Tuning New Pulsar inaccurate after barrel, shroud, and adapter removal

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ronmcc4

ronmcc4

Member
Mar 13, 2020
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Jackson, Tennessee, United States
To summarize: I have a new Pulsar .22 HP. Before shooting it I removed the barrel (probably not a smart move) to clean it with a Patch Worm . I also removed the shroud and the adapter (the round part around the barrel with 6 grub screws) thinking that was necessary to remove the barrel. My fault for not knowing: you don't have to remove the shroud or adapter to remove the barrel. And I probably shouldn't have removed the barrel in the first place. 

Now it appears I have caused a problem. After reassembly, I found the pellets clipped a .25 moderator (Huggett). Not good. I thought I had messed up the O-ring on the barrel shroud (the entire shroud including 1 set of threads has to pass over this O-ring when installing the shroud so messing it up seems really easy to do). So I tested at 10 yards, off a bench rest, with just the naked barrel - no shroud. The shroud was not the problem. My 3 shot test group at 10 yards measured .92! So I figured something is loose somewhere. I removed the barrel (without removing the adapter this time) and found nothing amiss so I replaced it. Now the 10 yard bench rest groups (JSB and AA pellets) are no better than .23. The test group that came with the rifle was, of course, 1 hole at 20 yards. So - I apparently did something. 

I presently have a call in to AoA. My plan at this point is to send the rifle to them to have them diagnose and repair whatever I messed up. 

In the meantime - any ideas would be appreciated.

I realize I overstepped my knowledge in removing the shroud, adapter, and barrel but I've partially disassembled other rifles with no issues. But, now I do know how it goes together.
 
☝ What Hawkeye said plus-

Expensive guns tend to be a lot more sensitive to disassembly than dirt cheap PCPs based on what I noticed.

Is your breech o-ring and both outer barrel o-rings x2 still in good condition?

Is the barrel bushing facing the proper direction and are both barrel bushing screws tight?

Screenshot_2020-12-08-07-49-062.1607450056.png



 
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Hawkeye - yep. I’m sure the barrel is reinstalled well with the set screws in their proper place. I agree, removing the barrel shouldn’t be an issue. 


Odoyle - the breech o-ring and both barrel o-rings appear to be fine. I didn’t move the barrel bushing at all. I did check the bushing screws and they appeared to be properly tight.


The rifle is on its way back to AoA to see what is wrong. I discussed everything with Kip at AoA this morning. We agreed it would be best for their techs to have a look. 
 
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I would shoot it some more before returning it. A .23" group at 10 yards is one hole,not a tiny hole, but still not necessarily indicative of anything wrong. Regarding the test group, be warned, all test groups are not created equal. Did you get the paper target, or a photo? Yeah, taking it down before an initial shooting will probably not go down as your finest moment, but, it should not have caused a problem. 
 
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Are you NOT getting single pellet hole groups (just like shooting only one shot at each target) at 10 yards with your Redwolf?

Assuming you have a 22 Redwolf Try the 14.3gr Crosman pointed pellets in the 175 count tins and the Ultra Magnum domes and even the CPHPs lubed with Lemon Pledge (TOM HOLLAND STYLE! THE FT-SPIDERMAN!).
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If you are directing this to me, I can't answer as I never shoot any of my rifles at 10 yards. But yes, under good conditions, I get almost single pellet hole groups at 25 yards with my RW, RAW, Veteran, and HW100 rifles. Mostly shoot the 18 JSB, still have some 20 year-old brown box Crosman pellets, .22 and .177, and they shoot great too (dirty, need to be washed). I used those when I shot BR-50 years ago, and still have a few. But my point, there are variables here beyond the rifle and pellet, and it may be a rush to judgement to return the rifle. 
 
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What started the 10 yards things was this: after getting on paper with a couple of shots in my indoor range at 10 yards I moved outside to 25 yards for an initial sight- in to start testing pellets. At 25 yards the sight in group was big (I don’t remember how big now) but astoundingly big for a Pulsar. That was with the JSB 14.35 grain pellets just for that initial semi-zero. I switched pellets to the 16 grain AA pellets and completely missed an 8.5 x 11 sheet! I knew at that point that something was seriously wrong. Additionally, I found the pellets were clipping the Huggett Snipe moderator I was using. Thus, and since it was getting dark, I came back inside to my indoor range for further testing. 


And as an example, my Pulsar standard power rifle will indeed make 1 non-ragged hole off the same bench at 10 yards with 3 shots. That is what I expect this Pulsar to do as well. 


There is a problem with the rifle. Whether an inherent problem or one I induced remains to be seen. I spoke with AoA personnel about it and they agreed. So - the rifle is on its way to AoA for their analysis and repair. I learned a lesson that I’ll pay for (in shipping if nothing else) and I’ll have an accurate and powerful rifle when it’s all done. At this point, I’m suspicious of the photo of the test group and think there may be a barrel problem. But - it will get corrected; of that I am confident. 
 
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The end of the story - after comparing chrony results between this HP and my standard Pulsar, I determined that, based on my use and plans for the rifle, there wasn’t much the HP could do that my standard couldn’t already do. So, I decided to trade the HP Pulsar, which was already in AoA’s hands for a Red Wolf .22 Midnight Laminate.

Just letting anyone following the thread know the final outcome. I have no doubt AoA will have the HP Pulsar shooting lights out. I suppose it’ll show up in their pre-owned selection soon.
 
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This is probably the Pulsar .22 HP grey laminate I just bought used from AOA (hope they fixed it). They also have a used Redwolf Safari .22 for sale.
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It very well could be PeterJC. I had already sent the Pulsar back to AoA for whatever repairs were needed. I shipped it back to them 12/8/2020. I got a larger than expected year-end “bonus” so I decided I’d pay the difference and trade for a Red Wolf Midnight standard if AoA was willing. I called and they were willing. I’m sure they went ahead and did the repair and fully tested before putting it for sale. That Pulsar is a beautiful rifle and you’ll enjoy it I’m sure.
I’d suggest not removing the shroud (you can remove the whole barrel assembly with the shroud intact if I remember correctly if you need to). There is an o-ring on a bushing attached to the barrel between the barrel and shroud up near the end of the shroud that is critical to accuracy as it keeps the relative positions of the barrel and shroud steady. This ensures that once the pellet leaves the barrel it isn’t interfered with by the baffles or shroud. Reinstalling the shroud with that o-ring in place isn’t as easy as it seems it should be. I don’t think I ever got it right and my efforts became a comedy of errors. That’s why I sent it back in the first place. No doubt, their technicians corrected anything I fouled up and your new rifle would be as good as new. 😃
 
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I was wondering about that - what does that mean? noob here. Does that mean that the hole itself that multiple pellets go through is .23 inches across? That would be indistinguishable from .22 I think. Or do you mean at the maximum deflection of any one pellet was .23 inches from the center of the bullseye? Or maybe the largest distance between the center of one hole and the center of another hole was .23"?



 
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I was wondering about that - what does that mean? noob here. Does that mean that the hole itself that multiple pellets go through is .23 inches across? That would be indistinguishable from .22 I think. Or do you mean at the maximum deflection of any one pellet was .23 inches from the center of the bullseye? Or maybe the largest distance between the center of one hole and the center of another hole was .23"?


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Center to center. That’s why you can have a group size that is smaller than the actual pellet diameter. You can use a caliper which is more precise than a ruler. Or, use an app like Ballistic-X that uses a photo of the group for very precise group measurements.
 
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