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Posts Tagged 'Hop-Up'
Tanfoglio Gold Custom Eric Grauffel CO2 blowback airsoft kit: Part 4
by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
The Tanfoglio Gold Custom Eric Grauffel pistol is a competition airsoft gun in a box!
Today is the day we adjust the BAXS in the Tanfoglio Gold Custom CO2 blowback airsoft kit gun to see how it affects the gun's ablity to group. Remember, the BAXS is another form of hop-up, which is the generic name for a rubber bumper that puts a backspin on the airsoft BB as it exits the bore. That causes the BB to fly straighter and farther than it would if it were not spinning, or if it were allowed to spin randomly.
So, the first thing to do is to get to the BAXS adjustment wheel, which is located deep inside the gun's slide. The gun must be partially disassembled, and therein lies a problem. The manual is poorly written and illustrated with confusing small photos that don't depict what you actually must do.
To remove the slide of this pistol, the slide stop, or what the manual called the slide stopper, must first be removed. There are 2 different things that must be done precisely to get the slide stop out, and the manual doesn't cover them. First, the slide has to be pushed back only about a quarter inch to release the slide stop. If you see the rear of the barrel dive down as you push the slide back, it's moved too far. Second, there's a very small clearance hole for the large end of the slide stop on the left side of the frame. Once again, pushing the slide too far back will cause the stop to pass this clearance hole, and the slide stop cannot be removed from the gun.
Of course, you don't find out any of this until the slide is off the gun, which is too late. And the instructions are one sentence long. If you don't know how to remove the slide, the instructions will not help you!
The slide must be removed to adjust the BAXS wheel.
Once the slide is off, the BAXS adjustment wheel is located on the underside of the slide and barrel assembly. It's a small plastic wheel that's turned by a small thin blade, such as a tiny screwdriver. A pin in the wheel limits its travel to less than half a turn, so the amount of adjustment is small. But if the gun was designed right and manufactured carefully, it should be enough to make a difference.
The BAXS wheel is turned to adjust the amount of backspin put on the BB. The adjustment is limited to less than half a rotation of the wheel.
I noted where the adjustment wheel was when the gun was disassembled. It was close to one end, so I moved it to the other extreme end. If there was going to be a difference, I wanted it to be immediate and visible. And it was — as I will now show you.
I decided to begin with the Air Venturi Pro CQBBs that weigh 0.25 grams because they were the most accurate in the previous test. When you adjust something as finicky as hop-up, stick to one BB whose performance you know. To do otherwise would just waste your time because you would never know if it was the particular BB or the gun's adjustment that was right or wrong.
I shot a lot of targets in this test, but I'm not going to show you all of them. For the first couple, I was just getting the BBs back on target at 10 meters. The BAXS adjustment moved the point of impact several inches higher than it was the last time. But as I adjusted the dot sight and brought them back down onto the paper, I noticed something. They all tended to be strung out vertically, but were very tight horizontally. And each target, of 5 that I shot, had 4 BBs tight together and one that was apart from the group — a flier. Only there was no reason for the flier that I could see.
So, there were 4 BBs grouped together and the fifth BB would be more than one inch away from the main group. I adjusted the BAXS a couple times to correct this, but it persisted with this BB.
This 5-shot group measures 3.197 inches, but the lone shot at the bottom opens it up by more than one inch. Notice how narrow the group is.
Another 5-shot group of 0.20-gram Air Venturi CQBBs is also tall and even narrower. This time, 4 BBs went into 1.08 inches, and the fifth shot opened the group to 2.26 inches.
There were 3 more groups just like these, and then I decided to switch BBs. The next BB I tried was the 0.20-gram Marui Black that Pyramyd Air does not stock. Being lighter, these BBs went faster than the others. The first group was really tight.
Here are 5 shots in 0.847 inches at 10 meters. The Tanfoglio seems to like the 0.20-gram Marui Black BBs. This is what a good airsoft pistol can do at 10 meters.
Alas, I was unable to repeat that group. The next group was 10 Marui BBs instead of 5, and this one spread out to 2.041 inches.
Ten Marui Black BBs spread out to a much larger group that measured 2.041 inches between centers.
I tried several more times to shoot good 5-shot groups with the Maruis, but no luck. They all turned out like the 10-shot group shown above.
Let sanity prevail
This gun was never intended to be a 10-meter pistol. It's supposed to be a rapid-fire action pistol that can compete in action target matches. Those targets are much larger than the ones seen here, and the BBs only have to hit a large center area to score their highest. I think they can do that without a problem.
What I've just shown you is how an adjustable hop-up, or BAXS in this instance, affects the grouping ability of an airsoft gun. If you compare these groups to those fired in the previous test, you'll see how much improvement was achieved.
Bottom line
The Tanfoglio Gold Custom Eric Grauffel CO2 blowback airsoft pistol is a high-end, factory-made competition gun. It has a wonderful trigger, great blowback action and is very capable of competing, as long as a quality dot sight is mounted. For coming right out of the box at this level of performance, I doubt you can find anything better.
Just remember, the factory owner's manual is spotty and somewhat misleading. This pistol takes some getting used to before it can perform at its best, and that comes with time and use.
SIG Sauer P226 X5 BB pistol: Part 4
by B.B. Pelletier
The SIG Sauer P226 X-5 Open combo BB pistol comes as an adjustable-sight version for just a few dollars more than the same gun with fixed sights.
This is an extended report to cover the use of 4.4mm lead balls in the SIG Sauer P225 X5 Open combo pistol. I don't know if you caught it, but while writing Part 3 we discovered that this pistol is also called the Open model here in the U.S., as it is elsewhere in the world. That has been corrected on the website and we will now refer to this model as the Open combo. It's also called the X-FIVE and not X-5 or X5. However, that would involve correcting a whole bunch of links, and we've opted to not make those changes at this time.
I mentioned in the comments on Part 3 that I'd forgotten to test the pistol with 4.4mm lead balls, as I'd promised, so today's report will cover that. However, while researching the material for today, I discovered some other related things that you may be interested in.
Why 4.4mm and why lead?
The reader who asked for this report shoots in his garage and wants to reduce the BB bounceback problem. Lead balls will certainly do that, but not all BB pistols are able to shoot lead. Some guns rely on the magnetic properties of the steel BB to hold it in place during the firing sequence, but this pistol isn't one of them. It looked like it would handle lead shot just fine.
Another time we use a lead ball instead of a steel BB is when the barrel is rifled. The Russians did that with their Makarov BB pistol; and after I saw the rifling, I tested it with lead. EAA, the importer of the gun at the time (Pyramyd Air now imports all IZH-Baikal airguns directly from the manufacturer), was very adamant about not using lead balls when I reported it back in the late '90s. They went to great lengths to disparage what I said about using lead balls in IZH BB guns with rifled barrels, claiming that the manufacturer expressly instructed them to advise using steel BBs exclusively. When I went to IWA (the European SHOT Show) in 2006 and spoke directly to the IZH engineers, they acknowledged that their rifled bores did work best with lead, even though they also worked well with steel.
Size matters, too
Another thing that enters into this discussion is the diameter of the ball. A steel BB these days measures around 0.171″ to 0.173″ in diameter. The Daisy zinc-plated BBs I used to test this pistol for accuracy in Part 3 measure 0.172″. They're very uniform, which contrasts sharply with BBs of the past.
Lead balls that are 4.4mm should measure 0.173″ in diameter, so they would be one-thousandth larger than the Daisy BBs I just mentioned. And this, my friends, is why it helps to understand a little of the firearms world; because in a firearm that uses lead bullets, you usually want the ball or bullet to be at least the diameter of the grooves or one-thousandth of an inch larger. There are exceptions to that rule, of course, but I'm not going there today.
Putting it simply, a 4.4mm (0.173″) lead ball should fit the bore of a given gun better than a BB that measures 0.172 inches. If the bore of the gun is very tight, the larger ball can cause problems since CO2 guns do not have the same level of propulsive force as firearms. There are limits to what they'll shoot.
I know that most BB guns are smoothbores. This one certainly is. And I also know that the bores of these guns are slightly oversized to cut down on jams. You could live a lifetime and never see a BB get stuck in the bore of a BB gun if you live in the U.S. and use Daisy, RWS or Crosman BBs; but there are other places in the world where the tolerances of BBs are not held as tight, and you get them both oversized and undersized. Manufacturers allow for this by making their smoothbore barrels just a trifle larger on the inside.
In a nutshell, those are the considerations I took into account when deciding to test this pistol with 4.4mm lead balls.
Not all balls are the same
Sometimes I get surprised in the strangest ways. I already had a lifetime supply of 4.4mm lead balls that I purchased back when the Haenel 310 trainers were coming into this country in the mid-1990s. I wanted to make sure at that time that I wouldn't be cut off, so I went a little overboard and bought a case of ammunition. Let's call that 50,000 balls.
A few years ago, while walking the aisles of an airgun show, I saw some tubes of generic 4.4mm lead balls for sale. I picked up a couple tubes for various reasons, including today's test. Little did I know until this very day, though, that those balls are not 4.4mm, but rather 4.25mm and rather slipshod at that!
Who cares? Well, 4.25mm to 4.3mm (if that is what they really are) measures 0.167″-0.169″ in diameter. Not only are these lead balls undersized, based on what I was told when I bought them, they're also quite variable, which is the kiss of death if you want to hit anything.
The 4.4mm lead balls I bought at an airgun show (top) are actually a lot smaller than advertised. They're really 4.25-4.3mm. Bottom picture is a copper-plated 4.4mm ball from the Czech Republic — and it's right on the money.
The test
The test was 10 shots from 25 feet with a strong-side barricade hold. I'm grabbing the door jamb and using my left arm to support and steady my shooting hand. It's the most accurate hold I can use for this test.
The eyes have it
One more variable was my eyes. Just the day before I tested this pistol I was at the rifle range with Mac and another friend trying out some different guns. Mac had just cleaned my clock by shooting a half-inch five-shot group of .17 HM2 from a single shot target rifle at 50 yards. I shot the same rounds from the same rifle into just over an inch.
My other friend suggested I put on my bifocals so I could see the front sight of the O3-A3 Springfield battle rifle I was about to shoot. I did and proceeded to shoot five .30-06 rounds into a group measuring 0.49 inches. I used the regular combat sights that came with the rifle and shot factory 150-grain Federal ammunition. This is the best open-sight group I have shot at 50 yards in many years, and it cemented in my mind the need to wear my glasses whenever I shoot with open sights.
The smaller group of five rounds (excluding the separate shot above the group) was fired from an 03A3 Springfield rifle at 50 yards with issue sights while wearing my glasses. The lone hole was the first shot, taken with the rifle's front sight protector still on the sight. It hid the target so I had to guess where it was. The six holes in the bull were shot with peep sights on a .17 HM2, but I wasn't wearing glasses.
For today's pistol test, I shot the first 10 shots wearing my glasses. The results were not any better than what you saw in Part 3 with steel BBs.
Shooting the P226 X5 with glasses made the front sight fuzzy. The 25-foot group wasn't a good one.
After seeing the group shot with glasses, I knew something was wrong. The front sight simply was not clear at arm's length. I took off the specs and just used plain safety glasses for the next group. The results speak for themselves.
Without glasses, the front sight sharpened considerably, tightening the group. However, regular steel BBs made even better groups in this pistol.
This SIG Sauer BB pistol continues to delight me. This time, I learned a very important thing — don't trust that something is what it is represented to be. If it's ammunition, measure it.
This pistol offers the most realistic training of any air or BB pistol I've tested. While there's always some training value for firearms with any airgun, with this one there's quite a lot. This is an airgun I would recommend to my friends.
SIG Sauer P226 X5 BB pistol: Part 3
by B.B. Pelletier
Announcement: If you've been waiting for the Mendoza diopter sight to come back in stock, your wait is over!
The SIG Sauer P226 X-5 combo BB pistol comes as an adjustable-sight version for just a few dollars more than the same gun with fixed sights.
Today is accuracy day for the SIG Sauer P225 X5 combo BB pistol, and it's a big day, indeed, for this is a gun that was recommended by several readers — starting with Rob from Canada.
I was told three things about this air pistol. First, that it's extremely accurate. Second, that it's very loud; and third, that it has the greatest amount of blowback-simulated recoil of any BB pistol around.
I was further directed to specifically test the pistol that Pyramyd Air refers to as the P226 X5 combo, but which we know in Canada is called the Open pistol. That differentiates it from the standard version of the P225 X5 pistol, because that one lacks the compensator, the optical sight base and, most importantly, the adjustable sights.
Noise is about average
On the discharge sound question, my judgement is that this pistol sounds about the same as every other CO2 pistol in its power class. It might sound loud to someone who has nothing to compare it to, but I actually found it to be a reasonably quiet air pistol for a gas-powered gun.
Recoil is not the hardest
In the recoil test, the SIG Sauer P226 X5 doesn't blow back as hard as the GSG 92 BB pistol. It does recoil, and the effect is realistic, but it does not have the most blowback I've seen in a gun of this class.
Accuracy is great
However, in a wonderful twist from the norm, the test pistol turned out to, indeed, be an extremely accurate BB pistol. It's well ahead of the GSG 92, the Tanfoglio Witness 1911 pistol and the SIG Sauer SP 2022, which were all fine handguns.
It does not shoot better than the Umarex Makarov, however. I had to test that after seeing how well this pistol shot, and it did about as well. I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are the results.
First at 15 feet
The first test was offhand at 15 feet, just to see where the gun was shooting. I only shot five and then checked the target to see what kind of sight adjustments were needed. The first group was relatively in line with the center of the bull and hitting just below the point of aim. I used a 6 o'clock hold, so that put the shots below the bull. Nine clicks of elevation raised the point of impact about a half-inch.
The first five shots went low, then nine clicks up on the rear sight produced the second group of five. All shots offhand at 15 feet.
After the first two groups of five, I shot 10 offhand at 15 feet. The sights were raised another 6-7 clicks, or so. This group was also impressive and centered up a little higher on the target.
Ten shots at 15 feet were impressive. The rear sight was adjusted up for this target, as well.
This was impressive, because I was shooting offhand with a pistol for the first time in 18 months. The trigger is as nice on this BB pistol as the one on my Taurus PT1911 .45. Now, I was reasonably certain that Rob was right about the accuracy. I backed up to 25 feet and shot some more.
At 25 feet
Twenty-five feet was where Rob said he shot his pistol, and I was curious if it could shoot that far with reasonable accuracy. The first two 10-shot groups were pretty bad, and I was about to give up on the gun, but then I got out the Umarex Makarov to check myself.
At 25 feet I shot from a strong-side barricade position, and the Makarov front sight is so thin that I was seeing it as multiple images in my glasses. When I took them off, the image sharpened and the group tightened, so I went back and tried the SIG again without the glasses. This time it shot about as well as the Makarov, which is pretty good for a BB pistol.
Back at 25 feet, ten shots from a strong-side barricade position with the P226 went into a decent group.
The two shots low and to the right were made while wearing glasses. The rest were with the glasses off. Ten shots at 25 feet from an Umarex Makarov, also shot from a strong-side barricade.
But the SIG has a couple things going for it that the Mak doesn't. First, because it has blowback, you always shoot single-action, and the trigger pull is far better. Of course, you can shoot the SIG double-action on the first shot, but why would you want to? The single-action trigger is so much nicer. You can manually cock the Mak hammer, which I did, but the SIG in single0-action still has the better trigger. Second, the SIG has adjustable sights. You can move the shot group anywhere you want within reason.
The bottom line
I'm going out on a limb and saying that this SIG Sauer P226 X5 combo pistol is such a fine shooter that you can even get maximum training effect for firearms from it. Of all the handguns I own, only a couple have better triggers than this one. Everything you need to do to shoot well, you can practice with this BB pistol. I'm going to add it to my Tom's Picks page, because I think it's a world-beater.
I got about 30 reliable shots per CO2 cartridge during this test. You would get a few more if you were just plinking, but there aren't 40 shots available when the target is important.
Edith noticed how enthusiastic I seemed to be when testing this air pistol. It's always a pleasure to test something that works as advertised and maybe even better than you thought it would. My thanks to Rob and others who asked for this test.
SIG Sauer P226 X5 BB pistol: Part 2
by B.B. Pelletier
The SIG Sauer P226 X-5 combo BB pistol comes as an adjustable-sight version for just a few dollars more than the same gun with fixed sights.
Today, I'm testing the velocity of this SIG Sauer P226 X5 combo BB pistol. There are several claims about this pistol that I was encouraged to check in my testing. I'll hit all of them as I go through the gun for you, and perhaps I'll bring in a few questions of my own.
Discharge noise
The first claim that some owners of the pistol had was it is very loud. I read that from a lot of test reports and owner reviews, so I was curious to see for myself.
In my opinion, this CO2 pistol is no louder than any other CO2 BB pistol of similar power. I just finished testing the GSG 92 a couple weeks ago, and it's certainly every bit as loud as this one. That left me puzzled as to why so many reports of the gun's loudness appear on the internet. It's true that I'm older and have lost some of my hearing sensitivity, so perhaps there's something in that. I remember many years ago when Jim Maccari said that gas spring guns all had a crack to their report that I was absolutely unable to hear. So, I conducted a small comparison test between the SIG Sauer P226 X5 and an Umarex Makarov.
To my ears, the guns were equally loud. The Makarov has a deeper report, probably because it lacks the blowback feature, so I can hear a difference in the reports, but one gun seems just as loud as the other.
At any rate, the SIG P226 X5 is not a loud air pistol, in my opinion, and I'm going to advise Pyramyd Air to change the noise rating from four down to three. Now, don't misunderstand what I'm saying. This pistol does make noise when it shoots. I'm just saying that it is no louder than any other CO2 pistol of similar power.
Lead balls?
Blog reader Jim asked if the pistol could use lead balls and how they might affect the performance. I normally don't shoot lead in BB guns unless there's a compelling reason to do so, such as the gun has a rifled barrel or, in the case of antique guns, a larger bore. Then, I'll try lead balls instead of steel BBs. Fortunately, I've also collected and shot zimmerstutzens over the years, and I have a small stash of lead balls in some of the 30 different sizes they once came in. So, I can pick and choose my sizes to a certain extent.
The smallest balls I have available are 4.3mm in size, which is the No. 7 on the new ball size chart for zimmerstutzens. If you're interested in learning more about zimmerstutzen rifles, I wrote a large article about them for the 1998 edition of Airgun Revue. You can read that article here. This ball converts to 0.1693 inches in diameter, and it weighs 7.2 grains.
Here are two sizes of lead balls I tried in the SIG Sauer P226 X5 pistol. The 4.3mm balls (left) are for zimmerstutzen rifles. The 4.4mm copper-plated balls are for various vintage BB guns that use lead balls…like the Haenel 310 and others.
The next convenient ball size I have are 4.4mm copper-plated lead balls that I bought in bulk many years ago so I'd have a lifetime supply for my Haenel 310 rifle. They also work well in the Mars-series of smoothbore BB guns, as well as the very fine Czech VZ 35 and VZ 49 bolt-action BB rifles. These are 0.1732 inches in diameter and weigh an average of 7.70 grains. They're the balls I often use in older (1910-1925) Daisy BB guns that were made to shoot air rifle shot of 0.175 inches.
But this pistol doesn't have a rifled barrel or an odd-sized bore, so why is Jim interested in shooting lead balls in it? Well, he shoots in his garage and he wants to avoid bounceback, which steel BBs are noted for. After examining the magazine and determining that it will feed the lead balls properly, I conducted a small test to see if they would work. Both sizes worked fine and I will report the results after the steel BB velocities.
Velocity test
I tested the gun with Daisy zinc-plated BBs only because extensive testing has proven them to be the most uniform and the largest BBs on the market today. Both uniformity and diameter are important to accuracy and velocity in smoothbore guns.
Thirteen BBs averaged 345 f.p.s. on a fresh CO2 cartridge. The range of velocity was larger — from a high (first shot) of 376 to a low (10th shot) of 321 f.p.s. This is way above the advertised velocity of just 300 f.p.s., which is something I also experienced with the GSG 92 pistol a couple weeks ago. These pistols are being reported by their manufacturers at lower power than they really have, for some reason. The muzzle energy of the average velocity is 1.35 foot-pounds. [Edith changed the Pyramyd Air page so it now shows 376 f.p.s.]
The 4.3mm lead balls I only shot three times, just to test the feeding. They went 324 f.p.s., 294 and 303 f.p.s. Let's say they average 308 f.p.s. That gives us an average muzzle energy of 1.52 foot-pounds.
The 4.4mm balls I also shot just three times and they functioned perfectly. They went 295, 288 and 303 f.p.s. The average is 295 f.p.s. and the muzzle energy works out to 1.49 foot-pounds.
This pistol has blowback and the slide is metal, so the impulse ought to be substantial. I can't say that it is, however. You do feel it, but not as readily as the GSG 92, which seems to jump a lot more. Maybe that impression will change once I shoot the gun for accuracy because that's when I really noticed the GSG 92′s recoil for the first time.
As far as I am able to determine, the compensator does nothing. It's just there for looks. That could be misleading, though. If the compensator works as it should, it could explain why I think the recoil is lower than it should be. The comp may be holding the gun's muzzle down when it fires.
The trigger continues to be delightful. It's a two-stage unit with a definite stop at stage two. Then the stage-two pull-through is long, and you can feel the blade move, but it's free from creep. Creep is the sticky start-stop movement some triggers have. It's not a target trigger, but rather a good fast-action trigger that seems in keeping with the rest of the gun.
Performance to this point
Thus far I would say I'm still impressed by this pistol. While it isn't as loud as some folks said, I don't see that as a bad thing. And although the blowback recoil isn't as prevalent as that of the GSG 92, it does recoil some and does represent the realistic feel of a small-caliber firearm. And that's all I think blowback has to do, besides cocking the hammer.
It's accuracy that I am most interested in, after hearing all the reports. That test will be next, and I'm eagerly awaiting it.
SIG Sauer P226 X5 BB pistol: Part 1
by B.B. Pelletier
The SIG Sauer P226 X-5 combo BB pistol comes as an adjustable-sight version for just a few dollars more than the same gun with fixed sights.
Blog reader Rob was the instigator of this test of the SIG Sauer P226 X5 BB pistol. He commented in the second report on the GSG 92 that this pistol was superior in all ways and asked me to test it. He elaborated to say that he shot his pistol at 25 feet instead of the recommended (for BB pistols) 15 feet.
Rob is from Canada, where this pistol is also called the Open. That name does not carry over to the guns being sold in the U.S., but Rob assured me that the gun under test today is the one he is talking about.
Well, I'm a sucker for an accurate gun of almost any kind, so I took him at his word and today I'll begin the test. I'm skeptical about the claimed accuracy but will be delighted to be proved wrong, as the world always has room for more accurate guns.
I read the owner reports on the gun, and one of them said he had heard that the compensator was supposed to be removable (the Pyramyd Air website makes no mention of that, so I suppose he read it elsewhere), but he could not figure out how to remove it. Well, I had it off within one minute of opening the box. It's held in place by a simple Allen screw in the bottom. Once off, though, it reveals an ugly threaded adapter that I don't want to show, so I installed the comp again.
The compensator does come off easily, though I don't know why you would want to take it off. The sight rail comes in the package with two Allen wrenches to install it.
No Hop-Up
Pyramyd Air warns that the owner's manual says the gun has a BAX Hop-Up adjustment and it doesn't. This is one more case of an airsoft maker building a real BB gun that shoots steel BBs and not editing their airsoft manual. Hop-Up applies only to airsoft guns that shoot balls the Asians call BBs, but which are really 6mm plastic balls. Real BB guns that shoot real steel BBs (sized 0.171-0.173 inches) do not have Hop-Up. This is confusing to buyers and new shooters who are not aware of the discrepancy, and I wish the Asian manufacturers would get it right, but I suppose that's never going to happen.
Lots of value
The best thing Rob did for me was to stress that this version of the pistol comes with a rail for optical sights, which I don't use on handguns, but he also mentioned that only this version also has the adjustable open sights. When I checked both this and what I will refer to as the standard version of the P226 X5 on the Pyramyd Air website, I was surprised to find that he's right. For just ten dollars more, you get an adjustable rear sight! The rail can be removed easily enough and, in fact, doesn't even come installed on the gun when you get it, so there are no worries about taking off parts. Just take the gun from the box and shoot it. The rear sight adjusts in both directions, and the adjustments are fine, precise little clicks. A thin-bladed screwdriver is needed for both adjustments, as the screws have very fine and shallow slots.
The trigger is something I simply cannot overlook on a gun that is supposed to be accurate. It is two-stage, with stage one being very light and ending at an almost imperceptible stage two. Stage two is also light, and you can see the trigger moving, though I can just barely feel it move with my trigger finger — and I'm used to the fine triggers on 10-meter target pistols! What I'm saying is that this is one of the finest air-pistol triggers I've ever seen — especially on a gun costing under $500.
The gun is mostly metal on the outside, with the result that the weight is quite heavy. Pyramyd Air lists it as 2.66 pounds (2 lbs., 10.56 ozs.), but I weighed mine without the sight rail and found it weighed 2 lbs. 15 ozs. That's 47 ounces, or eight ounces more than an M1911 firearm weighs! This is a heavy handgun!
The SIG dwarfs the M1911 pistol and weighs half a pound more.
All the controls work as they should, and the pistol can easily be disassembled by flipping up the disassembly latch. The safety is ambidextrous, with levers on both sides of the frame conveniently located for your thumb to operate.
The pistol disassembles like this in a few seconds.
There's blowback, which means the slide comes back to cock the hammer for the next shot and also to impart a feeling of recoil to the pistol. I'll have more to say about that in later reports.
Both the BB magazine and the CO2 cartridge that powers the gun reside in the drop-free magazine of this pistol, making it a heavy component. The mag holds 18 BBs plus the CO2 cartridge that one reviewer said gives three complete magazines of shots. That would be 54 shots (3 x 18), which is very good, considering the gas also has to operate the slide in blowback. Rob mentioned that his gun shot considerably faster than the rated velocity of 300 f.p.s., so I'll be testing for that, as well.
Everything considered, I have to say that I'm impressed with what came out of the package. But that was not the question, was it? The question was: Is this pistol really that much more accurate than the other similar BB pistols on today's market? I've provided test targets with every BB pistol I've tested to-date; and when I get a claim like Rob is making for this one, I go back and look at all the evidence. When I tested the GSG 92, I did that and found that the Umarex Makarov has been the most accurate BB pistol that I've tested to this date. Not the most realistic, perhaps, though it's pretty good there, as well, but without question the most accurate. That's the standard this BB pistol will have to better if I'm to declare it to be the most accurate BB pistol I've ever tested.
It should be an interesting test!


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Sean Chen seemed happy backstage, having successfully completed his first recital at the Cliburn competition. But that wasn't the half of it.The previous Sunday he had flown in from Paris, stopping off in New York and indulging in a burrito. The fever came that night, and other symptoms associated with food poisoning, of which the 24-year-old American had come down with a major case.Which didn't keep him from a Monday flight to Dallas, that was diverted to Houston because of weather. Chen waited out the storms on a Houston tarmac, in a middle seat. He was bedridden from his eventual arrival on Monday to Wednesday, surviving on crackers, bread, Gatorade and water."Wednesday I was feeling a little better," he said. "Thursday I could start practicing and I started eating real food."He said he was never worried the malady might keep him from the Cliburn stage."I've played when sick before," he said. "Sometimes you play better provided you can actually stand up."He is one tough guy."You've got to do it," he said.
Tim Madigan, 817-390-7544 Twitter: @tsmadigan

subset: commoncrawl


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Blackstone Group is selling a significant piece of its majority stake in Hilton Worldwide six months after the hotel chain was brought public in the biggest-ever IPO for a US based hotel company. Bloomberg reported: Hilton registered to sell 90 million shares on Blackstones behalf, according to a filing today from the McLean, Virginia-based hotel operator. The worlds largest lodging company by market value has climbed 17 percent since raising $2.35 billion in its Dec. 11 IPO. The underwriters will be allowed to buy another 13.5 million shares if they sell the initial amount. Blackstone is taking advantage of stocks at record highs to start to return money from its largest-ever investment by the amount of equity staked. The New York-based firms $26 billion purchase of Hilton in 2007 came at the tail end of the buyout boom. Since then, the rebound in capital markets and the travel industry has catapulted the deal to be among the most profitable private-equity acquisitions of all time. (Source)
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On a unanimous voice vote, the Coeur d'Alene City Council approved Councilman Mike Kennedy's resolution not to use bonds, increased property taxes, or new levies to pay for $23M to $40M in changes to McEuen Field. In a prepared statement, Kennedy noted that a City Council can't bind future councils in terms of funding. He called for funding sources for park improvements to come from, among other things, the urban renewal district, grants, parks capital improvement fund, private donations, service clubs and community groups, in-kind contributions. He expressly resolved that funding not come from general obligation bonds, property taxes above those proportionately allocated for parks, and new levies for maintenance and construction of the park.
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90 Goblin Hunter
Looking for a really solid group to go for Golds in Challenge Modes. I have a few ideas for a solid team composition and why, looking for other interested players though. I've played since Beta raiding on every class excluding DK, Warlock, Mage, Monk. 5 Mans are my favorite by far.
I don't mind swapping Alliance or Server for that matter to work with a group to push the top Rankings in these.
90 Blood Elf Warlock
Competent player, very interested in this.
Threats of violence. We take these seriously and will alert the proper authorities.
Posts containing personal information about other players. This includes physical addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and inappropriate photos and/or videos.
Harassing or discriminatory language. This will not be tolerated.


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The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (via whatalovelythought)
Don't marry a man unless you would be proud to have a son exactly like him.
Unknown (via lovedye)
I let it go. It's like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let go, and the river brings you home.
Joanne Harris, Five Quarters of the Orange (via likeafieldmouse)
There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.
Don Miguel Ruiz (via wendesgray)
Wish I knew that feeling.
1. Don't ever tell anyone they look tired.
2. Help people, and if you offer to help someone, follow though.
3. Be kind to people who work in retail and food service.
4. Let someone know you're not interested.
5. Actually "hang out sometime."
6. Be a little more honest.
7. Stop calling each other mean names on the internet.
8. Send more letters (not emails) and gifts.
9. Give more genuine complements.
10. Have more patience while waiting in lines.
10 Little Things We Can Do To Make Life Easier For Each Other, Almie Rose (via 09412)
Some people turn sad awfully young. No special reason, it seems, but they seem almost to be born that way. They bruise easier, tire faster, cry quicker, remember longer.
Ray Bradbury. (via sordidlullaby)


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In this section you will find some important texts that may help you understand better the life of Saint Francis and his order, they will also conjure up the special spirituality the Friars experience every day in the Holy Land.
Franciscan Texts
Franciscan prayers
Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary S. Ann: 9:00 Solemn Mass
Exaltation of the Cross. Calvary: 10.30 Mass (Vicar CTS)
The Stigmata of St. Francis. Acri: 18.00 Mass
26th sun. in ordinary time Emmaus: 10.30 Mass (Custos)


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Rick Porcello stellar and Ryan Strieby homers as Tigers fall to Orioles
Jim Leyland: Tigers in the market for relief help
Fu-Te Ni is a Mud Hen, he's been optioned to Toledo. No word who gets the call up for Friday.
Does Fu-Te Ni need a trip to Toledo or does manager Jim Leyland need to start using him smarter?
The Tigers were bound to lose anyway, but let's examine the ninth inning a bit closer.
When: 1:05 p.m.Where: Smith Stadium, SarasotaMedia: Gameday audio, O's feed Tigers lineup: 1. Austin Jackson CF 2. Johnny Damon LF 3. Magglio Ordonez RF 4. Miguel Cabrera 1B 5. Carlos Guillen DH 6....
Is a loss even worse when the team you're rooting teases with a comeback, only to fall apart at the end? The Tigers cut a four-run lead to one, thanks to a two-run shot from Miguel Cabrera. But F...
A trip around the Detroit Tigers news cycle and blogosphere, including a night with Fox Sports Detroit, many mid-season awards, Fu-Te Ni's acclimation, and AL MVP candidates.
In his second major league start, Luke French out-dueled Zack Greinke, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 3-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.
New Arms of the Week - Fu-Te Ni and Clayton Mortensen
Whether it was 14 strikeouts by Tigers batters or a sub-par start by Rick Porcello, it all added up to a lethargic 7-1 Detroit loss to the Oakland A's.
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I am relatively new to the world of football and have only supported Arsenal since 2010. I know that many of you here have been watching for much longer than myself and have seen Arsenal evolve throughout Wenger's tenure. Just like we heard about Özil's decision, Wenger and the way Arsenal are run is what attracted me to the club when I was trying to pick a side in the Prem. However, many people have become annoyed with the club's lack of "success" (for whichever reasons you'd believe to be true.)
I have seen many, many debates throughout different threads about the status of AFC, Wenger, lack of trophies, lack of spending, injuries, etc. but for most, it seems to be largely dependent on the teams most recent form and result. I'm genuinely curious as to what TSF as a whole thinks about Wenger and what they believe should happen.
While I obviously cannot control who votes, I would prefer this poll to be Arsenal supporters only. Supporters of other clubs are more than welcome to join the discussion as long as you adhere to TSF guidelines about acceptable behavior on our site (as many of you already do.)
If you don't see a selection in the poll that closely relates to what you believe, feel leave a comment explaining your stance.


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Peak Soil Indexes, LLC to launch Iowa Farmland Index
Peak Soil Indexes, LLC (PSI) announced the launch of its first farmland index, the "Peak Soil Iowa Cropland Value Index". The firm, whose slogan is "Democratizing Farmland," is committed to developing recognized farmland indexes that bring greater depth and liquidity to this strategic commodity.
PSI's founder and President, Paul V. Kanitra, stated that the company is responding to the needs of the investment and agricultural communities. "Farmland is no longer just soil for agrarian purposes. It has grown to be a unique asset class with attractive diversification features. Unlike other commodities, farmland is not yet intertwined with the financial marketplace. Peak Soil Indexes elevates farmland to equal status of other tradable commodities."
Kanitra adds, "PSI will construct indexes derived solely from observable, recorded value documentation, not surveys. The company believes survey pricing is subject to biases and at some point can prove to be unreliable. Real arms length transactions assure investors of accuracy. The willingness to use an index starts with market confidence in the preciseness of its design."
Kanitra has 30 years of financial industry experience. For the last five years he has worked independently on development of farmland alternative investment products. Prior to this involvement, Kanitra was the founder of Piedmont Select Properties, a micro-cap commercial real estate fund. Kanitra previously acted as an investment advisor for a global fixed income hedge fund. Earlier in his career, he managed arbitrage portfolios at ING Capital Markets, Marine Midland Bank and Metropolitan Securities in New York City.
PSI's team touts two renowned Iowa State University (ISU) faculty members. Dermot Hayes is the Pioneer Hi-Bred International Chair in Agribusiness, professor of economics, and professor of finance at ISU. He is also co-director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at ISU. Mike Duffy, Ph.D., works as an Extension Economist in farm management at ISU. He is the Director of Graduate Education in Sustainable Agriculture. Duffy is currently responsible for the annual land value survey, cost of crop production estimates, Iowa farm costs and returns publication and he is state leader for the Extension Farm Financial Planning Program.
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Newt pledged not to go negative, but in the same breath he "reserved the right to tell the truth" about the "Massachusetts Moderate." Newt speaks in incendiary tones whether he means to or not, it's just his style/nature. His biggest problem is that, without a lot of surrogates, he does not have anyone to do the dirty work at arms length. I cannot imagine after getting "Romney-boated" (Newt's term) in Iowa that Newt will play nice. It was an experiment (again, his word) that failed.
So, I would like to think it will be different this time but you're never disappointed if you expect the worst.
Agree on the religion, although Santorum and Gingrich are both Catholic. As a Catholic living in the South, I can tell you that many don't view us as Christians either. Perry has been the only one whose supporters have openly questioned Mitt's religion, and it looks like Perry may not stick around long enough to do it. But there are not a lot of LDS tabernacles down here either, so I am afraid you are correct that such an attack will come.


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Home » Opinion » Editorials
Blocking the pass: Forest society's buyout plan
Granite Staters who oppose the Northern Pass project might eventually have the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests to thank if the gargantuan electric transmission line from Canada through New Hampshire is never built.
The society announced on Monday that it has purchase-and-sales agreements with several North Country landowners who have property in the Northern Pass corridor. The group plans to buy the land, and thus block the transmission line, which would be held on towers as tall as 135 feet.
After a contentious legislative fight that involved a debate over the state's proper role in regulating such matters, the society's move is a welcome shift from politics and toward contractual problem-solving.
Northern Pass foes first sought to block the controversial project through the legislative process. They started with a bill that would have blocked Northern Pass, but with it probably lots of other worthy electricity transmission projects. Though senators were loudly denounced by some Northern Pass foes for not swiftly passing the House bill, the state wound up with a better law that prohibits the use of the state's eminent domain powers for a more narrowly defined category of transmission line projects, likely including Northern Pass.
After all of that, however, Northern Pass might still get built because the company could simply buy the land rather than have the state take it. Instead of returning to the Legislature to seek laws restraining a private business's right to enter into contracts with landowners, the forest society has sought to beat Northern Pass to the land.
That is a much more agreeable route to take. This issue is about more than just scenic views. It's also about property rights. In protecting one, we cannot forget to protect the other.
(The forest society needs to raise $2.5 million to buy the land. Those interested in donating can visit forestsociety.org.)
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GOP for legal pot? Hemignway's high helpREADER COMMENTS: 12
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Multiple reports say deal reached for Arthur T. to buy Market BasketREADER COMMENTS: 0
Backyard boulder kills Raymond homeowner
Reports: Market Basket doomsday plan would shutter 61 of 71 stores if deal not struck soon
Reports: Market Basket doomsday plan would shutter 61 of 71 stores if deal not struck soon
GOP for legal pot? Hemignway's high help
Ohio's Rob Portman: GOP can win back Senate


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Warmest day greets start of British Summer Time
Britons heralded the first day of British Summer Time by basking in the warmest temperatures of the year so far with Santon Downham in Norfolk and St James's Park in London the hottest parts of Britain, reaching 20.9C (69.6F), according to forecasters MeteoGroup.
Temperatures in parts of the country exceeded 20 Celsius (68F).
And the balmy weather is likely to remain over the coming days, said Rachel Vince, senior forecaster at MeteoGroup.
– Rachel Vince, MeteoGroup
"The mild weather looks like continuing through much of Britain through next few days. I'm not sure whether we will top 20.9C because there will be more cloud around, but we could get close or equal to that at times," said Ms Vince.
"It's a few degrees warmer that we would expect for this time of year."
Santon Downham, which is on the edge of Thetford Forest on the Suffolk-Norfolk border, was warmer than much of the Mediterranean including places like Ibiza, Naples, Rome Rhodes and even Tenerife.
The normal maximum temperature in the Anglia region in late March is 11-12°C.
The temperature reached 20°C in Cambridge and at Marham in Norfolk and most places saw a maximum of 17-19°C. Along the East coast temperatures were slightly lower with a high of 14.7°C in Cromer, Norfolk.
The weather front is being driven by hot air currently over the Low Countries, added Ms Vince.
Mild springtime temperatures are also good news for Britain's plants and animals after the wettest winter on record.
– Matthew Oates, wildlife adviser at the National Trust
"The weather owes us and nature a great spring. This warm spell is great news for butterflies as they soak up the sunshine, fluttering through gardens and parks, and brilliant for birds as they get ready for the breeding season and fill the air with sweet music. If the sunny weather continues through the week it's also good news all round for blossom on fruit trees and that classic symbol of spring, the bluebell."


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DIRECTV Super Saturday Night To Feature Multiple Grammy Award Winner JAY Z
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Invitation-Only Event Co-Hosted by Mark Cuban's AXS TV and Eli Manning To Be Held Super Bowl Weekend in DIRECTV SuperFan Stadium at Pier 40
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 15, 2014 – DIRECTV will throw the party of Super Bowl weekend, Saturday, Feb 1, when JAY Z takes the stage at DIRECTV Super Saturday Night Co-Hosted by Mark Cuban's AXS TV and Eli Manning. The invitation-only event will be held inside DIRECTV SuperFan Stadium at the Hudson River Park Pier 40.
The DIRECTV Super Bowl Eve party has become the most sought-after invitation of the weekend, as each year DIRECTV presents the music world's hottest talent including pop luminaries such as Katy Perry (2012) and Justin Timberlake (2013).
Though DIRECTV Super Saturday Night is a private event (tickets are not available for purchase), the public is invited to the Eighth Annual DIRECTV Celebrity Beach Bowl earlier in the day. Each year the Beach Bowl attracts thousands of spectators to see Hollywood's biggest stars compete against former NFL greats in a wild flag football game where anything can happen. Celebrities and athletes scheduled to take part in the game include Chrissy Teigen (Sports Illustrated Model/Television Host), Adam Pally (The Mindy Project), Shay Mitchell (Pretty Little Liars), Scott Porter (Hart of Dixie), Meghan Markle (Suits), Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl), Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries), Jaimie Alexander (Thor: The Dark World), Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie), Tom Arnold (Comedian/Actor), Tracy Morgan (Comedian/Actor), Hannah Davis (Sports Illustrated Model), Cole Hauser (Rogue), Kevin Frazier (The Insider), Rocsi Diaz (Entertainment Tonight), Artie Lange (The Artie Lange Show), Guy Fieri (Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off), NFL Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Deion Sanders and Warren Moon; LaDainian Tomlinson (New York Jets), Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons), Jesse Palmer and Amani Toomer (New York Giants) and Jon Ritchie (Oakland Raider/The Artie Lange Show).
For more information, please visit: www.directv.com/beachbowl.
About DIRECTV:
DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV) is one of the world's leading providers of digital television entertainment services delivering a premium video experience through state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming and industry leading customer service to more than 37 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its over 20 million customers access to more than 190 HD channels and Dolby-Digital® 5.1 theater-quality sound, access to exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, Emmy-award winning technology and higher customer satisfaction than the leading cable companies for 13 years running. DIRECTV Latin America, through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, leads the pay TV category in technology, programming and service, delivering an unrivaled digital television experience to more than 17 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment properties include two Regional Sports Networks (Rocky Mountain and Pittsburgh), and minority ownership interests in Root Sports Northwest and Game Show Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit http://www.directv.com
News Source : DIRECTV Super Saturday Night To Feature Multiple Grammy Award Winner JAY Z
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With all leagues in full swing, below is a one-stop shop to find out where former Tech players are or were playing professionally this year, which includes three who saw action in the majors and 18 more in the minors or independent leagues, along with links to their stat pages (click on their names).
The list is current through August 20, 2014, and will be updated throughout the summer months.
Also included on this page is a listing of the 15 former Tech players that appeared in the Major Leagues (and years in MLB), and clicking on their name will link to a stat page courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, which includes all the Major and Minor League stats for the player, as well as a number of other features.
2014 Major League Players (-)
(Seasons in MLB)
Jesse Hahn (2014-)
San Diego Padres - reassigned to Double-A San Antonio on August 19
Ben Rowen (2014-)
Texas Rangers - reassigned to Triple-A Round Rock on July 4
Joe Saunders (2005-)
Baltimore Orioles - signed on August 1 - assigned to Triple-A Norfolk
Minor League Players (21)
Current (Years at Tech)
Andrew Aizenstadt (2012)
Gateway Grizzlies – Frontier League (I)
Steve Bumbry (2007-09)
York Revolution – Atlantic League (I)
Devin Burke (2011-13)
Colorado Rockies
Modesto Nuts – California League (A+)
Eddie Campbell (2011-13)
Seattle Mariners
Clinton LumberKings – Midwest League (A)
Jesse Hahn (2008-10)
San Diego Padres
San Antonio Missions – Texas League (AA)
Made MLB debut June 3
Tyler Horan (2011-13)
San Francisco Giants
San Jose Giants – California League (A+)
Jake Joyce (2010-13)
Washington Nationals
Auburn Doubledays – New York-Penn League (A-ss)
Clark Labitan (2009-13)
Schaumburg Boomers– Frontier League (I)
Joe Mantiply (2010-13)
Detroit Tigers
Erie SeaWolves – Eastern League (AA)
Brad Markey (2013-14)
Chicago Cubs
Boise Hawks - Northwest League (A-ss)
Johnny Morales (2011-12)
River City Rascals – Frontier League (I)
Chad Pinder (2011-13)
Oakland Athletics
Stockton Ports – California League (A+)
Ben Rowen (2007-10)
Texas Rangers
Round Rock Express – Pacific Coast League (AAA)
Made MLB debut June 15
Joe Saunders (2000-02)
Baltimore Orioles
Norfolk Tides – International League (AAA)
Patrick Scoggin (2010-12)
Atlanta Braves
Danville Braves – Appalachian League (R)
Ronnie Shaban (2009-12)
St. Louis Cardinals
Palm Beach Cardinals – Florida State League (A+)
Tim Smalling (2010-11)
Colorado Rockies
Colorado Springs Sky Sox – Pacific Coast League (AAA)
Buddy Sosnoskie (2008-10)
Florence Freedom – Frontier League (I)
Austin Wates (2008-10)
Miami Marlins
New Orleans Zephyrs – Pacific Coast League (AAA)
Justin Wright (2008-10)
St. Louis Cardinals
Memphis Redbirds – Pacific Coast League (AAA)
Mark Zagunis (2012-14)
Chicago Cubs
Kane County Cougars - Midwest League (A)
Major League Baseball
Former (Seasons in MLB)
Toby Atwell (1952-56)
Kevin Barker (1999-09)
Leo Burke (1958-65)
George Canale (1989-91)
Brad Clontz (1995-00)
Buddy Dear (1927)
Brian Fitzgerald (2002)
Cloy Mattox (1929)
Johnny Oates (1970-81) - stats link
Erwin Renfer (1913)
Wally Shaner (1923-29)
Franklin Stubbs (1984-95)
Wyatt Toregas (2009-11)
Mike Williams (1992-03)
Tech's MLB Draft history – link to page
For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Baseball


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Amazon buys video game streaming company Twitch
In its second-largest acquisition, Amazon buys the company for $970 million.
Amazon buys video game streaming company Twitch
In its second-largest acquisition, Amazon buys the company for $970 million.
Newegg takes same-day delivery into its own hands
The computer and electronics e-retailer is unleashing its own fleet of delivery vehicles in Los Angeles.
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What the electronics chain loses in mobile speed it makes up for with page load perfection in the latest Keynote Mobile Commerce Performance Index.
Posted 03/27/2014Katie EvansPost a comment
Related Content:Keynote | Katie Evans | Responsive Design
Nearly three-quarters of searches on sporting goods and team apparel retail sites in advance of game day this year were on mobile devices, according to study by SLI Systems. Fans are also buying big-ticket items—like TVs and gaming consoles—from their smartphones this year, the CEO of comparison shopping site and app BuyVia says.
Posted 01/31/2014Amy DustoPost a comment
Related Content:Fanatics
Julie Bauer has also worked at Mattel and in business-to-business e-commerce.
Posted 07/29/2013Don DavisPost a comment
Consumers can purchase goods from retailers including Target and Best Buy.
Posted 07/24/2013Katie EvansPost a comment
Related Content:Customer | Urban Outfitters | American Eagle
The chain trims 1.5 seconds off its mobile site load time, but errors arise.
Posted 06/20/2013Bill SiwickiPost a comment
EBay's RedLaser app now includes local deals and in-store mapping.
Posted 04/10/2013Kevin WoodwardPost a comment
Related Content:Geofencing
Excellent mobile site shopping doesn't guarantee a repeat visit, Prosper says.
Posted 04/03/2013Bill SiwickiPost a comment
Related Content:Repeat Customer Rate | Loyalty
Best Buy reduced its mobile home page weight and realized improved performance.
Posted 03/28/2013Bill SiwickiPost a comment
Speed, navigation and checkout can be problematic, Mobiquity finds.
Posted 12/12/2012Bill SiwickiPost a comment
Consumers use Isis-ready handsets to make contactless payments.
Posted 10/23/2012Kevin WoodwardPost a comment
Related Content:Dillards


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Former Falmouth student up for Turner Prize (From Falmouth Packet)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting PKNEWS to 80360
Former Falmouth student up for Turner Prize
10:00am Tuesday 3rd June 2014 in News
For the second consecutive year, a former Falmouth student is among the nominees for the Turner Prize.
Tris Vonna-Michell completed his foundation in art and design at Falmouth College of Arts in 2002, before continuing his studies at Glasgow School of Art and the Städelschule, Frankfurt am Main.
He is nominated for his solo exhibition, Postscript II (Berlin) at Jan Mot, Brussels. His fast paced spoken word live performances and recordings are accompanied by installations.
Tris is the third former Falmouth University student to be shortlisted for the Turner Prize - Lynette Yiadom-Boakye was shortlisted in 2013 and Tacita Dean in 1998. The 2014 winner of the £25,000 prize will be announced on December 1.
Comments are closed on this article.


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Interstellar pig
Bantam, 1984 - Juvenile Fiction - 196 pages
A teenager becomes interested in a strange board game called "Interstellar Pig," the obsession of his new and unusual neighbors, and he soon stumbles into a nightmare when he discovers that the game is real.
From inside the book
7 pages matching Teon in this book
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I liked the ending the best. - Goodreads
Plot is fast and suspenseful. - Goodreads
The only outstanding thing was the irony of the ending. - Goodreads
Review: Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig #1)User Review - Kyler Place - Goodreads
Barney is not looking forward to vacation in a boring old house, with only his mom and dad around for company. But that was before he met the strange neighbors next door. Attractive, smart, and fun to ... Read full review
Review: Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig #1)User Review - Katie Kemple - Goodreads
I first read Interstellar Pig in seventh grade. Twenty years later, when a friend mentioned the book, I had an instant urge to read it again. It did not disappoint. It's a particularly well written ... Read full review
Common terms and phrases
Anne McCaffrey anyway asked Bantam Barney beach began board game breathing gear brother captain chance cottage creature cried dark David Brin disguise door dragged DRAGONDRUMS DRAGONSONG drawer equipment Ethan eyes face feel felt fifth-dimensional matrix Flaeioub flashlight floor front going hand happened Harry Harrison head hide hyperspace card inside Interstellar Pig IRSC island Ja-Ja-Bee Jrlb kind kitchen knew laughed lichen light living room looked Luap Manny's Mbridlengile minutes move Moyna neighbors never Norman Spinrad noticed picked Piggy Piggy's pink planet play players porch pulled quickly rule book science fiction scrabbling seemed ship Sleator smile sound species STAINLESS STEEL RAT stared stars stop sure tell Teon There's thing thought timer told trying turned Ursula LeGuin Vavoosh voice wait watched whip William Sleator window windsurfer wonder Zena and Manny Zena's Zulma
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Young Adult Science Fiction
Charles William Sullivan
No preview available - 1999
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Young Adult Science Fiction
Charles William Sullivan
Snippet view - 1999


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- Apr 30, 2006 | 2:41 PM EDT
- Daily 2nd Place May 1, 2006
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Author Comments
Goth kids have shot up your school, and it's up to Pico to save the day! Originally featured on Newgrounds in 1999, I finally refactored the .FLA to accommodate faster computers. The problem with this game was that it was meant to run at 24fps, but boss battles slowed down and made things easier. As computers got faster, so did the boss battles.
Pico was made in Flash 3, before the availability of variables (or just about any code, for that matter). To simulate stored data, I weaved a complex web of movie clips that gave orders to the main game. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of frame labels, so all the commands referred to frame numbers. This meant making changes to the flow of a boss battle (ie inserting frames to slow down movement) caused MASSIVE problems to arise. I finally muscled through it, so now you can beat the bosses on a fast computer!
Rated 4.5 / 5 stars June 3, 2006
lol this is goooood shit!!;))
Rated 4 / 5 stars June 2, 2006
The classic.
Without this game, NG would be six feet under. It is so fun, from the pointing and clicking to the huge amounts of gore. Definetly recomended to anyone who hasn't played it yet.
Rated 3.5 / 5 stars June 2, 2006
Also really great action game, maybe more weapons next time.
Rated 5 / 5 stars June 2, 2006
this game rocks,its a newgrounds classic i bet,but one question..WHEN is pico school 2 coming out?!?!its been a loong time and theres no pico school 2!?!?!?please reply to this and tell me tom
Rated 4 / 5 stars June 2, 2006
Great Pico Day Submission
I can totally picture Pico shooting up a building and taking down goths. Great game. As improvement, maybe have more pickups and maybe a side quest if possible.


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