"The World's Most Powerful Air Pistol" ... actually, it likely was

The Hy-Score 800 was an oddball in the world of US air guns, and well worth a closer look

[@tonynapoli5549]

Looks better than it shoots , ok for plinking at short ranges . Well engineered. Thanks for sharing.

[@bikeralw]

Great to see this. My dad bought me one brand new back in the mid 1960's. I still have it to this day, well looked after and fired on a regular basis.

[@wm.bradgilbert3852]

I watch a lot of air gun videos . Canuck Air are by far the best. I Hope some day you do a Webley Tempest.

[@kbjerke]

*Intriguing* little pistol!! Thank you for sharing it with us. Really good job on the clean-up, too!!

[@SilntObsvr]

Air pushes the loading port cover back against the inside of the butt cap, creating an annular passage behind the pellet. The port cover only needs around .010" of play for this to work, and when the pressure is present, the port cover also seals against the inside of the butt cap.This (combined with the strength of spring and length of piston travel, and a long enough barrel to use the air well) likely accounts for the relatively high velocity of this pistol.

[@robm8809]

@SilntObsvr Sorry, that's not correct. The barrel is fixed at the muzzle and doesn't go all the way back to the breech, there's a permanent gap that is the transfer port. When you turn the rear cap, it closes the breech shutter and tightens it against the back of the cylinder making a perfect seal. The shutter, or port cover as you call it doesn't move at all on firing.

[@SilntObsvr]

@@robm8809 the air has to get from the cylinder where the piston compresses it past that shutter into the barrel. There are no permanent ports. The shutter might well *flex* enough to pass the air, with no perceptible movement of the visible part of the shutter,but the air has to get between shutter and breech or the pellet won't move.

[@robm8809]

You've misunderstood how these pistols work. It's simpler than you seem to think. I own six of these and have copies of the documents produced by the two brothers who designed them and owned Hy-Score, you should track these documents down, they describe the function and it's not how you seem to think. The transfer port is permanent. The shutter does not seal against the barrel but against the rear plug of the cylinder which is not actually in contact with the barrel, permitting air to flow from the cylinder behind the pellet.

[@beryllium1932]

Variation in muzzle velocity is probably heating of the reservoir.

[@wrenchg3954]

An ultrasonic cleaner would be perfect for this application. Gentle and no disassembly. Those cleaner's are amazing how clean things get

[@user-ih5ii4tp3w]

Lol Canadian gun laws my slingshots more powerful

[@malcontender6319]

You sound like a fool.

[@rapalaron6348]

Interesting pistol 😁I expected a rubber bump stop on top of the piston. Great video mate 👍

[@BC_BALLISTICS]

Great video, I've only just discovered your channel and i love it!

[@Davidbirdman101]

I had an air pistol when I was a kid back in the late 60's I don't remember the name but it seems like the co2 cartridge went in the handle. Maybe I'm remembering wrong it's been almost 55 years, but I do remember it had a really sharp point on the sight and one day I cut myself pretty bad on this sharp point. I shot some squirrels with it and plenty of bottles and cans. I wish I could remember the name, I think it was a copy of some kind of German pistol.

[@twa2471]

Try a drop of oil behind the pellet before you shoot it and I'll bet it will "diesel " and give even better FPS. It might be worth a try?

[@speckledjim_]

We used to do that with our Gat pistols back in the day

[@canuckair]

No thanks. I use silicon oils in the chamber area to specifically avoid dieseling. A dieseled shot may be more powerful, but you can't really control it - but you do get the benefit of burning out your piston seal and shortening the life of the mainspring. If I need more power I have a .303 Lee Enfield (what Canuck doesn't? ;).

[@olenilsen4660]

I wonder if greasing the piston tube might have lost you a few fps maybe? Given the felt rings, maybe they would slide better in just gun oil. Just a thought, but would be fun to know.

[@louisaziz1235]

I wonder if the pellets are not equal in weight. That would definitely create the problem.

[@Admirallmao]

Oh Canada, look how cute, playing with your toy guns, you guys miss freedom yet?

[@JW-xq8zi]

Nice pistol. Great clean and inspection. You've got my like 👍 and subscription 🛎. P.S. Clever idea using the hss drill bits as "removal tangs". Although I must admit, it kills me to the bone being a Machinist by trade not using proper tools, ie bore pins; but the same Machinist in me thinks it's as brilliant as any way of removing it!

[@canuckair]

Bore pins? Oh, great, now something else I have seek out for the workshop ;)

[@gunsnwater2668]

Oh you litter bug, you sent that empty can into the ocean. Someone save the dolphins!😂🤣🤪

[@canuckair]

Dolphins? In fresh water? Saw a deer swimming out there the other day - not something you see every day. Don't worry. I still have the can. 😀

[@JW-xq8zi]

Personally, I only eat tuna safe dolphin. Mmm flipper. I wonder what dolphins milk tastes like..??

[@garynewsham9117]

I had the mid 1980 version with fully adjustable rear sight was way more accurate then any webley pistol that I have owned

[@Incdvideo]

Interesting Video . Thank You .

[@hansvonmannschaft9062]

The title had my curiosity, and then showing how you cleaned it up and made it look, got my attention 🙂There's a why! This "why" being, the permanent fright, or outright terror, us, metal-thing collectors got, of suddenly forgetting about maintaining something, to eventually find it sporting some rust somewhere, to begin quickly sensing all hope ebbing away. You showed, as scant others (truthfully) do on the platform, that retrieving the piece from exposure damage is possible. Sure the piece is fantastic, one I hardly believe will ever get, I do find it beautiful, but it was the "comeback", so swift from one shot to the other, that made me put my hands quickly _on mah fays_ to keep my eyes from popping out 😀 New sub and +1, cheers!

[@LymanTaiste]

I have one of these. Not even close to what I would deem as even moderately powerful mush less most powerful.

[@canuckair]

My apologies to those who misread or misheard my description of this surprisingly fine air pistol. When introduced in the late '40s you would be hard pressed to find anything that could send a .177 pellet into the mid 400's in fps. They advertised it as the world's most powerful at the time, and it pretty much was (some vintage Webley owners may quibble with that). The pump up Crosmans and Benjamins required some effort to pump up, and you were rewarded with a much louder report than with the mild-mannered Hy-Score - but I've proven the Hy-Score was faster. And even today, air pistols that out perform this Hy-Score do exist, but are rare. You can modify a C02 gun to exceed 500fps, if you don't mind 10 shots on a cylinder. And big PCP pistols can exceed 500fps (but they are nowhere near as compact as this Hy-Score and you start to re-think the term "pistol"). But it's all for naught up here in Canada - an air pistol going over 500fps is classed as "restricted" (same as a handgun) and makes them pretty useless as recreational air guns. There is a Walther match pistol that requires a restricted license, and I'm not sure how easy it is to compete with one given the rules for transport etc, etc.

[@flashgordon99999]

You can get a rear sight riser from most gunsmiths. Same one from a cooey would work fine. Elwood Epps used to carry them in stock.

[@joshhayl7459]

🟦…I've been wonder'n where to get one of those!..Thanx! I have a Stevens bolt action tube feed 22-LR from 1901 that went missing the same sight "ramp" as we used to call it,.. I took a 'Cut-Nail' to a belt sander to trim it to fit the sight-groove and then hand filed the steps,.. it made a beautiful replacement,... ... And then THAT went missing about 8-years later! ... So again, thank you.

[@flashgordon99999]

@@joshhayl7459 Glad I could help.

[@nikkihayes5411]

I also had the mid 80s version with the female threaded barrel for a 1\2 inch unf silencer that helped with cocking but didnt make it remotely quieter.....sold it like a moron to buy something else (FB record jumbo deluxe which I also sold like a moron to pay for pachmayr grips for my HW45....which I still own😸🍻👍

[@ogilkes1]

Hyscore. Great fun pistols.

[@49mrbassman]

My Walther CCP competition puts out 8ftlb and my original which is very old pumps out nearly10 on a hot day

[@stevedeline2537]

Another excellent video!!!

[@Fourtwenty-v1d]

Wrong Video Title

[@bubblezovlove7213]

If anybody in the UK would like to buy a nice collectors pair of air pistols, a Webley senior and Webley Junior, gimme a nudge,,,, :D

[@gvet47]

I am still not sure how the air gets behind the pellet at the end of the barrel. Is there any leakage out the hole in the cap when you turn that cap to close off the barrel,? 🤔

[@robm8809]

It's an annular transfer port, and the breech closure is very well designed, it's fully airtight.

[@canuckair]

Yes, just a tight, steel on steel fit, with that "annular" gap allowing air to press around the back of the barrel and to the back of the pellet. This requires pretty decent maching tolerances. It would be hard to make something like this out of a pot metal gun - eventually the barrel would shift and block the gap. This certainly helped make that boast of the "world's most powerful" more than just hot air (at the time, of course).

[@robm8809]

@canuckair If you do a search online there's a pair of .pdfs, scans of documents written by the two Lazlo brothers who designed it and owned Hy Score, they're really interesting reading.

[@canuckair]

@@robm8809 Yes, I confess I have read at least one of them. Very interesting reading.

[@colt-ss3lw]

What's the permitting process like, is it the same as the firearms process?

[@ti1ion]

Generally speaking, but with some exceptions, "air guns with a maximum muzzle velocity of 152.4 metres or 500 feet per second and/or a maximum muzzle energy of 5.7 joules or 4.2 foot-pounds"..."are exempt from licensing, registration, and other requirements under the Firearms Act, and from penalties set out in the Criminal Code for possessing a firearm without a valid licence or registration certificate."

[@canuckair]

Air guns in Canada fall into two main classes: PAL rated and non-PAL rated. PAL = Possession and Acquisition License. You pass a safety course to get a PAL. This is the exact same license as for non-restricted firearms (hunting and target rifles, etc). Air guns sold at most box stores are non-PAL and they are usually touted as being 495 fps rated, but that's a catch-all term and you'll find most don't really go that fast. That speed is calculated with a "standard" pellet - I think that's 8 grains in .177. So non-PAL guns can be bought by anyone 18 years and older. A faster air rifle over 500fps requires a PAL. If you're picking the gun up a store, you show your license, they write it down, and you go home with your new toy. An air pistol that goes over 500fps would require a PAL upgraded for Restricted firearms - which is typically target pistols and some semi-auto tactical rifles. Naturally, air pistols in that category just aren't found in Canada - there's no market for it - you'd have almost nowhere to shoot one, and you can't hunt with restricted weapons. The only exception I've found is a Walther match pistol that required a Restricted PAL because it was 550fps or something. And you can't even get that right now as the government has a freeze on handgun sales and transfers.

[@KB1UIF]

Hi, I assume you use a solution in the ultrasonic cleaner that does not destroy the o-rings. There is a guy on KZbin who works on engines and removes all rubber O-rings prior to using the cleaner on the carburetor metal parts. He claims the cleaner would destroy seals. So maybe you use a solution that is gentle on the rubber?

[@canuckair]

Yes, I pretty much limit my ultrasonic cleaner to a detergent solution to de-grease all the bits. Even plain hot water will do surprisingly well with the ultrasonic bubbles doing most of the work.

[@KB1UIF]

@@canuckair Thank you for the reply.

[@Supracrm]

Interesting gun

[@lesallison9047]

Subscribed 💚🇬🇧

[@brentsalladay7098]

I wish I kept mine

[@P.Trim69]

Nice

[@Interdiction]

3.5 ftlb is poor so why the most powerful title

[@speckledjim_]

Maybe when it was made, 60+ years ago?

[@gk.spinoza]

The title of this video was the advertisement slogan for that air pistol during the 1950's & 60's.

[@stefannolde9366]

3.5 ftlb still IS impressive power for a breakbarrel(!) air PISTOL(!), and it surely was at the time this airgun hit the market. More of historical interest.

[@kevinplumridge4258]

Not a break barrel.

[@mariocesare7669]

Clickbait

[@LymanTaiste]

I have one of these.

[@FrontNationaal]

Nice vid but the title ........... The most powerful???

[@JW-xq8zi]

I believe that was the companies Ad slogan.

[@FrontNationaal]

@@JW-xq8zi Like Carlsberg......... Most likely the best beer in the world 😁

[@JW-xq8zi]

@@FrontNationaal Ahh..As Miller High Life is the champagne of beer! 🤣🤣😂😂

[@canuckair]

It's still a pretty powerful pistol today - I don't have anything else in .177 to beat it - and you can't actually get anything in Canada right now that would. The mega-power PCP pistols aren't allowed here. But, as noted below, the Hy-Score likely edged out the Webley Senior at the time - and was the most powerful you could get at the time - and that was how they advertised it.

[@myfavoritemartian1]

Rear sight elevator PN 1137930K from Gun Parts Company(Numerich) $6.99 Fits a Marlin model 60 .22 rifle

[@oliverbullmann6176]

Whats that for a clickbait?!? This is everything but Not powerfull!!!

[@kbjerke]

For the *kommie* state of *kanada,* it actually is.

[@ti1ion]

I have no idea about the history of these, but what would you say was a more powerful air pistol in 1949?

[@oliverbullmann6176]

@@ti1ion Every airgun from another manufacture 🤣🤣🤣!!! Even in 18th Century are better airguns available the Wind buechse for Exempel !!!

[@canuckair]

My testing of the old pump-up Crosman and Benjamin types has shown they fooled us into thinking they had amazing power because they were hard to work and were loud. We've all heard stories about how "my cousin pumped his up 100 times and put a pellet right through a tree". Yeah, we didn't have digital chronographs back then.

[@kbjerke]

@@canuckair And of course, our Glorious Leader wants us to behave and own only pipsqueak bb guns.

[@charlesgustavino7085]

Click bate BS

[@canuckair]

Don't give a s**t about clicks. Not monetized. The point is that this pistol was marketed as the world's most powerful in its time (late '40s onward). And despite my initial skepticism, it turns out the darn thing developed as much speed as the Webleys at the time, and maybe a tad more. While the pneumatic guns from Crosman and Benjamin at the time made it feel like you were pumping them up to stratospheric levels, and were very loud - this Hy-Score beat them.

[@corywebb5537]

Actually the weakest one in the world

[@canuckair]

Hey, watch what you say ! There's a whole pile of Harrington Gat owners who are sure theirs are the weakest!

[@lukeskywalker7566]

Just found your channel great content cheers