Question about Spring rifles and outdoor dust.

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Springer8

Springer8

Member
Jun 19, 2019
63
56
NV
Hello everyone,

I am fairly new to airgunning but I've gotten into it 100 percent! I particularly enjoy shooting springers for Field Target. I live in Las Vegas, NV and it is very dry out here. That being said, I only own springers that have been professionally tuned for sub 12 foot pound competition in FT. These rifles are amazing and shoot very smooth. However, I've recently had issues with them grinding as I cock the rifles. I shoot outdoors fairly often in an open field that is dry and somewhat dusty. I contacted the person who tuned them for me and he suggested that it's just too dusty to be shooting these rifles here. I want to believe him and I do believe him, but I would like to get some more feedback from others. Has anyone else had any issues with dust getting into your spring rifles? I forgot to mention that these rifles were tuned only a few months ago, so I am very surprised that I'm having issues with this already. (I was told that they should be good for 8-10 years after this tune). I love spring rifles and I would hate to have to set them aside just because I live in a dry and dusty climate. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
the first thing I would have done is take the stock off and see if indeed there was grit in the grease that you could see and touch on the spring and if so that is your problem

but if not then what is making the sound

are you shooting these rifle in the prone position or other and as stated above I wonder if it is the conditions but I'm not there so pull a stock off
 
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the first thing I would have done is take the stock off and see if indeed there was grit in the grease that you could see and touch on the spring and if so that is your problem

but if not then what is making the sound

are you shooting these rifle in the prone position or other and as stated above I wonder if it is the conditions but I'm not there so pull a stock off
Click to expand...

I have taken them out of the stock and degreased them and reapplied grease to see if there was a difference. Initially I did not see any noticeable grit, but it definitely shot smooth again after I had done this. But this is still a reoccurring issue. I shoot mostly in the WFTF positions: sitting, kneeling, and standing. I have a shooting pad that I put over the dirt before I shoot. 
 
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I shoot springers, always outdoors, 3-4 days out of every week. While I don't live in an arid/dry and very dusty environment, I would think that the dust level would have to be somewhat to very extreme to cause the issues that you are describing. Doesn't sound right to me......just an opinion.
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That's what I've been thinking. I would've never imagined that outdoor dust would cause this big of an issue. These rifles were designed to be shot out on the field. Anyway, thanks for your input!
 
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Springer8,

I shoot WFTF piston in FT as well. I do not shoot in dusty conditions. The last time I heard crunching noises was from a broken spring or a kinked spring. The individual coils snapping over the edge of the spring guide when cocking the rifle. I would take your rifle apart and look at the spring. Remove all grease and use a dry lubricant maybe graphite or something that dries out and leaves a dry film coating. I try to remove as much internal grease from my rifle when I get them. In very hot temperatures, they melt away anyways. This happened to me after the 2018 FT Nationals in NC. I would suspect the dust getting in between the outside of the sliding compression chamber and inside the loading port of the receiver. Maybe carry a rag to clean that area of dust once in a while or even a paint brush to sweep the dust away when you see it.

Leo
 
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Sand may make a crunching sound but probably not dust. When my springers get a crunchy sound it's usually a broken spring. It can happen sooner or later, but it will happen. The last spring I put in my R1 (HW80) .20cal carbine was a Vortex "power kit". The "power kit" only develops 12 FPE but it is smooth and accurate so it's still in there.

One thing I do is chronograph my guns when a new spring goes in. Sometimes it's hard to tell when they break. They may not really make any noise other than an occasional scraping noise when cocked. But if I chrono them and see a loss of any significance, it's probably the spring. Good Luck!
 
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Springer8,

I shoot WFTF piston in FT as well. I do not shoot in dusty conditions. The last time I heard crunching noises was from a broken spring or a kinked spring. The individual coils snapping over the edge of the spring guide when cocking the rifle. I would take your rifle apart and look at the spring. Remove all grease and use a dry lubricant maybe graphite or something that dries out and leaves a dry film coating. I try to remove as much internal grease from my rifle when I get them. In very hot temperatures, they melt away anyways. This happened to me after the 2018 FT Nationals in NC. I would suspect the dust getting in between the outside of the sliding compression chamber and inside the loading port of the receiver. Maybe carry a rag to clean that area of dust once in a while or even a paint brush to sweep the dust away when you see it.

Leo
Click to expand...

I will do this. Thanks!
 
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Sand may make a crunching sound but probably not dust. When my springers get a crunchy sound it's usually a broken spring. It can happen sooner or later, but it will happen. The last spring I put in my R1 (HW80) .20cal carbine was a Vortex "power kit". The "power kit" only develops 12 FPE but it is smooth and accurate so it's still in there.

One thing I do is chronograph my guns when a new spring goes in. Sometimes it's hard to tell when they break. They may not really make any noise other than an occasional scraping noise when cocked. But if I chrono them and see a loss of any significance, it's probably the spring. Good Luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you. My rifles do seem consistent still when I put them over the chrony. I agree with you that sand would probably make the crunching sound rather than dust. It seems like most people are telling me that dust shouldn't really be making these grinding sounds. 
 
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Home Depot carries a spray lube product, dry lube, made specifically for spraying lube into skill saws, chop saws, chain saw, anywhere a lube is needed but dries fast as not to collect dust and debris. If it’s lube needed in the cocking joints and pivot points, shouldn’t this work?



i have used this spray lube on the bed of my trusty craftsman 10” miter saw, and man that stuff dries almost immediately the minute it comes out the spray straw, and the platform of the compound saw can spin so smooth afterwards. It’s also my go to spray lube for pad locks, combination locks, etc.
 
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