BEEMAN R1 AT 1,024 FPS MACCARI KIT, WITH CPLITES:

Years ago, I had put a Maccari full power kit in my R1 and after settling-in, was getting a consistent 1,000 fps power level. Bragging power. Magnumitus Club membership level power.

In fact, it last chronographed at 1,024 fps with 7.9 gr Crosman Premier Lites (cplites), fingertip seated. Good groups too. With only my usual folding camp chair and camera stand rest shooting range setup, the R1 put five cplites into a 2.0” ctc group, at 100 yards. Trajectory was fairly flat. Firing action was fast and crisp. Like a gas ram in fast, twang-less action. Really great! What more could I ask for?

Well, how about field accuracy? I had repeatedly taken this full power R1 on farm pest hunts for ground squirrels, feral pigeons and crows. But despite having a carefully done, every 5 yds, from 5 to 100 yds, trajectory plot based on actual shooting sessions at the range, using a three point sitting rest, when actually hunting with the R1, it rarely hit where the trajectory plot said it should. Making it pretty useless as a farm pest hunter.

Three point sitting rested shooting is when my right elbow (I’m right handed) is resting on the padded arm of my folding camp chair and left/forearm-holding hand is resting on the foam pad on top my camera stand rest.

Two point sitting rested shooting is when the right elbow is floating (in the air/no support) and the left/forearm-holding hand is resting on the top of my camera stand rest.

Two point standing rested shooting is when I am standing. The adjustable camera stand rest is adjusted higher to let me stand and comfortably rest my left/forearm hand rest on the stand’s foam pad, and my right elbow is floating/no support.

Generally, I farm pest hunt all my shots using a 2 point standing rest position. Hitting as small of a target as the vitals of a starling at 40 yds or a ground squirrel at 60 yds requires I have a steady rest.

But the R1 at over 1,000 fps was too hold sensitive to be a successful hunter. Too many times, I would completely miss the ground squirrel at 30 or more yards because while my trajectory plot told me where the poi (point of impact) was with a 3 point sitting rest, but the poi was an inch or more off when shooting with a 2 point standing rest. Or a 2 point sitting rest.

Though that was still better than my old FWB124 which I would zero and trajectory plot with a 3 point sitting rest, then drag along the camp chair and camera stand rest and take only 3 point sitting rest shots while actually hunting and still see sudden vertical poi shifts of a couple inches at 45 or so yards.

BEEMAN R1 AT 945 FPS WITH 7.9 GR CPLITES:

A few years back, Maccari had been working with what he called “Aussie wire” or words similar. As I recall, he had gotten good results with this special and expensive wire in RWS sidelevers. At my request, Maccari had made me a kit using this interesting spring wire for my R1. It gave me about 950 fps with my R1 and cplites and I later put the 1,000+ fps Maccari kit back in the R1 and stuck the R1 950 fps Aussie wire kit away. I liked the 1,000+ fps JM kit because it was a short spring, 28 coils (?). So short, there was so little preload that I did not need a spring compressor. Really convenient.

But now, I pulled the JM 1,000+ fps kit and re-installed the Aussie wire tune kit. Very nice. Smooth and crisp action. A longer spring so my Randy Gunn model spring compressor was needed to install. I was getting initially about 920 fps with cplites, but soon it built up to about 940 to 950 fps. But a range session showed me that at 60 yds, the 950 fps Aussie wire kit was giving me about one inch vertical poi difference between a 2 pt sitting w/rest hold and a 2 pt standing w/rest hold, at 60 yds.

I define hold sensitivity as when varying the hold varies the poi. And my minimum test for non-hold sensitivity is that the gun at least shoots the same poi both 2 pt sitting w/rest and 2 pt standing w/rest.

So the JM Aussie wire kit was a hold-sensitivity improvement. But still had some hold sensitivity. Plinkers and informal target shooters/hunters may not view hold sensitivity as an issue. Serious farm pest hunters may beg to differ.

BEEMAN R1 AT 875 FPS WITH 7.9 GRAIN CPLITES (MACCARI 13 FT/LB SPRING):

Maybe I could have worked with the R1 using the Aussie wire kit. But a few years back, Maccari had offered a 13 ft/lb muzzle energy tune kit for the R1 and I had bought it and never tried it. Tony, of the Doug&Tony farm pest hunting team’s postings about his detuned airgun successes inspired me to follow in his leadership, and finally try the JM R1 13 ft/lb ME tune kit. After all, if Tony can detune that springer monster, the RWS350 down to 9 or 10 ft/lbs ME and be pleased, then I could surely try the 13 ft/lb Maccari kit.

The 13 ft/lb JM R1 tune kit, how did it work?

Well, the JM 13 ft/lb spring was a lllooonnnggg spring of heavy wire just like the JM full power short spring. O.D. was slightly bigger too. Big enough that the spring was too big to fit into my 12.6 oz Venom Lazaglide R1 piston. Lucky me, I still had my buttoned 11.9 oz R1 factory piston. The factory R1 piston had a slightly bigger I.D. than the Venom piston and the JM 13 ft/lb spring went in without a millimeter to spare.

I needed a piston seal on the factory R1 piston and put one of Maccari’s precison-made orange synthetic R1 piston seals on the piston.

Then, after a very light coat of JM velocity tar on the spring sides and outside, and a slight amount of Beeman moly grease on the white JM synthetic guides, the R1 went back together. Randy Gunn spring compressor a must.

650 FPS WITH CPLITES, WHAT?@##@!:

Ok, cocking was easier but 7.9 gr cplites were only giving me about 650 fps. With a 13 ft/lb spring? What was going on here?!