Maximus on the way

[Watchguy]

But now I need to decide on a pump.

I've been looking at a lot of pumps but the Hatsan seems like a nice pump and a good price. Can anyone comment on their experience with these, yeah or nay. I would prefer to have one with an air dryer. Any help would be great.

[Ribbonstone]

I've been a hand pump only guy for a long time....some for +10 years. I also take them apart quite often (either to change something or to repair something).
At first used one of the old (original) FX pumps, then whent to Hill's.   In the last 3 years, when to "cheap" Chinese pumps (not the cheapest of the cheap, but still about $100-$110 each...which is still "cheap").

The Hills would end up needing a rebuilt about every 8-9 months.  So far, the two cheap Chinese have gone 2 and 3 years (the rebuild o-ring set still stashed away unused).

OK...RUST HUNTING.

I do take my PCP'sapart, some more than others as some I want to mod and some I just keep as they are).

So I am on the look out for rust.


I'm not finding any I can blame on the pump.


HAve found rust 4 times, but none of the 4 can be blamed on the fill device.

#1. (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE): Found rust in the tube of a brand new rifle.  Certainly can't blame the pump for that; consider it "Factory Rust".  And there may be more of that going on than we know, but likely I'd have blamed it on whatever the fill device (pump/tank/compressor) that got used to fill it if I had waited  a few months to take it apart.

#2 and #3.  Found rust in the tube around the fill gauge,where it entered the air tube to screw into the gauge block.   That area is NOT PRESSURIZED.  It's a gauge block inside the tube, O-ringed at each end,with a hole in the tube for the gauge to pass through.  NO pressure, so the rust was from rain/mist/etc. and not whatever filled the PCP.

#4. Found rust at the very end of an air tube, down at the bottom of the fill cap threads, ahead of the fill cap's o-ring. Another area that is NOT pressurized.  Whatever leaked down the threads of the end cap to the sealing o-ring was just outside enviromental stuff (rain/mist/sweat/boat spray/whatever) and had nothing to do with the fill system.

Know that goes against the grain of common knowledge. But consider that (1) I;'ve been lookinf for +10 years and not finding and (#2) if you've never been inside the air tube before, how do you know the corrosion was then when you bought the rifle?

I Know I should change one AAS s200's tube just becasue it dates to 2003 (15 years of use islikely too much), but I've had it apart to fix the really old-school fill nipple used back then, and it's still as rust/corrosnion free on the inside as ever.



So here is my advice while you use pumps (with out without any kind of DryPac).
PUMP FILLING IS NOT FOR FOLKS IN A RUSH...impatient folks should get a tank or a compressor).  TAKE YOUR TIME!

I only fill it sets of 50-60 pump strokes.
At the end of each 50-60 pumps, I bleed the pump and disconnect.
Take a break...go get a cup of coffee, start a load of laundry, open the mail, watch some TV...kill 5 or 10 min.
Hook the pump up and pump in another 50-60 strokes and start over.


Which favors the little air volumes/lower pressures for pump fillers...the ones that can be refilled from bottom sweet-sopt pressure to top sweet-spot pressure in just 50-60 pumps.


Every pump (from cheap Chinese to Hills) have an expansion chamber either filled with little glass beads or with some kind of filtration.  It's a little tiny moisture trap.  Letting the pump blow out every 50-60 strokes does two things: (1)dumps collected moistue before it totally overwhelms the built in trap and (2) wait time is cool-down time, heat kills that final o-ringMUCH faster than the microscompic wear of movement.


So...the MAxi.  Likely will show it's best shots in a small range of pressure.  Somthing like 2K to 1.1K.  It's only 135CC's of volume; in mine, that's easily under the 50-60 stroke limit of one set....so no cool down wait time...you just pump it and shoot another string (which serves as your cool down time).

Right now, with two "dead" Hills pumps sitting on top of the safe (they whent dead without being used...I just ignored them whiole trying the cheap Chinese pumps and they died from neglect).I'd say (from experince) try the Chinese pumps.

BUT, I would look for one that included the rebuild kit....just in case.

[Watchguy]

Thanks for the hand pump lesson. So it sounds like a Air Venturi G7S from PA at $130.00 (about) would be considered a good cheap Chinese pump? Wouldn't mind paying a little more knowing I could buy from a reputable dealer.

[Unk]

  I also use a cheap Chinese hand pump.  Less than $40 and it works very well.  My 80lb niece pumps up my Maximus in less than 3 minutes.  And I pump up my pp700s-a in less than 2 minutes.  That’s at a pretty leisurely pace at that.

  Pretty easy stuff. 

[Bentong]

Thanks for the hand pump lesson. So it sounds like a Air Venturi G7S from PA at $130.00 (about) would be considered a good cheap Chinese pump? Wouldn't mind paying a little more knowing I could buy from a reputable dealer.

You can get two Chinese pumps with your $130 and some change. You pay more for a popular name for the same performance. Who knows if it came from the same factory. I first bought a Chinese pump 3 years ago and last year bought another Chinese pump for spare $54 and wonder when I will replace the first one for it's still going strong.

[Watchguy]

That's a good point. I could use the extra cash for mods.

Thanks for the hand pump lesson. So it sounds like a Air Venturi G7S from PA at $130.00 (about) would be considered a good cheap Chinese pump? Wouldn't mind paying a little more knowing I could buy from a reputable dealer.

You can get two Chinese pumps with your $130 and some change. You pay more for a popular name for the same performance. Who knows if it came from the same factory. I first bought a Chinese pump 3 years ago and last year bought another Chinese pump for spare $54 and wonder when I will replace the first one for it's still going strong.

[Bentong]

You'll have enough change to get this gold trigger for more shooting pleasure.

[Watchguy]

Are the hose fittings that come with these pumps brass or cad plated steel?

[Ribbonstone]

A bitter pill....but I have to call 'em the way I see them (from actual first hand use of both use):

I can see, having done it, where the hand pump excessive cost has been figurted by the tank-filler/compressore filler folks.

Hills pump: $260
Two years of rebuild kits (assume 1 a year..wich is better than I did): $72
 Two years of dry pack fills (no...whatever "stuff: tey use doesn't recharge like dissicant beads): $130. Can void that if you don't test and prefer to think of the drypac as lasting forever.

Total: $462  (so lets call that $4.44 per week).  Make that $3.19 a week if you never change the DryPac.


Chinese air pump: (not the cheapest, not the most expensive, the middle road with accessories): $60-$70

Has not had to be rebuilt in 2 years, still works well. So lets call that $. 56 per week(and in the 2nd Chinese pump going for 3 years, $.44 per week). And when I do need to rebuild it, it came with the O-rings to do so.


Which pretty much explains why I have two dead Hill's pumps hanging around the place and two Chinese pumps I actually use.

Yep...went and "dissrespectged" Hill pumps....liekly the airguns gods will strike me dead...but it is what it is, and not by reputation, but by actual use.

[mobilehomer]

Instead of the brass trigger, get a Marauder trigger assembly from Crosman, about $55. SUPER SWEET!!!

[datilD]

Instead of the brass trigger, get a Marauder trigger assembly from Crosman, about $55. SUPER SWEET!!!

I added the Marauder trigger and Challenger trigger guard to my Maximus, and it is a huge improvement.  The stock does need a bit of trimming for the trigger group to fit, but it was easy with a hacksaw and files.

[Tater]

My wife's Maximus has a Baker trigger installed and mine has a Marauder trigger. The Baker trigger is a huge improvement and I installed it myself, and I'm not very skilled at working on guns.
The Mrod trigger is way better, but it was pre-installed when I bought the gun used. Not sure how hard it is to install, but it is incredible if you can afford it.
My wife shoots great with the Baker trigger though, which I'm sure could be improved even more with polishing the sear etc...

[Ribbonstone]

Do have a M-Rod type trigger (actually it's on a Challenger) and have swapped it out with two "Disco triggers"  one on a 2260 conversion and the other on a disco.  Didn't directly swap, but didn't need a spacer to adjust to where it was working fine.

It is "better" than a well adjusted Disco trigger...but not enough better than I can see any results on target.

Will say the 2260/Disco/Maxi trigger unit is ugly...it's almost a child's cartoon of what a trigger is...really dispropottional to the rest of the rifle....but it can be made to work well.


Might be in how I was taught to pull a trigger.   Assuming a scope: Crossmairs on the absoulte dead center of the aiming point, appply pressure.  If it wanders off dead cetner, stop applying pressure and HOLD WHAT YOU HAVE.  When it's back on dead cetner, apply a little more pressure.  ERventually, the sear witll trip with the cross hairds dead center.

Doesn't really matter if you are  not so good on a trigger (anything but "slapping"it)...just hold dead on and apply pressure.... maybe up to 2 ounces, cross hairs wander off, then bavck on, and applymaybe 1 ounce, thenb wander off and wa\it for it to get back dead oin, and apply the little fraction of an ounce to get the sear to trip... or if you are  not so good up 10 ounces, then 4ounces, and have ot let go at the last 2 ounces (for a 16 ounce total pull).


Doesnt seem to make a rat'sbbut for sure, "slapping" an ultra litr trigger will stop your grouping progress pretty darned quickly.

[Watchguy]

OK. Done deal. I decided on a "lesser expensive" hand pump. I'll do the Mrod trigger mod sometime soon (in my spare time  ).

Thanks all.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Quite a bit can be done to improve the original Maxi trigger with just a little sanding, polish, and lube in the right spots.

[bmoney]

The Baker airguns trigger was a huge improvement for me.  Not a marauder trigger but it was 30 bucks and took about 5-7 minutes to install.  If you are getting a Maximus, Mrod trigger group and a TKO.......just get a Marauder.

[Dbez1]

Instead of the brass trigger, get a Marauder trigger assembly from Crosman, about $55. SUPER SWEET!!!

X2

[Watchguy]

I think I might go with a Magnum Airpower trigger in stainless.