.22 Chief up date.

[Ribbonstone]

  A bit of playing hookie...but back with a .22 Chief up-date.


First off: if you have to have a repeater, look to the MrodAir "Varmint"(or the SPA/Diana version of the same thing).  YOu won't convert a Chief to repeater for the $25-$30 price difference.

This is one of the old Chief's, and I had to do a little work on it.  Some needed, some for peace of mind.


NEWER CHIEF's. Evidnetly, for opther posts, the new ones have a "power adjuster" that allow2s you to externally set the striker spring tension.  The old ones (like this one) did not, so changing the striker spring tension was a lot more work.

Are some change3s to the striker shape, which maight be3 good...might be bad.

HOPEFULLY they made some changes to the bolt probe o-ring (making it larger/thicker) that the old version (I'm not sure about that, has been a post or two claiming it, but I've got no proof).

So0 here is how the rifle stands today:

#1. Adjusted the striker spring to have it run well with a 2K fill.  As issued, it was a bit over sprung and started out fast, but slowed down with every shot after the first one.

#2.Bolt probe o-ring kept breaking.  Got the bolt out, lathed the o-ring seat a bit wider/deeper, and used a better/bigger o-ring (BTW: the biggere/fatter o-ring in it'sbigger-fatter reace seems to have cure the bolt hangle bounce).

#3. Would tend to move POA/POI with just a little stress to the barrel.  So moved the barrel band back, inletteted to the stock. glass bedded the bottom of the band to the stock, so the band isn't going to shift from a little knock/twist to the barrel.

#4. Added better valve fixation screws that the originals.  LEt me make this clear: AM NOT FILLING TO HIGHER PRESSURE...just wanted something bettwe than those crappy looking issue screwsw.  (If you like the stock, could inlet the screw heads so they are hidden...I'm not real fond of the stock, and don't care if I just "Frankenstien" the screws)>

#5. Took off the sights and added a Rocker1 LDC.


Tuning goal was 25 shots/ 25 foot pounds.  Don't give a rat'srump about repeater breeches, mega power with super low shout counts, or scopes that cost 3X the price of the rifle.

So it's a $170PCP and a $65-$75 6x scope/mount.

DSCN1087 by Robert Dean, on Flickr

Got it where I thought it would live (25 foot pounds/ 25 really good shots) about midddle of MArch.


Then I put it away for other toys to play with.  Put it azway with 1100psi (the bottom of the sweet spot).

Goit it out the safe today, still reading 1100psi(so that's  two months).  Took 46 pump strokes to fill it bqacvk to 2000psi (and the first 6 pumps just pressurized the pump's hose and didn';t kick open the fill nipple).

GAve her a try at 22 yards (what I have today in the back yard range).

DSCN1091 by Robert Dean, on Flickr

Think I got everyting on one target...gun/groups/velocity:


Now lets get REALLY PICKY...but to some folks this is a big deal.

First target to both low and to the right by almost 1/4", but that could be becasue I didn't clean ANYTHING or the biologic problems with picking up a "strnage" rifle.
It averages 1/8" low from where I left it back in MArch .

It's NOT a MOA rifle in my hands.  It's a good 1.2-1.4MOA rifle out to 50 yards, but not MOA.

[mackeral5]

Very nice.  A few years ago I would have HAD to HAVE a Chief, but if I did I would not have had the wisdom to refrain from trying to turn it into something it isn't.....and possibly ruined a perfectly good gun in the process. 

Very nice work!