PCP on order

[jsizemore]

After reading the posts of members about their Air Venturi Avengers, I started some reading. I'd already looked at the FX Impact M3 and understood the extras it provided but couldn't make myself come off the money. $2000+. Corporate headquarters and warehouse aren't far from me. Them folks don't deal with the general public. Figured I might pick up a refurb. Not likely.

After reading about the Avenger and upgrades, I almost ordered one but ran up on the Avenge-x and it's impending release which got shoved back a couple times. By chance I saw that Pyramid Air had got some in and today I ordered one of the remaining 3 Classic's in 22. Tomorrow I'll order one of the Rovair compressors. Both Avenge-x and Rovair will bring the price to a little under $1100. The price is about double the Avenger and Yong Heng combo that goes for $500-600. Way more better than $2000+ with close to all the improvements the Impact offers. Avenge-x and Rovair are very both user friendly according to all the blogs I read. Friend told me Abe Lincoln said you can believe everything you read on the internet. We'll see. Abe did lie about the invasion from the North,

So my question to PCP shooters, especially the 3000psi shooters, do ya'll lube your pellets and/or slugs? Do you size? Does anybody PC slugs? I've got a Theoben Scirroco that's FAC but is not in the same velocity league as the Avenge-x.

Thanks for any help/advice. Can't wait for my next lead slinger.

[georgerkahn]

With six PCP arms, I guess I am a "PCP shooter". I have purchased the lube, but quite frankly rarely use it. My do-it is a damp Ballistol patch pulled through barrel -- making certain I have a soda-straw in front (muzzle end) so patch does not get caught on any baffles -- whenever I get to camp or range. I follow with a dry patch, and then sometimes will add still another patch run-through with the lube. I have one (an Air Arms 10-meter target PCP) in .177, with all others in .22.
I do not size, and the one purchase (2 100-count sleeves) of FX brand .22 slugs were a disappointment. I have more assorted .22 pellets that I'll probably ever get to use -- doing the math, PCP shooting is most inexpensive -- but still, when there's a sale I purchase several tins.
My compressor, just fyi, is a Nomad 11 -- also purchased, as many of all my air arms, from Pyramic Air. Good people!
BEST wishes to you on your new one coming!
geo

[jsizemore]

Thanks Geo. I know I have some 22 pellets but your post made me get up and look. I'm down to 1 and half tins of RWS 14.5gr Superdomes I bought from ISS when RWS came out with new packaging. They were on clearance and I bought all he had left. I think it was 12 tins. I went through a bunch of 177 in a couple SSP 10 meter rifles during the same period. Got a piece of treated pine hanging on the pasture fence 25 yards away that's good off hand practice from the back door landing.

So, I'm really lacking in heavier 22's. H&N and JSB both have some 18's that look interesting. Maybe some 25's too.

[dverna]

In my testing, I found that with the Crosman 14.3 HP .22 pellets my gun (Daystate Huntsman) achieved best accuracy with 20 drops of Ballistol in a 500 pellet tin.

I did not try any other lubes.

IiRC, I am averaging .77” five shot groups at 50 yards for 30 test groups. Other lubes may do better but for what I need, sub 1” at 50 yards with cheap pellets is good enough.

[Racing]

I rarely, and i mean rarely, lube airgun pills.
Trials i have done has shown basically no improvement from it.

Sizing pellets in turn, skirts on most of them are so soft i fail to see the point.

What has made a difference, when i get to it that is, is weight sorting them though.

[georgerkahn]

Thanks Geo. I know I have some 22 pellets but your post made me get up and look. I'm down to 1 and half tins of RWS 14.5gr Superdomes I bought from ISS when RWS came out with new packaging. They were on clearance and I bought all he had left. I think it was 12 tins. I went through a bunch of 177 in a couple SSP 10 meter rifles during the same period. Got a piece of treated pine hanging on the pasture fence 25 yards away that's good off hand practice from the back door landing.

So, I'm really lacking in heavier 22's. H&N and JSB both have some 18's that look interesting. Maybe some 25's too.

I heeded dverna's post re the Crosman pellets -- on sale at the time (Amazon) -- and he was (as usual) spot on vis their accuracy potential. My observations -- note the word, "observation": the way it appears to me with NO scientific backup, there seems to be a correlation between number of shots and pellet weight. Pretty much ALL my recreational pellet shooting is now in the 14- to 18-grain range, with the majority done with 14 +/- grain pellets. Even on dispatching varmints, I (maybe just "me") made them drop just as well with 14.3 pellets as heavier ones. And, again, I got more shots with these weight pellets than those heavier than 18 grains.
When I shot competition, the Beeman pellet form tool was -- perhaps -- an asset. Even though that piece of foam rubber comes in many tins, that the skirts get a tad squished often happens. Using that tool ensured the skirts were both round and uniform -- a hopeful increase in reliability. (I think it may have increased my scores by maybe one or two points ).
I do hope you enjoy your new PCP as much as I have in my small collection. My newest is a Notos -- kind of a fun PCP .22!
geo

[chutesnreloads]

Do let us know how that AvengeX works out. I had been eying those and while waiting for them to become available decided to
more or less copy what Dverna did with the Daystate. Been wanting something "elegant" for years. Now I got it
I don't bother lubing pellets or slugs. Powder coat seems to me overkill and likely counterproductive. Have not tried sizing pellets
Would likely weight sort them if I were shooting competition which I don't. Honestly, all my PCPs with the pellets my guns prefer
shoot so well I don't find a need to do anything but shoot pellets right out of the tin.
Again, do keep us posted on that AvengeX. Like hearing how folks like their purchase a year or so down the line. That's when you know what works well and what doesn't.

[MrWolf]

My Air Venturi (25 cal) started losing air very slowly a bit ago. Called Pyramid Air and the woman stated it is a common issue and even hers did. I contacted the manufacturer who wanted me to drop it off at a UPS facility. I said there are none near me and just have UPS pick it up at my house. They don't do that. She also Googled my address and said there really aren't any UPS facilities within a half hour drive (told her I was disabled and couldn't drive long distances without pain). They agreed to just send me a full kit to replace the o rings, etc.. Still haven't gotten to do that yet. Keep us posted on how you like the AvengeX. If I remember right, this was supposed to have been out for quite awhile but kept getting postponed.

[jsizemore]

I got some 14.5gr RWS to get started. Maybe I can get the rifle figured out. Hopefully I can get the reg pressure and hammer adjustments straight and post my results. The stock is supposed to be more substantial than the Avenger with some adjustment which was a big selling point for me. I should get the rifle on Tuesday and compressor the next. We've got a cooling spell coming just in time to get some more better range time. Got a Harris BR bipod, Leupold VX-3 6.5-20 EFR, Millet windage adjustable rings, Delta Chrony, and a Protektor bunny ear rear bag. Should be a hole bunch of fun. Couldn't help myself.

[chutesnreloads]

Trigger time is always fun.

[jsizemore]

I was working on the farm and heard the UPS truck in the subdivision that butts up to us. I was just finishing up and went looking for him. A check at lunch said the package from Pyramyd was out for delivery. I usually get my stuff delivered to a business in town so I said what the heck, maybe he's got it. Big brown was easy to find and he was glad to save a stop.

Cardboard box inside a cardboard box didn't show any damage. Opened the right end and all the paperwork was under the brown paper packing against the inner box. There was a little noise from inside but it was one of the mags that had come out of it's cubbyhole. I pulled the rifle from it's plastic sock and was surprised by the substantial size and light weight. 7.64 lbs with the classic stock that is very solid with out the hollow sound. When I shouldered the gun the weight was between my hands and the drop in the stock just forward of the trigger is at it's max drop like you want with a standing offhand rifle. Stock is narrow and would easily be held split finger with the left hand if your familiar silhouette rifle shooting. Not as light as my Anschutz 1712 but very familiar in feel. This thing feels like a real rifle instead of a toy and sized for an adult instead of a teenager. Fit and finish are very good. 2200psi on the cylinder gauge and 2100 out of the regulator. Compressor and cleaning kit won't be here for a couple days. I'll get the scope mounted tomorrow. Maybe drag my air gun bore snake through the barrel and get off a couple shots before I feel the need to start taking things apart.

I did get an email from Ruth at Pyramyd saying if I had any questions or needed help to just ask. I asked if they had any tune info for getting started. Got an email today asking if I had a chronograph and how far did I plan to shoot. Can't beat that. They want the newbie to get a good start. I did get some tuning data for the Avenger in 22 online.

Should be fun. Maybe I won't blow this thing up.

[dverna]

Looking forward to your follow up posts.

Sounds like a decent gun and I hope it shoots well for you.

[jsizemore]

I've had a few emails back and forth with Ruth at Pyramyd Air this afternoon. Told her my plan was to shoot rodents at 50-100 yards. She said they had good results with the new gun shooting 18gr pellets at 850-920fps. I mentioned the correlation between dialing in a load for a centerfire rifle and the adjustments on their avenger. She said that's right. Regulator is your major adjustment and the hammer spring is the fine adjustment. Use your chronograph to get you in the velocity range.

The other part is that lighter pellets use a lower reg pressure and light hammer spring force and heavy weights need higher reg pressure and heavy hammer spring force.

[Racing]

I was working on the farm and heard the UPS truck in the subdivision that butts up to us. I was just finishing up and went looking for him. A check at lunch said the package from Pyramyd was out for delivery. I usually get my stuff delivered to a business in town so I said what the heck, maybe he's got it. Big brown was easy to find and he was glad to save a stop.

Cardboard box inside a cardboard box didn't show any damage. Opened the right end and all the paperwork was under the brown paper packing against the inner box. There was a little noise from inside but it was one of the mags that had come out of it's cubbyhole. I pulled the rifle from it's plastic sock and was surprised by the substantial size and light weight. 7.64 lbs with the classic stock that is very solid with out the hollow sound. When I shouldered the gun the weight was between my hands and the drop in the stock just forward of the trigger is at it's max drop like you want with a standing offhand rifle. Stock is narrow and would easily be held split finger with the left hand if your familiar silhouette rifle shooting. Not as light as my Anschutz 1712 but very familiar in feel. This thing feels like a real rifle instead of a toy and sized for an adult instead of a teenager. Fit and finish are very good. 2200psi on the cylinder gauge and 2100 out of the regulator. Compressor and cleaning kit won't be here for a couple days. I'll get the scope mounted tomorrow. Maybe drag my air gun bore snake through the barrel and get off a couple shots before I feel the need to start taking things apart.

I did get an email from Ruth at Pyramyd saying if I had any questions or needed help to just ask. I asked if they had any tune info for getting started. Got an email today asking if I had a chronograph and how far did I plan to shoot. Can't beat that. They want the newbie to get a good start. I did get some tuning data for the Avenger in 22 online.

Should be fun. Maybe I won't blow this thing up.

Cool, and congrats!

On that boresnake, do yourself a favor.. ALL of these airguns needs their barrel cleaned before going to work. Point in case, as most of them are made in either Turkey or Asia them are filled to the brim with antirust goo and what not and this needs to come out before going at it if ANY sorts of accuracy is on the agenda.

FWIW someone like me, that work on them, in essence the absolute first thing i do for a customer that comes in the door and claims less than ideal accuracy is take the barrel entirely off and set it on a vise, then hand it one serious scrub.
More often than not this is followed with a quick trip on the lathe to get the crown polished and ditto for the chamber in itself. Reason for that is that the barrel install on ALL "less than 2000$" guns is simply a matter of money and i can guarantee that no more time is spent on the barrel install than the absolute necessity to make it work, if even that.
As the barrel IS the "vital" of the thing.. spending a little time doing what the manufacturer did not very often pays off like no tomorrow, which then stands to reason to all i hope.

I guess one could reason this should be done by the vendors in that case.. yadda yadda, but the truth is that it isn´t and it WILL impair accuracy of these guns to a major or minor degree if not attended to.

Might be a "crowning job" is a tad over the top to most but.. that cleaning is surely not and yes it DOES pay back. Plz take my word for this. Be adviced that some go overboard to the point where time is spent polishing the rifling per se, using metal polish of some sorts. So yeah.. rabbit hole if ever.

What most that are new to PCP´s (and sometimes even seasoned folk) fail to realize is what accuracy out of a PCP gun SHOULD be and the truth of it is that even the most "lowly" PCP´s can often be had to deliver true tac driver performance just handed a little TLC n insight.

Although i guess the upscale brands are better as far as this.. they are certainly not sans flaws on the matter either so what i´m saying i guess is that no matter the budget this NEEDS to be done.
To the point where we´re talking budget n up to midrange hang tag guns it is downright essential.

Also be adviced on the importance of the pill used. Word of advice is to pick a number of tins up of various weights as well as brands cause PCP´s works the same way as far as this as do 22lr guns.
In short they will all show preference, which i guess is a good thing to keep in mind at least. EVEN if you opt to go ultra budget in the end as far as mainstay fudder, it sure never hurts KNOWING what your particular gun thrives on.

Tuning in turn.
I at least do it such that i set a given pill "type" for a given muzzle speed, already off the bat, and then proceed to try similar pellets or slugs of the same weight and thus approx speed to see what hands the results for THAT given gun.
Pellets for instance, a safe bet is around the 850-870 mark.
Yes. There´s sure pellets that´ll handle speeds beyond that well but them 850-870 for a pellet is always a good starting point. In turn, limit shooting using pellets to under approx 60-70 yards as they due design tend to spiral as distance opens up.

The Avenger is a modern design to the end it´ll handle even slugs at least decent. Again a matter of gun preference, and thus trial n error.

One thing rarely brought up in turn is that today many a pill come in more than one size, and as things has it it has proven itself more than once that say a 22cal that won´t shoot JSB Knockouts in 216 might very well perform just great using the exact same pill in 218. Aaaaand the other way around too, of course.
Point in case, my own Reximex Throne Gen 2 that wouldn´t group if its life depended on it using 216´s but will shoot lights out at anything within 100 meters using 218´s.
In turn, seeing where this is going and the amount of fresh mans of pills (no matter if pellets or slugs) i bet that we´ll only see THAT part grow as time pass..

Taking delivery of your, let´s say midrange hang tag, PCP these days.. it´s starting to become a bit of a "ramp up" to get the thing set to preference. Your Avenger no exception.
Yes. ... all to aware that many find it "un manly" to read up on the instruction manual but the truth of the matter is such that for instance the mere setting up of the typical two stage trigger benefits from you knowing what screw does what..
In short spend the 30mins needed reading up WITH the gun in your lap for reference. It does pay off!

..and when i doubt.. places like this is where you´ll get the answers, no doubt.

Oh! If you´re to use this, or any other, PCP for hunting plz give the current flora hollow point slugs more than just a casual thought/try. We´re all in it to keep any hurt on the animals in case to an absolute min and the current crop hollow points expand and hand energy transfer it makes regular boolits for a powder burner look silly.
I keep mine, all of them, to keep after rodents and albeit even a 34 grain pellet is massive overkill on a mouse the truth of the matter is that all of sudden you face a massive rat where that same pellet will just blow straight through the animal... and noone wins. Kind of.

Those that have not usually gets real real impressed by the terminal ballistics of these slugs. Worth both the effort n cost in my book.

[jsizemore]

Racing, What you post is what I've found true of about every gun I've messed with. One thing I did discover is that they all need a through cleaning and then shoot it just as the factory sent it out the door. Ya' never know.

[Racing]

Racing, What you post is what I've found true of about every gun I've messed with. One thing I did discover is that they all need a through cleaning and then shoot it just as the factory sent it out the door. Ya' never know.

Uhu.
KISS.
Keep It Simple Stupid. For better for worse "our" beloved PCP´s are only getting more and more involved. Sometimes by the minute it feels. So yeah. A chrono i´d say is turning more and more into a "must" as it´s one of the few references we´ve got - and are able to play around with.
Setting your PCP up..less n less of childs play anymore if you want it done just right and it could sure be reasoned many a time if this is for the better or not.

What i´m saying is that albeit they get more n more advanced and involved the mainstay of buyers pick them up for plinking fun and/or pest control. From a tech point of view most PCP´s today are WAY beyond that.
But hey.
That´s just me

[jsizemore]

I had to know that KISS wasn't gonna get it. But I had to try. It took better then an hour to clean the barrel. I counted 26 patches used both sides. I spent more time dealing with getting a grip on the Patch Worm to pull it through the barrel. I did get it clean.

I wanted to get the gun on paper. I forgot that the Leupold VX-3 6.5-20x40 EFR doesn't have a bunch of elevation adjustment. I didn't really forget, I just chose to ignore that fact and hope for the best. I was half a turn from max elevation when I got it zeroed at 30 yards. When you get near the end of the adjustment range on most scopes, they no longer adjust the same as when they are at optical center. Anyway, I'd get it about right and then it would start slinging shots. Figured I needed some time with the rifle so we could get acquainted with each other. Since I was shooting some old 14.5gr RWS Superdome, I started at 1600psi and the factory hammer spring setting. It was 2 turns in. I turned it to 1 turn in and started shooting 1 full mag, 10 pellets, and started one quarter turn in each new mag reload. Found a spot at 1.5 turns in that did about the best. Raised the reg pressure to 1800 and started the hammer adjustment thing again. No real improvement. At 2000 on the reg and 1.5-1.75 turns in on the hammer spring I found a kinda OK spot. Still the occasional flyer. At this point my 4000psi fill was down to 2000. Glad I only had 1 mag I could use or I'd have blown through half a tin of pellets pronto.

Next move is to shove the camera down the barrel to see what's goin' on. I wanna see if the old pellets and the bore like each other. Check that crown too. I'm gonna try some JSG 18gr Exact Jumbo Heavy. Need a scope that's got more elevation adjustment. I'm looking at the Hawke Vantage Line. Anyone got suggestions. Leupold is going back on the creedmoor. I'll break out the Chrony and check ES and SD.

Temperature is starting to drop and hunting season has started so I'll be hit and miss on getting me and the new rifle sorted.

I learned to shoot as a kid with my Benjamin Sheridan Blue Streak in 20cal. It was a joy to hunt squirrels and blue jays. And just fun to shoot. Got that same feeling again with the new rifle.

[Racing]

On the scope issue.
Listen.
Worst thing there is as far as a scope is a zero that moves. However... you need more elevation right?
Get yourself a pack of feeler gauges. Yes. The type used to check valve clearance on engines. Cut a few to approx size with tin snips and install them to the BASE of the rear scope ring.
This´ll elevate as you see fit and as they´re spring steel.. they´ll take quite a beating.

No. I´m aware it´s a cheap skate way out but hey.. it works and works rather well. Need be you can, after they´ve taken a set as far as shape, always glue them in place and be done with it.
Don´t go overboard, after all it´s a mere PCP airgun. No recoil to speak of and thus this cheap trick will work just fine.
Costs about of nothing..

[jsizemore]

We had that same problem in smallbore rifle silhouette. Running out of adjustment from 40 yards/meters to 100. Especially the EFR Leupold scopes. Depending on the ring spacing, you could have quite a shim stack under the rear ring. Ended up you needed about 20 moa ring or base angle which put you optical centered at 75 yards/meters. Then an EFR Leupold scope or what ever brand you used would have a consistent click adjustment. If you did the shim thing you stood the chance of denting the scope tube from misalignment of the ring bores not being in the same plane. That scope I used for the Avengex has that dent from the old days.

I've got some Burris rings that have plastic insert rings that takes care of the misalignment but they fit an 11mm or 3/8ths rimfire dovetail receiver groove. Some manufacturers have come up with bases that slope and you use regular rings. Now there's increased tube sizes and adjustment systems that give us more elevation/windage travel.

[Racing]

Have you looked at the FX No-Limit mounts?
Got them on a few puffs and they work reasonably well at a limited budget.