.22 Armada...the journey...

[TerryH]

I'm sure you will be impressed with it. With your rifle being a .22, you should get a ton of good shots out of it! I'm not sure how to post links, if you look on page 9 of the "calling all 25 caliber marauder regulated guns" thread, I have the very first string after installing the kit.

Thanks Shawn. You just copy the link from that page and insert it with the Hyperlink button. It's the second from the left on the row right above the smileys. Just hover your pointer over the icons and they show what they are. Here's the link to that page. I must say, it's an impressive string indeed!!

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=116706.160

[ShawninIL]

Thanks for the tip Terry.

[PBguns]

A thread documenting some of the mods on my armada.....might give you some ideas.

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=109935.0

[TerryH]

A thread documenting some of the mods on my armada.....might give you some ideas.

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=109935.0

Hi Mike!! I have read through it about 20 times already. Tons of good info. Thanks for posting it. If I only had your skills.  I going to have to stick to over the counter parts and pieces.

[addertooth]

TerryH,
I recognize those 600 fps shots you have from time to time.  They are double feeds.  You cock the gun, it doesn't fire, so it is cocked again, which puts a second pellet in the bore.  When you fire, you get two pellets shot, at about 600 fps. 
I really like a lot of Hill parts as well, but went with the Huma regulator (due to rapid availability).  Let us know how the Audruis regulator from Lithuania works out for you.

[robertr]

 Good call Addertooth

[TerryH]

TerryH,
I recognize those 600 fps shots you have from time to time.  They are double feeds.  You cock the gun, it doesn't fire, so it is cocked again, which puts a second pellet in the bore.  When you fire, you get two pellets shot, at about 600 fps. 
I really like a lot of Hill parts as well, but went with the Huma regulator (due to rapid availability).  Let us know how the Audruis regulator from Lithuania works out for you.

Thanks Todd! I final figured it that out last night when I put together my indoor chrony setup and was counting shots. 2 pellets make a distinctively different sound when they hit the trap as well. Am I doing something wrong? Once I realized what was happening I made sure to have full stroke back when cocking but I still had a couple. Should I remove the magazine and cock and then reinstall so there aren't 2 in the chamber or just shoot the 2 and go on?

Will do on the report. I was ready to order the Huma until Tim said he preferred the Audruis. My plan is to install Tim's hammer spring by itself and get some shot strings just to see how much the spring itself changes the tune. I'll install the Hill valve, gauge port. TP, drill the barrel and add the reg after that. Lots of chrony time coming right up. I'll post the strings. Tim has been super helpful. I'm looking forward to the process.

Here's my indoor chrony setup with the rubber mulch trap which is nothing more than a bag of mulch in a cardboard box. Chrony functioned perfectly with the light kit. Rubber mulch trap also worked perfectly so I should be good to go for lots 'o testing.

[TerryH]

I've been running shot strings with some heavier pellets and with various adjustments on the still stock Armada. As a total AG newby I must say that it's pretty amazing what turning a few screws will do!! I'll sort through the shot strings and post some if anyone is interested in how a stock rifle shoots heavy pellets. Now onto the mods....

[addertooth]

Double feeds are avoidable, but you must pull the bolt back very aggressively with every cycle. When it is pulled back, it should stay back until you manually close it (if you have pulled it back far enough). When you pull the trigger and it does not fire, pull the bolt all the way back until it stays back without pressure, remove the magazine, close the bolt (without the magazine in), fire, pull the bolt all the way back until it stays, insert magazine, continue your normal shooting routine. 
A little bit about installing Just the spring.... Tim's parts are meant to work as a whole, lighter 25 gram hammer, short stiff 261/262 hammer spring, and valve with a lighter valve spring.  Using parts one at a time does not fully reveal what they do, as they are meant to work as a whole.  Did you order the valve with the 6 pound spring?

[TerryH]

Double feeds are avoidable, but you must pull the bolt back very aggressively with every cycle. When it is pulled back, it should stay back until you manually close it (if you have pulled it back far enough). When you pull the trigger and it does not fire, pull the bolt all the way back until it stays back without pressure, remove the magazine, close the bolt (without the magazine in), fire, pull the bolt all the way back until it stays, insert magazine, continue your normal shooting routine. 
A little bit about installing Just the spring.... Tim's parts are meant to work as a whole, lighter 25 gram hammer, short stiff 261/262 hammer spring, and valve with a lighter valve spring.  Using parts one at a time does not fully reveal what they do, as they are meant to work as a whole.  Did you order the valve with the 6 pound spring?

Thanks Todd. I had much better success with last night's shot strings. Definitely important to get the bolt 100% back as far as it will go.

Tim asked me to do some shot strings with just the spring and send to him.

[TerryH]

Opening up the metering valve and putting a little hammer spring in it wakes it right up with the heavy pellets. Poor CRV quarter.  Not a tune that I'm going to stick with but on a bad day at the body shop it was kinda nice.

[tracker1955]

I assume by the long cord across the top of your bench you are using a tablet and the free app, I love mine and can store many shot strings from many rifles with different weight ammo.

[TerryH]

I assume by the long cord across the top of your bench you are using a tablet and the free app, I love mine and can store many shot strings from many rifles with different weight ammo.

My phone actually. Works great.

[TerryH]

One thing I wanted to accomplish when I started with the Armada was to understand how each mod affected the gun on it's own so hopefully I could understand how the entire package functions as a unit. Doing that means lots of pumping and lots of shot strings. 20+ strings in the last couple of days means my G6 pump and I have become quite familiar with each other.

Those strings range from a totally out of the box stock tune to where I am now which is the metering screw wide open and the 12.5 Hill spring. I've shot 3 different pellets ranging in weight from 14.66gr to 21.14gr throughout the tests. I've decided to stick with the JSB MDEJH at 18.13gr for now. I think I'm beginning to get my head around some of the physics at play in these guns. Tim has been an incredible help to me in that regard.

Here's where I stopped tonight. Even though the ES is much too high it is at least a 30 shot string with all shots above 30fpe. A 5+ shot improvement over what I could get with the stock spring.

Created: 01/12/17 08:58 PM
Description: Armada with Hill Spring
Notes 1: JSBEJM 18.13
Notes 2: Hammer: 0 Striker: 1.0 3000psi to 1800psi.
Distance to Chrono(FT): 1.00
Ballistic Coefficient: 1.000
Bullet Weight(gr): 18.13
Temp: 34 °F
BP: 28.80 inHg
Altitude: 1120.00
#          FPS  FT-LBS      PF
31    866      30.20    15.70 
30    869      30.41    15.75 
29    875      30.83    15.86 
28    877      30.97    15.90 
27    879      31.11    15.94 
26    887      31.68    16.08 
25    886      31.61    16.06 
24    896      32.32    16.24 
23    899      32.54    16.30 
22    900      32.61    16.32 
21    900      32.61    16.32 
20    891      31.96    16.15 
19    890      31.89    16.14 
18    901      32.69    16.34 
17    896      32.32    16.24 
16    898      32.47    16.28 
15    915      33.71    16.59 
14    903      32.83    16.37 
13    880      31.18    15.95 
12    901      32.69    16.34 
11    905      32.98    16.41 
10    909      33.27    16.48 
9    896      32.32    16.24 
8    890      31.89    16.14 
7    917      33.86    16.63 
6    911      33.42    16.52 
5    907      33.12    16.44 
4    919      34.01    16.66 
3    916      33.78    16.61 
2    917      33.86    16.63 
1    914      33.64    16.57 
Average: 897.1 FPS
SD: 14.7 FPS
Min: 866 FPS
Max: 919 FPS
Spread: 53 FPS
Shot/sec: 0.2
True MV: 897 FPS
Group Size (in): 0.00

The Hill spring is obviously is too stiff for the stock, heavy hammer. No surprise since it's designed for the light lighter hammer. So the next step is to install the 25g Tim Hill hammer and shoot some more strings. Hopefully that will bring those initial shots down in speed and help even out the string.

[Wayne52]

Terry if you're still going to use the TSS you won't believe how well it works, I haven't touched my Mrod since I took it out of the box after purchasing it through Crosman for the cyber monday deal except for doing an out of box chrony test on it. I liked Travis's reply for the remedy for installing it with the Armada, I'm thinking about eventually using the thread lock on mine to make it look neater(no exposed locknut) in appearance, plus the fact that the locknut does contact the wood on mine but very little. For my intentions with the .25 I'm going for the JSB 33.95gr and after I do a chrony test with the Benjamin pellets I'll be installing the heavier primary spring in it.   I think them  JSB 18.13's are the best pellet out there for my Disco, Prod and modded 2240, they're super accurate and really get the job done for hunting squirrels as well.

[TerryH]

Terry if you're still going to use the TSS you won't believe how well it works, I haven't touched my Mrod since I took it out of the box after purchasing it through Crosman for the cyber monday deal except for doing an out of box chrony test on it. I liked Travis's reply for the remedy for installing it with the Armada, I'm thinking about eventually using the thread lock on mine to make it look neater(no exposed locknut) in appearance, plus the fact that the locknut does contact the wood on mine but very little. For my intentions with the .25 I'm going for the JSB 33.95gr and after I do a chrony test with the Benjamin pellets I'll be installing the heavier primary spring in it.   I think them  JSB 18.13's are the best pellet out there for my Disco, Prod and modded 2240, they're super accurate and really get the job done for hunting squirrels as well.

Thanks Wayne! I've been following your posts on the TSS thread. Thanks for posting your strings! I'm going to install all the Hill parts before trying anything else. Even though I love the Armada stock, not being able to adjust the hammer spring with the action in the stock. I have been shooting the action out of the stock and that's working fine in the Hyskore vise. Nice to be able to do whatever without destocking it constantly.

[BikeTom]

This is great. I also just got my first pcp gun in the first week of December 2016 and I have been nerding out pretty hard, sorting pellets, trying different pellets, making dope charts and looking up info online. My wife keeps making fun of me for it. I should have her read this thread to make me look a little more sane. I wish I had some more money so I could go this crazy. My next purchase is definitely a chronograph so I can get some more data from my gun. Keep up the good work and I'll be following along for sure!
-Tom

[TerryH]

This is great. I also just got my first pcp gun in the first week of December 2016 and I have been nerding out pretty hard, sorting pellets, trying different pellets, making dope charts and looking up info online. My wife keeps making fun of me for it. I should have her read this thread to make me look a little more sane. I wish I had some more money so I could go this crazy. My next purchase is definitely a chronograph so I can get some more data from my gun. Keep up the good work and I'll be following along for sure!
-Tom

Thanks Tom. Not so sure that you can compare yourself to me to verify your sanity. lol...

A well placed Christmas bonus allowed me to get into the PCP game. Here's the link to the chrony setup that I have. Price has gone up alittle from when I bought mine but it's still the best deal that I know of.

[BikeTom]

It's ok I think it worked. I told her all about your post and when I saw the chrony on Amazon her response was "great. How can you pass up a good deal?"  Wait does that mean it worked? Haha. Eh oh well a new chrony it is!

[Rallyshark]

Well, it is a really good deal after all.  Women know good deals when they see them too, right?