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
Renval sorry to hear that both Ed and Tony Rudenko are leaving u out in the cold on this
It’s funny that their too cheap to fix this and make it right for u too save the few bucks but the
Truth is its Gona cost them way more $$$ by not fixing it we are all watching 😯
And the truth is I don’t care how nice the “R4” looks I don’t trust it!! what if it breaks and or has problems we wait and wait and wait no I’ll buy from someone else
i have tried so many different ways to explain him the problem and he doesnt get it and he keeps mentioning the warranty, like i broke the fucking gun! i sent him an email saying to ship my gun back and once he gets the parts from Ed just ship them to me and i will figure out how to install them myself.
DELRIN will work if its done properly. This material is used in gear wheels and ball bearings. Very shock resistant, super tough, and self lubricating. The stem just needed more surface area and engagement into the material. I have that now by a lot. This is also a system so the spring has been properly match to the new diameter but still maintains the open force of the original. In my picture you can’t see how much more robust the head is as it’s inside the valve house. You do get a hint of this from the spring size. The tail coming out is only there to clear the hole in the chamber between the reg and valve house.
I am not trying to be the best or the first or whatever. I am just trying to get my gun to work and share my experiences so others can do the same. Is there more than one way to do this? I’m sure there is. ED tried three different designs (two of them brass and steel) and they didn’t work. WTF? So I contracted with an expert who know’s significantly more than I do and probably everyone else here combined. He came up with a solution based on his experience of owning, fixing, designing, and mfg for hundreds maybe 1000’s of air guns with various level’s of power and caliber. I am hoping this will translate into a successful fix. I am not saying this is 100% but its certainly 100% better than what I got now which is nothing!
:horse:
DT
I agree I hope it works for u
I understand what it’s like having a down baby good luck I curious to c how or what speeds it’s shooting at with the lighter hammer
The only downside is that your valve stem has a plastic body.
Yeah I hope it runs too. Anyway, the new brass sleeve can be replaced with a 3mm ID insert if I ever wanted to. The stem rides in this sleeve all the way to the transfer port same as the original. I also had a spare 4mm valve made as back up. Once everything comes in I will post some more details. It’s some impressive work this gentlemen did.
DT
Renval I really don’t think Tony Rudenko understands what is going on. He mixes up problems left and right between the first gen and 2 gen. He can’t remember which version I have sometimes. I’m sure Ed thought I was being a dick making that video but I had to. I couldn’t communicate otherwise. So now I know Ed saw the problem and he understands it. So now what he needs to do is send replacement parts to the Gen 1 owners so they can upgrade to the 3 MM stem and heavy hammer.
Weren’t we in the same place back on the R3M introduction? I probably won’t get another Edgun but will stick with this standard 30 cal which is very compact still for a 30. It’s a quiet powerful hunter. I just need to keep some spare stems handy. :smilen: Ed also sent me one of those brass stems a while back? Anyone try it w/o changing the hammer? They are heavy.
I know! I’m glad I have another guns/hobbies but what really bothers me is that Tony keep telling me that the first gen don’t problems at all.
I would also have been pretty bummed out if I got a $2k gun that didn’t work. What are they are 26 months old now. 😯
I hope it works for you. Personally I made sure my new valve made by John Hagan would be 3 MM. That way it when ed makes a new valve I can easily get a replacement from Tony if I need to.
Just for the record I never turned the gun past 885. The barrel is not long enough to handle more speed with the 44.75. The new EDgun .30 system is better in my opinion. With a larger stem the gun should be more durable. Eds new .30 system when it was working was the most consistent FPS airgun I ever owned. I had so many duplicates I thought my chrony was broken.
Acourvil changed his stem right away to one of Earnest’s Delrin/stainless and is going strong. I know the guy set at 860 fps never had a problem yet. Three out of was it twenty? (10 long and 10 standard?) 😆 RIDETOEAT cranked his up and I remember it breaking at like 750 shots. I really never expected more than about 2500 shots out of a 30 cal. stem.
Too funny. You posted just ahead of me.
Not the only one. Mine came shooting in the mid-900s, and I turned it down to the high 800s. I still have the original valve stem in my parts bin; I did put in one of Ernest’s stems when others started to report problems, but I never had a problem myself. But I never tried to max out the power, either. It would be interesting to see how many of the original 30 actually had problems and how many didn’t.
And BTW, shooting a 45g pellet at ~880fps is plenty to take down a coyote in your backyard.
Yeah Brant you are lucky, you got a good one! Maybe the only one Ed made! 😀
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That is too bad, i always want to support small companies, specially when they offer a cool product, unfortunately some of them dont appreciate our business and loyalty, i still wishing Ed the best, but he needs to start taking care of his people, with this explotion of new airguns specially bullpups the piece of cake is getting smaller and smaller.
Email from Tony yesterday. i suggest you to buy an Edgun .25 cal long version……… seriously! :rofl:
No I’m making a general suggestion.
Tony
From: Renval <renval@mail.com>
To: Tony Rudenko <trudenko@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2016 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: Trigger rod
Are you gonna send me one instead of my faulty .30cal?
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 28, 2016, at 3:52 PM, Tony Rudenko <trudenko@yahoo.com> wrote:
Get Matador .25 Long – greatest shooter on Earth.
Tony