improved its performance and feel.

Advantages and disadvantages of co2 pistols compared to other types of air guns

One of the biggest advantages of co2 air guns it’s their relatively low cost compared to comparable springs, and even more so to preloaded PCP pistols. CO2 pistols will give you the recoilless action of a PCP, which is a huge advantage over spring pistols in terms of accuracy, especially for less experienced air shooters. They are also usually reasonably easy to tune in, as in the case of the QB.

Wanting a cheap but powerful and accurate gun for hunting and never really mastering spring-loaded aiming is what drew me to these guns in the first place. I had been using an ASI Magnum spring-loaded pistol, which was a great pistol for the money, although I had been used to using a Sharp Innova pump tire beforehand and found it much easier to hit my target. However, I was sick of pumping out every shot and since UK gun laws had changed to legalize CO2 pistols, I decided to give one a try.

The disadvantages I found that there is a considerable power drop once the powerlet starts to drain. I’ve found that I get about 80-90 shots out of a powerlet, but only the first 50-60 are consistent. With the QB it is necessary to shoot the excess co2 before changing the powerlets. This can be done without loading buckshot into the gun, but it is labor intensive. Unscrewing the tube cap before the powerlets are empty (the QB takes 2 powerlets at a time) can damage the seals. CO2 pistols are also subject to a loss of power as the temperature drops. This is most noticeable below 5 degrees C.

In conclusion, co2 power has a huge advantage over spring pistols in terms of recoil and can therefore be more accurate. There are good off-the-shelf pistols that do great with minimal work. The energy drop when empty powerlets can make reloading them laborious and they are negatively affected by cold weather, however as an entry level weapon they have some great advantages as well as being a lot of fun!