Tuning Power or manners?

[Mycapt65]

I have a R1 that I have a love, hate relationship. Mostly hate. I've tuned it in 20 cal and 22 and struggled to get 20 fpe clean. That means without dieseling. After trying a JM kit and a Vortek kit I finally got 19 fpe in 20 caliber and 20 fpe in 22 without dieseling. The gun was harsh, hard to cock and generally unpleasant to shoot. It has flirted with decent accuracy at the expense of trashing a Dampa mount and an Airmax.

Yesterday I dropped the power down to 17.3 fpe in 22 cal and the gun I've always hated is now pleasant to shoot and seemingly accurate. I had to hold off proper accuracy testing today because of significant winds. As the sun went down the winds finally dropped out and I had no problem hitting 1" spinners on the edge of the bluff I'm on at 25 yards. There's a sandbar in the creek at 170 yards with a lone stone surrounded by water I was able to walk in a few shots at. It was a blast to finally enjoy the gun but still somewhat disappointing because it's still far away from the power I'd expect from an R1.

My question is would you dumb down a monster to tame it so you can enjoy it or do you keep pushing it for power to the point you won't enjoy it?

 

[Chuck-in-Ohio]

Personally

I have dropped a few rifles back in power to achieve the accuracy that I knew the rifle should be capable of.
I would suggest that you holler Yahtzee, and enjoy your win for a time. If you get the urge to go experimental again, you have a solid baseline to return to.

 

[Ievgen721]

There are no miracles in the world. Buy another rifle for this, Diana 54/56 or Weirauch 90. The Hawk scope is not the best choice.

 

[boscoebrea]

I gotta tell you this power thing is baloney.Why fight it?My Tomahawk had about 22 fpe,I tuned it down to under 16 and like it a lot more....Yes indeed, the RWS 48-52 and so on are a better way to have more power.in me humble opinion.I have one of those 52and it does not complain at all. Weight helps .What so important to have 20fpe?

 

[Windmill01]

Mycapt65 I think you answered your question in your second paragraph
Gary

 

[ChuckHunter]

Your right at the top end of the sweet spot for a R1 now! It wasn't designed to be a 20fpe monster in the first place. Same with the R9 I here of guys chasing power when in all reality it's a 14 maybe 15fpe tops before it starts getting out of control and harsh in the shot cycle. Now you can enjoy that baby for it's intended purpose and accuracy!

 

[bdzjlz]

The R1 is a fantasticly smooth and accurate rifle at 15 to 17 fpe with a properly installed Vortek PG4 kit trimmed to produce these power levels. I have done several of these tunes, and a tree rat out to 50 yards won't know the difference between 15 and 19 ft lbs.

 

[maxtrouble]

Power is overrated in springers, they have a sweet spot under twenty fpe. Anything after that is a crap shoot. PCP's excel at 20 fpe to about 100 fpe. PB's for anything above 100 fpe. YMMV

 

[Mycapt65]

The R1 is a fantasticly smooth and accurate rifle at 15 to 17 fpe with a properly installed Vortek PG4 kit trimmed to produce these power levels. I have done several of these tunes, and a tree rat out to 50 yards won't know the difference between 15 and 19 ft lbs.

Thanks. That's what this has. A trimmed down PG4.

 

[Mycapt65]

There are no miracles in the world. Buy another rifle for this, Diana 54/56 or Weirauch 90. The Hawk scope is not the best choice.

Thsnks. What scope would you recommend for this R1?

 

[Bear-of-Grayling]

Why tame down a boat anchor to what a 95 does without the weight? I have a golden rule when it comes to a springer. When desiring a new gun, I choose the model first, second the caliber that yields 680-730 fps. Anything beyond this is to much “rifle-to-accuracy” ratio.

 

[beerthief]

a crappy shot cycle does not put any smiles on your face , no matter how accurate it is .

 

[Bear-of-Grayling]

A dear friend of mine and I bought brand new R1‘s back in the early 80’s. We saved and saved to get one. Both came from Sheridan’s. He got the 20 and I the 177. He mounted a new Leupold scope on his. We were off squirrel hunting. He is an excellent marksman. After about the third missed squirrel, the new gun and scope went flying through the woods like a boomerang. Mine soon after.

 

[Ievgen721]

Thsnks. What scope would you recommend for this R1?

VX-FREEDOM 3-9X33 EFR FINE DUPLEX Part # 175075 And the scope mounts are not rings, something like that.​

 

[.20calguy]

Thsnks. What scope would you recommend for this R1?

I didn't know this question either, but I wound with an Element Optics, for my 97K. We'll see when the gun arrives.

 

[.20calguy]

A dear friend of mine and I bought brand new R1‘s back in the early 80’s. We saved and saved to get one. Both came from Sheridan’s. He got the 20 and I the 177. He mounted a new Leupold scope on his. We were off squirrel hunting. He is an excellent marksman. After about the third missed squirrel, the new gun and scope went flying through the woods like a boomerang. Mine soon after.

Mine was a squirrel killing machine but it required a repeatable grip, that the Sheridan didn't. The R1 could reach out to fox squirrel country.

 

[Bear-of-Grayling]

Mine was a squirrel killing machine but it required a repeatable grip, that the Sheridan didn't. The R1 could reach out to fox squirrel country.

That’s exactly right. I kept mine long enough to figure this out. Learned the R7 was the way. Then learned about the power-to-speed ratio. Dumped the R1. The 95/98 is proportionally better. My friend kept the Sheridan and swore off springers for life.

 

[Sqwirl57]

I'm starting on a .20 cal HW80 soon. The goal is 18-19fpe but I'll be happy at 17fpe if its that much more pleasant/easy to shoot. It's literally a 40fps different between the low and high which is pretty insignificant in my opinion.

 

[Mycapt65]

I'm a big fan of the 95 family guns. I have a
177 Hw95 ~ 14.5 fpe
20 R9 and HW98 both ~ 16 fpe
22 HW95 Field Pro ~ 16 fpe.

Even at the upper ranges of power I enjoy shooting all of them. I find them to be almost the perfect blend of power, size and weight. They're all accurate enough for me. The 177 is the most accurate break barrel I own.

I find the R1s additional hold sensitivity, weight and length not worth the additional two to three fpe at full power. They're not a bad gun I just like the 95s better. I only bought the R1 because I liked the history of it and wanted all that power it's known for. Without that power I'd rather shoot my 95s. My 22 cal 95 is tame as my R1 at only 30fps less.

 

[boscoebrea]

I like Bear-of-Grayling response,this a smart way of buying a springer .Every springer has a sweet power range,That changes with caliber...In the Old days,many springer guys knew that 850fps was a tops for powerful springer,650-750 was usually a sweet spot.Most of those springers from 15 years ago are still around.That said,it is a comprimize.
Sometimes "we" try to use heavier pellets to compensate for a harsh power cycle,then they do not shoot worth a darn.Match what you want to do with your springer to the model that mostly models your wants.
All my springers get a tune kit regardless,anyhow ,and I usually go down in power.Just saying.