The thing with pcps is...its tricky. The timing of the valve needs to match the projectiles timing in the barrel. It's not quite plug and play, so there may be some additional tuning required to really make the components sing well together.
Exactly. The weight/resistance of projectile has a +- variable for valve timing.
I myself would absolutely love to see 24" to 32" barrels available on certain PCP's.
That's never going to happen as I'm one of few who want long, heavy, traditional bolt action, single shot rifles.
Look at a Crosman Maximus. They added a 26" barrel & a light hammer spring. Gets a ton of shots at 6 to12ft/lbs.
Drop a Discovery hammer spring in one. Add a power adjuster, & BLAMO!
You just made a excellent little hot rod shooter for heavier pellets or lightweight slugs.
That platform would never be great for what we consider mid/high power due to the barrel to tiny 2 screw receiver.
Look at a 17" Rainstorm in .22. Man o'live! If they offered the Rainstorm with a 24-28" custom twist barrel, it could send anything in that caliber meant for airguns.
The reason the Korean power guns have a cliff dive IS that short barrel.
It has a potential to be a great power gun with a flat shot string.
It's so loud because it's set up to make big power from a relatively short 17" barrel.
Most airguns that make Rainstorm power levels use 20-24" barrels.
Like wympanzee said. It's not that easy. You could gain 15-20fps per inch past 17".
Once you hit the 24" mark in a PCP, that's where big gains in power are made. A 26" barrel can gain 50-100fps over a 24" one.
A springer on the other hand only needs a 10-11" barrel. They're longer for leverage in a break barrel. I cut & crowned a El Gamo 300 at 11" and gained 30fps.
Now unless you have your valve, hammer weight, spring preload set up for the projectile in a longer barrel PCP, friction would take over at some point. You would see a loss instead of a gain.
I'm wishing someone would devise a repeatable vacuum system barrel. Could you imagine what a 2K-4500psi PCP could do if pellet was sent from a barrel that had no air resistance in it?
Edit: (It wouldn't have to be a ST; but there definitely would need a good seal from back of projectile or TP to muzzle)
It would have to be a Smooth Twist type. Can't have a vacuum without good seals.
If you don't get what I'm saying just watch this.
https://youtu.be/9ydJXOTf1-4
Looks like I might get my wish. I bet first mainstream AG maker to do this is Daystate. Or FX. Hmmm
Or, just imagine if somebody like Air Arms ROSE UP! Invented a springer that beat most PCP's!!! Woah Dude, radical!
Hey, I can dream. We might have to insert a new seal at muzzle for every shot but a springer that beats a PCP in power with a self sustaining system?
Oh .177's would be a waste. We'd want heavy .25's or .30's.
