Tuning .25 EDgun R3 ~ rise and shine!

EDguns are the original airgun bullpup. The Russian PCPs were some of the most sought after PCPs on the planet at one time. I can remember the R3s selling used for double the price new as they were very hard to come by!!

.25 Eddy showed up and holding zero pressure. Broke it down and replaced all seals. Replaced the STIFF factory valve-return spring for one more appropriate to shoot the 33.95gr JSBs, a pellet that wasn’t even around when this gun was manufactured. Adjusted the trigger and set all adjustments with Vibra-Tite. Set the factory reg to 140 bar after a rebuild. Dialed and harmonized to 890 fps for 59 FPE.

Added the DonnFL R3 monocore with 1/2”-20 threads and a Tatsu. Super quiet for the power level! Sighted in on the left Target and then shot (2) 5-shot groups at 50 yards. Can be covered by a dime. I actually really like these single shot older Eddys.

Created: 11/26/21 10:10 AM
Description: .25 R3 Eddy
Notes 1: 220 bar fill
Notes 2: 
Distance to Chrono(FT): 1.00
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.060
Bullet Weight(gr): 33.95
Temp: 50 °F
BP: 1027.87 inHg
Altitude: 120.00
# FPS FT-LBS PF
38 883 58.79 29.98
37 890 59.72 30.22
36 888 59.45 30.15
35 889 59.59 30.18
34 889 59.59 30.18
33 889 59.59 30.18
32 884 58.92 30.01
31 886 59.19 30.08
30 889 59.59 30.18
29 894 60.26 30.35
28 880 58.39 29.88
27 885 59.05 30.05
26 890 59.72 30.22
25 885 59.05 30.05
24 885 59.05 30.05
23 890 59.72 30.22
22 888 59.45 30.15
21 889 59.59 30.18
20 885 59.05 30.05
19 885 59.05 30.05
18 892 59.99 30.28
17 889 59.59 30.18
16 883 58.79 29.98
15 889 59.59 30.18
14 889 59.59 30.18
13 888 59.45 30.15
12 890 59.72 30.22
11 892 59.99 30.28
10 892 59.99 30.28
9 893 60.13 30.32
8 893 60.13 30.32
7 885 59.05 30.05
6 889 59.59 30.18
5 887 59.32 30.11
4 891 59.86 30.25
3 890 59.72 30.22
2 891 59.86 30.25
1 893 60.13 30.32
Average: 888.4 FPS
SD: 3.2 FPS
Min: 880 FPS
Max: 894 FPS
Spread: 14 FPS
Shot/sec: 0.1
True MV: 890 FPS


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I borrowed that R3 from Centercut. I just can't get used to the single shot, rear bolt configuration but man oh man is that thing accurate! I aimed at a pebble (not a rock) @ 165 yards away & nailed it 1st shot! Blew me away! If I remember it was shooting Hybrids @ 920ish fps & I was curious about getting a slug shooter at the time. Great shooter but not my style I guess. Thanks anyway Mike! I'll never forget that. 
 
I've had 6 Matadors over the years-- a .22 R2.5 (the original!), .22 & .25 R3, .22 & .25 R3M, and .25 R5M.... and the .25 R3 long was the best of the bunch in terms of smoothness, accuracy, and never having any o-ring , reg, or other maintenance issues. Having to take the rifle off the shoulder to reload and run the bolt wasn't the most convenient, but that .25 R3 long shot so good it really didn't bother me.

It belongs to a friend now and is still shooting fantastic. Sometimes I wish I kept it.

I also remember the crazy days of used Edguns selling for well above new back when Tony Rudenko was the only importer and it took 6-10 months to get one. My .22 R2.5 and .22 R3 sold in an instant for well over the price of a new one because people didn't want to wait the 6-10 months to get one. By the time the R3M's rolled around they were finally coming into the US fast enough there was no longer a premium on used guns because there were no more long wait times for new ones.

Good tip on the lighter valve spring for longer dwell time with the heavier 34gr JSBs-- that probably minimizes or even totally eliminates the need for the larger Huma power plenum with the 34gr pellets. The stock valve spring combined with the smaller stock plenum needed crazy high reg pressures and high hammer spring tension for decent power with the 34s, and that was really hard on the valve stems. The huma power plenum and stock valve spring let you drop the reg pressure back to a more reasonable level to make decent power with the 34s, and I bet the stock plenum with a lighter valve spring provides a similar result (along with leaving more air capacity in the reservoir.)
 
I added the huma power plenum on my R5M to shoot 34s, which worked fine and allowed me to drop the reg pressure down quite a bit compared to trying to get to ~60fpe with the stock plenum and then worry about breaking valve stems from the excessive hammer spring tension. I didn't even think about fitting a lighter valve spring and sticking with the stock plenum.

Does running the lighter valve spring help cut down on the hammer impact noise right by your ear since you can probably get away with less hammer spring tension?

I never tried 34s in my .25 R3 because it shot so well with the 25.4s-- I didn't want to risk messing up such a good combo.

Also, they're probably impossible to get now but Ed's optional offset moderator worked very well on the R3's to quiet them down even more and didn't add any extra length. I really like how large the factory moderator is on the R5M, but the R5M action isn't the smoothest thing in the world... The R5M was a few steps forward in some areas, and a few steps back in others compared to the single shot R3's IMO. Very interested to see what he has in store for us with the R6.
 
I added the huma power plenum on my R5M to shoot 34s, which worked fine and allowed me to drop the reg pressure down quite a bit compared to trying to get to ~60fpe with the stock plenum and then worry about breaking valve stems from the excessive hammer spring tension. I didn't even think about fitting a lighter valve spring and sticking with the stock plenum.

Does running the lighter valve spring help cut down on the hammer impact noise right by your ear since you can probably get away with less hammer spring tension?

I never tried 34s in my .25 R3 because it shot so well with the 25.4s-- I didn't want to risk messing up such a good combo.

Also, they're probably impossible to get now but Ed's optional offset moderator worked very well on the R3's to quiet them down even more and didn't add any extra length. I really like how large the factory moderator is on the R5M, but the R5M action isn't the smoothest thing in the world... The R5M was a few steps forward in some areas, and a few steps back in others compared to the single shot R3's IMO. Very interested to see what he has in store for us with the R6.

I don’t hear any irritating hammer noise. It’s actually very quiet. 

I agree, about the R5, 3 steps forward and 1 step back. I don’t like Ed’s magazine system. It’s fairly obvious it was an after thought. Just not good for so a high end PCP. Yep, we’ll see what the R6 brings. 
 
The R5M was a few steps forward in some areas, and a few steps back in others compared to the single shot R3's IMO. Very interested to see what he has in store for us with the R6.

Coming from an r3 .22 and a r3m long .25, the R5 .30 std was the perfect edgun for me. Quiet, short, powerful, accurate. And singleshot is no issue for me for a .30… actually love how smooth a singleshot matador works…