Maybe I was too optimistic for my Taipan .177 Standard accuracy?

[Emu]

I share with you a group of 6 shots at 70 yards with my Vulcan 3. 177 Cal.

It was made with JSB 8.44 grain.

Notwithstanding is not what many people do on these days, try the following:

1.- get your back be fully rested on something that can't move;

2.- rise (if you are right handed) your right elbow and keep it fully rested;

3.- get rest of the rifle ar the adequate height;

4.- hold with your left hand the forearm as firm as possible to avoid movement at shot.

That is the way I get the very best performance on my shooting.

I do not know the speed yet but my guess is that is close to 1100 fps. I will measure it and share in a new post:

 

[Emu]

My Vulcan 3 is shooting the JSB 8.44 at 1027 fps.

 

[KyPop]

How about taking it down in the 700s ?......... not that you need more then that for the garden.

I went down to 750 and up too 1060 and never got good groups. I really believed that 1/2" groups at 40 yards should have been easy to achieve. I will begin trying to solve this problem on my own I guess. Maybe a Lothar Walther barrel?

 

[Emu]

Try first a recrown of actual barrel.

 

[Nomadic Pirate 66]

I went down to 750 and up too 1060 and never got good groups. I really believed that 1/2" groups at 40 yards should have been easy to achieve. I will begin trying to solve this problem on my own I guess. Maybe a Lothar Walther barrel?

I see, well even the best brands now and again put out a bad barrel.

 

[Emu]

In order to get to know how accurate a .177 rifle is you NEED to shot with zero wind at all…… Wind takes the .177 Cal pellet to anywhere easily !!!

The only caliber that has a little more resistance to wind (a little) is .30 Cal. But wind and .177 Cal is impossible to get to know where a pellet is going to hit.

 

[thumper]

In order to get to know how accurate a .177 rifle is you NEED to shot with zero wind at all…… Wind takes the .177 Cal pellet to anywhere easily !!!

The only caliber that has a little more resistance to wind (a little) is .30 Cal. But wind and .177 Cal is impossible to get to know where a pellet is going to hit.

The guys at Utah Airguns have an indoor range. Assuming this is where they shot his gun, I'd bet it's not very windy in there.

 

[tor47]

You probably know this, but the trigger can be set from factory, for safety reasons with allot of travel, or sear egagement. If that is the case on your gun, it becomes more difficult to shoot acurately. But it is not difficult to adjust.
In my case I did try all the speeds from 750, and up 1000fps with the factory regpressure, just like you did. The chrony numbers was never a problem ( usually within 15-10 fps), even staying way below the max speed of the gun. The gun was not inacurate, but not as I hoped, compared to my other guns. Untill I lowered the pressure. If you have a spare refill tank, you can fill it with lower pressure (110-100 bar maybe) and hook the fill hose up to your gun, readjust hammer for that pressure, and see if your guns like it better. Then repeat with lower pressure on the fill tank. If it doeas, you can choose to get help to lower the reg and hopefully everything will work fine.

 

[ctshooter]

I'd also check if there is a burr somewhere in the barrel or on the crown. Maybe a few strokes with JB Bore Paste, or the like, would help.

 

[Cannonball]

I also have three Taipans, one in each caliber like you. My 177 standard is just as accurate as my 22 long and 25 short. I am shooting FX 10.3 grain in the low 900’s and it will shoot 3/8 inch groups at 50 yards. I also have several tins of the JSB and Air Arms pellets and they shoot almost as well as the FX so pellets shouldn’t be your issue unless you received a bad batch. There is definitely something causing accuracy issues with your rifle. Thumper pretty much described the process I would use to troubleshoot your issue. You can also get a lot of information by looking at the pellet once pushed down your barrel with a dowel. The lands in the barrel will imprint on the head and skirt of the pellet. Looking at the pellet and feeling how much resistance and how smoothly it pushes is necessary especially if you don’t own a bore scope. The Taipans are simple to work on and barrel removal is easy. You just need to take off the shroud and loosen the 12 bolts that attach the Picatinny rail block to the barrel and air tube. The barrel can then be unscrewed from the receiver with a 13mm wrench. When you reassemble the rail block, tighten the 12 bolts left to right starting at the bottom row and work your way up. I don’t know what part of Kentucky you live in but I’m in Knoxville, TN and will be glad you help you out if you‘re close.

 

[airgunmike56]

Never heard of a bad shooting Taipan. I would want a new gun or if you are able to install a new barrel, Don't settle for the large groups of your 177 Taipan,,,, Something is not right.
If this gun shop does not stand behind the product they sale,, PLEASE sing out and let us all know.
This should be a easy pain free fix one way or the other.
Mike

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

Granted JSB pellets usually work well in most guns but maybe not yours. I think you should try some H&N options before you give up. The 9gr FTT comes in 4.50, 4.51 and 4.52mm head size. The 10gr Barracuda Match comes in 4.50mm and 4.52mm.

A good example would be my .177 Alpha Wolf. Absolutely hates: JSB 8.4, 10.43, 13.43 (regular and redesign), Howlers, NSA 12.5, NSA 15. But it loves H&N 10gr in 4.50mm head size and JSB 16gr Beasts.

I wouldn't give up yet until you try a few brands of pellets.

My akela when it was 177, hated jsb pellets. Only liked crosman 7.9s and pretty much anything H&N.

My 177 kral jumbo does so so with jsb pellets, but is a laser with the cheap crosman 7.9s and it's set up for 12.5 fpe so I'm happy with that lol.

So FWIW, I would try some H&N before dismissing the rifle entirely. If it were sending fliers all over I would say something is up, but if it's grouping somewhat just not up to "Taipan" standards, it could just be a picky barrel.

 

[JimD]

I have no Taipan experience but it is a gun I'm considering for my first "premium" air rifle. I can't shoot beyond 33 yards in my backyard so I haven't shot my 1 month old P35 in 177 further than this. But I think it groups better than your Taipan is at the moment. My 22 caliber P35 shoots better but the P35 is a relatively inexpensive gun with a fair bit of variability. I would expect consistent accuracy from a Taipan. I'd return it to Utah Air guns if you can. Or if you want to keep it, mess with the barrel. My P35s needed the crown polished with JBs on a brass screw. It isn't hard but shouldn't be necessary on a Taipan. Pushing a pellet to make sure the bore feels smooth and consistent would be a good non-invasive test. Removal of the barrel would also allow inspection of the crown.

 

[Goldwing]

You'd be happier with a FX Crown with the cocking mechanism and mag in front of your ears
Why anyone would want a rifle with the mag in your ears and cocking mechanism waaaaay back behind your natural arm position is beyond me, stupid
Wonder why you see the so many Taipan's for sale in the classified

 

[douger]

shot mine at 50 yards with the 8.44 yest- 1/2 inch groups with 10 shot mags all the time lite winds 5-7 10.34 are better at 50 than 35 yards at 855 tune i goy for the 8.44 is 935-940 laser at 50 got a tree out to 76 yards was hiting it really nice 1 inch barks all tore up

 

[thumper]

You'd be happier with a FX Crown with the cocking mechanism and mag in front of your ears
Why anyone would want a rifle with the mag in your ears and cocking mechanism waaaaay back behind your natural arm position is beyond me, stupid
Wonder why you see the so many Taipan's for sale in the classified

Some people value a gun that doesn't have a dozen little fragile adjustable parts and pieces, and doesn't use a windup plastic magazine and a straw barrel.

The Taipans have none of that. The OP seems pretty happy with his choice of gun, considering he has two more on the rack.

 

[douger]

You'd be happier with a FX Crown with the cocking mechanism and mag in front of your ears
Why anyone would want a rifle with the mag in your ears and cocking mechanism waaaaay back behind your natural arm position is beyond me, stupid
Wonder why you see the so many Taipan's for sale in the classified

see lotta crowns for sale both are fantastic guns the taipsns will shoot just as well just a different gun you ever owned one

 

[KyPop]

I'd also check if there is a burr somewhere in the barrel or on the crown. Maybe a few strokes with JB Bore Paste, or the like, would help.

I'm going to remove the barrel tomorrow to clean and polish it. I'll shove a pellet down it first to see if I can detect any problem.

 

[KyPop]

I also have three Taipans, one in each caliber like you. My 177 standard is just as accurate as my 22 long and 25 short. I am shooting FX 10.3 grain in the low 900’s and it will shoot 3/8 inch groups at 50 yards. I also have several tins of the JSB and Air Arms pellets and they shoot almost as well as the FX so pellets shouldn’t be your issue unless you received a bad batch. There is definitely something causing accuracy issues with your rifle. Thumper pretty much described the process I would use to troubleshoot your issue. You can also get a lot of information by looking at the pellet once pushed down your barrel with a dowel. The lands in the barrel will imprint on the head and skirt of the pellet. Looking at the pellet and feeling how much resistance and how smoothly it pushes is necessary especially if you don’t own a bore scope. The Taipans are simple to work on and barrel removal is easy. You just need to take off the shroud and loosen the 12 bolts that attach the Picatinny rail block to the barrel and air tube. The barrel can then be unscrewed from the receiver with a 13mm wrench. When you reassemble the rail block, tighten the 12 bolts left to right starting at the bottom row and work your way up. I don’t know what part of Kentucky you live in but I’m in Knoxville, TN and will be glad you help you out if you‘re close.

Thanks for the offer. I'm in Bowling Green, KY. I really appreciate all of the advise that has been given and offers to help. It's nice to have such knowledgeable folks willing to help me troubleshoot this problem! I will probably remove the barrel tomorrow and work on it.

 

[KyPop]

Never heard of a bad shooting Taipan. I would want a new gun or if you are able to install a new barrel, Don't settle for the large groups of your 177 Taipan,,,, Something is not right.
If this gun shop does not stand behind the product they see,, PLEASE sing out and let us all know.
This should be a easy pain free fix one way or the other.
Mike

I sent it back to them (UTAH AIRGUNS) and showed them the shotgun patterns I was getting. They examined it, shot some indoor groups at 35 yards which were admittedly better than my outdoor groups at 40 yards but they were not one 3/8" hole that I would expect at that distance indoors. My other Taipans will smoke this one in accuracy. They sent it back to me with their OK so I'm stuck with figuring this one out myself I guess. Know where I can get a Lothar Walther barrel for this thing?