Shooting springers at Altitude changes performance Choice needed!!

[Aeromat209]

I live in the Mike High City a 5280 feet altitude and did not know the velocity would be considerably less in the the thin air with a springer in 22 cal!! 

We have baseballs that fly farther here and foot balls that fly farther here but Springers loos @ 160 FPS all things being the same IE pellet weight and range constants 

I was all ready to buy a new Pro Sport in 22 cal but reluctant as the FPS is factory rated at 750 for the 22 and I already have a Diana AirKing in 22 that is running 720 FPS at this altitude .I am wondering if i get the Pro sport here it might only be running 600 FPS or so ???

Advice needed!

 

[JamesD.]

If you want to sell the 54 let me know. Especially if a TO1.

You might want a PCP if you want more power.

A 54 .22 tuned by John Thomas with a Vortex can do 800 with 18.13 here at 600-700ft altitude.

 

[JimNM]

Altitude density changes about 3% per 1000 feet above sea level. You can figure on about 16% less energy at your location.

 

[thumper]

Get a .177. They shoot faster if that's all you're after. 

It may change the performance, but won't change the accuracy. Just make sure you can hit what you're aiming at and that's all that matters. Don't worry about it. 

 

[Franklink]

Springers @ altitude = learn to live with reduced velocity.

I live at 5600 and my little HW50s only gets 715fps with 7.87gr pellets, right around 9fpe.

Most mentions of HW50s power cite 10.5-12fpe as the norm. 

 

[klentz]

I'm in Wheat Ridge and have been down this path. There are tunes for our springers at altitude but in the end you are either trying to get the most power from the highest available volume and pressure (sea level), or minimize velocity drop as the pressure drops (climb in altitude). Here's a good read from a fellow in Colorado:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/yellow/finally-springer-altitude-testing-completed-with-p-t156064.html

 

[Kgphotos]

I experienced this recently when I took my HW50 .22 camping. I was up at 7500 feet elevation. The rifle was noticeably louder and I lost about 150 fps when I chronographed it. I guessed that the increased noise was from the piston slamming harder with the thinner air density. I quit shooting for fear of causing damage. I just shoot my PCP rifles now when I’m at high elevation.

 

[DesertSilver]

I'm at 5300' and my M48 in .177 with a vortec tune kit is only going 910 fps with a FTT 8.64 grain pellet. High heat also will decrease fps on a springer.

 

[springer]

I too live in Denver. Many years ago I became interested in this question, and decided to investigate. I set up my chrono at about 1000 feet above sea level at my aunt's farm in western Iowa, in Denver at about 5280 feet above sea level and atop Cottonwood pass at 12,126 feet above sea level. I used a Snowpeak B3-1, the folding stock Kalashnikov like side lever for the low power end of the spectrum and my Beeman tuned FWB 124 for the high power, The same .177 pellet was used for both - Winchesters imported by them in the 1970s and probably made by RWS, Ten shots were fired through each gun at each altitude and averaged. The B3-1 lost about 3% for each thousand feet and the FWB about 5% for each thousand feet of altitude above sea level.

When received back from Beeman after the tune, the FWB was shooting at 750 fps in Denver. CO2 guns would shoot faster here than at sea level because of the lower air density,

 

[sammich]

It's all about air density altitude. Same stuff pilots deal with at high altitude runways. When living at 7100' my .22 magnum springer sent a 14.5 gr pellet out at 768 fps. Now at sea level it goes at 835 fps. That doesn't fit the math exactly, but at sea level I'm shooting in 85 temps with 85% humidity. At altitude I took my readings in the mid 60s with humidity probably closer to 26%. Colder air will help your velocity (on hot summer days my house at 7100' would "think" / act like it was over 10,000'). I'd agree with those pointing you to a PCP if you really need the extra punch.