Tuning FX Impact velocity creeping lower

Hello, so I am completely baffled by this. I have an FX Impact X 600mm 0.22 cal barrel shooting 23gr NSA slugs with a power plenum installed. When I first installed the power plenum, when the regulator was set at 120bar it was shooting at about 940fps with the hammer spring preload set correctly, the hammer spring set to max and the valve stem adjustment all of the way out. Last night I was running a test and with everything else the same it was shooting 920fps. Then at the end of my test (over 100 shots later and about 3 hours) it was shooting 905fps. The velocity drop happened after I took the bottle off and bled the regulator to turn the screw in to readjust the reg back to 120bar. I thought maybe the gun for some reason gets all messed up every time you bleed the reg, so I did it 3 times today and it had no effect on muzzle velocity. I tried to see if maybe the chronograph’s velocity readings “walk” over hours of use, so after over 24 hours of being off I turned it back on. Same muzzle velocity. Now today it is shooting 890-905 fps. I cleaned the barrel and that didn’t help. The reg gauge isn’t showing any reg creep so that isn’t the problem. I lubed the slugs more and less and neither helped. And yes, I made sure the tank pressure was far away from the reg pressure to minimize any problems with variations in gauge readings between the two gauges. Also, all of these tests were done in my basement, with the lights off (this is a light chrono so I use the lights that come with if.) so we can rule out light variations or the chronograph not being level because of wind pushing it. What is going on?!?! Could the gun be dirty inside and need to be cleaned? Maybe the valve stem is getting dirty? Please help. I’ve run every test I could think of to pinpoint the problem and have failed to find an answer.
 
Your hammer spring screw could be creeping. Did you measure your hammer spring gap and write it down? Most of us do to keep it as a reference.

I left it close to max and it was still there when I checked. And later in my test I turned it out to see if I could get back up to the old velocity and could never break 905fps. Also, how do you measure it accurately? I usually go by turns away from touchi my the wheel.
 
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Won't really help you much since you didn't measure the gap BEFORE but at least now u know.





I did remember leaving it near max and when I checked it it was still there. But now I’m wondering if that piece that threads onto the valve stem (the one you have to use loctite on when installing the power plenum) broke free and is turning out. Guess I have a Friday night project
 
Update: fixed it! It was definitely the piece that needs to be loctited on when installing the power plenum. I believe it is called the hammer seat. When I took the gun apart it was completely unscrewed. So I cleaned up all the threads, put more loctite on, and this time made sure not to fire it 30 minutes after putting the loctite on lol. I waited the full 24 hours. Totally my fault. And all is good now. The gun is shooting 934fps at 118 bar. 
 
https://910airguntuningandrepairsllc.com/products/c1-removal-tool

I recently picked up this Ernest Rowe designed tool made specifically for removal and replacement of that hammer seat(known as the C1, per the FX parts diagram number). As soon as I’m able in about two months I was going to post up a review on it. It is made so as to make removal easy and so one doesn’t marr up the C1 using channel locks or vise grips.
 
Yep at a guess, the HSTA grub screw is slowly "unscrewing" with shot vibration. get it set, measure it with calipers and record that measurement. Then use either, blue loc tite, Vibra-tite or some are using a small o-ring.

Also the hammer stop could be loose though it's loc-tited at th factory. If it unscrews that will also affect velocity.

Hope that helps