Last summer I bought a Notos (first every PCP airgun). I had zero issues with it and use it only for sparrow control at my house. The place I shoot from is exactly 33 yards and I have had it zero'd at that distance. I notice last week I was missing, which has never been an issue. I thought maybe I had bumped something so I set up a bench to zero it back in. I found at 33 yards I might go 4 or 5 shot in a decent group then the next shot might be 7 inches or more high. Then it might shoot a few high and then jump around again. I have not cleaned the barrel yet but have read on here some people don't clean for thousands of shots. The scope (Bug Buster 3-9x32) seemed tight last time I shot but I am going to double check all those bolts. Is it likely a barrel cleaning issue or is there something else that is likely. Today when I first tried to zero it in I shot about 7 shots in a row that were within an inch or so and thought it was good. Then I missed a starling (big target) so I went back to the bench and it was shooting about 6 inches high. I am using a SCUBA tank and always re-charge the gun once it gets around 1700 PSI on the guns gauge. I would guess the gun has 300-500 shots through it total, H&N Terminator 16.36 grains.
Umarex NOTOS accuracy issues.
- Thread starter midwest
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1. Clean. 2. The pellet, maybe you've had good luck. I've thrown away more than half a tin of those. I've seen people post great groups, but man I've put out and seen some really eye bursting, brain breakingly bad grouping with them. with the notos a good domed 18gr Jts/JSB/AEA will hit home every time at that range as will jts 16.08, if you want an HP type pellet, this is the one gun and for the range you're shooting, I'd definitely take the CPHP. Also remember that the Atomic/Hades shot VERY well out of the stock Notos Barrel. That said, if you've been using the terminator and shooting tight groups consistently.. keep shooting them. Just clean the gun and check the orings.
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Most likely the pellet like said above, try a domed pellet and clean the barrel. Should be good to go 
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If it's shooting that bad, make sure everything on your gun is as it should. Yes, you should check your ammo. Check for deformations and such, but on less, you're putting in pellets that look mangled. There's no reason why I would go from shooting great groups.It's a shooting seven or six inches high. Check your scope, check your screws for the rail. I've read that they can become loose. It's not something that ever happened to me, but I guess it could be a thing.
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I was one of them. But it was totally horizontal deviations. at 20y as much as 18moa off left and right, as well as sometimes perfect, at 33 that would be 6". Never had vertical problems.
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I see a little variation left to right but definitely more high and low. I'll check some other pellets. But I am halfway through my second tin of them when this started so don't feel like that is the case. But who knows at this point.
Being new to airguns, what is the most preferred method for barrel cleaning?
Being new to airguns, what is the most preferred method for barrel cleaning?
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Patch worm
Ballistol pull snakes. I ended up cutting the grass tip off so it fits in the breech, all you need is silicone oil and one pull through is usually enough.
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Steve, at AEAC, has a "how-to" video on airgun barrel cleaning with PatchWorm/Ballistol. Should be easily found on YouTube. WM
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All barrel/projectile combos have a cleaning interval. Yes, some could be in the thousands. Some not. I believe you just discovered yours. But if you didn’t clean your gun when brand new for whatever reason, your data is not solid. After you clean your barrel properly, now you can start the timer to when the train goes off the tracks. It might be 800-1,000 now that you got all the shipping garbage out of the barrel that should have been done when you unboxed it. Personally, I don’t use oils or other fluff to clean my airgun barrels. I use appropriate lead removal solvents. It goes very quickly and the barrel is truly clean.
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Ballistol FlexClean Bore Cleaner for .22-.24 Caliber Guns
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Can't say I've ever experienced leading so severe that it produced a 7" shift at 33 yards. A dirty barrel tends to show up as growing group size, for example the described 1" groups increasing to 2", not a huge point of impact (POI) shift that stays for a few shots and then moves somewhere else.
Cleaning the bore is a good place to start to rule it out because it's easy and non-invasive, but don't get discouraged if it does not remedy the problem. The symptom you describe is more closely associated with the following potential causes:
Cleaning the bore is a good place to start to rule it out because it's easy and non-invasive, but don't get discouraged if it does not remedy the problem. The symptom you describe is more closely associated with the following potential causes:
- clipping a baffle in the moderator
- huge velocity changes
- loose barrel
- loose scope mount
- scope issue (e.g. bad erector spring, or elevation turret adjusted beyond the functional range of the erector spring or the erector tube)
- moderator - If possible, remove it and see if the POI stabilizes. Otherwise grab a flashlight and inspect its baffles for signs of impacts or scrubbing. If the baffles are metal, subtle clipping may be shaving slivers from pellets, in which case you can try shaking the moderator over a clean sheet of paper and see if slivers fall out.
- huge velocity changes - Ideally, check velocities with a chronograph. However a 7" elevation change at 33 yards would almost certainly produce an obvious change in sound that you would notice.
- loose barrel - Try moving it by hand. For example, does it wiggle slightly with modest pressure? Check that its fasteners are snug.
- loose scope mount - Check that the fasteners on the scope bases and the scope rings are secure. If the gun has a scope rail with its own fasteners, check those as well.
- scope - Ideally try a different scope. If you don't have one, can you comment on how much adjustment you have left in the elevation turret?
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100%. Highly unlikely it's a dirty barrel with such wild POI shifts but doesn't hurt to clean it. I'd follow what Jason said and check for loose screws. Clipping would be surprising to me especially if you haven't changed anything, they don't usually do that later on randomly especially a bonded on one like the Notos has.
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summarized
1. clean your barrel
2. check your scope mount for play, even the smallest wiggle is significant.
3. check your scope rings for loose screws or play.
4. try multiple projectiles. see if the variations are consistently elevation deviations
5. check your velocity for a full fill cycle. See if it’s Dipping and spiking significantly.
6. using A light or borescope if Available for marks on the inside of the moderator on the baffles.
7. make sure there are no cuts, gashes, or tears in your breech Oring.
8. make sure your parallax is set correctly.
fix Findings. If you don’t know how, feel free to ask anyone. If you see something you’re unsure of, Take pictures post ‘em here.
hopefully It’s something simple.
1. clean your barrel
2. check your scope mount for play, even the smallest wiggle is significant.
3. check your scope rings for loose screws or play.
4. try multiple projectiles. see if the variations are consistently elevation deviations
5. check your velocity for a full fill cycle. See if it’s Dipping and spiking significantly.
6. using A light or borescope if Available for marks on the inside of the moderator on the baffles.
7. make sure there are no cuts, gashes, or tears in your breech Oring.
8. make sure your parallax is set correctly.
fix Findings. If you don’t know how, feel free to ask anyone. If you see something you’re unsure of, Take pictures post ‘em here.
hopefully It’s something simple.
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1.make sure your barrel is not loose in the block
2. clean the barrel. i clean as soon as i notice the POI is wonky past 45 yards(usually after at least a couple thousand shots).
2. clean the barrel. i clean as soon as i notice the POI is wonky past 45 yards(usually after at least a couple thousand shots).
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Photo on Post #7 (Thanks, JaceSpace) shows various sizes of "donut-shaped" plastic sections that install on line for each caliber. I go one size smaller than caliber to be cleaned, piercing center of single 2" round cotton cleaning patch with sharp end of pull-thru. Tension seems about right either dry or with few drops of Ballistol, flipping cotton patch over, using again before discarding. Plastic straw, inserted from muzzle end, helps PatchWorm thru moderator/internal baffles, if choosing to clean without removal. WM
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Use the white one for .22, caliber of color coded piece is the caliber for which you use it. a 2" round patch is a bit large for .22, it will come with 7/8" rounds soaked in Ballistol, but only a handful. That size is great. I used on .177-.25, Single patch is often fine, if you feel like there isn't enough friction you can double patch.
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Have you added any aftermarket parts? I bought my Notos last fall. Cleaned it, and aired it up. Shot like a laser. I did not go nuts on mods, just a couple Big Air 12 round mags, and the good mod insert that slipped into the fixed shroud. Lastly, I thought the air tube was a little thin to grip and my poor little paw might get cold holding it, so I bought a printed hand guard. I put everything on and went to shoot off a rest and suddenly my accuracy was gone.
I cleaned it, still no joy. Inspected the mod insert, but did not remove, I saw no clipping. I figured out the hand guard when rested was pushing up on the barrel to varying degrees when rested. It was driving me nuts. Now it shoots like a laser again. Clean the barrel. Use a pellet known for accuracy. I am shooting the 15.89gr Hades at 748 fps at the factory reg setting (usually1900 psi) thought by many (me included) to be one of the best in the Notos. Think of any changes you made or things you have added to your gun and try to back track. I never thought a hand guard would mess up my accuracy, but it did.
I cleaned it, still no joy. Inspected the mod insert, but did not remove, I saw no clipping. I figured out the hand guard when rested was pushing up on the barrel to varying degrees when rested. It was driving me nuts. Now it shoots like a laser again. Clean the barrel. Use a pellet known for accuracy. I am shooting the 15.89gr Hades at 748 fps at the factory reg setting (usually1900 psi) thought by many (me included) to be one of the best in the Notos. Think of any changes you made or things you have added to your gun and try to back track. I never thought a hand guard would mess up my accuracy, but it did.
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