Tuning P1 / hw45 tune???

[Mycapt65]

Hey gang, I got a 177 caliber P1 from about 2000. It shoots a little slower than when I first got it. The gun was making 5.2 fpe and now it makes 4.2 fpe. I'm pretty sure it lost the power when it finally stopped smoking. I added a few drops of RWS spring oil through the slots and the power briefly came up but not to original levels. I tried dry firing the gun a few times to form fit the Teflon piston seal. The power came up slightly for a shot or two and then subsided.

I took apart the gun and there was a few cuts in the piston seal edge which would explain the dieseling. Not having a piston seal I cleaned off the oil and old caked lube. I lightly lubed the piston and spring with moly. The gun picked up 10 fps but it's still not up to the power levels when it was dieseling oil. 

With the spring bent and the seal grooved I'd like to replace them and tune it. This is my first rodeo with this model and would appreciate any tips from someone familiar with these guns.

Thank you

 

[Who_needs_powder]

I went through the same thing. Actually wondered if my teenage (at the time) son got a hold of it and left it cocked. From new I had the smoking no matter how much I wiped and cleaned and it continued for WAY too long. I handed it over to a friend who has a good deal more experience than me working on springers. All he did was replace the spring, a minimal amount of polishing, and a bit of the argued about "tar" on the spring. Man what a difference! I am lazy and haven't had the chrony out for a while so I can't speak to the full recovery of velocity, but what a joy to shoot now!

 

[wildcj5]

A couple of vids on tuning.



https://youtu.be/IvxiPRLOICI



https://youtu.be/kxvtuiAEXmo

 

[Steveoo]

Dont do it….

Think piston weight first, second and third and forget this kit.

 

[Mycapt65]

Dont do it….

Think piston weight first, second and third and forget this kit.

In what regards? Are you saying the TBT kit negatively affects piston weight? I imagine it lightens the piston by replacing the steel spring guide with a shorter nylon one?

 

[Steveoo]

Tinbum kits basically lighten all pistons because they work on the premise of replacing the steel top hat, or in the case of the HW45, the mainspring guide, with a plastic top hat. Sometimes it works, but always loses power.

The entire point of the HW45 is its power, then learning to shoot it. However, i agree a top hat (at both ends) does a great job of arresting spring buzz and centralising it away from rubbing inside the piston.

With the Tinbum kit, or any other similar kit …or the better Eagle kit etc…we get approx 520-540 fps …but sometimes some piston bounce if using pellets above 8 grain. With a solid steel Top hat of 25- 30 grams we get 580 fps to 600 fps and zero bounce with heavier pellets….

The key here is once you have learnt repeatable hold, you will do no less well in accuracy terms with a steel top hat installed, but enjoy more power can have greater pellet choice without worrying about piston bounce and can enjoy a flatter trajectory …

I agree that these cheap plastic kits allow a nicer cycle by deadening twang but there is more to it than just that. It depends on the gun and the pellet, but in the case of the 45, tragically reduces the power Beeman designed into it. Also if the guide and top hat is steel, it does an excellent job of deadening twang almost as well.