Tuning Needing help with my new FX Dreamline Lite 30cal

[Docvader78]

Yesterday was my first day to try out my new Dreamline 30 cal with the .48 Liter Bottle, which is my first PCP, and I am new to the sport. I have scanned through the owner's manual and watched Steve's "Dreamline full set up" video several times which has been extremely informative, however there are still a few basic questions that I am not understanding,

First Question I have is about the Power Wheel - there are no distinct markings showing where the setting is, I have not changed any factory settings yet, Max is at the very top of the power wheel and Min is at the bottom, what is my Power Wheel actual set on? And what is the difference between the 1 -5 and A-E? 

2nd Question I have is about the .48 bottle gauge, According to Steve's video, the gauge is not 100% accurate, Should i fill it to only 250 or can i fill to higher? and when should I refill, 150 or 100?

As for shooting, All I have done so far is sight in and plink around on some steel targets in the back yard between the .177 - .22 and Low Setting. I am extremely happy with this air rifle.

 

[TMH]

You actually have 2 'power' adjustments on your new rifle. The Hammer Spring adjustment wheel (1-max, a-e) is the one closer to the butt stock, and the transfer port wheel is closer to the muzzle (.177/.22, .25/.30).

FIRST NOTE: DO NOT ADJUST YOUR HAMMER SPRING WHEEL WHEN THE GUN IS COCKED OR YOU MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE MECHANISM. Either de-cock the gun or adjust only after you have taken a shot, but before you re-cock.

You can read up a little on how PCP air guns work since this is your first one. In a very brief summary, they generally operate when the pre-loaded (sprung) hammer bangs against the back of the valve, briefly opening the valve to allow a 'shot' of air to be released, propelling the pellet through the barrel and down range. Adjusting the strength of the hammer spring pre-load will change how large that shot of air is, and hence the speed at which the pellet is propelled out of the muzzle. Most all PCP air guns have this adjustment. On the modern FX guns it is really easy to adjust, using the external wheel.

Strength of the hammer spring will only function to increase the speed/power of the shot up to a certain point. Once you get past that point, the pellet speed may no longer increase (it may actually decrease), and air will be wasted on every shot.

You really need a chronograph to see how changing the gun (power wheel) settings change pellet muzzle velocities. I currently use the FX Pocket Chronograph, and find it to be a very useful tool for a reasonable price.

The second power wheel (on the action towards the muzzle end of the gun) is the transfer port setting. You would generally just leave this on the .25/.30 setting since your gun is a .30 cal model. However you could change it to one of the lower settings if you were shooting very short distances in, for example, your back yard and you wanted to reduce pellet speed/power and noise.

Both of these wheels provide a somewhat coarse level of external adjustability for your gun. You can also, ultimately, adjust the regulator pressure, and you can also fine tune your hammer spring setting further. This is probably a bit down the road for you.

All in all these adjustments are for getting the best (for your situation) performance out of different pellets (design, weight) or slugs. You may find that having the gun on its max settings is not the most pleasant configuration for shooting. Using a chronograph, making small adjustments and choosing the right projectile, you can ultimately achieve 'harmonic tune' for your gun/pellet configuration which will provide the power you need, a very smooth and pleasant shot cycle, and will use air most efficiently. On my .25 cal Crown with a short barrel, for example, my harmonic tune point is with the transfer port set to the .177/.22 position and the hammer spring =4. These are the best, smoothest, most accurate parameters for my chosen pellet at the gun's set regulator pressure.

Regarding fill pressure, DO NOT exceed the fill pressure specified on the gun's action. It generally doesn't help much with extra shots, can actually cause the first few shots after a fill to be lower velocity, and can ultimately damage the gun. Yes, the small gauges on our air guns aren't always accurate, but unless and until you have a known good pressure gauge (like on a bottle or a compressor), just fill based on the gun's gauge. On my FX's with 250 bar fill specification, I generally fill to 230 bar to get the performance I want.