.25 Armada

[triggertreat]

It can take up to 2000psi before it seals tight.  Rush some air into it with the tank and crank it up maybe it will seal.  I've had to do that before.  If that doesn't work, you can chuck the poppet stem in a drill and spin on low speed while pulling back lightly to create the form of the seat on the poppet head.

[oneshot61]

I wasn't sure about the valve seat, but to me if you're having to rely on electric tape to seat something properly I don't know seems like a duct tape jerryrig type fix, meaning it's only a matter of time...

The tape on my he tip of the stem is to keep the chuck in the drill from scratching, scoring the valve stem...not to be left there after turning the stem😀

[oneshot61]

It can take up to 2000psi before it seals tight.  Rush some air into it with the tank and crank it up maybe it will seal.  I've had to do that before.  If that doesn't work, you can chuck the poppet stem in a drill and spin on low speed while pulling back lightly to create the form of the seat on the poppet head.

Hey Keith..thanks, I'll give that a try. I've got the war valve and regulator in. I'll get some numbers from theat today and then  reinstall the cothran valve and give that a go.

[oneshot61]

First initial run with the war valve and regulator.

805
810
804
804
808
803
805
808
808
802
793
804
800
791
776
Only 2 turns on the spring, regulator at 1950.. ish, 3000 psi fill. Sounds like a lot of air coming out the barrel and it drops fast off the reg. I think I'll turn the reg down just a bit. I expected way more shots than what I got. And I want them shooting at 850. This tuning stuff takes a lot of air😳

[Dairyboy]

What weight pellets? Or slugs?

[oneshot61]

Forgot,.. 31 grain . Not much of a gain in fps and it seems to be using more air. Long way from my goal of shooting the bbt.

[Dairyboy]

Only 44fpe? And that many shots...are you all the way cranked on the hammer spring?

[oneshot61]

No only two turns on the spring. Shorty's dual wound spring, war no bounce hammer with throw adjust flush with the face of the hammer, reg on 1950 ish. War valve 187 ports, hill transfer port. I'm going to pull the valve and check the spring setting, make sure it's closing fast enough, it's a used valve, maybe someone lightened the adjustment screw, I should have checked. May be why I'm using a lot of air, or so it seems. Turn down the reg just a bit and lean on the spring... or that's my plan.

[shorty]

Hey Dan,
The numbers and shot count are real low for some reason. I am not thinking the poppet spring adjustment ( I didn't know there was one on the WAR valve ).

My biggest guess is a massive choke point somewhere, transfer port leak, blown barrel oring, or a heavily greased hammer.

Set up the way you are should have banged out the 40/40 and did a 50 fpe for 20 shots or so with 33.95's.

If it helps,
1) Do the silly tissue test over the breech and fire. If it blows around, it's either the transfer port leaking or the barrel oring leaking on the bolt.
2) Verify that the valve exit port and the transfer port are aligned and then verify the barrel port and the transfer port is aligned. I like to take the back of a .1875" drill bit and push it through to see if everything is aligned and then tighten down.
3) Make sure that hammer slides real easy. Easy way to check is to back the HS to Zero and shake the gun. You should hear that hammer bouncing around in there.

If all that fails,
I would have no idea why your getting the numbers and shot count that your getting.

[shorty]

I think I just seen the problem.

The no bounce hammer. Pull that thing out and put the stock hammer in. That should do it.

[oneshot61]

Hey guys, I checked the war valve ..the return spring was backed out. I fixed that, put in the original hammer and spring.. 4 turns on the hammer spring, 2 turns from flush with the hammer throw. Reg still set at 1950.. almost the same string.
Hammer throw 2
777
783
778
776
773
776
776
784
782
778
775
775
775
762
Shot this while you guys were posting. I'll do those checks here in a few minutes. I to believe I should be up near 50 ft lbs with a much better string. Something's up.

[oneshot61]

Tissue test was negative, no blow by. I checked the ports carefully when I assembled it. More or less hammer spring or hammer doesn't seem to affect it much. Ooops.. I do have the stock gauge port in. Could that be why no more power? But why am I getting so few shots?? I should be getting at least another magazine before it falls off the reg. 🤔

[oneshot61]

Took out the reg, installed shortys dual wound spring, war no bounce hammer, swapped out the stroke adjuster for the one in the original hammer, spring at 1 turn in. The stroke adjuster sets on the face as it will not  recess. I took 2 turns on the adjuster until it just barely touched the valve stem then back just a smudge.
3000 psi 31 grain h&n
868
876
882
888
896
897
898
894
890
887
882
875
867
The sky's opened up here in Nashville and I grabbed my gear out of the rain. Need to flatten that string. There's definitely more in there and I'm going to shoot the bbt 41 grain for power later. I can put the original throw adjuster back in and recess the adjustment a bit and lean on the spring. I will also flatten the string with the 31's and see what kind of numbers I can get on a flatter string.

[oneshot61]

Another quick shot over the chrony. Nbh with factory adjuster backed to the hammer, shortys spring with 2
turns in, 3000 psi with 41 grain bbt. These are way to big for the barrel. I shot them as is but will size some down tonight. I'm losing a lot of fps because of it. Shot for one mag.
800
805
807
810
806
804
803
805
Next round will be the nbh with the original throw adjuster recessed 1 turn in and the spring in 6 turns in, I keep forgetting it's shorter. And the bbt sized to .251 and knurled.

[oneshot61]

Last tune for a while, replaced the nbh with the original, 1/2 turn in, shortys spring 6 turns in. I found some rat sniper .250 41 grain. 3000 psi. Also found that the spring was hanging up and fixed that. Im afraid to touch it after this.

816
820
823
825
827
832
837
837
840
835
832
828
824
818
815
I'm going to try the mds hammer when I get home.. hope for a flatter string but for a guy that hunts.. I like it.

[triggertreat]

That's some nice power out of a .25 cal!  I ran some numbers on that last string and came up with a 2.98% ES averaging 62.3 FPE/827 FPS.  You also got 11 shots (3-13) within a 2.0% ES averaging 62.9 FPE/831 FPS on a ~2800 psi fill.  Looks like ~1.0 FPE per cu/in based on a 1975 psi ending pressure. I likes it!

[oneshot61]

Thanks Keith for those numbers! I need to pay attention to my starting and ending pressure and learn how to run those numbers. I think with some more time I can close up the es a bit more. I'm curious what the mds hammer will do when I put it in. Apparently I did not have enough plenum when I had the reg in for the power to be up where it needed. I hunt more than plink, so a lot of shots has never been my thing, but nice to get them. I really like the string you've got on your marauder though.  I think I'm going to get the new valve, sell this gun and do a build for my brother. He was a marksmen in the army, but doesn't shoot anymore I think because of the recoil... except his 22. We almost lost him to a heart attack. So the armada platform would be right up his alley, easy to cock with the new valve, no recoil and lots of shots with a reg. and shoot out his back door... it's a win😀

[triggertreat]

The mds will require more spring to reach the same fpe, but may give you a few more shots due to a shorter lock time.


Thanks, I tune based on the mods I have and I get what I get.  I let the gun tell me what its setup for and go from there.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes I have to start over.  I don't shoot paper either except for when tuning.  I'm more of a hunter type too.  That's why I like your power tune.

[TerryH]

Nice accents on your Armada.    If you look at Terry's (TerryH?) Armada threads, you will see some "bold" paint schemes. 

lol... that TerryH guy. He ain't right in the head.

[Back_Roads]

 LOL but still some what of a ledgened here @ GTA