GTA
Airguns by Make and Model => Air Arms Airguns => Topic started by: Nitrocrushr on November 28, 2015, 10:24:20 AM
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Before I get started, I want to clarify that I am not a professional tuner. We have some truly great tuners right here on GTA ;) I have taken this on as a hobby, something fun to do in my spare time. I have a solid understanding of mechanics/troubleshooting, and I am learning as much as I can, sharing my experiences along the way. If a single person benefits from this project overview, then the efforts put into it were a success.
To start out let me say that this rifle was perfectly functional right out of the box. Nothing was broken and everything worked. I don’t want to mislead anyone into thinking that I had to do any of these things in order to make my Pro-Sport shoot. That simply is not the case. Being somewhat of a perfectionist; I tear into these projects and leave no stone unturned as I try to refine my rifles, getting as much out of them as possible. Consistency, accuracy, smoothness and overall fit and finish are the things I go after. If something doesn’t seem right, I dig deeper to see if it can be improved upon. After completing two TX200 projects I have learned not to “assume” that everything is right just because it’s brand new and fresh out of the box.
I could have summarized this into an overview much shorter, but decided to keep the details for the sake of folks who may be having similar problems with their rifles. For those not wanting to read through yet another boring rifle build/review, here is a very brief summary;
This rifle was “ok” out of the box. It functioned fine and was consistent through the chronograph. However, for my personal taste it was not as refined as it could have been, and there were definitely things that needed addressed to maximize its potential. With some careful attention to detail, elbow grease and patience the end result was an English beauty that I think will become the finest rifle in my collection. If you’d rather not get tied up in the details, you can simply skip over the detailed overview below and look at the pictures of the finished rifle at the end of this review.
However, if you r-e-a-l-l-y want to know the details behind the project…here we go!!
My goal for this Pro-Sport project was as follows;
1) Evaluate out of box performance
2) Disassemble, remove factory lubes, debur, inspect everything for proper fit, function, signs of defects, etc…hand fit new main seal, install Maccari Tough Kore breech seals, polish trigger sears, lube and reassemble
3) Refinish the walnut stock
4) Test and compare before and after results
5) Repeat until it meets my expectations
Personal thoughts straight out of the box
Likes
Consistent velocities
Gorgeous rifle, well designed – Love the looks with the hidden under lever
Nice balance
Beautiful bluing
Detail in the walnut grain
Design of the cheek piece
Checkering
Smooth brass colored trigger
Dislikes
Long trigger pull, slightly gritty
Flat silver powder coat on cocking lever
Pointy, squared off edges on the cocking lever right where I wanted to wrap my fingers
Rough, grinding feel on the cocking stroke
Compression tube shifts upward during final movement of cocking handle – see attached video clips below
Walnut stock was bleached out and very light in color (unlike my TX200, which had nice deep coloring) – Some may like the lighter color, but I prefer a deeper walnut
Palm swell and thumb relief not as aggressive as my TX200
Here is a video clip showing the compression tube shifting upwards right before the cocking lever is fully closed. This side shift can’t be good for the breech seals as they are being pre-loaded with pressure at the time of the sideways shift.
http://vid203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Comp%20Tube%20Shifting.mp4 (http://vid203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Comp%20Tube%20Shifting.mp4)
Here is another one from a different angle. You can actually see the cocking lever jump as the compression tube shifts upwards within the action. Very sloppy fit!
http://vid203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Tube%20Shifting%202.mp4 (http://vid203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Tube%20Shifting%202.mp4)
Chronograph testing out of the box – H&N FTT 8.64 grain, 4.52;
Extreme Spread – 14
Standard deviation – 3
Average Velocity – 853 fps
Not too bad!!
Ok, time to tear into things
For those questioning the actual barrel length on the Pro-Sport, it really is only 9.5” long. The actual barrel ends right about where I have my finger. The remainder of length is just shroud.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Barrel%20Length.jpg)
Strip all factory lube, debur and inspect all parts closely for fit, function and defects.
Look at that factory grease all over the main spring
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Grease%20on%20Spring%202.jpg)
Piston seal was coated with oil, which was puddled up at the front of the compression tube
While inspecting internal parts, I noticed that the points on the compression tube nut were higher than the outside surface of the compression tube and they were also higher than the compression tube buttons. This was allowing them to drag, metal on metal within the action during the cocking stroke rather than sliding smoothly on the buttons as it should. I filed the points down and polished everything up, making sure they were tapered and lower than the outer surface of the compression tube. Also note - The compression tube buttons were barely sticking out of the compression tube. They were so low that they were almost non-existent and looked like they had been mashed into place with a hammer – see picture below. Essentially they were non-functional. I read somewhere that these are hand fitted during assembly for optimum fit, but this went way past hand fitting and the slop within the action was unacceptable. This caused the compression tube to have quite a bit of lateral movement within the action, which would explain the shifting of the compression tube in my video clips above. Combined with the points of the nut sticking up too high, this was also contributing to the rough, grinding feel during the cocking stroke. The benefits of a buttoned compression tube were basically gone.
Here is a picture of the compression tube nut “after” I filed the points down
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Comp%20Tube%20Button.jpg)
You can see the buttons were almost non-existent, leaving excessive slop within the action
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/mashed%20down%20buttons%202.jpg)
I was not happy with this compression tube and decided to get a new compression tube from Pyramyd Air just to compare and verify that this one was in fact messed up.
A few days later I had my brand new compression tube. It was MUCH better – see picture below. The nut was tapered perfectly and the buttons were all uniform and raised way above the surface of the tube. The fit within the action was perfect, allowing just enough space for the tube to move unrestricted within the action with no binding whatsoever. The compression tube now glides along smoothly, riding only on the buttons at the front. No more sideways shifting of the compression tube within the action. Solid and smooth with a feel of quality!!!
Look at the difference in the buttons on this new compression tube
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/new%20comp%20tube%202.jpg)
All parts deburred and polished
While working on the power plant, I experimented with several different seals and three different spring configurations.
Springs
Factory w/the stock metal guide and top hat
Factory w/custom delrin guide and top hat
Vortek SHO – this kit does not use a top hat
Seals
Maccari Apex and Tesla parachute
Factory Air Arms parachute
After various combinations of testing I ended up with the Vortek SHO and the factory parachute seal. It had a slightly rough edge at the very tip of the parachute, which I smoothed out while hand fitting. Hand fitting was minimal on this seal. This seal along with the Ultimox 226 lube glided so smoothly within the comp tube and provided the strongest and most consistent results.
Personal observation during this phase of the project – There is a direct correlation between main seal fit/resistance within the compression tube and hold sensitivity of a springer
Factory breech seals were removed in favor of Maccari Tough Kore seals. According to my calipers they are just a touch thicker than stock and have less compression setting.
Power Plant tuned and ready for install
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Tuned%20Power%20Plant.jpg)
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Part 2
Time for the trigger. After completely disassembling and cleaning the trigger mechanism, it was time to polish the sears. For this task I made a little tool that helps to maintain the sear angles while honing. A total of 5 surfaces were honed and polished.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/trigger%20sear%20tool.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Polished%20trigger%20assembly.jpg)
A Rowan polished setback trigger was also installed
Next was to tackle the pointy edged cocking lever. I started off by tapering the lever in several spots followed by wet sanding and polishing – Much better!!! The lever now fits into my hand, allowing me to wrap my pinky around the indent at the end without the sharp edges digging in. VERY smooth and so much more comfortable, big difference. Much better fit for this beautiful rifle.
Here is a picture of the lever “before”
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Cocking%20lever%20before.jpg)
And here it is “after”
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/cocking%20lever%20after.jpg)
Now that the cocking lever was polished, I decided to disassemble the entire cocking assembly, clean, polish and relube.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/polished%20cocking%20assembly.jpg)
All re-lubed and back together!!
Assembled action with polished cocking lever assembly
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/polished%20cocking%20assembly%20on%20action.jpg)
Time for the stock. The factory walnut was too light in color for me. I tried applying Maccari’s Royal London Oil to see if it would deepen in color, but no luck. As you can see in the picture below, this stock has some nice grain, but little to no coloring (unlike my TX200 walnut, which had a nice deep coloring). This is the 2nd newer Air Arms walnut stock I have seen that came through with this light coloring. Something in the process may have changed and the natural coloring within the walnut is gone. The grain detail is there, but coloring is not. Walnut usually deepens nicely with something like Royal London Oil, but that was not the case with the last two I have done.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/stock%20before%203.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9137%202.jpg)
I decided to start over and strip the 5 coats of London Oil, then darken it with Behlen Solar-Lux Dye (American Walnut) diluted 50% with Behlen Reducer. This was my first time ever using this product so I was a little apprehensive.
First step after stripping, and denatured alcohol scrubbing was to sand stock to remove all the whiskers, smoothing to desired finish. Next was to remove the dust and treat the stock with Behlen conditioner followed by the 50/50 dye mixture… After several coats the stock was now the color I was looking for. The Behlen dye was so easy to work with, deepening the color without losing the detail of the grain. This dye is advertised as NGR (non grain raising), and I can say with 100% certainty that it works as advertised. The stock remained very smooth with no additional sanding required.
I then sealed it up with 5 coats of Maccari’s Royal London Oil, followed by a light buffing with Maccari Stock Mud, and polishing with Minwax finishing wax. As you can see in the pictures of the finished rifle, the end result was exactly what I was looking for. This stock now has a deep, rich natural looking color and retained every bit of the walnut grain detail.
After re-assembling the rifle, I topped it off with a set of BKL double straps and a Hawke Sidewinder 6-24x56.
Additional accessories installed;
Vortek SHO Kit
Rowan polished setback trigger
Stainless screw kit
Factory replacement for original compression tube
Time for more testing. This rifle is headed in the right direction!! The polished lever assembly is awesome. It now feels refined and much more comfortable, giving this rifle a more quality feel.
The cocking cycle was much smoother, and the new compression tube is staying solid in the action with no more upwards shifting while closing the cocking handle, huge improvement.
The polished trigger mechanism is glassy smooth and crisp. I have it set with short 1st stage, then a distinct tap against stage 2, then light pressure for a crisp, clean break of the shot.
But………A couple concerns still remain;
1) This rifle will not hold single-hole accuracy on my 13-yard indoor range. This is where I always do my initial testing on all new rifles. I need to see single-hole accuracy for multiple shot strings before I am satisfied and ready to move outdoors. This one isn’t cutting it.
2) Although MUCH smoother, I was still feeling a slight roughness in the cocking stroke.
Tearing into it again!!
After a closer inspection of the entire cocking assembly I noticed rough spots along the inside edge of the cocking shoe channel. A few minutes of wet sanding and the rough spots were gone. While I was at it, I also wet sanded and polished the sides of the cocking shoe to get rid of the casting marks.
Another observation I had was that the leading edge of the cocking shoe was squared off, but the end of the channel it rides in is rounded. When the cocking handle was fully closed, the square corners of the cocking shoe were pushing against the rounded edge of the slot causing it to bind, thus reducing the pre-load on the breech seals. I was able to eliminate this issue by rounding off the corners on the leading edge of the cocking shoe. Leading edge of the cocking shoe is now polished and rounded, giving it full travel with no binding.
You can see the squared off leading edge of the cocking shoe hitting the rounded end of the channel
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/cocking%20shoe%20hitting%202.jpg)
You can even see a mark where the front edge of the shoe was hitting
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/mark%20from%20cocking%20shoe%202.jpg)
Polished and rounded, end of problem
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/cocking%20shoe%20rounded%202.jpg)
I have seen where folks had issues with the cocking shoe allen bolt coming loose. I can’t imagine this would be helping matters. Rather than compressing the comp tube into the breech seals, it is jamming the cocking shoe against the aluminum channel, reducing preload on breech seals and binding the action. Not only that, but I would think instead of the comp tube being pressed into the breech seals on the shot, this energy would now be transferred to the cocking shoe allen bolt. Something to be aware of.
Next I decided to clean the bore one more time just to see if this was causing my inability to hold single-hole accuracy at 13-yards, and while I was at it, I removed and re-mounted my scope just to be sure.
Back together and on the bench. WOW, the final work on the cocking shoe and smoothing of the channel took care of all remaining roughness!!! It is perfect now, just glides through the cocking stroke as it should. Absolutely perfect!!
Although the initial chrono testing was quite impressive out of the box, the results after the tune were even better;
Extreme Spread – 10
Standard Deviation – 2-3
Average Velocity – 881 fps
But accuracy, although better, was still not showing single-hole grouping on any pellet tested.
Tear it down again
Barrel was already cleaned twice so I know it wasn’t dirty. I first inspected the inside of the muzzle shroud to insure there was no obstruction, all clear. Next I decided to slowly press an H&N FTT pellet through the bore from breech to muzzle using a coated Dewey rod and brass jag. Sure enough there was a 1” long tight spot about 2-3” down the bore from the breech. I tried unsuccessfully to polish this out using an oiled VFG felt pellet coated in JB Non-embedding bore paste.
I’ve come too far to let this slide, time to contact Pyramyd Air. No hassle given and in no time my rifle action was on its way back for warranty replacement. Stock parts back in rifle and tuned power plant set aside until my replacement action arrives.
My replacement action was back in my shop in less than a week - Thanks Pyramyd Air!!
Notes on my new replacement action;
Compression tube had the exact same issues as my first action with mashed down buttons and sloppy fit within action, jumping upwards as I closed the cocking handle
Cocking shoe was bottoming out in the rounded channel
Barrel was MUCH better - Entire bore has a more snug fit on the pellet with more defined and even rifling marks on pellet after push testing through bore – See picture below
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/pellet.jpg)
Time to start over……strip new action, clean bore……….disassemble, smooth out, wet sand and polish cocking lever assembly. Disassemble trigger group, clean, polish sears, re-lube, install Rowan trigger.
Everything reassembled using my previously tuned power plant, set both stages of trigger pull and ready for final testing…..well almost.
For some reason the cocking lever was sitting deeper in the groove of the stock with this new action. The cocking lever on my original action sat perfectly flush, but not this one. The overall lines of the Pro-Sport are way too nice to let the cocking lever sit anything but flush to the base of the forearm. So, I added a small spacer under the cocking lever stop along with a slightly longer M5 Allen bolt to retain thread contact.
You can see the spacer added between the bottom washer and stopper assembly.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/cocking%20lever%20spacer.jpg)
Cocking lever is now flush with base of the forearm with a nice positive lock-up
Back to the bench for what I hope will be the FINAL testing
Now THAT is more like it!!!! A single hole group at 13 yards on my indoor range. This was with a front bag only and about 1.5 finger spacing in front of the trigger guard, back of stock resting lightly against shoulder – Pellet used was the H&N FTT 4.52, 8.64 gr.
Single hole, multiple shot group with a pellet for reference
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Target_1.jpg)
Everything has finally come together on this rifle and it now meets my expectations all the way around. It was a rocky road to get to this point, but the end result of this project was absolutely worth it for me.
This Pro-Sport is now an absolute gem, and I feel it will quickly become the finest rifle in my collection!!
Some thoughts in closing……should you really have to do some of these things in order to get an $800+ rifle to this point? I enjoy projects like this, so for me the answer was mixed. I don’t mind the task of going over a rifle to personalize it and refine things like trigger pulls, smoothness, finishing the stock, tuning, adding custom parts, etc. This is a hobby for me and I look forward to this process on each new rifle I work on.
However, things like the compression tube buttons being mashed down, compression tube nut needing filed down, compression tube shifting within action while cocking rifle, cocking shoe bottoming out in the channel and a tight spot in bore?? I would think things like this would be sorted out prior to a rifle like this making it into the customer’s hands, just my personal opinion.
Worth noting; If you are an individual with a touch of perfectionism (like myself), a springer will be one of two things…..your worst nightmare or good therapy.
Hope you enjoyed this project overview
Nitro
Here are some pictures of the finished rifle
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9422.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9441.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9450.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9454.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9456.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9457.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9460.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9469.jpg)
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/IMG_9476.jpg)
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Let me be the first (if I type fast enough) That was great and the gun is beautiful.
Fantastic write up and nice mechanics for sure.
How well does it shoot at distances like 35-45 yards?
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WOW! Quite a project and great write up!
Ted
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One of the best write ups I have seen, and great learning experience as well.
Pics are perfect, that is one of the finest pieces of art I have ever seen, as pretty as it is I am afraid I would have to hang it on the wall in a glass case ;D
Really nice job, congrats and from the looks of the group I bet it will do the same grouping out to 40 yards.
William
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Group ....
Steve (Nitrocrushr), is a personal friend of mine, and I have been following this project for quite a while. This undertaking is NOT for the faint of heart. It is extremely frustrating, and a lot of PATIENCE is required .... along with a boatload of anal retentiveness. ;D
We are both anal when it comes to super tuning, chrony numbers and accuracy. If you can relate to the results of this awesome work, then you are as bad as we are, and we should all seek professional help asap. ;D Steve has also reworked his TX200 to the same incredible results. My own TX has the same attributes, and results, with some help from Scott (Motorhead). I am looking forward to Scott's comments as well. Steve was very kind with his takeaway's from the discovery of several "poor quality" issues from AA manufacturing. I too think it is appalling that you spend 7 to $800 on a "great" springer (Weirauch included) only to have to drop several more hundred into the rifle to bring it up to where it should be, leaving the factory. With that said, and as Steve mentioned, the TX, Prosport, HW97, and HW98 are very good shooters right out of the box .... that is, very good for average expectations. If your new springer shoots quarter sized groups at 30 yards, most enthusiasts will be satisfied. If you want almost single hole groups at 30 yards, and 1/2" groups at 50 yards, you will have to work your rifle into these results as Steve has. Steve mentions he is NOT a "tuner", ok maybe he is not titled a "tuner" but in my eyes he is certainly an AA and Weirauch "tuner". With the purchase of a lathe, and some delrin rod, he can make custom guides, then he would be "whole". ;D Steve, or Scott, and the other fine tuners on this site, could offer this service for you, but most people would not be willing to pay for it. I know the hours, and money in parts, that Steve has put into this project, and I don't think $1500 to $2000 would cover the parts and labor .... so this kind of attention to detail will require a labor of love, and a passion for air gunning. Kudos to Steve, excellent work and report. This post should go into the archives. We all look forward to your follow ups down the road.
Pappy
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This is a masterful report. It is well-explained, nicely written, and accompanied by very nice photos. A tip-of-the-hat to Steve for an excellent job. I'm bookmarking this for my AA file as it has so much that is useful.
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That was great.
Thanks for taking the time to document and share your results.
The polished cocking lever is a work of art and my favorite part of the entire project.
My pro sport was tuned by Rob Hawkins beacuse I have neither the time nor skill to address the issues you encountered. That said, IMHO the final outcome is worth every penny. After at least 75,000 shots post tune, it remains as accurate as ever. Mine also now has Vortek spring and seals inside.
R
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Let me be the first (if I type fast enough) That was great and the gun is beautiful.
Fantastic write up and nice mechanics for sure.
How well does it shoot at distances like 35-45 yards?
Thanks Bob ;) I have not taken the rifle outdoors to shoot yet. That will be the next step. I do know that on my other rifles, as soon as they were to the point of single .177 hole group at 13-yards indoors, they also performed well outdoors.
This project CONSUMED me for the past month or so. Now that it is officially done I am gonna take a day to relax and sip some coffee ;D
Steve
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Excellent job and beautifull rifle Nitrocrushr.
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Thanks to everyone for the kind words ;) While I am glad this one is over, I have an empty feeling now and am in need of another project. I think the 97 is calling my name ;)
Group ....
Steve (Nitrocrushr), is a personal friend of mine, and I have been following this project for quite a while. This undertaking is NOT for the faint of heart. It is extremely frustrating, and a lot of PATIENCE is required .... along with a boatload of anal retentiveness. ;D
We are both anal when it comes to super tuning, chrony numbers and accuracy. If you can relate to the results of this awesome work, then you are as bad as we are, and we should all seek professional help asap. ;D Steve has also reworked his TX200 to the same incredible results. My own TX has the same attributes, and results, with some help from Scott (Motorhead). I am looking forward to Scott's comments as well. Steve was very kind with his takeaway's from the discovery of several "poor quality" issues from AA manufacturing. I too think it is appalling that you spend 7 to $800 on a "great" springer (Weirauch included) only to have to drop several more hundred into the rifle to bring it up to where it should be, leaving the factory. With that said, and as Steve mentioned, the TX, Prosport, HW97, and HW98 are very good shooters right out of the box .... that is, very good for average expectations. If your new springer shoots quarter sized groups at 30 yards, most enthusiasts will be satisfied. If you want almost single hole groups at 30 yards, and 1/2" groups at 50 yards, you will have to work your rifle into these results as Steve has. Steve mentions he is NOT a "tuner", ok maybe he is not titled a "tuner" but in my eyes he is certainly an AA and Weirauch "tuner". With the purchase of a lathe, and some delrin rod, he can make custom guides, then he would be "whole". ;D Steve, or Scott, and the other fine tuners on this site, could offer this service for you, but most people would not be willing to pay for it. I know the hours, and money in parts, that Steve has put into this project, and I don't think $1500 to $2000 would cover the parts and labor .... so this kind of attention to detail will require a labor of love, and a passion for air gunning. Kudos to Steve, excellent work and report. This post should go into the archives. We all look forward to your follow ups down the road.
Pappy
Thanks Allan, well said!! And yes, we definitely need to seek professional help ;D
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Steve .... Wow, just a few hours there in search and resolve work !!
It is one thing to make AG's mechanically correct, quite another to detail & fine tune them tip to tail.
Great detailed work up looking like very few if any stones did NOT get overturned and addressed in detail.
Kudos Buddy ... some great work right there.
Scott
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Nitrocrushr,
I have always enjoyed your posts, reports / write ups and photos. You have done it again with this one and I thank you. Excellent job and beautiful rifle! I’ve learned a lot about Springers here at GTA UK and German gates because of you and many others sharing your knowledge of trouble shooting and tuning these rifles. Coming from PB-BR I do understand your (as Pappy said) boat load of AR and the need for small well defined round groups. Please keep up the great work!
Jim Mc
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Steve, Thank you a ton! Dynasuperglide here. This was my post a couple of weeks ago. "New Pro Sport problem. Help please!". The rifle went back to PA under warranty. It was returned to me Wednesday with a new cocking lever and a positive lock-up. I have put about 100 shots over the chrony to get a baseline. Looks good, the best pellet was H&N FTT 8.64g 857 fps and 6.92ES with 2.23SD these are 10 shot average numbers. But, after reading your post I had to dig into it! The first I did was check the buttons, all good here lots of meat and snug fit in barrel. The points on the nut were there though. Gone now! The cocking shoe is an as cast part. Mine needed the radiuses to stop the jamming into the cocking channel, smoothing of the sides and mine was digging into the compression tube because of the sharp outer edges. I filed these off and now the shoe sits flatter on the tube. This should also help with keeping the screw tight. My spring was not as wet as yours but my compression tube and piston were very dry. She's back together and the cocking is smoother, lock-up more secure and a better gun for your help. I will use your post as a laundry list of to-do's for my Pro Sport in the future. For now I just want to run some lead through it. So I guess you have you one person that benefitted from you post already! Thanks again, Scott
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Steve, Thank you a ton! Dynasuperglide here. This was my post a couple of weeks ago. "New Pro Sport problem. Help please!". The rifle went back to PA under warranty. It was returned to me Wednesday with a new cocking lever and a positive lock-up. I have put about 100 shots over the chrony to get a baseline. Looks good, the best pellet was H&N FTT 8.64g 857 fps and 6.92ES with 2.23SD these are 10 shot average numbers. But, after reading your post I had to dig into it! The first I did was check the buttons, all good here lots of meat and snug fit in barrel. The points on the nut were there though. Gone now! The cocking shoe is an as cast part. Mine needed the radiuses to stop the jamming into the cocking channel, smoothing of the sides and mine was digging into the compression tube because of the sharp outer edges. I filed these off and now the shoe sits flatter on the tube. This should also help with keeping the screw tight. My spring was not as wet as yours but my compression tube and piston were very dry. She's back together and the cocking is smoother, lock-up more secure and a better gun for your help. I will use your post as a laundry list of to-do's for my Pro Sport in the future. For now I just want to run some lead through it. So I guess you have you one person that benefitted from you post already! Thanks again, Scott
Well that is encouraging Scott!! I am so glad you were able to benefit from this project overview ;D Amazing the difference a couple little things make in a rifle.
I scrubbed the cocking shoe bolt and the threads in the compression tube really good with 90% alcohol, then loctited and torqued this bolt to 43 inch lbs. I have never seen an official torque spec on this bolt, only heard people stating that they crank it down really good. I had over 500 shots through the original action and it never budged set at this torque spec. In no way did this seem too tight for this bolt. It was still easily removable and no evidence of stretch.
Steve
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You nailed that walnut. Looking forward to see how your 97 turns out.
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Great work Steve. I do not have the patience to do all that, stop, wait on parts, redo everything I have already done. I would be pulling what little hair I still have out. It is so frustrating to buy a gun that comes advertised as "tuned" from the factory and find all these.... mistakes. Quality seems to have gone down, not only from Air Arms, but from most anything you buy now a days.
Keep up the great work.
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I will tell you now sir that was a great review and your work is exemplary to say the least, I think pappy and Scott have said it all. Now lets see minimum wage x hours how many prosports could you buy. Sir you are on top of the heap in any tuners world. David
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Very impressive to say the least Steve. I only wish I had the knowledge, patience and time to do what you did. Your Pro Sport is beyond "better than new". Excellent write up.
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I will tell you now sir that was a great review and your work is exemplary to say the least, I think pappy and Scott have said it all. Now lets see minimum wage x hours how many prosports could you buy. Sir you are on top of the heap in any tuners world. David
David ... your not so bad a tuner yourself. :D 8)
Pappy
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Thanks!!!
This is one of the best write ups in have ever seen.
Wish is wasn't such a crapshoot when one forks out this kind of money. Glan you fully understand the quality deficiencies and were able to hammer out each and every detail!
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Excellent write-up and excellent work. Your final result is a one-off, precision, truly hand-fitted rifle. The pride of ownership must be amazing.
Thank you for sharing!
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Thanks again to everyone for the nice comments, I really appreciate it ;) It is so rewarding to know that some of the information above will serve it's purpose in helping others to identify and correct these issues. Makes it all worthwhile ;D
Steve .... Wow, just a few hours there in search and resolve work !!
It is one thing to make AG's mechanically correct, quite another to detail & fine tune them tip to tail.
Great detailed work up looking like very few if any stones did NOT get overturned and addressed in detail.
Kudos Buddy ... some great work right there.
Scott
Thank you Scott, would never have been able to do it without your help ;D
Steve
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I realized that I never attached a picture showing the points of the compression tube nut sticking up above the outer surface of the compression tube.
Here is a picture of the compression tube that came with my 2nd action after the first was sent back due to tight spot in the bore.. You can see that the exact same problem exists. Points of the compression tube nut sticking up above the height of the compression tube and also slightly taller than the mashed down buttons.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Compression%20Tube%20Nut.jpg)
This tube was rough during the cocking stroke, metal on metal rather than riding on the buttons as it should, and it also shifted within the action when cocking the rifle as seen in the videos above.
Steve
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I realized that I never attached a picture showing the points of the compression tube nut sticking up above the outer surface of the compression tube.
Here is a picture of the compression tube that came with my 2nd action after the first was sent back due to tight spot in the bore.. You can see that the exact same problem exists. Points of the compression tube nut sticking up above the height of the compression tube and also slightly taller than the mashed down buttons.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Compression%20Tube%20Nut.jpg)
This tube was rough during the cocking stroke, metal on metal rather than riding on the buttons as it should, and it also shifted within the action when cocking the rifle as seen in the videos above.
Steve
Steve, I remember seeing this in your shop. Sometimes it's "the little things" that can make the most difference.
Scott .... in regard to the nut shown above .... have you ever removed it from the comp tube? It appears that it should just screw off? If so, I think it would be a great way to visually check the fit of a custom seal?
Pappy
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Scott .... in regard to the nut shown above .... have you ever removed it from the comp tube? It appears that it should just screw off? If so, I think it would be a great way to visually check the fit of a custom seal?
Pappy
YES, the caps indeed unscrew off the end of compression tubes.
Sadly far as AA in concerned the tube "Assembly" is not serviceable being replaced with another "Assembly" :P
When disassembled there is a VERY thin cross section o-ring in there that will in all likelihood get fubarred :P
Threading is very fine which has Loc-tite 242 being a good choice to use when reassembling the nut to the tube having seal be made in spite the 0-rings demise.
* Have had a couple TX's with substantial mystery compression losses chased down to this nuts o-ring failing upon being assembled at the factory.
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On another note to clutter Steves thread
Just got into a Pro Sport for a customer over the weekend finding yet another TOTALLY F'ed UP compression tube.
As a TX tube was previous, the rough in bore job and then precision hone job of Comp tube was a mess !!!!
This PS sadly needs a NEW Comp Tube, Piston seal & Wear rings due to VERY POOR QC at the AA factory ...
Simply shameful :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
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I think I'm going to resist going down the AA road a while longer after following this. HW98 is looking better and better as my next new purchase!
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Let's be frank... the Prosport is standard already a gorgeous airgun...
But with your work done..., really amazing !!! You may be proud of that Nitrocrusher !!!
I recognize that sense of perfectionism..., only I'm a DIY illeterate LOL
Again..., outstanding job and beautiful pics !!
Enjoy the Prosport and I'm curious to know how the Prosport behaves between your other beauties... ;)
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Scott .... in regard to the nut shown above .... have you ever removed it from the comp tube? It appears that it should just screw off? If so, I think it would be a great way to visually check the fit of a custom seal?
Pappy
YES, the caps indeed unscrew off the end of compression tubes.
Sadly far as AA in concerned the tube "Assembly" is not serviceable being replaced with another "Assembly" :P
When disassembled there is a VERY thin cross section o-ring in there that will in all likelihood get fubarred :P
Threading is very fine which has Loc-tite 242 being a good choice to use when reassembling the nut to the tube having seal be made in spite the 0-rings demise.
* Have had a couple TX's with substantial mystery compression losses chased down to this nuts o-ring failing upon being assembled at the factory.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On another note to clutter Steves thread
Just got into a Pro Sport for a customer over the weekend finding yet another TOTALLY F'ed UP compression tube.
As a TX tube was previous, the rough in bore job and then precision hone job of Comp tube was a mess !!!!
This PS sadly needs a NEW Comp Tube, Piston seal & Wear rings due to VERY POOR QC at the AA factory ...
Simply shameful :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
I, for one, think AA knows exactly what they are doing. They probably would prefer to ship better product coming off the assembly line, but more attention to margin dollars is taking precedence, driving down quality. Every extra step in the manufacturing process takes away from the bottom line. Sure, they probably have some quality control, but by the time they find out about a problem and fix it, they already shipped a bunch of bad ones. They probably outsource a lot of the parts, and if you aren't careful, and constantly monitor the quality and consistency, you will have defective parts going out with the new product. Imagine what a TX or Prosport would cost, if every single compression tube was x-rayed for stress cracks, end cap nuts & prosport buttons, cocking levers, and the action in general were all inspected or tested prior to shipping? We all pay WAY to much for these toys as it is. I'll bet they are much more conscientious about the quality of PCP's. You have something there that is under extreme pressure, and failure can cause catastrophic results to the end user .... a loss of a limb, or half of your face will cost them dearly in a court of law. Personally, I'll take one "perfect" rifle over a dozen mediocre guns in a collection. Now if only I could get this 64 year old shooter "tuned" up.
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Hey Steve (Nitrocrushr), outstanding job buddy, that is a beautiful rifle and excellent pictures. I have the same problem with mine and right now is in the good hands of Scott (motorhead), I'm the owner of that Pro Sport he's talking about... He already tuned my HW97KT and my R11(HW98) and he did an excellent job on both of them, so I believe my Pro Sport It will come back to me with out problems, right Scott? ;)
again excellent job Steve and keep up the good work.
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Hey Steve (Nitrocrushr), outstanding job buddy, that is a beautiful rifle and excellent pictures. I have the same problem with mine and right now is in the good hands of Scott (motorhead), I'm the owner of that Pro Sport he's talking about... He already tuned my HW97KT and my R11(HW98) and he did an excellent job on both of them, so I believe my Pro Sport It will come back to me with out problems, right Scott? ;)
again excellent job Steve and keep up the good work.
Thank you Daniel ;) Sorry to hear that you are dealing with some AA quality issues. Scott will take good care of you ;D
The Pro-Sport and TX200 are awesomely designed rifles. In the not so distant past I believe they could be pulled right from the box brand new without the problems so many of us are encountering now. The same, awesome design remains unchanged, but QC of parts and/or attention to detail during final fitting and assembly has fallen apart. Thus the need to look over each rifle closely to verify there are no issues needing addressed. In order to do this properly you really need to disassemble and do it piece by piece. In the end you'll have an incredible English springer as it was designed to be from the very beginning.
As Allan mentioned, Air Arms could never invest this amount of attention into each and every rifle that they send out, no one would want to pay the price. But with a tiny bit of added QC, and some one-on-one training of the folks responsible for final assembly I think they could make some noted improvements that would go a long way in turning this trend around.
My Pro-Sport is now everything I had hoped it would be and more. It is so refined and smooth......like a fine watch 8)
Steve
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Hey Steve (Nitrocrushr), outstanding job buddy, that is a beautiful rifle and excellent pictures. I have the same problem with mine and right now is in the good hands of Scott (motorhead), I'm the owner of that Pro Sport he's talking about... He already tuned my HW97KT and my R11(HW98) and he did an excellent job on both of them, so I believe my Pro Sport It will come back to me with out problems, right Scott? ;)
again excellent job Steve and keep up the good work.
Thank you Daniel ;) Sorry to hear that you are dealing with some AA quality issues. Scott will take good care of you ;D
The Pro-Sport and TX200 are awesomely designed rifles. In the not so distant past I believe they could be pulled right from the box brand new without the problems so many of us are encountering now. The same, awesome design remains unchanged, but QC of parts and/or attention to detail during final fitting and assembly has fallen apart. Thus the need to look over each rifle closely to verify there are no issues needing addressed. In order to do this properly you really need to disassemble and do it piece by piece. In the end you'll have an incredible English springer as it was designed to be from the very beginning.
As Allan mentioned, Air Arms could never invest this amount of attention into each and every rifle that they send out, no one would want to pay the price. But with a tiny bit of added QC, and some one-on-one training of the folks responsible for final assembly I think they could make some noted improvements that would go a long way in turning this trend around.
My Pro-Sport is now everything I had hoped it would be and more. It is so refined and smooth......like a fine watch 8)
Steve
Daniel, I just wanted to second the statement that your Prosport is in excellent hands with Scott. Don't you worry about a thing.
Pappy
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What to say , as an owner of a Prosport and someone who did do some minor tuning on it I have come across that piston problem and did what you did without any guiding help , just intuition, but man the caulking lever is going to happen soon, and with a re read of your report I am sure other actions will happen, thanks for your help, and keep on keeping on.
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Here is one more example of a messed up part on a brand new Pro-Sport. After I received my new replacement action, I pulled the compression tube, piston and spring out and installed my Vortek tuned powerplant that I had in the first action. The compression tube from my new replacement action had been sitting aside on my workbench. This weekend I took a closer look at it, and in addition to the points on the nut sitting up too high, and the buttons being mashed down to nothing, I noticed that the spacer was tapered and all gouged up. It appears as if someone beveled out the inner edge almost to a point. It was a very crude job, rough and jagged. Looks like someone carved it out with a box cutter.
Here the compression tube spacer taken off of the compression tube I got on my replacement action;
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Gouged%20Up.jpg)
And here is a new spacer I ordered from Pyramyd Air. Notice how the inner edge is nice and flat. This spacer drops nicely into the groove, perfect fit. There is no need to gouge the spacers out like the one above???
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/New%20Parts_1.jpg)
Steve
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Wow Steve, GREAT job on the Pro Sport and the outstanding write up!!!
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Further to add content .... Replacement Comp tube for customers mentioned PS comp tube issue indeed is as Steve shared here:
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Compression%20Tube%20Nut.jpg)
Replacement ( New wrapped in cardboard from AA ) was WORSE, there was NO flat with the bevel of end nut clearly going beyond diameter of comp tube !
Needed to chuck in the lathe and make a fairly heavy cut to take the corners away as too not drag :P
Bore looked honed correctly tho and we're on the way to fixing it !
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Sounds like a lot of them are coming through like this :o I sure hope someone somewhere is taking notice to this and working to resolve.
Scott - How were the buttons on this replacement tube?
Steve
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Sounds like a lot of them are coming through like this :o I sure hope someone somewhere is taking notice to this and working to resolve.
Scott - How were the buttons on this replacement tube?
Steve
Buttons were tall and a perfect fit into main tube ;D
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Sounds like a lot of them are coming through like this :o I sure hope someone somewhere is taking notice to this and working to resolve.
Scott - How were the buttons on this replacement tube?
Steve
Buttons were tall and a perfect fit into main tube ;D
That's good to hear ;D Anymore it seems like you need to inspect every darn part on these rifles, never know what you're going to get ::)
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Steve,
Your Pro Sport and the effort you put into it is so amazing!
I reread the entire thread again this evening and was inspired to round the edges of the cocking lever on my Pro Sport(I hope to polish it later this winter).
It is much more enjoyable to shoot now.
At one am, in 30 degree Ohio weather I put 30 or so pellets down range.
You have to LOVE Air Arms rifles when they are working like they should.
Thanks,
Shawn
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Will this nut issue score the main tube or other part of the rifle? I don't see how it wouldn't if it is riding higher than the darn buttons.
I was gonna order one tonight but glad I decided to read up more.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Compression%20Tube%20Nut.jpg)
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Will this nut issue score the main tube or other part of the rifle? I don't see how it wouldn't if it is riding higher than the darn buttons.
I was gonna order one tonight but glad I decided to read up more.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa243/Nitrocrushr/Compression%20Tube%20Nut.jpg)
Given time I would say it could definitely cause some scoring inside the action tube. As long as the black buttons are full height, taking the tips of the metal nut off is an easy task. But....when the buttons are mashed to almost nothing, AND the points of the nut are too high, you would need new buttons as well (assuming they are a replacement wear item?)
Steve
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Steve, thank you SO MUCH for this write up. Before I read this, I was considering a ProSport (along with selling a lot of blood). After seeing all of the issues, and hearing confirmation that many of these issues are common, I'm writing it off my list. This rifle is WAY too much money to come with this many QC issues.
I suffer from ultra analness/OCD too, and this project would put me into overload! Although, I can't imaging the satisfaction that you have of owning a legendary rifle in optimal working order. It must put a huge grin on your face every time you shoot it.
NICE JOB MAN!!!
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Steve, thank you SO MUCH for this write up. Before I read this, I was considering a ProSport (along with selling a lot of blood). After seeing all of the issues, and hearing confirmation that many of these issues are common, I'm writing it off my list. This rifle is WAY too much money to come with this many QC issues.
I suffer from ultra analness/OCD too, and this project would put me into overload! Although, I can't imaging the satisfaction that you have of owning a legendary rifle in optimal working order. It must put a huge grin on your face every time you shoot it.
NICE JOB MAN!!!
I had the Pro Sport on preorder for a few weeks and really did a ton of research, but just didn't want to wait. Other's that have since bought a Pro Sport have not had that issue. I personally would not be afraid to buy one, and I'm extremely picky when it comes to upper end air rifles.
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Steve, thank you SO MUCH for this write up. Before I read this, I was considering a ProSport (along with selling a lot of blood). After seeing all of the issues, and hearing confirmation that many of these issues are common, I'm writing it off my list. This rifle is WAY too much money to come with this many QC issues.
I suffer from ultra analness/OCD too, and this project would put me into overload! Although, I can't imaging the satisfaction that you have of owning a legendary rifle in optimal working order. It must put a huge grin on your face every time you shoot it.
NICE JOB MAN!!!
I had the Pro Sport on preorder for a few weeks and really did a ton of research, but just didn't want to wait. Other's that have since bought a Pro Sport have not had that issue. I personally would not be afraid to buy one, and I'm extremely picky when it comes to upper end air rifles.
Man, I don't know... The problem is that I don't have the know-how (or the patience) that Steve does in the case that I get a lemon that needs to be "fixed".
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Every ProSport I have seen, most are very new, shoot very well. They are a very nice rifle.
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Good point Brazos, and a lot depends on what you are using the rifle for, and how you want it to perform. Every enthusiast in this hobby, should "tune" anything they get that is a decent rifle. That simply smooth's out the action, reduces recoil, and produces lower ES & SD numbers .... ultimately increasing accuracy. With that said, the rest depends on what you personally want out of your springer. If your looking to hunt, your good to go, or if you just want quarter sized groups at 30 yards, and 1/2 dollar at 50 yards ... your good to go. Steve is VERY particular, and demands 1 hole groups at 30 and under a dime at 50 yards. You need attention to detail for your tune, and great shooting skills to achieve that kind of performance. To each their own, as the saying goes. Many people are happy campers with air rifles right out of the box ..... works for them, but don't expect to get into competition and finish other than last. ;D
Pappy
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Steve, thank you SO MUCH for this write up. Before I read this, I was considering a ProSport (along with selling a lot of blood). After seeing all of the issues, and hearing confirmation that many of these issues are common, I'm writing it off my list. This rifle is WAY too much money to come with this many QC issues.
I suffer from ultra analness/OCD too, and this project would put me into overload! Although, I can't imaging the satisfaction that you have of owning a legendary rifle in optimal working order. It must put a huge grin on your face every time you shoot it.
NICE JOB MAN!!!
Thanks Zack! I hate to scare folks away from purchasing a Pro-Sport. I think I mentioned early on that this rifle performed flawlessly right out of the box. The issues I encountered were strictly my own desire to refine this rifle to be the best that it could be. Right now my Pro-Sport is my favorite and all efforts were well worth it to me to get it to where it is. It is a one hole shooter at 30 yards, so smooth and consistent ;) But as others have mentioned, out of the box they are shooters too, just depends on what your personal goals are for a given rifle.