Tuning Impact Tuning 101 Questions

[CoyoteGod]

Sorry for this type of question but I am new.

The 30 Compact I got was tuned at SPAW for 925 FPS with Hybrids. It came to me and the FX Chrono said it was about 900 FPS at my house. Many variables that could have caused the change in FPS, so wasn't worried about it. The tune I got said that the regulator was set at 165. I changed out the gauges and the new gauge said the reg was actually set at 150ish (152?). Yet another FX gauge that was off on the reading.

So at the 152ish bar reg and at the 900 FPS 17 shot average I was getting a spread of 13 and a SD of 3-4. The groups were better than I can shoot at 100y. Not bad. No complaints, other than the slug being a little slow.

So I decided to see what would happen if I just raised the reg bar pressure to 155 (left everything else the same). This is still 10 bar less then what the OEM gauge said was the original tune. Now I am getting an average of 923 FPS at 17 shots, but my spread is now 23 and my SD is 9.4. It's fairly consistent at 919-930 with two or three 907-912 random shots. I know this still isn't much, but for this gun it's almost doubled the "inconsistency numbers". The groups are still about the same, guessing possibly a little worse, but still better than I can shoot at 100y, so I am not seeing much of a difference for me. At 50 I am still not seeing much of a difference. I do get the occasional weird flyer, but I got that every once in a while with the old tune as well.

Was I supposed to change another tuning area with this very small bar change, like hammer spring? Is that way the spread and deviation went up?

Should I drop back to 900 FPS and get consistency back, which was totally fine, but have a slow slug speed? Or do I stay with the higher velocity with the little more inconsistent numbers to get the high slug speed? or should I push it still a little harder and see what that does? I would of course keep track so I can drop back to the original tunes, if I totally go off the rails. 

 

[biohazardman]

You usually change the hammer spring when you change the regulator. Increase the hammer spring pressure when the reg pressure goes up, decrease it as the reg pressure goes down. They werq in harmony on the tune to produce the lowest SD. Your actual accuracy means more than the numbers do so a little difference in the numbers may mean little until you get way out there in range.

 

[triggertreat]

Riding a little blind with not knowing what barrel length or whether a slug kit is installed. I can say with changes it can take a number of shots to settle down. If with the slug kit you are not going to get quite the same tight ES as before, but still real good. On the reg., just don't go past flush with the outer housing on the adjuster. If you do you will lose the seal between the two as you come off the the inner housing O-ring, if OEM Amp reg.

What you really want to do is pick a reg set point, open the valve adjuster to four lines and then work your HS fine adjuster to find max for that set point while leaving the PW set on max. Once max velocity is found, you can bring the valve adjust back in to line one or whatever to bring the max velocity down from max by 5%. If you can't reach that number by using the valve adjuster, leave it on line one and lower your HS fine adjustment until you reach it. Again, always leaving the PW on max. Once tuned you can then lower the velocity more if you want using the PW. If you are not happy with the 5% lower than max found velocity, readjust the reg set point and start over.

 

[Mg616]

I followed the process triggertreat described with my compact 30 MkII and it worked well. It does take a while to settle in. I just picked up an M3 with a 700 barrel and expect to end up with a much different tune. 

 

[CoyoteGod]

I am going to abandon the SPAW tune and work to find my own. Screw it. Yes the SPAW tune was great at 900 FPS, probably should have left it alone, but I want 925 FPS with these slugs, so I am going to try for it. SPAW said it was 925 when it left them, so I am going to work to get it back. I was at ES of 13 and SD under 4. That's the goal. 925 FPS with those numbers. I don't have any I deal what that tune was for the power wheel, but the valve was two lines and the reg was 152 BAR from SPAW. So if it doesn't work out I can move back to 900 FPS I think.

It does have the slug power kit with the slug liner. It's the 500MM barrel. Never going to learn unless I go for it. I was going to take it hunting this June, but I will take may .25 instead and work the compact in my backyard for a while burning slugs. To be honest I haven't really enjoyed shooting the FX much. Shot about 800 hybrid slugs and just haven't gotten what I wanted out of it. Shoots the 44.75 pellets lights out however, but I already have a KalibrGun Cricket as my "pellet" shooter. I wanted slugs to really work out here and have a dedicated slug gun. 

Well, here goes, one more try and I am sure another 800 slugs. (expensive).

 

[triggertreat]

You are a better man than me. My SPAW tuned .30 cal sniper only lasted two days before I made it my own and learned what makes an FX an FX. Now over a 1000 FPS with 45gr.

The 500mm is your main limit on power.

 

[CoyoteGod]

You are a better man than me. My SPAW tuned .30 cal sniper only lasted two days before I made it my own and learned what makes an FX an FX. Now over a 1000 FPS with 45gr.

The 500mm is your main limit on power.

Maybe 900 FPS is all it can do. I will find out after this next couple weeks of shooting for consistency. I will update. I noticed with 900 the slug flew weird at times at 100, but sometimes not. Hoping a little more speed will stabilize better. I never really had an accuracy problem, because I am still learning to shoot air at longer distances so the groups are bigger than what the gun is probably actually producing. 

 

[triggertreat]

I didn't have any luck with the Hybrids either. A friend gave me a handful to try, so that was good on him and allowed me to test them. Maybe give the AVS slugs a try. I see they are back on eBay, plus Air Velocity Sports has their own site now. I have had the best luck with those, but have only tried NSA since those. I cast my own slugs/pellets is why.

 

[CoyoteGod]

I didn't have any luck with the Hybrids either. A friend gave me a handful to try, so that was good on him and allowed me to test them. Maybe give the AVS slugs a try. I see they are back on eBay, plus Air Velocity Sports has their own site now. I have had the best luck with those, but have only tried NSA since those. I cast my own slugs/pellets is why.

Well I broke the gun. Had a gasket break in half from somewhere inside the gun and end up in the magazine. Had air rushing from the barrel in both directions. The regulator dumped to zero and stays there and as I twist the bottle back on the reg stays at zero. I set the reg to 160 and had the value at 4 lines and was working the wheel till I lost velocity. I was at 935 working till a decrease. The spread was all over and the deviate was super high, so I thought maybe I have too much reg pressure. Decided to degas the gun completely to set the reg back to 155 because of the extreme inconsistency then work the wheel. How can I see a drop in FPS if the gun is so inconsistent? I took the bottle off and all of a sudden the gun dumped air out of the barrel both sides. Twisted the bottle back on and it kept draining till empty, regulator would not recharge.

I twisted the bottle back on and refilled the gun and it just dumped air as fast as I was filling. I cocked the gun and the air leak stopped and it filled. Now it not obviously leaking air, but my shot could dropped to 8 from 17 so it is definitely leaking and I definitely broke it. So there you go, I did the rifle in on my first try. I have half a gasket, do you know where the other half is and what I did?

Either way I am sending to SPAW, getting it repaired and tuned again and sent back. This time I am leaving it be and just going to enjoy it. I am just not an FX guy I think.

 

[triggertreat]

Well, it is good to know your limits when dealing with HPA. I would not frown on anyone for that. I'm not sure what all went wrong. Just guessing, it sounds like possibly you may have went out too far on the reg adjustment or maybe turned it the wrong way under pressure too much at a time before firing some to release some pressure. It could have blown out the TP O-ring within all of that as well. There are a lot of YT videos on how to break these things down and fix them, but sometimes it is better to send them in to reduce frustration. Ken can set it up how you want it within its limits if he knows what you want.

 

[CoyoteGod]

Well, it is good to know your limits when dealing with HPA. I would not frown on anyone for that. I'm not sure what all went wrong. Just guessing, it sounds like possibly you may have went out too far on the reg adjustment or maybe turned it the wrong way under pressure too much at a time before firing some to release some pressure. It could have blown out the TP O-ring within all of that as well. There are a lot of YT videos on how to break these things down and fix them, but sometimes it is better to send them in to reduce frustration. Ken can set it up how you want it within its limits if he knows what you want.

I think I went too far out on the reg pressure when I was going to 160. I was very careful not to degrease reg pressure under pressure. I only increased under pressure. I am just sending it to Ken once I can get a hold of him. I definitely want to reduce frustration. Once it's back I will remount the optic and just shoot the hybrid slugs and enjoy. I have found I am not really in to the tuning aspect of FX, but I do like the rifle. So mileage will very.

 

[triggertreat]

Well, it is good to know your limits when dealing with HPA. I would not frown on anyone for that. I'm not sure what all went wrong. Just guessing, it sounds like possibly you may have went out too far on the reg adjustment or maybe turned it the wrong way under pressure too much at a time before firing some to release some pressure. It could have blown out the TP O-ring within all of that as well. There are a lot of YT videos on how to break these things down and fix them, but sometimes it is better to send them in to reduce frustration. Ken can set it up how you want it within its limits if he knows what you want.

I was very careful not to degree reg pressure under pressure. I only increased under pressure. I am just sending it to Ken once I can get ahold of him. I definitely want to reduce frustration. Once it's back I will remount the optic and just shoot the hybrid slugs and enjoy. I have found I am not really in to the tuning aspect of FX, but I do like the rifle. So mileage will very.

I am impressed that you were willing to try. In my defense I have been exposed to many unknown repair tasks in the electronics/electromechanical field as a field technician. On many calls I had no clue or training, so I had to learn on the fly. So, I am use to working on the unknown.