Springer mods question

You good bastards have me entering a new phase in shooting, basically wanting to improve my springer shooting.
I guess there is nothing simple or YES/NO about these questions but they may be of interest to a few of us bunnies:
 
1. Is a tuning kit likely to SIGNIFICANTLY improve my springer shooting? If so which would you recommend for my HW80/Diana52? I'm capable and have tools to carefully fit a kit but no workshop to engineer serious mods apart from gentle smoothing of metal parts...and I'm familiar with and not at all disturbed by the sound and can feel no grating/cycling issues with my twangy springers.

2. I have both 177 and 22 barrels for the HW80 - again purely for accurate shooting would using the 22 barrel make sense for this reasonably high powered springer - i.e. to keep muzzle velocity down for pellet stability during travel? For this reason alone I'm kind of thinking of focusing on the Weirhauch rather than the 177 Diana.

A few chrono results tell me the HW80 at .22 gives 730 ft per sec/17.4 ft/lbs, the D52 839 fps/16.7 ft/lbs. Chinese chrono with cardboard roof to shade sensors is very hit miss refusing to measure with no error msg at times and works reasonably reliably at other times. But in any case I'm not 100% confident in those measures and I'm considering an FX chrono for easy use attached to rifle and actually getting results every time I use it...

These are quick bunny questions with likely many many varied and detailed answers possible -so don't shoot me down as a pesky pesty bunny unless you really need to please  but do tell me in no uncertain terms if my thinking or questions are stoopid. I'm here to leech off ... oops I mean learn from those who know from experience.

Hi Mark,
As Kruza has asked, what velocity is your HW80 doing with the .177's

Tuning kits for high powered springers usually reduce velocity a bit, and give a smoother, quieter shot cycle.
I have never put a tuning kit in a springer my self, so i'm just speculating about their performance, but I believe they dont actually make a rifle "more accurate". They do make the rifle smoother and have less of a "violent" shot cycle, which in turn makes them "easier" to shoot and thus your accuracy should improve, if that makes sense?

There are a few very good and widely respected tuning kits for the HW, and I'm sure there are for the D52 as well.

As far as caliber selection goes for which rifle to tune, there is a general perception that .177 is more accurate than .22.
I'm not sure I believe that my self though. I think as a shooter/rifle combination, most people will be able to "hit what they are aiming for" more often with a .177, because of its faster, flatter trajectory, giving the perception that a .177 is more accurate.
However, I think if you separate the shooter element from the rifle, put a .177 and a .22 each into a shooting machine and do a 5 shot group with each... with all else equal, there is no reason why they should not each give as tight a group as the other.
So if you are wondering which rifle to get a tuning kit for, I'd say dont worry about caliber, rather ask your self which rifle will you shoot more? which is lighter, fits you better, gives you more shooting pleasure, which do you use more often...? Thats the one you should start spending money on first.


Edited by RangerPete - 02 Dec 2024 at 11:49am

Probly true Pete. But shooter is part of the equation and with springers it's the drop that gets ppl. I prefure it myself as I can segment the distance better through the scope. As an example I can judge the distance at 67m better because the drop between 65m and 70m is steeper than a 177 of equivalent of power.
Having said that, I imagine a pcp can be adjusted to negate that drop.
I personally don't like a long slow arc in an air rifle as it takes very little to miss a vital and the impact shock isn't there.
Having said that longest kill was with 177. Sig asp20. Exceptional break barrel rifle, just don't like 177, so I gave it away to someone who will appreciate it more went back to 22.

Hi Jawbfrog,

I'd definatly be interested in that ebook!