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Gas Ram or Spring?

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2) They can be left cocked without weakening the spring.
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As I understand it, that's more of an urban legend. And I hear it repeated so often, thought I'd offer my 2-cents. Either to correct me or the readers. :)

Springs don't weaken under tension (in and of itself). Whether it be in your springer or firearm magazine, etc. 

It's the change-of-state from compressed/not that wears them out. It is, after-all, still under some compression stress, cocked or not.



Meanwhile, having fired both gas and springers, I prefer the gas-rams. Quieter, less vibration, no less powerful or accurate, and typically in the same price range.

I rarely keep a gun more than a couple years before it's time to try something new, so it hasn't been an issue personally. I'm not collecting guns for the end-of-the-world, so it's not if mine break. :)



Great thread, thanks for the read!

Frank in Oregon
 
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Nitro piston is a gas ram. There are other gas rams. They are a type of spring gun (technically a gas ram mechanically is classed as a spring

Totally diff from a pcp
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Thanks. I kinda get the "spring" concept that these store energy mechanically. One uses a compressed metallic contraption, the other an enclosed gas contraption. But doesn't a PCP also use compressed gas for it's propulsion? Sorry, I don't mean to pick nits. Thanks to Scp52 as well.
 
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Steel is wonderful material. As long as you don't exceed the elastic limit it should not permanently deform. Hopefully most springer engineers are not designing them to exceed that limit. I think most problems with steel springs are caused by manufacturing. Ideally they should use high quality spring steel. It should be shot peened to improve fatigue resistance.
 
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Yes, but a PCP is regulated. Even if the reservoir pressure drops due to lower ambient temperature, such as during winter conditions, the regulator will maintain a relatively constant driving pressure. A gas springer, on the other hand, has no regulator, you get what you get. 

I'm not sold on gas ram springers. I can see the attraction, but steel springs have a lot of benefits.
 
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Whoa, you have HW90's tuned to 12 FPE? That's like putting a one barrel carburetor on a 426 Hemi. Why not just tune an HW30 to 12 FPE and save on weight. 

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Yes, and they are wonderful. Since they have a long barrel and are intended for so much more power, they are very docile and have a great cycle. You should try one. If at any time you change your mind it takes less than a minute to bring it back up to whatever FPE you desire. I have shot them all the way to 20 FPE and they are lightning quick but much less fun. If I want a powerful gun with good manners I just go to the PCP's. 

I tend to like to under power spring guns. A Diana 52/54 is a wonderful gun at anything under 16 FPE too. Hunting? Different story for sure.

I wouldn't say it's like putting a single barrel on a Hemi, I would say it's like putting a Hemi in a golf cart. The power is there any time you choose to open it up.

Cheers. 
 
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Thanks for the explanation, folks. I really get a lot out of threads like these as opposed to an article, which is written from a single point of view, however neutral the author tries to be. I've been wondering this very thing, and in research i found out I had not gotten a clearer picture on the subject than when i had began.
Much obliged, y'all!

-dgfd
 
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The problem with a question like,” Gas Ram or Spring?” Is it is almost always answered in the here and now. Out of the box: gas ram wins every time. The issue though is: the gas ram is a unit encased with rubber o-rings. The springer will be launching pellets looooong after that ram is dead. When tuned properly the spring will out perform the ram also. Maybe a lot of us springer guys understand this.

This question may be the one to ask. Over the life of the rifle, gas ram or spring?
 
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You cannot beat a good mainspring of Steel ….Its why Vmach tune them and why the leading manufacturers like Air Arms still opt for them.

I suppose a Gas Ram can be arguably better than than a basic platform springer, but these days most top springers are not basic platform. They have special internals like the LGV etc taking the mainspring power source to a level which exceeds that of the ram. …

So the springer can be less slammy, home tweak-able and less temp sensitive which is why they are not so popular in the UK.

This is due to the gas filling being quite temp sensitive (expansion of gasses against temp rise and fall) is always going to be worse than a common mainspring with a decent piston seal.

However, if a hide shooter, where long waits with a cocked gun is your thing, a good old Theoben Fenman gas ram is pretty much unbeatable …compact for swinging into action in the close confides of a hide and could be left cocked for hours. Probably the best of the gas slammers for me. 

The eventual leaking of a gas ram is probably a mute point, given the number of times we may need to attend the seals of a spring gun, but a lot cheaper to do….


 
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Metal springs have one supreme advantage over most gas springs. You can work on them yourself. 

The only user-friendly gas-ram is the Weihrauch HW90.

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The HW90 and all the other Theoben guns share the same easy to work on platform. No spring compressor needed and infinite adjustability without needing to open the gun between adjustments. I would say they are actually easier to work on.
 
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That is actually quite a true statement. Due to FT springer owners constantly tuning their guns to achieve the most gentle of shot cycles, and with constant advances in products to do so, the Gas Ram cannot keep up and why they are rarely seen on the circuit.

There is a place for Gas rams however. If you are after ground game and pests, with the advantage of leaving the gun cocked while stalking, or sitting waiting in a hide, they are hard to beat, with sufficient accuracy for this purpose. What with little maintenance requirements, something like a Theoben Fenman is hard to beat if you are suffering at the hands of pest species…
 
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