Taipan Need to Tame my Taipan

[Franklink]

My Shorty Vet has been a .20 for a couple years now. It still has the OEM factory regulator setting.
I shoot .20/13.73s @ 805 as my baseline "tune." I also shoot the .20/15.89s at 915-920 by simply turning the hammer tension adjustment "in" 1.5 turns. And found out a few months ago that the barrel also like the new .20/18.9grain NSA slugs, 2.5 turns "in" from baseline = 850fps with them. I've got dope data on all three "tunes." And I never touch the regulator. So, 19.8, 29.5, and 30.3fpe, all from the same reg setting.

When this Short was a .22, I'd go from 820fps with the .22/13.34grain pellets to 890-900 with .22/18.1s, also using only the hammer tension adjustment.

Across my three, Veterans, as a platform, are generally much more tolerant of wider hammer tension adjustments than many guns. Lots of other platforms require a regulator change for hammer spring tension adjustments to maintain consistent shot strings. But not the Vet, at least not switching from 20 to 30fpe.

 

[RM100GUY]

I've been shooting my Veteran .22 standard for about 5 years...I am the third owner...Probably will never sell it health permitting. JSB 18's at 870 has been its favorite over the years, However ONE complete turn lower of the HSA and Crosman dome 14.3s are a very acceptable cheaper alternative...not quite as good as the JSB but ok at about 870 also...even lower is ok but never saw the need....somewhat easier to cock quite pleasant to shoot at this level....I can go back and fourth very repeatable and have done so for years....Never ever even considered the regulator...goes off the reg around 150b...VERY VERY unusual for a Veteran not to WOW its operator...Just know that mine shoots 18s and 14.3 domes at different HSA settings routinely for years...never tried any other pellets but JSB 18s and Crosman domes...satisfied with both.. Dollars to doughnuts its the reg setting or issue...Group is domes at 30y off my knee...

 

[Jairow]

I was able to set the regulator to 100 bar. At this level it would not shoot 18s higher than 845 fps. I set the HST to 800 and it shot very well. Not one hole at 35 yards but I would say MOA. I ran out of time and couldn’t do much shooting, but so far looks good, or at least better.

 

[JimD]

I'm glad it seems to be improving. It's nice when you make an adjustment and see positive results.

 

[elh0102]

I was able to set the regulator to 100 bar. At this level it would not shoot 18s higher than 845 fps. I set the HST to 800 and it shot very well. Not one hole at 35 yards but I would say MOA. I ran out of time and couldn’t do much shooting, but so far looks good, or at least better.

If you're maxed out at 845, then 800 should be a reasonably well balanced tune. Which has nothing directly to do with accuracy, but it should be air efficient and not overly loud.

 

[Jairow]

I did some Dad math and figured that my Taipan's hammer tension was set at about 98% of the regulator setting's highest velocity from the factory. This allowed for excellent accuracy at 930 fps. With my regulator adjustment now maxing out at 845, I adjusted my hammer to 820 (97%). I am getting good groups at 35 yards that I can easily cover with a dime. I'm thinking this can improve with a trigger adjustment, as somehow my trigger feels heavier (I messed with it in the process of removing the regulator).

I was never able to shoot dime-sized groups with 18.1s with my factory regulator setting at anything less than 900 fps. 800 - 880 were one-inch groups with fliers. I'll need to do more testing, but I really think that a mismatch between the regulator setting and my hammer spring affected accuracy. I have no other explanation. I'm looking forward to getting a huma and playing around with it to test out my theory.

 

[elh0102]

I was never able to shoot dime-sized groups with 18.1s with my factory regulator setting at anything less than 900 fps. 800 - 880 were one-inch groups with fliers. I'll need to do more testing, but I really think that a mismatch between the regulator setting and my hammer spring affected accuracy. I have no other explanation. I'm looking forward to getting a huma and playing around with it to test out my theory.

I'm no expert, and you may be exactly right, but I don't understand how the reg/HST relationship would affect accuracy as you describe, as it is only the method of generating power. In my experience, I have usually played around with the HST until finding the velocity that produced the best accuracy. Sometimes, after balancing the tune, the reg set point and HST would be quite different than in my initial testing, but I have never seen a change in accuracy after returning to my desired velocity. One thing I have observed over the years of developing handloads for metallic cartridges, as well as playing with air rifles, it is often tempting to form conclusions from inadequate testing. Sometimes I would make a change and then shoot a couple of screamer groups, thinking I had found the Holy Grail. But 10 more groups proved me wrong. The results of your experiments will be interesting, press on!