by B.B. Pelletier
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
It’s been quite a while since I tested the Beeman RS1000H Dual-Caliber rifle combo, and if a reader hadn’t recently pried me out of a stupor, it would have been even longer. Someone asked if the rifle was back from Beeman yet, and I discovered that I hadn’t sent it. Don Walker at Beeman had asked me two weeks ago to send the rifle with both barrels and a report of what velocities I was getting. So, in preparation for that, I installed the .177 barrel to see how much velocity had been lost since I first tested it in November 2007. Very little, it seems.
Velocity with .177 Hobby pellets
A string of eight RWS Hobbys ranged from a low of 963 to a high of 993. That’s not as tight as I would like to see, but it’s acceptable. I hadn’t tested the rifle with Hobbys the first time around, so there was nothing to compare to, but clearly this rifle was performing to spec. I needed to shoot something I could compare to.
Velocity with .177 Kodiak pellets
Beeman Kodiaks were tested the first time around, so I shot five through the Chrony, just to see where things stood. The first test gave an average of 806 f.p.s. and this time the average was 787. That’s lower, but close enough that the rifle is still performing within spec. And there were no shots at significantly lower velocity this time.
Had the rifle somehow healed itself? Had I been mistaken in my measurements the first time around? I would have to install the .22 barrel to find out.
Installing the .22 caliber barrel
When I installed the barrel, I looked closely for any problems that might cause a velocity loss with this barrel. Things like nicks at the breech or looseness in the barrel mount were what I looked for, but I also just looked to see if anything seemed out of place. Barrel looseness has been a complaint from more than one owner, but both barrels on my test rifle fit tight. Walker had suggested that I check the breech seal because he had experiences with them falling out. The one in the test rifle never fell out, but there was a small ragged piece of rubber coming off the inside of the O-ring, so I removed it and flipped the O-ring around. That’s an old spring gun trick that usually restores performance, if the breech seal is the problem.
Velocity with .22 Hobby pellets
On the first test of this rifle with .22-caliber RWS Hobbys, it averaged 748 f.p.s., but two shots in the string of 10 that were not considered in the average went 517 f.p.s. and 500 f.p.s. This time the string averaged 760, but three shots that were not considered went 491, 501 and 590, respectively. This was the kind of performance I experienced on the first test of the .22 barrel, but now I had some new data. The rifle wasn’t slowly losing velocity – otherwise the test with the .177 pellets would not have come out so high. And, this time, the .177 barrel had not a single low-velocity shot, where in the first test it had several. Instead of losing velocity, it seemed as if the rifle was trying to hold its velocity, with occasional drops of several hundred f.p.s. That’s not normal, but it’s also not indicative of a failed mainspring.
I no longer think the rifle has a broken mainspring, like I originally thought. Instead, it seems like something mechanical is getting in the way of the pellet sometimes. Whatever it is, it isn’t happening with the .177 barrel any longer. I examined the muzzlebrake on the .22-caliber barrel very closely for signs of pellet impact, but there are none. I also felt for air escaping at the breech and there is none.
Velocity with .22 Kodiak pellets
On the first test, the rifle averaged 544 f.p.s. with Beeman Kodiaks, and there were no lower-velocity shots. This time, the gun averaged 566 f.p.s., and again, there were no slower shots! That’s 14.94 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.
It seems I panicked when I pulled the plug on the test before. The rifle is, in fact, shooting well, but it does seem to have a strange quirk that I will associate with break-in. I’ve never seen this kind of performance before, because, during break-in, rifles are normally dieseling and shooting much faster – not much slower. I still don’t know what’s going on, but things seem to be sorting themselves out – and it looks like each barrel had the same problem that had to be worked through. That would make it a barrel problem, and not a permanent one.
Do you notice that the average velocities for specific pellets from earlier tests and these tests are close to each other? For some strange reason, the .177 seems to be getting slightly slower while the .22 is getting faster. And, the rifle is slightly more powerful in .177 than in .22, which we’ve also seen in other modern spring rifles, like the Gamo CFX. So, what’s next?
I won’t send this rifle back to Beeman, because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I think the break-in it has received so far, which has been under 300 total shots, hasn’t been sufficient to sort things out. I’ll continue to shoot it and test it for you. The next test will be accuracy with the .22 caliber barrel. If we see some vertical stringing, it may be due to abrupt velocity changes.
BB,
This is a good day for me. I’ve been looking forward to the continuation of this review. A few questions:
1. As I said the other day, I have the RS2 model in .177. A search of the PA and Beeman sites didn’t turn up a .22 barrel as an accessory, do you have any idea if they’re available?
2. Would you expect to see an average velocity increase with the .22 over time?
3. I haven’t sorted out the trigger adjustment. I have figured out that the tension is adjusted with the larger screw. The two smaller ones have some affect on the first and second stages. There was mention of this being a copy of the Rekord trigger. Could you point me to and adjustment procedure?
TC
TC,
The manual Pyramyd has online is useless, being a generic one for Beeman Chinese airguns. I have no experience with an RX-2, so I’m not the person to ask. Maybe one of our readers can help?
As for a replacement barrel, have you advertised on the free classified section at American Airguns?
http://www.airguns.net/classifieds/classifieds.html
Have you called Beeman and talked to a person?
You will have to disassemble your rifle to remove the barrel for swapping, but if Beeman does it, they will swap it for you. They can also help you with trigger adjustment.
B.B.
B.B.,
maybe You should oil your SS1000H or try bigger pellets like tomahawks. The slow shots may lack combustion. The bigger caliber is prone to this.
Markus
Markus,
I am also believing that pellets are at the bottom of all of this. But I don’t want additional combustion. I want more consistent velocities without those lower-speed shots.
I don’t know what to think, but maybe you have hit on something I should try. We’ll see.
B.B.
B.B. Scott298 reporting in-1st I would again like to thank the crew at pyramyd=especially Chris who went out of his way to send me another set of screws for my scope mount with a letter attached saying that if he can be of any further help to let hin know-that guy deserves a raise. No back to what I wanted to ask-at some point (due to my head surgies and memory loss I don’t remember the outcome)-you were doing an accuracy teat on a rifle-possible air arms tx/ AND i inquired if you could do these accuracy test at further ranges 50yrds -60 yrds. If you did these could you direct me to the date and if you haven’t would you srill consider doing so?–Thanks Ecott298
B.B
Great report!Sorry to be off topic but I got my RWS 350 from PA yesterday and when I load a pellet, half the pellet sits flush and the top half sits in the breech deeper “not flush”.Its like the pellet is tilted down in the breech not alot but enough to look funky.Is this normal for RWS or is my breech defective?
Thanks!
Scottdog
Scottdog,
Nothjing is wrong with your gun. This is normal.
Take a good look at the breech and you will see that the face is cut at an angle. The breech is trimmed to this angle, which makes the top of the breech not as long as the bottom. Just insert the pellet deeper into the breech and everything will be okay.
B.B.
Scott298,
I think the article you are referring to is the one on the S410 sidelever at distance.
It’s here:
/blog/2007/11/air-arms-s410-sidelever-part-5/
B.B.
Thanks B.B
I was about to post again and point out the breech was angled just as you said.Is there anything about airguns you dont know.Your the man!
P.S cant wait to get the new base.
Thanks.
Scottdog
BB, don’t forget that many AR1000 variants (such as your SS1000) have been found to suffer from loose piston seals. A loose synthetic seal can cause wild velocity swings, since the exact point at which it “flares out” to seal against the compression tube under backpressure can vary. A tight seal, obviously, would be more consistent in that respect.
Vince
Vince,
If that is the case, the problem will not go away. I will keep that in mind, because I don’t want this to continue.
B.B.
B.B.
Is the buzz from springers associated with the spring vibrating after the piston has come to rest?
Matt61
Matt61,
Yes, but it starts well before the piston comes to rest.
B.B.
BB,
I confused you in my earlier post today by referring to my gun as an “RS2”. I believe it’s actually an SS-1000H, the cylinder has “Sportsman RS2” engraved on it. It has the trigger described in your earlier blog, and two set screws on top of the breech block that look like they hold the barrel in. So I think it’s the same gun except it only came with the .177 barrel.
That’s why I asked about the .22 barrel, this one appears to be a single caliber version of the gun you’re reviewing.
In answer to one of my earlier questions you obviously expect higher (and more consistent) velocity from the .22.
Do the trigger adjustment screws on the SS-1000 look familiar to you?
TC
TC,
The trigger screw I can access is in the same position as a Gamo adjustment screw. The two in back of the trigger blade don’t ring a bell.
B.B.
Thanks BB….I’ve talked to a couple of Beeman dual caliber AR owners who had a similiar problem. Hopefully it’s just a break in issue.
BB,
This is way off-topic I am sorry.
I wonder why there is no modern air rifle that performs like the old Girandoni, 22 shots on an 800psi fill, cal .51 at 150 yards? Reduce the caliber to .177 or .22, and surely we get more shots.
This is certainly a modern age of technological advances, new materials, improved manufacturing methods. It would be so easy to pump 800 psi.
David
Vince & B.B.,
If the problem was a loose seal wouldn’t it also show on the 177 tests? Why would it only show on the 22 tests?
BTW… as stated before the 22 side was about the only flaw I could find with the one I had. The 177 was a match grade; but nor was it priced like one.
DB
Correction to my last post. Last sentence should have stated, “The 177 was not match grade; but nor was it priced like one.”
DB
David,
If someone were to chronograph all those Girandoni shots you wouldn’t be so impressed. First of all, they were shooting round balls that weigh one-third what good conical bullets weigh in the same caliber. And second, after the 10th shot the balls are probably not going very fast – perhaps 450 f.p.s. or so.
To an 18th century soldier they would seem amazing, but to a 21st century airgunner, they would be grist for a year of forum rants about what Girandoni did wrong and why he should have consulted with so-and-so before releasing his half-baked airgun.
B.B.
DB and Vince,
If the seal is too small for the cylinder bore, perhaps shooting is flexing the parachute seal lip and it is sealing progressively better.
Vince, what seal should replace the one in the gun? And what spanner is used to remove the forearm fasteners?
B.B.
Is there any difference between the ss1000 and the rs2. I have an rs2 that is excellent with the .177caliber, but not so impressive with the .22 caliber(barrel fit is tight on this one), very wide spread as much as 3 inches at 50 feet, I am hoping this will get better as I break the rifle in a little more. Anyone else having this problem? anyone know what to do about it?
The SS 1000H is the RS2. I just got tired writing all those friggin’ letters and numbers. If you go back to the first part of this post you will see that.
Did you clean your barrel with JB Paste?
B.B.
I have not tried the jb paste yet, that will be my next purchase. Thanx
I did go back and read the entire article thank you for clearing that up. Also it seems that my .22 barrel seems to be slowly improving, using beeman kodiaks I am now hitting 2 inch groups at 50 feet, of course I am no marksman maybe I am just getting better or more used to the gun.
Also I am interested in the Walther Falcon .22 do you know anything about this rifle?
PS: thank you for the review it was very helpful.
The Walther Falcon Hunter is made in Turky. I hope to test one soon.
B.B.
BB,
I returned 2 of the SR(X) series guns both with large velocity variations in the .22 caliber barrel. Doubt it is a barrel problem or it would not be so wide spread.
I talked to a Beeman tech and he told me those things have leather seals and need to be kept well oiled. He said he uses 2 drops of oil every 50 rounds.
You seem to think they have synthetic seals? Has anyone actually disassembled one to determine what type of seals they have?
I still believe the only real way to solve this problem is a tune with a Jim McCari spring and a good synthetic seal!
pcp4me,
I said I THOUGHT they had synthetic seals, but Beeman KNOWS.
If this is true, the solution is simple. I will reveal it Monday.
B.B.
I have a Beeman RS1 Sportsman barrel will not fully close any ideas? Thanks
Check to make sure the barrel is seated correctly. Remoee the screw and re-seat the barrel.
B.B.
BB can you do a test on the Beeman RS2/SS1000 or do you think that the results will be the same? I am preticulary intrested in how the Beeman Kodiaks will do. I understand if you can’t.
This WAS a review of the RS2 SS-1000. Please look at the very first and second parts of the report.
The problem is, Pyramyd AIR has changed the name for this model several times, and I have tried to stay with them. So the title of this report has changed over time.
B.B.
No, I mean the one that has the barrel that doesn’t come off.It has what look likes a dark stock.
I think that is the same gun in a synthetic stock. It’s hard to tell with such a confusing nomenclature.
B.B.