So, What's happening with the custom work?

Pete Wass

Pete Wass

Well-known member
It about time for a juicy report from someone who is involved in the Custom end of things, don't ya think?
 
I am not involved with the making, just the using. I own a Sumo, custom trigger, custom regulator, titanium air tube, some barrels and a couple of stocks. Waiting on a custom manifold with twin titanium tubes and the world's best pellets.

We do not yet have a variety of sources to go to for these items but things are changing. Did I mention this is not cheap? Does all this stuff make a difference when a gifted young shooter sets a new world record with a factory air rifle, albeit, highly modified? Only time will tell.

While we continue to see Remington 37s, 40Xs and Winchester 52s shot in rimfire competition, those days are numbered. Look at any equipment list and it is very clear that customs dominate in the rimfire game. If history teaches us anything, it is that progress keeps a sport growing and interesting to those participating and the onlookers. At least, we have emerged into the custom era of air rifle benchrest a bit faster than the rimfire crowd.
 
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Lots of new things in the works... Side lever, ultra fast lock time....soon; Side lever action single shot, rear air entry, maybe an electronic gun with an appropriate action. Working on getting smaller diameter/longer bottles. Ramping up on ultra precise regulators.
 
GordonDawson said:
Lots of new things in the works... Side lever, ultra fast lock time....soon; Side lever action single shot, rear air entry, maybe an electronic gun with an appropriate action. Working on getting smaller diameter/longer bottles. Ramping up on ultra precise regulators.
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Good Stuff Gordon, Keep at er :).
 
There is more precision available in many different areas. I look at small incremental improvements in design for precision and accuracy shooting; every small detail makes a difference.

If we are referring to what is the next big leap in higher scores, one would think pellet design, but that's an assumption a lot of us are waiting for that may not happen in the near future, so for me, I'm trying to evolve my rifle so that it will out-shoot the best shooters 99.99% of the time. When the killer pellet shows up, I'll be ready.
 
GordonDawson said:
There is more precision available in many different areas. I look at small incremental improvements in design for precision and accuracy shooting; every small detail makes a difference.

If we are referring to what is the next big leap in higher scores, one would think pellet design, but that's an assumption a lot of us are waiting for that may not happen in the near future, so for me, I'm trying to evolve my rifle so that it will out-shoot the best shooters 99.99% of the time. When the killer pellet shows up, I'll be ready.
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I have noticed that there is some experimentation with barrels. In the other rifle sports barrels are a major item with regard to accuracy. Any opinions as far as Airgun barrels are concerned? Will they be a critical with Airguns as they are with Gun Powder rifles?

Regarding pellet design, there is a recent "Discovery" in the Rifle bullet World to wit that the body length uniformity is the key to accuracy. perhaps if Pellets were designed more like rifle bullets, say like .22 RF bullets, some gain would be realized. It would seem to me easier to make pellets shaped like that more consistently than pellets with longish flexible skirts.
 
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Barrels will be a critical component in air rifle benchrest, just as it is in rimfire and centerfire. The one nice thing about air rifle barrels is that we have not seen any evidence of one being "shot out". Once people find a good one, it will stay that way. That is not to say that they will not continue to search for a better one, just as in other disciplines.

With pellets, there has been a great deal of testing regarding head diameter that appears promising. There are shooters that will weight sort but most are using scales that cannot reliably differentiate the intended increment in grains. With that, the commercial power to your home is not stable enough to power a scale of the required quality, not to mention, typical "gem" scales. Cleaning and lubes are another step in pellet preparation that shooters swear by. Nevertheless, everyone will follow a formula that has been successful for them and their equipment.

I did measure 50 .22 caliper pellets for length, extreme spread .0004", +/-.0002, which means no sorting for me.
 
cris said:
Barrels will be a critical component in air rifle benchrest, just as it is in rimfire and centerfire. The one nice thing about air rifle barrels is that we have not seen any evidence of one being "shot out". Once people find a good one, it will stay that way. That is not to say that they will not continue to search for a better one, just as in other disciplines.

With pellets, there has been a great deal of testing regarding head diameter that appears promising. There are shooters that will weight sort but most are using scales that cannot reliably differentiate the intended increment in grains. With that, the commercial power to your home is not stable enough to power a scale of the required quality, not to mention, typical "gem" scales. Cleaning and lubes are another step in pellet preparation that shooters swear by. Nevertheless, everyone will follow a formula that has been successful for them and their equipment.

I did measure 50 .22 caliper pellets for length, extreme spread .0004", +/-.0002, which means no sorting for me.
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I have and use an electronic Labrarory Balance for reloading. It's AcuLab that reads out two places, which, for powder, is plenty and I assume would be for pellets. I bought a Battery Backup with a buffer in it years ago to give me a consistent power source for my Electronics.

I am guessing if one segregates pellets into groups of a certain weight that they would be more likely to strike in the same lat and lon on the paper, is that a valid assumption?
 
"I am guessing if one segregates pellets into groups of a certain weight that they would be more likely to strike in the same lat and lon on the paper, is that a valid assumption?"

A qualified maybe. I have shot strings over a good chronograph and had 2 shots with identical velocities hit in the same spot and then, not. Pellets are made of lead with dies that manufacturers use long after they should be replaced. Loads of other variables beyond weight. Pellets out of better dies, improved quality control, protective packaging and earlier retirement of dies might bring us what we are looking for.

A test for your scale. Weigh a pellet, any pellet to two decimal places in grains. Remove from the scale and then, weigh it again. Weigh 25 in this manner. If the weights are the same, your scale was a good choice.
 
Maybe of interest ......

We had our 100m indoor comp this weekend. The rifle that shot the smallest 10 shot group (22.94mm CTC) was fitted with 2 x regulators.

Standard Reg + Dr Bob tester + Second reg. Makes for absolutely perfect chamber pressure. OK on a bench rifle, not practical to carry around.

Barrel was a Benchmark 2 x groove in 5.5mm.
 
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Of course it is of interest.

We would appreciate a full report and maybe a more detailed equipment list.
 
Hear hear...........let's have some details on the critter.
 
Man or we getting high tech or what. Shooting in indoors all that stuff will work wonders. My problem no matter how much money I spend and how I size or sort or select pellets nothing helps when the wind drops from a push to a lull or shifts 90 degrees as I pull the trigger. I want a way that the rifle will not fire if the condition is not the one I selected. he he. Maybe a steady tone on the wind flag in to my hearing protection if the wind prop speeds up or slows down or the direction changes from the conditions that I pushed a button and selected. On our wooded range maybe about 25 of those babies so that the wind shear and change from every tree can be averaged giving me a shoot or no shoot tone.

Bob
 
cris said:
Of course it is of interest.

We would appreciate a full report and maybe a more detailed equipment list.
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Cris, I do not have all the details, so I rather err on the safe side. I do believe the owner is a member here so I will ask him to give us some more details.

PS, just spoke to him. He will post more details later.
 
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I took pellets that weighed five tenths different in weight and took them in to my tube to validate POI
The lightest ones produced a .191 group which I continued to shoot 7 more shots into with my heavy ones. The group never got no bigger....................I put away my scales and bowed to the Dan Brown theory.

I have found that the size and alignment of head and skirt IS critical. This can be achieved by purchacing a drill bushing, indicating it in so the tenth indicator does not move in two planes and boring it out on the skirt end to the required skirt diameter to match your chamber. It seems reasonable that we need to start the pellet straight in the barrel. I think the good Dr. Mann proved this back about 1901.
One of the more interesting things I have found by carefully observing the outer and inner skirt surface with my 5X cheaters is what appears to be flakes of lead. When trying to remove open up into cavities making the pellet unbalanced, these do not go into the group. Probably acounting for them fliers that we never seem to know where they came from.

Frank
 
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shadowalker said:
I took pellets that weighed five tenths different in weight and took them in to my tube to validate POI
The lightest ones produced a .191 group which I continued to shoot 7 more shots into with my heavy ones. The group never got no bigger....................I put away my scales and bowed to the Dan Brown theory.

Frank
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Frank, interesting stuff. More or less also what I found, but at what distance did you test. I tested out to max 30m and is starting to believe that it is not far enough. (Yes, I like shooting 100m indoors, for 25m bench maybe it will not make that much difference).

Albert
 
cris said:
Of course it is of interest.

We would appreciate a full report and maybe a more detailed equipment list.
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The guys have drawn up most of the equipment list. See it at http://www.airrifle.co.za/showthread.php?t=26895&page=63

Most everybody used either Rapids on TM1000. Target was 5 groups of 10 shots to be completed in 20 minutes. This time included the sighters. Only the best 10 shot group to count per target.

With the time constraint I choose to set the rifle up for 30 fpe with a 500cc bottle and filled the bottle to 225 bar (3262 PSI). I opted to use 2 regulators to ensure that I will have a steady supply of regulated pressure from the start right down to the last shot.

From experience with this type of shooting we have found that the rifle must be settled and ready from the first shot fired. It does not help to practice for 1-2 hours and during that time you get a couple of excellent grouping. They must all be top notch.

I must admit that the BM barrel superb. A variance in the pellet weight does not really effect the POI at 100m.

Gert
 
Gert,

Thank you for the report. Great shooting by all.

One question, many shooters talk about "seasoning" a barrel. Have you seen a need to "season" your Benchmark barrel?
 
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