I love my gas ram guns my benjamin trail, my varmint hunter great guns. I've had a gamo Springer in the past and the spring gave in. My gas rams have lasted twice as long. How do you keep a spring airgun last a long time? I might buy one if I can keep the thing alive for more than a year or two.
Spring or gas ram?
- Thread starter kyler2643
- Start date
Hmmm? My first a.g. was (is) an RWS M-48 .22 cal.
I bought it maybe 20 years ago and hunted with it taking squirrels and the odd crow.
Last year I had a new spring and seals installed and it's shooting as new.
The RWS M-48 is one of the RWS most popular air rifles & obviously durable.
I suspect on the very least expensive springers would wear out in a year and would
take plenty of shooting to do that.
I bought it maybe 20 years ago and hunted with it taking squirrels and the odd crow.
Last year I had a new spring and seals installed and it's shooting as new.
The RWS M-48 is one of the RWS most popular air rifles & obviously durable.
I suspect on the very least expensive springers would wear out in a year and would
take plenty of shooting to do that.
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I've owned two of the .22 caliber TX200 MkIII. Unfortunately, the first one was stolen in Phoenix. At that time, I had owned the gun for three years. I shot at least 400 pellets a week during the summer and about 200 pellets a week during the winter. I know that I used 15,000 pellets over the course of one year. I chronograph the gun every month. She started at 20fpe and settled in at 18fpe. After three years she was as good as the day I bought her and still firing at 18fpe. My second TX200 started at 22fpe and has settled in at 19fpe. Both guns started with a standard deviation of 3fps and then dropped to 1fps after settling in. I don't use heavy pellets. I don't keep the gun cocked for more than 30 minutes at a time and I store the gun lying down (never in the vertical position). When the spring does wear-out, I'll just replace it. There is no training or special tools required with the TX200 MkIII.
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Kyler2643: even a low-end springer will last a long time if properly handled. The advantages of a gas ram over steel spring are primarily the ability to leave the gun cocked for long periods of time without worry, and the lack of any appreciable "rotational torque" (as a steel spring uncoils it can have the tendency to cause the gun to tilt right or left). The advantages of steel springs are a lower cocking effort, (usually) a slightly higher velocity (apples to apples), and low cost (steel spring is usually around 10-15 bucks. I've purchased one gas ram @ 24 dollars from Crosman, and was surprised it wasn't more). Some will say that "a steel spring loses velocity in cold weather, where a gas ram doesn't," likely due to the need for already thick grease on the spring to smooth it/quiet it down, which a gas ram doesn't need. I don't know about you, but if it's cold enough to to noticeably slow down the shooting cycle of my springer, I'm probably not out hunting in that weather.
check this link for a cold weather test of two Hatsan 125s, one a Vortex (gas ram), one the steel spring version.
As far as leaving a springer cocked: I hunt with one, and typically try not to leave it cocked for more than an hour or two at a time. I did mistakenly leave it cocked (really a lapse in proper gun safety) when I put it away at the end of the season two years ago. When I pulled it out and realized what I had done, I immediately chrony'd it. In five strings of ten shots each, the spring never broke. I did notice an average of 50 to 60 FPS loss from the previous year, so I bought a replacement spring for 15 bucks to get it back to spec. I don't ever concern myself with how long the gun was cocked when toting my Trail NP out in the woods.
As far as leaving a springer cocked: I hunt with one, and typically try not to leave it cocked for more than an hour or two at a time. I did mistakenly leave it cocked (really a lapse in proper gun safety) when I put it away at the end of the season two years ago. When I pulled it out and realized what I had done, I immediately chrony'd it. In five strings of ten shots each, the spring never broke. I did notice an average of 50 to 60 FPS loss from the previous year, so I bought a replacement spring for 15 bucks to get it back to spec. I don't ever concern myself with how long the gun was cocked when toting my Trail NP out in the woods.
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My Benjamin trail np xl .177 was great. Np=nitro piston. Now I have a Benjamin trail np xl .25 and still like it. Had the .177 since 2009 I think. Whenever it was released. .. no issues.
The .25 is loud right now. I blame that on a dirty barrel. Think I'm getting some dieselING and thus a huge crack and a smoky barrel after each shot.
I have a gamo socom extreme .177 too. That's a springer. No issues with either. I take care of all my gear though. Religious about cleaning and lubing.
Will be getting rid of the socom soon though. Haven't shot it in awhile since I have the .25 and a .25 pcp in the works.
The .25 is loud right now. I blame that on a dirty barrel. Think I'm getting some dieselING and thus a huge crack and a smoky barrel after each shot.
I have a gamo socom extreme .177 too. That's a springer. No issues with either. I take care of all my gear though. Religious about cleaning and lubing.
Will be getting rid of the socom soon though. Haven't shot it in awhile since I have the .25 and a .25 pcp in the works.
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