R3 .30 caliber problem and fix
The Problem:
I first noticed after about 2K rounds my velocity dropped off. That can be common, sometimes the HST needs to be readjusted. So I screwed in the HST 1/4 turn and I was back at the 890 fps I was before. I was fine for about another 150 rounds until the real problem started. The gun started behaving erratic when trying to find zero on my target. I put the Matador on the chrony and I found a strange phenomenon. When the gun was full (220 BAR) no manner where the HST was set the most I could get out of the gun was 750 fps. As the pressure in the reservoir dropped the speed conversely would rise until below 150 bar the speed was at 912. I concluded that the valve must be stuck and the reason for the change in speed is that the valve gets more resistance from the air in the reservoir the higher the pressure. The valve must be allowed to move freely in the regulator. The belleville washers are clean, the O rings are perfect and the regulator is assembled correctly. What I found was the valve stem was slightly bent. I know this problem developed over time because the gun was super consistent when I was new. . The valve stem was not too long as it was in Ed’s factory specs. I straightened the valve stem reassembled the gun and I still had the same problem.
The fix:
what I found was the valve stem was slightly oversized and a little rough. Because the stem is steel and the valve stem housing is brass the valve was getting caught/sticking and in my opinion the valve couldn’t open enough. When the gun fell below the 150 pressure setting the valve didn’t have to work as hard to move forward when the hammer hit the stem. I polished the valve stem with 220/20/400/600/800/1200/2000 grit paper on a lathe until I could see my reflection in the valve stem. The valve moved like it was on ball bearings inside the housing. The regulator gave me 24 shots with the average at 880 and the ES at 2.6 fps.
I welcome any criticism you may have about my fix. It’s is possible that I just got lucky. Hell, it’s better to be lucky than good anyway.
All Replies
All good points fellas. I am just glad to have it back shooting the way it should. KS you are spot on about this thing. Its a laser beam/killing machine. In hind sight I actually enjoyed this whole process. My goal was to get it to work and that has finally happened. Good times on Planet Edgun. It was like dating a crazy stripper with a happy ending. :rofl:
Anyway, I think lessons have been learned by all sides so time to change the subject and move on! :2cents: Hatchet buried!
Take care.
DT
If nobody officially claimed for a fix/replacement of the gun during the warranty period then this time Ed’s customer support cannot be blamed for poor service even though the problem probably is due to poor design and poor testing before putting the gun on the market.
Nevertheless knowing all the issues and weaknesses of the R3 .30 Gen 1 and the high dollar price, Ed could still offer an upgrade kit at a reasonable price because he knows all the Gen 1 will fail and certainly nobody would have bought this gun knowing this in advance (IMHO).
:2cents:
Don’t feel bad for Zeefus I told him I was going to fix the R3 .30 he told me that he was tired of degassing the gun. He just wanted to be done with the gun.
I might have been done with it too if I hadn’t had such incredible accuracy out of the box. The R3 .30 was so good it prompted me to make a video about it. The gun is my best EDgun in terms of ES and consistent shooting.
Now that the gun is fixed the only negative about the gun is how often the barrel needs to be cleaned. Every tin it needs a patchworm or you’ll get spiraling pellets.
For sure the gun was not working when I picked it up from Zeafus and he had it for maybe a year? Now if anything is screwed up… its what he lost on that deal by selling a gun that he no longer felt was worth it and basically walked away. I certainly took a chance but based on some of the new valve stem talk etc so I thought it was worth it. I learned much later there was more to it…i.e. new hammer needed.
Anyway, I paid to get the gun fixed and I am glad I did. It is working great now and I am still ahead of what a new one would have cost. I have asked Ed about the hammer only. Nothing else. I don’t expect anything from him but it would have been a nice gesture in light of all the issues, delays, etc. Maybe a T shirt even :rofl:
Through out this whole process all I got from Ed was it wont work and what is the problem again? :rofl: These .30 have been one big cluster fuck but I really like this rifle or I wouldn’t have pursued all the fixes. Also, if not for the guys on the forum here I don’t know if it would ever have been fixed. I certainly owe you a beer or two. :18: Remember…..Ed really didn’t fix these guns you guys did (you know who).
The real looser in all this was the original owner. :2cents:
DT
Repair of a faulty gun within the warranty period is one thing….
Modifications on a working gun (regardless of the warranty period) is something else….
:2cents:
Renval is the original owner of his gun. You bought the gun with a known problem on fair deal from Zeefus. I don’t think it would be fair to ask Ed to pay for your modifications.
Good to hear.
So does this mean if asked he will cover the Gen 1 fix on a case by case basis? I only needed a hammer which he originally said would not work and wouldn’t send. He hasn’t offered but to be fair I haven’t asked for reimbursement. I will see what he says and report back.
DT
Just to be clear Ed paid John for the work done on Renval’s EDgun .30. To me this is a huge gesture. A man who stands behind his product should get credit for his actions.
….Oh and thanks to my mom for letting me own my fist airgun when I was 8 years old, my Old trusty Daisy pumper. :7:
Ok ladies and gents, my Edgun is up and running thanks to John and the other kids on the block, Brian and Ernest, also I want to thanks Ed for stepping up and take care of John.
shit this is like an Oscar winner thanking everybody! :rofl: :8:
John actually told me that the HST on the gun wasn’t the right one, if that was part of the problem why Tony R didn’t fix it when he had the gun on his hands. ❓
I am sure you are familiar with having it set on the backside of the regulator. It almost sounds like that. Once adjusted there you have to back the HST off pretty far to get the velocity to start rising again.
If i did it by accident i normally had to back the HST off three full turns to start over. Ed sent mine maxed out and any adjustment tighter would have pushed the velocity down quickly.
Before I sent it to John, Tony sent me a new regulator and new valve stem, speed improved a bit 715fps but the valve stem broke after a few shots, I think John found the right formula to make it work, it took him almost a month to get it fixed, trying different things.
I just came back from a shooting session and I’m very happy with it, shooting at 880fps, the gun still quiet and very accurate, shooting targets @50-75 was boring 😀 I still have a bad taste for the whole experience, I’m just hoping Ed keeps his word and pay John, he still waiting for his money, if he doesn’t step up, I will pay John, he has been outstanding!
RIDETOEAT’s standard shot like mine as did some others with the stds but he cranked his up to 900 fps I think and broke a stem in the first 750 shots. The Gen1 standard 30 cal is pretty much maxed out at 900 fps from what I remember. I immediately turned mine down until the hammer slap got milder sounding than my .25 set at 915 fps and the 30 ended up right at 875 fps. Those extra few FPS take a lot.
I guess a hand full of things could cause a reduction but 650 seems like something unusual was going on. We had to address a breech oring issue (wrong size) that was puffing air and a mild clipping issue. Other than that and adjusting the trigger and lowering the velocity I really didn’t touch anything. I did not change the reg.
Maybe John recognized something awry?
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Yes – Don’t buy the first or even second generation of a PCP? Wait for Windows 3.0. :rofl: