New Benji XL .22 Questions

[charliek]

Hi all, been 3 weeks since receiving my XL 1100 .22, and so far am very pleased with performance. Just received my GRT-III trigger today for it, and am ready to take apart to do a couple things to it. I have a few general questions that are more related to member experience(s), trials, than "how-to's".

I have 85 rounds through it so far and have a couple chrony numbers: 14.3 gr CPHP @ 860-880fps, and 18.1 gr JSB @ 740-750 fps. Will try to be brief and concise and not clog my post.

1) I cleaned with Goo-Gone, then hopes solvent before shooting. I have read a bit about cleaning and there are numerous ways people choose from what I've seen. I was planning to use JB Bore Paste for maybe 10 back and forth passes, then 20-25 passes with the Ultra Fine JB to do a light polish on the bore. Then lightly polish the crown and breech. I know the bore needs to be seasoned and shot in, and I understand the benefits of NOT cleaning frequently. With this said, my 1st question is, has anyone ever found any noticeable or reliable (how ever small) velocity increase AFTER doing a light polish on the bore with a new gun? Could I expect anything measureable?

2) I know the air stripper in the .25 marauder can be made more efficient by slightly enlarging the holes and back chamfering them. In the XL 1100, when the shroud on the LDC is removed, can the air stripper (what Crosman calls Barrel Sleeve Cover) be made to operate a little more efficiently by slightly enlarging the 4 holes in it, and putting a slight back chamfer on them as is done on MRods? It'd seem that if a little more air is smoothly redirected, then the LDC would operate better? Any experiences with this on the XL?

3) I know some people lube pellets or use ones such as the Napier brand. Personally, I am not a fan of introducing a light lubricant into the bore, for fear of "light" detonation maybe? This question may seem odd, but was wondering about powdered graphite?. I've used before on equipment cabling for proper spooling, and I know that if you get powdered graphite on car paint, it is hard to remove. I know lead dust acts like a lube in the bore, and also fills in micro imperfections in the bore creating a better seal in time. But has anyone ever tried a bore mop "saturated" with powdered graphite and thoroughly worked through the bore to overlay it? I've wondered about the possible effects?

4) I have not read much YET on the GRT-III trigger install on the XL 1100, so am not asking questions about what's been discussed a lot on earlier posts. I feel a little leary about doing it after seeing what can happen if the intermediate lever in the trigger group is not altered enough so there is ample clearance between it and the large trigger pin, to avoid AD's. Which I assume are very energetic and damaging maybe? I will look into past posts to learn more about what to look for to ensure a safe operating trigger.

5) And lastly, I had the thought of tearing it apart and doing a tune on the gun and have read some on it. I know a tune on a gun allows a smoother cocking, cycling weapon. More consistent velocity spread, etc...? But my last question here is, how do I recognize that I should tune? Aside from a greatly reduced velocity due to poorly installed seal from factory? I like to tinker a lot, but with the initial velocities I've gotten, I'm not sure I should or want to open it up if it's shooting this fast for me? And have not had a chance to group it yet at say 25 yards??

Thank you all for any thoughts you'd be willing to share! 

Charliek

[aceflier]

I don't have all the answered for you but as far as your velocities go you are getting pretty much exactly what mine gets with those 2 pellets. Mine likes the 18.3 JSB Jumbo and it shoots Polymags faster and more accurate than the 15gr jsb exacts.

[codytwoeyes]

Your XL 
will become a true hammer that hits what it's aimed at when you install  your  GTR  there is no one thing that will improve your gun more than the trigger upgrade.  I have found its very easy to work the XL . And it has been a very good hunter for me. I have since converted mine to a 25 cal . I hope this helps. 
 

[mentolio]

JB polish=more velocity? I'm no expert, but I've done a few barrels. Never seen any real measurable increase in velocity, just a (slight) improvement in accuracy (sometimes).

I couldn't say if enlarging and further chamfering the holes in the "barrel sleeve cover" would make any difference in efficiency, but the part is under 10 bucks to replace, so if you think it'll help you may want to buy another and compare.

Lubing pellets: I want to think pellets already have graphite in them? Someone with more real knowledge may want to chime in on that one. I've never seen a need for "washing and lubing," but I don't shoot competitively in FTT or Bench Rest events. If I did, I would likely try it (and use another gun, not a Crosman NP). I would also be concerned with both deiseling and oil-fouling the barrel, but that may just be my lack of experience with such things speaking. You could try graphite in the barrel, but I suspect it would just "shoot-out." I hunt, so I don't want any (more) chemical junk than I already have contaminating the meat I eat, so there in lies another reason I don't lube pellets.

As far as tearing it down: I'm usually an advocate of this, especially if the gun feels gritty or "crunchy" when you operate the action. If your gun doesn't feel that way when you break and close the barrel, I would suggest you wait for a few hundred pellets before you tear into it. Your velocity seems right on par with where it should be, and your current Extreme Spreads ain't bad for a brand new gun either (20FPS for CPs and 10FPS for heavies is pretty good). If it were me, I would shoot it a lot and see where those numbers go. I would expect a (slight) decrease in velocity and ES numbers as the gun breaks in. If velocity drops significantly (say 50+FPS) or ES gets worse, or the gun continues to feel "crunchy" after say 500 pellets, then I'd tear it apart and go to town.

[Old Corps]

Be careful installing the GRT in the XL. Take a little material of the "tab" on the anti-beartrap as shown in this video . I filed off about 1/8". When you get it adjusted to your liking make sure to do a "bump" test (bumping the butt on the deck) with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction to make sure it's safe. I'm very happy with mine but could never get it adjusted so that there are 2 distinct stages and others have reported the same thing. Mine is a very nice predictable single stage with a light pull and clean break. WAY better than the OEM one. Hope this is helpful.

Ed

[redtrucker610]

Double what Old Corps said about the trigger. Mine was such a hair trigger I felt it was dangerous. I had to follow the guide from the CDT website and file the intermediate lever a little so it had a notch. It only took a little bit with a small file and it's been fine since.

[Old Corps]

Double what Old Corps said about the trigger. Mine was such a hair trigger I felt it was dangerous. I had to follow the guide from the CDT website and file the intermediate lever a little so it had a notch. It only took a little bit with a small file and it's been fine since.

+1
Yeah, I had to file some material off that notch as well. Forgot about that!

Ed

[charliek]

Thanks guys for the relevant feedback. Even though not a hunter yet with it, I'm not looking to take a "hack chance" introducing graphite into the bore. I know that a consistent velocity and low ES's are much more desirable for accuracy than trying to squeeze every last FPS out of a gun. Gonna mount the scope and get down to some shooting to break it in now! Really appreciate the info, looking to learn now!

Charlie