I have owned a Benjamin Sheridan Model HB22 for about 5 years now. For the first 4 years I never realized the potential of this air pistol. The crude open sights made precision target shooting and effective small game hunting difficult at best.
About a year ago I mounted a Bushnell Trophy red dot scope via a weaver rail, utilizing the screw and hole left behind after removing the rear sight. I Also coated the bottom of the weaver rail with JB weld two part epoxy. This makes for a permanent, solid mount. I then purchased a trigger shoe that had been machined and blued by a custom gunsmith. I also installed this using JB weld and tightening the alan keys.
I then spent most of the winter months sighting in and target shooting in my living room. I was amazed at the accuracy of this pistol, as I could put pellet after pellet in to the same hole at 10 meters.
That spring I took the HB22 out for a test on the squirrels at my cottage. These squirrels often cause a lot of damage to the roof of my cottage, and routinely break into the attic nesting, chewing and causing damage to electrical wiring.
I was awakened at about 6 a.m. in the morning by what sounded like a chain saw buzzing through wood (magnified by my hangover). I leaped out of bed, punched the ceiling of the cottage where I figured the little lumber jack was at work. At the same time I grabbed my HB22 (pre-pumped) loaded it and ran outside to the back of my cottage (sure was frosty out). Sure enough the little prick was in the process of scurrying off my rooftop. But at that moment the little lumber jack (read Squirrel) froze in mid stride as if cought in the act. Without thinking I raised my HB22 with a two handed hold and flipped the safety off and red dot on. Concentrating on a through the ear shot I squeezed off the shot. The tiny dancer did a back flip off the roof top and was dead when it hit the ground. The crosman CopperHead pointed pellet went right through the squirrels head.
It goes to show that precision accuracy, not power is the deciding factor on clean one shot kills.
Love this forum and looking forward to sharing more stories and eventually pictures.