Snowpeak/Artemis/Remington T-Rex review.

[Racing]

As some of you are aware i do work on pcp´s. Now, as an old hotroder at heart of course i truly enjoy pcp´s that are from the budget tier level.
What can i say? I love sleepers!
Thus.. i just love the Stormrider et al, with all its flipsides and what not as do i cheaper than dirt Aselkons and what have you.

Now. We at first saw the PR get a regulator down the line, which.. i kind of find partly peculiar seeing the mere 100cc tank. But.. whatever i guess.
So.
Semi recently, enter the Snowpeak T-Rex pcp´s. Bullpup and in turn full length rifle. Thanks my vendor, we work active together on various issues n ideas, i got to take a deeper look at both the T-Rex bullpup and the rifle and what struck me is... all they really share is the T-Rex nomer.

The bullpup version is in essence "just" a dressed up n kit´d PR-900 while the rifle is a platform all on its own. One of WAY higher build quality n design. Snowpeak/Artemis.. sure, but to many also the Remington. To be aware of.
Yeah yeah... they´re all in bed with each other i guess.
Anyways.

Albeit the rifle is the slightly more expensive of the two the difference is so slight that as i got to take a deeper look at both picking the rifle to follow me home was in essence a no-brainer.
Yes. Difference is that big.

Altho "old" as concept in as much that we´re talking two separate "entity" pieces (breech n barrel atop the lower tank, valve and hammer tube) it still feels fresh in a manner as it turned out that.. Snowpeak did their homework.
Craftsmanship is way higher than the hang tag indicates (for the rifle that is) while, as noted, the actual "setup" feels very old by now. The two separate entities joined by a common separate transfer port piece. Of course out of brass, what else. 



Gets kind of vivid in this shot me thinks. The thing though, as stated, is that Snowpeak did their homework this time out why the various pieces fit together REAL flawless. As in... daaaayyyyuum even! 

So. What gives?
Well. Per usual two versions, for restricted countries and not so. No matter which though let´s make one thing clear right off. The T-Rex was never DESIGNED to become a powerhouse.
It becomes dead clear after tearing it apart..

A few Q´s sure arose doing so tho. As i write the way the various pieces fit together is just plain flawless but.. Snowpeak went to semi great length to restrict the T-Rex powerwise no doubt.

So. Right off. I´d state that a stock T-Rex in unrestricted form MIGHT reach 25-30J and that´s it. Reasons for this is... peculiar.



"One size fits all", and what that means in this case is that no matter if 177 or 22 or 25 (the three versions available) the innards are the same. Huh? so what?
Well.
Transfer port diameter stock is on 3.5mm and be that as it may the valve seat through and bowl is for some reason limited to a mere 5.00mm diameter. For a 177, sure.
For a 25cal.. not so much in my opinion.

In turn the hammer spring is non adjustable stock, and what that brings as we´re talking differences performance wise/balance for the three versions.. you get the idea. Saving money in manufacture, sure. But.. peculiar IMO.

..and to tell you early on in this, yet one aspect of the T-Rex on that note is that stock shroud n moderator setup is.. an ABSOLUTE joke! 

Andy at AAR on Youtube came to dub the moderator the "Toblerone" version one, and the man sure has a point as it is "Toblerone triangular" to the shape. For what reason - i guess looks was it but, no idea.
But.
What i CAN tell you is that already set to say 10J (like 7fpe) the thing is louder than needed. At 20 Joules we´re talking downright loud for the muzzle energy and at 30... get a grip cause the dead will sit up next to their head stones as the hammer comes down.
What a joke. The thing is that i KNOW Snowpeak can SO much better but... it gets worse! 

I dunno about you guys but airguns, in my opinion, there´s no reason what so ever for a noise floor higher than absolutely needed. Folly even in my opinion, and that piece of plastic GARBAGE out front on the rifle.. h*ll no. Just H*LL no.

But. i´m getting ahead of myself here.

The stock end cap for the hammer spring is this plastic plug that sports a sorts of spring guide, i guess it is. It is held in place by a through pin, which is simple enough to remove.
The hammer spring in turn is nowhere NEAR stressed out or set for performance and the mere lack of adjustability... *shakes head*
This wouldn´t rise manufacturing cost by many pennies in my book, if so just casting that plastic end plug to carry a thread to take an adjuster. So.. i turned a fresh one out of 6086 aluminium that IS threaded (M8) in a jiffy..... and good to go.

The T-Rex, no matter version, is regulated. Regulator is screwed into the valve housing, for a secure positioning i guess. This brings a plenum volume that reminds very much of the Snowpeak P-15 and M-16...and comes all in (if i did my math right) at shy of 20cc´s.
Again something that points to that the design goal n idea of the T-Rex isn´t elevated muzzle power. That much is for sure.

Anyways.



Shroud, yeah. On 25mm outer. The "Toblerone" moderator of it though is another matter and ONCE AGAIN Snowpeak for whatever reason arrived on making things as hard as they could to alter this thing to take the nowadays industry standard 1/2"-20 UNF thread.
Cause see, that plastic garbage there in pic is held on vs the barrel using a sorts of castell nut on a regular M12 thread (in other words VERY coarse thread pitch). Fact is, outer diameter of the 480mm barrel is on 12mm flat.
Thus there´s no real provision for making it 1/2"-20 UNF even and.. as the thing CRIES OUT LOUD for better sound moderation no matter performance level.. get a grip already.



So what i did to remedy this was turn the outer diameter of the snout on the barrel down somewhat and then turn a bung that i set on there pressfit via heat. This bung then carrying 1/2"-20 UNF...
Thus i came to bolt one of my just as homebrew diffusors a´la FX to that bung.. just turned for a 25mm outer diameter shroud and VOILA... we now had a shroud worth mentioning.  Ie, actually bringing noise floor down.

In all of this, please take to heart that i have NO intent what so ever pushing the envelope power wise with this T-Rex. Might be someone goes that route down the line, i will not.
Intent, per usual, is a dead accurate pest remover (rats), for better for worse and i´ll be at rest as long as it hands "decent" numbers for extended shots (out to 60-80 meters) with stellar accuracy. Kentucky windage to be applied as needed.

Thus..  Hm. Seeing that the stock transfer ports are on a mere 3.5mm in liason with the unit being regulated i´d state that nowhere did Snowpeak intend for the T-Rex to pass 35J (25fpe) by any appreciable measure as is. But already at that power level the stock shroud n moderator setup would make the unit WAY WAY WAY to loud for any "backyard work".
Hence why i come off so hellbent on them pieces to be modified. Hence why i´m in kind of amazement on that Snowpeak made the setup as hard to modify as they´ve done. Why?
Just.. why?

3.5mm transfers then. Sure.
But at the same time the poppet is now on a 2mm spindle stock, which is good, but on a seat n bowl of a mere 5.00mm. That of course works for a 177cal T-Rex while for a 22 or 25 not so much.
I opted to make an entirely new poppet (on 8mm outer dia) and then drill the seat through n bowl out to 6.5. Still very conservative for a 25cal pcp but.. hm.

The stock regulator indeed works vs a rather small plenum volume. The reg WORKS as intended and rather well actually, albeit it came very very very soft set as was. Thus i went half a turn out on it right off, and now with results all in i´d state that is being to soft on it still in all honesty.
Cause see (of course due economic restrictions i guess) the unit lacks any provision for a reg pressure gauge. As i feel it needs one i´m going to look into the install of one, that being said.

Again. I´m aiming for a very silent in operation while repeatable rat slayer here why.. again.... You get it.

For a 25cal pcp could i have gone larger on seat/bowl/transfer? Of course. Seat on 6.5mm and in turn transfers on 5,6mm (which the stock transfer bung that sandwich between the two halves of the unit will take with no ills).. welp. No. NOT the intent of a powerhouse but more so an efficient setup that´ll knock out rats with confidence out to say 60-80 meters in the dark using an IR.

That being said then no matter how we regard it the stock tank cc´s vs the plenum yadda yadda.. yeah. We´re at that point again where i aim to reach "decent" numbers at rather low reg pressures. Could i have gone larger on transfer n seat? I guess, but to what avail?

Anyways.
The stock valve housing is a tad different to design as well. Huh? Well. For the protruding poppet spindle there´s a hammer stop/bump at the end of the valve housing and in stock form that hands a mere 1.6-1.7mm protrusion beyond what that stop hands. As many of us are aware that there with poppet lift, few are those that REALLY have looked into the need for that, but again... it tells loads as far as design intent for this pew.
So of course i came to alter that. Now set to 4.2mm flat. First up i cut the stop back on the lathe and then the new poppet was handed a longer spindle vs the stock thing. Why i cut the stop back? To get those few mills of added hammer stroke of course. Stop is still in action, just WAY lower set (approx 1mm now).



Now. I´ve played around quite a bit with that there as far as moderator design as well as shroud efficiency by now, and let it be clear that it just gets worse to make efficient as we push...  pill SPEED, and then as caliber increases - and what not of course.
Where i´m at current this thing is tossing 34´s @ like 840 or so... which needs to be increased slightly IMO. I´d like to see 930-950 to make sure hollow point slugs expand more violent. Spite that though the thing is about whisper silent already.
The diffusor, home brew as stated, is "a´la FX" (they got that part right the first time out IMO). Hands that the stock 25mm dia shroud tube i reused AND in turn added first up an o-ring to the "lower" end cap and in turn handed it filler too.
That being said, with the results in, i´ll cut provision for an o-ring that seals the end cap vs the actual tube too.
The mod in turn, since that there in the pic i´ve come to arrive on that to make pcp´s  "hollywood silent", that takes volume. So since i´ve come to arrive on 50mm dia cans that sport either 5 or 6 chambers (of offset volumes within).
What i´m saying is that the few mods to come as far as that will make this piece even more silent in use. I´ve come to really cherish that there where the "kugelschlag" is way more volume than the actual pcp is. WAY more so even!
Mind you, many here in Europe come to use 22lr suppressors (it works a tad different over here vs the US and rest of the world fwiw) which is fine and dandy to a certain point/level i guess.
As you start pushing a pcp though, if the goal is "Hollywood silent", it soon enough becomes evident that pcp´s need designs VASTLY different vs any 22lr due the pressure curve difference, and the higher the level of performance the more the pressure n mass to muffle so... Suffice it to state that it all goes hand in hand.
What this ALSO brings, and i´ve touted this many a time before, is anal attention to through holes on baffles and end cap vs caliber.
Yes, a 177 gun run towards the speed of sound will be simpler to make "low key" than a dirty 30.. But that being said MUCH can be had from anal attention of said through holes, which WILL take its toll as far as linearity vs the barrel to avoid baffle whip if nothing else (and thus lost level of accuracy).

Point in case, got me a 22cal Reximex Daystar running @ approx 85J (25,4 Knockouts @ 1050) and that thing lacks a shroud even.. but is STILL so silent you won´t believe. For those of you in doubt, just check what "wipes" brings for powder burners and you´ll soon enough get the idea.
Yes, no matter what people seems to get off on this IS the dire truth of the matter.
(Seeing that we ALSO need to get rid of the notion that moderators is to be put on and taken off as were we chaning underware)

Yeah, whatever. Back on the T-Rex.
This "novel" of mine said per above, is it worth the money n effort?
Hm.
Add a threaded end cap for the hammer spring i say and.... as long as you´re ok with the power restrictions of the unit.. yeah. Ie; 30 to MAYBE 35 Joules (25fpe). But again, per above, even at that level the thing NEEDS a better shroud n LDC setup as i regard it.
If you´d be happy with say a 22cal T-Rex that sends 25,4s downrange at say 650fps... then yes. Absolutely. Just keep in mind that sans any more "hardcore" mods that is it.
Accuracy.. is on par with anything else Snowpeak i´d say and then some as i regard it. In short, fool around a tad with fudder and you´ll be hole in hole at 30 meters/yards. Can´t very well ask for anymore than that seeing the money involved.
By the way, be REAL anal about a good clean of barrel innards as you take delivery, before even firing a shot. Whatever goo Snowpeak adds to make rust a thing of the past - it sure does no favors as far as accuracy why that cr*p needs to come out of there asap.

If higher levels of power is craved? Well, then this thing is us tinkerers delight IMO. Much so thanks the materials and design involved. In contrast to the PR-900 and other budget tier pcp´s this one seems to be made to be able to pick apart more than once.

As far as i know the T-Rex rifle is synthetic stock only.
Would a wood one have been a "pleaser"? To be honest, seeing the downright quality of the stock as is... i really doubt it.
The synthetic goes a looooooong way being a budget tier pcp this time in my opinion. The adjustable cheek piece, does it?
Yeah. I´d say... and again. The fit n finish is beyond the hang tag. Way so even.

I´ll have to get back to you on progress.
Unit hasn´t been in my hands all that long so far so.... stay tuned.

[Rohmpm]

Because I am a tinkered, I really enjoy projects like this.

[Racing]

Hey thx!
I´m with you, i modify anything PCP in sight to be honest.

Have spent a wee bit of time getting this thing to shoot to be quite honest. Reason is simple, as i make my diffusors as well as cans on tighter dia through holes than most it brings that when things is even the slightest off.. baffle whip.
But.
From the looks of it i´ve got to terms with that.



As i guess many of you are aware of the build quality of the Stormrider as well as CP-2 and variants thereof.. this is how the T-Rex CARBINE is put together (in contrast to the bullpup). A rather far cry from the Stormrider group guns by Snowpeak if you ask me.
A definite move up no doubt and to see that happen with budget tier guns... me likes. There´s no slack, no "approx" placement on anything. You bolt this thing together and stuff really fits as intended.
Good on you Snowpeak!



Dings.. a matter of you working on the piece, i guess. Spray bombs are cheap after all.. so no whining on my part on that. However.
Back on track.
Getting reasonable power levels out of a 25cal pcp sure isn´t the end of the world but never had i thought that a shroud n LDC setup would come to crave as much as it has done on this T-Rex. Plz keep in mind that i honestly find the stock shroud n LDC setup completely unusable. To the letter.

As stated i´ve come to reuse the stock shroud. Yeah, brings it comes up a tad short to use that stock plastic thingy that goes over the reciever end yadda yadda, and in essence works as a sorts of "barrel band" on the shroud. True. (it is also one of 2 points where the innards are bolted to the stock)
Then again, for solid barrels (in contrast to FX liner setups and what not) i´m a firm believer in trying to make the most of the situation running the barrel free floating so all good.
Uhu. More often than not then sporting a shroud that rides on the thing.
Anyways. To make the rear plug actually work i first up cut a "pocket" within where the barrel goes through the thing to fit an o-ring, to seal the plug vs the barrel. Then i cut back on the step/flange where the shroud meets up with it a tad, and this to widen that step/ledge enough to cater to an o-ring groove there too. Thus sealing the rear cap vs the actual shroud off rather stiff.

So yea. That thing there now sports two o-rings. This MIGHT bring i drill a few well placed 1.5mm dia holes out rear, but then also be adviced that the shroud is stuffed with filler at that.
All of course in an effort to make the shroud as effective it can be at bringing noise level down. Which, i guess, brings us to the diffusor. I´ve come to play around a tad with various designs on the matter and for practical and performance reason i always end up coming back to the basic FX take on the matter. Ie; a diffusor that sports rather large "windows" cut into it on the bridgeport ahead of the "minor diameter" through hole of the piece, rendering that much of them initial pressure spikes gets headed down the shroud and thus cuts back on the workload on the LDC.
I try and keep the through holes, no matter if diffusor, baffles or LDC end cap, on 0,5mm above caliber. Yeah. All to aware what that brings for difference in area between the various calibers, thus becomes a reality when going from say 177cal to 25 cal.. all to aware.
This has led to that when i make my cans for the "higher performance" 25cals that is starting to produce decent power numbers..well.

I guess at this point we get to design goals, expectations and design ideas as far as shroud tech coupled with LDC tech.
I´ve done my fair share of them by now and i recap what i´ve claimed for a while. Through hole, through hole, through hole, through hole...
The less the more effective your shroud and/or LDC will be. No MATTER baffle and/or end cap design. Sure.. more intricate ones (like so called "K" baffles) sure helps, but that takes a MASSIVE rear seat to efficiency due through hole.
..and to arrive on that anal approach to linearity is an absolute must to keep baffle whip and so forth at bay. (which as mentioned at the top.. sometimes comes die hard)
That being said then.



Like many others, i guess, i at first came to try either untouched or modified LDC´s for 22 powder burners out. Often rather small in size all things compared. But as my 25´s started to toss heavier pills and those were closing up on speed of sound.. it in a very vivid manner became evident that the pressure curves of a souped up pcp vs a 22lr .. two entirely different animals.
Trial n error to a large degree, i guess?
Anyways. Since a while back, for the 25´s at least, i´ve opted to increase volume as that sure helps taming these puppies down. So.. have made several iterations thereof, mainly as 5 or 6 chamber jobbies and using "offset" chamber volumes have got the things to become rather hush to be honest. VERY so even.
Those that believe ultimate performance is set via something store bought, think again cause you´ll never be anywhere NEAR what can be had.
Well.
This time out, as the idea ISN`T yet another 25cal screamer i thought i´d cut back on that a tad why i made a somewhat shorter 4 chamber job. In liason with the shroud i´d sure say it works.. To be improved upon?
Yeah. Got a few ideas yet i´m gonna toss at this thing to see what comes out of the bag. Difference vs the stock take for the T-Rex though is already to laugh at. To the letter.

For some reason that whole caliber affair is a rather imperative part of it. In comparsion, just did me a 22cal Reximex Daystar that sports a Huma with an increased volume plenum (70cc´s) and this thing is tossing 25,4 knockouts downrange @ 1060 approx using the same style LDC ONLY. Ie; no shroud and what have you. The larger plenum volume of course being part of lower reg pressures needed to reach the power goal in case - which no doubt is part of it too.

Tolerances are kept tight, through holes are on 6mm flat.... now.. 5 chambers and this thing is so silent in operation you have no idea.
My point being that due the difference in caliber (and thus "free" area vs caliber increase as caliber goes up) i do not expect this T-Rex to reach the same level on LDC alone.
LDC coupled with a shroud though, different matter all together.

But. Yeah. Per above.
I´ll keep you updated upcoming. 

[SADave]

Nice write up and good work.

[Racing]

Hey, thx! 

In a sense i felt this was going nowhere, to me that is. So.. a tad of soul search made me end up implementing a longer n more heavy duty barrel for this thing.
Now on 550mm instead and sporting a threaded end for the breech (3/8" UNF) rendering the use of a brass "thimble".

Made me end up fabbing a fresh diffusor for that barrel as i opted to go 28mm diameter on the shroud too.



Where i´m at i´d state this is borderline seeing what i after all strived for as this project took off.
Huh?
Well. The T-Rex carbine was never intended as any kind of powerhouse per design, this is just a mere fact. However this thing is starting to push it a tad on that note, even at sane reg pressure levels.

As i´ve touched upon before, being very familiar with Snowpeak/Artemis previous "budget tier" offerings the T-Rex carbine (in contrast to the bullpup) is a fresh take on the matter cause in all honesty this thing has come to surprise me with it´s build and material quality level.
It´s like Snowpeak really have done their homework, bar ONE absolute disaster - the stock shroud and "moderator". Which are an absolute joke.

As you can judge from the picture above she´s now running a more sturdy diameter barrel (using a brass thimble then) while still on rather sane transfer port diameter-s. In turn that 28mm shroud, to be ended off with one of my home brew LDC´s up front.
The move for a larger dia shroud, per usual, sure helped. No argument there.

On the new barrel, all settings the same, she´s now spitting out 34´s around 910-920, which i at least find ample. On that note the design goal has been reached no doubt. Now...

The thing is that for the given level of power i know that them shy of 20cc´s worth of plenum simply won´t suffice why that is the next natural step i guess.
In short i´ll aim for a total of like 55cc´s or so, which should entertain the level of performance aimed for just fine. This also entails that i expect noise floor/level to be within realms. In short, that´s part of the package as i regard it.

But.
What is the summary thus far, as far as this budget oriented piece of kit?

Well. Build quality, design and materials are WAY better then what the hang tag suggests. That´s just to be taken to the bank as i regard it. Slightly impressive to be honest how a budget tier pcp can show the qualitys the T-Rex carbine does.
However, those picking a T-Rex up with the belief that by pulling off minor alterations they´ll get themselves a "screamer"... not so much. Ain´t gonna happen.

Please don´t get me wrong here cause in essence anything pcp can be MADE to "scream" need be, that´s not the issue and the few "issues" aside as far as that..the T-Rex will deliver.

If one is dead set on keeping the relatively short stock 440mm barrel, the rearward outer o-ring groove on the outside on the barrel needs to be recut on a lathe slightly rearwards to make more "hardcore" porting a reality. In turn the countersunk recess-s for the brass transfer port between the two "halves" so to say.. that´d need enlarging and a fresh larger diameter transfer be cut to cater. This much for more in depth and "hardcore" mods. That though.. would be it as i see it?

That being said i´m all content on them now 5.7mm transfers in my case. Seeing the regulator it hands me the performance i aim for without going bust in the process by any measure. In turn i´m absolutely positive a slightly increased plenum volume sure will help too though, why that is a step i will take come shortly.
Seeing this rifle has a max fill of 250 bar.. we can afford to drop like 40mm worth of tube length without going mental, at least as i regard it.

So. To defend its place on the rack it´ll shortly be gifted a brand new IR setup ontop. Yep, per usual.. the d*mn rats of course, as it as all my other pcp´s IS a tool to me. To be honest though i have a hard time seeing this thing doing anything but flying colors as far as that seeing where we´re at.

Summary?
The T-Rex in my opinion is well worth the money. Build quality, materials involved and design (albeit per definition "old") is way higher than the hang tag suggests. Fit n finish, right up there. Accurate enough no matter (which to my mind most Snowpeak guns actually are).

Without more hardcore mods pulled though i´d be hard pressed to state this thing would reach much beyond 35J even in 25cal as is. That.. to be kept in mind.
Porting and so forth done though, even on the stock plenum, output can be raised considerably - at a very very reasonable cost (as most pcp´s).

"Must do" mods then?
Yes. Making the hammer spring adjustable i´d say is one. Replace the 1st stage trigger spring with one way lighter. Trigger assy is good enough as is though as i see it, just needs to be adjusted.

The next one up though.. WAY harder, and that´s to replace that c*ap up front, that joke of a shroud n moderator. Might be some don´t think all that much of it but i sure do why i´d state that even at 25J of power we´re past "backyard friendly" and then some - if you want to keep the ppl next door happy.
Reading this novel of mine (by now) consider yourselves warned - just taking that c*ap off of there. Barrel on a vise, a drift and a hammer is needed. Work gently. Be aware that there´s a nut on there that bolts the outer "Toblerone" on there, in other words the innards needs to be pulled out of there first using pliers.

This said very well aware of that i´m an absolute anal nutcase as far as that there with sound level (or more to the point the lack thereof).
However. Keeping the stock setup or not just be AWARE that the T-Rex can be made SO much more quiet in operation (see pic above) vs what is it´s to laugh at. Fact is, Snowpeak.. if you´re listening at all - redo and do it RIGHT this time out. No more plastic garbage of use to noone, no more metric one off threads. Hand it a diffusor worth its name and a shroud to follow - in turn a 1/2"-20 UNF out front to let your CUSTOMERS decide on noise level.
YES! Even for an entry level pcp.
In turn, seeing the distance between the stock shroud and the tube.. one can easily make a shroud on 35mm need be. I opted to stay with 28 - for now. You do the math.

[Racing]

This one made backburner, due a load of reasons.

However, today it was time to get that plenum done. All said if i did my math right that came all in on approx 60cc´s and add to that what was there to begin with. In short.. like 75cc´s or so where we´re at.

Transferports weren´t exactly hogged out on this one, simply as i have no need for yet another "fire breather" but more so a dependable and usable "ratter" all said. One that will take a beating being tossed around the shop, one that´ll fall over without bringing anyone to tears cause of it.. and so on. On power, if memory serves i set transfers to 5.6mm.
To add to that although the hammer spring has been replaced the new one on there isn´t beyond sane why anyone can still cock the rifle without going berzerk on it.

Well guess what.
I filled the little mag with JSB 33,95´s and put the FX brick up. Right.
1040fps. Nothing changed beyond that plenum now in place. That´s a cool 110 Joules/81fpe for ya, right there.

Seeing that though i feel what i´ll come to do is dial the thing BACK as i have no real use for any 110 Joules. Goal/aim here is indeed a rather sturdy ratter that´ll help me trip them critters over out to 100 meters and that´s it.
As such i feel that for a 25 anything beyond 75-80 is just wasting air to no real avail.

However.
I´ve had the thing apart for quite a while right. Got to screw the valve housing to the plenum and in turn the plenum to the reg.
Now as i fill her up to 250bar power is down by quite a margin until it reaches like 200 bar fill and then all *(&^ breaks loose (110 Joules right) approx until i see like 150 bar or so on the fill gauge.
Something is no doubt amiss here, need to rip the valve/plenum/reg back apart again and have a more in depth look at what´s going on.

Another thing i did was reshape the trigger blade quite a bit. First up, stock it´s nothing short of ugly and what´s more "feels" peculiar too.
Dremel made short notice of that.
Doing that i also came to realize yet two things.
I like my triggers on my pcp´s light. As in very light. The T-rex can´t really be adjusted that and the main reason why not as i´ve figured is that the sear and the "lifter" that acts on it has their corners rounded off.
I presume to not have customers banging on Snowpeaks door due premature sear life.
However, at the same time the moving parts of the trigger group, trigger blade included, are out of super hardened "chinesium".. so i believe i´ll go after that there and sharpen things up a bit to be able to adjust the trigger even finer than what´s there to be had stock.
Due reshaping of the trigger blade coupled with a good half an hour just playing around with adjusting the thing and replacing springs as i saw fit.. the trigger is now at least usable.
But.
Chinesium, and that´s an issue as i realized the unit would really be helped by an overtravel adjustment. As the thing breaks i´d really like to see a more defined "stop" on the trigger.
So i annealed that part of the trigger blade to a cool orange colour.. and let it air cool.
Nope.
Still hard as a MF. So i´ll be picking up some 135 angle drill bits on 2.6mm come tomorrow as i really want this done.

But.. again. The performance of the regulator. Weird. Really need to get that handled.

More to it?
Yes. Yes there is. No doubt the thing is current a sorts of air hog. Not is as much that shot count is miserable, more so it can be HEARD it is.
Instead of the typical *thud* that´s to be there it´s more of a *woooosh*, which tells me there´s hammer bounce.
Setting an SSG up i guess is a no-brainer to a degree but truth be told i´d this time much rather look into a dead stop a´la what Hatsan and others use.
If nothing else to get to that very dry *thud* when firing the unit.

[Racing]

Took the reg out and apart, seems there was a bit of dirt hung up in there.
Cleaned that out and now it works as intended.

While at it i turned reg pressure down a little, and came to adjust that a couple of times in total. As the puff lacks reg pressure gauge i took to checking vs the chrono and it seems reg pressure is now set @ approx 130-140 somewhere.
Took to playing around with hammer spring a bit...

So, happy. Huh? Yeah, now it spits 33,95@ approx 920 and the reg seems to keep it rather narrow around that point. SD and ES are anything but out of whack, on the contrary.

Well? Does a T-Rex handed an absolute *rapload of work shoot?



Yes it shoots. This is @ 44 meters measured with my Bushnell range finder. Group can no doubt be improved upon and i sorts of discovered something today as far as the T-Rex. On a bi-pod and no rear rest it sure moves around a bit. Hence why i with confidence state that that group there can be improved upon. (That there is 1 full clip. Ie; 9 shots in total)
In all honesty as is in short not the best of bench rest puffs.. cause it´s simply to light. Would better rubber feet on the bi-pod and a rear mono pod or sack help?
Absolutely certain of that but no matter.. the thing WILL shoot. As i see it we somewhere around here need to keep in mind that this is a budget level gun.





Current setup. That´s an Accufire Noctis TR-1 ontop there, *ell the scope is about twice as expensive as the puff! 

As i got exit speed down of course the shroud n moderator came to muffle the beast way better too. Gone is the *woosh*, left is a simple *thud* - which is more like it.

Sorry to say though, although i have to admit i don´t regard it as a major malfunction exactly, it´s got a slow leak past the o-rings on the regs outer circumferance. In other words, needs to come apart again and a better solution than i came up with at first needs to be arrived on. No worries though.

Trigger then?



T-Rex carbine is a bit peculiar in that it sports sorts of a "window" for where the sear and the intermediate lever meets up, and see the intermediate lever is what holds the adjustment allen stoppie..
Stock the corners there are rounded off, i per above assume for liability reasons, so what i did was take that intermediate doo-hickey outta there and attacked the NOSE of it with a disc on the Dremel tool. Sharpening the edge of it while also laying the surface back such that the edge would 100% be what the sear sees.
Yes.
This worked and worked rather well. The trigger assy sports a sear, an intermediate lever and in turn the trigger blade - that also sports a lever to work on the intermediate one.
Creep is about gone completely and the thing now "breaks as glass". However, with a setup like this the amount of trigger force needed becomes a matter of hammer spring force too.
In short, one needs to balance all of that off.

Where we´re at though it now sports an absolutely decent trigger, it sends 34 grain pills downrange @ 920fps and it does so reasonably accurate.

In short?
Might be that the T-Rex is a budget/entry level pcp. Might be it needs a little work to shine. It´s still an extremely well made piece of kit for the money why it with a bit of TLC added turns into a unit that´ll rate an easy double the money it costs.

Impressed?
Yes? I guess i actually am to degree.

Now, if Snowpeak would just ditch that moronic shroud and "moderator" setup in the bin where it belongs and go with the flow as far as 1/2"-20 UNF out front.. the T-Rex would be an absolute bomb imo.