Tuning New guy needs help to tune a Benjamin Armada .22cal

[DJinAZ98]

Hello all, I am Dan, and I am looking for some help to get my rifle to perform respectfully in 25m benchrest outdoor. I am shooting .22 cal Benjamin Armada with what seems to be a pretty decent Riton 6-24x50 scope. So far, I have one match under my belt. I scored 578 of poss 750, shooting freehand off a bipod. Since then I have been practicing quite a bit and I seem to have considerable deviation of some shots that go way off POA and I am struggling to figure out why. I do have some shooting experience over the years, probably just enough to get me in trouble, so I feel my ability to tune the scope and find a target are at least decent. I just purchased a FX wireless chronograph ( arriving tomorrow) so I will be able to gather a good amount of data, again, more trouble, HA. 

So, what suggestions on best air pressure range to operate at, Maybe some help to understand striker and spring relationship and estimated settings. Looking forward to all your input, Thanks, Aim straight !!!!

 

[Saltlake58]

The Armada is basically a Marauder in fancy furniture. Before I start adjusting the gun, what pellets are you using? While it may seem logical that Crosman Premier Dome's would work, give the JSB 18.3 grain pellets a shot. The softer lead in the JSB's seems to help with accuracy.

Get the Chronograph. Do several shot strings. I run at about 830 fps with JSB 18.3 grain pellets. Gives reasonable accuracy to 75 yards or so. Haven't tried 100 for quite a while. should go do that.

You will find a shot curve between about 2800 PSI to about 1800 PSI in my experience. shooting in that range will give relatively consistent results. Do the chrony work and identify the best curve for your gun. Also, expect about 30 shots from the factory on a full fill, so maybe 25 shots in the curve.

For now, I wouldn't change anything on the gun, too hard to get back to factory as a starting point. Do the chrony work and see what the chronograph says. Stay within the shot curve where you get the best results, that alone might do the trick for you.

I wanted more, so added a regulator, new hammer spring and transfer port. Gives 50 consistent shots, but that was a lot of work getting there. Just shoot the gun, learn it and see what it can do for you. Marauders and Armada's are excellent guns with massive potential.

 

[Aimright]

Saltlake58 gives some very good advice. Your chrono will provide you a wealth of info where you will be able to determine your fill pressure sweet spot. I tuned my .22 Marauder slightly from the factory settings of about 23 fpe and a sweet spot of 2700 to 2100 down to appx 19 fpe with a sweet spot of 2400 to 2000 psi to make it legal for field target competition. I used the “A team” tuning guide found here: https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/library/A_Team_PCP_Tuning_Procedures%2020090601.pdf

 

[DJinAZ98]

Hello Saltlake and thanks for taking time to respond to my questions. I am anxiously awaiting todays chrony arrival. I must admit, I have done some adjusting on the setting already. I found a discussion specifically about Marauder and how to find zero to start adjustments. I have also modified my furniture to allow access to air valve and hammer spring adjusters. Pellets I have been shooting : Crossman hollow point 14.3 , Ruger super point 17 g, H & N target trophy 9.57 and 14.66 g . Currently I have all the body work removed and the actual rifle locked in a benchrest stand to allow me to access all adjustments available. I was tinkering and plinking yesterday afternoon and shots were crazy all over at 25 m. I then connected the barrel and air tank together with some zip ties and proceeded to shoot a very nice 1in group and it was getting dark and hard to see thru scope well, so without pushing my like I wrapped up for the evening with a smile. I will get some of the JSB pellets you listed and see what I can do, and let you know. Thanks again.

 

[DJinAZ98]

Hello Aimright, That info is great. Thanks.

 

[av8r]

Saltlake and Aimright have pretty well put the information there for you. Several of us have started with Marauders and followed the steps and procedures listed. Like Saltlake, I ended up with a lighter hammer, lighter hammer spring, and transfer port ( mine were from Hill Airguns) and a Huma regulator. Mine does pretty well with Air Arms 16 gr., 840 fps, Hades, 840 fps, JSB 18.1 at 830 fps. I’m tuned to just off the knee at those speeds so my shot count is pretty high. I don’t shoot the JSBs very often but when I do I adjust the hammer spring tighter. As Saltlake said, it takes some work to get there but the process is part of the fun.

 

[DJinAZ98]

Hello av8r, I am the guy who likes to know why and how and enjoy the challenge of making my stuff work for me. I am new to air rifles and will soon be new to figuring out how it all works. I am learning new things at a good pace and hope to be ready to do well in the upcoming 25 m season here in Az. Most matches are indoor 50ft or 10 m for the blazing summer and myself or my equipment are nowhere near the level of quality as those competitors. First math is Sep. 4th. Thanks for the input. Have a great weekend to all. 

 

[DJinAZ98]

Notes

Pellet:crossman

Weight: 14.3



Shot count: 10

Low: 19.4

Hi: 20.2

Avg: 20.0

STD Dev: 0.2

Spread: 0.8



8/28/21 3:34:29 PM,20.2

8/28/21 3:34:48 PM,20.2

8/28/21 3:34:59 PM,20.1

8/28/21 3:35:31 PM,20.2

8/28/21 3:36:04 PM,20.0

8/28/21 3:36:36 PM,20.2

8/28/21 3:36:50 PM,19.8

8/28/21 3:37:21 PM,19.4

8/28/21 3:37:49 PM,20.0

8/28/21 3:38:06 PM,19.9

Did some tuning yesterday and this is what I got to.

 

[air-hunter_canyon]

I have a Benjamin Armada .25 but regardless I tuned mine for around 900 fps, I am using jsb exact kings.

Make sure that when adjusting screws that you use the proper sized allen wrench otherwise you'll strip the machined screws.

I started with backing out the valve adjustment screw (after taking the stock off). I gave it one full 360 degree rotation.

I turned both the hammer spring and hammer dial clockwise until tight and then did 3 full 360 degree counter-clockwise turns.



WARNING (Be careful when adjusting the valve adjustment because it can be stripped very easily)

I hope this helps.

 

[DJinAZ98]

Hello Air hunter, what are you shooting at with that ? I am not a hunter, as a matter of fact, I rather enjoy the rabbits and such in my yard. They are my fish tank. My dogs keep them inline, ha. I am barely 90 days into this hobby with an Armadale .22. I made a hole in the side of the stock so I could access the air valve adjuster to make changes easier. I joined the Phoenix Air Gun Club and so far have only one match completed at 25 meters (82 ft). My target FPI is max 20 for one class, 35 for the other. So far, my highest FPI has been just over 29. My goal is to be able to adj for 17 - 22 FPI using only the air valve, which I can now adjust during a match session to keep the FPI in that range without other adjustment. Starting at 2900 psi, air valve 1-1\2 turns out, fired 30 rounds and dropped to 2200 psi. When FPI dropped into 17's, about half way, I turned air valve out 1\4 turn and FPI went right back up to high 19's.