Tuning a Spring Powered Gun

Airgun Power.

We do tuning kits for the most popular Airguns these are designed to give as close to the legal limit as possible. Some are capable of exceeding the legal limit, in which case coils can be removed from the mainspring (or hammer spring ( for Precharge ) to reduce recoil and power.

There is a degree of knowledge required to get the best out of each individual gun. So study the DVD and all paperwork carefully.

Setting the gun a little under the limit will allow for it to run in and also if you use different pellets and temperature. This is because a lot of guns will increase in power as the parts bed in (same as a car or what ever) but also if different pellets are used. Some will give higher power with a tight fitting pellet and some will lose power with a tight pellet so do the power test with all types of pellets.

When we fit our kits we guarantee the performance will be good for that individual gun (obviously a tiny gun will give small performance). Most full size guns will do close to the legal limit, or over for FAC. It is best not to go too high with a spring piston airgun as it will have more effect on the accuracy. This will be decreasing your range rather than increasing it, which is the whole point of getting one on FAC.

When Tuning an Air Rifle it is very important to lubricate it correctly, if you have done a very good job of tuning then it will all have been a waste of time if you have not lubricated it right. Even some tuners who do it professionally can charge you a lot of money to just fill your gun with grease! The gun will be smooth and quiet, but the power will be down.

Some don”t even change any parts, or they might put in a very strong spring. If the maximum spring energy is exceeded, the result will be less power and more recoil. Accuracy will also be poor.

The correct lubricant must be used precisely to get the best and most consistent power for the model in question.

When tuning an air rifle it is also important to have bought the right model in the first place. Nearly every day I get a customer who wants to tune his gun to the legal limit. It is no good wanting to race at Le Mans, and buying a car that is made for going to the shops or local trips. It is best to buy a good sports car to start with.

A lot of large guns, look powerful but may not be able to do even 10 foot pounds.  Most modern guns are very low power when purchased from the factory. This is probably to make sure that there is no possibility of them exceeding the legal limit. The trouble is that a lot of guns are coming out of the factories between 6 and 10 foot pounds. The lower and even the upper limit of these guns are not suitable for hunting unless they are tuned closer the the limit. Even ten foot pounds is only good for short range.

TRIGGER

It is surprising how many shooters do not realise how important the trigger is. A gun is only as good as the trigger. Any gun is only as good as the weakest part on the gun. If you have a bad trigger then it is impossible to get the best out of it.

What is a good trigger?

A good trigger is smooth and light to pull, it also gives you a good idea of when you get to the let off point. Do not go too light though as this can be dangerous. Especially if you are not used to a light trigger.

A hard pull trigger with a long drag of a pull is very hard to shoot accurately.  We do a trigger tuning kit for the QB XS 78/79 £5.00, that can make the trigger very good, and better than a lot of expensive guns. What really surprises me is how many shooters want to tune their gun for power but do not want a trigger tuning kit. 

BSA piston heads are getting jammed in the cylinder after a few years. This is becoming more common with air guns that use synthetic seals. PTFE does not suffer with this problem, so is ideal for long term use.

New Adjustable Piston head for BSA Scorpion/Airsporter/Mercury/Meteor Piston with O ring and various buffer washers.