Some questions about my new Beeman Silver Kodiak X2

[SagaciousKJB]

Well I just got this from Walmart two days ago.  Originally I've been looking at some more expensive ones and was going to buy on-line, but to be honest the price was right, there was two barrels to try .177 and .22 and I just wanted to stop putting it off saving for "the one" and just get A springer and get started.

So I don't really have any complaints about the gun, but I have read that I can adjust the trigger.  There's a screw that I can turn the pull force down with, but I was more interested in taking up some of the slack in the first stage of the pull.  I've seen a couple of guides to to do this, but I'm afraid I'm a little over my head--I don't even know how to disassemble the gun and get to the trigger group.  is it even possible to adjust the 1st and 2nd screw stages without disassembling the trigger group?

For now I'm just waiting until I get it broken in before I get too focused on trying different pellets.  The groups with the CPHP aren't so great but it's hitting in a general area I point it and the groups are under 3" so I'll call it in the ball park for now.  I think I'm also adapting to the weird recoil but yeah eventually I'm going to buy a pellet sampler pack and get a better scope--my poor eyes need a little more than just 4x and I like having an adjustable objective.

But thankfully I think I'm pretty well on the way to it being "broken in".  It's finally quit dieseling and I'm going to use up this tin of CPHP before buying some off PA.  I haven't even cleaned out the .22 caliber barrel yet, I'm gonna let the rest of the gun get broken in and grouping nice with .177 before I try .22 out--just seems like a more expensive pellet to use when the gun isn't broken-in and zeroed.

I did have a question though...  I've read some people's chronograph results and the muzzle energy with .177 seems really high (it's weird seeing a gun rated for 1000 fps and then actually achieving it with lead pellets), and given that this gun is supposed to fire both .22 and .177 maybe i should use a little bit heavier .177 than 8 grains?

[nervoustrigger]

If you have a chronograph, a good way to determine if a heavier pellet is suitable for use in your springer is to try progressively heavier pellets and see where energy peaks and try to stay around that approximate weight.  My Beeman RS2 (previous model to yours) in .177 cal produces 13.3fpe with 7.3gr, 15.1fpe with 8.3gr, and 15.8fpe with 10.3gr.  I have yet to try anything heavier but it shoots the JSB 10.3gr exceptionally well for a cheap springer--1/2" groups on average at 25 yards and dime-sized groups at 43 yards if I really concentrate--so I stick with those.

[SagaciousKJB]

If you have a chronograph, a good way to determine if a heavier pellet is suitable for use in your springer is to try progressively heavier pellets and see where energy peaks and try to stay around that approximate weight.  My Beeman RS2 (previous model to yours) in .177 cal produces 13.3fpe with 7.3gr, 15.1fpe with 8.3gr, and 15.8fpe with 10.3gr.  I have yet to try anything heavier but it shoots the JSB 10.3gr exceptionally well for a cheap springer--1/2" groups on average at 25 yards and dime-sized groups at 43 yards if I really concentrate--so I stick with those.

I think that is going to be my next little investment as they seem like essentials.  I use to play around with ChairGun a lot using my Crosman 2100, I had estimated the velocity pretty well by shooting a metal bar at a specific distance and then calculating the time lag in ChairGun to the appropriate velocity--I did the same thing with drop over a specific range and got the same figure and it was pretty amazing how precise ChairGun was.  Since then I have used it even to calculate ballistics tables for my .22s

[popedandy]

There is a screw on the front of the trigger that adjusts the length of the first stage.  You will need to take the trigger guard off to get to it.  Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the gun.

[SagaciousKJB]

There is a screw on the front of the trigger that adjusts the length of the first stage.  You will need to take the trigger guard off to get to it.  Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the gun.

Ohhh!  Awesome man thank you.  I saw that before, but I didn't see the slot in it--I actually thought that was the bottom of a screw whose head was on the other end.

Edit:

Wow, what a difference.  I think I may have totally eliminated my first-stage, but I get a much faster break now.   Before I felt like I was sitting there for hours waiting for it.

[SagaciousKJB]

bump

I managed to get some pretty decent groups today!  The scope still isn't zero'd very well, but I got some decent groups nontheless.  The POI could be off of the POA for any number of reasons--it was windy when I zero'd, and a 3" inch group at 20 yards to count as a "zero" is a pretty loose zero so yeah...  But point is I kept putting the cross hairs on one spot, and it kept putting the pellets in one general spot.

But despite all that, it still made two one inch (okay one was more like 1.5) corner-to-corner groups.  I know that's still pretty rough but it's definitely doing a lot better than my first day with it.  I'm sure adjusting the trigger a little bit helped, but I also think it's getting more "broken in" and starting to settle in to shooting more consistently.  Plus I think I'm adjusting my own technique and getting use to the rifle, I've found a consistent way to hold it in the "artillery" style.

[farrlarr]

Groups should be measured center to center.  You actually measure to the most distant edges of the group and then subtract the diameter of the projectile to get the center to center size. 

Since you have a springer, you need to be careful about how you hold it to shoot accurately.  Most springers are hold sensitive and won't shoot very accurately unless held loosely so they can move as they want and held the same way for each shot.  Google the "Artillery Hold" and try it with your gun.  Also note that many guns need lots of pellets down the barrel before they settle down, and many guns are pellet sensitive.  There are trial packs of pellets available from various sources so you can try a variety of pellets to see what your gun likes best.

Let us know how things go.

[SagaciousKJB]

Groups should be measured center to center.  You actually measure to the most distant edges of the group and then subtract the diameter of the projectile to get the center to center size. 

Since you have a springer, you need to be careful about how you hold it to shoot accurately.  Most springers are hold sensitive and won't shoot very accurately unless held loosely so they can move as they want and held the same way for each shot.  Google the "Artillery Hold" and try it with your gun.  Also note that many guns need lots of pellets down the barrel before they settle down, and many guns are pellet sensitive.  There are trial packs of pellets available from various sources so you can try a variety of pellets to see what your gun likes best.

Let us know how things go.

Well I cheat and use "OnTarget" to do my group sizes for me, but most of the figures up til now were just guesses.  To be honest I wouldn't say now that it was grouping at all, the POI was just too random.  As was recommended to me I cleaned the barrel.  Now I had done this when I first got it out of the box, but I think since it was dieseling so much for the first couple hundred rounds that it really fouled the barrel up.  It would kind of explain why the POI just seemed totally random.

The artillery hold is something I read about a long time ago and practically tried to adopt into my regular shooting habits.  I never really shoot high-recoil guns and would notice that when I would, I would try to "hold them" to much and that would shake my aim off.  I just started shooting it like I normally would my .22 or any other rifle and cleaned the barrel and it has made all the difference I believe.

I need some fresh new targets to start groups off of, but check these out...  I see definite progress, and potential for more improvement!

[Qjay]

I know it's a little old, but this is a great intro page for a newbie like me!

I had a lot of frustration with my trigger, so I am definitely ready to try to do a few things to reduce the hideous amount of travel.

I will say one thing, it has a really clean break, compared to the pull: It's ALWAYS a surprise when it finally shoots the dang pellet!

[dink]

I have this rifle and like it very much. I added a shoe ( epoxy ) to change shape of trigger and the pull is more horizontal instead of upward as you pull back.