Tuning down full size Beemans/Weihrauchs - still accurate?

[Pizzaman2976]

Is it worth it to try to tune down one of the full sized Beeman/Weihrauchs to 7.5 or 12 ft/lbs (R1, R9, R10, R11, etc.)? Do they still shoot accurately for those with experience? 

I'm wondering about my R-10 dlux and whether it would be as accurate at lower speeds (I'm aware this is the opposite of what it was made for ). Thanks

 

[boscoebrea]

I have tuned down the power of the same models as you have ,no problems with accuracy;also are smoother to shoot.

As always finding the right pellets are what is of most importance, matching the pellet to the power,fps and to the barrel or the barrel harmonize.

My springers are always better"for me" when I tune them down....finding the "sweet spot"...under 850fps or 14lbs..and on the less powerful springers under700fps and under 12lbs...

I go with JM Tuning kits,other like the Vortex kits...for keeper springers, a tune job is a worthwhile endeavor.

 

[Pizzaman2976]

I have tuned down the power of the same models as you have ,no problems with accuracy;also are smoother to shoot.

As always finding the right pellets are what is of most importance, matching the pellet to the power,fps and to the barrel or the barrel harmonize.

My springers are always better"for me" when I tune them down....finding the "sweet spot"...under 850fps or 14lbs..and on the less powerful springers under700fps and under 12lbs...

I go with JM Tuning kits,other like the Vortex kits...for keeper springers, a tune job is a worthwhile endeavor.

Thanks for sharing! Yea I have other guns that shoot harder, but Im slowly selling them off and going to lower power. I live in the burbs so it's easier to enjoy and I don't need so much power. I also cant complain about it being easier on my arms to shoot for a long time.

 

[boscoebrea]

Check out Air Gun Headquarters, they have kits and springs for the R-10, you can ask JM about what to do when wanting to tune down your springers.

Sometimes the kits come with extra spacers that you can use when wanting more power..or leave out for less power.

I also have a R-7 that I got at Beemans in 1981, that is a great low-powered springer that is dead accurate....have used both the JM and Vortex springs kits in it.

I would definitely go online and ask Jim M want you want, he is a wealth of information.

 

[Mycapt65]

I believe the R10 has a similar bore and stroke as the R9 (26x80mm) you should be able to bring that gun nicely down to 12fpe. Accuracy shouldn't suffer. If anything it should be easier to shoot accurately. There is a limit to how much you can reduce power on an airgun before making design changes like destroking it. If you reduce spring pressure too much the shot cycle becomes slow and clunky. The lock time becomes so long it may be harder to shoot accurately. At the very least it's not pleasant to shoot. 

 

[Flintsack]

Usually accuracy gets better, because the rifle is easier to shoot. Obviously less power means less recoil. Everything is quieted down.

there are many advantages to taming things down.

mike

 

[thumper]

I believe the R10 has a similar bore and stroke as the R9 (26x80mm) you should be able to bring that gun nicely down to 12fpe. Accuracy shouldn't suffer. If anything it should be easier to shoot accurately. There is a limit to how much you can reduce power on an airgun before making design changes like destroking it. If you reduce spring pressure too much the shot cycle becomes slow and clunky. The lock time becomes so long it may be harder to shoot accurately. At the very least it's not pleasant to shoot.

THIS.

 

[thumper]

Is it worth it to try to tune down one of the full sized Beeman/Weihrauchs to 7.5 or 12 ft/lbs (R1, R9, R10, R11, etc.)? Do they still shoot accurately for those with experience? 

I'm wondering about my R-10 dlux and whether it would be as accurate at lower speeds (I'm aware this is the opposite of what it was made for ). Thanks

Tuning means different things to different people. Most people consider detuning simply dropping in a weaker spring, and often times that's just fine for a moderate power reduction. 

However making a drastic decrease in power, will benefit from reduced stroke length and opened ports to tune the bounce out. Bounce is the biggest contributor to hold sensitivity, and can happen often at reduced power levels or with extra heavy pellets. 

Three of the guns you mentioned are the same, R9, 10, 11 all the same internal dimensions basically. They all do good down to 11fpe or so with nothing but a spring swap and reasonably light pellets. Keep your seal sized correctly for the best efficiency and bounce shouldn't be an issue. 

The R1 is a different beast altogether, and personally I've found them to suck at high and low power levels. The piston has too much mass and the diameter is too big to be efficient. So at high power you end up with a higher level of recoil than necessary, and power not much better than a hot R9. 

And then at low power there's just too much piston mass to ever get the recoil down to what should be expected at 11ishfpe. One thing due to the mass of the piston, is bounce usually isn't a concern at either tune. 

Hope you find some of it interesting. 

 

[Lewis]

I have enjoyed many of them at or around 12 FPE. Including the R1. Remember they are all 12 FPE or less across the pond and they are well loved there.

 

[Pizzaman2976]

Thanks for the input everyone. Very helpful. It's true the 12 ft lb airgunners do some amazing things! Also Interesting to hear about issues with going to low...