I have found the holy grail.
I’ve had problems with consistency running full out with my AAA Condor. I finally decided the valve, rather than the hammer, was bouncing, causing minor, but annoying, inconsistency. So I ground a fiber washer down to 0.030 and slipped it under the tophat. Instantly solved the problem. But wait! There’s more! 85fpe with nail-driving accuracy. With real potential for 98fpe for 10 shots accurately. No shit. With some lovin’, this bastard will shoot.
The wind’s been rough lately, so I’ve pulled in to my scope’s near zero at 28yds. This group was shot at the magic moment when the wind dropped.
The velocities read straight off the chrony for EJ 43grn slugs. Close enough to 85fpe for bragging rights with a little more work.
The second part needs some explaining. A while back, some guys were discussing stuffing steel bb’s in a pellet skirt to boost mass. This seemed like an idea worth some effort. I scored some .177 roundball and various sizes of lead shot. A 43grn EJ with a #8 skeet pellet under an 8.2grn ball yeilds damn close to a 52grn slug with a bit of silicon to hold everything together.
I whipped up five each of two different designs. The Condor will toss ’em at 925fps, maybe a touch more. I shot 98fpe today and got groups. I think this is gonna work.
Next step is to grind my damper / shim to 0.020. I want a little headroom. All this has the Condor maxed. I tossed a Predator at over 1100 for grins. C-rack!
John
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also how much fps did you lose by installing the washer
I wanted something more “measurable” than an o-ring. I have no idea how thick a rubber cylinder gets squashed when the hammer strikes. The washer is densely compressed fibers in some kind of binder. They’re used to seal hydraulic fittings. Sturdy stuff and compresses enough to prevent a sharp strike, but firm enough to retain thickness no matter the power wheel setting. I suspect an o-ring would work better. We’ll see.
I gained a max of 30-40fps. Still working. My assumption is that the valve was rebounding too hard, causing a weird kind of valve lock. Since several problems vanished completely, I might possibly have been right. Basically, a smoother-operating valve gives more power and more consistency, and better air consumption all at once. Better than win-win for me.
John
so this is like an o-ring under the tophat or is it something different?
also how much fps did you lose by installing the washer
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Dude, that ROCKS!! 😯 😀
Bet you that target is in a frame right now! 😆
What distance were you from the paper?