A Tale of Two Sproingers

Jump to latest Follow Reply
J

JFS737

Member
Dec 16, 2017
76
3
FL, United States
My LGU is shooting pretty well, my go-to springer, a pleasure to shoot and very, very accurate... slightly more so than my very nice ProSport. It likes the JSB 7.87 or Air arms substitute, shooting about 860 fps with them. The gun is stock, untuned... I adjusted the trigger to make it lighter, but it can't touch my ProSport in that. It's slightly twangy too, but it shoots so well I'm not sure I wish to mess with it. I shot 11 groups at 35 yards (in addition to 2 sight in groups), 5 shots each off a sandbag.... average of them all was .384, just a bit over MOA. It certainly is a 1/2 inch gun at this range, although there a a few just over dime size, most are smaller. I think the gun is shooting above average.

The other 5 groups were shot same day with my new Diana 430L. I was unshootable when I got it with a harsh metal on metal noise to cock it, a grinding and scraping throughout the stroke and return. I tore it down and honed a few spots, cleaned it up (almost no lube) and then hit it with Krytox and Tar'd the spring. I adjusted the trigger a touch and it was certainly MUCH nicer to shoot, actually quite pleasant and it seems easier to cock as well?! It prefers the 8.4 JSB. 

Here is the issue, it is not shooting anywhere near what I think Diana should be able to do in terms of accuracy so I'm hoping for some advice. I don't expect it to compete with my LGU, but I do feel it should shoot much better as I now have about 400 - 500 rounds through it. Groups are 2-3 x larger and I feel too much so for this level of Quality. Is this an unreasonable thought? I am trying to decide if I should recrown, polish the barrel and do a full tune/hone/lube. Not sure it's worth it... do you think a gun shooting like this can be tamed and shoot nearly as well as the LGU? The trigger is much nicer and the shot cycle seems fairly pleasant now so I want to have hope, not sure I should. Thanks for any thoughts.



Thanks again

John
1594693618_6654098285f0d17f21e31e0.83541875.jpg

 
My HW50s sometimes shoots like your 430L....it is frustrating.I have over 500shots through it....at times I am thinking this air rifle has such potential,then it becomes too inconsistent.

The 50s is a bit rough=not smooth compared to my other air rifle,maybe that has something to do with it....

I am going to change the scope on it today....I have cleaned the barrel and all that.

I grab my HW97 and all is great just as your LGU.. 

I am thinking that you should try the heaviest pellets for it you can .I believe some air guns are overpowered for what people use.What I mean by that is the spring is too powerful when new...a reason some people use a pre=tensioned spring when tuning their air rifles.

I will enlarge this thought by stating springs are not all made the same,even when made for the same air rifle,that is a reason why some springers have a longer break in period...some springs need a longer preload or pretension time.

Think of the force,the rebound,the vibrations the springer goes through with each shot....

Your LGU is like a heavy factory tuned gun....the goal is to make the "actions"the air rifle does consistent.

"Consistent"=THE GOAL,for without it you will always be chasing an elusive objective.

One step at a time in order to reach the goal of consistency can be time consuming and frustrating.Do it is a process that makes it so you do not have to back step....Heavy pellets,great one pc.scope mounts,strong scope.....oh ya,sometimes it is better to not mount a scope until you are sure your gun is doing what you want it to....

Truth be told some air rifles are just plain finicky,you learn to put up with them anyway,it becomes a test....others you learn are not worth your time and frustration,you also learn that even if 50 people have the same air gun as you and love them,yours may be the one bad apple of the bunch....


 
Upvote 0
Thanks Bosco,

I appreciate you taking the time to consider my dilemma, I've tried pellets up to about 9gn, but will try some heavies in it as well. I have a cheaper Athlon Talos on it, it's a nice combination as it's light and for an underlever the gun is fairly light so it's a good match and pleasant to handle. I'm just not sure if it's salvageable or not being this far gone. I'll put 500 more through it, but suspect the barrel needs work. I've cleaned it a few times with little to no apparent change in consistency.

Any other opinions out there?


Thanks



John

EDIT: I've also tried different scopes to make sure that the scope is not the isse. 
 
Upvote 0
I've had a d430l since the aofa sale and absolutely love mine! Thought this might help as a baseline...

5 w its favorite barracuda hunter in 4.50 hs:
1594761302_11537540185f0e2056a73b24.85214243.jpg


5 barracuda hunter extremes :
1594761307_10714969235f0e205b6f79e3.27208240.jpg


5 air arms 10.34s in 4.52 hs:

1594761309_4838238085f0e205d477189.25818854.jpg


5 w/ h&n ftt in 4.52 hs:

1594762431_11082892915f0e24bf030062.93639363.jpg


Only thing it did not like was crosman destroyers(5 in classic big box break barrel shotgun pattern lol!):

1594761720_14290420915f0e21f80f7885.53234820.jpg


My conclusion is mine shoots a fair amount of variety with consistency!Testing was @ 25 yards, winds 5-7 outta my 1 o'clock.

-Jake Kingsley
 
Upvote 0
Wow,

that is what I was expecting for groups. Both of you are saying the heavies may be the way to go, the Hunters being 10.5g. Clearly some of these guns can shoot. I'll check all the screws and try some diff ammo (.177). As a note, I did try all the usual suspects in standard weight... (JSB 8.4, 7.87, Barracuda, CPHP, CPL, Some chinese rounds that seem to shoot well, FTT's and a couple more). I have not tried pointed pellets but may do so after I get some heavies through the gun. Stil, I'm suspecting I got a dud? My Gamo CFX shoots better than this, not to mention my ProSport and my LGU. Well at least I can shoot the heavies and see how it goes.

I appreciate all the photos, really helps and the advice from you guys. I'll keep trying but if I have no luck, I'll need to figure how to get at that barrel.... do a full inspection and maybe a poor man's crown and polish job. Otherwise it might be for sale cheap! :)


Thanks again,


John
 
Upvote 0
I don't have any pics to post but my 430L experience runs along jking's lines. I've had good luck with JSB 7.33, 7.87, and AA 8.4, but the H&N FTT 8.64 shoot marginally the best. My only complaint is that the leade is kinda large and even 4.52 pellets will fall out. And when they fall down into the receiver, they end up going into the workings somewhere on me. It's not sealed like my HW77 and 97, so I've had like 3 pellets drop in and not come out!

As far as accuracy goes, I've been floored. This thing was smooth and on target from the box. It's as on as the HW77 I have. I bought the 77 after the 430 because it shot so well I wanted to see what a "real" springer shot like. Well I have to say, as it took a bit to dial in the 77...and the 430 was clearly out shooting it...I discovered I already had a real springer and maybe could have saved myself a couple of bucks.....if I wasn't one of the smitten 😁

It does look like something is up with your specimen, John.
 
Upvote 0
Thanks DB9, I was afraid of that. The gun was nasty right from the get go. I"ll try a few more pellets, but I think it's due a full barrel tune. I still have some hope, mostly because I've heard such good things (and more from this thread)... not willing to give up. Might be a few weeks before I have a chance to tear it down, but I'll post back if I get it shooting any better. As it sits now it's not really useable for my needs.

Appreciate the help.



John
 
Upvote 0
I know the thread is dead, but wanted to update. I tried a bunch more pellets and checked all the screws, tried different holds, bags, scopes, resting points.... etc. Finally I did what I thought might be needed all along, I pulled off the muzzle break and had a peek into the crown. What a mess! It looked like a meat grinder had been at it. I was not surprised but the level of damage did impress me. I just could not imagine a gun leaving the factory like that.

I did the 2 minute screw-in-a-drill fix. I have a couple of paste abrasives and had at it. I first used a dremel to knock off the big gouges. ( I do NOT recommend this, but the gun was useless so I figured what the hell). Then to the screw/paste/drill.... gave it 30 seconds of heavy grit and 30 seconds of medium. It did not take long, I did not bother to get it polish smooth. I did it handheld as well, so maybe not the perfect job. I just wanted to see what would happen. Re-assemble and shoot... WOW! First group was 1/2 inch at 31 yards. Hmmm, shoot 5 more five shot groups and they are all very good, some near MOA. I then get back to testing pellets and it looks like H&N Barracuda FT and more so the FTT's are the best. The FTT even fits into the breach without falling out, which is a nice bonus.

I intend to to a proper crowning, and polish and then a better lube/tune. I think I have a winner! The shot cycle is very nice, cocking is not so bad when you get used to it and can get a "technique"... (Fast and short). Trigger is great, and the accuracy is now excellent, and it sometimes reminds me of my LGU in that regard. I have hopes to get it shooting slightly better. Seems to need a cleaning pellet down the barrel pretty often, maybe 75 shots. POI is steady, gun is now a pleasure to shoot. It's small and light compared to my other springers, and a short snappy shot cycle is somehow satisfying. No or little twang, really enjoying it. 



Thanks to all for your help.



John
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu