GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => PCP/CO2/HPA Air Gun Gates "The Darkside" => Topic started by: avator on July 12, 2017, 01:44:21 PM
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Was out on the back deck painting and putting yardsale stickers on our 40+ 1'x3'x2.5mm high strength steel target blanks when I thought I heard a roll of thunder. That didn't make sense because the sun is shining brightly. Except for that large brown cloud that rolled around to the back of the house in the wrap around drive way.
Well, lookie there.. it's my buddy the UPS driver and he has a box with my name on it. After exchanging pleasantries and nominating him as my bestis bud in the whole world. I scampered into the house. I'm sure Betty Lou said something as I passed her but, I have no idea what it was.
THIS is how ALL air guns should be packed. Not a little hunk of styrene at either end of the box but a full coverage clam shell of it encasing the whole gun. Included was the fill probe, a mag and a bag containing several O-rings. Looks like plenty to do a few reseals.
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I'm sure Betty Lou said something as I passed her but, I have no idea what it was.
Was it: "Bill, did you just get your new rifle, or are you just happy to see me?"
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I ordered my gun on the 7th and it was delivered on the 12th. Well within the 5 to 7 days advertised.
On first inspection I found the gun to be flawless. Very nice fit and finish. Awesome light weight and balanced. Just what I had hoped for.
So having not stopped to remove my scampering shoes, I back tracked past Betty Lou again not even realizing she was toiling over fried taters, smoked sausage and eggs... in hindsight that may have been what she was saying on my first blow by. She didn't bother to repeat herself. Just that "look".
But, I was on a much more important mission. I fished a string down the muzzle and pulled a dry patch.... a very clean dry patch. No wasting any more time of my narrow window before Betty Lou makes the impending demand that I stop acting like a school boy and come eat..... whose acting?
I have a folgers coffee container on a string 50 yards out. It now has one more hole in it the size of a 7.9gr CPHP. Open sights and single shot tray right out of the box. Well, my my my Joe Kenda... this just may work.
More later.... I'm suddenly hungry...
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I'm sure Betty Lou said something as I passed her but, I have no idea what it was.
Was it: "Bill, did you just get your new rifle, or are you just happy to see me?"
You know... that may have been what it was.... I didn't ask.
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Bless her heart... it always tastes good no matter what "pet names" she has for me at a given time.
Meanwhile back at the Varmint....
Not wanting to wait until the UTG scope arrives tomorrow, I set out to mount the UTG cantilever one piece mount and I'm barrowing the nice Hawke scope from big brother SynBad. And who knows, SynBad may have the favor returned by receiving a brand new UTG scope tomorrow.... we'll see.
I know, I know..... "Where's the pics?" These things take time. And besides... I'm supposed to be painting and stickering.
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IT's AN OMEM !!!
You know how sometimes things seem meant to be? How fitting would it be to have a Hawke Air Max 2-7X32 AO adj. scope on an Air Max Varmint? I'll show you how fitting....
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I did have to remove the rear sight. It would just barely rub on the AO adjustment.
SOOOOO balanced and light weight. We're gonna spend a lot of time together.....
What's that? Yes Dear..... after I paint and sticker. My scamper has suddenly turned into a shuffle.
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;) ;D Bill I am not doubting your veracity but I seem to recall somebody living at your hacienda making a clear all out declaration that PCP rifles were not your Thang ;D ;D
::) ;D Welcome to the darkside . It seems that the Marauder has ruined another died in the wool springer guy ;D :P
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Ok big boy.... if you're gonna squeeze my lemons at least get it right.....
First of all... I'm a die hard vintage pumper guy...
Secondly... if you weren't so busy playing "forum cop/voyeur" you would know that I have and have had several PCP guns beginning with no less than 3 FD-PCPs, 2 HPA lego carbinnes, a skeleton disco and a Marauder.
Having said all that..... Love ya Brother...
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Bill, just be careful stroking that paintbrush while looking out the window lusting to squeeze the new Varmint. LOL
Remember, you have to clean up the mess afterwards. I know, I know, it's tough to concentrate with that new beauty just sitting there calling you!!!
:o
And gee thanks, I just ordered the .177 package to complement the .22 big brother. It's a shame to keep them separated. Looking forward to more great adventure stories you and Lil' Varmint create together.
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LMBO.... Thanks DeZ.
There are 1000 pink stickers in a package. I am putting one every square 2" on each blank front and back after painting the blank white latex house paint. I am just short of 1 full package on 11 sides of blanks. I SEE FLIPPIN SPOTS !!! My only saving grace is that they skies opened up awhile ago hindering the opportunity for bringing guns outside. Granted, we have a full wrap-around deck that keeps us out of the rain but you can really feel the dampness in the air. I'd rather not bring a freshie gun in it just yet. I'd rather get a little blood on it before rain water.
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And..... wouldn't you know it.... the sun just popped back out.
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Ok big boy.... if you're gonna squeeze my lemons at least get it right.....
First of all... I'm a die hard vintage pumper guy...
Secondly... if you weren't so busy playing "forum cop/voyeur" you would know that I have and have had several PCP guns beginning with no less than 3 FD-PCPs, 2 HPA lego carbinnes, a skeleton disco and a Marauder.
Having said all that..... Love ya Brother...
;) ;D Gottcha !! LOL I knew that would get a rise from you just like a brook trout to a mayfly ;D ;D
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LOL..... hook, line and sinker.
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Lookin' good, Bill!! 8)
Soo, another omen, I just took the same Hawke off my AT P2 a few minutes ago!! Looks like it won't be gathering gather dust, lol..
What mount are you using? If you have a link, that would be awesome, too!
Thanks!
Chickie
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I did have to remove the rear sight. It would just barely rub on the AO adjustment.
SOOOOO balanced and light weight. We're gonna spend a lot of time together.....
What's that? Yes Dear..... after I paint and sticker. My scamper has suddenly turned into a shuffle.
Ima leave one o' mine with open sights, the other with the Hawke, for now. No worries about having to remove the rear sight, I'll be using an aftermarket can without a front post, anyhoo.
Thanks for the pics!!
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Sorry Chickie... The mount came on the QB57 when I bought it used. The seller said it was UTG but he didn't say which one. Matter of fact... that Hawke scope came in that deal as well. I didn't take a picture but the mag fits so nicely under it. I'm not sure if it would make loading single difficult but that's no biggie. I intend on mostly using the mags.
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A 40 AO scope would surely fit with that mount as well but I like the 32. Nice and light.
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Sorry Chickie... The mount came on the QB57 when I bought it used. The seller said it was UTG but he didn't say which one. Matter of fact... that Hawke scope came in that deal as well. I didn't take a picture but the mag fits so nicely under it. I'm not sure if it would make loading single difficult but that's no biggie. I intend on mostly using the mags.
Mags for me, too, Bill, so no worries about the scope/mount in that regard..
I guess I'll just wait until mine get here, I probably have something already, who knows, ya know?
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By the looks of it I could put even low rings on and the 32 would clear with the rear sight off. There is room in front of the loading port for a ring to go onto the rail. That would surely bring the optic center closer to the bore center. I'm sure with my ADD I'll be trying different setups. I originally chose this mount with the 40 in mind.
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By the looks of it I could put even low rings on and the 32 would clear with the rear sight off. There is room in front of the loading port for a ring to go onto the rail. That would surely bring the optic center closer to the bore center. I'm sure with my ADD I'll be trying different setups. I originally chose this mount with the 40 in mind.
I have become a big fan of quick-detach mounts, Bill. I am also beginning to favor Picatinny and Weaver mounting systems over the ol' dovetails. Being able to share accessories easily between guns saves me a lot of money! ;)
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Bill, just be careful stroking that paintbrush while looking out the window lusting to squeeze the new Varmint. LOL
Remember, you have to clean up the mess afterwards. I know, I know, it's tough to concentrate with that new beauty just sitting there calling you!!!
:o
And gee thanks, I just ordered the .177 package to complement the .22 big brother. It's a shame to keep them separated. Looking forward to more great adventure stories you and Lil' Varmint create together.
Hey Dave !!!
Did I mention that the CP1 uses the same mags.... be a shame to break up a 3some.
You're welcome.
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Hey Bill
Do you have an accurate weight and length on your Airmax? I have seen variations and was wondering what the real deal is.
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By the looks of it I could put even low rings on and the 32 would clear with the rear sight off. There is room in front of the loading port for a ring to go onto the rail. That would surely bring the optic center closer to the bore center. I'm sure with my ADD I'll be trying different setups. I originally chose this mount with the 40 in mind.
I have become a big fan of quick-detach mounts, Bill. I am also beginning to favor Picatinny and Weaver mounting systems over the ol' dovetails. Being able to share accessories easily between guns saves me a lot of money! ;)
And if I'm not mistaken I saw a cantilever picatinny rail mount in my travels. Then the quick release mount would be a great option.
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Sorry Ed;
I haven't got that far yet... I've been sneaking around and I'm lucky I got this far during breaks from my duties. You don't know how bad I want to snatch one of those blanks up and run it down to the backstop and feed it some lead. But, it's going to have to wait a bit.
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By the looks of it I could put even low rings on and the 32 would clear with the rear sight off. There is room in front of the loading port for a ring to go onto the rail. That would surely bring the optic center closer to the bore center. I'm sure with my ADD I'll be trying different setups. I originally chose this mount with the 40 in mind.
I have become a big fan of quick-detach mounts, Bill. I am also beginning to favor Picatinny and Weaver mounting systems over the ol' dovetails. Being able to share accessories easily between guns saves me a lot of money! ;)
And if I'm not mistaken I saw a cantilever picatinny rail mount in my travels. Then the quick release mount would be a great option.
Yup, that's what I am thinking, too. I like to have glass of half, right on up to the full value as the base gun, on each of my guns, once the tuning is over, and the dust settles. Without quick-detachable mounts, that gets expensive, really fast, ha ha!
Chickie
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Enablers...
Ya know, when I got my PP700, it wasn't from MRodAir, it was from Krale, but it was packaged the exact same way. IE: perfect. That ain't just on MRodAir- you can thank SPA for doing things right.
And unless something really crazy happens and I suddenly get rich, my next PCP will be one of these rifle (AKA the PP900).
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Congrats on the new Varmint Bill !!!
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Thanks Wayne.... and thank all of you for pushing me in this direction. I still have a crush on the GAMO Urban but this little jewel seems perfect for scratching right where it itches.
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Bill, let us know when you sneak off and throw some lead thru her..... ;)
we will be waiting ;D
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The paint and stickers are officially stowed for today. I have completely showered all remnants from my person. I've made the trip to the beverage store and Betty Lou has replenished our smoking supplies (we roll our own..... all legal and non-mind altering). There is at least 3100 psi in the 100cf scuba tank and the pink dots, paintballs and resettable flippers are ripe for the plinking. Pellets are abundant. The outdoor fans are all set to high and country music fills the air on the outdoor range. The plan is to begin the evening with sighting in the AMV then eventually moving in the direction of the Daisy 880s. That's when the games begin. Last outing I came away 2 games ahead of Betty Lou of the 10 we played. I'm sure she wants revenge. It won't be an all nighter because she gets blood work done tomorrow morning and the flow needs to stop when the needle comes out. Expect a full report tomorrow.
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Sounds like a good time. Can't wait for the results.
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It ended up being a very early night last evening. The rains came and washed us out. Not before I got to put 3 fills to 2900 and 9 mags through the gun.
Unfortunately I did not get to use the chrono. I'll make an attempt at that today. I believe there may be a little room for tuning but, all in all, it's well within my expectation and will suit it's intended purpose. I think a tad lighter hammer spring and the BStaley O-rings will put it right there.
I was very happy with the trigger. I had shot 1 fill and 3 mags before I even thought about the trigger. It was just that natural. When I did think about it my only thought was that maybe the first stage was a bit long. I found a crisp, light second stage.
Cocking effort is smooth and easy. It cycles through the mags without issue. I LIKE THIS GUN !!
I began with CPUM 10.5 and took 6 shots to put POI on the 1/2" yardsale sticker at 32yds. After the first mag I saw the POI move around a little. I loaded up the next mag with CPHP 7.9. Much better... all shots landing well within that 1/2". Next up was the Benjamin hollows. These are the ones that come from Walmart in a tin of 750 for $9. BOOYA !! STACKERS !! This earned the gun a home.
As I've said before, (other than my Sheridans) if I can't feed a gun with locally purchased pellets then it has no place here. I'm sure others are going to have suggestions about this pellet and that pellet... I'm not interested. I'm sure the chrono is going to tell me that this gun with these pellets is going to take down it's intended prey within it's intended range quite sufficiently.
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I'm also going to explore different scope mounting options today. The UTG cantilever mount puts the Hawke Air Max 2-7x32 just a bit high which brings gun rotation into play. It's been my experience that the closer you can get center of sight to the center of the bore the better off you are. I think I can drop the scope with low rings and still have clearance for the mags. It will definitely make using the single shot tray easier. There is room on the rail in front and behind the loading port for a set of rings. The only issue might be clearance at the rear sight mount. I removed the rear sight.
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At 27 rounds per fill, I was thinking that this gun was an air hog... But considering that the air capacity is quite a bit less than my other PCP guns. I'll get many more fills from my 2 scuba tanks with this gun. (one at 100cf and one at 80cf and both at 3300psi).
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Thanks for the updates, Bill..
Still just waiting anxiously patiently for mine. Great news on the cheaper pellets! While I don't mind paying for premium pellets when they are called for, I am also a big fan of economical fun, too. For a $180 gun, these really have promise!
Thanks again for the info..
:-) Chickie
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I have enjoyed my Varmint .177 a lot. I no longer hunt and carry a rifle in the field but it is unusually light/easy to carry if one does. It is both powerful and accurate. Build quality seems very good and I've had no problems with mine.
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Mine will be here tomorrow!!! UPS sent shipping info a minute ago, yessssss!!!!
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WOOHOO !!!! Man, the Varmints sure are running amuck around here.
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Concerning an LDC....
We don't have a backyard, we have a back 40. The sound of gun shots around here are more frequent than traffic. If we don't hear gunfire we go check on the neighbors to see if everything is OK.
I only hunt for food in aisles 1 thru 12 at the local grocer. I shoot guns to plink and eradicate pests that present hazards to my people, pets, gardens and belongings. Since they choose not to heed the "No Trespassing" signs I choose to take more permanent measures. It would only make my mission easier if the report were to have an evacuating affect on them. I'm not into thrill killing.
I rank this gun about halfway between the bark of my FD-PCP and the PFFFT of my Marauder. It's pretty even with my 2240 HPA carbines. I have pumpers that are louder at 5 pumps.
Altho there are some very esthetic muzzle bling blings out there that do an awesome job of taming the roar, they still all look aftermarket like to me. Some even stick waaayyy out there. This gun fits proportionately to it's intended purpose. It will remain unmodified in that respect.
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Lowering the scope....
I originally had the UTG cantilever scope mount installed. It did a great job of making room for easy access to the mag. Even with the 2-7X32 AO Hawke Air Max scope I still had to remove the rear sight ramp to avoid rubbing the AO adjustment. But, it created about 3/8" gap that I hoped I could reduce with low two piece mounts. The cantilever mount also made it somewhat cumbersome to load pellets into the single shot tray. Another issue was the distance between sight center of the scope and bore center. This exaggerates gun rotation which affects POI from left to right and right to left. The more you can reduce the distance between sight and bore center the less affect rotation has on POI.
I've attached pictures below with the two setups for comparison.
There is plenty of room ahead of and behind and behind the loading port on the rail for two piece scope mounts.
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As you can see, there is still plenty of room for the mags to slide in and out and single shot tray to be loaded. And there is a good 3/16" clearance for AO adjusting.
This will work.
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Edtampa;
I apologize for not answering your question on length and weight. I got side tracked. The manual lists the gun weight at 2.7 KG and the over all length at 900mm.
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The more I shoot my Varmint the more I like it, Chickie I've got pellets coming tomorrow myself, 1 tin of Beeman 21.14's, 1 tin of H&N 21.14's and a tin of JSB 18.13's :) I got my brothers some heavies for his .177 for the fourth free tin from PA.
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I hear ya Wayne...
BTW.... If anyone needs me I'll be out on the shooting bench.... just HOLLAR !!!
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Very nice. I really like that small Hawke mounted low.
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Just came back in from sighting back in after the re-mount. A few clicks to lower the elevation and I'm right back on target. Soooo much better. I tried both mags and single shot tray.
We'll run a few more fills and mags thru it then open it open for a bit of tinkering. A coil or 2 off the hammer and some O-rings to control bounce.
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And unless something really crazy happens and I suddenly get rich, my next PCP will be one of these rifle (AKA the PP900).
Looked at Krale and MRod Air but could not find what a PP900 is.
Always like to know what's on the cutting edge ya know.
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PR900W is the model I think.
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Lowering the scope....
I do like the new mounts you chose for the Varmint. I've always wondered about how scope height effects shot placement and glad ya explained in laymen terms.
I can see how this would fair much better on a springer especially with the double recoil.
I'm glad ya enjoying your Varmint. They are a sight to behold especially at this price.
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PR900W is the model I think.
Looks a lot like the Varmint with nearly the same specs.
Thanks Wayne!
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It is the same model. PR900w is SPA's model number for the gun. MRodair is an American distributor of the gun. It's kind of like ordering from Crosman's Custom Shop and having your unique engraving added.
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The UTG 4x32x40 AO scope that I originally ordered for the AMV just arrived. REALLY nice scope. I believe the 40 AO is a bit too large to clear the rear sight mount to be able to use these low rings. I like the 2-7X32 Hawke set low on the AMV so the UTG will most likely go on the SynRod as the replacement. The UTG scope came with some high quality low rings as well. These will also be used on the SynRod. I really need to focus on an air booster now. Running to the dive shop is becoming a non option.
Too many new toys and too little time.
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::) ::) Bill I really feel bad that you have sooo much space and free time that you need to go and refill your air tanks every few days . NOT ;D ;D I wish I could step out my back door and shoot any of my toys but I am actually just a little envious . so enjoy your freedom and neighbors and know that you have succeeded in in making me happy that I have my Freedom 8 booster and 3 4500psi cf tanks . Enjoy the new PCP's and your unlimited space to shoot and above all enjoy your live in shooting buddy. ;D ;D
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Edtampa;
I apologize for not answering your question on length and weight. I got side tracked. The manual lists the gun weight at 2.7 KG and the over all length at 900mm.
That = 35.5" gun length and 5.95#. That's 1# less in weight than my Disco with Hawke scope but a good 10" shorter with the TKO's on it.
My scoped 10/22 powder burner is 39" and almost the same weight as my Disco but sure feels lighter and more stable at the shoulder.
I would think that is because of the shorter length over all. My curiosity is peaking with these guns as more people gets them and post their results and opinions.
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hey Bill,
any news on a barrel band from Mrodair ?
i'm really interested in adding another on the varmint.
thanks... ;)
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hey Bill,
any news on a barrel band from Mrodair ?
i'm really interested in adding another on the varmint.
thanks... ;)
I honestly feel there is no need for another barrel band on mine, the 12mm barrel's are very stout and I don't see an issue myself.
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hey Bill,
any news on a barrel band from Mrodair ?
i'm really interested in adding another on the varmint.
thanks... ;)
I honestly feel there is no need for another barrel band on mine, the 12mm barrel's are very stout and I don't see an issue myself.
yes very stout Wayne, i can see some droop in the barrel slowly out to the muzzle.
its just i can see it...and that kinda bothers me.
i would like to add one about 4" from the factory "moderator" (i guess thats what its called)
thanks ;D
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I have also planned to add another barrel band to the Varmint as well as the M10 if they are available. My Varmint shoots extremely well but the barrel flex is noticeable. I have already contacted SPA and others have completed orders from them as I understand. Not all parts for all models seem to be available from what I've read but the barrel band for both rifles will be on my order if they are available. It may not help but there is simply too much noticeable flex on even the heavier M10 for my liking and the Varmint is worse.
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No word on the barrel bands yet. I have a voice mail in for Mike about a "sticky" mag. I know he's not real good about answering voice mail so I plan on giving him a call today. It may have been after hours when I called yesterday. I'll ask him about barrel bands again.
I'm not so much concerned about flex as I am with accidents. I bought this gun for a woods walker. Something to sling on my shoulder and jump on the 4 wheeler. So, what happens if I lean the gun against a tree to take a leak and a pisd off squirrel runs down the tree and kicks it over?
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So, what happens if I lean the gun against a tree to take a leak and a pisd off squirrel runs down the tree and kicks it over?
Kick it between the legs!
Oh wait, it's a squirrel...............then just use your fingers and flick it hard between the legs :o
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Being the my first experience with a fill probe, it only took me one time to insert it too far. I slowly opened the valve on my tank and heard it leak. I shut it down instantly but the o-ring had expanded and I split it pulling the probe out. One spare o-ring down...
Well, that ain't gonna happen again..
I stacked 4 o-rings from my o-ring Harbor Freight kit. Now it goes in perfect everytime.
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You got the wrong probe there Bill, my brother did too, mine is the shorter one that works right but you can make that one that you've got work just don't push it in all the way. That probe you have is the same probe that belongs with the PP700S-A I think.
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Being the my first experience with a fill probe, it only took me one time to insert it too far. I slowly opened the valve on my tank and heard it leak. I shut it down instantly but the o-ring had expanded and I split it pulling the probe out. One spare o-ring down...
Well, that ain't gonna happen again..
I stacked 4 o-rings from my o-ring Harbor Freight kit. Now it goes in perfect everytime.
Noted, thanks, awesome!! ;)
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You got the wrong probe there Bill, my brother did too, mine is the shorter one that works right but you can make that one that you've got work just don't push it in all the way. That probe you have is the same probe that belongs with the PP700S-A I think.
Ahhh, I'll check mine when they get here before I fill, thanks for the head's up, y'all are soo awesome!!!
This is the fun of being an early adopter, ha ha! The fact that we are sometimes getting a grab bag of mismatched parts just makes it more intriguing, lol.
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Here's the fill probe that came with mine.
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Here's the fill probe that came with mine.
i think thats the same one as mine here....
wayne, do you leave it in the gun ?
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Well I'll be shipped in sheep dip.....
I'll mention that to Mike when I call... Not it's a big deal, I can work with it. Just a heads up for Mike. Probably some little Chinese dude somewhere laughing his butt off.
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Here's the fill probe that came with mine.
i think thats the same one as mine here....
wayne, do you leave it in the gun ?
Yep yours is the same one that came with mine John, I take it out after I'm done filling otherwise it could fall out. When I bring it along hunting I just keep it in a small ziplock in my watch pocket on my jeans.
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Well I'll be shipped in sheep dip.....
I'll mention that to Mike when I call... Not it's a big deal, I can work with it. Just a heads up for Mike. Probably some little Chinese dude somewhere laughing his butt off.
My brother made a plastic sleeve for his, it works fine that way.
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I intend to just hang a pouch around the neck of my scuba tank for it. 27 good shots ought to be plenty for a day's hunt. (unless I'm hunting monkeys in Florida) I'm certainly not dragging a 100cf scuba tank to the woods and it's too humid here to hand pump my gun full of water.
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it's too humid here to hand pump my gun full of water.
yep, i've been pumping mine inside.....ordered a compressor this morn'n
cuz now the grandkids both have new varmints in .177 on the way :o
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Just got off the phone with Mike at MRodAir. I told him about the issue I had with the "sticky" mag and the long fill probe. The problem with the mag is that the screw turns in and out with the clear plastic cover. It goes from real loose to very tight.
I know I can fix it with Loctite but.... it's brand new and ought top perform as new.
Mike told me to shoot him an e-mail and he'll get one out to me.
As for the long fill probe.... Mike said he thought they were all long and you just had to be careful not to push them in too far or do as I did and sleeve it so it can't go in too far. So it appears that those of you that have a fill valve that actually fits properly are the ones with the wrong probe.... :o :o
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It's gotta be the other way around cause mine works perfect without the sleeve 8)
Leave it to the Chinese to throw a wrench in the mix, it was probably a mid decision in the order to make shorter probes, I'm almost thinking this longer one might even work on the M10 as well.
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LOL.... just repeating what the man said.....
Chickie just got 2 of them... one with the short probe and one with the long.
But as I said.... I just popped on the O-rings as a stop and it's really a non-issue.
The faulty mag is a bigger concern and I could probably fix the too.
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Just got off the phone with Mike at MRodAir. I told him about the issue I had with the "sticky" mag and the long fill probe. The problem with the mag is that the screw turns in and out with the clear plastic cover. It goes from real loose to very tight.
I know I can fix it with Loctite but.... it's brand new and ought top perform as new.
Mike told me to shoot him an e-mail and he'll get one out to me.
As for the long fill probe.... Mike said he thought they were all long and you just had to be careful not to push them in too far or do as I did and sleeve it so it can't go in too far. So it appears that those of you that have a fill valve that actually fits properly are the ones with the wrong probe.... :o :o
I got a long one with my .177, and a short one with my .22. I want another 'wrong' one, to replace the not-right 'right' one, thank you very much, lol..
Yeah, not so slick, nope.
The product sells itself, the service, umm, not so much, huh?
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Considering he answers the phone personally, I wonder if he may have a little more than he can handle alone.
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any word on the barrel bands ??
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Oh Yeah !!! He said he added some to his next order but he didn't have an ETA yet. I'm going to take some measurements and see what I can come up with for the time being.
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sounds good, keep us informed !!!
thank you
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Just got off the phone with Mike at MRodAir. I told him about the issue I had with the "sticky" mag and the long fill probe. The problem with the mag is that the screw turns in and out with the clear plastic cover. It goes from real loose to very tight.
I know I can fix it with Loctite but.... it's brand new and ought top perform as new.
Mike told me to shoot him an e-mail and he'll get one out to me.
As for the long fill probe.... Mike said he thought they were all long and you just had to be careful not to push them in too far or do as I did and sleeve it so it can't go in too far. So it appears that those of you that have a fill valve that actually fits properly are the ones with the wrong probe.... :o :o
I got a long one with my .177, and a short one with my .22. I want another 'wrong' one, to replace the not-right 'right' one, thank you very much, lol..
Yeah, not so slick, nope.
The product sells itself, the service, umm, not so much, huh?
My .177 is leaking around the air pressure gauge, sooo, Mike is gonna likely be chatting with me soon, too, poor fella, ha!
If I can't fix it right away, it's going back...
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I wonder if they used the same transfer port with both, I'm tempted to make some transfer ports for mine just to fool around and see what I can get out of it, I'll bet decreasing the size on the .22 would enable the pellets it doesn't like work good in it. It's the same case scenario they had with the M10, they were shipped with a smaller TP than what was installed for lower velocity.
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It's not that uncommon. A little turn one way or the other.... or a wrap or two of Teflon thread tape ought to fix it.
Mike does need to know about the issues. As with the faulty mag I got. I think I can fix it but, he offered to replace it. I asked if I should send him this one and he said "nope, just keep it".
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It's not that uncommon. A little turn one way or the other.... or a wrap or two of Teflon thread tape ought to fix it.
Mike does need to know about the issues. As with the faulty mag I got. I think I can fix it but, he offered to replace it. I asked if I should send him this one and he said "nope, just keep it".
Here's where it all begins, time to get stupid..
Ok, has anybody started a tear down thread for these? Is there an exploded view diagram anywhere on the forum, or will I need to go to the wider web for that info?
Rolling up my sleeves now... ::)
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I haven't seen one but please allow me to tag along.
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I've tried finding an exploded view but haven't found one yet.
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I've tried finding an exploded view but haven't found one yet.
Nor have I.
I just emailed the factory, might as well go to the source, first off..
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Maybe this will work.
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Maybe this will work.
Aaaaawwwesome!!!
Thank you, so very much!!
Yessss!! :D
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My .177 arrived yesterday, just 2 days after ordering. Just like the .22 order, I received no notification it ever shipped nor a tracking number. Thank goodness our shipping receiving guys know where to bring my packages. LOL
And just like the .22, I opened the box to find a VERY nice airgun, especially at that price point!!! But just like the .22, the probe will not seat/seal in my Foster adapter. Thank goodness I have the Air Max pistol and the probe from it works fine. Slapped a scope on this baby, juiced it up and used some Crosman brown box 10.5gr and had it on target 35 yards away within 4 shots. It's a laser!!!!
These are a dynamic duo.
;)
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They are excellent guns in any regard but when price is factored in it really is quite a bargain. I had ordered a couple of TRRobb SS fill probes and they would not fit into my female foster fittings either. Spun it in a drill press and took down the bottom ring diameter a bit and now they work fine. Seems some are 2 to 3 thousandths oversized and won't fit into a female fitting. Easily solved in my case.
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Snooping around in the shop I found a barrel band from when I was tinkering around with the FD-PCP Gen I guns. They are aluminum and the stock screw on the XS-60c goes into it. I remember stripping one of them out and had Mike Mellick send me a couple spares. Ipopped the muzzle break off the AMV and it's a perfect fit for the tube. It's maybe 1/16 oversized for the barrel. The barrel floats right at the top of the hole. It's much like the free floating barrel band on the Mrod/SynRod which fits snug to the barrel and free floats the tube. I like it a lot and it will offer the security that I was looking for without affecting the natural barrel alignment. Mike should have these in stock and I think I only paid a couple bux for them.... $5 shipped at the most.
Here are a few pics... Again.. sorry for the pic quality but I think it shows the space.
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Maybe this will work.
Awesome bandg !!!!!!!
Now that is one nice PDF indeed, very cool 8)
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My .177 arrived yesterday, just 2 days after ordering. Just like the .22 order, I received no notification it ever shipped nor a tracking number. Thank goodness our shipping receiving guys know where to bring my packages. LOL
And just like the .22, I opened the box to find a VERY nice airgun, especially at that price point!!! But just like the .22, the probe will not seat/seal in my Foster adapter. Thank goodness I have the Air Max pistol and the probe from it works fine. Slapped a scope on this baby, juiced it up and used some Crosman brown box 10.5gr and had it on target 35 yards away within 4 shots. It's a laser!!!!
These are a dynamic duo.
;)
That's fantastic Dave !!! I guess that I've been lucky with the probes that I've gotten with my Airmax guns because between the pistol and the Varmint they both worked fine, I did get one of the TRRob probes in stainless and that one is about as perfect as can be. My Varmint won't be getting the 3200psi fills so the brass one that came with that seems to be holding up pretty good so far because the max I've been putting in that is 200 Bar and actually I really don't need that much, I've been eyeballing the gauge on my fill tank when filling it to about 2650 as far as I can tell and I get 21 ideal shots thataway ;)
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My .177 arrived yesterday, just 2 days after ordering. Just like the .22 order, I received no notification it ever shipped nor a tracking number. Thank goodness our shipping receiving guys know where to bring my packages. LOL
And just like the .22, I opened the box to find a VERY nice airgun, especially at that price point!!! But just like the .22, the probe will not seat/seal in my Foster adapter. Thank goodness I have the Air Max pistol and the probe from it works fine. Slapped a scope on this baby, juiced it up and used some Crosman brown box 10.5gr and had it on target 35 yards away within 4 shots. It's a laser!!!!
These are a dynamic duo.
;)
Hey Dave...
With the .177, did you get the longer probe or the shorter one? Just checking my theory on the longer ones coming with the .177 as mine did.... for whatever reason.
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Welp.... a quick trip to the local hardware for a grub screw for the barrel band ($.30) and I'm in bidness.
I can probably throw a rock from one end of our little country town to the other and we got one of them mom and pop old school hardware store that have any and everything you need including lumber. And pop knows everthing in it. I could just hang out in that place. This being farm country... they even have a tack shop, implement parts and feed. If you can't find it in there it's probably made out of plastic.
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My .177 arrived yesterday, just 2 days after ordering. Just like the .22 order, I received no notification it ever shipped nor a tracking number. Thank goodness our shipping receiving guys know where to bring my packages. LOL
And just like the .22, I opened the box to find a VERY nice airgun, especially at that price point!!! But just like the .22, the probe will not seat/seal in my Foster adapter. Thank goodness I have the Air Max pistol and the probe from it works fine. Slapped a scope on this baby, juiced it up and used some Crosman brown box 10.5gr and had it on target 35 yards away within 4 shots. It's a laser!!!!
These are a dynamic duo.
;)
Hey Dave...
With the .177, did you get the longer probe or the shorter one? Just checking my theory on the longer ones coming with the .177 as mine did.... for whatever reason.
Yep, .177 probe is longer than the one that came with the .22.
Dunno why.
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Hmmm.... when I spoke to Mike he acted as if it were normal... I wonder if he even knows there are different sizes between the two calibers? Like I said... I put the o-rings on it and I'm good with it. A bit of Secret Sauce to make it slip in and out with ease. An empty tin in the vintage soft leather case to hold the probe and spare mags. We're right in the berries.
I think I'll drill and add the sling mounts next.
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Just remembered I hadn't checked accuracy after adding the barrel band... I think it was Betty Lou's spaghetti.. That stuff will make you forget everything around you..
So, I popped out to the shooting bench on the back deck and ran two mags thru.
35 yds out and right in the sweet spot. Didn't even take a turret cap off....
MAN !!!! I like this gun!
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;) ;D If you control the enthusiasm and not eat like a gavone with Betty Lou's pasta you would not get so sleepy after eating :P :P
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Do you even know what it's like to eat next to Rambo the Rescue Dog? I'm not sure what a "gavone" is but if it entails surrounding your plate with both arms so you don't get "ganked" for your oodles of noodles.... I'm a gavone.
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Lol, what a coincidence, there is a huge pot of leftover home-made spaghetti and meatballs making a return run tonight after a wonderful debut last evening, mmm, love the pasta!
Oh, back on topic, lol.
I see where the tensioning of the forward stock screw does mess with the air tube and make it go out of parallel. Easy fix, no worries..
Also see where another barrel band is not a bad idea, I'm down for a few myself, let's see if they help, or whatever..
Ima tag along for your sling mounting adventure. Slings are a must for these, well, at least some of them. Now that I've seen the action close up, I see a very easy path to a light tactical build, also. Light sniper, if you will, ha ha!
Ima buy a lot of these, might hafta sell off some safe queens along the way, but I really think this platform is a winner, so I have to go deeper in, no choice really, ha ha!
Don't these remind you of youth-sized rimfires? The feel is soo familiar, the size, the handling. I think that is why I like them already. I know we aren't supposed to talk about such things here, but yeah, def reminds me of my first .22 powder guns in size and weight.
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Do you even know what it's like to eat next to Rambo the Rescue Dog? I'm not sure what a "gavone" is but if it entails surrounding your plate with both arms so you don't get "ganked" for your oodles of noodles.... I'm a gavone.
;D ;D Nailed it in one and you have my complete sympathy Dudle the clearance rack pup hawks anything edible when I am sitting on the couch with any form of chip or popcorn. Never mind real food he will sit with his head on my leg eyeing the food and drooling on my leg ::) ::) ;D
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I wouldn't doubt that some or all of the .177's might even be older guns than what the .22's are, that would explain the probes and gauge differences for being able to remove the stock without removing the guage first ???
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I wouldn't doubt that some or all of the .177's might even be older guns than what the .22's are, that would explain the probes and gauge differences for being able to remove the stock without removing the guage first ???
Great minds, same channel , Wayne, yes, that seems to be the case, doesn't it?
The .22s are GenII models, lol. Maybe the bolt handles have been upgraded on the .22s, too? Is there a trend on which caliber breaks handles yet, I wonder?
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Well shut my mouth wide open....
I just posted on Chick's thread about my suspicion in the stock differences between the .22 and .177. Several obvious differences... evidently.
You know.... when I dove head first into the FD-PCP thing if I bought a gun in .22 I also bought a spare barrel and bolt for the .177 and vise versa. Those barrels were also held into the breech by grub screws. They also used two O-rings on the barrel to prevent leakage. The AMV appears the same. This made it very simple to swap calibers using one rifle.
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Getting the barrels direct from Snow Peak could be a problem on account of customs, however I'm sure that Mike at Mrodair could probably order them. I'm surprised that Crosman hasn't jumped on the bandwagon for importing these guns, after all many of their products are made in china now anyway.
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Isn't Xisico basically the same Chinese gun? I would venture a wager that Mike Mellick at Flyin Dragon has, or can get, anything you need or want.
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Pressing on.... Sling Lugs
Like I said... I bought this rifle for utility use. I feel a very important part of the would be convenient carry. Enter the sling.
I picked this sling mounting kit awhile back at Walmart for $8. I had already used the rings for the sling that gets moved from gun to gun as needed. I had the "lugs" left over as the other guns already had them.
Carefully measuring and marking depth of the 5/32 drill bit and determining the best location on the stock I pre-drilled a couple pilot holes to avoid splitting. I was also careful with the proper angles. I went square with the plane of each mounting points. Nothing special... no padded vise, no squares or levels. (I live life on the edge) I just laid the gun upside down in a set of shooting bags and went for it with my cordless drill.
The lugs come with a couple white bushings. I assumed these were so you can adjust the rotation position of the lugs to align with the sling mounts and not mar or split the stock. Before screwing the lugs into the stock I put just a drop of wood glue in each hole. Then I used an Allen wrench thru the hole in the lug for leverage and simply screwed them in. You might choose epoxy or something else. The installation instructions didn't suggest anything. Excluding rounding up my drill and the right bits, it's took all of 5 minutes.
Again... I apologize for poor quality pictures but, you get the jist....
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Ok..
I am still on the fence whether I want to make any power adjustment to the gun. I have yet to even chrono it. But what I do know is that I get just over 3 full clips of 9 shots from a 2900 psi fill down to the yellow on the gauge. Each of the CPHP 7.9 shots are right where I put the cross hairs at 35 yds. Do I need/want any better than that?
From my experience with the FD-PCP I know I can flatten the bell curve of the string and more than likely gain a few shots on a fill by merely clipping the hammer spring and adding the BStaley O-rings.
How bout this approach...
I'm just going to use and enjoy the gun as is for now... Maybe later?..... who knows.
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I may be biased but I just keep finding reasons to love this gun..
Awhile back the price of the Chinese hand pumps took a huge drop. I'm not a hand pumper by no stretch of imagination. I equally deplore changing a flat tire but, as we all know, you gotta have a spare so I bought one.
I was somewhat disappointed to find that the female foster fitting on the hand pump only fit one of the male foster fitting on my PCP guns without some modification or replacement.
Low and behold... The fill probe for the AMV fits the female foster fitting on the hand pump like it grew in there. This being such a low capacity air tube, pumping to 3k should be zippity zappity.
The list of conveniences continues to grow.
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This being such a low capacity air tube, pumping to 3k should be zippity zappity.
The list of conveniences continues to grow.
when you chrony your target shots, you will be able to see your best performance with FPS and POI like i did.
doing that i found i only need to pump to 2320psi (160bar).....above that its down hill with performance same as below 1450psi (100bar).
YMMV because your .177
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Thanks but.. Zippity Zappity ain't what is was 20+ years ago.
The gun was touching the yellow and I grabbed the hand pump just for the experience.
OK.. been there, done that... no thanks, you can just keep that tee shirt.
That right there zippity zapped my old butt. I vaguely remember in my younger day running to the store for milk and smokes... running to the gas station to "filler up" and even living up to my accusers allegations that I "run the roads".
But these days... I don't even run out to the mailbox and I'm pretty sure I can hit it from my recliner with a spitball.
I'm not pumping nothing !!!
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How bout this approach...
I'm just going to use and enjoy the gun as is for now... Maybe later?..... who knows.
Perhaps even more important that the wide-open modding future for these guns is the fact that one can really just basically pump and shoot these for a whole lotta airgunning satisfaction, no nothing required, unlike a LOT of past fav modding platforms we have all been through...
Being able to get a gun outta the box and onto the hunt as fast and cheaply as possible is what will guarantee these guns will spread like crazy. All the awesome mods waiting to be designed will keep 'em coming, long after the novelty wears off..
I'm ready to buy stock in this company, no kidding..
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My Varmint seems to start a good string right at about 2650 psi to the best guess I can get reading the small guage that I have on my fill adaptor.
For now I'm not going to do any major mods to either one of my Airmax's, they seem to come out of the box ready for great power and accuracy the way they are.
I'd say that my Varmint is close to being fully broken in now and actually it isn't overwhelmingly loud(it's a far cry from the ear ringing report of a stock Disco) however I might look into getting me a more quiet LDC for it. :D
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It's true !! It is sooo easy to fall under the spell. But I gotta say something in all fairness.
Remember when I borrowed the Hawke scope from the SRod then decided to keep it on the AMV and put the new UTG on the SRod?
Well, I got around to putting the UTG on the SRod yesterday and, in spite of cheating on it with the "new girl", it was sooooo forgiving. It's like the difference in opening the door for a mistress and being comfortable farting in front of your wife... I would imagine.
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I'm with you Bill. My only complaints are 1) the ordering process and lack of communication and 2) the fill probes. The one that came with the .22 does not clip into my Foster QC. The .177 probe is longer which makes you insert it TOO far, preventing the O-ring from sealing the probe. Your backyard fix of adding an O-ring will remedy that one. I made some measurements last night and every section of the .22 probe Foster end are .002" larger in diameter than the .177, which may sound like very little but it prevents the probe from being attached and removed with ease in the Foster QC connector.
After I get my shop set back up I'll remedy the .22 probe issue on my lathe. And I will also cut a Delrin spacer to fix the .177 probe.
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It's true !! It is sooo easy to fall under the spell. But I gotta say something in all fairness.
Remember when I borrowed the Hawke scope from the SRod then decided to keep it on the AMV and put the new UTG on the SRod?
Well, I got around to putting the UTG on the SRod yesterday and, in spite of cheating on it with the "new girl", it was sooooo forgiving. It's like the difference in opening the door for a mistress and being comfortable farting in front of your wife... I would imagine.
Ha ha, well, these are not gonna replace my HW110 or HW30s LE anytime soon, either, but they will surely take a lot of pressure off of my more expensive favorites. I will sell off a few springers to get more of these, because they are just way more efficient shooters, especially in younger hands. By the time I am done, I will have swapped out 6 guns for 4 Varmints and 2 CP-01 and/or CP-02 carbines.
The weight and handling are perfect for my needs, as is the price point, so I am all for simplifying the airsenal and doing more shooting, less worrying, ha ha!!
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Dave...
So, are the fill caps on both calibers the same? The differences are in the probes only? In reality one probe can be slightly modified to work in both guns?
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Dave...
So, are the fill caps on both calibers the same? The differences are in the probes only? In reality one probe can be slightly modified to work in both guns?
Dave,
Also, does your .22 fill from the right, and your .177 from the left? Are the air tubes different, also? I dunwanna hijack Bill's thread, but I've been listing all the variances between my two Varmints on another thread. I would be curious as to what differences you are seeing too?
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Chick..
Here's where I am on that..
Altho they are great guns I don't think I need another. I bought it for a purpose in mind and it fits that spot perfectly (from what I see so far). I sold a couple guns to this and ended up with the CP1 and cash to boot.
However, my mission also included another layer. I want an HPA booster to avoid tank filling trips. So, I will be selling a couple more guns to fund an Altaros. It just come down to deciding what guns would be desirable to others and missed least by me.
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Dave...
So, are the fill caps on both calibers the same? The differences are in the probes only? In reality one probe can be slightly modified to work in both guns?
Dave,
Also, does your .22 fill from the right, and your .177 from the left? Are the air tubes different, also? I dunwanna hijack Bill's thread, but I've been listing all the variances between my two Varmints on another thread. I would be curious as to what differences you are seeing too?
Please don't feel like you're hijacking... all this info is relative to the same guns.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "filling from the right or the left". I can insert my fill probe into either side of the fill cap.
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Thanks, Bill!!
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Dave...
So, are the fill caps on both calibers the same? The differences are in the probes only? In reality one probe can be slightly modified to work in both guns?
Dave,
Also, does your .22 fill from the right, and your .177 from the left? Are the air tubes different, also? I dunwanna hijack Bill's thread, but I've been listing all the variances between my two Varmints on another thread. I would be curious as to what differences you are seeing too?
Please don't feel like you're hijacking... all this info is relative to the same guns.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "filling from the right or the left". I can insert my fill probe into either side of the fill cap.
On my .177, the fill hole nearest the top of the barrel is on the left, and on the .22, the fill hole nearest the barrel is on the right. On the .22, it also has laser-scribed writing perfectly centered on the left side that says '20 MPa max pressure'. They seem to have upgraded the air tube, and used a different metal and finish..
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I see... again... I'm only looking a one gun.
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I see... again... I'm only looking a one gun.
I may be able to get some pics snapped in a bit, the problem is that Photobucket can be such a drudge, bleh...
I gotta find a better hosting site, too bad the site here itself can't host them, then it would be easier and safer for all of us, too..
Just thinkin' aloud, sorry...
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LOL
Chick, I've posted several times. We DO host photos. Look above at the Media tab.
Anyway, the tubes and fill ports should be the same for both airguns. The post to insert the probe into CAN be in different positions due to the threading of the end cap. But they are the same diameter and the fill probes are identical, or are supposed to be. Even the Air Max pistol uses the same probe. Thanks goodness, because that is the one I'm using to fill all of these airguns....at the moment. I'll modify all of mine soon to have spares.
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LOL
Chick, I've posted several times. We DO host photos. Look above at the Media tab.
Anyway, the tubes and fill ports should be the same for both airguns. The post to insert the probe into CAN be in different positions due to the threading of the end cap. But they are the same diameter and the fill probes are identical, or are supposed to be. Even the Air Max pistol uses the same probe. Thanks goodness, because that is the one I'm using to fill all of these airguns....at the moment. I'll modify all of mine soon to have spares.
Duh! So sorry, did I mention I am blonde? Well, I shoulda, ha!! :-[
Well, the tube on the .22 bottoms out with the laser-writing perfectly centered on the left side. Perhaps the earlier ones tightened to random places, but these ones do not. Like on my HW's LDC, once the threading stops, the logo is perfectly centered in plain view.
I'll know more once I've torn them down completely, and yes, I can probably manage some photos, too, in between packing picnic baskets and doing lifeguard duty, ha ha!! I soo much love summer!!!
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my end cap fill hole is only accessible on the left side, due to the way the end cap
threads on.
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I see... again... I'm only looking a one gun.
I may be able to get some pics snapped in a bit, the problem is that Photobucket can be such a drudge, bleh...
I gotta find a better hosting site, too bad the site here itself can't host them, then it would be easier and safer for all of us, too..
Just thinkin' aloud, sorry...
I take photos with my iPhone and e-mail them to myself, and choose "medium" for the size. I have not had any issues uploading photos to this site when done that way.
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Ok..
I am still on the fence whether I want to make any power adjustment to the gun. I have yet to even chrono it. But what I do know is that I get just over 3 full clips of 9 shots from a 2900 psi fill down to the yellow on the gauge. Each of the CPHP 7.9 shots are right where I put the cross hairs at 35 yds. Do I need/want any better than that?
From my experience with the FD-PCP I know I can flatten the bell curve of the string and more than likely gain a few shots on a fill by merely clipping the hammer spring and adding the BStaley O-rings.
How bout this approach...
I'm just going to use and enjoy the gun as is for now... Maybe later?..... who knows.
If you decide to try this, please do a photo how to for us less experienced folks! It should interesting, but still a bit over my head without a nice tutorial...
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I take photos with my iPhone and e-mail them to myself, and choose "medium" for the size. I have not had any issues uploading photos to this site when done that way.
what Paul said ^^^^^ easy way...... ;D
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Guys...
If you get impatient waiting for me you can do a search on keywords "FD-PCP" and BStaley o-ring mod". If you use google several results should include references to GTA posts. You can browse thru them and find a ton of info. Basically you are just removing the stock, end cap, hammer spring and hammer. You drop a series of O-rings down in the tube and put everything back together. For an FD-PCP the O-rings were the #113 Buna which are basically 3/4" OD O-rings. Typically it required stacking 4 O-rings. With the FD-PCP there was a power adjuster that you could adjust the hammer spring heavier or lighter. The trick is for the stack of O-rings to consistently cushion the hammer strike on the exhaust valve pin. The AMV does not appear the have the power adjuster so adjustments to the spring will need to be done buy shortening or lengthening it. Further fine tuning can be made by the overall thickness of your O-ring stack. Some of us used sand paper to thin one O-ring. I used a thinner O-ring from my kit. Some even used thin washers between O-Rings. The O-rings fitting snug in the tube is all that keeps them in place. This setup also reduces hammer bounce further conserving air.
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This whole concept was so difficult for me to grasp at first because the guys that were doing this would use terms such as "plenum". I didn't know a plenum from lung butter. What I've tried to do here is explain it in terms that I would have understood then.
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Guys...
If you get impatient waiting for me you can do a search on keywords "FD-PCP" and BStaley o-ring mod". If you use google several results should include references to GTA posts. You can browse thru them and find a ton of info. Basically you are just removing the stock, end cap, hammer spring and hammer. You drop a series of O-rings down in the tube and put everything back together. For an FD-PCP the O-rings were the #113 Buna which are basically 3/4" OD O-rings. Typically it required stacking 4 O-rings. With the FD-PCP there was a power adjuster that you could adjust the hammer spring heavier or lighter. The trick is for the stack of O-rings to consistently cushion the hammer strike on the exhaust valve pin. The AMV does not appear the have the power adjuster so adjustments to the spring will need to be done buy shortening or lengthening it. Further fine tuning can be made by the overall thickness of your O-ring stack. Some of us used sand paper to thin one O-ring. I used a thinner O-ring from my kit. Some even used thin washers between O-Rings. The O-rings fitting snug in the tube is all that keeps them in place. This setup also reduces hammer bounce further conserving air.
Great description of that! It helps us non air gun tech's! I had seen the mod but had no idea what they were talking about or the "how".
By the way I just got back from your state this afternoon. Up on Friday back today.
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I always figured in the airgun forums that plenum was the capacity of the valve but I could be wrong.
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That's exactly what it is Wayne. But you just made a HUGE point and may not even know it. You said "but I could be wrong". A pressurized HPA tube is a virtual pipe bomb. We can't afford to be WRONG.
We are so fortunate to have guys around here like RSterne, Stalwart, RMM and the likes. They live and breathe this stuff and they do all the research on what is safe to do and what is not. The problem is that the terminology to them is as familiar as walnuts and toothbrushes to us. The library does have a list of acronyms but a new comer may not know that.
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I'm a visual kinda guy, I'll have to do the Google searches because I have no idea how to even start to disassemble these things! And, like you so eloquently point out, we don't want to do it wrong when dealing with a virtual pipe bomb! Yikes! :o
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And it happens Paul...
As stupid as I feel I'm going to share what I did just the other day to make the point that we are all subjected to error...
I have been messing with HPA for a couple years. Granted, I'm nowhere near the level of the afore mentioned guys but, I can find my way around. However, the AMV was the first gun I've had that uses a fill probe. All my other guns have a cap that removes to expose a male foster fitting. So, on my first attempt to fill the gun I began unscrewing the cap thinking it would expose something to insert this weird looking fill probe into. What stooped me was that fact that it didn't get any looser as I unscrewed it and I decided to do a search on google. I don't know how many threads I had left before disaster but I do know I got lucky.
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Had an informative phone conversation with Mike at Mrodair a few minutes ago...
As far as stock sets for the CP-1M.... They are arriving right around the 15th and the set will be sold and shipped for + or - $25. Yes, I said sets... grips and stock as a set. They will be black in color. The carbine set including stock and grips plus mags as shown on the website are colored as shown.
New compressors are coming with the same shipment.... watch for these at sub $500 price points.
Big deals are coming at the higher end level of guns from SPA.
OH and Varmint/Plinkster folks? Look for even lower pricing soon.
And for everyone else.... Mike is aware of their communication issues and assures me they are working on a new process. There are some "behind the scene" things that make this hurdle difficult. And the new stock vs. old stock thing.... the only changes have been the pressure gauge size and a little darker color for the stocks on the .22. Mike also has right hand and left hand breeches. You can contact him for special requests. Nice guy to talk to. Seems very serious about what he is doing. Says he is shipping out an average of a dozen pistols and rifles daily. And he has several pallets in stock. LOL.... he almost invited a price war.
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All very interesting news, Bill...
I hope it all works out nicely for everybody.
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Me too Chickie BOOM !! Me too.
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Any news on Barrel bands for those of us with droopy barrels???? 8)
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Any news on Barrel bands for those of us with droopy barrels???? 8)
yes that ^^^^ i need 2 now, 1 for .22 and another for .177... :o
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Get ahold of Mike Mellick at Flying Dragon and grab a couple from the XS-60C.
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I'd really like to see Mike get booming in his business, I personally think he's had some great deals for sure. It will be interesting to keep and eye on his website and see what else new is on the horizon ;)
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well folks, i shot my new .177 varmint a few minutes ago...and its much louder than my .22 varmint, very close to what the .22 disco was. this will need an LDC without a doubt
for the grandkids. it also needs the band as it has noticeable droop.
will scope it and do string performance results friday.
its nice and the mags seem easier to load than the .22
other than the finish on the stock, its no different than my .22
did anyone get an LDC cost & availability from rocker1 yet ?
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well folks, i shot my new .177 varmint a few minutes ago...and its much louder than my .22 varmint, very close to what the .22 disco was. this will need an LDC without a doubt
for the grandkids. it also needs the band as it has noticeable droop.
will scope it and do string performance results friday.
its nice and the mags seem easier to load than the .22
other than the finish on the stock, its no different than my .22
did anyone get an LDC cost & availability from rocker1 yet ?
The LDCs and/or adaptors are David's usual low price, and as far as I know, he still has plenty left over after selling two to me..
I'ma work out a new 1/2 UNF adaptor for my CP-1M when it gets here, too. David has been very easy to work with on new parts, I like that..
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Gonna have to keep a real close eye on my AMV... Betty Lou knocked a dragonfly off a stick at 50 yds yesterday.... I've seen that grin before.
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Gonna have to keep a real close eye on my AMV... Betty Lou knocked a dragonfly off a stick at 50 yds yesterday.... I've seen that grin before.
:D good luck!
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Gonna have to keep a real close eye on my AMV... Betty Lou knocked a dragonfly off a stick at 50 yds yesterday.... I've seen that grin before.
:D good luck!
That's some fine shootin', yes indeedy!
:-) Chickie
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Oh Trust and Believe... That girl can shoot !!
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Oh Trust and Believe... That girl can shoot !!
The funny thing is, if a girl wants to shoot, the chances are, she'll be a shooter...
Not so true with boys, in my experience.
In my experience, a girl will listen closely and follow directions, and will start stacking pellets quickly...
Sometimes with boys, they'll think that they ALREADY know what they are doing, even if it is their first experience, and they will NOT listen the first time, and they will NOT stack pellets, but they WILL begin to get surly about it, ha ha!
Seems boys think cuz they saw a cowboy on TV shootin' a certain way, and since they are now holding a gun, they too must be cowboys, and cowboys don't take shootin' advice from wimmin-folk, ha ha..
The girls in my family shoot better much faster than the boys, but tend to lose interest when they actually NOTICE the boys are boys, ha ha!
Seems boys are boys all their lives through, regardless of noticing girls, or not, and no matter if they are carp-shooters, they still manage to maintain the egos of elite snipers, lol...
Sometimes it makes me wonder what we see in boys men, lol, I'm guessin' Mother nature musta provided us women with a heckuva set of blinders, ha ha!!! Otherwise, where would we get new people from??
Just kiddin', fellas. I have no doubt about just what it is exactly that we DO like about y'all, lol.. ;)
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Had an informative phone conversation with Mike at Mrodair a few minutes ago...
As far as stock sets for the CP-1M.... They are arriving right around the 15th and the set will be sold and shipped for + or - $25. Yes, I said sets... grips and stock as a set. They will be black in color. The carbine set including stock and grips plus mags as shown on the website are colored as shown.
New compressors are coming with the same shipment.... watch for these at sub $500 price points.
Big deals are coming at the higher end level of guns from SPA.
OH and Varmint/Plinkster folks? Look for even lower pricing soon.
And for everyone else.... Mike is aware of their communication issues and assures me they are working on a new process. There are some "behind the scene" things that make this hurdle difficult. And the new stock vs. old stock thing.... the only changes have been the pressure gauge size and a little darker color for the stocks on the .22. Mike also has right hand and left hand breeches. You can contact him for special requests. Nice guy to talk to. Seems very serious about what he is doing. Says he is shipping out an average of a dozen pistols and rifles daily. And he has several pallets in stock. LOL.... he almost invited a price war.
Thanks for this! Great to hear, keeping his prices lower as well, should help him compete against the Diana version. Sure wish he would partner with a Canadian to sell these guns up here!
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Bill,
Do you have a link to those stock and grip sets? I remember seeing pics recently but can't remember where. Couldn't find them on mrodair's site or SPA's...
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True enough Chickie, lol!
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2K1TJ, here they are on the new CP2, will be the same grips, and stock, except black version.
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I don't... they are in one of the AMV threads. I think the gun with be called the CP-2m.
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But the stock and grip set that will be sold separately will be black.
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Here is a pic in black. MRODAIR will have the new guns plus the grips/stock to change over the cp1
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Yep... sign me up.
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Yep... sign me up.
Yeah, me too. I will take one in the camo, too, as well as the black..
Gots da feelin' I'ma have lotsa these SPA guns before long, ha!
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From the grin on Betty Lou's face last night I'm pretty sure there will be at least one more in our house.
Altho, I did ask her what kind of pellet gun she wanted for her birthday tomorrow. She told me that it would be in my better interest to get a very short and narrow one..... I'm still trying to figure that out.
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2K1TJ, here they are on the new CP2, will be the same grips, and stock, except black version.
Thank you
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But the stock and grip set that will be sold separately will be black.
Thanks. Black's fine with me. I can camo it myself if I see fit.
Since you have an AMV and a cp-1m, you think the stock and pistol grip might work on the Varmint?
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Actually, instead of putting the pistol grip set on the AMV, I think I would rather pin the valve on the cp-2m and put a bottle on it. Assuming the tube is up to it. More research needed.
Sorry for daydreaming all in your thread, Bill ;D
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But the stock and grip set that will be sold separately will be black.
Thanks. Black's fine with me. I can camo it myself if I see fit.
Since you have an AMV and a cp-1m, you think the stock and pistol grip might work on the Varmint?
That's a great question I'm interested in as well! Good way to check would be to try and put the cp1 grip you have now on the Varmint, at least might be an indication if it would be compatible.
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Actually, instead of putting the pistol grip set on the AMV, I think I would rather pin the valve on the cp-2m and put a bottle on it. Assuming the tube is up to it. More research needed.
According to (rumours, not confirmed by me) a Russian site, the cp1 and the Plinkster have the same tube wall as Varmint. You need to either put a Varmint valve in or do what I did to convert the cp1 valve to bulk co2, then pin it. I stuck some more orings in between the halves of the valve and inserted it through the back end of the tube untightened. This allows the orings to be down enough to not get shredded in all the holes back there. Then you have to tighten the valve in the tube. I took out the piercing pin and cut notches in the front of the valve to do that like a qb78.
Personally I would be more interested in using the Varmint tube, would make it nice and light anyway!
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Actually, instead of putting the pistol grip set on the AMV, I think I would rather pin the valve on the cp-2m and put a bottle on it. Assuming the tube is up to it. More research needed.
Sorry for daydreaming all in your thread, Bill ;D
Dream on Brothers.... it's information shared.
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Bill, I was wondering, what does the end cap look like on your Varmint? I see it has threads, seemingly on the inside of the tube like the cp1? How do they seal the tube, is the the oring right at the front of the tube so it doesn't have to be pushed through the threads? That would make it basically the same as the cp1 and the Plinkster, not really the safest method, being the tube will be thinner there, but I am not seeing how else they'd get an oring down the tube in front of the threads without chewing the oring up. Thanks for any info you can share.
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I don't have access to the website here at work, they got it blocked. Go to the MRODAIR site and bring up the exploded view. That should give you an idea. I have not had my gun apart at all so I really don't know..... yet.
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Ok thanks will do
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I know someone dropped the exploded view in one these AMV threads but I'm not sure which one. I have it on my laptop at home if you don't find it. Remind me and I'll pop it in here.
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I know someone dropped the exploded view in one these AMV threads but I'm not sure which one. I have it on my laptop at home if you don't find it. Remind me and I'll pop it in here.
Here ya go:
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Thanks! MrodAir didn't have it. Someone should send them this!
Looks like the oring is in front of the threads which is good. They must have put fine enough threads on it that it doesn't hurt the oring. The cp1 has coarse threads. Fine threads are probably stronger hey, shows how mechanical I am ;D
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Hi Bill sorry to bother you again with more questions lol, just wondering for us Canadians that aren't allowed to have an ldc, would the cp1 muzzle weight/front sight work as a replacement for the Varmint ldc or would it be too short? Thanks
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I believe it is the same. I'll have a look in the morning. I just woke up with a spot of heart burn... I'll learn about eating fast food one of these days.
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I believe it is the same. I'll have a look in the morning. I just woke up with a spot of heart burn... I'll learn about eating fast food one of these days.
;) ::) Not , I still have not learned not to eat the food that give me reflux and heart burn. I just take an antacid and keep on eating ;D ;D
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I'm making my famous chili today.... Betty Lou's birthday weekend continues. Right up until time to clean up the mess. I have not told her about this part yet... no sense in ruining a good thing prematurely. I had to go shopping for some ingredients this morning. Antacid was on the list.
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These sound like great guns!
After reading this post, I found: about the size and weight I want(feels like a 22 rifle), a .177 is big bug accurate at 50 yards, a .22 is quieter, Rockerfied both have tolerable noise levels, and a $200 gun will cost about seven bills to get started eatin the cookies(that hopefully won't cause heartburn) including a cheap pump that I won't want to use but need to have just in case, a small tank for filling most of the time, the ldc, and probably one of the three 22Mag 3-9x32 scopes that I already have.
Still gotta clear out two or three springers to make room in the airgun closet for the Varmint, tank, and pump.
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...... and with the kid in us, when we reach the bottom, we climb back up and slide down again and again..
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...... and with the kid in us, when we reach the bottom, we climb back up and slide down again and again..
??? ::) Who said we are fast learners ;D ;D
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In my case... the slower the better.
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I believe it is the same. I'll have a look in the morning. I just woke up with a spot of heart burn... I'll learn about eating fast food one of these days.
Thanks Bill, whenever it works for you. I get that heartburn as well lol, nasty part of aging!
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Oh shoot !!! Thanks for reminding me. I didn't remove them but looking at them right now and from memory of having them both off, they are the same. I set up a makeshift work area in the spare room in the house. The heat in the outside shops is too much to bare. We've had so much rain here, the moisture and humidity is insane. This new area will also be where we locate the HPA compressor when it comes. It will also give me more comfortable "tinker time". I am a transplanted "yankie" now living in America's sauna. I grew up on Lake Erie, spent nearly 10 years in the Seattle area and about the same in Conn. If I walk to the mailbox I have to refill my radiator.
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I tolerated the heat and humidity a whole lot better 20 years ago. The other day at the beach walking back to the chairs and umbrella 94* f and 88* humidity I felt like I had just ran a marathon not walked 100 yards and the sand was unbeliveably hot on my bare feet ::) ::) :P :P
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I went down to the barn to get a folding table for the work area and I bet I lost a quart. I need to go back out and get a light fixture and cord.... I don't wanna go !!!
Besides.... the chili I made has my recliner calling really loudly.
That reminds me... I need to put the antacid back in the night stand.
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I always have antacids in the house and the last resort if all else fails heaping teaspoon of baking soda in 8oz of water drink down quick and walk around quietly for a couple minutes loud belch and back to bed all better till next time ::) ::) ;D
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Dude.... did you not see me type "chili"? Any idea what a back fire would do to the carpet?
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chili backfire !!!!...... :o
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Yeah.... Chili and baking soda... they don't make an o-ring to hold that kind of pressure.
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Hold up.... you guys are BRILLIANT !!!
I may have just solved my fill source dilemma.
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Yeah.... Chili and baking soda... they don't make an o-ring to hold that kind of pressure.
all bystanders better RUN !!!!
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Oh shoot !!! Thanks for reminding me. I didn't remove them but looking at them right now and from memory of having them both off, they are the same. I set up a makeshift work area in the spare room in the house. The heat in the outside shops is too much to bare. We've had so much rain here, the moisture and humidity is insane. This new area will also be where we locate the HPA compressor when it comes. It will also give me more comfortable "tinker time". I am a transplanted "yankie" now living in America's sauna. I grew up on Lake Erie, spent nearly 10 years in the Seattle area and about the same in Conn. If I walk to the mailbox I have to refill my radiator.
Thanks! Yeah it's around 88 degrees here which is probably cool where you guys live! That's great news they look swappable. All the best on the bday party!
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Thanks Wes. I plan on doing some trigger stuff to both guns soon. If I find that they are different I'll post right away if someone don't chime in.
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Sounds good, I highly recommend the trigger mod Stan shared, lol I'm starting to Probably sound like a broken record on that one, just so impressed with it!
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I'm convinced.
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Yeah.... Chili and baking soda... they don't make an o-ring to hold that kind of pressure.
Someone does. The stuff that NASA use to use on Space Shuttle had to take some pretty extreme pressure, cold and heat.
Bet you could find them at a salvage yard Cape Canaveral, Fla. ;D
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Sounds good, I highly recommend the trigger mod Stan shared, lol I'm starting to Probably sound like a broken record on that one, just so impressed with it!
I didn't even get that far with mine to do any kind of mods before it broke. You guys make me feel left out and sad :'( ;D
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Well the .177 Plinkster showed up today to complete the trilogy.
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Well the .177 Plinkster showed up today to complete the trilogy.
The CP-2M carbine is part of the larger, um, quadrilogy? Tetralogy?
Well, there's four per set per caliber, my friend, your work here is certainly not done, ha ha!
Aaand, the CP-2M carbine in .177 may just be the perfect gun for Betty Lou, too, ever thinka dat?
;)
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Well the .177 Plinkster showed up today to complete the trilogy.
The CP-2M carbine is part of the larger, um, quadrilogy? Tetralogy?
Well, there's four per set per caliber, my friend, your work here is certainly not done, ha ha!
Aaand, the CP-2M carbine in .177 may just be the perfect gun for Betty Lou, too, ever thinka dat?
;)
;D ::) ;)
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Nice! Will be great to hear how it shoots!
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First let me address the quadrophenia thing....
That will be covered with the shoulder stock and grip set. :P
Moving right along now....
Removed the rear sight to get the Simmons 22 mag scope mounted low. Popped the required 3 C02 carts in. You have to crank down pretty good to (pop-a-top) on the C02 because these are like the CP-1 pistol in that is has a piercing (tooth) instead of a piercing pin. Loaded up a mag with CPHP and set a high strength steel blank out to 35 yds. Within 7 shots I was in a dime. Enter Betty Lou. Another 5 shots and she was stacking them. Did anyone see me say that I cleaned the barrel? Didn't think so cuz I didn't. Betty Lou shot another 2 mags and released me to the compressor room to phase 2 on the UPS delivery.... the inline dryer. Bottom line, the Plinkster is a keeper. It has Betty Lou's stamp of approval. I'm surprised how quite the gun is. Quieter than the Varmint. We'll have to get some side by side numbers.
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Great to hear it is such a shooter! They must have good barrel making engineers at SPA, the way they shoot across the board it seems. Will be waiting for some chrony numbers!
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Great to hear it is such a shooter! They must have good barrel making engineers at SPA, the way they shoot across the board it seems. Will be waiting for some chrony numbers!
I'd be interested in knowing whether all the guns in the CP/PR/CR series' have the same barrel, but just in differing lengths? Or do the M and P series guns have a better one?
I'm in for 10 SPAs by the time I am set, at least, ha ha!
Just waiting for a certain somebody to run a sale on a certain something and maybe I'll take one in each caliber to move closer to my own double quadrephenia effect, lol. I like light, easy handling guns, ya know?
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Just wondering Bill, if you get the chance, to see if the end caps on the plinkster and varmint have the same size threads? Julie at snowpeak says she can ship me some parts and I wanted to see if I could buy a pr900w end cap and the Plinkster tube to use for the CP2. Thanks if it works sometime that'd be great.
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Bill I've been thinking that the Plinkster would be an ideal gun (if a person wanted to) for modifying in the future in case you or Betty Lou chose to modify it too, I think these SPA guns have much potential in all categories !!!
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Bill I've been thinking that the Plinkster would be an ideal gun (if a person wanted to) for modifying in the future in case you or Betty Lou chose to modify it too, I think these SPA guns have much potential in all categories !!!
I'ma really have one of each of the CP/CR/PR series guns in each caliber before too long, as the base for my new lego collection. Like Wes, I wanna switch out parts between them and make customized, idealized guns outta them. Making guns for girls has become my passion, I guess, and these legos can be made into carbines that will work especially well for women and girls alike...
These guns are turning into more of a 'direction' than a collection, for me, because they open doors long shut to us gals, we can't shoot the big stuff you guys like comfortably, but outta these parts, perfection just may arise...
We'll see!
With an additional M16 in .25, and an M30 in .177, (an' maybe another in .22), and my SPA collection will be complete.
Oh, yeah, and an LR700W, can't fergit dem pumpers! ;)
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I'll have a look at the end caps this evening. Just from memory I do believe they are the same. Think this way.... SPA is still a low end gun manufacturer. I'm sure they would take every opportunity to interchange parts as possible.
Chick... you might need to put a compressor closer to the top of your "must have" list.
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I just love living here...
On my way to the showers this morning to prepare for the day's holdings, I was stopped at the dining room table by the sight of the new Plinkster. I knew it had a full mag in it and a relatively fresh C02. What better time to make sure it's not a leaker? I snatched it up and stepped out the back door onto the deck. I have Folgers coffee containers hanging in various tree around the farm. I picked one at around fifty yards out. From the standing position off hand... POP POP POP ! Three in a row !
That's no big deal, you say, I can do that....
Really? In your boxer briefs?
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That's no big deal, you say, I can do that....
Really? In your boxer briefs?
Now there's an image I really didn't need this early I the morning! :o It'll probably stick with me all day too! LOL. :P
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Really? In your boxer briefs?
Without a pic it's only a fishing tale ;D
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I would think a disclaimer would have been even better than a picture.
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;) :P That is a visual I can live without , now I am scared for life.... That reminds me of a weekend of camping at the Harley Rendezvous upstate NY woke up with a full bladder after a long night of drinking beer and hanging with friends . When I stepped out of the tent I had forgotten that all I was wearing was a tee shirt :-[ :-[
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When I stepped out of the tent I had forgotten that all I was wearing was a tee shirt
A similar event for me in Saudi except all I was wearing was a jockstrap and combat boots :o
I would have kept the pic but it was confiscated due to the "sensitive area" I was in ::)
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;D ;D My girlfriend now wife almost died laughing because the rest of the rowdy crowd was already up and drinking coffee. Worst was the woman were all throwing wolf whistles and telling me to take it all off. :-[ :-[ At the time 18 years ago I was 195 with a 32" waist so in decent shape. To this day whenever we get together with our riding buddies one of the women who saw the whole thing will start humming the stripper song :-[ :-[
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I learned a long time ago (about the time the world wide web was invented) not to take compromising pictures.
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I learned a long time ago (about the time the world wide web was invented) not to take compromising pictures.
I thank the guy up stairs that cameras on cell phones were not the rage back then ;D ;D
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However...there was this time camping on the Columbia River. A female and I woke up as the sun was rising and participated in round 2 of the night's activities. Upon exiting the tent and on my way to the showers I was greeted by applause from various groups of campers. Confused I looked around to see that our tent was situated between them and that rising sun..... think shadowbox.
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One other tip on camping while we're at it.....
Choosing level ground is important. If impossible then ALWAYS make sure the tent entrance is on the uphill side and you go to sleep with the lower half of your person dressed. Otherwise, sometime during the night, you will begin to slide out of the tent. It amazes me of the times I refer to this as "the good ole days".
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It amazes me of the times I refer to this as "the good ole days".
Great war stories of the "good ole day".
Better to have memories like this instead of wishing you should have" let it all hang out when you were younger". Oh wait you did!!
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Lol! Those tents hey!
Thanks Bill, if you get a chance to check those end caps that's great, if not no worries.
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However...there was this time camping on the Columbia River. A female and I woke up as the sun was rising and participated in round 2 of the night's activities. Upon exiting the tent and on my way to the showers I was greeted by applause from various groups of campers. Confused I looked around to see that our tent was situated between them and that rising sun..... think shadowbox.
::) ::) Think late night serenade ::) ::) and yes no shame just great memories ;D ;D
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Oh Yeah... end caps..
I'll check that after work.
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It's moments like these that I find the emoji selection at GTA so very woefully inadequate..
Ok, then, shaking off the imagery, let's move on, shall we...
Yes, the end caps, yes, likely interchangeable, yes, low end, yes, yes, yes...
Shew. :-X
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Meanwhile, back at the forum....
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All I'll say about the big bike parties is they sure were a blast back in the days, I got my pic in "In The Wind" and my girlfriend got hers (topless) in "Iron Horse" 8)
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All I'll say about the big bike parties is they sure were a blast back in the days, I got my pic in "In The Wind" and my girlfriend got hers (topless) in "Iron Horse" 8)
;) I started hanging with the big dogs back in the early 70's and up until a few years ago thought nothing of jumping on the bike and doing 400 to 500 miles in a day. Unfortunately at 70 those days are pretty much a thing of the past. :( ;D
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I bought my Roadie in '10. It was the first day of summer shutdown at the plant. I road 2800 miles in 5 days. The first morning I left Columbus, Oh and was looking at the Ohio River before noon. That evening I was on the beach at Lake Erie where I grew up.
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I bought my Roadie in '10. It was the first day of summer shutdown at the plant. I road 2800 miles in 5 days. The first morning I left Columbus, Oh and was looking at the Ohio River before noon. That evening I was on the beach at Lake Erie where I grew up.
Wait, Bill, 1910?
Whoa, Don, 70? Woulda never thunk it, wow..
Jus' funnin' ya, I'm a fan of silver foxes, ha ha!
I never did much like riding on the back of most bikes, fun for a while, but after the fun is over, the aches begin, lol..
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I wish I had a 1910 Harley.
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;) Chickie you haven't lived until you do 600 miles riding as a female passenger on a big twin Harley. ;D ;D Ask my wife, we rode my FX Softtail from NY to Sturgis SD in 2000. We made the trip out in three days and the return trip in 4. Most of the time with a huge grin on her face ;D ;D
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;) Chickie you haven't lived until you do 600 miles riding as a female passenger on a big twin Harley. ;D ;D Ask my wife, we rode my FX Softtail from NY to Sturgis SD in 2000. We made the trip out in three days and the return trip in 4. Most of the time with a huge grin on her face ;D ;D
Oh, I catch yer drift, hun, lol, been there, done that, and then some, ha ha!! One of life's perks, for sure, lol..
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1600 cc V-twin vibrator.
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1600 cc V-twin vibrator.
My 2002 Roadie Classic is the almost stock 1450cc with Andrews gear drive cams better mid range and high end power but a definite V twin thumper ;D
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1600 cc V-twin vibrator.
My 2002 Roadie Classic is the almost stock 1450cc with Andrews gear drive cams better mid range and high end power but a definite V twin thumper ;D
Dunno what all that gibberish means, but I do like the sound of "V twin thumper", mm...
::)
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Lol! Those tents hey!
Thanks Bill, if you get a chance to check those end caps that's great, if not no worries.
Same caps...
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What was this post about again???
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He wanted to know if the end caps were the same for the CP-1 and the Plinkster.
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Thanks! So same thread pattern just the Varmint has more of them and an oring?
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The Varmint is a different monster all together. The fill probe goes into it.
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Gotta giver us a clue here...energy vs shot count (lets at within 4%). More of one equals less of the other
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Thanks Bill, I understood that, sorry for not explaining myself. What I want to know is if the threads are the same so I could use the Varmint end cap on a plinkster tube once I get my CP2. I would use the plinkster tube, which is supposed to be the same steel as the Varmint just shorter, and I'm thinking it will fit the 18" barrel of the CP2 nicely as either a bulk fill co2 rifle or as a pcp. I just figured using the Varmint end cap would make things easier.
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Anyway my apologies for distracting the thread. It'll be great to hear how fast that plinkster is shooting!
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It's not going to be a fair comparison with the plinkster and the varmint. The plinkster is C02 while the varmint is 3k hpa. After shooting the plinkster quite a bit last evening I think (at least ours) might need a bit heavier hammer spring. Seem pretty weak. That may be due to it being shot next to the varmint. I'll have more time to analyze this weekend.
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Wes, according to info I saw on MRodAir's site, the only difference in the varmint and plinkster is the cap and the valve. That hints to the tubes are the same meaning the thread should be the same. I would need to degas the varmint to physically check.
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Thanks Bill, no problem. I suspect you are right. I asked Julie if the threads are the same and she replied that the end caps are different, but I'm not sure if she understood what I was specifically asking. Anyway, the plinkster end cap is only $2US and the Varmint $3, I found out this morning, so I'll just buy both! The plinkster tube is only $6! I can imagine the Varmint tube isn't much either. Too bad they can't send barrels! Anyway it's great to know parts are so cheap.
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So far everyone that's got the Varmint that I've seen on the forum really likes the barrels on them. I'm think if someone really needed a barrel Mike could probably order one too. He said he's going to order some parts (probably already has) after this initial order along with a bunch more guns too.
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Sounds good! I wonder if he'd. ship barrels to Canada :D.
Maybe I'll have to find one of you kind souls to send me one ;)
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to get a varmit barrel from SPA it has to come over on a boat(china's laws). I got Mike, at mrodair, to have one shipped with his latest shipment. I should be receiving it with my P-15. Other than the barrel you can order spares from SPA by e-mail sales@china-airrifle.com this makes buying the SPA lines more attractive ;D
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After sorting out the inline dryers on the compressor this morning I tossed Betty Lou's Plinkster up on the bench. Pulled the scope off, then the trigger guard and the stock. One Allen screw holding the rear end cap in. Pulled that and the cap, spring and spring guide came out. well that makes things straight forward and simple. I dug around a bit and after getting stung by a flippin wasp I found a 1/8" thick collar that fit perfectly on the spring guide. Popped it in and slapped things back together. By this time Betty Lou whipped up some sausage and peppered gravy with eggs, pepper, onions and rolls to show her appreciation. An I ate it to show mine. I side stepped dish duty and headed for the bench. That's better.... a much more commanding pop out of the muzzle and no farting. I don't know if the spring in this one was weaker that others but it sure sounds and hits better now.
I'm going to go a little deeper into the Varmint. I'm going to work with the BStaley o-ring setup on it. I got amazing results from the FD-PCP as far as nice flat bell and very low ES. I don't see any reason I gat get similar results from the Varmint. Might even apply it to the Plinkster before it's all said and done. The problem is, every time I touch one of Betty Lou's guns she goes into Hawk mode and every facet of the conversation includes "Why?".
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Would you guys recommend this gun as a first PCP?
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The Varmint? You bet I would.
I know someone is going to come back with the Maximus among others but.... I have a CP-1 pistol, a C02 Plinkster, a Varmint and soon to have an LR700W pumper all in .177 and all sharing the same 9 shot mags....?
(knock, knock, knock .... Hello? Crosman? .... anyone there?)
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The Varmint? You bet I would.
I know someone is going to come back with the Maximus among others but.... I have a CP-1 pistol, a C02 Plinkster, a Varmint and soon to have an LR700W pumper all in .177 and all sharing the same 9 shot mags....?
(knock, knock, knock .... Hello? Crosman? .... anyone there?)
The Maximus looks kinda cheap to me?
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I can't seem to find any plastic on my Varmint....
Doug, jump in and grab you one. Then hide your wallet because you're gonna want some more.
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I can't seem to find any plastic on my Varmint....
Doug, jump in and grab you one. Then hide your wallet because you're gonna want some more.
Interesting. Must be something about the way it looks. I like the Varmint for the repeating capabilities.
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Be sure to get the extra 2 mags... You'll get three good mags from a fill. And best of all.... mine shoots the $6.50 a tin of 500 Crosman Hollow Points from Walmart REALLY well. But if you want a bit more SMACK !! I was killin paintballs at 35 yds with the 10.5 Crosman domes Thursday night.
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Be sure to get the extra 2 mags... You'll get three good mags from a fill. And best of all.... mine shoots the $6.50 a tin of 500 Crosman Hollow Points from Walmart REALLY well. But if you want a bit more SMACK !! I was killin paintballs at 35 yds with the 10.5 Crosman domes Thursday night.
Cool. I'm eyeing the .177 carbine that TrophyHunter has listed in the classifieds too. I got my first airgun like a few weeks ago and I'm already looking at PCP's. HELP!
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My Disco looks cheap compared to the stuff coming from SPA. Like it was just thrown out there because that's the market right now. It's no baby brother of the MRod.
Personally I think that the people in companies and corporations get demoralized after awhile when reality sets in that the company and the people(worker bees) are nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold to the highest bidder that comes along. Ya just go through the motions of the daily grind....from one paycheck to the next.
There's no more gold pocket watch to work for or Golden Parachute like the powers to be work for.
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Be sure to get the extra 2 mags... You'll get three good mags from a fill. And best of all.... mine shoots the $6.50 a tin of 500 Crosman Hollow Points from Walmart REALLY well. But if you want a bit more SMACK !! I was killin paintballs at 35 yds with the 10.5 Crosman domes Thursday night.
Cool. I'm eyeing the .177 carbine that TrophyHunter has listed in the classifieds too. I got my first airgun like a few weeks ago and I'm already looking at PCP's. HELP!
You either got to jump in with Both Feet or Run Away...it's too late to quit and there ain't no cure for your disease now....only the occasionally shot-in-the arm Fix. ;D ;D ;D Happy Landing ! - Tom
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Be sure to get the extra 2 mags... You'll get three good mags from a fill. And best of all.... mine shoots the $6.50 a tin of 500 Crosman Hollow Points from Walmart REALLY well. But if you want a bit more SMACK !! I was killin paintballs at 35 yds with the 10.5 Crosman domes Thursday night.
Cool. I'm eyeing the .177 carbine that TrophyHunter has listed in the classifieds too. I got my first airgun like a few weeks ago and I'm already looking at PCP's. HELP!
Nice looking "single shot" lego gun there.... just about the same price as the Varmint and 3 mags..... delivered.
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Be sure to get the extra 2 mags... You'll get three good mags from a fill. And best of all.... mine shoots the $6.50 a tin of 500 Crosman Hollow Points from Walmart REALLY well. But if you want a bit more SMACK !! I was killin paintballs at 35 yds with the 10.5 Crosman domes Thursday night.
Cool. I'm eyeing the .177 carbine that TrophyHunter has listed in the classifieds too. I got my first airgun like a few weeks ago and I'm already looking at PCP's. HELP!
Nice looking "single shot" lego gun there.... just about the same price as the Varmint and 3 mags..... delivered.
Looks nice for sure. I think I'm really partial to a repeater though. Most of my shooting is smacking sparrows and getting doubles and triples is not a rare occurrence.
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Well then.... there you have it.... bounce on over to MRodAir, push "play" and you'll have one on about a week.... oh BTW.... don't expect tracking... just wait for the Big Brown truck to show up... .... NEXT !!!
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Well then.... there you have it.... bounce on over to MRodAir, push "play" and you'll have one on about a week.... oh BTW.... don't expect tracking... just wait for the Big Brown truck to show up... .... NEXT !!!
But that freaking wire stock carbine! It would be so light for rabbit stalking on the farm! I'm flip flopping so bad right now!
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Well then.... there you have it.... bounce on over to MRodAir, push "play" and you'll have one on about a week.... oh BTW.... don't expect tracking... just wait for the Big Brown truck to show up... .... NEXT !!!
But that freaking wire stock carbine! It would be so light for rabbit stalking on the farm! I'm flip flopping so bad right now!
I have had both Varmints and quite a few Lego carbines. I sold ALL my Lego guns to buy SPAs, instead..
These are super-light, almost perfect really. I loved my Legos, but they were TOO light for offhand shooting, you know, like the kind you do while rabbit hunting? Yeah, the Varmint was built to hunt, the Lego guns CAN hunt, but they shine in the yard, not the field...
Next! ;)
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Well then.... there you have it.... bounce on over to MRodAir, push "play" and you'll have one on about a week.... oh BTW.... don't expect tracking... just wait for the Big Brown truck to show up... .... NEXT !!!
But that freaking wire stock carbine! It would be so light for rabbit stalking on the farm! I'm flip flopping so bad right now!
I have had both Varmints and quite a few Lego carbines. I sold ALL my Lego guns to buy SPAs, instead..
These are super-light, almost perfect really. I loved my Legos, but they were TOO light for offhand shooting, you know, like the kind you do while rabbit hunting? Yeah, the Varmint was built to hunt, the Lego guns CAN hunt, but they shine in the yard, not the field...
Next! ;)
Interesting. Thank you for the advice!
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Dude.... that was from a girl even... what more ya want? Divine intervention?
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Dude.... that was from a girl even... what more ya want? Divine intervention?
Haha, lol. How much does the Varmint weigh? On my rabbit hunts I tend to hike 5-10 miles.
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I think mine scoped with the UTG and a sling is 7 pounds or less.
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I think mine scoped with the UTG and a sling is 7 pounds or less.
Dang, that is not bad!
Be sure to get the extra 2 mags... You'll get three good mags from a fill. And best of all.... mine shoots the $6.50 a tin of 500 Crosman Hollow Points from Walmart REALLY well. But if you want a bit more SMACK !! I was killin paintballs at 35 yds with the 10.5 Crosman domes Thursday night.
Cool. I'm eyeing the .177 carbine that TrophyHunter has listed in the classifieds too. I got my first airgun like a few weeks ago and I'm already looking at PCP's. HELP!
You either got to jump in with Both Feet or Run Away...it's too late to quit and there ain't no cure for your disease now....only the occasionally shot-in-the arm Fix. ;D ;D ;D Happy Landing ! - Tom
&^^&. Ugh, I'm going to be addicted aren't I?
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YUUUPPP !!!
We have a patch of bamboo cane pole here and the boys from down the road just showed up to cut some for river fishing tonight. I stepped out on the deck to authorize the harvest. Betty Lou's Plinkster happened to be laying there. I picked it up and popped a folgers coffee can hanging from a tree at 55 yds out. Standing off hand. Lovin these guns.
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Leaving mine just the way it is; am pleased with it.
Convert one to HPA bottle, wire stock, or whatever...might make it unique...but not really "better".
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I hear ya Ribbs. I wouldn't have tinkered the Plinkster but it just seemed a bit low on power through the cart on Thursday evening. To it's credit, she was shooting it next to the Varmint slinging the 10.5s. She was shooting 7.9 HPs. Sure is a noticeable difference in 3k hpa vs. C02. That factory muzzle can does a good job with the Plinkster.
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What's covers more .177 bases than one fast (+20 foot pounds) and one slow (about 8.5 foot pounds)?
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/52ebfad4-b2f0-4c54-819d-5b78a19f3a9d.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/52ebfad4-b2f0-4c54-819d-5b78a19f3a9d.jpg.html)
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What's covers more .177 bases than one fast (+20 foot pounds) and one slow (about 8.5 foot pounds)?
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/52ebfad4-b2f0-4c54-819d-5b78a19f3a9d.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/52ebfad4-b2f0-4c54-819d-5b78a19f3a9d.jpg.html)
Hmm, well, how about one .177 Varmint regged to 8 fpe, and one highly tunable .177 M30?
These lil' buggers are so very well-thought out, every SPA I get makes me think about who it was that designed it. They are very versatile guns, all of them. I am rarely so psyched up about a new product line in the sporting goods category, but I am blown away by the forethought in these designs. It is as if SPA was actually listening to what it is that airgunners want in a PCP or co2 gun, and then designed them from the ground up.
I don't do much .177 pre-charge stuff, but I will with my SPA .177s, for sure!
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And so you should.. my little SPA Varmint in .177 is a little jackhammer.
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Ok...or for higher power fans, a .177 at 20 foot pounds and a (much larger) .22 at 50 foot pounds?
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/M10/3d9c9dce-4c39-413f-8e98-b9fe6a5c1013.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/M10/3d9c9dce-4c39-413f-8e98-b9fe6a5c1013.jpg.html)
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It's not easy to buy just one, is it? ;)
I won't be satisfied until I have all 3 the co2 guns as well as the Varmints in both calibers, and a .25 Dominator, and a .177 M30. Oh, yeah, and a .22 LR700W...
From there, I oughta be set for a spell, I reckon, lol..
:-) chickie
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Has anyone done a side by side comparison of a Plinkster vs Varmint Valve? I'm curious if there is much or any difference ??? I'm very tempted to get a plinkster but I need one like I need a hole in the head, I'm thinking it would make a nice option to have one for even doing some tinkering and experimenting with.
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It's not easy to buy just one, is it? ;)
I won't be satisfied until I have all 3 the co2 guns as well as the Varmints in both calibers, and a .25 Dominator, and a .177 M30. Oh, yeah, and a .22 LR700W...
From there, I oughta be set for a spell, I reckon, lol..
:-) chickie
The Famous Last Words..from a woman born to SHOP ! ( SPA Air Guns ) ;)
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Has anyone done a side by side comparison of a Plinkster vs Varmint Valve? I'm curious if there is much or any difference ??? I'm very tempted to get a plinkster but I need one like I need a hole in the head, I'm thinking it would make a nice option to have one for even doing some tinkering and experimenting with.
Wayne:
If you are Dreaming about the plinkster..and you have the $ then go ahead and..... Do It ::) ;) ;D Sweet Dreams - Tom
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It's not easy to buy just one, is it? ;)
I won't be satisfied until I have all 3 the co2 guns as well as the Varmints in both calibers, and a .25 Dominator, and a .177 M30. Oh, yeah, and a .22 LR700W...
From there, I oughta be set for a spell, I reckon, lol..
:-) chickie
The Famous Last Words..from a woman born to SHOP ! ( SPA Air Guns ) ;)
For a few seconds, Tom, I was like, "O-M-G, how did he find a picture of me?"!!
But nooo, that's pretty close, I do love my hair up like that while I hunt, its pretty, but practical, too..
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It's not easy to buy just one, is it? ;)
I won't be satisfied until I have all 3 the co2 guns as well as the Varmints in both calibers, and a .25 Dominator, and a .177 M30. Oh, yeah, and a .22 LR700W...
From there, I oughta be set for a spell, I reckon, lol..
:-) chickie
For a few seconds, Tom, I was like, "O-M-G, how did he find a picture of me?"!!
But nooo, that's pretty close, I do love my hair up like that while I hunt, its pretty, but practical, too..
The Famous Last Words..from a woman born to SHOP ! ( SPA Air Guns ) ;)
8)
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Dang near looks like a Varmint she's sporting too.
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Those look like 45-70's in her ammo belt ???
(https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=129471.0;attach=195859;image)
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Definitely not a Varmint..... lol
The bra looks a bit over kill though.
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Definitely not a Varmint..... lol
The bra looks a bit over kill though.
LMBO
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Definitely not a Varmint..... lol
The bra looks a bit over kill though.
Looks to me like.... She's Out Hunting Big Game. ::)
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Say...You Folks are killing me with all these Nice SPA guns your getting. If this keeps up like it has, I'm likely to go off the Deep End and Who knows what could happen then ! ::)
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I have been following this thread and enjoy it, figured I would jump in.
I too am very impressed with the SPA Guns. I have two M-10, now converted to M-11 repeaters with the helpful advice of Julie at SPA. Fantastic guns. Added a second smaller hammer spring inside the main hammer spring, using the large transfer port and getting 66 FPE. Sub 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards with swaged .33 grain slugs. I couldn't help my self and had to get the Varmint, shot it all day today. After leading up the barrel the groups tightened up well. All I can say is it's a good thing that these weren't around when I was a kid, or there wouldn't be much wildlife around today and Beeman would not have sold many R1's. To top off the day, we set out a case of eggs from 30 to 75 yards and went at it. They didn't last long. The group of guys I shoot with all have several M-10 and are now ordering up their Varmints. One of my buddies, Dale took the .25 barrel of an M-10 and put it in his 303 Daystate Wolverine. He's impressed the accuracy he is now getting, and quite the thumper. We laugh at ourselves for loving these Chinese guns after spending tons of money on our high dollar guns. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.
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HI Craig, where did you get the M10?
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LOL Craig.... How's it feel to be "out of the closet"?
Nothing to be ashamed of. I'm glad I never could afford to go the "high dollar" route that many have taken. I can see how these little jewels could bring negative feelings from some guys that have invested a small fortune.
Good for you and the guys.
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Craig I'm happy to see the out of the closet post you made ;) All of my SPA guns are extremely accurate, they're all .22's and presently I'd love to see SPA start building a big bore myself. They're now building guns with titanium tubes on them as well which is another big plus in my opinion because that really opens the doors on the SUPER LEGO GUN !!!!!!
My guess is that SPA has made their mark in this forum for sure and I expect to see many people buying them when/if they start REALLY reading about them. I'm getting very excited about what my Dominator which will be here in the near future will do.
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Yeppers, dem SPAs get the job done very nicely for a fraction of the price of Euro-guns, for sure.
Yep, I still love my HW110, but had I bought my SPA guns first, I may have never bought my black beauty..
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Any drawback to the Varmints/Stormriders only having one Barrel Band? Are the barrels rigid enough to not get tweaked as a knockabout Hunting gun?
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Any drawback to the Varmints/Stormriders only having one Barrel Band? Are the barrels rigid enough to not get tweaked as a knockabout Hunting gun?
See Aviator for the Fix. :D
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From my days of tinkering with the FD-PCP from Flying Dragon I had a barrel band left over in one of my many parts boxes. I was worried about the same issue because I knew I was taking this gun to the woods and stuff happens in the wood. But then again, I didn't want to make the barrel solid to the air tube. I just wanted to keep it from being bent into the shape of a W or an S. The Varmint is a 3k psi gun much like the MRod. If you'll notice, the MRod is not banded solid to the tube. The FD-PCP barrel band worked perfect. It fit like it grew on the air tube but lets the barrel float with 1/16" clearance. As well as these guns seem to be made makes one think that the barrel was left floating for a reason. However.... another member added an LDC to his gun and it drastically affected accuracy. I suggested he add a barrel band and it reportedly corrected the issue. You'll have to check with him as to whether or not he "pinned" the barrel to the air tube.
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Any drawback to the Varmints/Stormriders only having one Barrel Band? Are the barrels rigid enough to not get tweaked as a knockabout Hunting gun?
I've had no problems with either of mine, and they've been out hunting with teenage boys, lol, so yeah, they seem plenty rugged. A second barrel band is an option, but I'm in the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' mindset with these super inexpensive shooters at the moment.
I have a ton of mods planned, but for now, I am interested in shooting them until they fail, then think about new seals and upgraded parts..
:-) chickie
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I believe I am who Avator was referring to in his post. My accuracy problem was with my .22 Maximus, not my Varmint. I did tighten the set screws after moving the barrel band forward to just behind the air tube cap and it did fix the problem. From what others had told me, it had to do with harmonics from adding the LDC.
Now my Varmint does have a noticeable barrel droop. More space between the barrel and the air tube at the breech than at the end of the air tube. I asked Mike about getting a second barrel band to place just behind the air tube cap on that rifle to straighten up the barrel. But, that would probably be more for cosmetics than function because it is accurate as is. And, adding the LDC to the Varmint did not affect accuracy at all.
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That's it.... That's why I didn't post a name... I'm getting old and I'm grateful that memory is the only thing going to h3ll so far. Anyhow.. I did put the free floating barrel band on my AMV for the reasons stated. I don't think I'll put one on the Plinkster because it probably will not be going to the woods.
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Haven't done a dimentional study, but have had them both a apart at the same time.
Co2 valve:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5691/31112493595_445342a3f9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PpiEpn)DSCN1745[1] (https://flic.kr/p/PpiEpn) by Robert Dean (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144930793@N07/), on Flickr
Co2 uses a fixed pin and a seal.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/30969964442_7fb85d606e_m.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PbHasb)DSCN1746 (https://flic.kr/p/PbHasb) by Robert Dean (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144930793@N07/), on Flickr
PCP valve:
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/3acc7354-da1c-4eb1-9e68-2a5b638591a5.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/3acc7354-da1c-4eb1-9e68-2a5b638591a5.jpg.html)
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/0de7d86e-3e6f-4371-8442-7b590afde11f.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/0de7d86e-3e6f-4371-8442-7b590afde11f.jpg.html)
Can tell they were made pretty much the same, the valve stem/retrun spring will swap. The valve stem seal is a seprate part that can be removed from the valve stem. The two halves of each will interchange. The PCP valve doesn't have the 12gr. piercing nipple/seal. The screw holes/transfer port all line up the same.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/8a3556fb-e281-4a51-80e8-f3f210e98ced.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/8a3556fb-e281-4a51-80e8-f3f210e98ced.jpg.html)
Gauge uses a gauge block, o-ringed on both sides of the hole in the air tube to allow the gauge stem to pass though. Air passage in gage block is rather small and off center (the gauge extends pretty deeply into the block, up agains a delrin seal, so the air passage is off center).
PROBLEM:
The only way to get past a problem is to admit one exists and find a way to fix it. These rifles do have a problem or two; o-ring material is one of them.
******YEah....going to "harp" on that one more time. It's not so good and easy fix on their end. Gotta buy o-rings any way, and the right material doesn't have to cost one bit more. BUT it seems endemic to SPA...they used the same material o-rings on the M-10, Plinkseter,CP1, and MkI/MkII PCP as well.*****
The o-ring work and seal, but they really are the wrong material (brown color is a clue). They swell and pretty much stay swollen even after days of sitting open and unpressurized.
The factory one on the far right was never in the rifle...the ones on left were used under pressure.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/0d1a30e3-55c0-4a95-a965-1ceb9ba6f290.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/0d1a30e3-55c0-4a95-a965-1ceb9ba6f290.jpg.html)
So taking the valve and gauge block our of the PCP can be a real chore.
The gauge block and valve are removed back to front (there is a "dent" in the tube to keep you from trying front to back).
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/a64f45fc-ce30-4bf4-86f5-689eb2f7cd7d.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/a64f45fc-ce30-4bf4-86f5-689eb2f7cd7d.jpg.html)
Maybe other ways, but I just gave the tube a good dose of white litium spray grease (knowing I'd have to clean all that greasy "stuff" off after it was apart), a 5/8" wooden dowl, and a rubber hammer. Drill the center of the 5/8" with a 1/4" hole (acturally, only have to be 1/4" deep as the valve stem doesn't poke out the valve very far) so that the valve stem will fit into the hole in the dowel.
Likely will size an dice the swollen o-rings on the gauge block and valve. Not a real issue, as once you get those parts out, you'll replace the swelling o-rings with ones that won't swell.
I really hate giving sizes...and if someonw knows for sure, please correct me. In my case, I used Nitrile SAE A 113 in place of the metric ones orginally used. Aren't a perfect match, but it's been holding air and not leaking for months.
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That's it.... That's why I didn't post a name... I'm getting old and I'm grateful that memory is the only thing going to h3ll so far. Anyhow.. I did put the free floating barrel band on my AMV for the reasons stated. I don't think I'll put one on the Plinkster because it probably will not be going to the woods.
Bill your not alone in this....Everybody feels the memory pinch. :-\
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Thanks for sharing Ribbonstone! Great pictures! You didn't happen to compare end caps did you? I was wondering if the threads are the same. I can see varmint has more threads and oring but wondering whether the threads match the plinkster tube?
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Haven't done a dimentional study, but have had them both a apart at the same time.
Co2 valve:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5691/31112493595_445342a3f9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PpiEpn)DSCN1745[1] (https://flic.kr/p/PpiEpn) by Robert Dean (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144930793@N07/), on Flickr
Co2 uses a fixed pin and a seal.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/30969964442_7fb85d606e_m.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PbHasb)DSCN1746 (https://flic.kr/p/PbHasb) by Robert Dean (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144930793@N07/), on Flickr
PCP valve:
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/3acc7354-da1c-4eb1-9e68-2a5b638591a5.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/3acc7354-da1c-4eb1-9e68-2a5b638591a5.jpg.html)
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/0de7d86e-3e6f-4371-8442-7b590afde11f.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/0de7d86e-3e6f-4371-8442-7b590afde11f.jpg.html)
Can tell they were made pretty much the same, the valve stem/retrun spring will swap. The valve stem seal is a seprate part that can be removed from the valve stem. The two halves of each will interchange. The PCP valve doesn't have the 12gr. piercing nipple/seal. The screw holes/transfer port all line up the same.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/8a3556fb-e281-4a51-80e8-f3f210e98ced.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/8a3556fb-e281-4a51-80e8-f3f210e98ced.jpg.html)
Gauge uses a gauge block, o-ringed on both sides of the hole in the air tube to allow the gauge stem to pass though. Air passage in gage block is rather small and off center (the gauge extends pretty deeply into the block, up agains a delrin seal, so the air passage is off center).
PROBLEM:
The only way to get past a problem is to admit one exists and find a way to fix it. These rifles do have a problem or two; o-ring material is one of them.
******YEah....going to "harp" on that one more time. It's not so good and easy fix on their end. Gotta buy o-rings any way, and the right material doesn't have to cost one bit more. BUT it seems endemic to SPA...they used the same material o-rings on the M-10, Plinkseter,CP1, and MkI/MkII PCP as well.*****
The o-ring work and seal, but they really are the wrong material (brown color is a clue). They swell and pretty much stay swollen even after days of sitting open and unpressurized.
The factory one on the far right was never in the rifle...the ones on left were used under pressure.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/0d1a30e3-55c0-4a95-a965-1ceb9ba6f290.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/0d1a30e3-55c0-4a95-a965-1ceb9ba6f290.jpg.html)
So taking the valve and gauge block our of the PCP can be a real chore.
The gauge block and valve are removed back to front (there is a "dent" in the tube to keep you from trying front to back).
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/a64f45fc-ce30-4bf4-86f5-689eb2f7cd7d.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/a64f45fc-ce30-4bf4-86f5-689eb2f7cd7d.jpg.html)
Maybe other ways, but I just gave the tube a good dose of white litium spray grease (knowing I'd have to clean all that greasy "stuff" off after it was apart), a 5/8" wooden dowl, and a rubber hammer. Drill the center of the 5/8" with a 1/4" hole (acturally, only have to be 1/4" deep as the valve stem doesn't poke out the valve very far) so that the valve stem will fit into the hole in the dowel.
Likely will size an dice the swollen o-rings on the gauge block and valve. Not a real issue, as once you get those parts out, you'll replace the swelling o-rings with ones that won't swell.
I really hate giving sizes...and if someonw knows for sure, please correct me. In my case, I used Nitrile SAE A 113 in place of the metric ones orginally used. Aren't a perfect match, but it's been holding air and not leaking for months.
Ribbs;
Thank you so much !!! This post will definitely get bookmarked in my AMV folder.
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HI Craig, where did you get the M10?
Our first M-10s came from Mrodair. The others came from people selling them on the classifieds, and not knowing what they had. With the large transfer port, they will shotgun the lighter weight pellets that most probably shot through them. With heavy slugs, 30 to 35 grain, they are quite impressive! I'm shooting a .33 grain swagged slug in nice tight groups around 950fps. OOTC
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M10. The transfer port is a separate brass fitting to the rear of the barrel (also carried the internal bolt probe o-ring). The standard port is like 5mm. Mine came with a spare (smaller 4mm) transfer port. Even 4mm that was too large unless you were slinging +30gr. pellets.
Used the orginal 5mm mm transfer, rotated the port 90degrees, drilled it for a 2.5mm port, drilled a "dimple" for the set screw on top, and plugged the orginal 5mmm port.
Later one, reditlled that new port from 2.5mm to 3mm.
So basically, without any other changes, got readings for 4 port sizes (5mm/4mm/3mm/2.5m).
5mm would manage about 47-53 foot pounds (but the heavier the pellet, the higher the energy, can with really heavy slugs increasing the foot pounds).
4mm would manage 44-51 foot pounds
3mm would manage 35-44 foot pounds
2.5mm would manage 24-27 foot pounds..which is a pretty good area for cheap 14.3gr. to live (would be going about 880-905fps).
So I just decided to adjust it with the 4mm port in place. Tried it with cast slugs (sized appropriately) and got good results...but not enough better than 25.4gr. JSB's to make casting/sizing slugs worth it for me). Did manage to get a really heavy slug to make it to +60 foot pounds.
Now I do NOT HAVE a lot of use for a +50 foot pound .22, just aren't that many opportunities to shoot big critters far away in my area. But I do have occasional uses for those traits, so I've found a place for it...even though it gets used a whole lot less often than lower powered PCP's.
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Yesterday I picked up my Varmint after not shooting it for a couple days and "click" no air pressure. I knew I left it low but I've never shot it til empty. I filled it and checked this morning. Maybe lost 1k of pressure in 24 hours. So off to the bench it went. I've never had the gun torn down so I wasn't too disappointed. Gives me a chance to see what makes it "bang".
I completely expected to see a bunch of swelled and distorted O-rings like I've seen posted by some members. I guess the swelled and distorted O-rings are only typical with the c02 guns. Mine looked pristine other than the one on the front end of the valve. It just looked fatter. There was not a fatter one in the spares that came with the gun so I think maybe a wrong o-ring was used from the factory. Or it could be swelled. If so, that's a perfect swell. None of them were chipped or nicked.
I cleaned every thing up and put a dab of moly here and oil there. I replaced the "swelled" o-ring with one from the spares and put the gun back together. I chose not to do any mods at this time. I don't really have any complaints on the gun.
I connected to the tank and pushed "play". Cranked it up to 3k and listened for leaks..... nothing. I'll check it in a bit to see if it's gonna hold. I suspect either that fatty o-ring or the gauge needed tightened.
BTW... the gauge don't need to be "torqued". It has a seal. It does need to be removed before the stock can come off. I think this is a .177 thing. I was able to do that with needle nose pliers.
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Bill I almost wonder if the .177's were older stock because there is one guy on the forum who ordered his in .177 and got the same guage and stock from Mrodair that are on my .22 ???
I picked me up a UTG 3-12X40mm EZ Tap at the airgun show today, got it mounted on my Varmint, dialed in great@20yds for $40, it even came with a good battery and 11mm rings. Now I'm ready for long range with it. I also picked me up a vintage box of 500 Sheridan pellets in the yellow plastic contain just like the ones I bought for my Bluestreak in 77.
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I have no idea Wayne. I don't have a .22 to compare to. It is the same shade of wood as the .177 Plinkster we have.
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When I ordered mine I also ordered the .177 for my brother too, his stock IMO looks nicer than mine, it's got a darker stain on it.
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I was told by Mike that the 177 had gauges that need thin wall socket and the 22 does not. Maybe they are all the same now. My Varminter leaks as but I could not even sneak needle nose in mine.
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From the .22 Varmints I saw pics of, the gauges say "Artemis" on them. My .177 does not. Also, that is strange Wayne.. I thought the .22 had the darker wood?. Hmmmm.... wonder which one is that "Fine German Beech"?
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Yep mine says Artemis on it.
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I guess that means that it's just a "luck of the draw" thing. Maybe a transition into a new lot of parts. I know we try to FIFO (first in first out) at our plant but it don't always happen unless the is an EO change.
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mine dont say anything but an MPa scale. it also appears that the gauge does not need to be removed to remove the stock......interesting ???
i will know more when the time comes.
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Well.. I still got the slow leak and I don't have the right O-rings of the type Ribbs suggested:
Quote:
I really hate giving sizes...and if someonw knows for sure, please correct me. In my case, I used Nitrile SAE A 113 in place of the metric ones orginally used. Aren't a perfect match, but it's been holding air and not leaking for months.
So I placed an order for a 100 pack at $10 shipped.
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I took the stock off my AMV today just for giggles. It has the Artemis gauge, and it doesn't have to be removed to remove the stock. Also, I thought I read the triggers were adjustable on these. Anyone figure out how to adjust them?
Any other easy Mods for these?
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I just ordered a Varmint in 22 yesterday. Hope I don't get a leaker!
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the O-rings will need changed... sooner or later.
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I took the stock off my AMV today just for giggles. It has the Artemis gauge, and it doesn't have to be removed to remove the stock. Also, I thought I read the triggers were adjustable on these. Anyone figure out how to adjust them?
Any other easy Mods for these?
Pretty sure the Varmint has the same set up as the cp1. Once the trigger guard is removed you can take the pins out and get at the trigger and sear. You can turn that little grub screw up so it is just proud of the top of the trigger where it engages the sear. Then find something to use as a sleeve over the pin that holds the trigger from going forward. This will get rid of the creep. Some use a rivet modded to work. Then take a spring out of a cigarette lighter and cut it to same length as the stock sear spring. Switch out the stock spring, makes lighter pull. You can use a valve stem spring as well. Makes a nice light two stage trigger! I'd also be careful about taking the trigger guard screw out with the tube pressurized as it is part of the valve retaining.
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Wes I'll eventually be doing the rivet trick on mine, I'm not really concerned about the pull factor because the pull force of mine is no real big deal on mine, if I was going to be going to shooting matches with it I might but for hunting it's really been putting a smile on my face. I will definitely be curing the creep on it though.
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I just ordered a Varmint in 22 yesterday. Hope I don't get a leaker!
Mine is still going strong but eventually it will probably leak unless I replace the orings soon, I've got over 500 rounds through mine so far and haven't done anything to it except one time I did take the stock off just to have a look see.
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Wes I'll eventually be doing the rivet trick on mine, I'm not really concerned about the pull factor because the pull force of mine is no real big deal on mine, if I was going to be going to shooting matches with it I might but for hunting it's really been putting a smile on my face. I will definitely be curing the creep on it though.
You're right, the pull isn't that bad. The two stage trigger mod is well worth it though!
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I think it'd be good to mention again that there isn't a lot you should do on this gun while pressurized. If you take the breech off and the transfer port out, you lose all the retaining on the top of the valve. If you take the trigger guard off you lose one of the screws holding the bottom in place. There is another down there but pretty small and at 2900 psi it could blast it off pretty easy I think. Definitely wouldn't recommend taking the transfer port and trigger guard off at same time, almost guaranteeing an explosion, or at least a bang of the valve pushing the hammer back. Hopefully that would be all unless the back cap had been removed as well!
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I forgot, someone mentioned there is also a stop behind the valve too prevent the valve being removed out the back, so that is one more safety factor in place. Might be all right to remove the trigger guard with that there, though I would still be nervous about it on a full fill!
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You're right Wes, it would be unsafe with any kind of significant pressure in the gun, when I did take my stock off for inspection it was down to a safe pressure and it wasn't a big concern for me because it was well under 1K pressure which I don't consider really too awful bad just removing the stock, next time she comes apart I'll be doing more than just inspection and I'll exhaust all pressure.
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You're right Wes, it would be unsafe with any kind of significant pressure in the gun, when I did take my stock off for inspection it was down to a safe pressure and it wasn't a big concern for me because it was well under 1K pressure which I don't consider really too awful bad just removing the stock, next time she comes apart I'll be doing more than just inspection and I'll exhaust all pressure.
Sounds good, I agree shouldn't be a problem taking the stock off at that pressure as long as the breech was still attached.
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That is real info that anyone who gets one of these should know...If there is a spa bible/tech reference put together ever... that should be chapter one paragraph one...
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I degas all PCP guns before I get into them. The few accidents that have been reported was enough for me. I don't think any of them would have happened without human error. I know my "lego" HPA guns are pinned with 3 screws that remain intact throughout the tear down... I still degas.
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How does the rear sight come off?
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it is held on with the elevation adjustment screw. there is a spring that will fall out. then tap it off the dovetail
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I degas all PCP guns before I get into them. The few accidents that have been reported was enough for me. I don't think any of them would have happened without human error. I know my "lego" HPA guns are pinned with 3 screws that remain intact throughout the tear down... I still degas.
Ok so in your honor we will call it the Bill's famous chili warning...
and should read be titled "WHEN IN DOUBT DEGAS"... then the first paragraph describes exactly how the valve is heldi n place...
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it is held on with the elevation adjustment screw. there is a spring that will fall out. then tap it off the dovetail
Thanks! I had the elevation screw out and pushed it a bit, but sounds like I have to give it a little more persuasion
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I used wood to tap my rear sight off when I fitted a big scope on mine recently. I also filed a small portion of the dove tail down to enable room for the big scope.
There's still enough meat left on the barrel band/scope mount to remount the rear sight on mine in case I decided to sell it, but I doubt that's going to happen. ;)
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I degas all PCP guns before I get into them. The few accidents that have been reported was enough for me. I don't think any of them would have happened without human error. I know my "lego" HPA guns are pinned with 3 screws that remain intact throughout the tear down... I still degas.
Ok so in your honor we will call it the Bill's famous chili warning...
and should read be titled "WHEN IN DOUBT DEGAS"... then the first paragraph describes exactly how the valve is heldi n place...
LOL!
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I degas all PCP guns before I get into them. The few accidents that have been reported was enough for me. I don't think any of them would have happened without human error. I know my "lego" HPA guns are pinned with 3 screws that remain intact throughout the tear down... I still degas.
Ok so in your honor we will call it the Bill's famous chili warning...
and should read be titled "WHEN IN DOUBT DEGAS"... then the first paragraph describes exactly how the valve is heldi n place...
LOL!
Yep, when in doubt.... pass the gas.
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I just received a new Varmint PR900W in .22 from Modair a couple of days ago and I am very impressed with the quality of the SPA products. I have had some very bad expectances in purchasing Chinese machinery due to the LACK of any QC. This is my third SPA product and it will not be my last. I love the weight and feel of the Varmint. I had to buy one after reading all of the favorable comments from you guys and gals. Chickie's posting made me buy one, she was very convincing. Bob
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I just received a new Varmint PR900W in .22 from Modair a couple of days ago and I am very impressed with the quality of the SPA products. I have had some very bad expectances in purchasing Chinese machinery due to the LACK of any QC. This is my third SPA product and it will not be my last. I love the weight and feel of the Varmint. I had to buy one after reading all of the favorable comments from you guys and gals. Chickie's posting made me buy one, she was very convincing. Bob
chickie 's been very quiet of late, maybe she's on holiday
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I've talked to her some.... She's making her seasonal move from north to south and setting up her new "playhouse".
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Bill my sister does that quite a bit too, she's got a place here in Mi and one in New Orleans.
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I have a sister in Ohio and a brother in Wisconsin. They send pictures from the winter and that's all I need. We don't send them pictures of our winters because we like our little sanctuary.
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I have a sister in Ohio and a bother in Wisconsin. They send pictures from the winter and that's all I need. We don't send them pictures of our winters because we like our little sanctuary.
Summer VS Winter ! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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LOL.... The Lake picture looks like mosquitos and the Winter picture looks like frost bite.
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LOL.... The Lake picture looks like mosquitos and the Winter picture looks like frost bite.
^ Correct !
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I walked out of the door this morning and found that FedEx dropped off my MrodAir Varmint. 177 last night. Ordered it Tuesday morning and got it Thursday evening! Excellent service from Mike at MrodAir.
So I had about 30 minutes to spare before heading to work so I figured I would pull it out of the box and mount the scope I bought last week.
The aircraft mechanic in me couldn't do anything until I checked to make sure all of the fasteners are snug and everything functions. Got out the Allen wrenches and immediately noticed that the three set screws that "hold" the barrel in the reciever, or "breach block" looked crooked and cross threaded. Sure enough they were, and I was only able to get the middle screw to thread correctly and snug up. The remaining two were completely stripped. I also removed the rear sight to Mont the scope and found there were no barrel retaining set screws in the barrel band. Has anyone else seen this? I am thinking that if I install set screws in the barrel band, then it should secure the barrel just fine.
I also bought Hawke brand low height rings for my Hawke Vantage 2-7x32 AO illuminated reticle scope, but they are way to low and the magazine will not insert. Any suggestions for rings?
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Mike if you plan on fixing that gun I wouldn't use the barrel band to cure the bad barrel retaining screw's, I'd put bigger set screws where the stripped out ones are. Otherwise it would'nt be free floating.
I use the medium high rings they're just what the doc ordered. I recently put on a UTG 3-12x40mm EZ Tap(Big) on mine and had to do a little filing for clearance where the dovetail for the rear sight was.
Big bummer on the defective gun for sure.
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What scopes and mounts are you guys using that fit around the rear sight and small mounting area that still gives proper eye relief? I'd prefer to keep it as close to bore line as possible. Don't want to do any filing until I know it is working properly.
My barrel appears to droop a bit. I need to try to measure
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What scopes and mounts are you guys using that fit around the rear sight and small mounting area that still gives proper eye relief? I'd prefer to keep it as close to bore line as possible. Don't want to do any filing until I know it is working properly.
My barrel appears to droop a bit. I need to try to measure
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=129471.msg1274341#msg1274341 (https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=129471.msg1274341#msg1274341)
And...
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=129471.msg1275760#msg1275760 (https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=129471.msg1275760#msg1275760)
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I couldn't wait so I ran up to Walmart and bought a cheap 3-9 x 32 center point. I mounted it and sighted it in, in the basement about an inch low at 10 yards. Went outside and set up my silent pellet trap at 40 yards and zero'd it closer. I got pretty close and decided to shoot a couple of groups. 1st one about 1 1/2", second 7/8" C-C. I didn't clean the barrel so I have removed my Rocker1 LDC (very quiet by the way....suburban friendly!) and was going to pull some patches through. With springers you are limited with what you can clean your bore with, but with a PCP can I just use bore solvent?
I'd iike to go with a more powerful scope, that goes up to 12-16 power
Thanks!
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Which pellets?
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Mike if you plan on fixing that gun I wouldn't use the barrel band to cure the bad barrel retaining screw's, I'd put bigger set screws where the stripped out ones are. Otherwise it would'nt be free floating.
I use the medium high rings they're just what the doc ordered. I recently put on a UTG 3-12x40mm EZ Tap(Big) on mine and had to do a little filing for clearance where the dovetail for the rear sight was.
Big bummer on the defective gun for sure.
I understand about wanting the barrel to float at some point, but it appears to me that the barrel band which also supports the rear sight is not a floating type of fit design. After removing the rear sight to mount the scope there were two relatively deep, nicely threaded holes drilled all the way through to the barrel, but there were not set screws installed in this location.
Can anyone confirm or deny that there should be screws in the rear sight barrel band securing it to the barrel?
I would hate to have to send the rifle back if the barrel band screws will properly support the barrel. The problem with my rifle is poor machining of the three screw holes in the receiver casing the screws to be cocked in the holes and loose. These holes are very shallow due to the ridiculously thin material thickness of the receiver top to barrel dimension. Add to that problem that the receiver is aluminum and that makes the hole dimensions and proper tolerance threading more important.
Maybe I just got a dud, But I sure do love the rest of the rifle! It is a great design, and a very high quality piece even if the price was much higher.
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Which pellets?
Some VERY OLD JSB 15.9s
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My 177 varmint front site base / barrel band has the two threaded hole with no set screws. Not a tack driver but just shooting bucket and sticks. Hoping groups will shrink after some trigger work
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Mike if you plan on fixing that gun I wouldn't use the barrel band to cure the bad barrel retaining screw's, I'd put bigger set screws where the stripped out ones are. Otherwise it would'nt be free floating.
I use the medium high rings they're just what the doc ordered. I recently put on a UTG 3-12x40mm EZ Tap(Big) on mine and had to do a little filing for clearance where the dovetail for the rear sight was.
Big bummer on the defective gun for sure.
I understand about wanting the barrel to float at some point, but it appears to me that the barrel band which also supports the rear sight is not a floating type of fit design. After removing the rear sight to mount the scope there were two relatively deep, nicely threaded holes drilled all the way through to the barrel, but there were not set screws installed in this location.
Can anyone confirm or deny that there should be screws in the rear sight barrel band securing it to the barrel?
I would hate to have to send the rifle back if the barrel band screws will properly support the barrel. The problem with my rifle is poor machining of the three screw holes in the receiver casing the screws to be cocked in the holes and loose. These holes are very shallow due to the ridiculously thin material thickness of the receiver top to barrel dimension. Add to that problem that the receiver is aluminum and that makes the hole dimensions and proper tolerance threading more important.
Maybe I just got a dud, But I sure do love the rest of the rifle! It is a great design, and a very high quality piece even if the price was much higher.
Mine in .177 does NOT have screws.
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Thanks for checking on the set screws. The rear most hole in the barrel band is where the elevation screw threads in. The forward hole isn't used.
A close inspection of the barrel band also indicates that it is not a "floating" type barrel band, but rather a split, or slotted clamp that positively locates and secures the barrel.
I would venture that the barrel band does more to locate and secure the barrel than the three tiny set screws in the breach block.
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What scopes and mounts are you guys using that fit around the rear sight and small mounting area that still gives proper eye relief? I'd prefer to keep it as close to bore line as possible. Don't want to do any filing until I know it is working properly.
My barrel appears to droop a bit. I need to try to measure
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=129471.msg1274341#msg1274341 (https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=129471.msg1274341#msg1274341)
And...
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=129471.msg1275760#msg1275760 (https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=129471.msg1275760#msg1275760)
Bill, maybe I missed it in you're post, but I couldn't find which brand or model of low height rings you used. My Hawkes are way too low.
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Maybe they changed it, but the top of the barrel band-sight base does have two threaded holes (and the Plinkster is the same).
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/dfba98ac-0798-490b-a3d8-f0a34322f042.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/dfba98ac-0798-490b-a3d8-f0a34322f042.jpg.html)
Any way, that same band/sight base is the limiter to scope mounting (at least with full sized scopes) as the objective housing tends to be right over it.
In this case, it's a 3-9X32mm AO scope...and the AO housing does take up some thickness that a side focus might not.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/DSCN0137.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/DSCN0137.jpg.html)
Did get a 40MM AO scope to work with just a hair of free space with mediucm rings, but I had to shim both rings (shim the bottom of each...didn't add any stress as the scope was still level).
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I'd still be rethreading those set screws and putting bigger ones in there, or be asking Mike to send you a new breech. Should be fairly cheap to take the breech off and exchange it for a new one and new screw free of charge. Mike should be happy to do that for you. He's only charging $24 for a right sided bolt breech on his site, so it wouldn't be costing him much, and cheaper than sending back the whole gun.
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HAd a problem with two of the 3 screws holding the barrel down at the breech (two would "spin" rather than tighten past a certain point). Swapped screws and they tightened down just fine. At least in my case, the threaded holes were fine...the screws were "off".
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i put a 50mm bushnell AO on my .177 varmint with high rings,
you can see about 1/16" of light between the O-bell and the band that used to hold the
rear sight.
also i have not had any problems with screws anywhere on my varmint.
and i just drilled my stock for a sling stud to mount a bipod with..
it works perfect 8)
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I'll try new screws, and if that doesn't fix it I'll see about a new breach block. In the mean time I need to see how she shoots. Too bad my rings are too low to see what it will do with a scope.
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Swap'em first. The longer screws from the LDC ,might be better formed (And I still do blame the screws rather than the threaded holes...this is my 3rd airgun using the same breech and having to swap-screws to get a tight fit).
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I checked all my screws and they were all good!
I only have one hole on the top of the barrel band. The one the elevation screw goes in?
My barrel droops a bit and Mike suggested:
You can loosen the barrel band a bit.
They do seem to hold the barrel down a touch.
The screw under the clamp in the stock.
Just back it off a turn and take a look.
The inlet for these is a bit too deep inside in my opinion.
Sounds like I need to remove the stock to find these screws.
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During my quick trial fit of my scope this morning before work, it looked like there was no way there was enough clearance for the magazine. I just tried again, and after about 10 minutes of tinkering I got the scope to fit without fouling against anything. This little Hawk 2-7x32 with low rigs sure is low to the bore and makes the rifle balance beautifully. Cant wait to shoot it tomorrow between rain showers.
Anyone know if there is a good carbon fiber suppressor available to replace the stock chunk of metal "suppressor".
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try it, you might not think you need a LDC...i didnt think so...... ;)
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During my quick trial fit of my scope this morning before work, it looked like there was no way there was enough clearance for the magazine. I just tried again, and after about 10 minutes of tinkering I got the scope to fit without fouling against anything. This little Hawk 2-7x32 with low rigs sure is low to the bore and makes the rifle balance beautifully. Cant wait to shoot it tomorrow between rain showers.
Anyone know if there is a good carbon fiber suppressor available to replace the stock chunk of metal "suppressor".
I got a CF LDC from Rocker1 on here and it is very nice and back yard friendly
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Anyone know if there is a good carbon fiber suppressor available to replace the stock chunk of metal "suppressor".
Rocker1 has an adapter for the Varmint. His LDC's are super quiet. I highly recommend them.
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Sounds great, thanks. I'll,try it tomorrow when it's pushing a pellet, but right now just dry firing it is way louder than my .25 Impact. I like quiet!
So how do I go about getting a Rocker1 LDC ordered? Website, or just PM him?
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Send him a PM. He'll reply at around 2:00 am, he keeps some crazy hours! LOL!
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Thanks for checking on the set screws. The rear most hole in the barrel band is where the elevation screw threads in. The forward hole isn't used.
A close inspection of the barrel band also indicates that it is not a "floating" type barrel band, but rather a split, or slotted clamp that positively locates and secures the barrel.
I would venture that the barrel band does more to locate and secure the barrel than the three tiny set screws in the breach block.
I have the Wheeler kit that comes with 6- and 8- screws and taps.
Couldn't you just drill out the messed up holes and go next size up?
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My new .22 Varmint only has ONE hole in the top of the barrel band-sight base. My .22 Plinkster has two.
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Where would I go about ordering a spare fill probe for my Varmint? Are these unique to the SPA PCP's or are they used on other brands as well? There are so small, I'd like to have a couple spares just in case... Thanks...
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I bought one from TRRob for my PP700sa but I think they also have one in stainless for the PR900W.
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Haven't a bunch of probes to check...SPA probes are about 7mm, so are rather thin in comparsion to the other probes about the place.
Also the same probe used in the MKI and MKII pistols and the M-10....don't have all the SPA PCP's, but looks like that size probe is used in many of them.
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On the subject of probes....I just shove mine in until it stops and it works fine. I have read of some people needing to add o-rings to shim it so it doesn't go in as far. I just received mine on Thursday. Has this been improved or is it just the luck of the draw?
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I shot an e-mail to Julie at SPA and asked about availability of the probes. They aren't listed on the parts diagram, so hopefully she's recommend a source and possibly provide a part number. These things are probably the same as used with other airguns, just need to figure out which ones.
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not to change the subject but, i just gotta ask.....
have any of yall tried predator polymags 8gr in your amv ?
i bought some a while back for a springer i had that wouldnt shoot anything well except them. got rid of that springer and just tried the polymags ....and what i found was
1 hole @ 25yrds with a full mag and about 30fps faster, and better accuracy than the benny's i was using.
the polymags will come in handi next month 8)
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Where would I go about ordering a spare fill probe for my Varmint? Are these unique to the SPA PCP's or are they used on other brands as well? There are so small, I'd like to have a couple spares just in case... Thanks...
Paul, if you don't mind waiting awhile, you can order them cheap from snow peak. You can contact Julie at sales@china-airrifle.com
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Where would I go about ordering a spare fill probe for my Varmint? Are these unique to the SPA PCP's or are they used on other brands as well? There are so small, I'd like to have a couple spares just in case... Thanks...
Paul, if you don't mind waiting awhile, you can order them cheap from snow peak. You can contact Julie at sales@china-airrifle.com
You must have missed my comment two posts above this one! I have already sent Julie and email, just waiting to here back.
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You must have missed my comment two posts above this one! I have already sent Julie and email, just waiting to here back.
Lol, sorry about that, I sure did miss it. Should've known you already had their email.
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LEt me know...at least if you are in need of a "standard" one.
I've not had any trouble with the brass ones. HAve seen posts of "dents" in one from the ball bearings in the QD, but haven't had that happen to the 3 I ended up with (same probe for most of the SPA/MrodAir PCPs). Kept 2 of the 3 tucked away in a desk drawer, fill the M10/Varmint/MKI pistol from the same probe.
So if you are in burning need of a factory original probe, let me know.
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The probe that I bought from TRRob will probably work on my Dominator too, it's the long one. I've filled my PR900W with it before but you don't want to push it in too far.
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For some reason mine for the .177 is extra long. I put O-rings on it to keep from pushing it in to far causing it not to make the seal. I don't understand why they are not standard probes considering they all use the same fill adaptor.
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Bill I might even make a delrin adaptor that fits on mine cause I do like the stainless better, it's really a lot better on the higher pressures like in my PP700SA that I fill to 220bar. For the lower pressure fills the brass has been holding up good though.
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Wayne.. I haven't had an issue since I figured out it was to long and put the o-ring "spacer" on.
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i had to do the same thing on the 2nd .22 AMV i got. it came with the same long fill adapter as yours.
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I would venture a guess that these longer probes are from the models with the larger tubes and caps.
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All I can say about the orginal/brass fill probe is that it hasn't given me any real trouble.
Did have to change the o-rings after about 7 months of use...but that's kind of expected, isn't it?
Three PCP's (M10/Varmint?CP1 pistol) all being filled by pump with the same fill probe (the other two are in a little plastic baggie in my desk drawer). So a whole lot of use.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/f26c4312-5af0-4487-9ef2-2cf023901853.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/f26c4312-5af0-4487-9ef2-2cf023901853.jpg.html)
But maybe I use it "differently"?
Will attach the fill probe to the pump hose's QD, jiggle it to be sure it is locked in tight, then insesert the probe (slightly "slick" with pure Silicone grease) into the tube that needs filling.
Maybe it's the jigggling around/seating the QD's ball bearings into the brass probe ...maybe it's the fit of the ball bearings in the QD ...but whatever it is, can't find anything (other than a bit of oxidation) to complain about with the brass factory probe.
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Nice thing about being a packrat/hoarder. I have a few whips. I leave the probe connected to one and use it exclusively for the Varmint.
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All I can say about the orginal/brass fill probe is that it hasn't given me any real trouble.
Did have to change the o-rings after about 7 months of use...but that's kind of expected, isn't it?
Three PCP's (M10/Varmint?CP1 pistol) all being filled by pump with the same fill probe (the other two are in a little plastic baggie in my desk drawer). So a whole lot of use.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/f26c4312-5af0-4487-9ef2-2cf023901853.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/f26c4312-5af0-4487-9ef2-2cf023901853.jpg.html)
But maybe I use it "differently"?
Will attach the fill probe to the pump hose's QD, jiggle it to be sure it is locked in tight, then insesert the probe (slightly "slick" with pure Silicone grease) into the tube that needs filling.
Maybe it's the jigggling around/seating the QD's ball bearings into the brass probe ...maybe it's the fit of the ball bearings in the QD ...but whatever it is, can't find anything (other than a bit of oxidation) to complain about with the brass factory probe.
The brass one that came with my PP700SA dented up really bad from the fill whip and it was hard to get out but the stainless one barely gets marks on it and works perfect.
Maybe it's the Chinese fill whip that I put on my fill adaptor too. It was a real inexpensive buy from China maybe that's what's tearing up the brass.
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Thank you for your offer Ribbonstone! I have no dire need at the moment. Thought it did when I couldn't remember where I put the thing, but then found it. I have an e-mail in to SPA to see what they cost shipped here, if they aren't too expensive, I may invest in a spare or two just because I know I will eventually misplace the one I have, again, and may not be as lucky finding it again!
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Paul... keeps us posted.... spares are good.
I don't plan to buy another SPA PCP so the one I have is the one I have.
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Here is my first impression shooters report:
I quickly zeroed my my rifle with Hawk 2-7x32 scope, and within three magazines I was shooting one hole 3/8" CTC groups. This same erformance continued for the 300 plus pellets I put through the rifle. In fact out of all the shots fired, I only had one flier!
I only had three types of .177 pellets on hand and they all shot at the same POI at 20 Yards. The types of pellets shot were Crossman Premier pointed 7.4, Gamo Red Fire 7.8 and Gamo Whisper 10.5. Given the large difference in shape profiles and types of construction, I was very surprised to see that all three types shot a POI within a half diameter between them, and they all shot one hole groups. I know this is only a test at 20 yards, but this range is probably where this rifle will be used the most for squirrel, pesting and back yard target usage.
Effective fill pressure range for a virtually zero POI change is 20 to 10 MPa. Above 20 MPa fill shoots low until the pressure drops and the hammer spring can open the valve for more flow, and velocity drops quickly after 10 MPa. This gives exactly 3 magazines or 27 shots on my rifle.
The report is a bit louder than I would like, and in fact I will be ordering a Rocker1 LDC today or tomorrow. I would describe the sound report as a moderately loud, but somewhat "low toned" pop. It is not nearly as high pitched as some .177 rifles I have shot in the past.
So my rifle is definitely a "shooter" and I will not worry about the stripped barrel retaining screws in the breach block for now. I can see this handy little rifle getting lots of use in the future.
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The one I have is the one I have.
My thought exactly! With the way I misplace things, I'm really surprised I haven't already lost it! :o
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Spent some time with the varmint this morning..... on the work bench.
I must say... it's a lot easier to dis and re assemble the second time around.
I may have found my leak....
The o-ring on the end cap (fill adaptor) looked like it had a mold line around it and was slightly swelled. We'll see.... I filled it and I'll check it a couple hours to see if the pressure dropped any.
As far as trigger...
Admittedly I'm not the master that a lot of others here are but, I get by..
I didn't have an issue with the pull weight on this gun, seemed very reasonable to me. However, it did not care for the long pull. There is a grub screw in the trigger and I've read where guys were reversing it and leaving it stick out to contact the pin. This works but it also sets the trigger blade back farther. I liked my trigger blade where it was. So, I just backed the grub out the bottom until the (first stage) was minimal. Basically, instead of contacting the pin, it contacts the sear. It's pretty easy to slip the pin out, adjust the screw without removing the trigger blade then put the pin back in and check the trigger until you get it where you want it. A drop of super glue secures it when desired setting is made.
Now for those grub screws that secure the barrel in the breech. The center one is longer and aligns the barrel by way of a divot in the barrel. Put this one in first to align the barrel. Actually, this screw alone could secure the barrel. Here is the weird part.... I read another member who said the other two screws were stripped. When I put the first one in... stripped.... or was it? I took it back out and put the other one in.... BOOYA !! not stripped. Not only that... the first screw went into the second hole..... not stripped.. I don't get it either but, I haven't bad my first beer of the day so it ain't that.
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yur an hour and 25min late on that "first beer"..... 8)
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Never had a problem making up for lost time... ;)
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Lol! Interesting about the screws. On my CP-1M, the barrel divot was put off kilter so I have to tighten the two outside screws first to keep the barrel aligned. Bit of a nuisance but workable.
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Today I was shooting the bull in the woods with a friend who was also out there hunting red squirrels, we had both decided we'd had a enough and were heading out of the woods, well of course with a pellet gun here in Mi you have to have them unloaded in a case when transport so I also end up shooting a chambered pellet one way or another so I turned my scope up to 8 power and did basically a straight up shot at a walnut way up there and down it came. Darned Varmit shoots good. Bill even said he couldn't believe I just popped it out of the tree that quick.
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WARNING !!!!
I have to go back in and twist that grub screw back in a bit. I disabled the safety.... My Bad !!!
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I'll probably make a spacer for mine, it seems like it would work good too.
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Either way... check the safety.
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Lol! Interesting about the screws. On my CP-1M, the barrel divot was put off kilter so I have to tighten the two outside screws first to keep the barrel aligned. Bit of a nuisance but workable.
that sounds like a job for Mr. Nucut (hand file)...
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Yep! I'll have to do that, lazy me!
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Good news and bad news....
Good news: I fixed the leak..... YES!!!
Bad News: I fixed the leak... now I can't just wait for it to leak off to go back in and adjust the trigger to make the safety work again.
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Good news and bad news....
Good news: I fixed the leak..... YES!!!
Bad News: I fixed the leak... now I can't just wait for it to leak off to go back in and adjust the trigger to make the safety work again.
Better git to shootin!
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Shhhhh.... squirrel.
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Whisper.... "BTW... the JSB 8.4 I got from Dairyboy shoot great in the .177 Varmint.... Thanks Dillon"
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Shhhhh.... squirrel.
19 more days down here....... ;D
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Woke up this morning and after the fog cleared I remembered my leaky AMV. I had picked up a few air gun related things around the house and had stood the AMV in the case. I reached in and switched the light on to have a look.... yep, gauge right where is was when I put it in there last night. Seems to be fixed for now.
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From what I've seen on the forum with other peoples experience with pcp's that's the most likely spot for a pcp to leak on both the ones with the foster fill fitting and the probe style both.
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Yes... the o-ring on the fill cap. Those threads are quite sharp.
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Day two and the gauge shows the pressure has not lost a drop. I do believe I got it fixed. Next up.... turn that trigger screw back in a tad to make the safety work again and replace or clip the hammer spring to pull a bit of power off. I have another idea I want to try...
Instead of O-rings I have several types of nylon air hose scraps from work. I'm going to find one with the OD to fit snug in the tube. Then another one with the OD to fit into that one. The outer one will be cut shorter and the inner longer to contact the hammer.
Reason?:
The hammer is made in such a way that it actually fits inside of an o-ring. Upon impact the o-ring wants to stick on the hammer. I can also use a stiffer tube and a softer inner tube. I think this will give me more control over the hammer strike. I'm also going to explore options for power adjust and degas. You can't just go through the hammer spring retainer because the screw goes through it to the breech. This makes the typical TSS/SSG not an option.
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My Varmint has been perfect! Got it last Thursday, put on a Rocker1 LDC and a scope and have been shooting it like crazy, but I hate pumping!! I got a pump from Mike at the same time and I'm done with it. I'm getting a bottle or one of those Chinese compressors or both! My back can't take that pumping. I DO have a messed up back.
For you tuner types....could a regulator be fitted to these to get more shots in the sweet spot???? Would that be difficult?
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Considering the trade off for about the same power....tiny air volume tube, volume taken up by the regulator...not thinking you'd get too many more shorts at nearly the same speed (lets say an 2000 psi output)...but could have more shots/more uniform shots at less speed (lets say a 1250PSI output).
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For you tuner types....could a regulator be fitted to these to get more shots in the sweet spot???? Would that be difficult?
As Ribbie says, what you'll get is consistency more than anything. I haven't installed my Lane regulators in either my .177 or .22 Varmints yet, because, well, because I really don't really need the extra consistency, lol. For my current use as a hunter/pester, both guns are already 'good to go' and have proven very effective in those roles.
Buuuut, I am Germanic, soo, yesss, I must, must, must, eventually make these guns all they can be. But, not today, lol..
I haven't even cleaned the barrels, ha ha! ::)
I'll have a boatload of these before long, some regulated, some just adjusted properly, some fully modded to the hilt, and some just left 'as-is'...
I'll get a pair of the Stormriders from PA once they come out, and leave them 'as-is', since they are likely the most highly-evolved production run of these guns to date. I am sure my .177 is an older run than my .22, so these will be the guns I mod to the hilt.
Fun, eh?
:-) chickie
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Chickie is back :)
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For you tuner types....could a regulator be fitted to these to get more shots in the sweet spot???? Would that be difficult?
Fun, eh?
:-) chickie
great to hear from you chickie !!! ;)
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Not quite as I see it.
If your plan is to have a couple of PCP's, then it makes sense to detune them(which is what is going to happen with regulating a Varmint if you want more shots).
If you foresee owning more PCP's, then let them live where they want to live.
I've no problem with really fast/powerful PCP's with a short shot count living side-by-side with moderate power PCP's with mega-shot counts....each has a really good use, just not the same use.
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Not quite as I see it.
If your plan is to have a couple of PCP's, then it makes sense to detune them(which is what is going to happen with regulating a Varmint if you want more shots).
If you foresee owning more PCP's, then let them live where they want to live.
I've no problem with really fast/powerful PCP's with a short shot count living side-by-side with moderate power PCP's with mega-shot counts....each has a really good use, just not the same use.
I am gonna tune my .177 to 8 fpe, Ribbs, and the .22 to 30 fpe. The Lane regs I bought are set for 80 bar and 160 bar, because I want to test them at the extremes of their potential, let's just see what kinda shot counts they can deliver. From there, I will have a better understanding of what can and cannot be done, and what it takes to get there, and whether or not it is worth the trouble...
For the most part, I could live with them as they are, but enquiring minds wanna know, ya know? ;)
At this price point, I have no reservations about tearing into a whole lot of 'em, just to see what I can see...
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Give it time....may come a time when you converte it back. Know I've been down that road, and if you stay an "air head" ong enough nd collect end rifles about the pace, maybe you will too.
Are some PCP's that want to run low-n-slow for a "ship"load of shots...are others that want to run fast-n-hot for a smaller number of shots. FEELS LIKE we have a control of that by tuning.....but (IMO) it turns out better to let them live in the area they want to live.
May not make sense to you now...but give it 20years.
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Most of what I will build in the first wave are already spoken for by family and friends, so no worries there. Just gotta do the work and see what can be done before starting on the more conservative builds. Everybody will feel better with a new set of quality O-rings, and a good look-see and clean-up inside, and/or some simple tweaking of the stock innards and trigger. I'm doing two-stage trigger mods on mine, I might even end up fabricating some new blades before it's all said and done. We'll see. The more I shoot these, the less I think they need. I like that kinda trend! 8)
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The only thing that I'll change on mine is the trigger mod to take up the creep and general maintenance!
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Day three and pressure right where I left it. I guess I can officially call it fixed. Time to direct my efforts to different areas.
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Day three and pressure right where I left it. I guess I can officially call it fixed. Time to direct my efforts to different areas.
Good job!
So far, I've seen reports of O-ring leaks at the gauge, the fill port, and one at the valve. Simply simple stuff, really...
Glad your's is holding air, Bill! Yay!!
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Thanks... 'cept now I gotta shoot the darned thing down to twist my trigger job back in to make the safety work.
Check the safeties when ya'll make trigger mods guys.... and girls.
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I have nothing to add except I
need want desire crave must have would like an Air Max Varmint. I don't regret getting my PP700 MKII one bit, but I find myself enjoying rifles more, especially with Fall/Winter Squirrel Season coming around the corner.
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Thanks... 'cept now I gotta shoot the darned thing down to twist my trigger job back in to make the safety work.
Check the safeties when ya'll make trigger mods guys.... and girls.
Yup, good point...
That's one reason I may make new trigger blades, to allow the safety to work as designed. Prolly do the Ribbie 'tube' mod at first on the original blade, until I have the shop up and running, at least..
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I have nothing to add except I need want desire crave must have would like an Air Max Varmint. I don't regret getting my PP700 MKII one bit, but I find myself enjoying rifles more, especially with Fall/Winter Squirrel Season coming around the corner.
I am putting in my pre-order for a Stormrider in both calibers from PA today. For only $20 more it will be worth it to have the latest incarnation of the PR900W, plus they actually send tracking, and will take returns, etc...
Says 10/6 for availability, and that is perfectly fine with me, even a bit longer will be fine, no worries!
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I'm considering another Plinkster. I bought the one for Betty Lou to shoot when I shoot the Varmint. She has no desire to fool with HPA. So now I'm thinking I want to even the playing field. Basically selling guns we don't shoot for guns we do/will.
Don't get me wrong... it's been a wonderful 4 years of buying one of everything I saw. I've seen first hand just how green the grass really was on the other side of the fence. Now that I've been there/done that, it's time to replace the novelties with the realities. We have several twins that we enjoy shooting together and we have the loners. Guns that she has no desire to have a twin of. I do have my "keepers" and they will be kept. But if I look in the back of the closet, behind the gun case and under the bed there is a lot of stuff that is taking up space.
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I'm considering another Plinkster. I bought the one for Betty Lou to shoot when I shoot the Varmint. She has no desire to fool with HPA. So now I'm thinking I want to even the playing field. Basically selling guns we don't shoot for guns we do/will.
Don't get me wrong... it's been a wonderful 4 years of buying one of everything I saw. I've seen first hand just how green the grass really was on the other side of the fence. Now that I've been there/done that, it's time to replace the novelties with the realities. We have several twins that we enjoy shooting together and we have the loners. Guns that she has no desire to have a twin of. I do have my "keepers" and they will be kept. But if I look in the back of the closet, behind the gun case and under the bed there is a lot of stuff that is taking up space.
Let me know if you part'n with the xs-60 and the h/w in .20..... ;)
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Well Bill it's my turn now, my Varmint is all apart with a broken bolt handle, dang I shouldn't have put the red loctight on there, you were right but that was already after you said something about not putting loctight on yours, well this will give me a chance to look things over while I have it apart and take up the creep on my trigger as well. Right now I'm taking a smoke break and after that I'll be working on getting the broken part out of the bolt >:(
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The XS-60 GenI will be staying.... The VMX in a Hatsan dress?.... Not sure... other than a change of clothes it hasn't been on the bench. The VMX was a $100 gun new. The Hatsan 1000s stock is a really nice addition as far as look and feel. And the chopped 1000s action in the green VMX stock.... well, that's a sweet run and gunner.
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Well Bill it's my turn now, my Varmint is all apart with a broken bolt handle, dang I shouldn't have put the red loctight on there, you were right but that was already after you said something about not putting loctight on yours, well this will give me a chance to look things over while I have it apart and take up the creep on my trigger as well. Right now I'm taking a smoke break and after that I'll be working on getting the broken part out of the bolt >:(
Betty Lou and I have both developed a habit of constantly checking the cocking knobs on all of our bolted guns. Even the lego guns loosen. Matter of fact... the old brass knob 760s loosen. The only one I've seen not work loose is a custom one I made using a wood bead. The shaft remains tight and the bead spins freely.
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I ended up using archery/arrow tips for the bolt handle for the Maximus until I could get a factory replacement. LOL!
Knife
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I ended up using archery/arrow tips for the bolt handle for the Maximus until I could get a factory replacement. LOL!
Knife
adapt, improvise and overcome
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I ended up using archery/arrow tips for the bolt handle for the Maximus until I could get a factory replacement. LOL!
Knife
adapt, improvise and overcome
'zactly..... tinkerers creed.
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Thankfully we did not get much severe weather here on the Georgia coast from Irma, but I was going absolutely stir crazy for about two days watching it rain. So on hurricane day I decided to tear down my .177 Varmint and see what she was all about on the inside.
The first ting I noticed was that every fastener was just barely seated, or loose. When I first got the rifle I snugged up all of the loose screws, but after 600-700 pellets down range things loosened up again. Reassembly will be performed using Loctite 222MS. The valve and gauge block took some force to remove due to machining burrs in the air tube, as well as swollen and cut O rings causing significant binding while trying to push the parts out of the front of the reservoir.
A good visual inspection indicated a nice simple design with good engineering, but it was painfully obvious that there was zero attempt to deburr the hammer screw slot, and the remainder of the various holes in the reservoir tube. I honestly did not expect that the die stamped holes and slots would be perfectly smooth, but I find it ridiculous that anyone would force parts with O rings past these rough surfaces. I knocked down the large burrs with some jewelers files then polished the edges with some Cratex cones on my variable speed Dremel tool. After a good cleaning I used some of the crappy supplied spare new O rings to reinstall the valve, gauge block and fill cap. I coated the seals with some Dow DC 111 and everything slid together like butter.
The quality of the barrel bore and rifling seemed to be good as evidenced by the incredible accuracy my rifle had out of the box, even despite the marginal trigger. After cleaning and inspecting the barrel closely I found it to be extremely well made, with the exception of some minor finishing and details. The crown and breach ends were a bit rough but not terrible, so I reworked them a bit. Cambering pellets always seemed to take too much force, so I put more chamfer on the breech end, then followed up by polishing the new chamfer with 300, 600, 800 and 1000 grit Micro Mesh. I gave the bolt/pellet probe the same polishing job as well.
The trigger sear and hammer looked like they were machined with a butter knife! A close examination of the engagement surfaces of the sear and hammer show that both contact surfaces are radiused! This is why there is no clean break on trigger let-off. I sanded/polished the outside diameter of the hammer so that it would slide in the reservoir tube without making all of those nasty grinding noises, I also added some additional radius to the sear "cocking ramp" area to allow smoother/reduced cocking effort. I removed the silly little set screw in the trigger blade that is used to adjust pre-travel, and replaced it with a screw with the head facing upward toward the sear. I deburred and polished the sear, and sear to hammer engagement surfaces then reassembled the hammer and trigger assemblies. I ground/filed the head of the screw that I installed in the trigger until I had the majority of the pre-travel removed and the safety would still engage. I made new trigger and sear pins from the shanks of a #40 drill bit which is just a hair larger diameter than the stock pivot pins, which also removed some of the free play.
A few hours of exploratory surgery left me with a huge all around improvement. Accuracy did not change, which is a good thing since it was a tack driver before, but the action is remarkably smoother and it takes far less effort to chamber a pellet, or to cock the hammer. The trigger has zero grittiness now and is smooth as glass.....but....there is no perceptible sear release point or even a notable increase in trigger pull weight when the rifle is fired, it's just a smooth, steady, medium length pull that feels like its on rollers the whole way. Despite the fact that there is no pull weight "stack-up" to help you judge when the trigger is about to break, I found the rifle was still extremely accurate! After a few mags of pellets I started to figure out how much trigger travel I could use prior to concentrate on aiming, and I was back to one hole 9 shot groups.
My next mod may be to remove the sear and hammer and use my TIG welder to build up the radiused sear engagement surfaces and machine them so the trigger will have a proper "stop" before the let off.
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Mike,
Thank you for sharing your journey inward, nice write-up!
:-) chickie
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Sorry for not taking pictures.
My Rocker1 suppressor was a huge improvement as well.
I only have one other PCP, a .25 caliber Impact. The impact is absolutely amazing, but I think I NEED to have another carbine or light weight rifle in .177 or .22 to play with. I cannot figure out where to go next. For a few hundred more than the price of most of the mid-range non-regulated rifles, I could just man up and get something like a Streamline in walnut or even laminate.
Suggestions?
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I bet if you began a new thread with your specs you get a much better response.
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Thankfully we did not get much severe weather here on the Georgia coast from Irma, but I was going absolutely stir crazy for about two days watching it rain. So on hurricane day I decided to tear down my .177 Varmint and see what she was all about on the inside.
The first ting I noticed was that every fastener was just barely seated, or loose. When I first got the rifle I snugged up all of the loose screws, but after 600-700 pellets down range things loosened up again. Reassembly will be performed using Loctite 222MS. The valve and gauge block took some force to remove due to machining burrs in the air tube, as well as swollen and cut O rings causing significant binding while trying to push the parts out of the front of the reservoir.
A good visual inspection indicated a nice simple design with good engineering, but it was painfully obvious that there was zero attempt to deburr the hammer screw slot, and the remainder of the various holes in the reservoir tube. I honestly did not expect that the die stamped holes and slots would be perfectly smooth, but I find it ridiculous that anyone would force parts with O rings past these rough surfaces. I knocked down the large burrs with some jewelers files then polished the edges with some Cratex cones on my variable speed Dremel tool. After a good cleaning I used some of the crappy supplied spare new O rings to reinstall the valve, gauge block and fill cap. I coated the seals with some Dow DC 111 and everything slid together like butter.
The quality of the barrel bore and rifling seemed to be good as evidenced by the incredible accuracy my rifle had out of the box, even despite the marginal trigger. After cleaning and inspecting the barrel closely I found it to be extremely well made, with the exception of some minor finishing and details. The crown and breach ends were a bit rough but not terrible, so I reworked them a bit. Cambering pellets always seemed to take too much force, so I put more chamfer on the breech end, then followed up by polishing the new chamfer with 300, 600, 800 and 1000 grit Micro Mesh. I gave the bolt/pellet probe the same polishing job as well.
The trigger sear and hammer looked like they were machined with a butter knife! A close examination of the engagement surfaces of the sear and hammer show that both contact surfaces are radiused! This is why there is no clean break on trigger let-off. I sanded/polished the outside diameter of the hammer so that it would slide in the reservoir tube without making all of those nasty grinding noises, I also added some additional radius to the sear "cocking ramp" area to allow smoother/reduced cocking effort. I removed the silly little set screw in the trigger blade that is used to adjust pre-travel, and replaced it with a screw with the head facing upward toward the sear. I deburred and polished the sear, and sear to hammer engagement surfaces then reassembled the hammer and trigger assemblies. I ground/filed the head of the screw that I installed in the trigger until I had the majority of the pre-travel removed and the safety would still engage. I made new trigger and sear pins from the shanks of a #40 drill bit which is just a hair larger diameter than the stock pivot pins, which also removed some of the free play.
A few hours of exploratory surgery left me with a huge all around improvement. Accuracy did not change, which is a good thing since it was a tack driver before, but the action is remarkably smoother and it takes far less effort to chamber a pellet, or to cock the hammer. The trigger has zero grittiness now and is smooth as glass.....but....there is no perceptible sear release point or even a notable increase in trigger pull weight when the rifle is fired, it's just a smooth, steady, medium length pull that feels like its on rollers the whole way. Despite the fact that there is no pull weight "stack-up" to help you judge when the trigger is about to break, I found the rifle was still extremely accurate! After a few mags of pellets I started to figure out how much trigger travel I could use prior to concentrate on aiming, and I was back to one hole 9 shot groups.
My next mod may be to remove the sear and hammer and use my TIG welder to build up the radiused sear engagement surfaces and machine them so the trigger will have a proper "stop" before the let off.
Mike, add some pictures to this and you'll have a "How-To" guide. This is solid gold, my friend.
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Thankfully we did not get much severe weather here on the Georgia coast from Irma, but I was going absolutely stir crazy for about two days watching it rain. So on hurricane day I decided to tear down my .177 Varmint and see what she was all about on the inside.
The first ting I noticed was that every fastener was just barely seated, or loose. When I first got the rifle I snugged up all of the loose screws, but after 600-700 pellets down range things loosened up again. Reassembly will be performed using Loctite 222MS. The valve and gauge block took some force to remove due to machining burrs in the air tube, as well as swollen and cut O rings causing significant binding while trying to push the parts out of the front of the reservoir.
A good visual inspection indicated a nice simple design with good engineering, but it was painfully obvious that there was zero attempt to deburr the hammer screw slot, and the remainder of the various holes in the reservoir tube. I honestly did not expect that the die stamped holes and slots would be perfectly smooth, but I find it ridiculous that anyone would force parts with O rings past these rough surfaces. I knocked down the large burrs with some jewelers files then polished the edges with some Cratex cones on my variable speed Dremel tool. After a good cleaning I used some of the crappy supplied spare new O rings to reinstall the valve, gauge block and fill cap. I coated the seals with some Dow DC 111 and everything slid together like butter.
The quality of the barrel bore and rifling seemed to be good as evidenced by the incredible accuracy my rifle had out of the box, even despite the marginal trigger. After cleaning and inspecting the barrel closely I found it to be extremely well made, with the exception of some minor finishing and details. The crown and breach ends were a bit rough but not terrible, so I reworked them a bit. Cambering pellets always seemed to take too much force, so I put more chamfer on the breech end, then followed up by polishing the new chamfer with 300, 600, 800 and 1000 grit Micro Mesh. I gave the bolt/pellet probe the same polishing job as well.
The trigger sear and hammer looked like they were machined with a butter knife! A close examination of the engagement surfaces of the sear and hammer show that both contact surfaces are radiused! This is why there is no clean break on trigger let-off. I sanded/polished the outside diameter of the hammer so that it would slide in the reservoir tube without making all of those nasty grinding noises, I also added some additional radius to the sear "cocking ramp" area to allow smoother/reduced cocking effort. I removed the silly little set screw in the trigger blade that is used to adjust pre-travel, and replaced it with a screw with the head facing upward toward the sear. I deburred and polished the sear, and sear to hammer engagement surfaces then reassembled the hammer and trigger assemblies. I ground/filed the head of the screw that I installed in the trigger until I had the majority of the pre-travel removed and the safety would still engage. I made new trigger and sear pins from the shanks of a #40 drill bit which is just a hair larger diameter than the stock pivot pins, which also removed some of the free play.
A few hours of exploratory surgery left me with a huge all around improvement. Accuracy did not change, which is a good thing since it was a tack driver before, but the action is remarkably smoother and it takes far less effort to chamber a pellet, or to cock the hammer. The trigger has zero grittiness now and is smooth as glass.....but....there is no perceptible sear release point or even a notable increase in trigger pull weight when the rifle is fired, it's just a smooth, steady, medium length pull that feels like its on rollers the whole way. Despite the fact that there is no pull weight "stack-up" to help you judge when the trigger is about to break, I found the rifle was still extremely accurate! After a few mags of pellets I started to figure out how much trigger travel I could use prior to concentrate on aiming, and I was back to one hole 9 shot groups.
My next mod may be to remove the sear and hammer and use my TIG welder to build up the radiused sear engagement surfaces and machine them so the trigger will have a proper "stop" before the let off.
Mike..
Thank you for adding this to this thread and making it about the gun respectfully.
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That is the kind of info I have been hoping to see... it is the kind of info that adds to the value of any given platform...
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Thanks for the kind words. I figured I would add this information here in this thread since there is already lots of good information. ;)
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Awesome write up Mike great info for all of us Spa people
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Great bunch of info to know, thanks Mike !!! I've yet to take mine apart yet, maybe I should while I'm presently using my Dominator.
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I only have one other PCP, a .25 caliber Impact. The impact is absolutely amazing, but I think I NEED to have another carbine or light weight rifle in .177 or .22 to play with. I cannot figure out where to go next. For a few hundred more than the price of most of the mid-range non-regulated rifles, I could just man up and get something like a Streamline in walnut or even laminate.
Suggestions?
Compatto?
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I only have one other PCP, a .25 caliber Impact. The impact is absolutely amazing, but I think I NEED to have another carbine or light weight rifle in .177 or .22 to play with. I cannot figure out where to go next. For a few hundred more than the price of most of the mid-range non-regulated rifles, I could just man up and get something like a Streamline in walnut or even laminate.
Suggestions?
Compatto?
Yes the Compattot, Bantam and Streamline are in my top three. I would try an SPA P-15 or M-16 in a heartbeats I thought the quality justified the expensive cost, but unfortunately it is not looking to great right now. The Varmint PR900W is a huge value, and I have a Diana branded .177 on the way. I still would like something with an excellent trigger and air cylinder @200-250cc in a lightweight package that was less than $1000.00
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Great bunch of info to know, thanks Mike !!! I've yet to take mine apart yet, maybe I should while I'm presently using my Dominator.
You definitely should take it apart and smooth out the cut outs/bolt holes in the air cylinder, and give the hammer a good polishing job. You will be amazed at the difference in the way the rifle feels when it is cycled.
Can you post pictures straight to the site, or do you have to use a hosting service like photo bucket?
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You can post directly to your reply by using the feature below this window. I also use the snipping tool in Windows 7 and above. Bring your picture to the screen, use the snipping tool then save the picture on your desktop or where ever. Once you've typed in your reply hit the option below for "attachments". locate your picture and done dillio. Snipping tool sizes the picture to use wit GTA. I have snipped this tutorial for example.
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Another bit of information I forgot to add was regarding the three breach block to barrel retaining set screws. I posted earlier in this thread that it appeared that two out of the three set screws were stripped when I first received my rifle.
When I disassembled the rifle over the weekend I found that the barrel is only dimpled for a set screw in the center hole location. A closer examination of the three set screws showed that the middle screw was a few threads longer, and the outer two screws are only maybe three threads long. It turned out that my breach block was not stripped, but instead the super short and crappy tolerance of the set screws on the outer holes just don't have enough threads to tighten up and stay square in their bores. Looking at the parts diagram confirmed this as only the center set screw is referred to as the barrel "safety screw"', and is longer. In reality the barrel is retained mostly by the barrel band, and the center set screw is just there for secondary support. The outermost set screws do noting but fill holes.
While I had mine apart I see a drill bit in the drill,press to dimple the remains set screw locations, just because I could. I will try and find some correct use replacements for these outer holes and install them ext time I take my scope off.
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yall get the good stuff done to the .177 varmint so i can send mine to yall for a
smooth-tune..... ;)
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Yep, I also found the mysteries to the barrel band screws. When installed in the correct locations, none were stripped.
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When inspecting the barrel did you take a look at the chamber/leade... In many air rifles/pistols(including crosman ) they do not bother to make a leade and just leave hard edged rifling... this I feel helps cause pellet pickiness in any given barrel... would love to see that change... though it is not that hard to do yourself even using the cowboy method of wet dry... It would be much better to do it when making the chamber by making it part of the chamber reamer...
on attaching pics I just use windows paint to crop/reduce/whatever and save as a jpeg to the desktop then attach...
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nt
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Thank you but I am not asking about the chamfer or the smoothness of the chamber... I am asking about the leade...
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Yes the barrel does have a proper leade where there is a smooth bore and a proper transition/ angle cut into the start of the lands. I have tried eight different pellets from @7.4 grains to @10.6 grains with several different shape profiles. The only pellet it doesn't like is the Crossman Pirannahs.
I did also put a larger chamfer in the "chamber/breach" end then polished this chamfer to alleviate the excessive force and drag while closing the bolt and clambering a pellet.
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I do not know what it is about them but nothing I have likes the Pirannahs... The making of a proper leade is such a simple thing I am glad that Spa paid attention I hope other makers notice and follow...it is just such a simple thing that makes a big difference... for pellets even a 30* leade would probably work... It would be nice to have a 1* leade for cast but as not many are moving that direction I can understand not going that far...
The fact that many Manufacturers have not bothered to use a chamber cutter that produces a leade at the same time is beyond understanding... It is not like it cost a lot to implement... Thanks Mike.. 8)
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I like the little rifle...and I particularly like it in .177. You give up the ultimate power of a .22, but for a .177, my example has been really fast/high energy.
Not all Varmints have had all the posted problems....what is posted are good solid cures for the ones that do, but don't think that it's universal to the breed.
Trigger adjusted fine, but as you note, it is not a two-stage trigger. It's a one stage trigger with a lot of take up that kind of acts like a 2 stage, but better to just conisder it a long single stage (basically just a whole load of "creep").
Was perfectly happy with the weight of the trigger and the smoothness, just wanted most of that creep to be gone...basically making it a single stage without that long take up.
All I did was adjust the little hidden screw (under the front pin in the trigger housing). NO real take up, just a break (figured 1.1 pounds was as light as I'd ever go on a hunter...in winter, with numb fingers, I'd actually like a little more feel.)
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/DSCN17281.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/DSCN17281.jpg.html)
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/d190b5b8-4aa5-4d98-96f4-8dc603e9ab79.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/d190b5b8-4aa5-4d98-96f4-8dc603e9ab79.jpg.html)
Of course I hosed the usefulness of the safety, which works nearer the start of the long take up than at the end. Would move in and out and go "click-click", just didn't keep the rifle from firing.
I found a simple way around that...which I'll repost if needed.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/31115503245_f6d0b70631.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Ppz64T)DSCN1751[1] (https://flic.kr/p/Ppz64T) by Robert Dean (https://www.flickr.com/photos/144930793@N07/), on Flickr
Haven't found much in the way of burrs or buggers on the tube openings. A little sharp edged, but nothing more srastic than I'd have expected. Sounds like that got worse
Did have one of the breech screws feel stripped. Swapped it for one from the LDC (which got replaced) and it's tight. Same hole, same thread, so whatever was wrong I just blamed on a sub-standard screw (which on a test, is also loose in the LDC).
Chances are, at least if you are use to other PCP's with LDC's, you'll want to replace the issue LDC. If you do, steal the set screws and replace the loose barrel breech set screws with the ones from the LDC.
When you take it apart, it was a fight getting the issue o-rings (the "brown" ones) out as they tend to swell and stay swollen. Can't really complain, it was holding air jut fine until I took it apart out of couriosity (was an earlier rifle, and I wanted to see the "guts"). Replacing them with more normal "black" o-rings makes reaseembly/disassembly easier.
Valve is actually fixed in three placed. Do count the big brass transfer port, as it's thickenss is recessed into the valve and corsses the air tube as well, so while it is in place, it adds to fixation.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/8a3556fb-e281-4a51-80e8-f3f210e98ced.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/8a3556fb-e281-4a51-80e8-f3f210e98ced.jpg.html)
Evidently, bolt breakage is a problem. It's not excessive opeing force, this rifle cockes easy. Might be bolt thrust. Given that many bolts have a little forward slack when pushed foward and turned down, it could be that the bolt thrust uses that slack as a "running start". More likely, it's just a really thin threaded shank and mystery-alloy bolts.
Only time will tell if my cure (retapping the bolt hole for a left over Disco bolt..it's not much larger in diameter) will last or not. Got months/ 1200 to 1600 shots from the issue bolt before it snapped....haven't gotten about 1/2 that number of shots in with the new bolt (one the testing/tuneing is done, don't shoot it nearly as much per week), so no judgement yet.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/13acb289-d71f-4911-8060-de896a54a5a1.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/13acb289-d71f-4911-8060-de896a54a5a1.jpg.html)
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/de8d83d4-f60a-4730-930a-01e2bae6a460.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/de8d83d4-f60a-4730-930a-01e2bae6a460.jpg.html)
Power was a bit too much for "normal" wegiht pellets to really group well (too fast for 8ish grain pellets). Worked well with 10.3gr. JSB's at 975fps or most pellets heavier than that (at lesser speeds), but the shot count was pretty poor (like 12-14 shots inside of 4%).
So I choked the transfer port down. Know that's not the "in-style tweak of the day", but's simple/reversable/and it worked. Sleaving that port down to .112-.115 (it's not quite round) brought me to +20 shots inside of 4% (from 18.9 foot pounds to 20.4 foot pounds, depending on pellet weight).
Did add a Rocker1 LDC. In my case. painted the rear end cap (barrel/fitting) black as the polished Al. refection bothered me when the sun was behind me.
So...with the above adjustments:
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/plink/8eb90dc6-001a-468a-b74a-ab30c8f57687.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/plink/8eb90dc6-001a-468a-b74a-ab30c8f57687.jpg.html)
Varmint .177
+20 shots/ +20 foot pounds
(cheap) 3-9X 32mm Hammers scope (different rings)
Medium rings.
Preference for heavy weight JSB .177 pellets (from 10.3 to 16.2gr.).
As shown, just under 6 pounds.
So...even with a 4 pending adjustments/mods.....
1. Likelyhood of the bolt to eventully break. May not...may...would certainly cock it, turn the bolt sown, and then tug it to the rear to keep that "running start" to the minimum.
2, Likely that the trigger will need to be adjusted...but equal likelyhood of the issue screw providing an acceptable pull (so long as you don't get a rough one).
3. Likelyhood of the issue o-rings to swell and resist disassembly. NOT that they leaked, but that you are nearly 100% sure to cause one if you fully disassemble.
4. Likelyhood of the .177 version runing fast/powerful, but for a very shot shot count until tuned.
...I'll still rate it, by way of accuracy and performance, as the best deal going in a repeater.
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I do not know what it is about them but nothing I have likes the Pirannahs... The making of a proper leade is such a simple thing I am glad that Spa paid attention I hope other makers notice and follow...it is just such a simple thing that makes a big difference... for pellets even a 30* leade would probably work... It would be nice to have a 1* leade for cast but as not many are moving that direction I can understand not going that far...
The fact that many Manufacturers have not bothered to use a chamber cutter that produces a leade at the same time is beyond understanding... It is not like it cost a lot to implement... Thanks Mike.. 8)
I appreciate you bring this up.
My other SPA, the PP700 is the least picky airgun I know of. It has a good leade and likes grouping everything. And that's from 7 grain wadcutters to 15 grain domes and everything in between.
I'm hoping my Varmint performs as well, but if not, I've made a couple okay barrel into great ones. And with Mike's and Ribb's information as well as the rest of the stuff in here, I am good to go.
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Yes the barrel does have a proper leade where there is a smooth bore and a proper transition/ angle cut into the start of the lands. I have tried eight different pellets from @7.4 grains to @10.6 grains with several different shape profiles. The only pellet it doesn't like is the Crossman Pirannahs.
I did also put a larger chamfer in the "chamber/breach" end then polished this chamfer to alleviate the excessive force and drag while closing the bolt and clambering a pellet.
Just out of curiosity what did you use to cut the forcing cone/chamfer.... when I did my .25 caliber pumper using a XL 725 barrel I did the chamber/leade with a .257 drill bit carved to purpose
(unpiloted reamer)eye and feel to get it right: easy to get wrong by being off a few degrees but got away with it)... then both got a quick clean up with wet/dry first one direction then the other....
For the forcing cone/chamfer I cut it with a double cut carbide Christmas tree bit... then wet/dry cleanup...
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Yes the barrel does have a proper leade where there is a smooth bore and a proper transition/ angle cut into the start of the lands. I have tried eight different pellets from @7.4 grains to @10.6 grains with several different shape profiles. The only pellet it doesn't like is the Crossman Pirannahs.
I did also put a larger chamfer in the "chamber/breach" end then polished this chamfer to alleviate the excessive force and drag while closing the bolt and clambering a pellet.
Just out of curiosity what did you use to cut the forcing cone/chamfer.... when I did my .25 caliber pumper using a XL 725 barrel I did the chamber/leade with a .257 drill bit carved to purpose
(unpiloted reamer)eye and feel to get it right: easy to get wrong by being off a few degrees but got away with it)... then both got a quick clean up with wet/dry first one direction then the other....
For the forcing cone/chamfer I cut it with a double cut carbide Christmas tree bit... then wet/dry cleanup...
I used an unpiloted 90* countersink. I could have made a science project out of it, but I was being lazy and it worked out well. If I had the the time and desire I could properly re- cut the crown and forcing cone/chamfer on some precision tooling, but so far a clean up has proven to be all that was necessary in my sample of one.
When I got my .25 Impact a few months ago it had major accuracy issues out of the box. It wouldn't group less than 3/4" at 20 yards, and was scattering pellets between 8-10" at 50 yards. I was not happy! The regulator was functioning perfectly as was the rest of the rifle, so I decided to give the barrel,and suppressor a look prior to sending her back for warranty work. I found that the muzzle "crown" Was definitely cut with dull tooling. There were significant metal burrs that were "rolled" into the bore. A quick clean up with a very fine jewelers file to remove the large material, followed by a Cratex cone on a variable speed Dremel and some micro mesh to polish the remaining rough spots cured the problem. Now it shoots one shot groups at 50 yards.
I should note that with the SmoothTwist barrel there are no real lands and grooves since the barrel is externally swayed over a mandrel to impart the suedo rifling into the hardened metal liner. Because of this, there is no easy way to cut a proper crown on those barrels since the muzzle end of the bore is not concentric. The only way I can think to cut a half way proper Crown on a SmoothTwist barrel would be to use a cutter with an extremely long two piece pilot that would be inserted from the breach end, and would center the cutter by using the smooth portion of the bore. Overall I don't think that is worth the effort, since mine shoots awesome after removing the gigantic knife blade burrs that were causing my troubles. I do absolutely love my Impact by the way!
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Mike, do you see any reason the crown of the FX barrel couldn't have been smoothed with the brass screw technique? With conventional barrels it works great as long as the existing bevel is fairly uniform.
BTW, someone recently posted a close up picture of the crown of a Smooth Twist X barrel. I was shocked by how awful it looked. Nobody commented on it so that made me wonder if it's normal.
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Mike, do you see any reason the crown of the FX barrel couldn't have been smoothed with the brass screw technique? With conventional barrels it works great as long as the existing bevel is fairly uniform.
BTW, someone recently posted a close up picture of the crown of a Smooth Twist X barrel. I was shocked by how awful it looked. Nobody commented on it so that made me wonder if it's normal.
The reason why you cannot get a good, even, conventional crown on a FX barrel is the bore is not round at the muzzle. The externally swaged "lands" distort the barrel into a bore with five indentations making their own modified version of polygonal "rifling".
Simply removing the machining burrs did the trick for me on my FX. Doing the same on the breach end made clambering pellets way easier on my Varmint.
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Okay, yeah I understand it is not round. I was still thinking the abrasive action would nonetheless be effective at removing material uniformly so as to leave a burr-free muzzle. That is, the inside diameter of the crown would reveal its non-roundness to the human eye, but it would have no burrs and therefore provide an even release of the pellet.
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I don't know anything about air rifle repairs and modification, but I'm wondering if I should unscrew the bolt handle and replace it with something else before it does break. This way I don't need to take it apart! Anyone have a replacement they can suggest?
My trigger could be better, so I may look into that, although it hasn't hurt the accuracy as far as I can tell
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Tom....
What they are talking about here is basically putting a bevel on the end of the barrel that the bolt pushes the pellet into it. This is greatly going to reduce the strain on the bolt knob to set the pellet. Combine that with using your thumb on the back end of the bolt instead of using the knob to close it will lessen the chance of breaking the knob. Also polishing the hammer reduces strain on the knob during the pull back along with letting the hammer "fly" freely during the "strike".
Hope this brings it more into layman terms.
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Thanks Bill! I have noticed that JSB lead free Predator GTOs are really hard to push in, but the iead JSB 15.9s slide right in and shoot the best anyway. I will stop shooting the GTOs for sure!
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one of our machinist guys on here need to make a bolt knob/handle of a better/stronger material.
and market it here like triggers, hammers, valves and such are. ???
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I'm in for a bolt handle and a better trigger!
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Ya know? I threaded the grub screw out just a tad to ride on the sear and take up a little creep and I don't dislike the trigger at all.
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For the bolt handle on my Varmint I drilled the bolt and tapped with an 8-32 tap, then I took the stubby handle I had and used a 8-32 die on it. A Crosman handle will work in a pinch but in reality it could use more threads that what they have.
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The bolt knob on my CP-1 is a different shape. I wonder if it's a different material?
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I mentioned earlier (somewhere) that someone needs to come up with a double tube mod for the varmint. Now I think a power adjuster would be a good mod as well. The poppet pin is very short and the hammer has a two stage diameter (for lack of a better description) to affectively use the BStaley o-ring buffer. Maybe a hunk of thicker neoprene air tube would work.
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Double tube or single tube....it's like doubling up the gas tank on a car...you'll get 2X the miles before a refill, but pay 2X as much to refill it. In pump-fill terms, 60 pumps in / 30 shots out is pretty much the same as 120 pumps in / 60 shots out.
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Would need regged for sure.
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Good news is that these guns are not long in tooth.... I see lots of tricks on the horizon.
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Well, I been playing with my SPA guns for enough time to decide on some reconfiguring.
Here is what I have to work with...
1) .177 Plinkster w/shorty muzzle break from CP-1 installed.
This gun sounded so weak with the stock LDC and felt a bit front heavy. The shorty muzzle break from the stock CP-1 gave it a bit more "POP". Betty Lou just loves the gun now. That was my goal.
2) .177 CP-1 with the CP-2 grip and shoulder stock set.
I also used the LDC from the Plinkster on this gun. Very nice shorty carbine and pistol.
3) Originally this gun is a .177 Varmint. Not for long...
I am going to use the .22 breech, long barrel and LDC from the CP-2 on this gun.
4) Originally the .22 CP-2.
This gun will get the .177 breech, long barrel and LDC from the Varmint. It will also wear the shoulder stock it came with. This will work well shooting along side of the Plinkster for competitions with my shooting buddy.
These are some of the "lego" options that these gun offer.
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Great work! Sounds like a winner setup! Nice these parts are so interchangeable!
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The new configuration of the Varmint will be the highlight.
This will feature the left handed cocking bolt, CP-2 long barrel with screw on LDC. This is the same LDC that comes with the Dominator and some of you know how impressive that LDC is. I see some "tinker" options here. I may look at regulator if I can come up with something that will include the gauge. The tube is very low in capacity. I don't want to lose any more air space with a reg. I'll play with hammer spring first to see if I can get a good balance of power with at least a couple mags per fill. This gun will be my goto small game hunter and pester.
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Yep.... the Varmint, Plinkster and CP-2 are virtually parts swappers. The CP-1 is the odd man out for the most part.
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Looking at the trigger piece welded on the CP2 tube, on the parts diagram, it looks different. I was wondering if the CP2 trigger parts would still fit on the cp1 tube or would they end up in the wrong place? Just thinking of maybe ordering a CP2 trigger parts to put on the plinkster or cp1 tube. Just ordered a few CP2 stock sets from Mrodair
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Yeah, I don't know if those trigger parts will interchange. I am not unhappy with either trigger to tell the truth.
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The new configuration of the Varmint will be the highlight.
This will feature the left handed cocking bolt, CP-2 long barrel with screw on LDC. This is the same LDC that comes with the Dominator and some of you know how impressive that LDC is. I see some "tinker" options here. I may look at regulator if I can come up with something that will include the gauge. The tube is very low in capacity. I don't want to lose any more air space with a reg. I'll play with hammer spring first to see if I can get a good balance of power with at least a couple mags per fill. This gun will be my goto small game hunter and pester.
curious to see your thoughts on this once you try some power thru it....
My thoughts, not at all impressed with the Dominator LDC. It works OK if you keep 14.3,.22cal pellets around 800fps, AND get creative with the innards. Even heavies are on the loud side around 800fps. Of course,this is all very subjective and depends a lot on the backyard you're shooting in...
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Yeah, I don't know if those trigger parts will interchange. I am not unhappy with either trigger to tell the truth.
no problem, glad to hear the cp1 trigger seems to work all right with the new grips.
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The new configuration of the Varmint will be the highlight.
This will feature the left handed cocking bolt, CP-2 long barrel with screw on LDC. This is the same LDC that comes with the Dominator and some of you know how impressive that LDC is. I see some "tinker" options here. I may look at regulator if I can come up with something that will include the gauge. The tube is very low in capacity. I don't want to lose any more air space with a reg. I'll play with hammer spring first to see if I can get a good balance of power with at least a couple mags per fill. This gun will be my goto small game hunter and pester.
curious to see your thoughts on this once you try some power thru it....
My thoughts, not at all impressed with the Dominator LDC. It works OK if you keep 14.3,.22cal pellets around 800fps, AND get creative with the innards. Even heavies are on the loud side around 800fps. Of course,this is all very subjective and depends a lot on the backyard you're shooting in...
My only experience so far is with it on and off of the short barreled CP-2 where it makes a significant difference. I may find a completely different story on the long barrel HPA setup in .22 14.3gr.... we will see.
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The new configuration of the Varmint will be the highlight.
This will feature the left handed cocking bolt, CP-2 long barrel with screw on LDC. This is the same LDC that comes with the Dominator and some of you know how impressive that LDC is. I see some "tinker" options here. I may look at regulator if I can come up with something that will include the gauge. The tube is very low in capacity. I don't want to lose any more air space with a reg. I'll play with hammer spring first to see if I can get a good balance of power with at least a couple mags per fill. This gun will be my goto small game hunter and pester.
curious to see your thoughts on this once you try some power thru it....
My thoughts, not at all impressed with the Dominator LDC. It works OK if you keep 14.3,.22cal pellets around 800fps, AND get creative with the innards. Even heavies are on the loud side around 800fps. Of course,this is all very subjective and depends a lot on the backyard you're shooting in...
I wonder if Rocker1 has put one together for the Dominator yet ???
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Well, I been playing with my SPA guns for enough time to decide on some reconfiguring.
Here is what I have to work with...
1) .177 Plinkster w/shorty muzzle break from CP-1 installed.
This gun sounded so weak with the stock LDC and felt a bit front heavy. The shorty muzzle break from the stock CP-1 gave it a bit more "POP". Betty Lou just loves the gun now. That was my goal.
2) .177 CP-1 with the CP-2 grip and shoulder stock set.
I also used the LDC from the Plinkster on this gun. Very nice shorty carbine and pistol.
3) Originally this gun is a .177 Varmint. Not for long...
I am going to use the .22 breech, long barrel and LDC from the CP-2 on this gun.
4) Originally the .22 CP-2.
This gun will get the .177 breech, long barrel and LDC from the Varmint. It will also wear the shoulder stock it came with. This will work well shooting along side of the Plinkster for competitions with my shooting buddy.
These are some of the "lego" options that these gun offer.
Extremely versatile setup you have there!
Is the CP-2 barrel the same length as the Varmint and Plinkster, or shorter?
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I'll be getting into it this evening. I really haven't compared yet. Things at work kinda held up progress.
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I did have a look at the barrels last evening as I was degassing both guns and getting them reading to perform transplants tonight. The longer .22 barrel from the CP-2 appears to be close enough to make the swap work just fine. With the CP-2 LDC and barrel the Varmint will be about 1" longer in overall length. This is because the CP-2 LDC is longer than the Varmint muzzle break. I have a feeling I'm really going to like this setup.
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Yep! Sounds great! I seen on a review that the CP2 has a rail on the bottom of the barrel band for mounting a bipod. I'm assuming it is 20mm rail, or is it a regular dovetail?
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I have question about pellets jamming in the magazine when cycling another pellet into the chamber. I have lately run into a situation where Crosman Premier anythings won't feed from the magazine to the chamber without jamming. When I remove the magazine to fix the problem I notice the pellet is cocked to one side and the probe has bent the pellet skirt and jammed the pellet in such a way I have to use a paperclip to straighten the pellet in the magazine to clear the jamb.
I have figured out a work around. If I cycle the bolt with the barrel pointed down, the pellets will feed like they're supposed to, but if the barrel is level (shooting from a rest) or pointing up, the pellet will jamb and not load properly.
Has anyone else experienced this? Has anyone had this problem with the .177? Is this unique to the .22? Is it unique to just me? Thanks...
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I've had this problem as well with my latest mag. Interesting pointing it down helps. Mine seems to be working better lately but I'll have to watch and see if it is because I've been pointing it down. I figured the problem was the mag is not quite sliding far enough in and planned to file that notch on the bottom of the mag a bit to let it slide in a bit further.
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I found another cause of the issue. If the spring is too tight in the mag it will tend to misalign the pellet. I don't have an issue pointing the barrel down to cycle the next pellet. My Crosman 622 repeater was the same way. Keep in mind, there is an o-ring in the lead in of the barrel for the bolt to seal against. Keep a bit of lube on it. (at least the CP-2 barrel has the o-ring. I'll check the others that I have this evening.) I thought about putting a small bevel on the lead in until I notice the o-ring. These guns being so new to us, I'm sure our collective creativeness will soon discovery work arounds for these minor issues. I am really looking forward to the fresh "lego" platform.
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Yep! Sounds great! I seen on a review that the CP2 has a rail on the bottom of the barrel band for mounting a bipod. I'm assuming it is 20mm rail, or is it a regular dovetail?
Sorry Wes, I almost forgot. The barrel band for the long barrel on the CP-2 is Picatinny/Weaver on the bottom. I haven't decided whether I'll use it on the varmint or the CP-1 LR yet.
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Thanks! How do you release some of the tension on the mag? Sorry I should just check it out myself, just being lazy lol.
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Thanks! How do you release some of the tension on the mag? Sorry I should just check it out myself, just being lazy lol.
Wes, there is a tiny set screw you can access from the back of themag, it puts tension on the screw you see on the front. Or it’s the other way around, I don’t recall exactly. But any way, one will adjust the tension and the other locks the one holding tension in place so that t doesn’t move.
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OK right I knew about that screw in the back, I just misunderstood what it was doing lol! Yep I've used that to fix my first mag from not cycling. Thanks!
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If I have trouble with pellets cycling it's usually on the last pellet in the mag. That's where adjusting the tension mostly comes into play. I've also gotten into the habit of giving the mag a tap on the bench with the clear plastic side facing upwards once the mag is filled. This insures that the first pellet in is not binding the plastic cover from rotating freely. The shape of the pellet also affects how they are fed into the barrel.
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Sorry 'bout being slow on my projects. I feel like sometimes I'm juggling alligators. Cars sales being as slow as they are, I am left with two 3 days weekends per month for the duration of this year. I thought that it would afford me with more "play time". Not so much..... there is so much that has been put on the back burner around here that now needs attention.
I got up at 5:30am this morning in "work mode" to realize I didn't have to go. Betty Lou and Rambo were still "spooning" so I made some coffee and slipped off to the work bench.
I stripped down the CP-2 and the Varmint to a pile of bones and began with the assembly of the Varmint. These truly fall into the category of "lego" guns. The parts swapped just as though they were made for each other.
I also added the FD-PCP barrel band just to protect the free floating barrel in case "stuff" happens. I am prone to "stuff" happening. The barrel has maybe 1/16 clearance around the barrel but tightens snuggly around the air tube. I chose this second barrel band over the CP-2 spare barrel band for the simple fact that if I'm going to and a tactical device to a gun, it will most likely be on the long barrel version of the CP-2 so that is where I'll use the CP-2 band with the picatinny rail on it.
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This is great news, Bill. I don't mind playing with Chinese Lego- smells like intelligent engineering when parts can inter-swap that easy.
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When it jams/binds for me it's every pellet. Pointing the barrel down when cycling the next round seems to be working without any further problems. so I'll just continue this method since it seems to work.
I'll give your suggestion of tapping the mag before inserting it into the AG a try and see if that helps, ut it happens on more than just the first round, and the rest of the pellets slide loosely within the magazine, so tapping does nothing for them.
I think it's because the Crosman Premier pellets are shorter and others and the pellets fit pretty loosely within the magazine. I know I don't have this problem when I load a magazine with the H&N Sniper Magnums!
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Bill I might even order one of the kit guns from Mike, looks like you're having a lot of fun with the stuff you have, I'd be getting mine in .22 though.
What is the length of the long barrel in the kit gun compared to the barrel that comes with the Varmint ???
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This being a thread on the Varmint, I'll stay with the Varmint for now. I'll post the CP-2 conversion to .177 long barrel format in a different thread. But I would like to revisit my reason for doing what I've done.
My first venture into this SPA platform came by way of a trade I made with another member that left me with a CP-1 pistol in .177. When the Varmint became available from MRodair it just made sense to me to stay with the .177 due to the convenience of sharing mags. Then came the Plinkster, again in .177 for the same reason followed by the grip/stock set for the CP-1. My theory was to shoot the CP-1 carbine along with Betty Lou shooting the Plinkster. Not a compatible match, obviously. I reached out to Mike at MRodair again for options. What I thought was going to be a long barrel , barrel band and LDC in .177 turned into a complete CP-2 Master Blaster in .22. And Mike showed that not only is he generous, he also has a sense of humor. He sent the CP-2 addressed to Betty Lou creating yet another hurdle for me to jump. I cleared that hurdle and finished in first place....
My plan...
The goal was to ultimately end up with a gun that was compatible with the .177 Plinkster while keeping cost to a minimum. I could have simple bought another Plinkster but, how much fun would that be? For a lot of us, 50% of the "fun factor" in this hobby comes from tinkering. When I was a kid tinker came in the form of Lincoln Logs and an Erector Set. That was before even Legos were invented. Now we can build practical stuff that serve an actual purpose such as hunting and pesting. That being said, I planned to turn the CP-2 into a long C02 repeater in .177 to plink with Betty Lou and her Plinkster.
However, the Varmint conversion to .22 with that detachable, and very affective LDC from the CP-2 became even more exciting to me. I know have an effective, repeating, quite hunting tool. The Varmint, in my opinion is an awesome small game woods gun. I installed sling mounts on mine as soon as I received it. Problem for me was, in .177 it's almost a waste of potential power. No longer an issue....
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Wayne, as you can see, it almost looks like it was made for the Varmint.
Paul, tapping the mag seems to "set" the first pellet that we put in backwards. I found some (not all) of the pellet binding came from the first pellet riding on the clear plastic cover of the mag. This may not be true in your case.
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More later... I'm going to air this thing up and see what we got.
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Bill, does Mike stock just the barrel band and LDC? I'd like to add those to my Varmint!
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Bill, does Mike stock just the barrel band and LDC? I'd like to add those to my Varmint!
I'd like 'em just to have them, but we can probably order by slow-boat from SPA, too.
Bill, I like where you went with this. The Lego-ability of these guns just impresses the bleep outta me. I'm also really liking that left-hand bolt.
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He don't stock them. We talked about breaking up a couple guns to create some spare parts and that's what I was going to receive when he sent the CP-2. I don't know if he still plans to break and guns up. Last I talked to him, he was trying to get SPA to send him barrels and such. He said it was like pulling teeth. As these things become more available in the US market it will be interesting to see what they will do about spares. I have a feeling that barrels will become more of an aftermarket item made here in the US. As some of us have already discovered, barrels cannot be purchased from SPA due to restrictions on importing certain gun parts. A work around may be to go through a registered gun dealer. I'm going to talk to my buddy that owns our local pawn shop. He is a registered gun dealer. Maybe he can order a few barrels from SPA.
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Peter..
You can order left handed breeches from Mike... he has them in stock.
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Minor setback....
I got a leak... the o-ring in the fill cap is leaking again. I'll let it bleed back down and replace it. The LDC will screw off to make clearance for the fill cap to screw out.... how convenient is that?
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Thanks for sharing Bill, great stuff! Mike actually mentioned a couple days ago in a thread that he is getting a big load of parts in from snow peak and had mentioned earlier that he planned to get barrels as well, so hopefully! Might be a month or two before things show up.
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Leak fixed...
Something I forgot to check... I was curious if the TP has the same ID in .177 and .22. I do know that I left the .177 TP in the Varmint and I just got 21 consistent shots from 2900 down to 2100 psi. 3 mags is plenty for a morning in the woods. I could probably get another mag if I filled to 3100 ish down to 1900 ish. This gun shot it's best between 2900 and 2100 in .177. I'm assuming that is still the case and I'm good with it. I was getting almost 4 9 shot mags when it was .177. Interesting to see what the CP-2 will get with the long barrel and in .177 now.
That's a story to be told after breakfast......
Notice the grin so far? ;D
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Yep! ;D Great stuff! Interesting what velocity you're getting!
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I'll bust out the chrono this afternoon. Betty Lou kinda threw a wrench in progress. She wants to go shopping. It's in my better interest to accommodate.
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Lol! Yep!
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Well, that wasn't too bad. She only wanted to check out a new dry goods outlet that recently moved into town. We bought 7 printed tee shirts for $15. I even got 2 Harley tees. Just so happens the this new outlet is right next to my local pawn shop ;). I forgot to ask Duke about ordering the barrels from China. Probably because he offered to sell me a really nice NIB youth 22lr rifle for $120. It was called a "Chipmonk" resembling a "Cricket". Really nice walnut stock and a peep sight. I couldn't get low enough into the check weld so I passed.
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The CP-2 long gun is assembled. I need to decide on a scope for it and test it...... pics to follow. Looks like a Texas toothpick.
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I know it's the Varmint thread but, I'll sneak in a couple pics of the Texas Toothpick here. This thing is mouse fart quiet. A hammer drop and lead on target. Looks like it's going to be quite accurate at 30yds once everything settles in. First pic is the overall gun and second shows the picatinny rail on the bottom of the barrel band.
LOL.... it also shows a couple marks on the barrel where the band was when it was on the Varmint. That's a lot of barrel hanging out there in the wind.... ya think?
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He don't stock them. We talked about breaking up a couple guns to create some spare parts and that's what I was going to receive when he sent the CP-2. I don't know if he still plans to break and guns up. Last I talked to him, he was trying to get SPA to send him barrels and such. He said it was like pulling teeth. As these things become more available in the US market it will be interesting to see what they will do about spares. I have a feeling that barrels will become more of an aftermarket item made here in the US. As some of us have already discovered, barrels cannot be purchased from SPA due to restrictions on importing certain gun parts. A work around may be to go through a registered gun dealer. I'm going to talk to my buddy that owns our local pawn shop. He is a registered gun dealer. Maybe he can order a few barrels from SPA.
I shot Mike an e-mail asking about the parts since Wes mentioned that Mike mentioned he may be getting a load of parts in. He's been pretty good about replying to emails in the past. If I don't hear back by next week, I'll give him a call...
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Paul there's a post in one of the SPA threads Mike said he was getting in a shipment of parts.
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He's on the "slow boat from China" program too. Air freight ain't much better. I just got a holographic red dot air freight and it took 3 weeks +.
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SPA (MrodAir) Family (so far). Been a few changes from last posting.
May be "inexpensive working man's tools", but I'm not bashful becasue of it.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/f0693991-2522-47f8-a415-a4a8077fe009.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/f0693991-2522-47f8-a415-a4a8077fe009.jpg.html)
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Well, look at you go Ribbs.
Fun stuff huh?
Crosman REALLY needs to offer a low cost repeater breech for the "lego" guns.
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Depends on what you want to do.
Plinking/offhand/just fun...take the smallerst little cut down .177 CP1 c02 pistol for it's 5.8foot pounds (7.33gr. At 600fps)and 40-45 good-shots per 12gr.
Or take the .177 "Plinkster" for it's 9.4 foot pounds (8.4gr. @ 710fps). for about 30 shots on one 12gr. (so long as it's warm out)
Move upto 15 foot pounds, take the Converted .22 PP700 carbine/pistol for 15.9gr. @ 625 for about 31-35 shots.
Coud move into 23.6 foot pounds with the .177 "varminter", which will heave 16.2gr. .177 pellets at 810fps for about 23-24 shots.
Or if you're really angry, and want to poke a deep hole (though and through) in something big, can take that big long .22 M10 and sling 34gr. pellets (or slugs) at it for 815fps and about 50 foot pounds.
So ok...5.8 to 50 foot pounds, in uneven steps, but what use got missed?
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That's awesome Ribbonstone! Great collection! Maybe a 25 calibre M16 to fill in the 30-40fpe gap? ☺️
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Trajectory?
There isn't enough difference in the .177 16.2gr. and the .22 25.4gr. at nearly the same speed to really hang your hat on. Certainly is a difference in energy, but that energy "advantage" depends on what you are shooting at more than what you are shooting with.
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Cool
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Very nice collection you've got there Ribbonstone !!!
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I'd really like to have that stock for my PP700SA. What's it take to get one?
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Fantastic collection. I just got my first SPA, PP700SA.
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Fantastic collection. I just got my first SPA, PP700SA.
You are going to fall in love they are fun to shoot and when it all comes together capable of single ragged hole at 10 yards. I play with mine several times a week ;) ::) ;D
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SPA (MrodAir) Family (so far). Been a few changes from last posting.
May be "inexpensive working man's tools", but I'm not bashful becasue of it.
(http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/f0693991-2522-47f8-a415-a4a8077fe009.jpg) (http://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/f0693991-2522-47f8-a415-a4a8077fe009.jpg.html)
Nice looking collection there. Nothing to be bashful about at all!
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Crosman REALLY needs to offer a low cost repeater breech for the "lego" guns.
Has anybody had their SPA breech off and seen what it looks like underneath? Wonder if it could be (practically) modded to fit a Crosman tube?
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Crosman REALLY needs to offer a low cost repeater breech for the "lego" guns.
Has anybody had their SPA breech off and seen what it looks like underneath? Wonder if it could be (practically) modded to fit a Crosman tube?
Had it off... thought about it... never looked close enough because what I have now in the SPA guns eliminates the need.... for me. The TP size may be one issue. The bolt lug location may be another. Just from memory...
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Here is a plinkster (cr600w) tube (which uses same breech as varmint) and a 1322 scrap tube (same layout as 2240 except smaller diameter tube). You can see they are quite different from in amount of space for the hammer and spring. The breech would be too long unless you drilled holes further up on the tube and I doubt you could make a crosman trigger work at all, though I could be mistaken.
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Thanks, Bill and Wes.
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Thanks, Bill and Wes.
Sorry for the terrible pictures, just looked at them myself now and can't hardly see anything, lol.
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I think the point was made. It may be possible but, it's certainly not plug and play.
Thanks Wes.
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Yep! What is more of a plug and play though, is the lr700w, varmint, plinkster, cp1, and partially, CP2. (which has already been discussed lol)
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Right. I've got guys in the plant today doing some line painting and cleaning for a VIP visitor tour next week. I'm bouncing in and out checking progress ( I live about 2 miles away) so I might just get a chance to answer some of your questions today Wes. I had a guy drop a Crosman Optimus off. It belongs to his son and he barrowed it some time back. He said he messed up and left it cocked for an extended period and now it's down on power. Obviously his son is not a happy player. So, I have to go through that for him. Between that and the work at the plant, I'll try to squeeze some of my stuff in. I did get the CDT trigger in the FireCat. Very impressive.
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No worries! Have a great get together with the big whigs!
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Leak fixed...
Something I forgot to check... I was curious if the TP has the same ID in .177 and .22. I do know that I left the .177 TP in the Varmint and I just got 21 consistent shots from 2900 down to 2100 psi. 3 mags is plenty for a morning in the woods. I could probably get another mag if I filled to 3100 ish down to 1900 ish. This gun shot it's best between 2900 and 2100 in .177. I'm assuming that is still the case and I'm good with it. I was getting almost 4 9 shot mags when it was .177. Interesting to see what the CP-2 will get with the long barrel and in .177 now.
That's a story to be told after breakfast......
Notice the grin so far? ;D
Adding my 2 cents here...
I wanted to add a regulator to my .177 and was curious about the "sweet spot" for proper setting.
I filled my Varmint to 210 bar (hand pump, not a big deal, really) and shot 6 full mags (9 shots each) at ~27 yds. with some wind blowing throughout the trial.
I took a picture at the air pressure before each set, and after the last one.
Caveat: I'm NOT a sharpshooter, and used cheap crosman premier pointed 7.4g, so not at all a winning combination here ;).
I had my share of flyers (at least according to my pride) and found that pressures around 120-100 bar gave me the best consistency, with POI dropping below 80 bar.
I was able to shoot 54 times with one fill, but of course the velocity spread was significant (not measured this time).
I have a Lancet regulator set to 120bar and hopefully will install it this winter.
Still very happy about my Varmint (now also offered by Diana as Stormrider).
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Hi,
For anyone that has taken the stock moderator off, how did you do it? My 2mm set screw sripped out. I drilled it out. Now the moderator turns about 1/8 of the way around and will wiggle back and forth but will not come off. Please advise. I heard they were a nightmare but any suggestions would be much appreciated.
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Maybe just a burr from drilling. They do fit snug. However, to remove the (so called) baffle, you will need to take the set screw out that attaches the front sight blade to the LDC.