disapointing R9

[RKM]

+One with Pasadena Mike. I shot my R-9 with just a scope addition and a trigger adjustment from new in 1990 through 2015 when it started twanging super bad and when I finally took it apart , I found a broken spring. I cleaned it up added a PG2 kit and the new grease and seals that came with it. So the first round was 24 years or so with zero maintenance and the second round is still going strong 10 years later. I really have no idea if it has lost any real power throughout the years, and really don't care. it has slain many plastic army dudes and dinosaurs at 25 yards, and that’s pretty much why I bought it in the first place. I don’t think we have to tune these guns to make them shootable for back yard ranges. I just think like any other sport, we get caught up in it’ seek out ways to find the next level. In 2016 ish I also bought a HW30 urban pro from AOA. Swapped out the scope for a 2x7x32 Hawke Airmax and a trigger adjustment and have been shooting it since then. Other than the linkage points and barrel hinge points I have never lubed it. It twangs a bit, but it sure shoots nice. JMHO

[nced]

I've been a R9/HW95 "fan boy" for decades but the first thing I do with a new HW springer is to fit a better aftermarket spring (prefer the ARH solutions) and a home turned tight fitting spring guide to kill twang/vibration plus the ARH springs have lasted longer than the factory springs.

Here is a pic of loose fitting HW spring guides that allow twang and vibration however the newer HW95 guide was definitely a snugger fit than the older R9 guide............

[Motorhead]

My custom guides made to fit the spring in use ... have ZERO taper !!
Having the "Chinese finger Trap" effect capture the entire spring within the guide all at once damps the vibrations dead !!!

Do what ever works for you tho is my motto. it's all good stuff 

[nced]

Same here!
After buying a complete spring kit from ARH and noticed that the guide fit to the spring was REALLY TIGHT but it worked really well without twang or vibration!

When I started cutting my own spring guides I kept the "tight to spring fit" but developed a type of "personal tightness calibration" to give twang/vibration free shot cycle from a "pre-set" spring. I cut my Delrin guides tight enough that they can't be pulled from the spring (the Chinese handcuff effect) without first twisting the spring contrary to the coil wind with a firm pull. If the guide is loose enough to be pulled straight from the spring without needing "twisting while pulling" the shot cycle might have some "felt vibration" even though the "twang" will be gone (IMHO, easier to kill twang than vibration). On the other hand, if the guide to spring fit is so tight that it can't be removed from the spring with a "twist opposite spring wind with firm pull" I consider the fit too tight. I've noticed that if I made the "spring to guide fit" too tight a few of the coils around the guide will still be compressed after the spring is decompressed.

I guessing that the reason HW (and others) use a "looser than optimum" guide fit is to accommodate the inconsistent spring geometry. LOL, I also found that would springs inside diameter vary along it's length and one closed end can be a few thou larger or smaller that the opposite end. It seems to me that this would be problematic for factory assembly unless the guide fit was a bit "sloppy" to accommodate all variations of spring geometry. Also, it's generally considered that "loose fit guides" provide maximum higher velocity which is the number buyers (especially newer buyers) consider a "selling feature".