Part of my waiting game is over; the rifle showed up (and mighty fast from my order last weekend). Mike (Flying Dragons Airguns) did a very good job of tuning this .177 up. Rare when a rifle exceeds expectations, but Mike was better than his word. Stated to be tuned for 7.9 gr. at 780 fps, it delivers a 795 fps average with CP’s and a 736 fps average with the heavy Kodiaks; earning 12.8 foot pounds in .177 is not half bad at all. It certainly helps that temperatures ae in the high 80’s, low 90’s.
Know there are other tuners, and within the next year expect to give them a try. Have one from Roy at Mountain Air and now one from Mike at flying Dragon. Intend to give Rich some business by the end of summer and hope to contact Jack in the fall. Figure if I’m going to recommend their work based on rifles I’ve borrowed from other air gunners, would be good to own one of their products.
Besides, from looking over other’s work, have learned a whole lot about performance modifications. Are different ways of achieving the goal, but getting the gas to flow with the least constriction/turbulence is what gains the most performance.
As delivered:
(click pictures to enlarge)
Had asked Mike to tune a .177 up to whatever he considered a reasonable max. Not that they can’t be made to shoot a little faster, but to have this one set at whatever he considered a good long term setting.
Rifle came with a very well illustrated Flying Dragon manual. If a person were to actually read it cover to cover BEFORE shooting the rifle, would be way-way ahead of the game; it’s as good or better than any bit of literature that has come with any of my factory rifles of any brand.
Also included were an allen key, factory manual, a simple valve tool that looks to be just the ticket for valve removal, two spare poly transfer port seals, and several sets of 0-rings.
My other QB78 standards are all older models. This current one has a lot better stock, rubber recoil pad, nice bluing (as good as the 78D), and silver type marking rather than the deep (uneven) roll stamps. Really much improved over the 78 standard versions of just a couple of years ago.
As tested (borrowed scope and LDC):
Scope was borrowed from a QB79, this one’s 2-7X should show up tomorrow but I wanted to give it an initial wring-out while i had some time. Have been inside the rifle, will NOT describe Mike’s valve mods in any detail (have to leave a tuner his tricks).
1. The loading port has been polished and radiused.
2. Barrel crown has been touched up.
3. Transfer port has been enlarged and polished.
4. transfer port seal changed.
5.. Bolt probe mod was very well done.
6.. Stiffness in cocking shows a stronger striker spring. It is not a shimmed up spring, but a different spring.
7. Tube and internal parts have been deburred/polished.
8. Trigger’s over travel adjustment screw changed, locking nut added.
9. Valve is well modded for gas flow. Nothing “trickyâ€, just good workmanship.
All I’ve done to it is to remove the iron sights, add a borrowed scope, and add a LDC (was waiting for the rifle to show up).
On 12 gr., will average 721 fps with 10.6 gr. Kodiaks and 775 fps with 7.9 gr. CPL’s. Using the same valve and just a bulk fill cap (and bulk filled), will get 736 fps with 10.6 gr. Kodiaks and 795 fps with CPL’s. Like most tuned-up co2 rifles, it seems to like the heavy weight pellets.
Will be a few more additions to this in the next weeks. A new custom stock is going to be shipped soon, the correct scope (a smaller 2-7X) is due to show up tomorrow, and I will shoot it a few 100 times to help break in any friction points.
As it stands now, getting that kind of speed in .177 requires a good bit of co2 to be squirted out on every shot. Really is not as loud as I thought it would be.
If time permits, will do some accuracy testing tomorrow.
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Got to accuracy testing today, and it was a bit of a fight. Decided to keep the 3-9X for the time being and use the new 2-7X on the QB 79 that donated its scope.
The rifle was tuned to the level I asked for and wanted, but it tended to shoot two different groups....one about 1†high and left, the other right on my point of aim.
Everything looked good, but it continued to do the “two-group-waltzâ€. Tried several things to get rid of that, gutting the LDC and rebuilding it...replacing the 3 o-rings on the barrel shank...removing the barrel for a total hard-core cleaning...and at last got to working on the barrel band.
Roughed up the band’s foot print on the gas tube with a needle file, degreased, and expoxied (JB Weld) the band onto the gas tube. The rougher surface gives the epoxy some “biteâ€. Once cured, shot fine without the two-group...until the rinky-dink barrel band screw snapped.
Marked the barrel band cross screw’s place on the barrel, slotted the barrel, and used a 6-32 screw and nut. As issued the 78 standards are not slotted, the thin rebated central portion of the barrel band screw fits between the barrel and gas tube. If you use a beefier screw, will have to slot the barrel to allow room for it to fit (the QB 78D and AR 2078 barrels are slotted this way for their for diameter screws to pass).
With that in place, rife no longer two-grouped.
These are 5-shot groups at 20 yards. For a new rifle, it shows promise.
Believe once it’s broken in with another 300-400 shots, will improve the groups as well as smooth things out a little more.
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Shot count is pretty p-poor, but you can’t get a .177 co2 past 12 foot pounds without squirting out a lot of gas per shot. On 12gr. cartidges , will get about 30-32 shots per fill (24 gr.) at the 725 fps/10.6 gr. level.
Running fast using 12 gr. cartridges is NOT a great goal for an everyday co2 rifle. This is a rifle for hunting, there is no need to push speeds and shorten shot count for plinking or target shooting. I do have bulk fill guns, HPA conversions, caliber converted QB’s, and tankers. This one is for “simpleâ€.
Just grab the rifle, drop some 12 gr.s in your pocket, and head out into the woods.
If ordering a more all-around QB, would ask for a bit lower speed and a longer shot count. Would also order it in .22, as that is always the better co2 performer.
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Problems:
None from Mike’s work, the rifle came ready to go.
From my farting around with it, taking it apart, removing the barrel so many times to get the barrel band and LDC just right, did manage to tear up the barrel o-rings and blow the bolt probe o-ring. Not a problem, Mike included spares, and if I hadn’t have taken the barrel on/off a dozen times would not have needed to replace them.
I snapped the rinky-dink barrel band screw. This is the standard (thinner) diameter standard barrel and I have no complaints about the plastic barrel band. Have had more problems with loose fitting metal bands than with the plastic ones and the plastic ones do seem to work just as well.
