MRodAir Air Max Varmint in .177

[avator]

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.

[avator]

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.

[.]

Thanks, Bill!!

[.]

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..

[avator]

I see... again... I'm only looking a one gun.

[.]

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...

[ezman604]

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.

[.]

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!!!

[gendoc]

my end cap fill hole is only accessible on the left side, due to the way the end cap
threads on.

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

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.

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

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...

[gendoc]

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......

[avator]

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.

[avator]

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.

[Edtampa]

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.

[Wayne52]

I always figured in the airgun forums that plenum was the capacity of the valve but I could be wrong.

[avator]

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.

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

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!   

[avator]

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.

[avator]

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.