Canadian Airgun Forum

That's actually a nice setup. I like it. I used a couple 2x4s as a saddle kinda, screwed down to my bench, and a harmonic balancer puller screwed onto the end of the bench
Then I figured it was too fiddly and ended up just doing it manually

I really do need to build something and I might borrow your idea.

Yeah man, go wild

And I’ve done all the after-work stuff. I ran, I bought groceries, I ate a small mountain of food.

I’m relaxing now with my digital caliper, before I return to that beast of a rifle.

Ok, I’m gonna measure these things in chronological order, as opposed to chronographical, which we all enjoy very much.

So these are the reference dimensions of my other pieces.

Piston seal, old, uninstalled, used - - - - diameter - 1” ?

Piston seal, spare, uninstalled, new - - - diameter - .998”

Very scientific method I used to measure these things.

Piston seal, short piston, installed, barely used, 50 shots - - - diameter - .998”

I don’t know if I’m going to make it to the rifle tonight. I’m tired

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Stephen
low- / mid-level springers

.177 Cometa Fusion, Vantage 3-9x40
.177 Cometa Fenix LT, Endurance 4-16x50
.22 Cometa Fenix, Airmax 3-9x40

Here's detail of the other side for you.

See how the rear section slides under the scope mount support? Keeps it from buckling, so the one clamp keeps it down.

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Stephen
low- / mid-level springers

.177 Cometa Fusion, Vantage 3-9x40
.177 Cometa Fenix LT, Endurance 4-16x50
.22 Cometa Fenix, Airmax 3-9x40

Hey Steve, my 2 bit theory--- the gun was stored for an excessive time in the cocked position [ evidenced by the bowed spring you noticed ],
the spring having taken on a new set, now fatigue's rapidly within just a string or two of shots, be great if someone close to you had their old
spring kicking around that you could borrow to test this theory. May want to ease up on all the tube sanding before you need to order an oversize
piston and seal, lol.
Great thread by the way, have to try the piston liner one day and like your spring compressor idea--cheers

Thanks Gerry max, glad you like the thread.

I have a full power spring! I’ve been hesitant to push what I don’t understand any harder, but I agree, it’s time for a bigger hammer. Nothing to lose,

Cheers

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Stephen
low- / mid-level springers

.177 Cometa Fusion, Vantage 3-9x40
.177 Cometa Fenix LT, Endurance 4-16x50
.22 Cometa Fenix, Airmax 3-9x40

The Skookumchuk narrows is place where there is a drop in the water level a high tide. It's pretty dang cool if you're into white water rafting / surfing, it's a never ending wave.

https://youtu.be/MHQ3FJIbinI?t=47

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www.northernballistics.ca/links - All Sorts of stuff

Yeahhh, I do remember that. I never knew what it was called.
This is the one I mentioned.
Skookumchuck
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jsM4jd5HDGydjf8M9

First, I’d like to thank killercrow and Rick for sticking with me and offering so much thought and help through all this. What a crazy adventure!

But Gerry, you nailed it! I owe you a beer. I would have got there eventually but it was sure nice getting a little push in that direction today. I just had a hard time accepting that the spring could get that gutless.

Whew! What a ordeal! I don’t regret any of it though, I have a rifle! I made a piston liner in record time, I can open that sucker and swap parts in my sleep I’ve done it so many times. And I learned how to use my tools to polish the compression tube. I used 5 grits of paper in that thing! It’s smooth!

And please, before anyone outs me in public again for having a firearm, rest assured that I will be ordering a 495 fps spring immediately. I’ll only be shooting this rifle until the chamber oil burns off and the velocity settles.

Thanks again everyone for your interest and help, and I look forward to our discussion in the next thread.

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Stephen
low- / mid-level springers

.177 Cometa Fusion, Vantage 3-9x40
.177 Cometa Fenix LT, Endurance 4-16x50
.22 Cometa Fenix, Airmax 3-9x40

Hi Steve, Optimus is a great starter rifle with lots of potentials! You will not be disappointed. I got mine 7 years ago and learned a lot from it. It wasn't a sharp shooting machine when I got it, but with some cleaning and adjustments turns out it's much more accurate than I thought! With your efforts, your Optimus will become a laser gun in no time! Cheers!

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Thanks oldspringer

It’s been fun. I’m wrestling with the centrepoint scope now

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Stephen
low- / mid-level springers

.177 Cometa Fusion, Vantage 3-9x40
.177 Cometa Fenix LT, Endurance 4-16x50
.22 Cometa Fenix, Airmax 3-9x40

Hey Steve, glad that problem seems to be solved, always nice [ and rare ] to call one right, lol.
Did you retain the original piston/liner with the new spring and how is the twang/harshness with the new spring now?--Cheers

Yeah Gerry!

Yes, retained original piston and liner.

Pre-liner, the rifle was a bit loud and twangy, and had quite a kick for .177, I’m used to Phantom .22.

The liner let it be much quieter and less twangy.

When I installed the strong spring, it was real loud, I thought it might be supersonic, dieseling I suppose, and a kick. This is the fastest I’ve shot. I noticed right away that I couldn’t hear the pellet impact, seemed simultaneous. I took 6 shots before the first chrony session. I think it relaxed a little by then. Quieter but still loud with a kick, the liner helps with this. But twang is kept down quite good.

This is compared to the Phantom, I suppose, the Optimus seems a bit excited. I’ve got to shoot the Phantom again and compare. I’m looking forward to see if I can get the Optimus to shoot straight. It’ll be nice to detune it again.

I ordered the B Spring last night, and a one-piece scope mount to get free shipping.

So the next little upgrade will be a Crosman one-piece mount, medium, on the Phantom. And I have a pair of Hawke Match Ring Mounts, high, to install on the Optimus. There ya go, all’s well.

Photo of the offending spring, you can just see its bend.

And there’s the pair of them

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Stephen
low- / mid-level springers

.177 Cometa Fusion, Vantage 3-9x40
.177 Cometa Fenix LT, Endurance 4-16x50
.22 Cometa Fenix, Airmax 3-9x40

Adventures with zeroing CentrePoint 4x32 scope.

Grizzly 8.8 Match Pellets, 17m

Target .5, 1, 2 and 3 inch rings

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Stephen
low- / mid-level springers

.177 Cometa Fusion, Vantage 3-9x40
.177 Cometa Fenix LT, Endurance 4-16x50
.22 Cometa Fenix, Airmax 3-9x40

Adjustment of point of impact is obtained by moving an internal tube inside of the main scope tube. On good quality scopes, there are flat pieces of metal attached to the internal tube for the adjusters to ride on. On the entry level "freebie" scopes, those flat pieces are missing, so the adjusters ride directly on the tube with opposed spring pressure holding the tube in place. Take for example a change in elevation. You move the turret 6 clicks down and expect the point of impact to move straight down, only it doesn't. It changes the windage slightly because the windage adjuster that you didn't move rode the curved surface of the internal tube and that caused the change in windage. I have and use a few of those freebie scopes. You have to fiddle and futz with them until you get the point of impact where you want it. Sometimes a few knuckle raps on both turrets after an adjustment helps things to move. It's not unusual for there to be no change in point of impact with the first shot after an adjustment. The recoil of the first shot usually moves the tube and the next shot shows the adjustment. If your scope is set around the middle of the adjustment ranges, the effect is minimal. The farther your adjustments are from centre, the more pronounced the discrepancies will be.
Apologies if you already knew all this stuff.

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Theory is when you know how something works, but it doesn't.
Practice is when something works, but you don't know why.
In my shop, Theory and Practice are combined!
Nothing works and I don't know why.

Two lathes and too many projects

I always tap on the adjustment cap with a rubber ended screw driver, a fired ctg. case or a finger knuckle after making each adjustment & before firing.
With some scopes, if you don't do that, you will see very little movement in the point of impact yet more movement if you fire another shot.(cheap scopes)
If you don't see much movement, then make another adjustment, by the time the inner tube settles, you will have made too much change and have to
reverse travel. The back and forth can be frustrating. Tapping the scope tube, or adjustment cap can save ammo and time.

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Best Wishes
Daryl