by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
FX Dreamlite PCP.
This report covers:
- The Dreamlite
- Drooper!
- Another issue
- Pellet sensitive
- Suggestions, suggestions!
- Sight in
- 5-shot group
- Discussion
- JSB Exact RS
- Air Arms Falcon
- The 10th chamber
- Say hello to my little friend
- Discussion and summary
Before I begin today’s report I think I need to tell everyone what it is that I do with this blog. I look at airguns just as though I bought them — the same as you. I’m not here to fix design flaws or manufacturing faults, though I often have to do that to proceed with the tests.
I tell you this because today’s rifle, the FX-Dreamlite, retails for $1,180. At that price it should come from the box ready to go. For that matter, so should any airgun, though, like everyone, I tend to cut the less expensive airguns a little more slack.
Now, sometimes the “problem” isn’t with the gun itself. For example, if it is an extreme drooper like this Dreamlite I’m testing, then the scope can be adjusted up too high for accuracy. That happens with firearms as well as airguns, but people shooting firearms don’t shoot as close as we do so they seldom mention it. But AR-15s are notorious for drooping.
The Dreamlite
In the first accuracy test the FX Dreamlite let us down with groups that were much larger than expected. I have resolved that today, and found that it was a combination of several things I’ll address in turn. Let’s get on with it.
Drooper!
First of all, the test rifle is a severe drooper and that has to be corrected before anything will work. Because it has a magazine that sticks up way above the plane of the receiver, only 2-piece scope mounts can be used. Years ago we had B-Square adjustable rings for this problem, but that company is no longer in business. So I had to find a good replacement.
The 30mm FX No Limit scope mounts look similar to the older B-Square mounts and are probably what I need, but they are out of stock. So, for today’s test I shimmed the UTG Max Strength 30mm rings I have been using. They already had a shim, so I doubled it. That isn’t a good way to proceed, but it will get us through today’s testing. Since the Dreamlite is a PCP with no recoil I didn’t tighten the ring cap screws very tight. That will keep from denting or bending the scope tube.
Another issue
In the first test the magazine chamber for the 10th pellet came under suspicion, because any pellet that was shot from it was always a flyer. So today I did not load a pellet into that chamber. Instead of 21 pellets this mag now holds just 20. I will also specifically test that chamber at the end of the test to determine whether I’m right to suspect it, but for the bulk of today’s testing, it was left empty.
Pellet sensitive
It seemed in the first accuracy test that this Dreamlite is very sensitive to what pellet is being used. I already have a list of heavier pellets the rifle doesn’t like. Today I will test some lighter ones. But before we do that I need to find out whether this rifle can be more accurate than we have seen thus far. And there is one pellet that seemed to work okay last time — the 8.44-grain JSB Exact. So that was the one I concentrated on.
Suggestions, suggestions!
You readers have had many suggestions for me, regarding this rifle. Remove the barrel shroud. Remove the silencer. Well, the barrel shroud has nothing to do with accuracy, because it’s not what you think. It’s simply a sleeve or jacket around what FX calls the barrel liner.
The silencer is also unconventional. I don’t see any baffles inside. Instead there is a screen that probably has sound-deadening material behind it. The only place where the pellet can clip this silencer is at the muzzle and there are no marks to indicate that it has.
A couple of you told me to remove the barrel because it was perhaps misaligned with the breech in some way. That I could do and did do. Just two screws on top of the receiver hold it in the action. Loosen them and it comes off.
Loosen the two screws on top of the receiver (arrows) and the barrel slides out.
The Dreamlite barrel fits into the breech only one way. A slot in the breech (arrow) indexes the barrel with the receiver. It also aligns the air transfer port as you can see.
I detected nothing wrong with the way the barrel had been installed by the factory. But perhaps removing and reinstalling it will make some slight difference. Now it was time to test the rifle again.
I loaded the magazine with 20 pellets like I described above. Pellet chamber 10 was left blank, so when the spring-loaded magazine wheel gets to that slot, it skips past it and stops at chamber 11. For the first few tests I am shooting the JSB Exact 8.44-grain dome.
For nearly all testing today I left the pellet chamber number 10 (arrow) empty.
Sight in
The scope had been off the rifle since the last test (to remove the barrel) so it was necessary to sight in again. But I found that it was very close to being zeroed when I shot. Only the elevation had changed because of the additional shim that was installed. It took three shots to get on target at 25 yards. Unfortunately I zeroed the scope to hit the aim point, so when I shot the first group I blew my aim point away! I had to guess where the center of the bull was for most of the 10 shots! That potentially introduced a 1/8-inch (0.125-inch) aiming error into the group.
Nevertheless, the Dreamlite managed to put 10 JSB domes into 0.284-inches at 25 yards. This was the kind of accuracy I had been hoping for!
The first group with the two sight-in shots. As you can see, the aim point was blown away. The Dreamlite still managed to put 10 pellets into 0.284-inches between centers.
Okay, the rifle can shoot. Now we are seeing the level of accuracy others have shown. But nearly every other shooter shows 5-shot groups instead of 10, so let me show you what one of them looks like.
5-shot group
I adjusted the scope to hit higher on the target, to preserve the aim point. Then I shot 5 shots with the 8.44 grain JSBs, being as careful as I could be. The group measures 0.204-inches between centers, so I photographed it for you before shooting the other 5 shots to complete it.
That’s the trime, taped next to the 0.204-inch 5-shot group that was shot at 25 yards. I left the target on the pellet trap for this picture and had to use tape to hold the trime. This photo was taken with a flash and hand-held, plus greatly enlarged and both the coin and group are under tape, so it’s very blurry.
That’s the sort of group people are showing online for Dreamline rifles. Its possible because there are only 5 shots. Ten shots would tend to be at least 40 percent larger. I went back to the bench and shot another 5 rounds at the same target. This time 10 shots are in 0.425-inches at 25 yards. That’s more than double the 5-shot group size.
This is what happens when 5 more shots are fired at that same bull with the great group. Ten JSB Exacts are in 0.425-inches at 25 yards. It’s a good group; just not great. Aren’t you glad I showed you the first 5 shots before completing the group?
Discussion
Now we know that the Dreamlite rifle can shoot. But only with one pellet. I have heard that FX purposely rifles their barrels for JSB pellets, and I think that is very wise. Shooters spending this kind of money for a rifle have no problem buying the right pellets for it, even if they are pricy.
But are there other pellets that will perform in this rifle? It would be nice to find some.
JSB Exact RS
Since I knew that FX designs their barrels for JSB pellet, or at least that’s the word on the street, I tried the JSB Exact RS pellet next. Weighing just 7.33 grains, this dome is even lighter than the one I have been shooting. Once again I skipped the 10th pellet chamber in the magazine when I loaded it. And the scope zero remained the same.
This time 10 pellets went into 0.563-inches at 25 yards. It’s okay, but nothing to shout about. Especially not for a rifle at this level.
Ten JSB Exact RS pellets went into 0.563-inches at 25 yards.
Air Arms Falcon
I tried the Air Arms Falcon pellet next. We know that JSB produces this pellet on dies belonging to Air Arms, so it is similar to, but not the same as the RS pellet. This time 10 pellets went into 0.798-inches at 25 yards, with 9 of them in 0.572-inches. Once again it’s okay but not great.
Ten Air Arms Falcons are in 0.798-inches at 25 yards, with 9 of them in 0.572-inches.
So far I have found just one pellet the Dreamlite likes — the 8.44-grain JSB Exact. I will try one more time to find some other good pellets and then I am through testing this rifle. It has been given every chance to perform, and has been shown to be extremely accurate, but just with one pellet.
The 10th chamber
Now that we know the rifle can shoot the 8.44 grain JSB, it’s time to test that 10th magazine chamber. I fired the first 5 shots and was surprised by what I saw. It’s time to introduce a new standard for accuracy.
Say hello to my little friend
You are comfortable with the dime I place next to groups for relative size and over time you have gotten to know the silver three-cent piece (trime) that I occasionally bring out when the group is very small. But there is one more American coin that’s even smaller. It’s the Type One gold dollar that was minted from 1849 through 1854. The trime is 14mm in diameter. This coin is 13mm. In the future when groups get exceptionally small, I will place the dollar next to them. So, given that introduction — guess what is about to happen?
The 1853 Type One gold dollar coin (right) is the smallest coin ever minted for general circulation by the United States of America. It will be my new gold standard.
Back to the 10th Chamber test
Okay, what did I see after 5 shots from the Dreamlite? Well, I saw a group so small that I took the target and its backer off the trap and photographed it. Five pellets went into a group measuring 0.158-inches between centers at 25 yards!
Five JSB Exact pellets went into 0.158-inches at 25 yards. That is a group, my friends!
After photographing this group I remounted the target and returned to the bench to fire the next 4 shots. The first 9 shots went into 0.242-inches at 25 yards. This is great! I photographed that group for you while it was still mounted in the trap.
When I fired 4 more shots at that 5-shot group, this is what happened. Nine shots in 0.242-inches at 25 yards. Blurry from hand-holding.
And now it was time to shoot the 10th shot. This time the pellet was sitting in the 10th magazine chamber — the one we have suspected is misaligned with the breech and have avoided loading until now. This shot opened the 0.242-inch group to 0.463-inches at 25 yards. It’s a good group, but not when you consider how great it could have been if that chamber had not been used!
And there it is! The pellet from the 10th chamber landed to the lower right and outside the main group, opening the group from 0.262-inches to 0.463-inches a 0.201-inch increase in group size from one shot. That’s more than one full pellet diameter of group growth!
Discussion and summary
Well, I got the FX Dreamlite to shoot. In fact, the results were stunning for the one and only pellet it handles well. I did learn in the process than the barrel is quick and easy to swap.
The new owner’s manual is good. It’s much better than the marketing brochure that passed for a manual before!
The 10th pellet chamber in the one magazine I have is now very suspect. I will not use it in accuracy testing again.
The rifle cocks easily, has a gorgeous trigger and gets a nice number of shots, though the fill is to 250 bar. All of the power adjustments work as they should and the regulator is quite easy to adjust. And the Dreamlite is very quiet.
The power is not up to the 20 foot-pound rating, though I haven’t tried the heaviest pellets that might get it. But if they aren’t accurate nobody will shoot them, because missing with a lot of energy isn’t as effective as hitting with less.
I still want to test the accuracy of the rifle with several other pellets. I can shoot 5-shot groups that will allow me to test with a lot of different pellets.
I also want to test the accuracy after bumping the barrel, because many readers have expressed concern over such a long free-floated barrel. There is at least one more test to come, so stay tuned.
Isn’t it illegal to use mm when talking about the diameter of American coins?
It is illegal to use the metric system around us old American geezers period. It can be quite frustrating to look at a bolt and think it is about a half inch and then try to figure which metric wrench fits it. Is it a 12, 13 or 14mm?
RR, I am perfectly comfortable with inches and half inches, but if anyone asks me how long 3/32 of an inch is in sensible measurements they will see a grown man cry.
Sean.
LOL! You will not be alone!
Those of us having machining background have the fractions of an inch converted to decimals memorized. For example, 1/16″=.062″, 1/32″=.031″, 3/32″=.093″, and so on. We even have some of the mm dimentions converted to inches memorized. 1mm=.039″, 10mm=.390″(or just shy of 1/2″), 25.4mm=1.0 inches.
Geo
Geo
I wasn’t going to bring it up.
But yes we do. 🙂
RR-
Metric is so much easier. What is bigger 11/64 or 3/16? Which is bigger 3 or 4? Enough said~
-Y
11/64″ is less than 12/64″, also easy.
and then for really small dimensions they go to 1/1000. Logical and practical?!#$%!?
-Y
Yogi
Don’t know if you know what a Cox 1/2A engine is.
The bore to cylinder fit is measured in millianths.
As the engine warms up it changes dimensions. We would run a high nitromethane percentage in our racing fuel for the pylon racers. Some engines could make 30,000 rpm. The fit of the piston to the bore was everything. That was the difference in winning or loosing a race.
So yes some people are familiar with tight tolerances.
Have you ever heard of a super mic?
GF1,
We had a laser super mic at work used to calibrate plug gauges. It was stated to have an accuracy of 50 micro inches. I never found it to be that accurate and could measure closer with indicator mics and gauge blocks. I could measure within .0001″ with my Starrett hand mics with a .0001″ vernier on the barrel.
Cylinder to bore fit within micro inches? The cylinder, as well as the bore would have to be round within micro inches too. We made hydraulic valves with the spool to bore clearance of 100 micro inches. Both bore and spool had to be round and straight within 50 micro inches. The B/P specified cylindricity of .0001″. We had special a special roundness machine to verify conformance.
Geo
Geo
We have the first one pictured in the link at work.
They used it to calibrate gauge pins.
https://www.prattandwhitney.com/Content/External_Supermicrometer_C_Horizontal_Comparator.asp
GF1,
P&W made some good equipment. I can not remember who made the super mic we had but I think it was Federal Products. We had a lot of Federal Product gauges in our plant, bore gauges, indicators, and such. We had and ID/OD comparator for calibrating ring gauges too. That thing was pretty much useless. I used the Zeiss CMM to calibrate them within 50 micro inches and management was satisfied with that.
Geo
Geo
We had some Federal gauges back in the 80’s and 90’s.
Everything out on the floor now including some stuff in the inspection/cmm room has been Mitutoyo.
And we do have a new laser scanner we got about 6 months ago. It’s not used for calibration though. It’s used to measure certian dimensions that the comparators and cmm can’t pick up on easily. I’m actually surprised how well it works. And not to be confused with a laser super mic.
For shame, RR. A 1/2″ bolt is the diameter of the actual bolt, not the size of the head which could be hex, cap or torx.. Just wanted to be contrary, RR :). And 3/16″ (is reduced to the least common denominator from 12/64″) is larger than 11/64″. Haven’t had to use LCD’s since my kids were in grade school. But the metric system is easier to use imho.
Fred formerly of the DPRoNJ now happily in GA
Fred
Same with metric bolts. Are machines are Swiss made. They are all metric bolts and such.
Yogi,
That is not the point. I understand and use metrics every day at work. The issue is that my mind works in standard. We were not even considering switching over until well into my adulthood. There are some tricks this old dog just ain’t gonna learn.
RR,
Using metrics is just like leaning a foreign language. You will always think of English first and then the translation of it secondly. So for example, how long is 20mm? Let’s see, 1mm is about .040″ so 20 x .040 = .800″.
Geo
Perzactly.
B.B.,
Thank you for the extensive testing and detective work to go with it.
Is it possible to do a 5 shot group with (just) the 10th chamber?
Chris
Chris,
Oh, Chris! Yes it is possible, but why?
B.B.
B.B.
Yes, “why” is the reason, I’d be real curious as to why the 10th chamber seems to be a problem – it would take a lot of will-power not to disassemble the magazine to look for issues.
Have to know LOL! Is it a design issue? Manufacturing issue? Could be tolerances, could be a poor/rough casting.
If it was my rifle I would be getting a replacement magazine but I would still wonder about this one.
Hank
Hank
Or try another magazine and see what it does. If it also has issues on the 10th chamber. That would tell the story if it did the same.
GF1,
True – but it would be more fun to take it apart LOL!
Hank
Hank
Depends on what kind of mood I’m in. 😉
Hank,
I’m with you on this…very curious as to the root cause.
Geo
B.B.,
I suppose that it could go one of 2 ways,….. it would shoot a tight group (but off from the rest of what the other cylinders would do (OR) it would be a bad group if in fact the pellets are getting shaved in anyway.
I would lean towards the second.
Just curious more than anything else. Also, it would be interesting to see the inside of one. We know what the M-rod magazine looks like and I know what the inside of a DS Red Wolf magazine looks like. You may expose an issue and maybe even provide an easy fix if something is found to be of issue. Maybe?
Chris
B.B.,
Thanks for taking the time to verify that the barrel was properly seated.
I look forward to your accuracy test with Predator GTO (made by JSB) in wadcutter 5.3 gr and/or domed 6.79 gr. at about 800-850 fps, if possible, and the affect of using a larger transfer port setting with the JSB Exact as baseline and a heavy lead pellet for power.
Don
Don,
I don’t have those pellets. I will be trying others though.
B.B.
Let’s see, 13 divided by 25.4 equals 0.512 inches. OK, now I know how big it is. I work with the metric system every day, but I do not think in it.
That is quite an improvement. It does seem the magazine is a bit of an issue. I can certainly understand your disappointment, most especially with the price tag it has. It is expected from a Crosman, not an FX.
As for your testing method, it really is the best way to proceed on several points. Your testing “as is” works especially well for newbies. What are they getting when they open that box? What performance can they expect if they do their part?
Also, sometimes you show how to correct minor issues some may have. Not only can this improve the performance of the airgun, but it can also help inspire confidence in the shooter through understanding of how it operates.
Now, back to this air rifle. I too am disappointed. It may be this caliber does not work well for this model, but FX does have a lot of experience with .177. Maybe the Gen II will do better?
Hey RR!
I have always thought that B.B. has a difficult situation in testing “new out of the box” guns as they frequently require a one or two tin break-in period which he doesn’t have time for. Shooting unsorted pellets is typical of what most people do so fliers in the groups are representative of what level of accuracy can be expected.
For serious accuracy testing (is there any other kind??), I do a through cleaning, at least two tins for break-in, another cleaning and shoot sorted pellets – all time intensive stuff.
Think that the Dreamlite rifle itself is fine and its the complex magazine (too many moving parts) that is the source of the problem. Bet that a shot-tray would give more consistent groups.
I appreciate B.B.s reports as they give an excellent idea of the guns’ potential and I keep in mind that some extra TLC will probably improve things.
Hank
Hank
I have thought the same about BB’s testing.
Hank,
FX also has a smaller magazine that will also fit. It probably also works better.
I concur that BB just does not have the time to give the TLC each airgun needs or at least deserves, but it is also true that many companies use us as their R&D department. How often do we see two or three generations of products before they finally get it right. The Impact, Crown and Wildcat from FX have each gone through such to become what they are now.
I do know that it is not always easy to guess what features the fickle public will want, but it is no excuse to not have the features that are there not work right. I do not buy products from TCFKAC. I am not their lab rat that buys their products so that I can fix them to work right. Make it right the first time and I may reconsider.
RR,
I know about the smaller magazine and here is what I think of it. Corvette used to sell cars with six-cylinder engines, too. Wonder how many people bought them that way, once the 265 came out?
B.B.
BB,
I bet a whole bunch of them wished they owned one of those early ‘Vettes right now.
My philosophy is this; how many follow up shots do I need to kill that squirrel? If I am doing that bad I am just going to take my toys and go home. Reloading is a simple matter also. If I am on the bench it is even easier.
Fewer “ready” shots also slow you down some to where you pick your shots rather than blasting away. When I started groundhog hunting with a centerfire, my Dad would give me five cartridges. If I brought back five ‘hogs I would get five more. If I brought back four I would only get four more. Also, only head shots were acceptable.
RR
Good question. How many shots do you need?
Does FX or anyone else make a single shot tray for them.
I know just me. Remember I made those single shot trays for the Hatsan at44 that me and Buldawg both had.
I really have been thinking about getting a 3D printer after messing with the one at work. I know I could start making single shot trays for different guns if I had a 3D printer.
And of course the picture I’m showing is the single shot tray I machined out of Delrin on a Bridgeport.
GF1
The answer (as always) is 42.
Ditto on the 3D printers – the one are work was way-cool but the (rightfully) didn’t let me play with it.
Hank
They just hired a new engineer at work. It’s his.
What he is doing is 3D printing up new tool holder designs. We have tight places to fit a bunch of cutting heads in a machine. So he is trying some different designs to reduce size but still be strong to hold up to hundreds and hundreds of thousands of parts being made on those tool holders. We start making them in house it will save the company Bunches of money. And the place I’m at is not afraid to share thier money when it improves the company’s well being.
But guess who gets to make them on the Bridgeports and lathes out of steel. Me.
So I have been pretty involved in the project and what he is drawing up to be the part he 3D prints to the part I machine.
So if it all works out we will make the holders on vertical cnc’s. Again in house. And yes I have set up many vertical cnc’s.
But it’s really been pretty fun and has given me something to make work exciting again to make me to retirement.
So needless to say I have stuck my nose in pretty deep. What can I say. It all just kind of fell in place. 🙂
GF1,
I do not know, but you may rest assured that when I get one I will want a sst for it.
I have always been a fan of single shot rifles. At one time I owned a Ruger #1, a Maritni-Henry, an Anschutz and a Remington Rolling Block replica in addition to a couple of bolt actions. I never did own a Sharps though. Phewy.
RR
I myself prefer a single shot be it target shooting, long range shooting and even pesting.
Really the only time I like a repeater or semi-auto is if I’m plinking. Not to say there isn’t some accurate semi-auto”s out there. But yep I like to feel the round load if I’m really wanting to make the shot count.
And maybe by time you get you a FX I’ll have a 3D printer of my own. All I need is some dimensions like Buldawg sent me when I made his. And I for sure will be able to make one for you.
Sounds like fun stuff to me. 🙂
Gunfun1
I like it! It’s just another example of ” ADAPT AND OVERCOME ”
Besides that , it gives you an excuse to have a mill and lathe in the basement.
Bob F
Bob
Thanks.
B.B.,
That mega capacity magazine is just too stupid big in my opinion. That was an immediate turn off when I first saw it. Cubic inch and horsepower are another issue. I will take that.
I may be in the minority, but that is how I feel. I would suggest FX offering the choice of 1 mega mag. or 2 standard mags. when making a purchase.
Chris
RR,
I haven’t noticed any problem with the pair of .25 caliber magazines I have for my FX but then I treat them with kit-gloves. Even made a little dust-proof carrying case to keep them in.
Know what you mean! Always said: customer does final inspection – just wish companies did their R&D on their dollar instead of ours!
Speaking of TCFKAC… I just finished doing a major ECO (“Engineering Change Order” for those not familiar with engineering acronyms) on my Maximus. I changed it from .177 to .22 caliber; installed a HuMa regulator and modded the trigger so it breaks nicely at about 2 pounds. It’s a great little plinker!
I got to do a bit of shooting with it last night but had to stop each time to chase the deer out of the shooting lane. Mosquitoes can be real distracting when you are trying to concentrate on making a shot – try shooting with a deer snuffling a cold nose in your ear, tickling with her whiskers – that’s impossible!
Attached is a picture of Willa, we have known her and her sister, Lilla since they were fawns.
Hank
Hank,
Nice pic. Our dog is not about to tolerate any small furry woodland creatures hanging around the house. I still see them on occasion, but not up close anymore.
Hank,
Nice. That is awesome! (the deer) I have the same rest by the way. Maybe not the best, but I like it. I made the rear feet adjustable as well on mine. Very adequate for what I do. If doing as much shooting as you do,… I would opt for the full metal models that are out there.
Chris
Chris,
The Predator rest is ok but I find that, being plastic, it has too much flex in it. Yeah, I have to fix the rear feet – using a couple of tapered blocks to shim them when I need to.
I am (slowly) making a metal rest from angle-iron and and a car jack. Just need to add the cradles to support the stock to complete the basic design.
I would like to track velocities while I am bench shooting (want to see if fliers relate to velocity) so I’m looking at how I can incorporate a mount that keeps the chrony aligned with the rifle while allowing me to pivot up and down; left and right to the next target face.
Hank
Hank,
You must have a small fortune tied up in you airgun collection and equipment?
That picture is so cool. She must be really tame. The other night we saw a doe come into the front yard and drink out of our little fountain. I really enjoy seeing the deer but have not seen any fawns this spring. I put a little corn out in a dish yesterday in hopes of a doe coming in with her fawns.
Geo
Geo,
I still hunt small game with airguns but gave up hunting with powder-burners. That put a lifetime’s worth of collecting rifles and shotguns, a strip-built canoe and a kayak and some other stuff on the sales-block to support my new habit.
I have made three new purchases (my .177 & .22 Weihrauchs and my .25 FX) and the rest of my airguns have been acquired through trades and some really lucky deals.
Guess I have a fair value tied up in airguns – never thought to add it up as the actual cash outlay has been minimal.
I’m “low” maintenance LOL! I like to target shoot in the back yard, fish in the lakes near by and putter around in my workshop… doesn’t cost much to keep me supplied with pellets and fish-hooks!
The deer trust us but are still wild – they will run from everybody else. Three resident does on the property a pair of fawns and two singles – nice to see.
Hank
B.B.,
That’s rich using an 1853 Type One gold dollar coin as your gold standard for tiny groups!
Siraniko
Well it IS a great grouping, worthy of the little gold coin
B.B.
Shooting one MOA at 25 yards is great, but if the darkside is going to tempt me it had better shoot one MOA at 100 yards with .22 pellets.
-Y
Yogi,
It can be done, but you had better be ready to spend a good size chunk. You are not going to do it with something from TCFKAC.
RR
Please. Maybe it’s the shooter and not the gun. I seen that before.
And again what ones have you had and how well could you shoot them? Well. And yes no borrowed guns.
Well, the first thing I would do is not spend $1k on a gun with a reputation for significant droop. The second thing I would do is not spend $1k on a gun requiring a sky high scope mount. The third thing I would do, having contradicted myself and bought the drooper, is exchange the faulty mag. The fourth thing I would do is definitely NOT bump the barrel of a $1k gun…FX may be happy to repair the damaged product of a world famous B.B. Pelletier but for a nobody like me…?…call me pessimistic. Just tell me now if I’m being too disagreeable; there was a comment on my 2nd Grade report card which went something like “…does not work well with others…? ;(
John,
If I could spend your money for you… check out the Weihrauch HW100 rifles.
I have a pair of them (.177 and .22) that I am very pleased with. No droop, low profile (simple) 14 shot magazine, awesome trigger, regulated and very nice side-lever cocking. There was some problem with the earlier .22 caliber barrels but the later model HW100 FSB I have easily stacks pellets at 35 yards (in spite of me LOL!).
Cheers,
Hank
Halfstep
If your reading I got some info for you about the Daisy Precision Max wadcutters.
Don’t know if you seen where I posted some pictures of the Winchester round nose pellets. Had a few were the centers poked all the way through and some that looked like hollow points after I shot them. Found if you looked at the pellet from the backside the hole goes real deep and is close to the head of the pellet. And the pellet is clean and made very uniform.
Well guess what the Daisy wadcutters I have that I say are accurate look that way too. Here’s how I found out there is a difference in the Daisy wadcutters.
I ran out so my wife picked me some of the Daisy wadcutters up at the local farm supply store. Guess what. They must have some old stock some kind of way. The cavity in the back of thier pellets are way shallower. And the pellets from them aren’t uniform and are dirty as in slivers of lead around the pellet skirt. The Daisy wadcutters I been talking about I got from PA look like the Winchester’s only they are flat nose of course.
But here is a picture of the old I believe Daisy wadcutters. And the new Daisy wadcutter’s are on the right.
But I’m betting that’s why I’m having better results with the Daisy wadcutters than you. And if I remember right you said yours were old stock you had.
And check it out. The new ones are even shorter in overall height.
Here’s from the bottom.
Here is from the top.
Here is from the side.
A big difference between the two if you ask me.
B.B.,
Very nice idea to use the Type One gold dollar, not only because of the size, but that it is an appropriate gold color. Showing this coin with a group would indicate that a gun won the “Gold”. Is that a very rare coin?
I too am very curious as to the root cause of the #10 cavity in the magazine not being accurate. There was quite a difference in group sizes from from the last part to this part. Do you attribute that to the shimming of the scope?
My very first 10-shot group out of the box with my Gamo Urban was .156″ at 17 yards. I’ve not been able to duplicate that group again though.
Geo
Pellet sensitive paragraph typo:
“But before we do that I need to find out whether this rifle can be more accurate than we have see (seen) thus far.”
George,
Thanks for catching the typo. I fixed it.
This gold dollar is not a rare coin. It’s from 1853 so it sounds like it is, and you will never find one in circulation, but they are fairly common, which is why I bought one that’s almost uncirculated. Because I could.
TEN shots in 0.156?!!! That is a screamer!
B.B.
Here is the target…it was actually 17.5 yards when I measured it.
George,
I would keep that target, too.
B.B.
I see six holes all over the target. Maybe 4 hit the bull’s eye.
-Y
Yogi
And now that bring that up I was going to say this earlier and forgot.
BB what are the two holes from out of the group? One way high and one way low?
Here is the picture so you know where to look this time.
GF1,
There you go again. Looking at the pictures and not reading the captions.
“The first group with the two sight-in shots. ”
B.B.
BB
I did read the captions.
Tell me what this means when you read it a couple times. This is the caption to that picture.
“The first group with the two sight-in shots. As you can see, the aim point was blown away. The Dreamlite still managed to put 10 pellets into 0.284-inches between centers”
All I see is one group that you shot out your aim point and two single flyers. One high and one low. Not two groups or three groups. Just one.
I do not see anything but one group in the middle. Maybe you mis worded your caption.
GF1,
The big hole is the first group. That is all 10 shots. The other two holes you call the flyers are the two sight-in shots.
B.B.
BB
Ok was worded funny to me.
Yogi,
Those other shots you see outside the bull were sight-in shots when I first mounted the scope. The very first shot was the one down and to the right. So I had to adjust the scope about 3 1/2″ up and 3″ left.
There actually ten pellets in that 1/2″ bull, most were through the same hole. Like I said, I haven’t been able to duplicate that group. I did shoot a target at 17.5 yards with 20 3/16″ dots and I was able to hit most of them, so that would have made a really nice group too.
I will say that my $220 Urban shoots groups as well as some of the very expensive high end airguns out to 50 yards. I’ve never tried shooting groups beyond 30 yards, but those were 10-shot groups 1/2″ or less. Most all of my pesting is 15 to 25 yards and if I miss, I know it’s me and not the rifle. Not as steady as I once was, and don’t practice nearly as much as others here in the blog. I only shoot targets to verify my POI is still on the money.
Geo
Good read BB.
I’ve always been skeptical of highend pcps, seems they shine best once tuned by a professional.
I too suggest trying a single shot tray, I have a feeling groups would tighten significantly.
Then we can talk about complex mags and the problems they create ?
Keep up the good work Sir