I was thinking of trying a soft tune kit for an R1 carbine that’s in need of attention. I happen to have new original spec seals and a factory spring in my parts collection. Can I achieve something close to 12 ftlbs and a softer shooting gun by cutting the new factory spring? If so what would be a good starting point a far as number of coils to remove? Am I totally off base here and need a different wire diameter to achieve my desired results? Thanks in advance for any experienced opinions.
HW/Weihrauch HW80/R1 Soft tune by cutting factory spring?
- Thread starter rokonman
- Start date
To get 12 for lbs out af a 30 mm tube will be a slushy shot cycle. You need pre load for piston bounce control
shortening the factory spring will lower power but sacrifice shot cycle. You can run a 25 coil spring but shortening the stroke is a better way. Changing to a smaller wire with more pre load also will help piston bounce. That piston with inner sleeve is around 290 to 300 grams. The best 12 ft lb R1/HW 80:are all sleeved down to 25 mm and repistoned with a Tx type of piston
What your asking is advanced tuning and isn’t GONA be easy ..
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I tuned my old R1 to.about 12 fpe by cutting a few coils and it shot great. At the time the fellows on the yellow forum told me it was going to be just a horrible long shot cycle and it just wasn't..
It made it much more enjoyable to shoot and I really liked the size of the rifle so I didn't care that it was lower energy.
It made it much more enjoyable to shoot and I really liked the size of the rifle so I didn't care that it was lower energy.
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Thanks for the advice. I am leaning towards freshening it up with the parts that I have and enjoying a factory spec gun. Then again it is a low round count gun, it wouldnt hurt to cut the take out spring and see what it shoots like.
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I stuck a vortek high power 35 kit in my 80 and it shot almost exactly 12fpe with hnftt. There was no preload but the firing cycle was light and smooth. It had a big steel top hat. It felt like it was shooting 7-8 fpe.
I now have a ARH soft tune kit in it with the current /black vortek seal and it doesn't quite make 12fpe. But the shot cycle while smooth feels like it is putting out more power. Something isn't quite right. A few hundred pellets ago it was only doing just under 10fpe so I will shoot it some more and see what happens. To be fair if it was the only springer I shot I would be very happy with it but I have a tx200, pro sport, and a 97 to compare it with.
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My R1 carbine is .20 Santa Rosa vintage and has never been apart. The Piston seal is shot and fails a vacuum/pressure test. In spite of that it puts out 14.9 ftlbs. An 80k in .20 I bought new was just around 16.5 ftlb. Out of the box.
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The 80k is about right in 20. R1/80s like most spring guns are smoother in bigger calibers. I'd just replace the piston seal and see how you like it. You might find it around 17 fpe. They usually shoot well around that power.
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I have an HW80K in .25. It shoots right at 16.4 ftlbs and is the smoothest of this platform I have ever shot. It is laser accurate at 25 yards easily putting every H&N FTT through the 15mm holes on my RX target. Nothing but net!
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I took my 30mm piston down to 225 g added bearings and use a vortek seal . Titan 10plus spring cut to 270mm they are 2.9 wire so it’s a lot of preload. Opened the tp to 3.4 . It’s tuned in 22 for jsb rs and express runs a tad under 12 . Nice quick shot cycle. Is it as good as a reduced 25mm ? It pretty close but no . I do have the 98 shroud on the barrel so this adds a bit of weight and shoots nice . Honestly just set the 80 at 15 fpe and it’s pretty sweet
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I have a HW-80 K in .20 caliber that has a Vortek 12 # spring kit in it and I shoots great with very little felt recoil or vibration, I would recommend it over cutting the spring which could give you issues down the road and might even batter the pistol and seal.
The kit is only about $90.00 and Kevin at Pellets and Pistons on U-tube has a great tutorial show the whole process. the R-1 is a classic, you really don't want to mess it up just to save a few bucks IMHO.
The kit is only about $90.00 and Kevin at Pellets and Pistons on U-tube has a great tutorial show the whole process. the R-1 is a classic, you really don't want to mess it up just to save a few bucks IMHO.
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