Air Arms Smooth Shooting Springer ? Do They Exist ?

[Airgun Al]

Years ago, I discovered PCP's, and sold off the springers that I owned.
I have not shot a spinger in many years, and I am wondering if anything has changed, over the last 15 or 20 years?
Has there been any major advancements, in the recoil of springers?
What about the newer Nitro pistons?
Was it just hype, or are the nitro pistons really an improvement?

Also, are the Air Arms TX, and HW 97 still reguarded as great shooting spingers, and how do they rate today, as far as recoil is concerned?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Bear-of-Grayling]

Also, are the Air Arms TX, and HW 97 still reguarded as great shooting spingers

Pretty much so in a “fixed barrel“ model. Either can be tuned to a wonderful firing behavior. Recoil is the “law of nature“ regarding a springer. If recoil is the reason you jumped the hobby, history may repeat itself.

 

[dgeesaman]

Whether a springer has a spring or a piston, the overwhelming portion of the smoothness comes from the quality and fit of the components and the power vs. rifle weight. A well-tuned springer on a quality platform shooting a reasonable amount of power will feel quite smooth. It will always have some recoil but it can be down to just a firm 'pop'.
I've shot one rifle with a nitro piston and it was awful. Very lightweight, the piston overpowered the gun, and the accuracy was horrid. Heck the trigger on that gun was rougher than the entire shot cycle on one of my guns. The advantage that the actual piston didn't have spring coils to vibrate was lost in the chaos.

 

[EMrider]

Nothing material has changed in the past 15 or 20 years in terms of spring gun technology. There is a positive correlation between power level and recoil, which can be muted by either tuning or gun weight. It is simple physics. That said, IMHO the TX or hw97 can both be setup to shoot quite pleasantly at power levels up to 15-16fpe.
R

 

[beerthief]

Years ago, I discovered PCP's, and sold off the springers that I owned.
I have not shot a spinger in many years, and I am wondering if anything has changed, over the last 15 or 20 years?
Has there been any major advancements, in the recoil of springers?
What about the newer Nitro pistons?
Was it just hype, or are the nitro pistons really an improvement?

Also, are the Air Arms TX, and HW 97 still reguarded as great shooting spingers, and how do they rate today, as far as recoil is concerned?
Thanks in advance.

What has changed in the last years is the thought for more power " you need XXXX power to kill a little squirrel or other small pests @ 80 + yards !"
transilates to " i want at least 1000 FPE with a 10.4 grain pellet @ 80 yards " ( for my back yard ) As a kid i shot many squirrels /birds /rabbits with my lowly Daisy pump springer .177 BB gun .

 

[Springrrrr]

If you can get your hands on a Walther LGU, you will find it right up there and maybe beyond the TX200 and HW97's

 

[A.G.R]

Springer technology hasn’t changed in 40 years.. what they have done is slightly smooth them out with some dampening methods.. you can’t beat physics. Weighted piston goes forward. Recoil is gonna be felt somewhere.. If tuned correctly it’s a dead jolt pop sound. Under 12 ft lbs it can be very minimal. No 15 ft plus gun is gonna be recoileless
it’s a springer thrusting a weight forward. Remember the third law of physics. For every action of motion. you will have equal reaction ..

 

[drpietrzak]

I can't speak to history, but my TX200, Friends Diana 54, the 97 are three killer rigs for springers. They are springers though and that is what it is.

 

[Toxylon]

The difference in the shot cycle characteristics between two springers of even the same model and caliber can be extreme. Case in point is my Cometa 400 .22 cal. Very violent, bordering-on-painful recoil and general vibration / movement plus dramatic noise level in factory FAC form, and nothing but but a dull, linear 'thud' after a home tune featuring a cut aftermarket mainspring, well-fitted guides and seals, and lubed correctly. The gun also went down from 18.4 to 12.5 fpe, which is a big factor, but far from the only one, as there are very ornery 12 fpe spring guns also around. I have had some of those.

My 2018 Walther LGV .22 cal was as calm as a tar lake on a still day, off the factory. In this regard, the late-generation Walthers were miles ahead of any other spring guns, Weihrauch and Air Arms included. While not exhibiting any truly new technology, they were a giant leap forward as far as shot cycle issues on sporter springers in factory trim go. They are not made anymore, because they were too expensive to manufacture in the dozen different power levels mandated by sundry airgun laws across the globe.

 

[Lewis]

Recoilless or semi-recoilless springers absolutely exist.

The FWB GISS guns like the FWB75 are all recoilless.
The Whiscombe opposing piston guns are also recoilless.

The most common semi recoilless springers have an action that slides in the stock. The shooter feels almost no recoil but the scope and action do experience the recoil. These include, but are not limited to:

FWB300
Diana 54/56
and my personal favorite, the TX200 SR!

 

[A.G.R]

Recoilless or semi-recoilless springers absolutely exist.

The FWB GISS guns like the HW75 are all recoilless.
The Whiscombe opposing piston guns are also recoilless.

The most common semi recoilless springers have an action that slides in the stock. The shooter feels almost no recoil but the scope and action do experience the recoil. These include, but are not limited to:

FWB300
Diana 54/56
and my personal favorite, the TX200 SR!

Lewis. , those are considered specialty guns only reserved for Lefty’s….

 

[Lewis]

Lewis. , those are considered specialty guns only reserved for Lefty’s….

lol!

 

[jkingrph]

Recoilless or semi-recoilless springers absolutely exist.

The FWB GISS guns like the HW75 are all recoilless.
The Whiscombe opposing piston guns are also recoilless.

The most common semi recoilless springers have an action that slides in the stock. The shooter feels almost no recoil but the scope and action do experience the recoil. These include, but are not limited to:

FWB300
Diana 54/56
and my personal favorite, the TX200 SR!

HW 75, a pistol is recoilless because it simply is a single stroke pneumatic. There are a few other pistols like that the IZH 46m and Air Venturi V 10. My old Beeman (Diana) original 6 isa Giss system. The FWB 300 rifle along with the models 65, 80 and the 90 which has a electrinoc trigger, are the recoiling action types. I have a 300, and two each of the models 65 and 80 and if you compare them to the Giss system pistols, and pay close attention you can detect a bit of movement with the FWB's, and none with the Giss system. I still prefer the FWB pistols to that Beeman because of the ergonomics of the gun, they just feel better.

 

[Lewis]

HW 75, a pistol is recoilless because it simply is a single stroke pneumatic. There are a few other pistols like that the IZH 46m and Air Venturi V 10. My old Beeman (Diana) original 6 isa Giss system. The FWB 300 rifle along with the models 65, 80 and the 90 which has a electrinoc trigger, are the recoiling action types. I have a 300, and two each of the models 65 and 80 and if you compare them to the Giss system pistols, and pay close attention you can detect a bit of movement with the FWB's, and none with the Giss system. I still prefer the FWB pistols to that Beeman because of the ergonomics of the gun, they just feel better.

OOpps! I meant the Diana 75 not the HW75. I didn't mean to bring SST's into the discussion.

 

[EquivalentDelta]

My HW77 in .22 with a Vortek kit is pretty smooth.

I imagine going to sub 12 ft/lb would be getting into velvet territory.

 

[A.G.R]

My HW77 in .22 with a Vortek kit is pretty smooth.

I imagine going to sub 12 ft/lb would be getting into velvet territory.

Under 12 you can really get them close to recoiled erased. Especially in the lighter weight smaller 25 mm tubed piston guns.

 

[Bocephus]

Those Tony Leach kits look interesting. I think Tom Gaylord put one in a tx200 and wrote about it in his blog.

 

[A.G.R]

Those Tony Leach kits look interesting. I think Tom Gaylord put one in a tx200 and wrote about it in his blog.

They are fantastic sub 12 kits. Nitrocrusher is the direct importer here in the

 

[sekiar]

Cometa 400 Fenix and HW30 and a few others. Charles

 

[extradrygin2001]

Velocity is your enemy with springers, 12-15 ftlbs is a real good spot, you will still have recoil, you will still have hold sensitivity, you will still have the inevitability of “flyers” from time to time, nothing is different. vortex makes a real nice drop in kit, but you still need 500-1000 pellets for breaking in. So 15 years ago if you got frustrated and walked away then you should probably not try to rekindle an old flame. Unless your looking for the the old hurt one last time.