by B.B. Pelletier
Velocity test, part 2
Today, we’re going to adjust the power of the Crosman Silhouette PCP pistol. This is a second velocity test for this gun. Before adjusting, I read the owner’s manual, which in this case provides a lot of very instructional information about this procedure.
I learned that the fill pressure of the pistol is also adjustable, and the factory sets it at 2,900 psi and not 3,000. While the difference between 2900 and 3000 may seem small to you, look at the shot string I fired in Part 2 and notice that it took at least five shots to get up on the power curve when I filled the gun to 3,000. Son of a gun! Maybe Crosman knows what they’re doing, and maybe we should be reading these manuals before shooting the airguns. And, when I say “we,” I mean me.
Variable fill pressure
According to the manual, you can adjust the gun to operate on a fill of 2,500 psi, all the way up to a fill of 3,000 psi. This is achieved by adjusting two separate things. The first is the hammer-spring tension and the second is the hammer-stroke length. These work together to control the force of the impact on the valve stem as well as the dwell time that the valve remains open.
Delicate balance
However, as the air pressure inside the reservoir increases, the pressure that closes the valve changes, as well, so that also affects the length of time the valve remains open. What I’m saying is that there is not a straightforward adjustment. It’s a balancing act between the fill pressure, the length of the hammer stroke and the tension on the hammer spring. You have to use a chronograph to adjust the gun–ther’s no way around it. Without a chronograph, you’re just guessing.
Crosman even provides you with a simple chart of the effects of adjusting both adjustments. Cutting to the bottom line, a long hammer stroke and heavy spring tension will boost the required fill pressure as high as it will go and give you the most powerful shots the pistol is capable of. Coincidentally, it will also give the greatest number of powerful shots that can be gotten from the pistol. Since that’s all I’m after in today’s report, that’s what I did. Before I move on to the test, a word to everyone who has an interest in this pistol.
Get to know your airgun
Crosman has given us something rather unique in the Silhouette PCP. They have given us these two adjustments so we can adjust the gun to do exactly what we want to do. That’s not common, and we need to take a moment to appreciate it.
When I worked at AirForce Airguns, we used to get questions all the time about what power adjustment wheel setting should someone use to shoot such-and-such a pellet and a velocity of X f.p.s. Well, heck, how should we know? How would anyone know who did not have that individual gun and a chronograph to do the necessary testing? Yet, these same people would get on the forums and trade their favorite power wheel setting back and forth as though they were precious formulae or something.
Here’s a partial score: Cleveland 3.
Doesn’t tell you very much, does it? Well, the adjustment of the Silhouette PCP is going to be very similar to that. It’s an individual thing. Each gun is unique and each responds to adjustment in a slightly different way. If this is a gun you see in your future, plan on getting a chronograph to go with it, or plan on not adjusting the gun.
On to testing
This test will be different than most because I’ll be adjusting the gun as I go. Whenever I make a change, I will note it and then continue with the string. I used the Crosman Premier 7.9-grain pellet.
For the first shot, I adjusted the gun following Crosman’s instructions to the letter. The hammer-spring preload was adjusted to the max, and the stroke was adjusted as long as possible. The gun was filled to 3,000 psi and these shots resulted.
Shot…Velocity
1……….416
2……….422
3……….414
4……….417
5……….423
6……….425
7……….422
At this point, I realized that the gun wasn’t set up to give me what I was after, which was maximum velocity, so something had to change. I turned the hammer-stroke adjustment in, which is contrary to what Crosman says to do.
8……….456
9……….461
This was working, so I turned the stroke-adjustment screw in some more.
10………470
More in.
11………492
More in.
12………504
More in.
13………497
14………503
15………502
At this point, I figured the hammer stroke was adjusted as well as it could be. Since the hammer-spring tension was supposed to be at the max, I turned the adjuster off a little.
16………489
17………484
Then, I put the tension back where it had been.
18………501
19………502
20………496
At this point, I adjusted the stroke back out four turns.
21………468
Then, two turns back in.
22………488
All the way in (two more turns).
23………500
24………499
25………495
The remaining pressure in the gun was 2,300 psi according to the onboard gauge.
26………502
27………498
Then, I shot two Crosman High Velocity Super Sonic pellets to see what the maximum velocity would be.
28………622
29………619
Then, I switched back to Premier lites.
30………492
31………498
32………498
33………498
34………Did not register
35………499
36………494
37………493
38………491
39………491
40………489
41………486
42………487
43………490
44………481
45………481
46………478
47………477
48………470
49………469
50………465
51………463
That’s my report. With Premier lites, I got just over 500 f.p.s. With High Velocity hollowpoints–about 620.
The adjusting is easy but a chronograph is an absolute necessity, and I hope my report demonstrates why.
Morning B.B.,
Do you perchance have a picture or diagram of what this valve looks like or can you point me in the direction of one? Thanks!
Mr B.
Mr. B.,
The valve inside the Silhouette looks similar to all other PCP valves. And PCP valves look similar to CO2 valves, for that matter. The technology isn't there. It's in the hammer adjustments.
B.B.
Great post about how people trade their particular settings without consideration of the differences within each valve and spring!
What Chronograph do you recommend for shooters looking to tune their PCP?
G.
G.,
I recommend one of the Shooting Chronys. I use the Alpha myself.
Ypu just suggested tomorrow's blog.
B.B.
B.B.
How does it feel compared to a 2300?
twotalon
Hi B.B.,
I am unable to afford a PCP pistol right now, and am currently considering three springer models. It is Between the Browning 800 Mag, RWS 5G, and the LP8. In your opinion which would have the most power and be the most accurate for squrill hunting in .22
Thanks,
Dave S.
Hi B.B.
Correction to previous post…
squrill hunting in .22 or .177
-Dave S.
twotalon,
It feels very similar. The weight feels the same and the trigger does, as well. And the velocity is very similar, so it really feels the same.
B.B.
Dave S.,
If you can find an RWS Diana 5G, that would be my top pick in .177 for the accuracy. If not, I pick the 800 Magnum, also in .177.
I pick .177 for the extra velocity, because these pistols are really like weak breakbarrel rifles.
A better choice would be the Mendoza RM 200 in .22 caliber.
B.B.
Dave S.
My personal opinion is that squirrels require springers in 800 ft/s .22 and 1000 ft/s .177 as a rough guide.
I don't think a springer pistol has enough power.
There are several PCP pistols that have the goods though.
G.
B.B.
Thanks for your book recommendation, I'll look for "Sixguns" by Keith.
Your shot string looks pretty good after you figure out the adjustments.. did you save the settings and start a fresh string and see if those low shots disappeared.. or was that a little valve lock that can't be dealt with and so it needs a lower fill?
I'm a little surprised that the velocity is so low.. I was hoping to get 650-700 in that PCP pistol for field target.. How hard would you think it would be to work the hammer and valves to get there?
Other than temp. and the darn disposable cartridges, you might as well be shooting CO2.. I guess that's good enough reason.. but I want just a little more speed to knock down the targets, or a special course will need to be setup for the lighter foot lb guns.
This is a big debate on the FT forum right now. Pistol FT rules are being debated hotly and trying to be settled so folks can get the right pistol and start practicing.
I know Ray had a lot to do with the design of this pistol and he's one that wants to limit the pistols to 10 foot lbs or less even.. lots of folks have hunting PCPs up to 20fpe and want to use them, but the targets can't work with 4fpe and 20fpe both shooting at the same targets.
If a target is set to go down with a 3-4fpe hit on the paddle, then sometimes a face hit with 20fpe will make it fall too. Not a good thing!
We don't want to exclude this lighter pistols or the hunters.. so I'm doing a special course, but most clubs don't want to do this..
so, in my mind the best thing is for crosman to make this pistol shoot about 650fps.. they would sell a lot of them!
Wacky Wayne, Match Director, Ashland Air Rifle Range
Wayne,
This pistol is for silhouette, not field target. For silhouette the velocity is fine.
Maybe if the new Marauder pistol ever comes out in .177 it will be a good field target pistol.
B.B.
Power up will be very easy on the PCP Silhouette Pistol but will void your warranty. Make a replacement Transfer port with a larger hole and you are off and running. Then use our tunning document to tune the Pistol. Each time you open the transfer port you will need to re-tune the pistol and at higher power levels will reduce the number of shots. You should be able to get the 600 to 650 fps with 7.9 premiers. Probably more but I wouldn't go much higher due to shot count loss and you shouldn't need more for Pistol FT. And to re-iterate, you will void your warranty.
HTH
Ray Apelles
I realise this thread is rather old now, hopefully some people are till around. I have just purchased the Crosman Silhouette 1701P and absolutely totally love it. Please could you/anyone let me know where I can find the documents you’re mentioning in this blog, specifically about the tuning graphs and explanations etc.
So far I have only the user manual I downloaded from Crosman’s website.
Many tia,
Rich
Rich,
The Crosman Corporation MAY have what you need on their website. But they just announced that will be downsizing their U.S. operations by the end of this year from hundreds of employees to 30 and they are selling their building in New York. So it may be a struggle to find what you ask.
I think the best advice I can give is to follow what is described in this report and chronograph your pistol as you go.
BB
Thank you BB,
I appreciate that. Sad news about Crosman. Awful when good companies have to downsize like that. It explains an awful lot to me though. Such as why their custom workshops just seem to have gone, and why they don’t supply spare parts any longer too. I wonder what kind of impact there will be in the longer term maintenance support and parts ordering. I’m over in the U.K. , so it’s not always the easiest to get your hands on things at the best of times. I assume you’re US based?
I have a couple of chronos. Which reminds me, one of them I haven’t had the opportunity to try out yet. It was a cheapish end of the barrel one from one of these Chinese shopping sites. I will follow your advice as much as I can and see where that takes me. I also found an interesting YouTube video that I haven’t managed to watch yet.
Thanks again for the excellent two Crosman Silhouette 1701P blogs I have found on here. They’ve made really good reading. If you have any other lurking around, that my searches haven’t come across yet, let me know. Amazing how the world of air guns has changed since 2010, but the 1701P is still a stand out.
Have a great weekend.
Rich
B.B. the link to part 1 is broken.
I found it here:
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2011/03/crosman-silhouette-pcp-pistol-part-1/?srsltid=AfmBOoqlucBty3p2zRNhWuymk5FXbTC_WUx8kOA8ivdAZLy4djLmYryS
Major off Topic Diversion
I was looking back at BB's photos of beautifully decorated air guns, and that recalled for me the most interestingly engraved shotgun I've ever seen.
It was in the museum of Castle Coburg in southern Germany, and the engraving read:
To my darling Albert with love, Victoria
Castle Coburg was the boyhood home of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria!
Dave S
I would say that squirrels don't require springers in 800 ft/s .22 and 1000 ft/s .177. If you are taking head shots out to 25 yds., 550 fps in .20 or .22 and 650 fps in .177 will do just fine. I have shot hundreds over the last 30 years with this power level.
That said, it sure doesn't hurt to have more power as long as you have accuracy to go with it.
Mike
Pete Zimmerman OR BB–WHERE are the photos that BB has posted of airguns beautifully carved??? I'd love to see them.
thanks much.
rob
Pete Zimmerman's post reminded me of something. Back in the days when I still traveled a lot, I had occasion to visit the Remington Arms factory in its 100+ year-old building in Ilion, New York, shortly before they were sold to E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. The reception lobby of the building was lined with large locked glass cases displaying hundreds of handguns, shotguns and rifles from the company's history. It was the company's museum of firearms. Intriguing to me (as a collector) were several empty slots scattered about the room with little tags hanging from brass pegs with a model name and number. I asked the receptionist about these and she said that these empty spaces were reserved for products missing from their collection that they had once manufactured and would like dearly to acquire. Two such spaces, side-by-side, were for a pair of specially engraved Parker shotguns decorated with silver filigree work and precious woods, custom made for an English duke. How they ever expected to fill these spaces I can't imagine. Anyhoo, Pete's post brought back pleasant memories…
-AlanL
B.B.
Painstaking. Here's another argument against pcps….:-) I'm looking forward to the accuracy tests though.
Matt61
Matt,
Owners don't have to do this unless they want to. I did it to demonstrate that it is possible. Since you can't easily change the power of a spring gun I would think this is an argument for PCPs.
B.B.
B.B. & Ray,
Thanks for your comments.
I'm glad it's not hard to make the changes to get to 650fps. I think that is the speed that will work best for folks.
And I'm sure a lot of folks would not wait for the Marauder pistol.
and the voided warranty is not much of an issue.
Wacky Wayne MD. Ashland Air Rifle Range
Matt61,
When I bought my shiny new ’82 Mustang GT, I kept the 302 V-8 box stock. On the other hand I had a buddy that bought a brand new ’78 Camaro Z28 and rebuilt that factory fresh car from the ground up.
We both drove these cars like we stole them. We both derived great satisfaction from their ownership.
A PCP is no different, some guys are natural tinkers and love to fiddle around, others are happy with just using the product.
You don’t need to fiddle if you would rather just listen to the music.
Volvo
B.B.,
On Pyramyd's website it says the RWS Schutze (Diana 240) has a non-adjustable 2-stage trigger. On Umarex's website it says adjustable. Which is correct?
Now a difficult question for you: Which is the better rifle: The Diana 240 or Air Venturi Bronco?
Thanks,
AlanL
Michael,
I just did a bench test for you with my .22 Marauder. These results are not official Marauder specs they are just what I got with MY rifle, using MY chrony, in MY indoor 10m range. Results may vary based on your driving style and driving conditions.
For my first test I filled up to 2500psi and shot the boxed Crosman Premiers 14.3g. The highest velocity was 913.85fps, after 10 shots it was 892.17fps and that was also the lowest. After 10 shots the pressure was 2100psi. That calculates to 26.47fp and 25.28fp respectively. These shots were virtually oneholers and it took 6 stacked shots to pierce through the 1" duct seal pug.
My second test I refilled to 2500psi and used Beeman H&N Match Wadcutters 13.74g. The highest velocity was 931.65, after 10 shots it was 912.55, the lowest was shot 8 at 910.49. After 10 shots the pressure was again 2100psi. This calculates to 26.51fp and 25.31 for highest and lowest velocity. These shots were all over the place within a 1" group. I would not recommend these for use in the Marauder but I'm stuck with them now.
I'm going to repost this comment on the current days bolg because I think there might be more people who would be interested in this.
I would suggest you always go to the current day's blog post to post your questions. Do not be afraid of being off topic because we welcome that with open arms.
Go here every day and you will always be on the current days posting. There are more than one day's postings here so be careful you don't scroll too far to get to the comment link.
Here's the link, hope to see you there:
/blog//
-Chuck
B.B.
So there isn't a valve lock problem?
To me, it seems like Crosman is leaving out the large middle of the customer base… without a 600 to 700fps pistol.. but the "modders" will have a field day! … so it's all good..
How much would it really cost to have a small knob power adjuster like on the Air Arms s400 or s410 side levers?
Why have to remove the stock like on the Marauder? Fine adjustments to velocity should be easy… no tools..just two fingers… in a moment!
I think we need one .177 cal pistol to do many things.. cause many things are out there to do!!
Wacky Wayne
Kevin,
I must agree with your yesterday's comment about paying attention to how you are shooting and not worry about all the "monkey business" of weighing, lubing, etc. When I first started shooting I thought this was important, too, because I wanted my short comings to be equipment problems and not me. Now that I've got a few thousand shots under my belt I'm starting to re-look at those "monkey business" techniques to tweak that extra .0001" out of my groups.
I think weighing will help with this. As far as lubing, I only do that with the CPs to prevent the lead buildup in my Marauder barrel. I never considered it for velocity increase. As soon as I feel comfortable that Wayne is not going to be attacked and eaten by monkey hordes I'll try the coconut thing, maybe this time next year.
AlanL,
You responded to my project, stand building rather than purchasing for less, as if the purchase was more logical. Well, I need to tell you that if I ever used logic with this hobby/sport I'd probably have only one air rifle and a pocket full of change. Sometimes logic just ain't no fun, and like I say, if I don't spend it my kids will.
-Chuck
Chuck,
Try adjusting your Marauder down to about 840fps with that same pellet… I'll bet you a tin of JSB .22 cal of your choice that you'll see the groups tighten up:-)
Wacky Wayne, MD. Ashland Air Rifle Range
Can anyone tell me why CP's in the box are always recommended over the tin? They look exactly the same. Are the boxed pellets sorted, or do they use different dies or something?
– Orin
AlanL,
I would trust the PA website on the 240. I also tested one and the trigger was not adjustable.
The Bronco is by far the better deal.
B.B.
Orin,
The Premiers in a box are all from a single lot. That means a single die, though one die makes several pellets at one time.
Those in the tin are from every die. Therefore they are all over the place when it comes to uniformity. They are the same pellet but produced under different controls.
B.B.
Thanks B.B.
That explains why I had such varying breach fits when using the .22's from a tin I bought at Bass Pro. I thought maybe it was because they were .22's, because I had seen such consistency in the boxes of .177 premier lites I had used.
I wish I had asked the question earlier. My box of .22's finally came from PA and I dumped the rest of the tin in with them. Rookie mistake I won't make again…
You would think Crosman would designate on the box the difference. Maybe they figure all the serious shooters just know.
– Orin
Sorry for the double, off-topic post…
B.B.,
Are you any closer to publishing the accuracy results from your Bennie Trail NP XL? I'm having serious grouping issues, and either I can't seem to find the right hold, or it's just taking a while to break in (less than 250 shots through it). I'm dying to see what you've been able to accomplish.
– Orin
B.B.,
Yes, but that's not what I… um, no matter. You are a master diplomat!
When are the folks at Pyramyd going to post the owner's manual for the Bronco? I don't want to tear open the sealed bag with the booklet that came with the gun because it's going to be a gift for my daughter.
This weekend I finally had a chance to really shoot the Bronco longer beause my daughter was gone for the afternoon. I figure by the time I give it to her it should be broken in. I found the rifle was shooting high at 10 yards so I lowered the rear sight as far as it would go, but I think it still needs to go a trifle lower. Would you recommend filing the bottom of the scalloped strip that the notched sight sits on (sorry- I don't know what that's called) or is there a different approach you'd recommend?
Thanks,
AlanL
Orin,
The weather is fighting me right now. But I plan to shoot Kodiaks and we'll see what else.
B.B.
AlanL,
I use a 6 o'clock hold on a 3-inch bull at 10 yards and it works fine. At 25 yards it has to be adjusted up.
B.B.
B.B.,
FYI – H&N Baracudas gave me the worst groups… even worse than H&N Crow Mags. I obtained the best semblance of grouping from 15.8g JSB Jumbos and second best from CP's (yes, the mixed box, so probably mostly from a tin). 18.1g JSB Jumbo Heavies were a close third.
– Orin
B.B.,
Pardon my crass ignorance, but I've tried to research what a 'six o'clock hold' is, and discovered that it is different from something called a 'center hold', but I've not found a post that clearly describes what either of these is, or illustrates them. Any elucidation appreciated!
-AlanL
Orin,
That's good to know.
B.B.
AlanL,
Read this:
/blog/2008/6/10-meter-pistol-shooting-part-4/
and this:
/blog/2008/04/introduction-to-10-meter-pistol-part-1an-instant-tutorial/
B.B/.
Hi BB,
I'm enjoying your blogs.
Question: July 4, 2008 blog had an extensive writeup about the 124 gun but did not mention a substitute pellet for discontinued "Beeman Silver Jet Magnum" pellets. Could you be so kind as to e-mail me the name for a substitute pellet(s)?
~~~George Kent~~
George,
I don't answer questions mailed to the Blogger account.
Try 7.9-grain Crosman Premiers in the cardboard box and 8.4-grain JSB Exacts.
B.B.
B.B.,
The six o'clock hold is now clear, thanks! Turns out that's what I'm doing, but I'm going to try it some more to be sure. But what is a 'center hold'?
-AlanL
AlanL,
Holding so the bullet goes to where the front sight is held. It's appropriate for a post and bead but not a square front post.
B.B.
AlanL
Aiming directly at the desired point of impact.
twotalon
TwoTalon,
Thanks. I thought so. If the rifle is still shooting high with a six-o'clock hold (which I always thought was the "natural" way to aim anyway) then I'm going have to file Something down on that sight…
-AlanL
AlanL,
No gun likes to shoot at 10 meters except a target rifle. Sight it in at 20-25 yards.
B.B.
AlanL
I am a hunter…I kill things. A 6 o'clock hold is worthless to me.
I have taken the stepped elevation adjuster out of the rear sight , bent the rear sight down if it bottomed out but was still too high, and filed the lowest adjustment down deeper. Depends on what will work best.
Do you have an off center bore or a bent barrel by any chance?
twotalon
B.B.
You are fast today. You beat me by a couple minutes twice in a row.
twotalon
Aaron
Re: Diana 52 with side parallax adjustment scope.
It is impossible for me to reach the turret by reaching up with my fingers while supporting the forearm. I don't think I could do it with the 80mm wheel even. The 100mm wheel is just big enough to enable me to do this.
The parallax adjustment does not seem to shift with recoil without the wheel, although I think maybe my 52 shoots smoother than the average 52. I could be wrong about that.
B.B.
A bit off topic, but I'm searching for some photos or drawings of Weihrauch "Elite" trigger, its innards.
Google doesn't give any satisfactory results 🙁 Can you help me?
duskwight
AlanL,
Make sure the barrel is not bent. I received an HW30S once that had the same issue and the barrel was definitely bent in shipping.
Also, did you pull the trigger with the barrel open at any point?
Volvo
duskwright,
I don't have anything, but these guys might:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/405945/
They are very helpful.
B.B.
Volvo/TwoTalon,
The Bronco seems to shoot fine. I will have to look at it more closely to see if I can detect a bent barrel. I did look through the barrel with it broken open and could see through it, but when I did it I did not hold it so very carefully as to be able to stare through it and see a perfectly round opening against the light. I suppose this would be the best way to determine if I have a slightly bent barrel, right? If it were bent, even very slightly, I should never be able to see a perfectly round spot of light at the other end.
I most definitely have not pulled the trigger with the barrel open! All the earlier discussions about the catastrophic consequences of doing that are very much in the forefront of my mind when I'm shooting.
I must say that the packing of the Bronco was inadequate, in my opinion. It came together with the RWS 54, each in its own box, inside of a larger box, stuffed haphazardly here and there with a few clumps of brown paper along with my scope and various tins and boxes of pellets here and there as hole fillers. The carton of the Bronco came partly torn open at one end. Only one styrofoam block was in place, the one with the cutout cavity for the muzzle, and a few chunks of crumbled styrofoam at the other end, plus the little bag of instructions. I didn't give it much thought because the rifle itself seemed fine and the 54 arrived perfect. Also, the outer carton, while a bit beat up was intact. So who knows. But either way, if the Bronco IS damaged I'm out of luck because more than 30 days have passed. Still, I don't think it is, because it seems to shoot okay. I will try B.B.'s suggestion of sighting at 25 yards. I've been avoiding that because my distance vision is pretty poor, even with glasses.
-AlanL
any recommendations for a decent and fairly inexpensive red dot to mount on a 2240. Right now this is just a part time hobby so don't want to and cannot afford to invest too much. Thanks
AlanL,
All five of my Broncos came packed like that too. I complained to Paul the wholesale sales manager, and he is checking into it.. so hopefully new orders are shipped better… I have another Bronco on the way so we will see.
I have the same problem with my vision and open sights. I've been mounting a leapers 3-9x32AO golden image and medium two piece mounts on most of the ones I bought.
This gun is so much fun, that you need one or Two more to shoot with your daughter and family, cause she is going to out shoot you until.. or if you ever… get the proper hold down pat with the "big boy" springers you have:-)
I bet you'll be fighting over it very soon.
I didn't see any "barrel droop" that would need a special mount on the Broncos I've had… The RWS92s yes.. but not the Broncos.
Keep in mind when the target is close, like 10 yards, the pellet is on the way up. The center of your pellets arc with the Bronco is about 20 yards, so that's the best distance to "zero" your scope or open sights.
Then you can aim high when it's a ten yard target or a 35 yard target.. about the same amount.
Wacky Wayne, MD. Ashland Air Rifle Range
AlanL,
If you have a metal yard stick, square or any other prefect straight edge, hold that to the barrel. The rifle that I had was damaged in a long journey from Canadian to me in the HW box that actually states not suitable for shipping. It is always disappointing when it appears little concern was given to ensure safe delivery.
I have an AV bronco which is also destined to be a gift to a family member.
I tried to decock it by pulling the trigger while holding the barrel open. There seems to be a safety feature that prevents this from happening. No danger of bending the barrel.
My bronco shoots very well at my in-house range of 10 yards. One hole groups if I pay attention and use a very light hold on the grip. Interestingly, I can rest the forearm directly on a bag with no ill effects.
7.9 grain Crosman Premiers in the brown box work best in (my nephews) Bronco. The heavier Premiers are second best. I have a relatively small selection of pellets, but I must say that Crosman Premiers work well in EVERY gun I have.
Crosman is an exceptional company. I wish I had the financial resources to buy more of their products. The three airguns I have from them (Disco, Marauder, 1377c) are definite keepers.
If they keep at their current rate of innovation, I don't think anyone will be able to match them.
The Bronco is also exceptional, I highly recommend it. The packaging could stand improvement.
Wayne,
Thanks. I'm glad I wasn't the only one. I know the Bronco is an 'inexpensive' rifle, still, good packaging is an essential element in good quality, both real and perceived. And it was designed by Tom. So we expect the same care and attention to detail in the packaging as we do in the gun itself, don't we?
I will follow both of your recommendations, except for the part about buying more Broncos right now, Wayne- my wife is gonna kill me when she finds out about the 52 and the 350- just as soon as the credit card bill arrives- gulp!
Volvo, gosh I sure hope you're wrong…. :-
-AlanL
Duskwight,
I know this is NOT what you asked for– still, it might come in handy for you sometime– the schematics for the Diana T-05 trigger.
There are other RWS/Diana schematics here:
/airgun-airsoft-schematics
Too bad they don’t have them for other makes too.
Regards,
AlanL
BB,
You'll need to include me too, in that "we" bucket of people who need to learn to read manuals…..
/Dave
WV: "blidge" The opposite of oblige? Or the companion appliance to a fridge?
Rikib,at the top right margin of the blog,click on Pyramyd AIR Home!If you take a little time there you will undoubdtedly find a red dot sight that fits the 11mm rail of the 2240,and your budget.Then read the reviews for that product….should help you select one. Frank B
bronco, 753, bronco, 853, bronco, modified 953, bronco………
oh the dilemma…..
so the final decision…
an 853 with a shiny new stock….stock finished by Marlow Stevens
I just want to see what an L/W barrel can do….
picture on the bottom of my pic page…..
http://picasaweb.google.com/ajvenom1/Ajvenom1#
ajvenom,
Nice looking stock. Who did the finsh? Does the Discovery have a shrouded barrel?
Mr B.
AlanL,
Hope I’m wrong too, but look at the bright side… it was not a special order that took months to receive. And it’s from the States, so it is not impossible to return.
I have to agree with Slinging Lead that you should be able to get on target with a 500 fps rifle at 10 meters. Since the rifle apparently includes an anti bear trap device, that should work in your favor since it is not likely the barrel could have slammed shut.
Volvo
duskwight,
This helped me with putting my HW90 back together (Elite trigger). Doesn't show the innards, but gave me a hint on how to get the trigger guard on correctly.
http://www.airgunforum.co.uk/HW90strip.html
Hi AlanL,
to continue your education, perhaps you should check this site out:
http://www.arld1.com/
Scroll down to Demo 6. This shows you what's going on with your pellet – kind of a basic primer on ballistics. Also, Demo 8 is very good. Now, if you can master Demo 5 and 9, you'll really give Wayne a run for his money in Field Target.
Fred PRoNJ
duskwight,
Here's another I found. A little more detail on the trigger parts.
http://www.airrifles.ru/images.php?img=hw90.gif
Hope it helps,
/Dave
Volvo,
Right you are. In fact, I'm trying to penetrate the mysteries of automotive engineering by reading the leading textbook on the subject. I finished with the engine and am on to the electrical system. Once I get this done, the workings of guns should be a snap….:-)
Still, given a finite time to shoot, I would rather spend it shooting than tinkering with my guns.
AlanL, wouldn't your wife wonder about the source of your 48, 350 before the credit card bill arrives?
Matt61
Matt61,
No! They're safely hidden in my closet!
-AlanL
Mr B. – The 853 was a stock finished by Airgun Addict (Marlow Stevens)from the yellow forum who was selling his 853. The ad claimed it was a new stock. If it is the original 853 stock, he must have done a lot of sanding. Marlow said that he finished it off by rubbing 4 coats of poly seal on it. He is also sending the original spacers, sling attachent and liturature. I'm sure it will make a great rifle for the kids. If it shoots well, I may mod the trigger down to 2 lbs and possibly add a bisley adjustable butt stock depending on how it sets up for me.
The .22 Disco doesn't have a shroud, but It did come with a second barrel band, which I use and a .177 barrel. With the power adjuster mod, I mainly shoot .22 cal. about 8 to 16 ftlbs and get about 50 to 100 good quiet shots. The stock was from airgun headquarters with Birchwood-Casey Tru Oil gun stock finish. The trigger has just a 2 screw mod, but sits nicely at 2 lbs. If you want it all plus a shroud, I would recommend a marauder for the money.
Lately, I've given the rabbits a rest. I still like to see a few of them run around the yard and our freezer is still full. Time to go fishing again. As for the annoying starling, grackles, crows and possiums it's been pretty quiet around here. Just the way we like it. I guess the air guns have "done the trick." The squirrels are doing fine as long as they stay in the trees. Also, the occasional pigeon drops by, which is fine as long as it's passing through.
this may be of no interest but yesterday I commented on the use of coconut oil to lube pellets after cleaning them. For some reason as I was reloading my pellet holder awhile ago I thought to myself, why not just roll them around in a few drops of pellgunoil. After all this is what most of us use to lube our airguns isn't it? I know to much would make for some slippery (dropping) pellets especially for single shot like I use. But in the right amount wouldn't it be best, although more expensive than coconut oil. Sorry to bring up the past, just wondering.
Dave, AlanL,
Thanks for links you gave me. Not much, but enough to estimate.
I'm thinking about a trigger unit for my project, as it is a "side grip" I thought of using ready-made Gamo trigger, but it doesn't fit. "Central grip" – the way RWS and Weihrauch do – is not the way I want it, 'cause it leaves no space for the gas spring. The situation is worsened by the fact that I must make trigger itself as far from the grip point of the first sear as possible, as I want the trigger mechanism to pass over underlever fulcrum, so it should be as long and as flat as possible (whew! 🙂 I hope it's possible to imagine).
So I decided to check out some HW solutions, especially HW90.
Judging by the photos, it's a bit too short and high for me… well then I have the blank check to create anything I see fit 🙂 e.g. some "Rekord"-style, rebuilt for side-grip.
duskwight
PS I've just received some pics from my Russian forum buddies, guys were generous to the point of disassembling the trigger and making photos, so I hope it'll be enough. Dave, AlanL – thanks again for your help.
I'm thinking of buying a browning 800 mag pistol. Mainly for the sole purpose of killing tin cans, 2 litre bottles of water and paper targets. No, I don't shoot varmints or birds although I have a lot here in SW Georgia all over my land. I was wondering which would be better the .177 or .22 version. Right now I own a 2240, and was thinking with .22 version I would not have to buy different pellets. But then again the .177 might give me something the .22 won't, any honest opinions? Thanks and goodnite or maybe good morning as the case maybe.
Rikib,
There is no need to hand-roll pellets to lube them. If you coat the foam on the bottom of a tin with oil, they will lube themselves through capillary attraction in a very short time.
Maybe it isn't really capillary attraction, but you don't have to do anything yourself. The pellets take care of themselves.
Read this post. It explains everything:
/blog/2008/2/how-to-lubricate-pellets/
B.B.
Rikib,
I'm currently testing a Browning 800 Mag in .22 and the results don't look good. The velocity is 200 f.p.s. slower than I imagined, based on my test of the .177. I think it's just this one pistol, but Umarex USA has not gotten back with me on the expected velocity.
It should ne in the mid 600s, I would think Because the .177 gets in the mid 800s. But the gun I;m testing is in the low to mid 400s.
So I cannot answer your question yet.
B.B.
ajvenom,
You're right about the Marauder being the cost effective way, but I truly like the weight and handling of my Discovery verses its big sister. I didn't know that a power mod for the Discovery would give the amount of adjustment that you're getting. Where do I sign up to get one?
My yard sounds sorta like yours, bird wise, but #1 son saw a possium to nights ago that will have to go by by.
Mr B.
Mr. B,
What's wrong with a poor ole opossum?
Hi anonymous,
Absolutly nothing is wrong with a poor ole opossum. I've been coexisting with them decades.
I've got a deal with them though. Don't eat my garden stuff and I won't eat your trash can stuff. If they're in my garden chowing down without an invite shame on them.
Mr B.