Spring guide tightness?

[TonyL]

When I said buy you a pint what I really meant was ply you with homebrew

A tipple of the highest order.

[TonyL]

Of course Tone, just my sarcasm creeping in, just chronoed it and it's doing just over 9ftp, I've not put any slip washers on it and to be honest, like we've talked about at the bashes, do we really need full power from all of the rifles we bring, it won't be used for hunting, I think after my plinking session with the Fenman and my arm aching after about 20 shots, really puts me off enjoying using hard to cock rifles, so I think softer sprung rifles are the way to go when bash shooting.

Pete

That Fenman was a particularly tough little bugger to cock, Pete. At least in that set-up.

I don't hunt these days. Some of my rifles are, indeed, "full UK power". But I have one or two that aren't. Rifles like that Mercury S I brought along. I asked Will for a slightly shorter spring than usual, mainly to assist building. The resultant very low cocking effort makes it a very nice rifle with which to shoot for long periods. Smooth, too. And at around 9.5 ft.lbs., it was connecting very easily with some of the smaller targets at more sensible ranges. And many have enjoyed considerable pleasure with the lovely little HW30 at Bash events due to the low cocking effort and mild manners. Even the longer targets are a reality, with wind drift effect as opposed to the more curved trajectory being the thing to watch for.

[TonyL]

I get very good firing behaviour and accuracy with Titan #1 in the supersport/lightnings I've tried it in.
Just put a delrin tophat to guide it properly, plus a tight guide and som slip washers at each end of the spring, and you'll get a very nice 11-12fpe gun.

That early Supersport of mine homes a standard BSA spring, as donated by Pete himself a few years ago. It had to undergo three shortening sessions to get it below 12ft.lbs. It has the longer barrel, is extremely easy to cock and exhibits fine manners and accuracy.

[gtfreight]

That Fenman was a particularly tough little bugger to cock, Pete. At least in that set-up.

I don't hunt these days. Some of my rifles are, indeed, "full UK power". But I have one or two that aren't. Rifles like that Mercury S I brought along. I asked Will for a slightly shorter spring than usual, mainly to assist building. The resultant very low cocking effort makes it a very nice rifle with which to shoot for long periods. Smooth, too. And at around 9.5 ft.lbs., it was connecting very easily with some of the smaller targets at more sensible ranges. And many have enjoyed considerable pleasure with the lovely little HW30 at Bash events due to the low cocking effort and mild manners. Even the longer targets are a reality, with wind drift effect as opposed to the more curved trajectory being the thing to watch for.

The HW30 is a cracking little rifle. It's Emma's favourite and at May's Bash she hit the bucket with it.

[evert]

Do you trim the spring down, if so, how many coils do you have on the spring?

Pete

I keep them full length, which means quite a bit of preload- but I find that to give an excellent shotcycle.
You guys in the UK may need to watch the .22's and perhaps trim a coil or two, as my .22 lightning lives right on the edge.
But none of the .177's have gone above 12fpe.

[TonyL]

The HW30 is a cracking little rifle. It's Emma's favourite and at May's Bash she hit the bucket with it.

Superb stuff. I think Trumpy Dave has also harrassed The Bucket with the '30. Maybe others too. Fully vindicating the "let's go lower power, even milder shooting" approach to getting the job done in a easier to cock and lighter weight package.

[look no hands]

Superb stuff. I think Trumpy Dave has also harrassed The Bucket with the '30. Maybe others too. Fully vindicating the "let's go lower power, even milder shooting" approach to getting the job done in a easier to cock and lighter weight package.

I went through Karen's record collection last night and challenged her to see if she can get a pellet through the middle of a record with her 30, it was one of her exhusband records (and a shite one at that), so very therapeutic even if she doesn't get it through the middle.

We could also see if Neil can stick 5 shots in a row through a record middle with his wonder machine gun.

Pete

[junglie]

That's what it feels like Jon but I'm sure the piston has a black plastic grease tube that the spring sits in, so the cocking shoe shouldn't touch the spring in theory.

Pete

Only the older brum built supersports & lightnings had it i think, not seen one in any later lightnings myself.

[junglie]

Sorry to hear the spring was broken mate, glad it was an easy fix though. Will buy you a pint at the next bash by way of compensation

Very common in lightnings for the spring to snap, seen it in 2 mercuriys too, think bsa had a batch of overtempered springs at some point in the early 90's late 80's.

[junglie]

I went through Karen's record collection last night and challenged her to see if she can get a pellet through the middle of a record with her 30, it was one of her exhusband records (and a shite one at that), so very therapeutic even if she doesn't get it through the middle.

We could also see if Neil can stick 5 shots in a row through a record middle with his wonder machine gun.

Pete

lol i did that with a load of old 78's when i was a teenager, very satisfying, but with vinyl prices what they are now i'd check eb*y prices before shooting.....lol

[look no hands]

lol i did that with a load of old 78's when i was a teenager, very satisfying, but with vinyl prices what they are now i'd check eb*y prices before shooting.....lol

Honestly Tone, this one album is the type they had out in the 70's and early 80's that were a compilation but the songs where not sung by the original artists, bloody awful mate, I got to the third song and had had enough, they had tried to copy Ghost town by the Specials but it sounded more like reggae

Yes it might be rare but you'd have to be insane to want to listen to it.

Pete

[TonyL]

I went through Karen's record collection last night and challenged her to see if she can get a pellet through the middle of a record with her 30, it was one of her exhusband records (and a shite one at that), so very therapeutic even if she doesn't get it through the middle.

We could also see if Neil can stick 5 shots in a row through a record middle with his wonder machine gun.

Pete

lol i did that with a load of old 78's when i was a teenager, very satisfying, but with vinyl prices what they are now i'd check eb*y prices before shooting.....lol

Aha! Melv, Chippindale, brought some records that he wanted destroying (I think some may have been Gary Glitter ones) to The Bash at Mick's a few years ago. Great fun they were, too. Pretty useful, also.........if you shoot into the black vinyl you ended up with a neat, pellet sized hole with daylight shining through as a very handy aiming mark.

As pointed out, though, it might be worth checking the value before shooting them......if they're worth a fair bit they could be converted to tins of pellets.

[TonyL]

Only the older brum built supersports & lightnings had it i think, not seen one in any later lightnings myself.

Very common in lightnings for the spring to snap, seen it in 2 mercuriys too, think bsa had a batch of overtempered springs at some point in the early 90's late 80's.

Not quite sure (as I'm far from expert regarding these) as to when they were fitting the sleeves. The .177 Supersport that I bought new in 1988 didn't have one. I'd guess they were introduced a fair bit later than then? Mind you, I seem to remember that those early ones should also have been supplied with different piston weights (steel washers?); mine came with none (neither fitted nor in the box).

The old Suoersport I have now's spring was broken upon arrival to me, hence Pete jumping in with his fine offer at the time of a free one. Cheers, Pete.

[look no hands]

Only the older brum built supersports & lightnings had it i think, not seen one in any later lightnings myself.

Yep my Lightning, Supersport custom and a Superstar I once had have them in.

Pete