New company for my 392

[35 shooter]

Tom,

Great to hear those pointed pellets are working well for you. Gives me even more confidence in them now.

They shoot well in my 1377 too, just never had a rifle do well with them till now.... I was glad to see it happen.
With the penetration they showed in wood, they should be skull crackers for sure.
They went at least as deep in pine as my 392 with gamo magnums.

Hope this little rifle keeps up that kind of performance as it keeps breaking in.

[35 shooter]

This rifle keeps making a liar out of me lol.

Right when I thought everything was going to be allright, it started shooting random again and retaining air and building each shot... almost locked the valve once, but luckily it dumped after l pulled the bolt back and tried again.

Spent the afternoon looking for a lighter spring
and tearing it down.
Good news is it has a brass valve and not the aluminum they used for awhile... that’s about the end of the good news.

The bad news was everything on this 2005 model did’nt go smoothly.
The first thing was the valve screw... I had to remove it all the way with a wrench... it was full of some kind of thread locker.
The ones i’ve Worked on before you loosened it with a wrench, then unscrewed by hand.

Same when I put it back in after replacing the valve spring... I turned by hand about 2 turns, then had to use a wrench the rest of the way, even after cleaning the threads grrrrr!

Supposed to turn by hand till tight, then give a quarter turn with the wrench to tighten down.
The way I had to do it, I had to guess not to overtighten and damage the valve.
I kind of went by the trigger group being able to just slip under the nut when putting it back together.

I had a few pumps in the valve and it blew out the back easily when I gave it another quick pump after removing the valve screw but, going back in after valve work, I had to tap it pretty hard with a wood dowel all the way back in... very tight air chamber.
I’m surprised it blew out so easily after trying to get it back in. There was no slack at all to get it lined back up with the screw.

Wound up finally tapping it a bit too far and had to remove the roll pins from the pump arm and tap it back with a dowel from that end.

Lol, had to do all this twice as I tried to compress the original spring first and put it back in. It was still retaining too much air, so did it all again with the lighter spring I found.
It was on that spring that I wound up taking the roll pins out.

It does retain a very light “puff” of air on 8 pumps, but it’s not building on subsequent shots.
I got lucky on the only spring I could find that looked like it had the right tension.
If it starts building again i’ll Order one I know will work.
I think it’s going to work fine the way it is though, although this particular 397 keeps fooling me lol.

Accuracy is still on and off with it.. it will jam with gamo red fires and Crosman pointed for awhile and then start throwing a flyer or two, then go back to jamming?
Quality control on those tins of pellets or a bedding or crown problem?

Maybe I just have’nt found the pellet it really likes yet.
Got the air problem licked for now... on to the accuracy problem.

Never seen a 392 or 397 as hard to work on and get to shoot as this one.... oh well... bit of patience and we’ll see.
May try a parallax adj. scope on it, but really don’t think that’s what the problem is.

[35 shooter]

Okay, after running about 100 or so pellets through after working on the valve spring.... no retained air at all on 8 pumps.
It broke in very nicely. Have’nt tried more pumps so far just to see.

The best news is it’s back to literally driving nails with the Crosman premier pointed pellets.
I did back off the stock screw a quarter turn from jam tight for best results.

All is right with the world for now.

[wll2506]

Okay, after running about 100 or so pellets through after working on the valve spring.... no retained air at all on 8 pumps.
It broke in very nicely. Have’nt tried more pumps so far just to see.

The best news is it’s back to literally driving nails with the Crosman premier pointed pellets.
I did back off the stock screw a quarter turn from jam tight for best results.

All is right with the world for now.

I know exactly how you feel ... I'm taking my 392 valve out of my gun again, to cut off a couple of threads on the end of the valve and shorten the check valve. I very much hope this will give me a solid 545fps with ten pumps using Monsters .... I think It really should !!,

I'm hoping the little bit of extra volume while keeping the pressure the same with the added two pumps gives me what I'm after. I then with 6 to 8 pumps will see what speed I get with JSB Jumbo Heavies at 18.1gr. The use of the heavies are for smaller game where I really don't need  a whole lot of energy, I'm getting about 575fps (13.3fpe) now, but should get around 625fps (15.7fpe) and that would be awesome !! These pellets still should put a serious wack on stuff in my hunting zone of 25-40ish yards!!

I very well may extend the adjustable piston about another 1/32 as I'm getting close to the oil opening and another 1/32 would put the cup almost halfway in the air hole !!

I will also see if a very thin washer will fit in the on either side of the lever link to minimize movement.

wll

[35 shooter]

Will,

I think with what your about to do to the valve and check should get you where you want to be.

Think the spring you have in the valve now will still work with those changes?

[wll2506]

Will,

I think with what your about to do to the valve and check should get you where you want to be.

Think the spring you have in the valve now will still work with those changes?

Buddy, that spring is a good one, at 9 pumps, the most my strength could muster, I got no air held in the valve, I was very happy with that. looking forward to ripping into this gun again. I will see if I will cut off two threads or three (~1/8 or 3/16). The only thing I'm worried about cutting 3/16 is the loss of structural integrity to plow the valve ? Remember with 10 pumps I'll probably have close to 1000-1100psi in the brass valve ... Most 8 pump Benji's are in the 800psi I believe ... I could be wrong ? I'm defiantly not in the mood to blow a valve ;-  )

wll

[35 shooter]

Will,

I think with what your about to do to the valve and check should get you where you want to be.

Think the spring you have in the valve now will still work with those changes?

Buddy, that spring is a good one, at 9 pumps, the most my strength could muster, I got no air held in the valve, I was very happy with that. looking forward to ripping into this gun again. I will see if I will cut off two threads or three (~1/8 or 3/16). The only thing I'm worried about cutting 3/16 is the loss of structural integrity to plow the valve ? Remember with 10 pumps I'll probably have close to 1000-1100psi in the brass valve ... Most 8 pump Benji's are in the 800psi I believe ... I could be wrong ? I'm defiantly not in the mood to blow a valve ;-  )

wll

I’ve considered doing that kind of valve work to my 392 for a couple of years now and just never got around to it.
I was going to angle the hole in the valve for better air flow to the port also.
Saw a video of a guy using a small round file instead of a dremel tool to do that very thing.

In stock form my 392 will bury a 14 to 16 gr. pellet past the skirt in a pine or poplar board at 50 yds., so I still have’nt bothered doing anything else to it.
However, now that I have this 397 running right, I may very well have the 392 steroided lol.
I’ve been thinking about that for quite a while now. A magnum 22 pumper would be right up my alley, though I would probably rarely pump it to full capacity.
It would still be nice to have that capability for days I feel like a workout lol.

[35 shooter]

Just a follow up on my new 397 after having it for a couple of weeks now.

I wound up taking the strap on padded shell holder off the butt stock as I did’nt like the extra width it was adding.... just did’nt feel right.
Gave the barska scope back to my 392 and put a Winchester set 4 power with adj. parallax on the 397.

A member here( they know who they are and can chime in if they want to) sent me some Beeman pointed 8.4 gr. pellets to try.
They turned out to be absolute nail drivers in this rifle. I, shot several 5 shot 20 yd. groups from the bench that thehole would just get a bit blacker each shot with them.
The first time that happened, I actually got up from the bench  and walked down to the target after the third shot to make sure I was still hitting the target lol.
Not bad at all for less than a penny a pellet on the 3 tin and get one free deals!
1/4” round holes are common 5 shot groups at 20 yds. when this old man can do his part lol.

Thanks so very much for sending the Beemans for me to try out. Got to give them a try in my 880’s now

Can’t wait for the June squirrel season to try this 397 out on them.
It will be hot enough here by then that i’ll Need to skin them before they hit the ground and the mosquito’s will be thick.
Oh well, you know how it is when you have a new air rifle to try out lol.

[Creaker]

Buddy,
     If ever do pull your valve out,hopefully has delrin(?) exhaust valve. I just ordered a spare for my 392
and it came with one.Glad to see that change. Must have torn mine apart a half dozen times for leaking
“rubber” seal.A real pain. Thought about a 397 but hard to feed my 392 for all the pellets I want to try.
LOL.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Just a follow up on my new 397 after having it for a couple of weeks now.


Can’t wait for the June squirrel season to try this 397 out on them.
It will be hot enough here by then that i’ll Need to skin them before they hit the ground and the mosquito’s will be thick.
Oh well, you know how it is when you have a new air rifle to try out lol.

Buddy.....I'll be looking forward to your future posts in the Hunting Gate....with your 397 !     


Best Wishes - Tom

[35 shooter]

Buddy,
     If ever do pull your valve out,hopefully has delrin(?) exhaust valve. I just ordered a spare for my 392
and it came with one.Glad to see that change. Must have torn mine apart a half dozen times for leaking
“rubber” seal.A real pain. Thought about a 397 but hard to feed my 392 for all the pellets I want to try.
LOL.

Thanks for the tip Ray,
As far as the 392, i’ve found Gamo Magnum pointed hard to beat in mine.
I really like the 397 too and it was too good of a trade to turn down.... he and I both walked away happy!

It “seems” a tad more accurate than my 392 with the Beeman pellets, but it would be hard to prove on any given day.... both have turned out to be nail drivers.

[35 shooter]

Just a follow up on my new 397 after having it for a couple of weeks now.


Can’t wait for the June squirrel season to try this 397 out on them.
It will be hot enough here by then that i’ll Need to skin them before they hit the ground and the mosquito’s will be thick.
Oh well, you know how it is when you have a new air rifle to try out lol.

Buddy.....I'll be looking forward to your future posts in the Hunting Gate....with your 397 !     


Best Wishes - Tom

Thanks Tom,

I’m looking forward to getting this one in the woods for sure.

[35 shooter]

Further shooting with the new Winchester scope has revealed the 2 best pellets tried so far.
Crosman pointed and the Beeman pointed pellets are consistently shooting super tight 20 yd. groups... can’t wait to test these two out at 50 yds.

The Crosman pointed shoot the tightest groups from this rifle, but the beemans are right there with them.
I really like the moly coating on the beemans and they have a nice wadcutter like flat behind the longish pointed tip... should provide quite a shock on impact!
The Crosman pointed penetrate a bit deeper in a 1” pine board at 20 yds....1/2” to 5/8” to the tip of the point into it compared to about 3/8” for the beemans.
The beemans are expanding a bit though, so they would probably impart more shock?
Either will work for my purposes!



Kind of strange that both my 392 and now the new 397 like pointed pellets best so far.
Oh well... i’ll Feed them what they like.