Leshiy Classic .177 accuracy help

[Moody1]

I have a Leshiy Classic in .177. I’m not very happy with its accuracy. I’ve had it since new. I changed to the Leshiy 350mm barrel shortly after I got the gun. I’ve made no other changes – stock regulator at the stock setting (120). I shoot Crossman Premier 10.5 gr pellets.

My targets are setup 35 – 40 yards out. When the light is right, I can see the pellets spiral in the last 10 yards. Or maybe that’s all I can see. Right now I have the HST set at 12 clicks CCW. I’ve tried less clicks and I’ve tried more clicks. Both with similar results. Is it Crossman Premiers? Or is the Leshiy in .177 not a straight shooter? Or is that distance more than I can expect from .177 with the Leshiy?

 

[Scouty]

I have heard the Classic Leshiy 177 barrels shoot the Crosman 10.5s well but have not tried them. Also think it was mentioned in a previous thread that their quality had gone down?

I have had good luck with Polymags out to 30 yards but don't believe I have tried them out to 40.

Do you know how fast you're shooting them?

 

[Moody1]

I don't have a chrony, so I don't know how fast I'm shooting. Though I have tried different speeds with similar results. But I really didn't slow them down too much because of the distance I like to shoot.
Which quality has gone down? The Crossman Premiers or the Leshiy .177 barrels?

 

[Feinwerk]

Look very carefully at both ends of the barrel. On the original Leshiy, there is only a very slight difference between the crown on the muzzle and the very slight lead in on the breach end. Double check that yours is installed correctly, flip if necessary.

GL,
Feinwerk

 

[beerthief]

maybe try H&N 8.44 dome that is what i use in 250 mm barrel .177 no problem @ 40 yards

 

[Scouty]

Which quality has gone down? The Crossman Premiers or the Leshiy .177 barrels?

Sorry about that. Wasn't clear. The CP's quality has gone down according a recent thread I'll link below. But one of the posters mentioned that that has been the case since 2014 and I don't think the Classic Leshiy was even around back then. Of course every barrel is different and the pellets may have become progressively worse.

My 177 experiments with the Classic were short lived so I don't have much to offer. Not because it was shooting bad but because I got clarification about a vague airgun hunting law in our state and decided to switch to 22.

Crosman 177 10.5 grain

I bought a SnowPeak P35 in 177 a few months ago and have enjoyed figuring out what pellets it prefers. I figured out quickly it does not like H&N Baracuda Match in 4.52 head size but likes H&N Baracuda Power. They are copper plated but also 4.50 head size. I got to thinking about it and...

www.airgunnation.com

 

[Feinwerk]

In addition to checking the barrel orientation, it wouldn't hurt to polish it a bit with a nylon bristle brush and some JB bore paste, and then definitely try some different pellets. Don't get hung up on any one pellet, air guns are like that. Try some jsb heavies or some H&N as already suggested..

While you have the barrel out, since it's so easy to remove, you can also try pushing a pellet through it with a dowel or cleaning rod, to assess how smoothly it travels through the bore and identify any Hang-Ups. Then you can inspect the pellet after pushing it out the muzzle, to look for any odd engraving or deformities. Spiraling is frequently caused by some sort of damage to the pellet when chambering. I have put a barrel in backwards once in my Leshiy classic and noticed that pellets were a little hard to insert.

Oh yes, check the moderator insert carefully for any signs of pellet impact on the inside of the baffles or any debris such as from a cleaning swab or cleaning pellet if you ever shot any of those.

Let us know what you find out so we can all learn.

Regards,
Feinwerk

 

[ctshooter]

Ed's barrels are built around shooting the JSBs, so before you discount the gun or barrel I would try some JSB 8.44 or 10.34 and see how it goes.

I wouldn't mess with the reg pressure, which I believe in the 177 is actually 130 bar, because it the needs the extra pop to manage the transition between large transfer port and smaller barrel.

 

[Feinwerk]

Okay thinking about it some more and my own experience, be sure you haven't overtorqued your moderator end cap and misaligned the exit hole in the cap. I like to lubricate the tiny o-ring on my cap with silicone grease and turn it only till it is just snug and then wiggle it back and forth a little bit until the exit hole in the cap appears to be centered. You can also inspect the end cap hole for any signs of pellet strike.

 

[kayaker]

In addition of above too much speed will cause the pellet to spiral a chrony is essential. I would call Brian (Edgun West) for the barrel torque also. Best of luck

 

[corny]

If you don’t own a crony…try slowing down the fps gradually looking to see if the spiral goes away. (With the HS)

I absolutely would get the higher grade ammo before I dug into the gun.

Used to own a classic .22 350mm
Biggest issue I had was properly shouldering the little thing. Pretty easily shot quarters at 50y

 

[ctshooter]

Agree with @corny. Had 3-4 classics over the years with everything from .177 to .25 and also a dirty 30. The Leshiy Classic can push some impressive power but as you crank it up the 4lb gun can get squirly. At the extreme end it's the hinge wanting to open up on you.

Also - agree with @Feinwerk that alignment of the end cap can cause pellet strike.

BUT - none of that explains pellet spiraling. You need to find your magic pellet and the Crosman - as much as you would like it to be - appears to clearly not be the one.

 

[Moody1]

Thank you for all the good suggestions. I will definitely make a new pellet purchase HN/JSB. While I wait for them to get here, I’ll check some of these other things- barrel orientation, pellet clipping, end cap torque/alignment and turn down the speed more. I’m fairly certain I have the barrel in correctly and everything not overtightened, but it’s easy enough to check. I will post back on my findings/resolution.

As always, a wealth of information here. Thanks!

 

[Yandeltx]

Have you ever tried any pellets other than the Crossman Premiers? If not, i bet a change to JSB’s fixes your accuracy issue. I know it’s not the same gun but my Edgun Lelya.22 shoots the Premiers pretty decent but the JSB 18.13 are hole in hole at 30 yards. There is a very noticeable difference in the two pellets.

 

[Wackamole]

Hi moody1 just swap ends on the barrel and see if that fixes your problem. A simple test to see if your barrel is indexed correctly

 

[Moody1]

Yandeltx- No I haven't tried any different pellets. I'm going to order some JSB & HN to try.
I'm going to take a look at the barrel orientation this weekend.
Thank you

 

[Scouty]

I would check barrel orientation while it's still installed since it's the 350mm. Unscrew the shroud extension and gently try to seat a pellet in each end of the barrel. The head will insert slightly further into the breech end.

I can't see the chamfer on the breech end very well so this is how I do it.

 

[Scouty]

I would check barrel orientation while it's still installed since it's the 350mm. Unscrew the shroud extension and gently try to seat a pellet in each end of the barrel. The head will insert slightly further into the breech end.

I can't see the chamfer on the breech end very well so this is how I do it.

Thought I should mention that I do this before installing a barrel but in your case I'd just check while it's still installed. And then whether it is backwards or not I'd remove the barrel, clean it and then reinstall with only gentle torque on the retention screws.

Take care to be sure the shroud insert is properly aligned when re-installing. The factory insert is way over sized for 177 so I doubt this is a problem. But if you happen to have an Akula or CCD insert I could see alignment in 177 being a problem.

I don't suspect a dirty barrel, mis-aligned insert or over torqued screws are causing your spiraling but I doubt you'll make you accuracy worse by doing all of this.

I always clean my Leshiy barrels out of the gun. I use a Sharpie to draw a small arrow showing pellet travel direction so I don't pull my patches through backwards.

I just find the cleanup of excess Ballistol easier when it's out of the rifle.

 

[Moody1]

I checked barrel orientation. It seems to be correct based on the way the head of the pellet drops in. See pics.
I also cleaned the barrel and still have the spiraling. Maybe later today I'll spend some time turning down the speed. Though I really don't want to be lobbing pellets at my targets.
I ordered some JSB and HN pellets this morning.

 

[Vetmx]

I can’t help you until you have a chronograph. Right now guys are just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing if something will stick. With PCP’s, a chronograph is the first tool you buy. Even if you get let’s say JSB pellets to shoot, you have no idea if your gun is set where it’s operating at peak efficiency without a chronograph.