I just got my most expensive air gun to date (HW97) and now I'm thinking about things that I didn't used to care about when I had cheap Gamos. When hunting I'm used to loading a pellet then waiting up to an hour or two for a shot, will this damage the spring? I know it can't be left compressed for days, but what about a few hours?
Will Spring Get Damaged If Compressed Too Long?
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There is lots of info on the web about spring fatigue from leaving a gun cocked. Leaving a spring gun cocked for two hours while hunting should not effect the spring. Especially if the spring was set before it was installed. I routinely leave my spring guns cocked for several hours while hunting without loss of velocity. I have Macarri springs in my guns and say that because it's what I have experience with. The good thing is springs are cheap.and easy to replace. On a new gun without fitted guides the spring will crook from use regardless of how long it is left cocked.. There are vedios on disassembly of your rifle to go by and HW guns are not hard to work on. The installation of a tune kit will transform your rifle into a super smooth vibration free shooting machine.
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It will be fine. Springs life is supposed to be measured in cycles. The first half of the cycle is compression, the second half is the rebound. Tom Gaylord for one of his articles left a springer cocked for months with no change in velocity.
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The stress (S) for a material like steel is calculated as; S = Force / Area. This is used to compare with the allowable yield of the material selected for use in any given application.
Note there is no mention of time in this stress calculation, only force and area are required. So after a spring takes its to-be-expected, initial set under load and yet the spring then takes a notable, performance-defective set from being compressed; the spring selected was not up to the task of supporting the force (load) imposed on it. Time has nothing to do with it; does not matter if it is one second, one minute or one week. And just for the record, I am not talking about "end of time", entropy, type of time. But rather time related to the useful lifespan of the rifle or spring itself.
Note there is no mention of time in this stress calculation, only force and area are required. So after a spring takes its to-be-expected, initial set under load and yet the spring then takes a notable, performance-defective set from being compressed; the spring selected was not up to the task of supporting the force (load) imposed on it. Time has nothing to do with it; does not matter if it is one second, one minute or one week. And just for the record, I am not talking about "end of time", entropy, type of time. But rather time related to the useful lifespan of the rifle or spring itself.
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Results from real controlled testing on several springers.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/message/1009595055/How+long+do+you+keep+your+springer+cocked-+Here%27s+a+test
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/message/1009595055/How+long+do+you+keep+your+springer+cocked-+Here%27s+a+test
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outdoorman thank you for posting that informative link. I wonder what will be the effect on spring of a days long hunting session when the airgun is cocked most of the time but it is shot after each half - full hour. would it be different compared to a gun not fired at all during the same time.
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Zakalee true. It is counter-intuitive, but that is what most experts in the spring field will tell you. I think any changes in velocity may depend on the quality of the spring and in some instances, a reduction may take place with cheaper material as shown above.
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When a spring is compressed or stretched by a load. It either takes the load or it fails
weakening or breaking RIGHT THEN!!! What is happening is it is storing ENERGY. Not unlike a
high pressure tank does. If you over fill { introduce more energy than it can hold} or have a flaw in
it, the tank will fail. If it does not fail it is capable of storing the amount of energy you put in it. Do
tanks have warning stickers saying not to leave pressurized?
As far as a spring weakening over time that is IMPOSSIBLE the only way a spring can become
weaker it must change at a molecular level, overloading or a flaw can cause that but NOT TIME.
If you have two identical springs leave one unloaded and load the other if the loaded one does
not fail { weaken or brake} taking the load then years later you could remove the load and still have
identical springs. That's way you don't hear warnings about leaving the garage door up or down or even
sitting on the couch TOO LONG.
A spring is simply a energy storage device protected from other forces like rust, heat, or cold its
capable of lasting virtually forever even carrying a near failure point load.
Im pretty stupid so don't take my word for it research for yourself. best to all
fuznut
weakening or breaking RIGHT THEN!!! What is happening is it is storing ENERGY. Not unlike a
high pressure tank does. If you over fill { introduce more energy than it can hold} or have a flaw in
it, the tank will fail. If it does not fail it is capable of storing the amount of energy you put in it. Do
tanks have warning stickers saying not to leave pressurized?
As far as a spring weakening over time that is IMPOSSIBLE the only way a spring can become
weaker it must change at a molecular level, overloading or a flaw can cause that but NOT TIME.
If you have two identical springs leave one unloaded and load the other if the loaded one does
not fail { weaken or brake} taking the load then years later you could remove the load and still have
identical springs. That's way you don't hear warnings about leaving the garage door up or down or even
sitting on the couch TOO LONG.
A spring is simply a energy storage device protected from other forces like rust, heat, or cold its
capable of lasting virtually forever even carrying a near failure point load.
Im pretty stupid so don't take my word for it research for yourself. best to all
fuznut
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Simple answer is yes. Don’t leave springers cocked for long periods of time. Despite what some of these people are saying this WILL shorten the lifespan of said spring.
If you plan on hunting and you want to keep the gun at the ready at all times. Stick w a gas ram or pcp imho.
If you plan on hunting and you want to keep the gun at the ready at all times. Stick w a gas ram or pcp imho.
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A few hours is no problem. I often hunt with my hw97k and leave it cocked for 1-2 hours at a time. This has no effect on power. Numerous experiments have shown the same results.
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If springs damage under compression , then I guess none my defensive pistols are not going to work when I need. Although my Wilson combat mags are still feeding 45auto ten years later. And they stay loaded between shooting sessions. I believe there is much adoo over this subject. If the spring does not work after being compressed for an hour or two. Then I bought the wrong guns (HW)
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I think there is some truth To what has been said. But I don't believe time isn't in the equation somewhere? As in part of the stress fatigue part of the equation. Springs are just metal and subjected to stress and atmospheric conditions can change over time.
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If what you say is 100% true, then why would they always say you can't leave a springer break barrel loaded (and thus cocked)? Just playing devil's advocate here, as there likely is some truth to it?
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I purposely left my TX200 cocked for over a week just so that I can lessen the power a bit. Please note that this is with a stock spring. The result? No change; that is, if you can accept a loss of 2-3 FPS, which occurred for the 2-3 shots thereafter then crept back to its initial power level.
My advice is not to worry about power loss or leaving a spring gun cocked for extended periods. In my opinion, too many people get too hung up and obsessed with more power. In my earlier years of shooting airguns, I always wanted to own an air rifle with the most power. But as I acquired more experience, developed my shooting technique, and gained an understanding about the physics that govern a projectile's trajectory, etc., I learned that what really was more important was the goal of shooting with precision through acquired skills.
My Cricket PCP is set to shoot at 9 FPE with 14.3 grain pellets, and it is enough to take out pigeons at 30 yards cleanly with a heart or head shot. The bonus? Over 450 shots from 210 — 50 BAR
My advice is not to worry about power loss or leaving a spring gun cocked for extended periods. In my opinion, too many people get too hung up and obsessed with more power. In my earlier years of shooting airguns, I always wanted to own an air rifle with the most power. But as I acquired more experience, developed my shooting technique, and gained an understanding about the physics that govern a projectile's trajectory, etc., I learned that what really was more important was the goal of shooting with precision through acquired skills.
My Cricket PCP is set to shoot at 9 FPE with 14.3 grain pellets, and it is enough to take out pigeons at 30 yards cleanly with a heart or head shot. The bonus? Over 450 shots from 210 — 50 BAR
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What is important to note is that the spring in a springer, through continued use, will eventually settle to its worn-in compression and extension rate when cocked and that no matter how many shot cycles it goes through it will still stay at that rate. To me, that’s the point I want my rifle to be at because it will shoot at greatest consistency.
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Let's not worry to much about this, here are some worse things that might happen:
- Drop you springer on something hard and sharp.
- Cock your springer and pull the trigger without returning the barrel/cocking lever first.
- Use nails instead of pellets.
- Give your favourite springer away.
...
- Drop you springer on something hard and sharp.
- Cock your springer and pull the trigger without returning the barrel/cocking lever first.
- Use nails instead of pellets.
- Give your favourite springer away.
...
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I lost power due to this in more than one of my cheaper airguns. I have not dared to leave my somewhat expensive springer for more than five minutes due to my experience.
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