New Mainspring for Quest

[gunsup0331]

In anticipation for the upcoming DIY "lube tune" on my Quest 1k, i have been looking into "faster" mainsprings, mainly from Maccari.
 Only problem is, theres no spring on his website that says "This will fit your Quest and make the pellets come out at a higher rate of speed"

 So my question would be:

 Who has an aftermarket spring in their Quest for more power and what was needed to make it work?

[CharlieDaTuna]

Not sure why you would really want to do that. There really isn't a true " power spring"  for the Gamo or it's clones and even if there were, it would be pretty much self defeating. In addition to that, the power plant and it's swept volume will only allow so much. The Quest spring is not a good spring, but  is a reasonably powerful spring but not  very docile and I don't know of any pro-tuner that would ever use it.

[gunsup0331]

CharlieDaTuna - 7/15/2008  10:15 AM

 The Quest spring is not a good spring, but  is a reasonably powerful spring but not  very docile and I don't know of any pro-tuner that would ever use it.

 Hello Bob...Im not sure what you meant by this statement, i assume you mean the aftermarket spring(s) available for a Quest is not worth the trouble??

 I do not want a screamer, but I do want a 50ish fps  increase or at least maintain my current power levels after using Heavy tar on my buzzy mainspring, and i would prefer that velocity with heavier (8.3-9gr) pellets that i will be using for hunting, I bounced a CPHP off a crow at 25yds the other day and was none too thrilled.

 I have done a lot of searching, especially on this site reading posts by yourself and Gene about the argument of velocity vs. accuracy. I have a lot of respect for the "been there/done that" experienced individuasl like you and the other tuners on this forum.
  The Quest is accurate enough for my needs, it just needs a bit of taming and a bit more "Balls" for my taste.

 I truly wish i could afford to send my gun to you [CDT] for a TurboTune but its not in the cards for me at this time.  Besides, I am young and have a lot of tinkering left to do  (Unless you do a military discount lol)

  I know the potential can of worms I am opening but i honestly just want to try different things with this gun.

 If i do not need a mainspring for the increase i am looking for I have heard other methods but its about as clear as mud to me even after hours of searching.  The one guaranteed fps increase comes from a spring so that was my go-to option, instead of washers and other tricks.

 Any further input or suggestions are welcome but Im looking for a rather specific answer.

Thank you for your reply and i look forward to further advice.

 
 :emoticon:

[CharlieDaTuna]

No.... what I meant was that there is not an after market spring made for them that is designed to develop more power than the stock spring and if there were, it would probably not be worth the installation because of the firing behavior that will result and a poorer firing cycle. Pushing springs and a couple of other things will also create the same issues. Band-Aide fix's are not the answer. That said though, if you have a fatigued or collapsed spring, it would surely make an improvement but if you don't have a crony, you can't even accurately determine that unless it is fairly severe.

It is quite common to have a bit of a velocity loss in a powerful gun when tuning a gun properly but the difference in the firing cycle and accuracy is greatly improved and that is what matters. Just ask anybody that has had a gun tuned by not just me but any pro-tuner. That's why many people detune a gun.

And don't feel bad... a lot of guys have bounced pellets off crows at 25 yards. Bringing down Crows does usually require good shot placement. I've nailed a couple of them and just shook my head as they flew off squawking.  But then if you have or had a detonation or used heavy pellets, that might be a good reason for a power loss why you didn't  knock it down too.

Oh.... and this answer is about as specific as it can get.

Howerver, play with it and experiment and learn from it. That's what this hobby of ours is all about and have fun..

[gunsup0331]

Thanks for the clarification...I have the gun strewn about my kitchen table right now and Ive noticed the spring is a bit bent: nothing severe but its a little wavy.
 Ill do a write-up when im finished, i was quite surprised as to how many things can be improved on the internals, a lot of smoothing is in order and ive replaced the breech washers with metal ones and cleaned up the seats. The factory spring-to-guide clearance is pretty tight so i think ill be fine without a custom one, which is good since im limited to a battery powered Dremel for power tools.  Unfortunately i cant get my digital camera to focus on the little bits and pieces but Ill make a post when its all back together.  All this makes me really wish I had a Chrony!

thanks again!