Pellet Clipping + New Gauge Recommendations

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luisberry13

luisberry13

Member
Mar 30, 2018
308
5
Arizona, United States
Hello Everyone, 

I had a couple questions today. So I just recently purchased my first home and the moving process can be a pain. So today after finally settling down I went to check my rifles to make sure they’re okay. Unfortunately I noticed that the gauges on my FX Crown both cracked. I assume it happen during the moving process since they weren’t there before. What would you recommend for new gauges? I need 2 new ones and I’m not to educated on pressure gauges so I would like to get good quality gauges. I don’t need the best of the best just something that is accurate but I don’t want anything “bad” or unreliable. 


Second question 

So my crown used to have a pellet clipping issues with the air stripper. It would strike the stripper and I would get awful groups at 40+ yards. So my solution was to get rid of the shroud and attach the moderator directly to the barrel sleeve. Not a problem back then, I would shoot at the range or at my parents property. It wasn’t backyard friendly but it was quiet enough to enjoy shooting. I just ordered a new stripper from FX and was wondering if I would be able to notice clipping at 25-30 yards? (If there is any clipping with the new stripper) 


*this is the FX Crown prior to the continuum* 
 
Clipping can occur without the pellet actually contacting the moderator or the air stripper. If the pellet isn't stable when it exits the muzzle (i.e. it's wobbling) then it can come close to the sidewall of the moderator or the air stripper. And even being in close proximity can cause accuracy issues. The air between the pellet and the sidewall gets compressed more than the air on the opposing side, and the pellet gets destabilized. The pellet's path needs to be as concentric as possible as it travels through the moderator or the air stripper. This is what I would do....

First, take off the moderator and the air stripper. Fire the gun naked for groups. Make sure that you're groups are tight and accurate with nothing attached to the barrel. You may need to play with velocities to get the tightest group. Tune your gun to the pellet. Don't tune the pellet to your gun. Make sure you document the velocity that has the best accuracy. 

Once you have tight groups, put the moderator back on. Luisberry13 gave you an excellent suggestion. If your rifle is a .22 caliber, use a .25 moderator. If it's a .25 caliber, use a .30 moderator. If you're using a DonnyFL moderator, and you let him know that the pellets are clipping, sometimes he will fix the issue for you by running a reamer through the moderator and concentrically removing material from the inside of it. Then he will ship it back to you. You will have to pay for shipping of course. 

But there are a lot of variables that can cause clipping. But first you need to be sure that the pellets are actually clipping, and they're not just wobbling because they are being fired too fast to too slow. I would use a nice heavy pellet for your given caliber, like the JSB King Heavies. The have a better BC and lend themselves to better accuracy and retained energy. 

I can't help with the gauges as I don't own a FX. But the issue with clipping is universal. 
 
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I read threads like this and several questions come to mind.I own a Crown in .25 and I made a moderator that fits and works perfectly, but I too was concerned about the potential of clipping. Now I have capability that most here do not. I own a machine shop. So I made a precision rod that picks up the last 3 inches of the barrel bore and has an OD of .250" and is long enough to extend past the end of my 8" moderator in order to verify bore alignment through the stripper, shroud to moderator adapter and the moderator itself. I felt this tool was necessary to determine the required bore to baffle clearance in the moderator. I was pleasantly surprised as to the accuracy and alignment of all those parts.There was no measurable misalignment anywhere. I ended up using .020" clearance, but it could have been much less and clipping would not have been an issue.



That short story was necessary to understand my doubt to the OP's clipping report. No offence to the OP, but how does he know he is suffering clipping? Because of my experience with the Crown, I find it really hard to believe. So before anybody fixes anything, it would seem prudent to make certain. The Crown is a superbly made air rifle with very high quality components. If you have a cracked gauge, why would you be thinking about changing from OEM. The OEM gauges work just fine.
 
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Steve - like you stated we don’t all have the same abilities and tools you do. I didn’t just blame the air stripper just cause I wanted to. Back in November I was at AOA talking to the staff while I was getting my tank filled. We were talking about rifles we have etc, I told them I was getting 1 - 1 1/2 inch groups with the crown at 40 ish yards. They said that might not be normal and that’s when I started to do some testing. I spent several days and hours testing to see what might be causing the rifle to be inaccurate. I messed with pellet velocities using the hammer wheel, I tried multiple pellets as well. Next step was call FX USA and see if I could get some help. They stated it might be clipping the moderator which is a Donny FL Tatsu in .25 and it has been for the last 8-9 months. So I took the moderator apart and nothing caught my eye. So I cleaned the barrel and decided to do 3 more test. Shoot a group with just the shroud, shoot a group with the shroud + the moderator and shoot with the mod attached to the liner housing/sleeve. The shroud and shroud + mod tested about the same at 40 yards but when I was taking the shroud off, the sleeve was caked in lead. From what I’ve read and have heard, it’s normal so no big deal. So the final test, I shot 3 different groups that were all covered by a dime. So I redid some pellet testing and almost all pellets improved. Fast forward to now. I called FX and bought a new stripper. I spoke to a tech and he had the same doubts you did. But here is a picture of the testing. One part was swapped out and now all pellets are touching compared to having 1-2 fliers or one shot opening up the group. This was the test target sheet but I’ve been shooting for the last coup of days and groups have been consistent. I stated it may be misaligned, I could be wrong but I am happy with the results. I now have a back yard friendly and accurate rifle. 


All 5 shot groups @ 30 yards

1588904734_6402984425eb4c31e54bd56.22070575.jpeg



as for the gauges, they have web like cracks that covers numbers and some of the lines. Never said anything was wrong with OEM, I just need replacements. FX stated they are out of stock on certain Crown items so I just purchased the stripper, knowing I can purchase gauges elsewhere. 



 
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