JTS Airacuda Max shooting 16gr JTS pellets and getting an honest 1/2 inch group at 75 yds.How the heck can they do it?
On the contrary, hammer forging is a more expensive process than button rifling.Hammer forged barrels are cheapest to make
Technically that’s true but I think it trivializes the nature of workmanship. If it were easy to not mess it up, things like poor quality crowns and leades wouldn’t be so commonplace.all they have to do is not mess it up when fit and finish them.
I'm sure that was tongue-in-cheek. Everyone who has ever shot a 1/2" group at (whatever) likes to think of their rifle in that regard, even if it only happened once. Protecting that illusion is what keeps many from competing.With all this talk about JTS, Avenge-X etc., shooting 1/2.groups at 75 yards and inside MOA at 100Y with pellets, no doubt we’ll see some of those guns at the big events (EBR and RMAC) and the medium size events (NAC and PAC) this year at 100 yard Benchrest.
On the contrary, hammer forging is a more expensive process than button rifling.
Technically that’s true but I think it trivializes the nature of workmanship. If it were easy to not mess it up, things like poor quality crowns and leades wouldn’t be so commonplace.
I haven’t had my hands on an Airacuda but the general consensus on the forums suggest the factory (Xisico) is pretty consistently producing good barrels nowadays. My guess is most of that newfound success can be attributed to workmanship. Saying that based on what I’ve seen of their earlier barrels and how they responded after the workmanship deficiencies were addressed.
Hammer forged barrels are cheapest to make and all they have to do is not mess it up when fit and finish them. Like @GeneT said it’s nothing new or complicated, plus China has abundant cheap and skilled labor. Chinese guns have been lagging on internal mechanism design but they are catching up quickly, just look at avenger.
However Chinese labor is getting expensive while advanced/smart western companies are reducing cost by using quality machines/automation. To get to certain quality level Chinese manufactures have to buy high quality machines too which would shrink the price gap between quality Chinese guns and western made guns. Those who innovate will win in the end, we the consumers will also win thanks to competition.
Then…..shooting quality pellets accurately isn’t really all that difficult. A $299 avenger with a little tuning can do that all day.
Crosman and Hatsan still do not know how to make blanks.It's mature technology, it really ought to be easy at this point. Barrels have been made for hundreds of years. I think of most barrel blanks (rifled tubes) as perfect*. It's up to the person adapting them to a given rifle to preserve that 'perfection' or ruin it, but that's really where the variance lies, imo.
GsT
* OK, some are a little more perfect than others ;-) but not so much as premium manufacturers would like you to believe.