After a couple of years of using pneumatic air pistols in competition, I finally felt it was time to move into a new air pistol. I had owned a Crossman Skanaker CO2, an Air Match 600, and a couple of inexpensive models like the Daisy 717, and the Gamo Compact. I wanted to have less effort and time spent between shots on reloading and cocking, but I wanted a stable propellant that was user and eco friendly. As I had already made up my on a precharged (SCUBA as it is commonly called) power source, now all I had to do was choose from the half dozen or so excellent manufacturers models offered. I chose the Pardini K2 Air, and I am glad I did. Here's why ...
For those of you out there looking for a top quality, ergonomical, and easy to load and use pistol - look no further. If you also like a good value for your dollar, you can rest easy with your hand off your wallet as well. The K2 is just a very well designed pistol that is accurate, well engineered, and comes in on the low end of the price range for Olympic competition quality arms (Gold medals and World Cup championships have been captured with this design).
The K2 is packaged in a black plastic carrying case, complete with foam liner, and all parts and tools wrapped in plastic. The case is functional for carrying the pistol, tool pouch, and the extra air cylinder that it comes supplied with, but there is little room for anything else. I was able to add a 500 tin of pellets and still close the case, but that was the extent of it. You will, as I did, want to upgrade to a more accommodating case that will encompass all of your gear I'm sure. *I find that a large, plastic tool box with handle is quite good for this purpose. I trimmed and formed foam rubber to fit the gun in the bottom of the box, and that left the entire removable upper shelf for my glasses, ear protection, pellets, targets, etc. It cost me $10.95 at the local hardware store, and makes a much less inviting target for miscreants who would like to liberate your gear from you.
The only thing about this package from Pardini that I found lacking was an absolute void of information on the gun. In other words - no manual! I still find this a bit odd, and when I asked Don Nygord (the supplier) about this, he agreed saying "I have been asking them to write up one of those darn things ..." I hope that they soon listen to Don, and get one together in a hurry. Beyond that one minor item, no complaints.
The grips are stippled, anatomically shaped, and made of a figured hard wood, with a finish that feels like rubbed oil. The stippling is fine, and creates a grip that stays firm and positive, even in the heat of an Olympic finals shootoff (not personal information mind you). It is very comfortable, the angle is just right, and I was lucky to get a good fit with only minor excavating. They are easily removable for the shaping process as well. The palm shelf is adjustable with the supplied allen key wrench, and has about 2 cm of travel. The finish on the metal is very good, with a brushed look to the cylinders, a rich, black on the frame and barrel sections, and an interesting texture on the trigger face. It looks like MIM (metal injection molding) technology at work, but I am not sure. In any case, it is a very nice feeling trigger blade. Fit and finish overall on this pistol are a "10".
The sighting plane is 14", and with the pistol's fine balance and weight, it seems easy to take full advantage of this. The sights themselves are top shelf; the rear unit has an adjustable width notch with detents at each stage as it widens or narrows, the front blade is easily changed by loosening a single allen screw. I found the front sight width to be almost the same width as the bull when sighted, so I had no need to change it. The rear sight notch I did tighten up a couple of clicks, also a simple matter of turning another allen key. Windage and elevation adjustments are taken care of with the large, simple knobs on either side of the sight. They are coded with simple glyphs that show you how you are effecting the point of impact when you turn them in each direction. This is stamped into the metal and filled with red enamel. Nice touch, and typical of Italian attention to style. The knobs have very positive detents when being adjusted, which I like very much. It is very easy to count the clicks with the K2.
On the starboard side of the frame is a small lever that has two positions. The frame next to the lever is stamped with the Pardini logo over the K2 logo. The upper position, pointing to the Pardini logo, places the pistol in dry fire mode. The lower, or K2 position is live fire. I really like the K2's dry fire mechanism. It is very easy to use in this mode, and the pistol gives forth a definite "ping" when fired. For those of us who spend most of their practice time dry firing, I am sure you will find the K2 very pleasurable to work with. To cock the pistol, you simply grasp the loading gate cover with your finger and thumb and rotate it back until it stops. This reveals the loading area of the breach, which is well shaped, and accepts a pellet with no effort at all. Now simply lower the gate cover back to it's original position. Done. The front of the bolt is well shaped, and In the entire time I have owned and operated the K2, not once has it misformed a pellet in its delivery to the bore.
As you can probably imagine, the K2's trigger is masterful. It is adjustable in every way that you could possible want it to be. As an example, I performed the following adjustments during my fine tuning:
I would put the feel of the Pardini trigger up against any trigger that I have ever used, in any type of firearm. Period. I have owned Super Match 54 actioned Anschutz free rifles, and shot a Hammerli free pistol as well, and I feel this strongly about the quality of this trigger.
The best part was the first time filling the cylinders with air from a SCUBA tank. I work in the sailing industry, and I have many friends who are divers - both commercial and recreational. So, when I started coming around to visit with these 7" cylinders, looking for a refill, I got alot of strange looks. I ordered the combination yoke adapter and manometer when I had the pistol shipped, so refilling was as easy as screwing on the yoke adapter to a SCUBA tank, screwing the cylinder onto the yoke, and opening the valve until the guage read 2500 PSI. The cylinders also have a neat feature which lets you know relatively how much air is remaining as well. The muzzle end of the cylinder has a cap that travels out when pressurized. There are several lines around the circumference of the inner part of the cylinder. As you shoot the pistol, and the pressure is slowly lowered, the cap moves back in, and affords a graphic visual aid as to how much "go" is left in the cylinder. Simple, and it works.
I took the K2 into my basement range for a session upon it's arrival. I shot a variety of pellets in different weights and diameters until I fell on what seemed to be a good marriage. The RWS R10 pellet was it's favorite fodder (could be completely different for your gun, obviously). Within minutes after sighting in I was shooting very small groups, and noticed that the pistol really felt like a natural extension of my hand. Something that every firearms manufacturer strives for. Well, for me, Pardini nailed it. I ended up shooting a 99 by the end of the first weekend of practice with it, and used it to finish as the top mens shooter in the Pine Tree State air pistol postal championship, as well as taking 1st Expert at the Maine State Championship in February, all with over a 93 average. That is A LOT of really good targets over the course of months of shooting, so needless to say - I am glad I made the Pardini K2 my choice.
PS: Did I mention the Atlanta '96 Gold Medal sticker on the flat side of the grip? I left it on.