Spring-Piston shooters: How often do you replace the spring?

[nced]

Hello, folks:
I ask this question here in WFTF looking for guidance from the shooters who strive for maximum performance from the spring guns.
How often do you replace your spring?
Do you make that judgement according to loss of power or just age of the spring?
Also, do you "pre-set" your spring before using it? (Probably the wrong term, but I'm asking about putting a new spring under tension for maybe 30 minutes before you begin using it.)

Best wishes,
Bob who wants to be WFTF next season

Well......it all depended on the spring used and the amount of shooting. When living in West Virginia years ago I would shoot roughly 10,000 shots per year practicing, squirrel hunting, plinking and field target shooting. I would get roughly two years of service from Maccari aftermarket springs (20,000ish shots) because I seldom got more than 5,000 shots from a factory HW spring at that time.

I moved to North Carolina about 12 years ago and I don't shoot nearly as much as when living in WV. Here is a pic of the last stash of boxed Crosman Premiers received on June 2015 (16 boxes plus two existing boxes) and I have 3 boxes left after 4 years (about 4000 shots per year).......


I have shot enough to come to some conclusions relative to another aftermarket brand I tried.  When I first bought a Vortek PG2 kit a few years ago for my .177 Beeman R9 the spring held up fine for 1500 shots, then it started sagging and before 4 months had ended my velocity dropped 80fps. I reverted back to the ARH E3650 spring and it never did sag or break, however I gave Vortek another shot a couple years later by ordering this bare spring.........

I cut my own tight fitting spring guide and top hat and had the same spring sagging issue that I had with the original PG2 kit.

After that these springs from ARH and thay have been installed in my .177 R9, .177 HW95 and a couple HW tunes for other folks........


Bottom line........when shooting 10,000ish shots per year in West Virginia a factory HW95 spring lasted about 3 months and the Maccari springs lasted 2 years.

When shooting 4000ish shots per year in NC I have yet to break a ARH E3650 and the springs haven't sagged. During one of the "NC years" I used Vortex offerings for a few months. The PG2 kit "sagged to near uselessness" in about 3 months (4500 shots) and the bare Vortex spring was replaced due to sagging in about 1 1/2 months.

[gonzav]

Hello, folks:
I ask this question here in WFTF looking for guidance from the shooters who strive for maximum performance from the spring guns.
How often do you replace your spring?
Do you make that judgement according to loss of power or just age of the spring?
Also, do you "pre-set" your spring before using it? (Probably the wrong term, but I'm asking about putting a new spring under tension for maybe 30 minutes before you begin using it.)

Best wishes,
Bob who wants to be WFTF next season

I replace my springs every time it breaks. So far my Vortek springs for my LGU broke after over 6000 shots (6 months). No power loss at all.
I have not tried ARHQ equivalent springs yet. ARHQ can preset the springs for extra $2.

[mb94952]

I have a LOT to learn. This is all new to me. I have no idea what "pre-set" your spring means. I didn't know you had to consider changing your spring, at all. But like anything mechanical, as long as you take care of it and don't abuse it, things should last.
I love having all you guys to get vital information about airgunning, whether it's the basics or more complicated subjects. Like dude said earlier, "This is golden."

[nced]

I have a LOT to learn. This is all new to me. I have no idea what "pre-set" your spring means. I didn't know you had to consider changing your spring, at all. But like anything mechanical, as long as you take care of it and don't abuse it, things should last.
I love having all you guys to get vital information about airgunning, whether it's the basics or more complicated subjects. Like dude said earlier, "This is golden."

A few comments.............
"I have no idea what "pre-set" your spring means"
A freshly wound new spring is longer in length than after it's been compressed and shot. Here is a pic showing a new E3650 spring from ARH, the middle pic shows is the same E3650 after installing in my HW95 and setting the spring by cocking the gun. The lower pic shows a different E3650 spring after installing in my HW95, cocking and leaving the spring cocked for 12 hours...............
 

"take care of it and don't abuse it, things should last"
Withe springer main springs how long it will last depends on the metallurgy and tempering of the spring itself, the frequency of shooting, and other factors such as excess lubing which leads to spring wrecking dieseling. When I used to shoot about 10,000 shots per month (a 1250 count box of CPLs) I would get about two years service from an ARH spring, however when I tried springs from another vendor I only got about 4 months service before the springs sagged dropping my muzzle velocity to an "undesirably low velocity".

Here is a pic of a couple broken spring after a few years shooting with either my HW95 or Beeman R9..........

[mb94952]

Wow, that's crazy !!! And that's an EXPENSIVE air rifle. I am so glad that I have you guys as a resource. So, are springs readily available online and would you suggest having spares in your parts box ?

If there are any musicians, especially bass players, I would understand metaphors very easily. In other words, is having springs in your parts box readily available like having a spare set of strings just in case ? Although I would hope I wouldn't need to change springs as often as I change strings, which is twice a year or so.

[nced]

Hello, folks:
I ask this question here in WFTF looking for guidance from the shooters who strive for maximum performance from the spring guns.
How often do you replace your spring?
Do you make that judgement according to loss of power or just age of the spring?
Also, do you "pre-set" your spring before using it? (Probably the wrong term, but I'm asking about putting a new spring under tension for maybe 30 minutes before you begin using it.)

Best wishes,
Bob who wants to be WFTF next season

I replace my springs every time it breaks. So far my Vortek springs for my LGU broke after over 6000 shots (6 months). No power loss at all.
I have not tried ARHQ equivalent springs yet. ARHQ can preset the springs for extra $2.

Interesting! I've only tried two Vortek springs (a PG2 kit and a "home rolled" kit based on a bare spring) and neither broke, they both simply sagged and started losing power after 2500 shots and were replaced within 4 months with ARH springs. At field target matches I attended (when there were more shooters with springers) I mentioned my "PGS 80fps velocity loss shooting less than 5000 CPLs" and more than a couple who tried the Vortek springs verified that they also had rapid velocity loss after 2500 shots. LOL.....seems that "Vortek spring sagging issues after 2500 shots" wasn't only my experience.

[nced]

Wow, that's crazy !!! And that's an EXPENSIVE air rifle. I am so glad that I have you guys as a resource. So, are springs readily available online and would you suggest having spares in your parts box ?

If there are any musicians, especially bass players, I would understand metaphors very easily. In other words, is having springs in your parts box readily available like having a spare set of strings just in case ? Although I would hope I wouldn't need to change springs as often as I change strings, which is twice a year or so.

Expensive? LOL, I guess it's all about what is considered "expensive".
The FWB Sport on sale for $735.08 is what i consider and expensive break barrel.........
https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/spring-piston/feinwerkbau-fwb-sport/

A .177 HW95, Sale Price: $377.98, not so much..............
https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/spring-piston/weihrauch-hw95/

Anywhoo.....when I first bought my springers from Beeman decades ago the main spring, piston seal and breech seal were considered "consumables" (like tires on a car) and Beeman recommended keeping a spare.

If you're shooting less than a tin of pellets per month, and the springer is sealing properly I doubt that you'll need to replace these "consumables" within a few years. 

Here is a link to an Air Venturi  Beeman warranty pdf............
https://www.pyramydair.com/air-gunsresources/manuals/beeman-r-series-breakbarrel-air-rifle-owners-manual.pdf

LOL...a lotta "legalise and restrictions" in that warranty but HW springers aren't "rocket science" and can be serviced with a bit of mechanical ability so I never paid attention to the warranty.

[mb94952]

You are talking about your Weihrauch HW95, right ? Those are over $700 bucks, so that's expensive to me !

[nced]

You are talking about your Weihrauch HW95, right ? Those are over $700 bucks, so that's expensive to me !

WOW...that's quite a markup over the AOA price of $377.98! The AOA list price isn't over $400 here in the USA. Where are you located?

https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/spring-piston/weihrauch-hw95/
From the above...........
"Home > Air Rifles > Spring Piston
Weihrauch HW95 .177
Weihrauch (HW)
Sale Price: $377.98
Compared at: $394.90
You Save: $16.92
Manufacturer: Weihrauch (HW)"

[mb94952]

Never mind ! You're correct, $377 On AOA. I was confusing it with the HW97K