Newbie Questions.....long post

Hello, new to the forum and to springers but have done about 500+ hours of research and still have questions, I'm probably more confused than when I started. So, here it goes and I really do  apologize for the long post and the multiple bunny trails my questions are about to take. I have read and found most of the answers to the questions I have sort of, they havent been asked quite the way I want to ask them but I did search here alot first.

Ok, so I bought a .177 cfx combo (synthetic) at dicks with gift cards I got for christmas, $200.00. I'm 29 yrs old and have a problem with taking things to the extreme, champagne taste with beer money! I bought the gun to replace a multipump pneumatic that I was killing small squirrels with that were invading mine and my neighbors homes. I live outside city limits and am the local hero here as I was able to eliminate 47 squirrels last year with that gun @ 15 yards or less (450fps, I know not humane). I digress, with the cfx I can get 3-4 shots in a group the size of a quarter or less at 25 yards but I always have one or two that open the group to 1.5 or 2" which drives me nuts. I dont really target shoot but I find thats all ive done since I bought it as I dont want to unleash this beast in the neighborhood till I know the pellet is under my command. So, let the questions begin...

1. I'm looking at the Leapers 3-9x40 AO Mil-Dot Scope with R/G (SCP394AOMDLTS) I believe this scope will fit with a half inch to spare but my question is the mounts, how truly critical are adjustable mounts? I mean we're talking fifty bucks here man. I want the groups though so...the scope is mainly for looks I know its impact on accuracy is more with the shooter. I am after the mil-dot as I have measured the distances with a wheel to every single tree I shoot at from every point I shoot from and I think the range feature would be very helpful but I wouldnt mind a cheaper scope since I know ill need the expensive mounts

2. The gun is a few weeks old and my original plan was to go till she blows then have her tuned by cdt or rich but after dryhumping printouts of some of the groups from the tuners I cant hardly wait. But also, I'm having a hard time justifying spending more on a tune than I paid for the gun in the first place (obviously I have to have a walthers), so my question is by the time I replace the spring, barrel and trigger, the only thing thats a cfx is the stock, right? Is this something I should wait for or do it now?

3. So my next question would be how does a $450.00 tuned cfx compare to any other $450.00 springer?  Is a stock cfx really that inferior?

4. (KGB would not allow this question) Who should i have tune it? Does CDT have the Walthers barrels? I Like CDT's trigger mods but I like the Walthers barrels and I didnt see them on his site

5. Would a .20 barrel upgrade increase the FPE? Should I stay in .177?

Do you guys have other suggestions? Am I ahead of myself? Is this extreme? Thanks for taking the time to read this, any information is GREATLY appreciated. Yes, I know I'm crazy.

The.Fat.One

[DanoInTx]

This is my suggestion, and only a suggestion.  Go shoot your new gun, and shoot it alot before doing any big mods.  You may find that once you get used to shooting a springer, which is alot different than anything else you'll shoot, that your groups just start getting smaller and smaller with time.  These guns are very hold sensitive, and require that you hold/shoot them the same way everytime, without a hard rest or gun vise.  You might just be surprised at the groups you can get with the standard barrel.
Have a read here for more about this:
http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/library/Shooting%20Springer’s%20Accurately.htm

The gun will also break in over time and become smoother.  If you want a scope, figure out what distances you'll be shooting at (you mentioned 15 yards, but that was with your pumper).  I use 3x9x32 and that works for me for most everything I own.  I do have one huge 6x24x50 scope, but I never use it, it's just too much usually.  Scope mounts I can't help you with, I don't own a CFX and have no idea if they suffer from barrel droop like many other fixed barrel guns....someone else will chime in here I'm sure.  B-Square makes some nice scope mounts.  I just bought some B-Square Utility Mounts for about $7-$8 from Natchezss.com and I'm pretty impressed so far.  The one thing that I would change, and I'm sure any Gamo owner will agree with me here is the trigger, the triggers suck!  There's a trigger insert made by Rich (Peterdragin) and another completely drop in trigger made by Bob Warner (CDT).  I own one of Rich's inserts and I'm very happy with it, I have never tried Bob's but plan to on my new 220.  I hear good things about both products, and I'm sure you'll be very impressed with the difference you feel with either mod.

As far as a tune goes, I can't comment on any tuners quality, I tune my own guns.  A good tune will make a huge difference on the way a gun handles though.  As I said, I'd shoot that new CFX alot, then when you do finally tune it or get it tuned, you'll really be able to appreciate the difference.

.177, .20, .22...tough question, I'm not a hunter.  I like .177 for the nice, fast, flat shot...I like the .22 for the easier loading, and the huge "Thunk!" I hear when those big pellets hit something.  I've been told that the .20 is kinda the best of both worlds, I don't own one....mainly because it's harder to find pellets for them.  I have shot a .25 though, and a DAQ .308, and I can say the "Thunk!" with those huge pellets is enough to knock a squirrel out of his boots!

just my $0.02 hope this helps, good luck!

Dan

[vinceb]

Shoot it and get used to it first. Springers are harder to shoot than pneumatics, and in general take a fair bit of practice. Even at that, sometimes a shooter experienced with springers will still find that one particular gun needs to be treated a little differently than some others...

And don't overlook the pellets. Don't make the same mistake I made and assume that all pellets are alike. Not only is there a difference between cheap and decent ones, there's also the fact that some guns just seem to prefer certain pellets to others.

For hunting - especially at moderate ranges - .22 is generally recommended. But since that can be a little difficult to do in a CFX, .20 would be the next best thing. But be prepared to spend more for pellets and to have a harder time finding them.

[Gene_SC]

Hi Fat One, Welcome aboard.

I think Dano and Vince have covered most everything.. But here is my two cents.. heh

The Gamo CFX is probably the best of the Gamo Models. That is my opion. It is very accurate. I do most all my target shooting and squirrel hunting from 20 yards out to 50 yards. I own 3 of the CFX Rifles. They have given me very good service. The scope is a personal preference though. Remember you will never shoot a normal pellet gun past 50 yards. A good AO scope with objective is perferable for us air gun nuts..hehe

As far as swapping out the barrel... Personally I do not think that swapping out a barrel on a CFX would be a good idea. I have changed barrels on my Shadows and am only happy with one of them. Went from a Shadow .177 to  a .20 L/W barrel and it shoots fantastic. My CFX's shoot almost as good as that barrel in .177, and .22. I have not heard of any barrel droop in a CFX yet, but I do not know for sure. Normally the European guns do have barrel droop built into them, which is not the case with Gamo models. I have heard of barrel droop in the Shadows and Hunter break barrels but not the CFX.

As far as tuning your CFX. Put a couple thousand pellets through before you think about a tune. As far as who tune's your gun, that is up to you. But I will say this. I have 13 Gamo's and all have been turbo tuned by CDT with the GTX trigger installed. CDT has been tuning these springer and many other models for over a decade. CDT does not tune for high fps. He tunes for performance, low fps variation and durablility. One of the most important aspects of a good tune is Variation. That means equals to accuracy. In allot of cases the FPS does increase but that is not his objective. And not to forget the CDT trigger replacement "GTX III" This in my opinion is the upmost biggest improvement you can do to any Gamo. The trigger can be changed anytime. Very simple swap out. It will also improve your accuracy. I have 13 of these triggers and they are as good as a $1000.00 European air gun's trigger. For the price you can not beat it...

Enjoy your CFX and shoot away. The accuracy will improve over time with hold practice and normal parts break in. I honestly would not evern consider changing your barrel. The stock CFX barrels work great. If you do anything, do yourself a favor and put a GTX III replacement in your CFX...

Last thing......... hehe   I would not think you would need an adjustable $50.00 plus scope mount. I would suggest an Accushot scope mount. It is important to use a good one piece scope mount on the CFX. cause of the dual recoil. Scopes and mounts tend to move.
Make sure you buy a scope for air guns and not a regualar scope.

Good luck and if you have any other questions just ask away...

Gene

[daved]

Welcome aboard, Fat One!  Consider this a seconding ( or thirding?) of everything the other guys have already said.  The Leapers scope you're looking at has gotten good reviews, should do what you want.  Despite what others have to say on the subject, MY CFX has droop or something that gives the same result.  I currently have a BKL 260 mount on it with .007" drop compensation.  The other alternative is a straight mount, the Accushot 1 pc. is very good and only about $15, then shim your scope.  I just did this with a Diana 350, so far, so good.

Get the trigger mod of your choice, then shoot it a LOT!  Haven't tried Rich's insert (YET), but I really like Bob's gold trigger.  Check out Straight Shooters, they have a pellet sampler that is fantastic.  Much better than the RWS or Gamo samplers, something like 15 different pellets.

Far as I know, Bob doesn't do the barrels, although I'm sure he can install one.  Again, the stock barrels are better than they get credit for.  That said, I intend to install one of Rich's .177 LW's on my CFX soon, but that's all part of a major conversion.  NOT economical, but I'll have a custom gun when done that will be uniquely mine.

The only other suggestion is to give in to the addiction right from the beginning, and start shopping for your next rifle :-)!  Or at least start setting aside some money for it.  And if you get the least bit serious, get a chronograph.  On that subject, despite what Gamo says, the CFX is NOT a 1000 fps gun, at least not with anything that's of any use.  With 8-8.5 gr. pellets, real work velocity will most likely be in the 800-900 fps range.  Good luck, and check in often.

Dave

[Gene_SC]

Out of all the CFX's sold yours has to be the first I have ever heard of that had a droop... But that's not a bad thing either. Like I said above that most all European high priced air guns have droop built into them.  I found this out from Kevin at Straightshooters when I purchased my air gun. I assume that is why they sell adjustable mounts.. hehe .. I have never had to use one thank God... hehe  To expensive for me .... hehe

Enjoy your CFX

Gene

[randy_68]

I just sold my CFX and I had the accushot  medium rings with stop pin and the leapers 3x9x40 ao mildot ill ret and it worked perfectly on my gun. Eye alignment was just right.

well, like I said, my plan was to wait till it broke then dump the money in it. I seem to like the CPL pellets, JSB exact express doesnt seem to work too well but better than gamo pellets. As far as the scope mount, im just concerned that I'll have to crank the scope too far from its optical center without an adjustable mount, I know it's that way with the BSA thats on there now, I'll do a search on the shimming method cuz 15 is way better than 50

As far as the triggers and tuning, I know they sell the kit to do it yourself or you can send it off and pay the labor. I dont mind paying the labor but there is a certain sense of accomplishment by doing it yourself so I was wondering if they'd send a me a copy of the instructions to review to gauge whether I can do it or not?

I've shot at least 300 rounds maybe 400 which is not alot but its more than most people shoot before they cry. I've heard the stock springs dont last several thousand rounds so I thought bite the bullet early. I cant see myself owning a bunch of different riflesm maybe a PCP, my wife already hates my other hobbies (tournament bass fishing, semi-pro pc gaming, RC Cars, Golf all of which cost too much by themselves).

I dont have my heart set on the leapers but I would like a mil-dot that doesnt lose zero and has repeatability so if you know of one let me know.

Also, as for the barrel. I dont know what it meas but my serial number is on the side of the barrel

[raterminator]

Nothing constructive can be added to the all above said. I understand your “rash” to do something and make it better, but don’t rush and do it in timely manner. Shoot a lot, get familiar with the gun. For now, I only suggest buying one of Riche’s compressors or building one by looking at Charles’ pictures and taking gun apart (first of all, you will get the idea how it works and where to look if something happens). Clean it from the factory grease, remove the burrs from sharp edges in/on spring tube’s cocking slot, from piston guide and from all internal, metal to metal rubbing surfaces (you will feel all the sharp edges, they can be very sharp, so be careful). Put a heavy tar on spring, molly paste on piston cylinder and on metal to metal surfaces and you’ll be set until the time comes for a proper, professional tune-up.
This can help and explain a lot: http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2006/08/spring-gun-tuning-part-9cleaning-and.html
http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2006/08/spring-gun-tuning-part-10-lubrication.html


My two cents about the scope choice. It’s really a matter of preference. I have 3-9 x 40, 3-12 X 40, 44 BSA and Leaper scopes and I’m very satisfied with all of them, but here is the drawback of the AO scopes: they are good when you’re shooting at something at a fixed distance, but it’s very difficult to stay on focus and at the target if the target moves fast. In such cases, I prefer 4x32, parallax free at 50 yards scope, which is giving you a clear, wider field of view and is easier to manage.

BTW, prepare yourself for considering buying another air gun. This is a great forum, with a great, always ready to help guys, but they will make you addicted to a gun collecting hobby…. And it’s very tempting :p

OK, I havent done anything yet but dream so you guys tell me what I should do, everything you guys are saying makes total sense and I trust experience so here's what I want:

I want to be able to hit a small squirrel in the head at 30-35 yards, 40 would be nice but I think thats a dream...maybe. I had no problems killing them before but my range was limited so thats why i upgraded. I will NOT be doing field target. I do go the range with a friend and shoot some targets for practice but thats it. I dont care about noise level, recoil or anything else, I will do what I have to do to reach my goal. Im not sure how good the BSA scope that I have is but  Iwas interested in Mil-dot feature. What you say about the AO and all makes total sense, nobody said it that way before. I have $175.00 burning a hole in my pocket so should I sell the CFX save up a few more hundred and buy an RWS 54 or something else recoilless? Should I do nothing at all and just shoot shoot shoot, eat, sleep, poop repeat? I am going to upgrade the trigger, I searched and decided not to tune it myself when the time comes, so thats 175-trigger=money to burn

Thank you all so much for the responses I really do appreciate the guidance. You guys are great and very logical, I'm hearing what you're saying but I want to stress that I can spend the money or give it to the wife so lets keep that in mind

[raterminator]

Well, I can’t say anything bad or good about CFX, never had one, but if money is not an issue, between CFX and RWS 54 my choice would be 54. But because you don’t care (according to your reply) about a lot of things and your goal is just a kill, CFX can do the job for you. RWS 54 is an expensive gun, so spend your money on a good scope, mounts and quality pellets.

[daved]

The 54 is a great gun, but really expensive for a starter.  If you don't care about recoil, get the 52 instead, same powerplant without the "recoilless" feature.

So, starting over.  My first adult air rifle is my CFX.  Part research and part luck.  As a starter gun in this hobby, I don't think you can do a lot better for the price.  Unless something breaks, the only thing this gun NEEDS is a better trigger.  Either Rich's insert or Bob's blade will do the job perfectly, and either one comes with good instructions for an easy DIY project.  For most guys, the biggest problem with the CFX is figuring out how to get the front stock screws out!  BTW, they're under the rubber pads on the forearm, just slip a thin blade under the pad and pry them up.  I don't know if Rich has his instructions available on his site, but I seem to remember that Bob does.

I beleive most, if not all, the Leapers scopes have a mil dot reticle.  I have a Leapers 3-12x44 AO 30mm full size on one gun, and a Simmons 44 Mag on another.  Optics clarity on the Simmons is MAYBE a hair better, but the Leaper reticle wins hands down.  The Simmons has really thick crosshairs and large dots, plus the eye relief is not as forgiving.  My Simmons is for sale right now so I can replace it with another Leapers.  And yes, the CFX is very capable of head shots on squirrels at 40 yards, assuming you are.  So a good scope is worth while.  Mine came with a BSA 2-7x32, good scope but I wanted more mag and more light.  That's why I got the Leapers, and I couldn't be happier with it.

So the budget is $175.  My Leapers is $125, Accushot 1pc. mount was $15, Bob's gold trigger was $30.  Throw in a tin of pellets, and it's gone!  Easy, huh :-)?!  HTH!

Dave

Ditto;  just shoot the CFX and get used to it and it will be fine, the more you shoot the better groups it will get. The CFX is the least hold senstive rifle I have it shoots well no matter how you hold it tight or loose or sitting in the crook of a tree.
I have two CFX's one in .177 and the other in .20 and also a .177 Stutzen and they all shoot quite well except that the .20  is the most accutate rifle I have other than my .20 1250 Hunter.

Headshots on tree rats at 35 40 yards are not a problem with the CFX after is gets broken in.


P.S. Gene .177 Walther Shadow HOLD it Tight !! like a centerfire, and see what it will do. If it's like my 1250 that's the only way it will group, like 1/2 inch at 50 yards.

sometimes I have to read something three or four times to get it I think the thing I like most about the cfx is its forgiving hold characteristics. I fear that if I have it tuned then that will go away and it will be like all the other springers requiring an extremely loose hold that im not capable of, is that true? Im not sure I want an AO scope the only thing I like about the BSA I have now is the fact there is no parallax at any distance (up to 60 yrds)  even though it cant be adjusted. As one of the guys posted earlier maintaining focus on a moving target (changing trees and distances) would be more tedious. Leapers makes a 3-9x40 without AO parallax fixed at 35yrds, but pyramid says its discontinued, the only other one they offer is the 3-9x50 version and I dont want one that big. Im not sure what im going to do besides replace the trigger and shoot alot, I know eventually ill have to tune it when it breaks im just concerned now about how much it will change the hold characteristics and that maybe I should do it now so I dont have to relearn to shoot it later. Im gonna go sit by the fire and think for a while, but im NOT going to do anything right now but change the trigger. Thanks guys