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Kris

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Topic: PCP Questions
Posted: 15 hours 10 minutes ago at 7:50pm

Hey all,
I'm thinking of getting a PCP pistol, can anyone please give me a PCP for dummies explanation of why the need to adjust the hammer travel length,
Also what do most people use to charge up their guns

KrisNZ

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Posted: 14 hours 6 minutes ago at 8:54pm

Here's a animation of how a pcp rifle works. The auto dubbing is very robotic but the animation should give you a good idea of how the hammer works.
https://youtu.be/n8qrTADvK1A?si=dbWsTk4fsR-ymvvI
Im not a pcp shooter but from my understanding the harder the hammer hits the more time the valve is open to let the compressed air through to the barrel.. You can adjust the length/power of the hammer strike to adjust how much air gets through by how long the valve is open.
By being able to do this you can adjust the amount of power/air is pushing the pellet, allowing you to tune for best accuracy, speed/power of pellet.
Adjust it if you use a heavier or lighter pellet etc.
Someone more onto it can give you a better explanation but i believe thats the basic jist of it.

RangerPete View Drop Down

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Posted: 12 hours 56 minutes ago at 10:04pm

Hi Kris,

It is usually only the top end PCP’s that have adjustable hammer spring tension, or that you can tinker with the hammer weighs or transfer ports etc.
Most of the older PCP’s were not adjustable, the hammer weights and hammer spring tension etc were set from the factory, and usually shot very well just as they were, no adjusting necessary.

It’s only in recent years that manufacturers started adding all the adjustable “tuneable” features to guns, but honestly, the majority of air guns from decent manufacturers dont need to be fiddled with.

As far as refilling the gun, there are 3 options, and pros and cons to each.

1- manually pumping it up to 200, 230, 250 or 300 bar (depending on the make and model of gun)
I dont think there are any pros to manually pumping 🙈 other then its cheap. I wouldnt recommend it unless you were young, fit and stupid.
2- scuba tank. Get it filled from a dive shop, $5 or $10 for a top up, will last you months.
Pros- second hand dive tanks are not expensive. Portable. Cons- no good if you don’t have a local dive shop. Most scuba tanks are rated to 230bar, 300bar tanks are a bit more expensive. Most dive shops will only fill a tank to 220bar. Very few dive shops will pump to 300 bar. Having said that, very few guns can take 300bar, only newest/expensive models.
3- by your own compressor. Pros - some can pump up to 300bar. Cons- expensive and need maintence and services/filters etc. I think only the best/most expensive ones can dry the air so you don’t get moisture into your guns cylinder 🤔. Can only fill the gun if u have electricity.

Other guys will tell you their pros and cons to each system 👍🏻

Walk quietly, but carry a big stick.

Kris

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Posted: 2 hours 30 minutes ago at 8:30am

Thanks, so the closer the hammer to the valve, the longer the opening duration is? Make sense,
Thanks

Kris

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Posted: 2 hours 28 minutes ago at 8:32am

Thanks for that, yeah a mate said the hand pump was a waste of time, I'm old, so a scuba tank sound like the best option. Plenty of dive shops in Nelson,
Thanks

kruzaroad

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Posted: 1 hour 43 minutes ago at 9:17am

I think its the other way around. The further back from the valve the hammer is, the more compressed the spring that drives the hammer forward is. That gives more compression on the spring hence more power. It also allows the a tad more travel to build up speed.
That means it hits the valve stem harder ( or just say the valve if your not sure where the valve stem fits in the picture)
The harder the valve is hit, the further back into the pressurized air it is pushed. That means the valve is open longer and more air can eacape into the barrel.
Note we are talking about tiny amounts of time this happens in. A few thousandths of a seconds open longer makes a difference to high pressure air escaping into the barrel.

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
Kris Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 06 Apr 2023 Location: Nelson Status: Offline Posts: 47	Post Options Post Reply Quote Kris Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: PCP Questions Posted: 15 hours 10 minutes ago at 7:50pm
	Hey all, I'm thinking of getting a PCP pistol, can anyone please give me a PCP for dummies explanation of why the need to adjust the hammer travel length, Also what do most people use to charge up their guns KrisNZ

kruzaroad Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 03 Jul 2022 Location: Hastings 4 now Status: Offline Posts: 2798	Post Options Post Reply Quote kruzaroad Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 14 hours 6 minutes ago at 8:54pm
	Here's a animation of how a pcp rifle works. The auto dubbing is very robotic but the animation should give you a good idea of how the hammer works. https://youtu.be/n8qrTADvK1A?si=dbWsTk4fsR-ymvvI Im not a pcp shooter but from my understanding the harder the hammer hits the more time the valve is open to let the compressed air through to the barrel.. You can adjust the length/power of the hammer strike to adjust how much air gets through by how long the valve is open. By being able to do this you can adjust the amount of power/air is pushing the pellet, allowing you to tune for best accuracy, speed/power of pellet. Adjust it if you use a heavier or lighter pellet etc. Someone more onto it can give you a better explanation but i believe thats the basic jist of it.

RangerPete Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 19 Apr 2023 Location: Cambridge. Status: Offline Posts: 1050	Post Options Post Reply Quote RangerPete Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 12 hours 56 minutes ago at 10:04pm
	Hi Kris, It is usually only the top end PCP’s that have adjustable hammer spring tension, or that you can tinker with the hammer weighs or transfer ports etc. Most of the older PCP’s were not adjustable, the hammer weights and hammer spring tension etc were set from the factory, and usually shot very well just as they were, no adjusting necessary. It’s only in recent years that manufacturers started adding all the adjustable “tuneable” features to guns, but honestly, the majority of air guns from decent manufacturers dont need to be fiddled with. As far as refilling the gun, there are 3 options, and pros and cons to each. 1- manually pumping it up to 200, 230, 250 or 300 bar (depending on the make and model of gun) I dont think there are any pros to manually pumping 🙈 other then its cheap. I wouldnt recommend it unless you were young, fit and stupid. 2- scuba tank. Get it filled from a dive shop, $5 or $10 for a top up, will last you months. Pros- second hand dive tanks are not expensive. Portable. Cons- no good if you don’t have a local dive shop. Most scuba tanks are rated to 230bar, 300bar tanks are a bit more expensive. Most dive shops will only fill a tank to 220bar. Very few dive shops will pump to 300 bar. Having said that, very few guns can take 300bar, only newest/expensive models. 3- by your own compressor. Pros - some can pump up to 300bar. Cons- expensive and need maintence and services/filters etc. I think only the best/most expensive ones can dry the air so you don’t get moisture into your guns cylinder 🤔. Can only fill the gun if u have electricity. Other guys will tell you their pros and cons to each system 👍🏻
	Walk quietly, but carry a big stick.

Kris Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 06 Apr 2023 Location: Nelson Status: Offline Posts: 47	Post Options Post Reply Quote Kris Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 2 hours 30 minutes ago at 8:30am
	Thanks, so the closer the hammer to the valve, the longer the opening duration is? Make sense, Thanks

Kris Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 06 Apr 2023 Location: Nelson Status: Offline Posts: 47	Post Options Post Reply Quote Kris Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 2 hours 28 minutes ago at 8:32am
	Thanks for that, yeah a mate said the hand pump was a waste of time, I'm old, so a scuba tank sound like the best option. Plenty of dive shops in Nelson, Thanks

kruzaroad Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 03 Jul 2022 Location: Hastings 4 now Status: Offline Posts: 2798	Post Options Post Reply Quote kruzaroad Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 1 hour 43 minutes ago at 9:17am
	I think its the other way around. The further back from the valve the hammer is, the more compressed the spring that drives the hammer forward is. That gives more compression on the spring hence more power. It also allows the a tad more travel to build up speed. That means it hits the valve stem harder ( or just say the valve if your not sure where the valve stem fits in the picture) The harder the valve is hit, the further back into the pressurized air it is pushed. That means the valve is open longer and more air can eacape into the barrel. Note we are talking about tiny amounts of time this happens in. A few thousandths of a seconds open longer makes a difference to high pressure air escaping into the barrel.