SSP madness?

[Geezer]

I have a .177 Dragon FT. It's main use is to allow me to post in threads like this. Lots of effort but no more accurate than any other gun I own. Plus, I am too short to reach the end of the cocking lever so have to do a silly little jump to reach it and then people laugh at me.

That made me laugh.

[T 20]

According to Bowkett's Facebook page he now fits an improved exhaust valve to the Mohawks which makes them more efficient --- hopefully Greenwayjames will be along to post a link.

Ah ha, I found the page :-

https://m.facebook.com/1783523888763...2440970467444/

[tomdavies9]

I have a strange yurning for a single stroke pneumatic, am I loosing my mind? Are they as bad as some say, unreliable, fiddley, hard work etc?
Is there a better model/design to look out for to test the water with without delving in to the ulta rare collectable category?

Or should I just forget the whole pipe dream and keep fiddling with my 97kt ?

They are no where near as bad as some people make out, I love shooting every one of mine.
Each I’ve ever shot have their own pros and cons…

Dragon sporter (my favourite), consistent and easy to cock due to the sliding pivot. As mentioned previously can be a pain if they go wrong.

Dragon FT, as above but longer and heavier.

Mohawk, nice and simple but a long throw on the lever. Manageable with proper technique.

JB1 lever pretty similar to the Mohawk, nice inline valve with a strange barrel. Some issue with part fitment on some models means they are a bit scarce now as most were recalled.

Genesis, very heavy and tough to cock. Also prices seem to be way inflated at the minute.

JB specials, all slightly different and interesting. Nice and light, the dual pivot does work well too, but again there’s definitely a knack.

[Mr Pusk]

May I suggest a Walther LGR? An all-conquering match rifle in its day. If even I can replace the seals successfully it can't be considered difficult to service. Beautifully accurate, even at 25 yards, and you don't need to be a body builder to cock it.

[TonyL]

I love the idea and the actual shooting of the "full power" SSPs, but my increasingly weakening arms (being investigated now) make me shudder at the thought of priming them. Real shame as, on paper, the SSP has to be the perfect system......recoilless, self-contained, consistent, which is obviously why so many chased the dream. But, now, a 10m match rifle with the correspondingly lower effort........ And I've thought for years (as I love my HW40 pistol), that a carbine type rifle based on the 40 with, say, 7 to 8ft.lbs output and reasonable priming effort, would make a beautiful little, highly accurate, informal target / short range hunter.

[tomdavies9]

And I've thought for years (as I love my HW40 pistol), that a carbine type rifle based on the 40 with, say, 7 to 8ft.lbs output and reasonable priming effort, would make a beautiful little, highly accurate, informal target / short range hunter.

Now there’s an idea, might have a go

[Geezer]

I love the idea and the actual shooting of the "full power" SSPs, but my increasingly weakening arms (being investigated now) make me shudder at the thought of priming them. Real shame as, on paper, the SSP has to be the perfect system......recoilless, self-contained, consistent, which is obviously why so many chased the dream. But, now, a 10m match rifle with the correspondingly lower effort........ And I've thought for years (as I love my HW40 pistol), that a carbine type rifle based on the 40 with, say, 7 to 8ft.lbs output and reasonable priming effort, would make a beautiful little, highly accurate, informal target / short range hunter.

Now there’s an idea, might have a go

Or you could just use 3-4 (easy and light) pumps on a Sheridan or similar pumper to gain the same effect.

[tomdavies9]

Or you could just use 3-4 (easy and light) pumps on a Sheridan or similar pumper to gain the same effect.

There’s always someone that says just use a multi pump

Technically, there’s no reason not to use a multi pump, I own a Sportsman mk2 and have shot a Mohawk multi, both very capable rifles.

However, and it’s a big however…

I personally like single strokes, so I’ll stick with them

[carlins2000]

So are there any look outs, better models than others, mk1 mk11 etc? Im assuming .22 will be the go to, easier cooking, higher output?

[tomdavies9]

So are there any look outs, better models than others, mk1 mk11 etc? Im assuming .22 will be the go to, easier cooking, higher output?

Dragons are hit and miss, speak to Keith Wylde (justinthyme on here).

Mohawks go for originality and condition (original stickers, good quality blue etc…).

Anything else is pretty rare so get what you can, price increases with condition.

As a general pointer SSPs are designed to be used, they don’t like to be sat in a cupboard. So if you go to view always give them a charge and cycle to make sure they aren’t sticking or seized, or seals haven’t failed

[T 20]

I love the idea and the actual shooting of the "full power" SSPs, but my increasingly weakening arms (being investigated now) make me shudder at the thought of priming them. Real shame as, on paper, the SSP has to be the perfect system......recoilless, self-contained, consistent, which is obviously why so many chased the dream. But, now, a 10m match rifle with the correspondingly lower effort........ And I've thought for years (as I love my HW40 pistol), that a carbine type rifle based on the 40 with, say, 7 to 8ft.lbs output and reasonable priming effort, would make a beautiful little, highly accurate, informal target / short range hunter.

I was going to have a go at building a small and light single stroke gun, Tone, so I looked around for a gun to convert.
I ended up buying an SMK QB somethingorother CO2 gun to convert, these have a decent barrel and bolt assembly, and a fairly decent trigger.
I was going to use a wider pump tube than the original CO2 tube and then drop the lot into a HW85 stock, the only problem was that the pump arm would have to lie on the left of the action rather than the right as on the Mohawk.
unfortunately I never got round to playing with it, so I now have a QB thingy I've never fired a single pellet through and a spare HW85 stock.


I might have to dig this out for another think now, if I sacrificed power I could use the same diameter tube as the QB CO2 tube for the pump then use the QB stock as well.





All the best Mick

[AC all day]

I was going to have a go at building a small and light single stroke gun, Tone, so I looked around for a gun to convert.
I ended up buying an SMK QB somethingorother CO2 gun to convert, these have a decent barrel and bolt assembly, and a fairly decent trigger.
I was going to use a wider pump tube than the original CO2 tube and then drop the lot into a HW85 stock, the only problem was that the pump arm would have to lie on the left of the action rather than the right as on the Mohawk.
unfortunately I never got round to playing with it, so I now have a QB thingy I've never fired a single pellet through and a spare HW85 stock.


I might have to dig this out for another think now, if I sacrificed power I could use the same diameter tube as the QB CO2 tube for the pump then use the QB stock as well.





All the best Mick

Recently I have seen a multi stroke made from an old Brocock Slimjim pump.... It looked soooo weird, but then why invent the wheel if it works. I think it was grafted onto a Crosman.

[TonyL]

Now there’s an idea, might have a go

Aha. There's a little challenge for you then, Tom.. I wonder if the standard valving / trigger arrangement would be fine as it is, or if it would "beefing up" in any way? Guessing it'd need that higher pumped volume (would longer stroke only suffice or would it need larger bore too?) and a longer barrel to make the use of it.

[TonyL]

Or you could just use 3-4 (easy and light) pumps on a Sheridan or similar pumper to gain the same effect.

There’s always someone that says just use a multi pump

Technically, there’s no reason not to use a multi pump, I own a Sportsman mk2 and have shot a Mohawk multi, both very capable rifles.

However, and it’s a big however…

I personally like single strokes, so I’ll stick with them

You absolutely could, Geez, no problem. In the past I'd often use my Sharp Innova and Ace on lower pumps for short range use down the garden. These days my 1377 "mini-carbine" is often used at four to six pumps. The downside to me is that, for slightly longer ranges, you would have to decide on how many pumps to use to keep the velocity and point of impact consistent and stick to it. With a single stroke there's no decision to be made.

[TonyL]

Recently I have seen a multi stroke made from an old Brocock Slimjim pump.... It looked soooo weird, but then why invent the wheel if it works. I think it was grafted onto a Crosman.

Absolutely.