tf89=fail!

[airjunkie]

hey guys i so a friend of mine that i left my tf89 with for the week said he sighted it in perfect at 15yds. assuming all was well we went out to get some nutters. i took about 5 shots each at 3 different tree rats and the pellet hit a different spot each time. so perturbed off we head back to the house to punch some paper. i was shooting off had for a few shots at 10yds and my groups were about 1.5" then i shot about 10more shots from a sand bag and my groups looked like buckshot. i couldnt get consistancy out of this gun for the life of me. what gives? p.s it freakin kicks like a mule!! id rather shoot 3in shells out of a 12g LMBO!

[only1harry]

Honestly, you will get a LOT more help in some of the other forums here in the GTA, especially the Chinese Gate forum for your TF89.  Also try the Airgun Gate, the CO2/HPA Gate, and the Shop talk/Airgun MODS Gate to help you with your other questions from previous posts.

[arathol]

Sounds like your friend did more than just tinker with the sights.  Did he "lube" it for you too ?

[LongIslandArcher]

Shooting off-hand, were you gripping your rifle's forestock or letting it rest on your palm?

[airjunkie]

Sounds like your friend did more than just tinker with the sights.  Did he "lube" it for you too ?

naw he didnt even take it apart as far as i know.

Shooting off-hand, were you gripping your rifle's forestock or letting it rest on your palm?

i tried both. today the plug on the stock fell off and i noticed that one of the stock screws was very loose. hopefully that was the reason why.

[sjfrockerdude]

Loose screws would tend to do it!

[airjunkie]

so what would be the proper hold for this gun? would i be better off using it with a bipod or shooting off a rest?

[LongIslandArcher]

Loctite all the screws and let them set up for 24 hours.  Then try holding the rifle both ways and shoot 5-shot groups each way.  Normally, I'd say use a loose grip and let the rifle just sit on your palm.

[airjunkie]

got it. and does anyone know tech forces policy regarding replacement parts? the screw holding in the front sight backed out and now i dont have a front sight anymore im scared to put a scope on the "dang" thing after it destroyed the Leapers scope i had on there.

[LongIslandArcher]

You could buy a new "old" TF99 rifle: http://www.compasseco.com/tech-force-rifles-tech-force-caliber-rifles-c-233_34_183.html and use it for parts...

[daveshoot]

I will just throw this out there... but if a TF-89 "kicks like a mule" and is breaking decent quality air-rated scopes and is shooting inconsistently, you might have a seal problem. If the seal is torn up and air is getting past it, you would have a classic case of piston slam, which would do all of those things.

If the stock screw tightening doesn't do it, this might be a place to look next.

[AirScopes]

I assume you shot it before just dropping it off? I assume it was working before you did? When your Leapers broke (which is really starting not to be a surprising event to me) it was the scope that was used to sight in? If you don't have front sights and you have a broken scope, what are you using to aim with? I'm wondering if part of the problem is the scope. Certainly the bucking would cause the trouble with the scope, but then the bucking isn't 'normal'. I have 3 of these, and all of them are tuned. The first one I tuned was when the gun suddenly failed...I'd just got it sighted in the day before, and the second shot on the next day, it failed. I sent it off to Gene when it stopped shooting and something had gone wrong with the piston (I'm not saying that is your issue). When I got the gun back, it had a new spring and piston and a guide, and it was unrecognizable to shoot. I hadn't realized how hard it was kicking. Suddenly I was shooting it with much better success. It was OK before, but now I was hitting everything.

Out of the box, I like these guns, but clearly there are some parts that either suffer from less satisfactory QC or may be a little under-nourished. I think they benefit tremendously from a competent tune. Most guns do. [Some will take this as an admission that my long-standing opinion that the Chinese guns are not inferior is wrong.... I think it is an admission that I like a $120 gun with a $150 tune better than a $400 gun with a $150 tune if I get the same results.]

So, I guess I am saying, might be the screws, might be the scope, might be the innards (depending what's already been done to them). But I'm assuming it is assuming you might have a combination....Like the kick that caused the loosened screws that caused the buck to worsen that caused the scope to skew that caused the shots to be unpredictable... The house that jack built, in reverse.

But how at this point are you judging the accuracy?

[airjunkie]

the scope was working fine when i tightened the screws then i put about 20 more rounds through it and everything went blurry. accuracy was better after i tightened the screws but i dont feel like i shot enough groups to dial it in perfectly. now i dont have a scope. any suggestions for a home tune that doesnt need special tools?

[AirScopes]

I've only had two scopes 'go' on me, but that was because I did some research after it happened a second time. Both started with an inability to hold zero, which can be different things, but if something is coming loose -- it might not do it all at once. It should only take a few shots to get a scope zeroed. If it is taking 20, you might want to reconsider the method or the scope!

But either way you need the scope or the sights to work, or else there is no way to judge accuracy.

Tuning does require some tools -- not the least of which is a spring compressor.

[LongIslandArcher]

Speaking of the scope, is it mounted on a one-piece mount or two-piece mount?  A two-piece mount will mess up a scope like you would not believe.  When the gun is fired, the rear scope mount will bend backwards and the ring will put a crimp in the scope tube.  This will cause your scopes lenses to not line up correctly and your scope will be trash.

[airjunkie]

Speaking of the scope, is it mounted on a one-piece mount or two-piece mount?  A two-piece mount will mess up a scope like you would not believe.  When the gun is fired, the rear scope mount will bend backwards and the ring will put a crimp in the scope tube.  This will cause your scopes lenses to not line up correctly and your scope will be trash.

good point. but its mounted to a 3 bolt one piece mount and fortunately doesnt move. i threw the old scope in the garbage ( had something loose inside that was rattling). i tightened the stock screws and locktited them. so im gonna throw my other bsa scope on there and see how it holds up.

[AirScopes]

i'd fish out that scope and send it back to Leapers for a replacement and then sell it on eBay.

[Atchman2]

A TF 89 can be a bear!  The stock screws are all important on one that is a fact PLUS a good four bolt (at least) scope mount.  Mine has a Leapers 3 x 9 scope I got from a forum mate mounted one it.  It is a great hunting gun.  

When I took mine apart I didn't see anything wrong with the seal.  The spring is a little bent but that seems normal on a gun you've had for awhile.

All I've done to mine is to take it apart sand smooth some of the metal stuff off and lubricate it.  It took me forever to figure out how to do it, but the guys here helped me with pictures, suggestions, etc.  

All of my dealings with Compasseco have been fantastic.  Just call them and tell them what happened to your sights.  

[daveshoot]

I was a little concerned about the excessive recoil the OP describes. My stock .177 doesn't kick anything like that. Got to be a reason.

[airjunkie]

i pulled the gun out of the stock yesterday an it seems as though i have a crack in the stock right in front of the trigger guard. should i be alarmed? i can only see the crack form the inside but it looks pretty deep