While you’re waiting for your Matadors……..
I thought I would share with you how I coped waiting for my Matadors. It’s a loooong story with a lot to learn. I started this thread back in June 2011 while still waiting, – and oddly enough it became one of the most viewed threads on this forum.
This is how it started:
As it happens, I am the lucky owner of a serious harem of nice guns. And I frequently visit my summerplace on the coast down south in Norway, where weather is the only restriction to my shooting….
Summernights are nice and light with sunset around 22hrs….:
So yesterday I quit Oslo for a few weeks. Fed up with my loooongish waiting for ED and friends to deliver I took 11 members of my harem with me.
Here they are:
As some of you may know, I test and review guns for our Norwegian forum, and this time a comparison of springers is on the agenda….
So go ahead and name them, from left to right…….
And yes. There will be a more in depth test of Lelya 090 who has got new glasses for the occasion…….. 😉
Life is too short to sit put and wait……… 😀
All Replies
Hmmmm….
Something tells me I am in a unique position having two Matador R3s which I may be able to compare side by side….
Both being cal.22, – and I have free access to BSA barrrels through my god friend Egon Olsen (famous Norwegian blueprinter)…
What is lacking is a FX ST .22 barrel but I think that can be sorted….
Once I get my Matadors properly set (I’m still working on it), – it would be interesting to test the three barrels and compare….
That said, – the .22 barrel that ED has provided with the R3s would probably be veeery hard to match……
Let’s see………. 😉
F…. you guys, – you’re giving me ideas here……. 😀
From Oslo in minus 5
Trygve 😀
Tedd,
I think your right about the .22 vs .25 as I noticed the same thing with my HW100 compared to the other .25 caliber rifles.
I also have a Rapid S in .177 and at and upto 40 yards it was making huge damage which probably means it was expanding very well, but I converted it to .25 as I love shooting long range 100+ yards.
At nearly 200 yards the .25 still carries a lot of energy that it was going through thick PVC pipes.
The problem at that range is hitting your target which is not easy except if your Harry 😉
I have boxes & boxes of Barracuda 31grains but I can’t seem to find a rifle that shoots them well, and there are always fliers, what a waste.
Please keep us posted on that BSA barrel compared to the R3 barrel when you get the chance, I would love to see how well but at long range like 100 yards plus if you ever get the chance.
Been a long time since I talked to you… With a new rifle coming man, you need to get those note cards out that you put the little drop of attractent or whatever it was, that draws the flies in and get ready to blast a few more of those LOL…
I don’t guess I will ever forget the post of that on the yellow I saw some years back… It was priceless… Be well my friend…
Rowdy, here’s a couple more – but no attractant was used, they just happened by.
The .25 pellets ARE BIG though !
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/thread/1288144833/1288295320/.25+cal+precision+versus+accuracy+..+and+a+fly+at+51+yards.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/thread/1257466795/1257482741/Precision+and+accuracy++…++GRAPHIC
Yes it will be interesting to see how the Elite FX performs. I have a long list of things to test. If it can just do as well as the BSA .25 it will be a great rifle with its big 500 cc tank and 90 shots x 50+fpe on a fill. (Johnny Sweden’s figures). ………. Best regards, Harry.
Hi Naser, Harry and Loco.
I also tried A FX Smooth Twist on my R2.5 25 cal. It didn’t shoot as well as the BSA barrel that I had fitted to it. The FX barrel did shoot better than the stock LW barrel did.
On the R3s, Ed has LW make him barrels to his specifications and my R3 shot at least as well as the R2.5 with the BSA barrel. I think that at least part of the R3’s improved accuracy is due to Ed’s improvements on the R3s. The barrel now screws into the breech and then is put under tension by the shroud nut.
I bought a new closeout BSA Lone Star 25 cal just for the barrel. I am going to have the barrel fitted to my R3 and see how it compares to the R3’s new LW barrel. I hope that Ed’s new LW barrels shoot as well as the BSA barrels do as it has become impossible to buy good quality BSA blanks.
The FX barrel is currently being fitted to the Lone Star. It will be interesting to see how the FX does on it.
Naser, I shoot a lot of pigeons also. I have noticed that, at least under 80 yards, I have more birds start to fly off when hit with the 25 as compared to being hit with the 22. They don’t make it very far before dropping. I think that the increased energy of the 25 makes it pass thru the bird without expending all of its energy. The 22 will usually stay in the pigeon.
I can’t say that I have noticed a difference in stopping power between the LW, FX and BSA 25 cal barrels. I have noticed that the 22 is better under 80 yards. After 80-100 yards, the 25 is clearly better.
Zoco,
I put ST barrel Om my older version Matador .25 and it’s actually a little better than the original barrel from LW. Still think nothing can beat the older BSA barrels & Tedd can confirm it on his Matador with BSA barrel even his new R3 with newer better barrel isn’t as good.
Still doesn’t like the Cuba 31 grains but the weird thing is it shoots the Euin Jin 43 grains pretty good.
What’s even weirder which I am hoping that someone can help answer, maybe Harry, is that since the pellet doesn’t spin as much as on a LW barrel, can that affect its penetration ?!
Cause I shot so many pigeons with the JSB flying at 900fps and many need a follow up shot, never had these issues with the LW barrel, or not as much as with the ST barrel.
I understand that shot placement is important but given all the same, will a shot from a LW make more damage Vs an ST barrel ?!
Rowdy:
Harry is no longer into flies…….
He’s now collecting mosquitos that he turns upsidedown and shoot their legs off, – one by one, – and that at 200 yds….. 😉
Harry, please keep us posted. I’m very curious about this ST-barrel and all the “hype”about it …….
And Merry X-mas to you all !!!!
Chers from Trygve, – now back in Oslo !!! 😀
Yrrah,
Been a long time since I talked to you… With a new rifle coming man, you need to get those note cards out that you put the little drop of attractent or whatever it was, that draws the flies in and get ready to blast a few more of those LOL…
I don’t guess I will ever forget the post of that on the yellow I saw some years back… It was priceless… Be well my friend…
More air is getting through under management of the regulator leaving fewer shots unregulated…..
But then ED came up suggesting 920 fps, – and it seems he may be right. I have more to go on. Anyway, I am usually not shooting JSB 18s at higher speeds than 900 fps, – so tonight I’ll spend some time in the parking area under my building shooting at 55 yds….
(Have to just try it before my GF comes………… 😀 )
Stay tuned…… 😉
Raising the power again to approx what Ed suggested (experiment) will get you a seamless velocity transfer from regulated to unregulated shots for the compromise of most shots at highest velocity before velocity drops. The downside is PERHAPS a fractional loss of precision grouping at the higher velocity – in headwinds – and fractionally more wind drift in cross-winds. … Probably little or no effect in tail winds. … I have had some excellent groups from 18.1 gr Exacts at 980 fps to extreme range in tail winds.
You seem to have a potential for about 6 to 8 shots more with a flat velocity rate around 920 fps. Sometimes there may be one shot at a slightly lower velocity at the change-over point …………
My FX Elite should clear Aus Customs tomorrow and MAY be on its domestic journey to me a day or so later. MAY have it by Christmas but we’ll have to see.
Kind regards, Harry.
I can’t wait to get back to Oslo to test further. But as of now, the only gun I need to cock is not of the Edgun brand…!!! 😉
From London with love……….
Trygve 😀
Loco, I don’t think that the increased hammer spring tension is causing your high trigger pull effort problems. The 25 cal Matadors use a lot more HS tension than the 22s do and I have my 25 letting off at 328 gms. My modified R2.5 25 cal also had a nice trigger.
I tried to use my new trigger pull gauge to get the cocking force needed to cock the R3 25 compared to my R2.5 22. The R3 went off of the scale. The 22 averaged 4 kg 70 gms.
The R3 25 cal is a LOT harder to cock!
I still need to turn the trigger housing out 1 turn so I can get the first stage creep increased.
When I take the hammer block/trigger block assembly off and adjust it, I will post pics.
Jeej, I get my fully revised Eddy back tonight 🙂 \o/
@OG:
Thanks a lot mate ! 😀
This is truly interesting. I have tried to adjust and readjust, – but I cannot get my pull light enough. I am beginning to think that once the rifle is properly cocked, – the pressure on the sear is such that it really takes some effort to disengage the hammer and fire the shot……
May be I have the hammerspring too tight now…..
I have not had too much time to play though, – at least not with my Matadors…… 😉
Now off to London, – with return on Friday…….. 🙄
Cheers……
😀
OK Trygve, you made me have to venture out into the cold (-10 C) to buy a trigger pull gauge. 😆
I bought a Lyman Electronic Digital Trigger Pull Gauge. It is the same as you have.
I set mine to gms and tried the R3 25 cal out. I tried 19 shots and got a high of 396 gm and a low of 270 gm. The 19 shot average was 328.211 gms.
As the trigger is now set, I only have a few mm first stage travel before the trigger comes up on the second stage. I like a little more first stage and I need to take the hammer/trigger housing apart and turn the trigger housing out one turn. After the trigger is turned out, I will have to turn the first trigger adjusting screw in more, to take up the extra slack. I have done that on my R2.5s and it gives me a longer first stage with a light second stage.
I still want to take the trigger housing apart and polish the mating hammer and sear surfaces, I just haven’t found the time to do it, yet.
You I know, we have something similar:
If my cat was a cow, I could milk it on the seat..
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Oooops ! 😳
I just realized that this thread has now reached the no 1 spot in terms of views on this forum…….. 😯
If nothing else, this should put a resonsibility on us all (from four continents) to share information as accurate as possible about our experiences for the benefit of all those who are lurking in the “bushes” with a lust for EDguns………. 😉
So all of you, – keep’em coming………. 😀
Thanks….
Trygve 😀