The Beeman P-3 is a single stroke pneumatic (SSP) air pistol manufactured in Germany by Weihrauch. When Beeman imports these guns they have them labelled "P-3" by the Weihrauch company. When Weihrauch exports this pistol to companies other than Beeman they will retain the company's original name for the gun which is HW40PCA. Both guns are identical except for the label.
      The P-3 has been imported by Beeman for about 3 years now and has gained a reputation as an accurate pistol despite the low cost. The cost of the P-3 is about the same as the Daisy 747 pistol. This price is approximately $125USD. This puts the P-3 at double the price of a Daisy 717 and half the price of an IZH-46M.
    The P-3 is constructed of polymer and metals. The outer body of the gun is made of fibre-reinforced polymer. Polymer is a very strong synthetic material which is used in the manufacture of the Glock handgun. Even the wheels/cams of some compound bows are made of polymer. The inner parts of the air pistol are made of metal. Metal parts would include: safety, trigger, barrel latch, compression chamber, piston and rod, all pivot points and pins. Metal construction is everywhere it is needed.
   The design looks similar to a modern 9mm handgun with a finger groove grip and combat trigger guard. The overall length is a mere 9.25" from muzzle to barrel latch. A very appealing firearm look.
  The weight of the P-3 is 1lb 11oz. I mounted a couple of different scopes on my gun for test purposes using the Beeman 5040 one piece mount. With an 8.8 oz Nikko Sterling pistol scope the total weight was 2lb 10oz. With a Bushnell Sportview 3-9AO (79-0039)scope the total weight was 2lb 14oz.
  Caliber selection is limited to .177 which is likely due to the velocity limitations of this SSP pistol. Beeman rates the velocity at 410fps which I would consider about right for a very light pellet such as the 6.5 grain Beeman laser. Accuracy is rated at .20" for 3 shots at 10 meters which I would not consider to be exaggerated. Beeman did their homework correctly on this gun.
      Cocking the pistol is started by releasing the upper section of the gun with the barrel latch. The upper section is then swung over to complete an arc of approximately 180 degrees. Finally, the upper frame is returned to the lower frame while simultaniously compressing air into the chamber. This mechanism is referred to as an over-lever pneumatic.
   The trigger on this Beeman is adjustable with a single set screw. I have had my P-3 since March 1999 and still have not touched the screw. My recent trigger pull test showed a 16.5 oz pull weight when using the "lift method" of testing. I use an electonic digital postal scale to weigh the weight after I find the minimum that will cause the gun to fire.
     Now I'll get to the meat of the review. I did many velocity and accuracy tests with the P-3. These test results will give a good idea of why the P-3 is a good entry level silhouette gun or even a "fun gun" for 10 meter target shooting. I used my P-3 for a year of 10 meter target internet competitions and I was able to achieve an average of 90% for the last few months I participated. The gun is capable if the shooter is able. I am only an average shot with a pistol and this was my first kick at 10 meter shooting. With the accuracy potential of this gun I could see it making a reasonable entry level silhouette pistol when the wind is not an obstacle (indoors).
.....As mentioned above, the velocity rating for the P-3 is 410fps. Beeman rates the energy at 2.4ftlbs and when I extrapolated these figures I come up with a pellet weight of 6.5 grains for the Beeman test. This velocity would also be my estimate for my particular gun and that pellet weight, considering my tested velocities with other pellet weights. My velocity testing results follow. All pellets were lubed with Slick 05 Lube-1.
 
Premier Light (7.9gr) ----------------------------------380, 383, 380, 382, 383  Ave= 382fps
Crosman Crosman Supermatch (7.9gr)---------386, 384, 384, 384, 384  Ave= 384fps
RWS Superpoint (8.3gr) ------------------------------380, 383, 387, 384, 385  Ave= 384fps
RWS Meisterkugeln (8.3gr)--------------------------373, 379, 374, 371, 372  Ave= 374fps
RWS Geco (6.8gr) --------------------------------------399, 403, 407, 409, 399  Ave= 403fps
JSB Exact (8.4gr) ---------------------------------------379, 381, 379, 378, 383  Ave= 380fps
JSB Diabolo Match (7.3gr) ---------------------------404, 404, 405, 404, 405  Ave= 404fps
H&N Finale Match (7.7gr) ----------------------------394, 393, 394, 392, 395  Ave= 394fps
Beeman Crow Mag (8.8gr) ---------------------------362, 357, 357, 358, 361  Ave= 359fps
Ruko Mag II -----------------------------------------------372, 372, 372, 372, 374  Ave= 372fps
Eley Wasp (7.4gr) --------------------------------------404, 404, 402, 407, 406  Ave= 405fps
Diabolo Boxer --------------------------------------------383, 391, 387, 386, 383  Ave= 386fps

  Looking at the velocities will bring an obvious question to mind. How can a heavier pellet shoot faster than a light pellet? The answer has to do with pellet fit in the chamber and bore. The heavy pellets that were fast always had a loose fit in the chamber which resulted in less friction in the chamber and bore. Velocity consistency with the P-3 is always very good. Velocity readings will fall plus or minus 2fps or better. It is not uncommon to have many pellet readings identical. The chronograph used for this test was a "Speedtach" by Custom Chronograph Company. This unit is far superior to the Chrony brand and other budget priced chronographs.
  I would consider accuracy to be very acceptable with this gun. Every gun has a preferred pellet and the P-3 is capable of 1/4" groups at 10 meters with the pellet it prefers. All accuracy testing was performed from a sandbag rest using a scoped gun. Following are the group measurements for 5 shots each at 10 meters, calculated center-to-center.  

Crosman Premier----------24, .25, .27, .26, .23--------------Ave= .25"ctc
CR Supermatch-----------.41, .50, .43, .56, .55--------------Ave= .49"ctc
JSB Match (4.49mm)----.30, .27, 39, .27, .46---------------Ave= .34"ctc
JSB Match (2nd try)-----.43, .57, .34, .20, .31--------------Ave= .37"ctc
JSB Exact-------------------.30, .32, .47, .46, .51---------------Ave= .41"ctc
Ruko Mag II-----------------.37, .41, .31, .44, .28--------------Ave= .36"ctc 
H&N Finale Match-------.40, .48, .43, .34, .26---------------Ave= .38"ctc

  I did some further testing with the Crosman Premier Light pellet to make sure the above results were typical. Following are two more sets of 5 shot groups. 

CPLs - .17, .32, .26, .28, .27, .27, .23, .23---Ave= .25"ctc
CPL (2nd try) - .23, .28, .24, .23, .25-----------Ave= .25"ctc

My P-3 seems to have a strong preference for Crosman Premier Light pellets. These pellets have a larger head diameter and fit snug in the pellet chamber. The CPLs require a slight push to get them flush in the chamber. Many of the other pellets simply drop in without any push needed.
  I would not be at all surprised if the P-3 is capable of better groups than I tested. Shooting a short, scoped air pistol off a sandbag rest is not a perfect test. Variations in grip pressure and very slight aiming errors could be present. If tested in a machine
type shooting rest I feel the gun might perform slightly better.   That's it!  

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