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All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => European/Asian Air Gun Gates => China/Asian AirGun Gate => Topic started by: LeE on May 30, 2012, 01:33:58 AM

Title: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: LeE on May 30, 2012, 01:33:58 AM
I just got my referb in from AGD today with the intentions of taking a good rifle and turning it into a great rifle as a project and learn more about the rifle. For $60 bucks, what a bargain! The only thing a see wrong with the rifle is a few dings in the tube and the stock is a little dirty. Anyways, I am not looking to spend more than what I spent on the rifle to turn it. I want to smooth out the action and take the twang out of the spring. What do you guys recommend I do to the rifle and what do I need? I already have some air venturi moly paste. Thanks! 
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: Donny on May 30, 2012, 04:51:38 AM
just to name a few,
                            http://vortekproducts.com/ourstore/Tuning-Kits?product_id=112 (http://vortekproducts.com/ourstore/Tuning-Kits?product_id=112)
                            http://vortekproducts.com/ourstore/Tuning-Kits/RWS34BH (http://vortekproducts.com/ourstore/Tuning-Kits/RWS34BH)
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: mikeiniowa on May 30, 2012, 08:33:34 AM
try the JM RWS 34 spring or kit....
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: Paul68 on May 30, 2012, 08:47:55 AM
Contact Mike Melick of Flying Dragon Air Rifles and tell him you need a tophat for a Ruger Blackhawk. Will Cost you $15.00

http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/FDcontact.html (http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/FDcontact.html)

Get a new seal from Air Rifle Headquarters for a Diana 34 for around $10.00.

http://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/catalog/item/251485/43075.htm (http://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/catalog/item/251485/43075.htm)

Follow this guide for general cleanup and lube tuning.
http://www.charliedatuna.com/airgun_docs/B19%20Super%20Tune.doc (http://www.charliedatuna.com/airgun_docs/B19%20Super%20Tune.doc)


Perform a standard cleaning and smoothing / polishing according to CDT's guide. Clean and hone the reciever. Polish the spring ends. Take the sleeve out of the piston and throw it away.

Take your new tophat and use 80 grit sandpaper on a flat surface to remove about an 8th of an inch from the bottom of it. Then find a washer that will fit on the tophat and matches its outer diam and polish it on both sides. Once the washer is polished simply put it on the tophat. You'll end up with what is shown in the pics below.


Get a new washer for the rear spring guide, polish it.

Install the new seal and tophat. Moly lube the contact points on the tophat, piston, spring ends, rear guide. Put it all back together. Will be a twang free tack driver if the barrel and trigger are without issues.
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: JimL911 on May 30, 2012, 10:46:49 AM
Just because you got it cheap doesn't mean you should scrimp on parts. A JM kit and seal makes a fine shooter. If you are not a power junkie, the GSX-OS kit will smooth it out very nicely. I get about 11 fpe in my Air Hawk.
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: LeE on May 30, 2012, 12:26:17 PM
Contact Mike Melick of Flying Dragon Air Rifles and tell him you need a tophat for a Ruger Blackhawk. Will Cost you $15.00

http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/FDcontact.html (http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/FDcontact.html)

Get a new seal from Air Rifle Headquarters for a Diana 34 for around $10.00.

http://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/catalog/item/251485/43075.htm (http://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/catalog/item/251485/43075.htm)

Follow this guide for general cleanup and lube tuning.
http://www.charliedatuna.com/airgun_docs/B19%20Super%20Tune.doc (http://www.charliedatuna.com/airgun_docs/B19%20Super%20Tune.doc)


Perform a standard cleaning and smoothing / polishing according to CDT's guide. Clean and hone the reciever. Polish the spring ends. Take the sleeve out of the piston and throw it away.

Take your new tophat and use 80 grit sandpaper on a flat surface to remove about an 8th of an inch from the bottom of it. Then find a washer that will fit on the tophat and matches its outer diam and polish it on both sides. Once the washer is polished simply put it on the tophat. You'll end up with what is shown in the pics below.


Get a new washer for the rear spring guide, polish it.

Install the new seal and tophat. Moly lube the contact points on the tophat, piston, spring ends, rear guide. Put it all back together. Will be a twang free tack driver if the barrel and trigger are without issues.

Thank you very much for the write up and links provided!
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: LeE on May 30, 2012, 12:41:39 PM
What are you thoughts on the 2gTunekit-Diana 34/48? http://vortekproducts.com/ourstore/Tuning-Kits?product_id=112 (http://vortekproducts.com/ourstore/Tuning-Kits?product_id=112)
I am not looking to get max power, rather stay at 14-15 fpe mark as I don't want the rifle to become very hold sensitive. Does anyone have experience with this kit?
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: LeE on May 30, 2012, 04:01:18 PM
I was doing some chrony testing with the JSB 10 grain pellets and the Blackhawk was shooting them at 588 fps. A little too low then it should. I think the spring is defective and a replacement will be in order to fix that. Other thoughts could be the breach and piston seal. Any thoughts?
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: Tom @ Buzzard Bluff on May 30, 2012, 04:41:29 PM
I was doing some chrony testing with the JSB 10 grain pellets and the Blackhawk was shooting them at 588 fps. A little too low then it should. I think the spring is defective and a replacement will be in order to fix that. Other thoughts could be the breach and piston seal. Any thoughts?

 Almost certainly the piston seal damaged by the unaddressed burrs in the cylinder during original build.

 Follow Paul68s' instructions and AVOID the ARH Apex seal! Get a seal from Vortek or an OEM seal.

 Best course would be installation of a full RWS M-34 Vortek kit---either one will work.
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: Paul68 on May 30, 2012, 05:59:21 PM
Mine averages 788FPS @ 14.2FPE with 10Gr Air Arms heavies. A slightly heavier .130 spring from Vortek would put it at 15 FPE, which I'll do at some point. I think Microsalmo in the Review Gate has his AH doing 15 FPE with the .130 spring.

I have the ARH Apex seal and its worked very well. Spread is only 4FPS. I made the above changes, kept the stock spring,  and did a standard hone and lube with a VERY light coat of tar on the spring, just enough to see it. I did not leave the tar stringy on the spring. The rifle has no twang at all, none. At 25 yrds it groups smaller than a dime. Basically one large ragged hole. Out to 50 yrds with no wind I can get 3/4".

Really very nice underrated rifles.
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: mikeiniowa on May 30, 2012, 07:34:48 PM
Use the OEM seal, needs a hard seal to get the most out of it, have springs  and breech seals for it also. Check breech seal may be leaking with the low fps....
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: pappa on May 30, 2012, 09:26:47 PM
I just got my referb in from AGD today with the intentions of taking a good rifle and turning it into a great rifle as a project and learn more about the rifle. For $60 bucks, what a bargain! The only thing a see wrong with the rifle is a few dings in the tube and the stock is a little dirty. Anyways, I am not looking to spend more than what I spent on the rifle to turn it. I want to smooth out the action and take the twang out of the spring. What do you guys recommend I do to the rifle and what do I need? I already have some air venturi moly paste. Thanks! 

Your statements on what you have and what you plan are contradictory. You can't take a 'good' rifle that you bought at an el-cheapo price and expect to make a 'great' rifle out of it if you don't want to spend more than an el-cheapo price to do it.

I have 2 Blackhawks that are GREAT! One in .22cal. They both have had high quality internals installed and sport very high quality scopes, excellent sling mount systems and custom barrel breaks. I will put them up against any rifle in their class on the planet for accuracy, dependability, reliability and killing prowess, and I expect that they will serve me extremely well for the rest of my life. But they didn't get that way by going cheap.
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: Paul68 on May 30, 2012, 10:13:35 PM
I've got a total including $109.00 at purchase of about $160.00 in mine.

15 shots 25 yrds :P
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: LeE on May 31, 2012, 01:21:55 AM
I've got a total including $109.00 at purchase of about $160.00 in mine.

15 shots 25 yrds :P

Outstanding results! Did you just hone the rifle, lube the spring and replace the seal? I am looking at the vortek RWS 34 kit. For $50, it looks to be a good deal."Vortek 2gTunekit includes: 2g-Guides, high performance Blk-OP piston seal and Breech Seal, spring & seal lubrication."
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: Paul68 on May 31, 2012, 09:38:07 AM
I did a standard cleanup and lube tune. I outlined pretty much what I did in my earlier post. Only thing I did different far as the cylinder is concerned is go over it with 400 grit spun on a dowel to knock down the roughness of the crosshatching. Moly Lube only goes on the very ends of the spring. Very light tar for the rest of the spring. Can't stress enough removing the piston sleeve and replacing it with a tophat. Really helps to free up the spring and eliminate any possibility of the cocking arm getting hung up or jammed on the sleeve.
Title: Re: Ruger Blackhawk 177 tuning help
Post by: White Eagle on May 31, 2012, 10:46:42 AM
Paul68, that is truly amazing!  I've been thinking of getting one of these, and your results have sold me!