Air Strippers, Do They Work??

[Nico5999]

I have been looking for something to put on the muzzle of my webley Raider other than an Umarex Ported muzzle brake.  On pyramydair I saw the Hatsan Air Strippers and since they have the same threads that are on my raider, I figured I would try one.  But, before I do, I wanted to know if anyone had any experience with air strippers.  Do they actually improve accuracy?  I'm fairly certain that it will fit on my Raider because I talked to a few members and they said they put them on guns that weren't Hatsan guns (one member had one on an LGV).

If they don't really improve accuracy I'll just get a TKO moderator  (and yes, I do know that the air stripper isn't designed to reduce noise).

[Motorhead]

Strippers do work as intended .. tho as too better accuracy, that would be very subjective to a lot of testing with or without one attached.
Most opt to go the LDC route and hush the bark 

[QVTom]

I see quite a few FT rifles with strippers....... I wonder if the weight is changing the vibration nodes or the stripping of the air is actually increasing the accuracy?

Tom

[Sfttailrdr46]

The weight at the end of the barrel must change some of the dynamics but if the rifle is tuned properly I think the stripper just adds to the bling factor more than performance. I think that Sott has the better idea add an ldc an soften the bark. I think that air strippers have a greater effect taming muzzle flip on a PB than an AG

[rsterne]

I have several Hatsan air-strippers, and properly adjusted I find they can improve accuracy, sometimes by quite a bit.... Improperly adjusted, they can make it worse.... I have never had one (yet) that was worse, when properly adjusted, than without a stripper.... so in balance I would say that they work....  The air gap seems to work best between 1-2 calibers (eg. 1/4-1/2" gap on a .25 cal), but adjustments as small as 1/2 mm (0.020") can make a big difference in group size, so be prepared to put in the time to find the best setting.... I have usually found a "bell-curve" around the smallest group size, with small adjustments both ways being slightly worse, and the further you are from the sweet spot the worse the accuracy....

Air strippers are a totally different thing from a muzzle brake, which uses directional ports to reduce recoil or muzzle flip (primarily on a PB), and while both can definitely change the barrel harmonics because of the added weight, the shallow, tapered cone of the stripper, which is adjustable, "strips" some of the muzzle blast off from behind the pellet and can improve accuracy when adjusted correctly....

Bob

[Sfttailrdr46]

  Thank you Bob for the clarification I guess I was confusing apples with oranges again   

[QVTom]

Thank you Bob for the clarification I guess I was confusing apples with oranges again   

LOL, that's what happens when you have to call an apple and orange.  In final analysis,  they both are not fruit

[mbouchpcp]

I have the Hatsan stripper.  I shoot measurably tighter groups with it attached and teaked.  I've found this to be true for both my LGV and for my 22 Airwolf.

I assume the measurable improvement is due to less air disturbance when the pellet leaves the muzzle.  I assume this based upon what the Cardews found and wrote in "From Trigger to Target".  Specifically, "the combination of pellet, barrel, and velocity have a far greater influence on the size of the group than any amount of vibration from a rifle in good condition."

I admit I may have misinterpreted much of what they wrote. The reason is my limited understanding of anything to do with mathematics. Hence the word "physics" to me is just another word for "magic" and the Cardew book had lot's of magic tricks within it.