Can someone that is using Mikes center fire tuner please tell me how they have it setup? Is their a mark on the rifle barrel that lines up to the numbers on the body of the tuner as you turn it?
Does the entire body of the tuner move or just the cover cone of the tuner moves by loosening the 3 screws on the body of the tuner.
Thanks,
Ed
Ed, I've finally replied to your email and am sorry it took so long. I haven't been online much since before Thanksgiving Day. I hope you have had your questions answered. If not, by all means, give me a call. I'm happy to discuss it.
I will say that there is some good info already, from Rick and others...but a tuner is a tuner, for the most part. They all do basically the same thing. The benefit of my tuner stems largely from the particle dampening aspect of it. There's a good read on my site in regard to particle dampening and why I feel it is a step forward in terms of vibration management.
That said, the three set screws you mention are there for two important reasons. The are nylon tipped and set the tension for adjustment and stabilize the front of the tuner against movement on the threads due to vibration. I recommend they be set by just touching off on the threads and go another 1/4-3/8 of a turn on each set screw. The only reason to move them is for re-adjustment at some point or for complete removal. When turned all the way off, as you turn the tuner, the nylon tips wipe most of the lube from the threads, making galling more likely. So, backing them off for removal can't hurt and can only be a good thing, for this reason.
They need to be snug, not tight nor loose. Just tight enough to apply tension on the threads to support the front of the tuner. At the rear, is an o-ring that supports the rear of the tuner. It runs on a flat that is machined onto the barrel rearward of the threads by 1/2". This attachment makes for a stable mounting of the tuner and gives resistance to turning, similarly to other tuners that use "jam nuts" to do the same. In a nutshell, the attachment is a cross between a Borden style tuner that uses nylon thumb screws for resistance to turning and loading of the threads, a Harrells that uses o-rings and detents to do the same, and a Bukys that uses a rubber sleeve on the outside to better dampen vibration. Instead of using an outer rubber sleeve, mine uses particle dampening for better vibration control.
Overall, I took what others have proven to work and applied what I believe to be improvements in these areas and built a tuner that's aesthetically more pleasing, but the particle dampening is what separates it from the crowd. I encourage everyone to read the linked study on particle dampening on my site. I simply feel it's a step in the right direction in tuner design due to better vibration management vs. all others.
The results I've seen have been quite good and I don't know of anything I'd do differently with it. It does work but as I said previously, I think all properly made and installed tuners work.
There has been some testing started using vibration analysis equipment by a very qualified professor at the University of Cincinnati that is sounding extremely impressive in regard to it's dampening properties and we should have quantifiable results soon from more testing.
As I've stated, I simply feel it is a step in the right direction where tuners are concerned.
FWIW, the very first match I shot using it, with all known commodities, i.e., load, barrel, tuner setting, etc, I tied the previous UBR record with it. As an aside to that...I finished 2nd in that match!!
Everything stated here is related to the centerfire version. I offer it for both rimfire and centerfire. The rf version attaches like a Harrells. The cf requires machining/threading of the barrel.--Mike
