Hello, new member here

[SherryBerry]

I'm new to PCP airguns. I've shot with various pellet/bb buns and other firearms for over 40 years. I recently purchased a .177 Marauder for backyard target shooting. I'm just starting to play with suppressors and upgrades. It would be great if I could connect with folks in the Sacramento, CA area to discuss best practices and lessons learned

I was looking at DL, but ultimately went with this moderator - https://hillairgun.com/product/hill-airgun-6-moderator-for-your-benjamin-air-rifle/

However now, I'm experiencing pellet clipping. :-(

 

[Gerry52]

I learned to always go one size up on moderators to avoid clipping. It'll still be quiet. Btw, welcome aboard! If it's clipping on the end cap you can always drill it out to a larger diameter.

 

[SherryBerry]

Thank you @Gerry52!

I didn't think to go one size up on the moderator. Great tip!

I didn't necessarily want to to take a drill to a new piece of equipment. I had expected it work out of the box with stock equipment or state that modifications may be required.

 

[OldSpook]

Thank you @Gerry52!

I didn't think to go one size up on the moderator. Great tip!

I didn't necessarily want to to take a drill to a new piece of equipment. I had expected it work out of the box with stock equipment or state that modifications may be required.

And that is a reasonable expectation...

Shooters have been conditioned to accept poorly designed moderators that require you to buy one design for the next caliber up. If it's for a 22 it should work fine on a 22 without clipping.

Entirely too many moderator vendors sell you something that's too long and clips and then say, "so long see you later..."

Admittedly there are barrels that are off center and threading that's off center. Sometimes there are barrels that are off center with threading that is off center. A good designer would leave a reasonable margin for error so that when you bought a moderator for a 177 it worked on most 177s out of the box.

 

[Gerry52]

What stage are you at in getting to "know" your gun? Have you found the right pellets for the Marauder? Most airguns are pellet finicky & the clipping MIGHT be due to something as simple as pellets that don't shoot well from your gun. Welcome to the WIDE learning curve!

 

[SherryBerry]

What stage are you at in getting to "know" your gun? Have you found the right pellets for the Marauder? Most airguns are pellet finicky & the clipping MIGHT be due to something as simple as pellets that don't shoot well from your gun. Welcome to the WIDE learning curve!

I've not found the right pellets @Gerry52 , but I'd love some recommendations!

 

[beerthief]

Welcome to the best place to be . You are off to a good start , sorry about clipping , like said b4 try a few different pellets .
there is a air gun club in your vicinity and an air gun show in Sacramento, you might be able to find someone on here in your area that has some tins of not so good in their gun pellets to try ? getting together with fellow shooters is always fun .

 

[SherryBerry]

Welcome to the best place to be . You are off to a good start , sorry about clipping , like said b4 try a few different pellets .
there is a air gun club in your vicinity and an air gun show in Sacramento, you might be able to find someone on here in your area that has some tins of not so good in their gun pellets to try ? getting together with fellow shooters is always fun .

Thanks. @beerthief!

What's the name of the air gun club in the area? How could I find it?

 

[beerthief]

I googled Sacramento, air gun club

 

[SherryBerry]

thanks @beerthief ;-)

 

[Squack]

The first thing to try if you haven't is to load a pellet directly into the rifle. Often times clipping can be traced back to the magazine misaligning the pellet.

 

[SherryBerry]

@Squack I'm not sure how to determine in the pellet actually "clips" per individual shot. I only know because I've received fliers and then I inspected the end cap and noticed internal scraping.

 

[Squack]

One way to test is to shoot piece of paper at a foot or so. If the pellet is clipping it will key hole (leave a hole that is not round) or see if your group tightens up.

 

[Gerry52]

You could always start a thread here asking .177 Marauder owners what pellets are most accurate in that gun. I own a .22,.25 & .30 but no .177. & no Mrod. I can't in good conscience make a recommendation, hence, starting a thread. Good luck!

 

[SherryBerry]

One way to test is to shoot piece of paper at a foot or so. If the pellet is clipping it will key hole (leave a hole that is not round) or see if your group tightens up.

This is a great tip @Squack, thanks!

 

[Bam86]

The 177 marauder can be finicky on pellets. I’ve had good success with the Air arms 8.44, but the same weight jsb wouldn’t group at all. Mine actually shoots the crosman premier hp pretty well too. You just need to start a collection of different pellets and see how each groups. Then when you get your next gun, you will be ready to try them all in that gun.

 

[OldSpook]

This is a great tip @Squack, thanks!

It would be if it was correct. It's not. You MIGHT see keyholes in a target at fifteen or twenty yards. You won't at a foot unless the clipping is so bad that it is destroying the muzzle on your moderator.

If your moderator is clipping your pellets will MOST LIKELY not group worth a flip. Two inch or bigger groups at 20 yards, palm sized groups or bigger at 40 yards, in mild cases of clipping. With sever clipping pellets will be missing the target at ten yards and flying off to nobody knows where at 25 yards.

If you are on paper and grouping reasonably, when you remove the moderator your group size should not change TOO much unless you are clipping. Your group placement might move a bit because you have removed a significant weight from the muzzle of your rifle.

OCCASIONAL fliers are USUALLY not the result of clipping.

 

[OldSpook]

Thank you @Gerry52!

I didn't think to go one size up on the moderator. Great tip!

I didn't necessarily want to to take a drill to a new piece of equipment. I had expected it work out of the box with stock equipment or state that modifications may be required.

Dont take a drill to it. Spin it on a "chain saw file". Such a file is a small round file about 10 or 12 inches long and smaller than your bore of course. They are used to sharpen chain saw chains. You can find one in any hardware store for a few bucks. Then just take the moderator off the rifle and slip the file through it. Sit for a half hour watching TV while spinning the moderator on the file. That will wear down the bore in the moderator uniformly and very gradually. If you only have very mild clipping it will probably put a stop to it.

 

[SherryBerry]

The 177 marauder can be finicky on pellets. I’ve had good success with the Air arms 8.44, but the same weight jsb wouldn’t group at all. Mine actually shoots the crosman premier hp pretty well too. You just need to start a collection of different pellets and see how each groups. Then when you get your next gun, you will be ready to try them all in that gun.

Thanks @Bam86 I'm starting to see some similarities. I think I'll try the JSB 8.44 next.

It would be if it was correct. It's not. You MIGHT see keyholes in a target at fifteen or twenty yards. You won't at a foot unless the clipping is so bad that it is destroying the muzzle on your moderator.

If your moderator is clipping your pellets will MOST LIKELY not group worth a flip. Two inch or bigger groups at 20 yards, palm sized groups or bigger at 40 yards, in mild cases of clipping. With sever clipping pellets will be missing the target at ten yards and flying off to nobody knows where at 25 yards.

If you are on paper and grouping reasonably, when you remove the moderator your group size should not change TOO much unless you are clipping. Your group placement might move a bit because you have removed a significant weight from the muzzle of your rifle.

OCCASIONAL fliers are USUALLY not the result of clipping.

This is interesting. I know I'm getting clipping based on the following -
- multiple fliers per 10 round magazine (25 yards no idea where the round is going)
- grey streaks (obvious contact with the moderator end cap)
- It's not grouping worth a flip ;-)

 

[OldSpook]

Thanks @Bam86 I'm starting to see some similarities. I think I'll try the JSB 8.44 next.

This is interesting. I know I'm getting clipping based on the following -
- multiple fliers per 10 round magazine (25 yards no idea where the round is going)
- grey streaks (obvious contact with the moderator end cap)
- It's not grouping worth a flip ;-)

Sounds like clipping to me. Now if you doubt me, go shoot some paper at a foot. Otherwise lets party.

It won't be bad (unsuitable pellets) because they are very unlikely SO BAD that they are causing clipping. More likely your moderator isn't square to the barrel OR the manufacturer failed to get one or more baffles square to the attachment AND/OR centered on the bore. Plenty of possible reasons for that which may or may not be the fault of the manufacturer. One thing for sure the longer the moderator the harder it is to get it to run on a lot of different rifles without clipping.

You can make a test jig out of a cleaning rod or a piece of meter long carbon fiber which fits the barrel. You can snug that rod up to the barrel with blue masking tape. Just add enough to get the rod centered in the barrel and snug. Do that at a minimum of TWO points. Now when you mount the moderator on the barrel you will be able to see where the "run out" is and you will know what you need to do to correct the problem.

Hope that helps. It helps me.