Power Plenum ~ Taipan Veteran

Don't expect massive velocity gains with plenums extensions. They're only providing 15FPS each with the factory valves on their own. Heavier springs and higher pressure is the next real leap in velocity (hammer weights are also desirable for longer barrels). Beyond that involves upgrading to a higher performance valve system.


I'd say, borrowing your hammer strike is producing sufficient dwell, the addition of the first plenum adds 25-30 fps. Each there after is a diminishing return.

700mm .25?

Not specifically. I’m referring to the 550 mm barrel on his .22 Vet Long. With that said, I’ve added regulated volume (plenum space) to many platforms, i.e., Eddys, Crickets, Veterans, Impacts, Uragáns & Vulcans. In general, this is the gains I’ve seen over the factory plenum volume. With that said, I don’t add power plenums to platforms with shortish barrels as they obviously will not benefit much if any from the added regulated volume. 
 
Man what'd I'd give to get that Taipan long back!

Yep, it was yours brother. You and I have both had many a PCP slide thru our hands
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Lol yeah man that's for sure. Hurts to think about it 😂
 
Very interesting information! Congratulations to everyone! I really hope the topic continues.

I also have a Taipan Veteran long .25 from last spring but unfortunately I don't have much free time to shoot.

It is my first PCP and before it I have a Hatsan 125 Vortex .22. No need to say what the difference is ...

Here where I live there is no place in the city and nearby where to fill a bottle, so I took a pump. I took an FX 4 turbo pump and as you know it's not very nice but I can't.

1. I'm considering taking a compact compressor similar to the Nomad 2 but a Russian version because it's cheaper. Does anyone have a practice with a similar compressor for direct loading of the rifle?

First I started with JSB King, then with JSB heavy MK 1 and 2 but due to the few shots I now go back to JSB King.

I tried H&N Baracuda and Grizzly but I'm not impressed. I tried SpotXon - the worst pellets I've ever seen. I took from the colleague here VK slugs for a sample and I am happy with the few tests with it. I tried both Polymag and Hades as Hades I think they did well.

At first I shot in the speed range of 270 m / s and last time with 268 m / s I got good results with JSB King and Heavy MK 1 and 2 (as if MK1 is better ...).

Then I watched several videos where Russian airgun experts said that there are two limit ranges where good results are obtained - 270/275 m / s and 250/255 m / s. I decided to try the lower limit which will give me more consistent shots. That's what I'm doing right now.

For starters I have good results with JSB King (and Hades). Only 100 meters, although there was a strong wind, something I'm not happy. Unfortunately, I ran out of pellets (JSB King) and because of the pandemic I had nowhere to go. What do you think of this Russian theory of these useful limit speeds?

Now I bought it, but here in Bulgaria spring time is like in the tropics - every day it rains and often hail, so I can't continue with the tests ...

So far my setup is not good because I shoot from a tourist table that is not stable, in addition I use Caldwell the rock combo rest which in my humble opinion is not very good. I'm thinking of changing these things by making a better table, replacing the front "bag" with the ones they offer for this model (bench version) and for the back a Protector bag with a solid base. The latter is quite expensive (transport to Bulgaria is even more than the price of the bag from eBay ...).

2. A few days ago I bought a combat spring from TalonTunes, as many advise it again (transport to Bulgaria is $ 38.60 and it costs $ 17 ...). I also want to put a power plenum but I have nowhere to buy - any ideas?

Once I accidentally saw on eBay but the seller does not deliver to Bulgaria ... something common with me ... I will be very grateful if anyone has an idea where to get or can he send it to me? / PayPal, etc. no problem! /

3. I know that a pump cannot pump a tank from zero bar. I haven't tried but does anyone have experience with this?

Personally, I have neither the time nor the tools nor the experience to make adjustments to my rifle, but I think that with the power plenum and the combat spring from Talon I will be able to increase the efficiency of the rifle.

Of course I fully realize that the settings are a whole process related to tests, adjusting the regulator with a tester (I think I look at this tester on Huma and not only, although my regulator is not on Huma) and often making parts and I do not have the ability but at least try what I can do.

4. About the regulator and testers. At this stage, I have not considered replacing the factory regulator with that of Huma, but still what do you think? Which of the testers can become the factory one of Taipan?

As soon as I can I do tests with types of pellets, speeds, slugs and meanwhile I study my rifle and optics (Falkon S18i 3-18x50 ffp) and I will be grateful for your comments on the above things. I wish you good health! Svilen, Bulgaria.

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PP. Something I forgot to ask - do you shoot straight by hand? I have a very heavy Taipan and I can't do it at all !? Maybe up to 30 meters maximum, but in general not, and that made me quite angry because I bought it for shooting right ...

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It's pretty heavy, I agree. As soon as I get another stock, I'm cutting mine down to save weight. I use a single point sling for hunting though, nice and tight and it helps with shouldering!

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Thanks friend for the comment!

I have bought a rifle strap already. At the moment I have to find a good master to put the bipod rail because I want to mount it with bolts with drilled holes inside the butt then I will be able to put the purchased bipod and the adapter for the rifle rack. I don't want to use wood screws like a lot of people use because it seems like a weak grip that way. I also considered a grip at one point as with you, but this strap I bought can be used in both ways.

Some time ago a colleague from here had warned me that the rifle together with the optics (and biped) becomes quite heavy for shooting by hand but then I ignored this because I really wanted this rifle (and in a long version) and I thought that I who am 85 kilograms and 1.70 m high I will not have a problem with the weight of the rifle but it turned out that I was wrong ...

Without being an expert, I think that the butt of the rifle is too massive and from there it is quite (unnecessarily) heavy. There is an option to change the butt as I have seen here some colleagues have done but for me it is quite expensive (especially delivery to Bulgaria :() and I'm not sure if this will be enough without being able to personally try such a modified rifle ...

What is your shooting table, are you happy with it? In Bulgaria, because it is very difficult to buy a shooting table from Russia and those from the "West" have very controversial comments about stability, here many people make tables similar to the thesis that I will upload in a photo below, so I ask you because It seems to me that a purchased shooting table can be better than the one made, especially if it is made of poor quality.

I really hope if you want to comment on some of the other things I ask about ?! All the best from me. Svilen, Bulgaria

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PP. Something I forgot to ask - do you shoot straight by hand? I have a very heavy Taipan and I can't do it at all !? Maybe up to 30 meters maximum, but in general not, and that made me quite angry because I bought it for shooting right ...




If you're talking about offhand shooting while standing, ala 10m rifle shooting, well I don't really think that's the kind of "offhand" shooting this gun was designed to handle. I hunt with it, so I shoot it un-rested frequently, but then I'm crouched, squatted, scrunched, leaning against something, etc. I find I can shoot at 50 yards and beyond that way accurately for hunting and spinner shooting. Upright offhand shooting it I've shot busytails at short distances but honestly never really tried target shooting it at any real distance. Most bullpup style PB's, I would think (as I do not know), would be rapid-fire capable weapons for close quarter melee and not for accurate sniping, so I think the form factor doesn't translate well. But my .22 Long, as stated earlier, is one of my AG loves for sure. Such a simple, if not elegant, piece. Pre-stippling even, so it looks much plainer than yours, Svilen, she's one workhorse that puts out more than looks would belie 😉
 
The long is quite a bit heavier than the compact, but shooting it offhand isn't much of a problem for me. I'm just as accurate with it as with the much lighter Compact. I think the extra weight might come into play if packing it around all day. The extra weight makes it a better bench gun in my opinion.

I didn't have any trouble shooting it in the video. Notice I didn't even need to lower the gun between shots. The custom walnut stock is even heavier than the beech stock it came with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r78QuKLZhM&t=24s
 
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Hello colleague and thanks for the comment. Hah this afternoon I watched a few of your videos about Taipan again :)

I don't know ... I personally have a heavy Taipan and maybe because I tried shooting at a paper target at 50 meters several times. If I was shooting for a can of beer or something like that for fun, maybe I wouldn't be so tense ...

Would you comment on my message above? / for power plenum, testers, speeds, shooting table, etc./.

Yes, your new custom walnut stock is quite nice but for me it is very expensive and not so much as the price of it but as it will be with transport to me. I would also make changes to the factory butt if someone asks me because it is quite dense, somehow edged and "square". I also wonder why there is no factory rail for bipeds and adjustable shoulder support, but they decided so.

I remembered something important for me and it's good that you look at the topic - According to some experts (Russians mainly) when you remove these details related to the optics rail, then when you tighten the screws on these parts the tank should be about 250 bar because in otherwise if it tightens more tightly when the tank is empty then when it is full there will be a big difference in the point of impact - What do you think (or if someone else wants to comment)?

I don't think I'm wrong that you tried NSA slugs and I'm wondering what weight to try for my rifle ?! I tried VK slugs and I'm happy. I tried 31.5 and 32.80 grains, I have 40, but I haven't tried them yet. 32.8 for me do not differ from JSB. Any comment?

Greetings.
 
Thanks friend for the comment!

I have bought a rifle strap already. At the moment I have to find a good master to put the bipod rail because I want to mount it with bolts with drilled holes inside the butt then I will be able to put the purchased bipod and the adapter for the rifle rack. I don't want to use wood screws like a lot of people use because it seems like a weak grip that way. I also considered a grip at one point as with you, but this strap I bought can be used in both ways.

Some time ago a colleague from here had warned me that the rifle together with the optics (and biped) becomes quite heavy for shooting by hand but then I ignored this because I really wanted this rifle (and in a long version) and I thought that I who am 85 kilograms and 1.70 m high I will not have a problem with the weight of the rifle but it turned out that I was wrong ...

Without being an expert, I think that the butt of the rifle is too massive and from there it is quite (unnecessarily) heavy. There is an option to change the butt as I have seen here some colleagues have done but for me it is quite expensive (especially delivery to Bulgaria :() and I'm not sure if this will be enough without being able to personally try such a modified rifle ...

What is your shooting table, are you happy with it? In Bulgaria, because it is very difficult to buy a shooting table from Russia and those from the "West" have very controversial comments about stability, here many people make tables similar to the thesis that I will upload in a photo below, so I ask you because It seems to me that a purchased shooting table can be better than the one made, especially if it is made of poor quality.

I really hope if you want to comment on some of the other things I ask about ?! All the best from me. Svilen, Bulgaria

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I rarely use a table, but I only shoot targets when I am testing out some modifications or new ammunition. 99% of that time, I shoot from the ground with a shooting mat and my bipod. I don't hunt with a table, so I try not to use one when I'm testing or practicing.

With that said, I recently got two 10" sets of bipod leg extensions for my Accu-Tac bipods. I screw them together and have 20" of additional height. Normally, when I hunt - I setup a shooting position from the ground or off of fallen trees in the forest ground. Finding a good spot to shoot from is difficult, and it limits where I can snipe from. These leg extensions alow me to setup damn near anywhere now. Not my Taipan, but this is what I'm talking about:


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They provide very good support for heavier rifles, and they are not too heavy to carry in my backpack. I'm still trying to adapt to shooting this way, but I am getting very comfortable with it. Just takes some practice 👍
 
I have one of Ernest's power plenums but it is currently not on my gun. I'm not sure Ernest plans on making any more. My guess is he wanted to experiment on his own gun and made around 50 of them to make it cost effective. The stronger hammer spring is sufficient to get the velocities I need. I find that the efficiency of my gun is suffering with the power plenum with my typical tunes.

I've tested about every slug you can get as well as swaged many of my own looking for the best accuracy in my Veteran. My Veterans like the soft lead slugs best with the AVS 22 gr. slugs being the best so far. Griffin slugs are almost as good, but the tight choke prefers the smaller diameter of the AVS slugs (.2155). Both are sold as .217 but my measuments show the AVS have a smaller diameter. These slugs are hand swaged and fairly expensive. The NSA slugs are almost as accurate but the harder alloy of lead gets slowed down more in the choke of the gun. They are competitively priced with pellets which makes them a big winner in my book. I prefer shooting the 17.5 grain .2165 diameter slugs in my Veteran at between 880 and 900 fps. I prefer the 17.5 gr. because I can get them in the .2165 diameter and because they are just as accurate as the heavier slugs. My gun is more efficient and happy shooting the lighter slugs.
 
I forgot to mention. I have a Huma to make adjusting higher reg pressures easier. In an ironic twist, it is currently set at 133 BAR just like the stock reg Taipan reg was...

As far as tables go....obviously, the more solid the better for shot to shot consistency. I can get good consistency on a wobbly table as long as I am careful.

I never worry about there being air in my cylinder or not during assembly and haven't noticed a difference. It is usually totally empty because I went in the cylinder to change reg pressure, but sometimes it is left full when removing the barrel for a cleaning. The Russians may be right, but it is not a big enough variable for me to worry about. I always fire a few shots afterwards and rezero my rifle anyway because I remove my scope as well.


 
Hi mtnGhost and thanks for the comment. I have also considered such options and have now focused on Vanguard Equalizer 2 QS /https://www.vanguardworld.com/products/equalizer-2qs /. This biped was shown to me by a friend who saw it with Marno from AirGunnerSA on YouTube. My friend bought it from here (Bulgaria) and I expect impressions from him because unlike me (I only shoot from the table at the moment) he does pest control.

I have also tried to shoot from a natural support (wood, large stone, etc.) but the wooden stock is very "sensitive" :(. I have no experience with another rifle with a wooden stock because my Hatsan is polymer but I am definitely not very fascinated by it - only for two test shots and I managed to inflict small damages which even with several types of wood felt-tip pens I can't hide and that's why honestly for now I avoid doing so ... Now I have ordered from AliExpress some plastic protectors for the bus (for biped) and through them I may be able to shoot calmly.

Hi mmahoney and thanks a lot for the comments.
Maybe if you want a little more specific about what you wrote about the power plenum? If I'm not mistaken power plenum helps to increase by several shots at the same pressure set on the regulator? Even again if I'm not mistaken but even someone reduces the pressure on the regulator at the expense of more shots ?! If I'm not mistaken, which one do you dislike?

Yes, I agree that with each intervention on the rifle, the optics are then checked. I just technically asked about the screws on the optics bus assembly.

Regarding slugs, as I wrote, I have only tried VK slugs and I have no problems. From memory (I had received them last fall and apart from the fact that there were not many units for specific tests, the weather conditions were already unsuitable) I wanted to try them at 910 ftp but I managed to get a maximum of 905 under the specific conditions. The results with 32.8 were quite good at 50 and 100 meters similar to JSB (at 890 - 903 ftp). I see you fired at those speeds, too. I will even go further, assuming that at a lower speed it will also be, for example, 825 - 835, but I still can't say for sure.

And yes, at 22 caliber, the CZ barrel shock is narrower while at 25 caliber and LW barrel there is less of a shock problem. I also want to experiment with different slugs because I think they are much more suitable at distances over 50 meters but from Bulgaria I do not have much access to different types, everything is very expensive and I will probably wait for slugs from JSB and H&N. I hope they are good ... My friend bought NSA slugs, he has Edgun Matador 5 and Aunt 2 and he is not happy with both. He gave them to a colleague from our forum and he tried them with Daystate Red Wolf and was not happy, all in 25 caliber. However, I think the barrel is important and I think I'll try again. The same goes for the FX Hybrid.

For me with JSB Heavy MK1 / 2 I have about 30 (up to 35) consistent shots and with JSB King maybe about 40 - 45 when it comes to pressure (factory) of the regulator 140 bar, and the range in which I shoot 210/200 - 140 / 135 bar. In this regard, I want to ask you (and not only you) in what pressure range you shoot? I have noticed that at a higher pressure in the tank, for example 250-240-230 bar, the velocity graph is not consistent and therefore recently "start" from 210-200 bar. What have you noticed about this?

I think that with the power plenum and the spring from TalonT it will allow me more shots on the one hand and on the other hand more possibility of speed variations. In this regard, however, I will have to have a tester to adjust the pressure of the regulator, and because it seems that the Taipan regulator does not have a tester for it, it will probably have to take a regulator and a Huma tester ?!

Does anyone know such a tester for the factory regulator of Taipan and is it 100% certain that the tank cannot be filled with a pump from zero bar?

Of course, shooting from a table will be much better accuracy, but the table itself is also important ?! In the videos on YouTube I see various tables - prefabricated, but when I look on eBay or Amazon I see that people are not happy sometimes even at all, so I ask if anyone here is happy with a factory-made table?

What do you think about Pellet Gage? I can say for sure that it is not the weight of the projectile that is important, but the uniformity of its geometric shape for a good group. That is why I am considering such a purchase. Until now, I always pulled the pellets, especially when shooting for a group, but I promised myself that this alone was not enough. What do you think about that?

Greetings. Svilen, Bulgaria