Pardini SP BE 5
General Information
| Manufacturer: | Pardini (Italian Website, shown in English) |
| US Importer: | Pardini USA LLC |
| Model: | SP BE 5 2021 (Sport Pistol, Bullseye, 5" barrel, manufactured in 2021) |
| Caliber: | 22LR |
| Capacity: | 5 |
| Barrel Length: | 5" / 120 mm |
| Barrel Rifling: | 6D X 406 mm (1:16" twist) |
| Front Sight: | reversed ramp |
| Rear Sight: | Adjustable (websites say each click is 5mm, but at what distance?) |
| Sight Radius: | 220 mm |
| Grip: | 1-Piece Walnut, Anatomical, with optional add-on Bullseye palm rest, size selected at time of purchase. Grip sizes: Right Hand: XS-S-M-L or Left Hand: S-M-L. If you want size XL, you have to buy an aftermarket grip. Rink grips can be ordered through Pardini USA. |
| Overall Length: | 310mm (Pardini USA website says 295 mm, but that's not correct.) |
| Width: | 67 mm with the Bullseye palm rest. The widest point on the gun besides the grip is 40mm across the rear site. The barrel shroud is 35mm wide. |
| Height: | 140 mm |
| Weight: | 40.57 oz / 1150 g (Pardini USA), -or- 38.62 oz / 1095 g (Italian website) |
| Action: | Semiautomatic |
| Trigger: | Two-stage adjustable for: free play length, 1st stage length, 1st stage weight, 2nd stage length, 2nd stage weight, and over-travel length. Trigger shoe position is adjustable forward-backward (length-of-pull), up-down, left-right, and can be angled. |
| Bolt: | "Special steel". Special bolt design ensures delayed blowback operation and delivers exceptional accuracy. The bolt on the Bullseye model is heavier than on the "SP New" or "Rapid Fire" versions, for improved accuracy at 50 meters. |
| Recoil Compensation: | 6 steel weigths (15g each), sprung, around barrel at muzzle. Heavier tungsten weights are available (but pricey). Recoil impulse can be fine-tuned by adjusting whether you put the spring into the hole before or after the weight. |
| Purpose: | Competition Target Shooting, specifically Bullseye shooting (NRA Precision Pistol, CMP Match Pistol or 22 EIC) |
| What's in the box: | The gun, in a plastic bag, with all weights installed, a plastic gun box with foam padding, 2 magazines, a tool kit (hex wrenches and a T-10 torx wrench), cleaning kit (rod, 2 brushes, loop, packs into plastic handle), manual, warranty registration card. |
| MSRP: | $2,645 for the SP BE 5 (in 2022) (includes gun, case, tool kit, cleaning kit, 2 mags) $2,900 for the "Champion Set" (adds UltraDot MatchDot II red dot, scope rings, extra (3rd) mag) |
NOTE: The Italian website lists the Bullseye model, but with different specs than the Pardini USA website. It also has a separate page for the regular (non-Bullseye) SP model.
NOTE: The magazine is unusual, in that the ejector and feed ramp are built into the magazine, rather than being attached to the frame.
Media (Videos, Articles, etc.)
Pardini TV YouTube Channel - from Pardini USA
Pardini Armi YouTube Channel (Italian)
Animation of the Pardini SP - I don't get much out of these gun animations, but I guess they're cool.
2020 Product Brochure (Italian Site)
Owner's Manuals & Product Information
Manual (PDF), from the Italian site - Instructions throughout are in Italian, English, French, German, and Spanish. SP/HP information pg 24-39. Disassembly information (pg 28-29). Trigger adjustment information (pg 30-31). Exploded parts diagram (pg 33).
My saved copy of the Manual (PDF) - in case they change or remove the version that applies to my specific model
Inferior version of the Manual circa 2003, from Pardini USA website
Exploded parts diagram (Italian Site) - This diagram is specifically for the Bullseye model
Active Exploded Parts Diagram (US Site) - hover over part number for name, click on part number to see detail page and buy it
Exploded parts diagram (US site) - This diagram is for the SP model, not specifically for the Bullseye model
Disassembly / Reassembly / Maintenance Information
How to Clean the Pardini SP (video) - From Pardini USA, in English.
Pardini SP Disassembly/Reassembly (video) - From Pardini USA, in English.
Pardini SP HP Moly Grease Application (video) - From Pardini USA, in English.
How to Take Apart the Pardini SP Magazine (video) - From Pardini USA, in English.
Field stripping (video) - No words. From Italian YouTube channel.
Firing pin removal and replacement (video) - No words. From Italian YouTube channel.
Pardini Firing Pin Spring Replacement - From Pardini USA, in English.
Extractor removal and replacement (video) - - No words. From Italian YouTube channel. Video name says "striker", but it is about the extractor
How to replace the damper rings inside the bolt (video) - No words. From Italian YouTube channel.
These need to be replaced every few years - Link to buy replacement SP Damper O'Ring Set
Cleaning of the Pardini SP 22LR - by Marco Salvatore Di Pietra
Parts & Accessories
Active Exploded Parts Diagram (US Site) - hover over part number for name, click on part number to see detail page and buy it
Magazine - $79.66 in 2022. Yikes!
SP Emergency Repair Kit - Includes: 711-Extractor, 712-Extractor Spring, 713-Bolt Recoil Spring, 714-Firing Pin Spring, 715-Firing Pin
Moly Grease - for lubricating the sear-hammer engagement surfaces
Dry Fire Plug - for SP or HP models
SP Damper O'Ring Set - $35.75 in 2022
Heavier Tungsten weights - $54.85 (each?) in 2022. Yikes!
SP Bullseye accessories (Italian Site)
Magazine Loaders
Pardini SP/HP magazines are pretty annoying to load, because the loading button is small and rounded. So there are lots of mag loaders...
Pardini brand SP Magazine Loader 22LR - $43.62 ... are you kidding me?
Pardini brand Mag Loader (Italian website) - completely different design than the one on the US site. Doesn't list a price.
Precision Target Pistol Grips - Nearly Universal 22 Mag Loaders - 3 for $19 ($26 shipped). I bought these; they work great.
Pardini Mag Loader on Ebay - $13 + free shipping, from Mike Margolis, of the Bullseye-L forums
UniqueTek Pardini Thumb Saver - $19.95, lever on one side only
Bullseye-L Forum thread about Pardini 22 mag loaders - good info and links
3D Printer file for Pardini Mag Loader
Trigger Adjustment
Note: If you want to position the trigger further forward (longer length-of-pull) than the amount of adjustment that is available just by sliding the trigger along the adjustment bar (part 758-N3, "Horizontal Trigger Rod"), you can unscrew the bar, turn it around, and screw it into the more rear-ward hole (yes, the hole that's further back; if you tried to turn it around and screw it back into the same hole, it would hit trigger adjustment screw "CS"). This allows the trigger to be positioned significantly further forward than would otherwise be possible.
Manual (PDF), from the Italian site - Contains trigger adjustment information (pg 30-31).
Trigger Adjustment diagram and explanations of each screw - US Site, tells you what each screw does, but not the proper procedure to adjust them all.
Target Talk Thread on trigger adjustment - with excellent diagrams by Doug White. Post from David M at Tue Apr 02, 2019 discusses the procedure to adjust the trigger!
Target Talk thread containing Don Nygord's Notes on Pardini trigger adjustment
Don Nygord's Notes - lots of information, including a section on Pardini SP/HP trigger adjustment
My Pardini SP Trigger Adjustment Page
Recoil Weight Adjustment
The Pardini SP has a recoil-mitigation system built into it. Around the muzzle, there are 6 cylindrical holes. Inside each hole is a free-floating cylindrical weight and spring. The standard weights are steel. Heavier tungsten weights are available (but expensive). The "normal" configuration is to put the weights in first, then put the springs in, so that the springs are in front of the weights when shooting. That way, as the gun recoils, the weights (having their own momentum) do not move backward with the gun immediately. The gun pushes on the springs, and the springs push on the weights. The momentum of the weights thus serves to mitigate the recoil from firing the gun, reducing muzzle flip and helping that front sight (or red dot) to move less and get back on target sooner.
One of the things you do to fine-tune the feel of the gun, is to replace 2, 4, or all 6 of the standard steel weights with heavier tungsten weights, to reduce movement further.
Another thing you can do, is flip some of the weight/spring combos around, by putting the springs in first, followed by the weights. This causes those weights to mitigate the forward/downward motion of the gun as the slide/bolt returns forward as the gun cycles after firing. This is discussed briefly in the manual (pg 37-38). It was recommended to me by other Pardini shooters to flip 2 of them around. I did this soon after getting the gun, and haven't really experimented with various configurations, but the gun feels fantastic to shoot.
Video from Target Pistol Guy about adjusting the weights in the Pardini SP
Slide/bolt manipulation (how to lock the slide back with one hand)
One curious thing about the Pardini SP, is that to hold the slide back, there is a push button on the bottom (in front of the trigger guard), instead of a lever on the left side. This is nicely ambidextrous, but it's not immediately obvious how to lock the slide back with one hand (without breaking your grip between strings of sustained fire). This video from Olympic Pistol is pretty close to how I do it. The only difference is that I push back on the left side instead of the right side.
Unloading the Pardini SP
Another curious thing about the Pardini SP, is that the ejector is on the magazine, not on the frame. So, the normal procedure for unloading a gun, which is to remove the magazine and then rack the slide, does not work with the Pardini, and can lead to a dangerous situation. If you remove the magazine, you are removing the ejector. With no magazine inserted, when you rack the slide, the round in the chamber is extracted, but not ejected; it stays stuck to the front of the slide, held in place by the extractor. If you don't notice this, and subsequently allow the slide to go forward into battery, you might think that the gun is unloaded (because you racked the slide), but there's still a round in the chamber. Something to be aware of. Be safe, and learn how to load, unload, and operate any firearm that you use, including this one.