Ruger Black hawk elite de-tune

[seitg74]

Thinking about trying to de-tune the Ruger Black Hawk.  Would you guys cut coils off the spring or buy a kit?  My only tune is my XS 12 which was an easy spring load.  Looking to make her a 12 ft lb rifle because I like the trigger.  Not sure how much effort it take s manipulating this spring or if I would just be better off with a kit somewhere.  Thanks.

[Roadworthy]

You don't really need to buy a kit.  You can purchase just a spring if you wish.  If the coil wire of the new spring is thinner than the wire of the old one you will get a softer recoil.  The kit should give you smoother performance and help reduce twang but the lighter spring may be all you want.  It's far less expensive than a kit and leaves your original spring intact should you wish the power in the future.

[seitg74]

Thanks Road.  Any info on where I can purchase a spring/vender?  Last place I got my tune lubes from is down because of health issues.

[D14Jeff]

http://vortekproducts.com/ourstore/airgun%20Springs/PG2-Springs/airgun-spring

[seitg74]

Thanks Jeff I'll get a spring.  Do you guys suggest I replace anything else like a piston seal? Or will the spring and lube be good to go?

[Kailua]

Get the seal its most likely the factory seal and a aftermarket seal should be better than factory.  You might want to try and cut your present spring just for the fun of it.  Lots of internet info on how to do it.  JMO

[Roadworthy]

By the way, Air Rifle Headquarters is back.  They are not selling any custom work but they're open for business on a somewhat limited basis.  The backlog could be ferocious, though.

[seitg74]

I ordered the D34 PG2 docile spring and Diana Piston Seal ProSEAL28 from Vortek.  I am done with the rifle but didn't put the ProSeal in because it looked like it wouldn't fit on the piston?  Inside diameter of the seal looked very small for the diameter of the piston top it would have to stretch over.   Wish I would have taken a picture.  Factory didnt' look too beat up so kept it on.  Just put a fair amount of moly on the piston and seal, black tar on the spring.  Put it back together and have maybe a 100 shots through it.  So far not too happy with the results.  was expecting more of a drop in power with less recoil and better accuracy.  Was shooting high 900s close to 1000 with Crosman 7.9 grain pellets.  Now I'm getting a wide range of 860s to 915ish.  Accuracy is all  over the place.  Not sure if there is another long break in period or I should have put a different seal in it?  Any experience or suggestion would be be appreciated.  Thanks.  T

[lillysdad621]

probably dieseling as the docile RWS spring should give you no more than 12 fpe or about 800 fps, or about 820 with crosman CPL. make sure you did not over lube it. I generally only use enough to "coat the metal" so it feels oily. clean the seal and make sure is intact. if accuracy is suffering then consistency in velocity might be an issue. a softly tuned airhawk is a pleasure to shoot... i wish they were still available.

[seitg74]

I was thinking it was dieseling at first because of the high speed but never see any smoke.  Have quite a few pellets through it.  I covered the piston completely with moly and around the piston seal.  So I possibly over did it?  I will try to break it down again because the accuracy is terrible.  I want to look at that ProSeal 28 to make sure it won't fit.  I will try to post a pic because vortek says it fits a Diana 34.  Thanks.

[Anylizer]

 the seal will have to be stretched a little to be installed on the piston. The end that you can see is a larger diameter than the base... kind of a Dovetail... if that makes any sense? 

  Warming it up(seal) in hot water might help with installation.

[Anylizer]

 Here is a pic of a piston with the seal removed...

[seitg74]

Thanks for the tip and pic Tim.  I was wondering if it would stretch but then thought the seal seemed too firm to stretch.  I will heat it up with water or a hair dryer and give it a shot.  Hopefully that will make a difference on the performance.

[DonH]

I don't know about a hairdryer. But i used boiling water just a few seconds and it slipped right on. Put the seal on the table and pushed the piston on, worked really good for me. I took the original spring and cut one link off, heated the end with a torch and bent the last ring square then ground it flat. worked great.

[seitg74]

Update on the Ruger.  Took her apart, heated up the new seal and got it to stretch with the help of a small flat screw driver.  Cleaned out the old tar and moly paste.  Light coat of moly on the piston and put it back together without problems.  Pretty easy gun to work on compared to my Hatsan nightmare.  Ran shots across the chrony and were pretty much mostly under 820 fps with 7.9 crosman.  Maybe 30 pellets through it sighting the scope and shooting about 3/4" group at 20 yards.  Way better than my 3-4 inch before.  Thanks for the help once again guys.  I might have a super smooth, accurate shooter here as she continues to settle in.  T

[lillysdad621]

Im glad... that is the power level that gun shines the most at... now you need a second screw mod on that trigger, a decent 3-9 scope and a little time at the range... That set up is one of those "if i had only one gun" that works uncanningly well...

[seitg74]

Sweet, I'll look into that trigger mod because I don't know anything about it.  This project was to try and hold me over until I can get that HW50s lol.  The Ruger is a little long and bulky to take that spot.  My XS12 is the right size but trigger is pretty bad.

LD what pellets do you prefer with the Ruger Black hawk elite?  Seems all the Crosmans are good with it. At this power level I didn't know if it was detrimental to try something heavier like the ultra mag 10.5?  They have been missing from the Walmarts around here lately so I might have to order some. T

[keeper89]

I have had a BHE in 177 for 3 seasons. It has a Maccari kit in but not a soft spring, a regular strength spring.....prior to installing the kit,
I had managed to shoot it enough to break the original spring! Anyway, to make a long story short, mine REALLY likes the JSB 7.33--
they outshine everything else I have tried in that particular rifle--lots of fun, very smooth and much more accurate--Leapers 3-9 is holding up well...
so anyway, it's not hard at all to turn a 100 dollar springer into a 300 plus dollar project gun! I do believe the knowledge you gain along the way is worth plenty.....

[longhunter]

I wouldn't shoot the 10.5's with the softer spring. too hard on the spring. stick with the 7.9 cph's.
as far as the two screw trigger mod, send the trigger to mike at flying dragon. he'll mod it for you, and send it back. only costs a couple bucks.
 polish up the sears and the piston latch plates. remember that the bevels on the latch plates both have to face forward, toward the piston, or, the piston won't latch.

[lillysdad621]

I agree with everything that longhunter said but one thing... I wouldn't shoot the 10.5's with the softer spring.

I say try all pellets and shoot the one the gun likes best, no matter the weight. all springs fatigue and i had springs last literally 2 tins of pellets (RWS superdomes 8.3 gr on an R9!!! none the less) and had some guns still shooting heavy pellets on the original spring. metal fatigue is a funny thing, and is very unpredictable. Plus how hard and expensive was to replace the spring??? not very (unless you are shooting a wishcombe...lol). a difference of 2 gr is not going to put undue strain on your spring (yes, i agree that it will strain it a bit more, but not an ungodly amount of strain). Try the heavies... maybe the gun likes it and you will find a very sweet firing cycle... or maybe  not. I would start with a medium weight and then move up from there.this advice is worth exactly 2 pennies...