Spring troubles..

[seven08]

I hit the 9000 shots fired mark yesterday with the HW80 .22 I bought in Feb. I thought it would be a good time to install the new Vortek spring and seal I got last month. I was running the factory spring again while waiting for the new Vortek spring to arrive. The Vortek seal had some heat deformation in the center with a tear developing. After lubing up the new spring I noticed it was not the same length as the other one was. (That one had broken at 6000 shots.) With no spring preload showing, I did not need the spring compressor to screw in the end block. Just as I suspected the barrel break effort was noticeably easier to cock. Even less than the used factory spring.

I think the spring was accidentally cut short as it has 2 coils less than advertised. I have an email into Vortek about this. Hopefully I can get the correct replacement. Meantime I have the new seal in driven by the used factory spring.





Picture of the first Vortek spring.

Pictures of the new spring with no preload showing.

 

[Yo]

Get a refund and go ARH Jim Maccari.

 

[svbubba]

Get a refund and go ARH Jim Maccari.

X-2.......... i agree with Yo........

 

[Duckfish]

Just curious. Is this the spring you received? 21.7" ?

 

[seven08]

Yes, that is the spring that I ordered. Same as the one I bought in Feb. This photo shows my order for the spring in question. (blue tape to protect the innocent.) All of the dimensions match. However, the coil count is 26 and not 28 as shown on the spec sheet you provided. I tossed the broken spring weeks ago so not able to compare coil count. I have faith that Vortek will make good on replacing it. As mentioned above the cocking force is much less than the previous Vortek was.

 



Anyone care to confirm my coil count? Length is 9.10 inches....a full .75 shorter than the used factory spring. The first Vortek spring was same length as the then new factory spring.

 

[Duckfish]

Tom will make it right. Call hm on Monday, leave a message, then call him on Tuesday. Monday's are crazy. With this covid he is working alone so be patient.

Spring selection is truly a science. Sometimes a short spring with seemingly less strength produces the same or more power.

Out of courosity again, why didn't you get the PG 3 kit?

And what fps did you get with the new vortek Spring? 

 

[seven08]

I do not own a chronograph. I fired about two dozen shots on a steel plate at 25 yards with the new spring. All I can say is that the "ENORMOUS- RESPECTFUL" velocity punch I had with the first spring was glaringly missing.

 

[Deerstalker]

Info from BBS site on HW95 spring length at 270 mm or 10.63", (10 5/8"). FWIW.

http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread.php?646926-Mainspring-data-thread

Info for HW80:

MAKE MODEL OD mm ID mm WIRE mm LENGTH mm COILS SOURCE

WEIHRAUCH HW80 23 15 4 260 Ox
WEIHRAUCH HW80 23 3.9 270 32 Forum
WEIHRAUCH HW80 23.4 15.8 3.8 280 Versandhaus

Author explains that data has errors or incomplete figures.

 

[Duckfish]

Right! I wonder if you were sent the 12 ftlb spring by mistake. Regardless Tom will get you on the right path.

 

[Yo]

Tuning and diagnosing any kind of potential questionable problems without a chrony is like driving on the highway alone in pitch black night without a speedometer with no cars on the road to adjust your speed to and randomly turning off your headlights while guessing how fast you're speeding and counting a long 10 seconds then back on again. Still alive?

 

[seven08]

Now that's funny right there. You get one red heart for that.

Yo, in a little over five months I put 9000 shots on that 80. My right bicep muscle is now twice the size of my left one. Don't need no stinking chronograph to tell me that spring is incorrect. Looking at the 12 lb. wire specs says dimensions are different than my "abbreviated" spring. No problems, I'll get it sorted out.



Update. Tom has already contacted me. We are working on solving this issue. He has the same pictures I posted here.

Update again...Tom confirmed the coil count was wrong and is sending out a replacement. Thank you Vortek.

 

[Duckfish]

Let us know how the new spring works out.

 

[seven08]

Will do.

To answer your question....Out of curiosity again, why didn't you get the PG 3 kit?

The HW80 .22 rifle was pure perfection right out of the box. Extremely accurate and powerful. I can buy three springs for the cost of that tune kit. No point to messing with perfection.

 

[Duckfish]

I know how it is. I have 2 nice old Beeman R1's, one in .20 and the other in .25. They shoot great. I don't shoot them nearly as much as you have shot yours. I have several other SPRINGERS. I enjoy shooting them all. I go to our range at least once a week, and normally take 2-3 rifles and 2-3 pistols. It's a tough job, lol.

 

[JayJay]

Vortek says they use 'High Yield valve wire power spring' in their PG3 kits. But are they shotpeened for stress relief?

Interesting that they quote the same exact power figures for the HW95 PG3 kit. I thought the HW80 had a bit more power.



High-Ouput full power up to 17ft/lbs/24 Joules,
1020fps(.17cal)/310 m/s CP7.9g
940fps(.22cal)/287 m/s G9.56g (tin pellet) (18.5ft/lbs)

 

[seven08]

The replacement Vortek spring arrived this morning. It has the full 29 coil count. The above factory spring with 3000 shots on it has 31 coils and same wire diameter as Vortek.

I have been running that short 26 coil Vortek with a five piece stack of .125 hard leather washers glued together. Have a thin steel washer on each end of the stack. Total added "spacer" length is about .650. I have 300 shots on this setup with the nearly full power as a 29 coil Vortek spring. Of course, no chrono to prove it. Trust me, those steel targets get smacked harder and faster than with the factory spring. Will use this setup indefinitely. I like it. 

 

[seven08]

Did a tear down to check the shape of my leather spacer set up. Have about 600 shots on it now and still a very strong spring even though shorter. The washers are still in tact and not mashed. Some grease held them in place and difficult to tap out. Had to use the my brain on a way to pull them out, worked slick. The already shorter spring has taken a set and is now even shorter. Shown relaxed next to the new warranty replacement spring. Put the original HW seal back on the piston and will save the newer Vortek seal for when the new replacement spring goes in. Back together now and still firing very strong. I am approaching the 10K shots fired mark on this 80. Sweet rifle.