Tuning high end springers?

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VERRRY late to the party, but I'll echo some others sentiments. I have tuned and un-tuned guns. The tunes ones are full jobs with trigger work performed.



I have never thought of tuning one of my Untuned guns just to do it....if you enjoy it AND it shoots well, leave it alone. It will, at some point in the future need work (spring, seals, whatever) and take that as your opportunity to get it tuned (unless you rarely shoot your guns..in that case it'll take LONG time). I would never tune a gun with the primary objective of being improved accuracy...if the gun stinks it'll stink maybe a little less after a tune. My personal thought is I got a good amount of bang for buck from the trigger tunes which, as you know, a fantastic trigger can REALLY aid in accuracy. 



I have one gun that is VERY twangy, buy I can shoot the heck out of it (and have). I won't tune that one until the spring goes, etc. Then it will probably get a full overhaul including trigger work.....
 
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Here is a comparison of tuned versus stock on a gusty day. Wind variation is responsible for about a 0.1" increase in group size over what could be achieved on a windless day, or at least one with a steady breeze.

The TX has been through multiple setups, from full power down to the 10.8 ft-lb it puts out now. At full power on a good day (no wind) groups would average about 1 1/8" at 50 yards, or 2.25 MOA. Today's groups work out to 2.3 MOA, but on a gusty day. So I would expect a better performance on a day with no wind, and at least a small improvement on the stock performance. The thing I like with this lower power tune is the consistency in group size and position, which wasn't always the case in the stock configuration. And that consistency applies across days, with the same POI and groups always in the 0.6" to 0.8" range. Although part of that is due to a change in technique that reduces the risk of fliers, but at the expense of obtaining the very small groups.

That said, even if I didn't think I was getting a boost in accuracy I would leave the gun the way it is now with the short stroke piston and Vortek kit. The gun is a real pleasure to shoot. Easy cocking and much reduced recoil that make it easier to call shots and follow through.

A bit of a surprise is how well the FWB Sport performs in its stock configuration. Equal to the TX in the wind, partly due to the higher velocity from the 13.5 ft-lb power plant. And in spite of the 18" barrel that I thought would be a liability due to longer shot time. But it takes time to settle in, which shows up on the chronograph as well. I assume this is due to some lubricant burning off with each shot. It is also noisier than the TX, and has significantly more recoil, partly due to the lower weight. Not as pleasant to shoot, but still plenty accurate. If I do tune this rifle, it will be primarily to get rid of the excess lubricant that seems to find its way in front of the piston seal. Although I might also see if I can reduce the spring noise somewhat without losing power.



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A note on the "error". I was interested in a true comparison not including obvious screw-ups. I call an "error" when I know before I pull the trigger that the shot is going off, and I decide to take a chance anyway. In this case, I felt the shot was going to go high, tried to edge it down, but it didn't work. When will I learn.
 
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Hey, question for the experts out there. I’m new to Airguns. Just bought a Diana 34. If and when I think I might need to have it tuned, what gunsmith would you recommend.

Thanks.
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John in PA has done great work for a long time. The tune, parts and shipping would cost more than a Diana 34 new. I don't think that is a good price point to throw that much money into. The 34 is about 12ftlbs right out of the box so no taming necessary. It would be a fun gun to DIY the tune yourself. More of an adventure to understand springers than massive improvement. I would wait until I get an HW or TX etc to send it off to a tuner.
 
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I thought one got a high-end springer in lieu of tuning a lower-priced springer? One of my friends who is an avid FT shooter came out to shoot this weekend. I had an LGU 177 cal that I recently bought. He was going on and on about me putting some "tune kit" into it. But I was hitting 1/2 inch spinners at 55 yards every time. He kept saying that the shot cycle would be a lot smoother and so on. It feels great to me. I have a few other high-end springers and none of them are tuned. For the people who get their high-end springers tuned, are you doing it for accuracy, shot cycle or both?
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The primary reason most tunes are done on any springers is because the stock spring is twanging in an annoying way every shot. The second popular reason is to reduce recoil by lowering fps which translates into more accuracy and comfort. Others like to hop it up for hunting with more fps to gain more distance and flatter trajectory. Heck, I will sometimes take mine apart several times in an evening just to tune it to tighten my chronograph readings a bit, but I just like working on the guns and experimenting. I have several springs and seals etc for every gun as well as jigs for spring removal etc and a lifetime supply of great tar so it costs me nothing at this point to tune up/down or whatever. 



Unless you want the adventure of taking things apart and putting them back together I would recommend leaving them alone if you don’t have something that is bothering you. An annoying scratch on pretty bluing can also happen in the blink of an eye. There is a noticable difference in properly tuning but I would not call it amazing by any stretch.


 
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Hitting 1/2” spinners at 55 yards. There is no need to install a tune kit. Only when the spring breaks and buy a replacement. My LGU never needed a tune kit. It came at 12 FPE to begin with. Shot very well out of the box. Just replaced the plastic trigger and the stock with a custom made one for better fit for FT shooting.
 
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I have been messing with cheap springers off and on for maybe ten years? In those instances anything that dampened the shot cycle improved accuracy. The one pro tuned gun I ever had, XS28M clone of the D350 tuned by mike melick, was pushing 24-27 fpe depending on the pellet and could consistently hit about a inch and a half for ten shots at 45 yards. I thought that was incredible for a magnum.

Then I got my first RWS 34 and it was incredible. A hard hitting .177 that I could shoot goldfish crackers at will from 10-15 yards WITH THE OPEN SIGHTS , bracing my off hand on the door jamb! And when I hit squirrels with that thing I swear it shocked them like a bolt of lightning. I dropped a sub-12 fpe Vortek kit in it and I got smoother cocking and smooth shot cycle but a lot less power. Less hold sensitive but it wasn’t too bad in the first place. Bunnies and squirrels seemed to have a few more hops in them, vs factory configuration that definitely killed them faster and I swear they even bled more.



So my opinion? Your mileage may vary. If you’re hitting 1/2” then I wouldn’t touch it.



For my 34, I am thinking about cleaning it up inside and returning it to factory configuration. My HW95 is gonna stay factory for at least a season or two.


I know a lot of people say dead is dead but I am telling you right now, inside 25 yards or so the difference between a factory 34 and one with a sub-12 fpe kit is noteworthy.
 
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I purchased my RWS 34 on Amazon. After reading more reviews and comments decided to return it. I’ve ordered a HW 95 and don’t plan on having it tuned out of the box. In addition, watching some YouTube, I think I could place a Vortek kit in myself down the road if I felt it necessary. Not sure if I could with the 34. 

Thanks everyone for all of the feedback. Very helpful.

RMJB


 
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