New 25 barrel arrives
Well the brown truck wound its way up my long driveway about 90 minutes before dark, and delivered my new barrel from RLAirguns.
The barrel, two tins of Kodiaks and paid freight was $217.00 but UPS sure took their time for a 61 year old kid and an early Christmas present.
I had the rifle all waiting with a new trigger mod and frame polishing so it was just prep the barrel and start shooting before it got too dark.
To all the advice I received from you folks, I did it like last time, sort of, I used a 22 Jag on a poly coated rod and bore guide. I used Goof OFF to clean the gunk out, and then did twenty strokes with JB and then cleaned again with Goof Off. I then polished the outside of the barrel from the front bushing towards the breech with 600 grit and lubed the barrel with silicone and the stub with divers grease. Then I put one patch thru with two drops of Breakfree in the center.
This barrel fits my breech very snuggly compared to my old 22 barrel.
I shot it at close range for two shots to get the elevation right. It was getting very dark when I shot the first group of three for a sight in. They measured just under 3/4 of an inch at 40 yards.
I made corrections and shot 5 shots, 4 were in one hole at a spot I could not see in the dark with out the aid of the Baraska on 12 power. The first shot went into the first pattern, obviously the windage had not taken hold on the adjustment. Right now the gun shoots about 1/2 inch left and 1/2 inch low, it was too dark to shoot any more.
The Air Hog fits fine on the 25 barrel and had been previously opend up, I blacked the brakes end to watch for clipping tomorrow when I go after it again.
I love that trigger mod I got off the reference section, it does require a drill press tho, so I got to use my new press again. It breaks clean with very little travel either way and holds fine.
First impressions of holding a 25 Kodiak for the first time with a 22 Exact 18 grain beside it , I coined an often used phrase from my wife, “its so beeg!.” 😯 😆 😆
Roachcreek
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It wasn’t the rain.
So far today I have had the barrel out of the frame 5 or 6 times.
I have tried two scopes, the 4 x12 Baraska is not tracking correctly, ie lowering POI will also move it to the right or left, but it still throws flyers after stacking two or three with the 2×7 Baraska.
I have tried two different hammers in three different configurations, Condor with weight, 115 gram with Condor weight and 115 gram by itself.
I have tried three different spring combinations.
I have cleaned the barrel once, no sign of leading.
I have tried two different Condor valves.
I have tried two different breeches.
I have tried prone, standing and sitting with bags and with bipod.
I have tried velocity variations from 850 fps to 1000 fps.
I have shot lubed and unlubed Kodiaks.
The only pellet I have shot was the Kodiak.
At 25 yards standing I get 1/2 to 3/4 inch 5 shot groups.
At 40 yards I get 1..12 to 1.25 inch groups.
I have tried it with LDC and without.
It will stack pellets and then move to a different POI maybe 3/4 of an inch away and put two or three in the same hole. Most of the time it is lateral stringing, but sometimes verticle. Groups will always have three or four stacked and then a flyer
It appears to be improving some, but with the way it was raining yesterday it is hard to tell.
Lower velocity appears to be better, but I have no wish for a 850 FPS 25 caliber rifle.
I have tried 115 gram hammer, two springs, one inside the other and the stock Condor set up of hammer and springs and hammer weight. The more violent the hammer strike the further the flyers.
Pellets slip in without any difficulty but are not overly loose.
Perhaps it does not like Kodiaks?
No burs were found when I tried the q-tip test, I polished the outside of the barrel with green Dremel polish and put some on a patch and stroked the bore 20 times, no difference. There are no loose points or tight points in the bore and the choke seems gentle and consistant.
Other than violent hammer strike moving flyers further out, which happens with a lot of rifles anyway, nothing but lower velocity, 850 FPS makes any difference, and that does not make much difference.
I have 250 to 275 Kodiaks down the barrel at this point.
Any ideas on what pellet to try next or should I just get a sampler pack and try several.
Or just shoot several hundred to see if it settles in, and I am not too sure this is not an option, so maybe cheaper pellets just to get more lead down the bore?
I am tired and my arthritic thumbs are screaming from turning allen wrenches.
Roachcreek
Hey R.C. Just wanted to let ya know I shipped it off yesterday but I got their too late to make the pick up for the day so its going out today.. 🙁 …and I can see if the rain drops are big enough that if you managed to hit one dead one that you’d get a flyer … But I’m not an expert…Greg
Apparently rain can give you flyers. I’ve never had the problem, being in the UK a lot of my shooting is done in the rain ! You would think that a good heavy pellet zipping along at 1000fps odd would not suffer. I don’t think it would.
Hahaha you’re addicted Roachcreek I know cause i HATE THE RAIN CLOUDS AND THE WIND WHOOPS all caps sorry but it just happens.
Well so far today it has probably rained an inch since daylight.
I have never shot in the pouring rain like this for groups, does the rain give you guys flyers?
It is like I get a central group going, but then I get flyers in random directions, so is that rain that does that with air rilfes?.
I changed breeches, and the gun is much smoother and easier to operate and sounds much louder, before it would not shoot thru a fir 2×4 and now does easliy. But it is so dark out with the rain I can’t get a reading on the chrony.
Bah hum bug, fucking rain.
Roachcreek
And he’ll have FUN FUN FUN ’till the wifey took the .25 awayyyyeee fun fun ’till the wifey took the 25 away.. (she says to get your ass indoors and open the ‘to do’ jar for once 😆
( I know, I know, she would never utter such words etc…. 😆 )
Sounds like it’s gonna be a shooter, Roachcreek! Congrats
Well it is raining like a cow pissing on a flat rock here.
I did chrony the gun, with the stock spring I got 950FPS, I put an additional spring that fits inside the stock spring and used the Condor spacer as a preload and got 1000FPS.
Shooting at 40 yards, I get pellets stacking and then a flyer, I am getting pelted by rain, so I am sure my pellets are too.
My breech is also very tight and stiff, I have a metal/uhmw composite breech coming from Subssonnic, so until I put that on, I am hampered by a breech that has a bludge in the inside from over tightening the breech knob screws. I had during the birding season, stripped out the breech screw hole, and replaced that screw with a longer one, but in fitting it I buldged the inside of the breech.
I suspect the retarded breech velocity is responsible for my low chrony numbers and perhaps the flyers I am experiencing.
Roachcreek
Nice. You won’t go back. Well not in that gun at least! Shoot I just sold the stock .22 barrel that came with mine. I may get a .22 SS though 😈
She is obviously talking about your belt buckle.
Keep us informed on the project. You may never go back to .22 again.
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Roachcreek, I reallize that the Condor is a different animal than the 25 Marauder, but the Marauder seems litke the JSB Exacts and Benjamin 25 pellets best. It doesnt care for the Kodiacs.
But if Kodiacs slip into the breech without much pressure, the JSB’s may be looser still! I’d try the JSB’s and the Benjamins if it where me. Please keep us posted.