Beeman How to tell if a springer needs tuning?

[g-unit]

Hey all, not sure if this has been discussed before but I couldn’t come up with anything in my search. Long story short, I caved and bought a used R9 off AoA. When it arrived I discovered that it’s one of the OG Huntington Beach models in excellent condition.

Now I know this is an older gun, and I know AoA tests every used rifle before shipping, but I don’t know the history of this rifle and I haven’t had a chance to fire it yet. At the risk of screwing something up, I have a couple of questions.

1. How can I tell if this gun has been previously tuned, or needs to be tuned? I’m not sure how to assess the condition of the spring or seals, for example. Bear in mind I’m pretty new to this so still learning the terms.

2. I’ve seen advice to apply blue loctite to all of the screws holding the barrel in place. In the R9, are these just the flathead screws in the stock near the barrel?

Thanks in advance, I’m excited for this one.

 

[boscoebrea]

simple answer, shoot it and keep shooting it,do not use lock tite,mine never needed it.....tunes comes after you know your springer.Just enjoy it

 

[Avator]

A chronograph is a very useful tool.

 

[Hateful McNasty]

A chronograph is a very useful tool.

Ya, if the guns rated for 900 fps+/- anc uou getting 720 fps maybe a tune in need .

Take it apart and inspect spring , seal and old lube . Just a good clean up of the stuff in it with proper fresh grease could liven it back up to snuff.

But as avator says a chrony tells the tell.

 

[c_m_shooter]

Shoot it, does it buzz or twang more than you think it should? Issues with seals will show an extreme spread of velocities on the chronograph. Can't go by velocity alone, the previous owner may have tuned it with a 12 ft lb kit.

 

[g-unit]

simple answer, shoot it and keep shooting it,do not use lock tite,mine never needed it.....tunes comes after you know your springer.Just enjoy it

Thanks. Exactly the kind of advice I needed to hear

 

[jps2486]

I would shoot it, especially over a chronograph using different weight pellets. If velocity is kinda within expected limits and the extreme spread isn't too much then I would continue to shoot it. I'm assuming this is a .177 caliber, so 8.4 gr pellets should shoot around 850 and spread no more than 20. If it was previously tuned and someone installed a 12 fpe kit in it (which I recommend), then velocity will be between 800-825 fps IF you think its normal then keep shooting it. If you feel it's twangy and buzzy and want a smoother shooting rifle, install an aftermarket spring kit in it. I like Vortek and I like the 12 fpe kit because it's not snappy and more comfortable to shoot. I don't recommend putting blue or any color Loctite on the screws. If you are tuning, you may be removing the stock a couple of times. Go on Youtube and watch some people that tune these rifles. I happen to like the Tinbum guy, Nick. He does a great job of explaining simply how to take the gun apart, clean it, and re-assembling it with the proper lubricants. Just search on HW95 and you'll get him and many others. Right now, there's no need to not shoot it.

 

[g-unit]

Thank you, glad to hear this. I get a lot of mileage out of YouTube tutorials, so it’s good to know these are out there.

 

[Hateful McNasty]

Shoot it, does it buzz or twang more than you think it should? Issues with seals will show an extreme spread of velocities on the chronograph. Can't go by velocity alone, the previous owner may have tuned it with a 12 ft lb kit.

If buzz and twang was a issue then mine needs major surgery.

Then that could just be no , old , neglected lube needing better or refreshing.. maybe a shot of tar..

Ya 820-880 on a broke in spring with 8.5g .177 pellets is a good shooting average to me .. 825-850 on 7.9g is my spot .