Sticking with the R7 over the HW50.....

[toddbrat]

....at least for now. Funny how life throws curve balls sometimes, and this one was actually a good one. I had the R7 out a couple of days ago and my son came out and wanted to take a few shots. I still had the scope on it and couldn't get off the bench fast enough for him to have it--I've been trying for a couple of years to get him interested in shooting with me, he is 13 and loves the PB's but airguns, "err, whatever."

Anyway, he's shot it a few times since Christmas, maybe 10-15 shots total. I had him shooting at the 25 yard target off the bench. He was able to put 20 shots under a nickel! I was (and am!) one proud poppa! I asked if he liked shooting that more than the PCPs and he said he does, it "just feels better" in his words. We proceeded to keep hanging targets and he kept knocking the bulls out. He doesn't know it yet, but he may have his own R7 very, very soon.

That brings me to a question. What is the "best" way to reduce the recoil and smooth it out a bit? I know, kinda like how to make a bunny softer. My problem is I've noticed some leftward torsional force when shooting. This is very evident when benched, I run my left forefinger along the receiver just shy of the barrel to steady the recoil. I've found doing that keeps the recoil more or less rearward and will brunt the torsional force. I've been looking at adding either a Vortek PG3 or just the TBT kit with the OEM spring, looking for any advice (again). 

[Mark 611]

MMMM tuning just using a spring kit is not always the answer, the gun needs to be deburred along with the rest of what u want to do to smooth it out! I prefer ARH spring kits, I think their the best bang for ur buck! JMO I also prefer the HW50 over the R7/ HW30

[toddbrat]

MMMM tuning just using a spring kit is not always the answer, the gun needs to be deburred along with the rest of what u want to do to smooth it out! I prefer ARH spring kits, I think their the best bang for ur buck! JMO I also prefer the HW50 over the R7/ HW30

Thanks, Mark. Yes, if I open it up I'm also going to go through and deburr while I'm in there.

[subscriber]

Some might be tempted to tell you that the R7 has no torque, vibration or recoil.  Now that I have a few HW airguns, I have come to conclusion that they vary from one to the next.  Generally, the more powerful ones are more jumpy and harder to shoot accurately, but that is not universally true.

My R7 is very docile and easy to hit with.  My 22 year old .177 R9 is buzzy and jumpy in the extreme.  My recent HW95 in .22 has zero spring buzz out of the box and is relatively easy with regard to making holes where the sights are pointing.

My HW50 in .22 is only slightly older than the 95, and it came out of the box with significant buzz and a tendency for the muzzle to jump up and to the left on the shot.  This surprised me, because .22 cal HW50s are supposed to be smoother than the .177s.  Yet with mine, the reverse is true.

Rather than open up the .22 HW50 and attempt a tune, I simply injected some moly paste between the spring and the guide (with the stock removed to access the cocking slot).  Not much either.  Less than 5 ml.  Anyway, the spring buzz is 99% gone; as is that annoying jerk to the left.

Now, proper tuners laugh at lube tunes.  They would take out the spring and polish the ends.  This is because the spring winds up when it is compressed, and on discharge.  If the spring ends are free to slip rotationally, then the tendency to torque the rifle goes away. Proper tuners also ensure that the spring is slightly tight on the guide, when in the completely relaxed state.  As the spring ID (and OD) expands on compression, the spring is free on the guide when cocked.  But, on discharge, the spring ID clamps down on the guide and the resultant drag damps out both linear and rotational vibration.

If your spring kit comes with polished ends and a tight fitting guide, you are a long way on the path towards Nirvana. 

The "lube tune" I did may be easy, but it is prone to the gun shooting "slow" for a few shots, until it has warmed up (-20 FPS).  Also, shooting slower in cold weather.   The more grease used and the thicker it is, the greater the thermal velocity variation will probably be.   Anyway, PA sell lube tuning grease that is thinner than my moly paste, but apparently is sticky enough to damp spring vibration:  https://www.pyramydair.com/product/air-venturi-tune-in-a-tube-airgun-lubricant?a=7927

[Mark 611]

subs, nothing wrong with slot lubing to get u by until ur ready to have to tune the rifle correctly, sounds like to me u have answered some of ur own issues with some of ur rifles, if ur 50 is jerking around like that u might want to open up the rifle and see what is going on? albeit I have tuned up my 50 in .22cal with an ARH spring kit it is 1 of my favorite air guns to shoot! it is a very smooth linear motion, but it does have upward recoil, but that is very little, I have not experienced a torqueing movement as u have described, just from all the yrs I have been playing with air guns I have found it best even on a brand new gun to test fire the rifle to make sure it is mechanically sound, then take it apart and clean all the factory goop lubes out of the rifle, then clean up all the burrs in the pin holes or other block areas and de burr the cocking slot, then I work on the spring ends to polish them up and tighten up the spring to guide fit, if u don't have a top hat u can use a thin steel or Delrin washer in the top of the piston so the spring end has something to turn on besides the piston, reapplying the proper lubes in the right places and correct amounts will drastically improve ur rifles performance using ur factory parts, all spring piston guns need to be cleaned up from the get go! these are mass produced items, like u said none of them are the same out of the box! some twang some don't! non the less they need to gone thru, all of them, just my thoughts

[subscriber]

Mark,

I am happy with my .22 HW50 after adding just that little bit of moly paste. 

I am very pleased with my .22 HW95 right out of the box.   It matches my R7 for overall smoothness.  Obviously it is much louder, with more total movement on firing, but then it is generating more than twice the FPE...

[Mark 611]

Cool! .22cal 95 that's my favorite caliber for that gun too!

[wjjones]

Shoot it, shoot it, shoot it.

I would not bother with a tune until I put a couple thousand shots through it. These guns smooth out as they break in.  I’ve owned three HW30/R7s and I gave the two 30s the Vortech tune, mostly out of curiosity and I felt like tinkering with them.  I think the tuned 30s *maybe* shot slightly smoother than the broken-in R7, but it was hard to tell.