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30 January, 2013

QB57 Air Rifle Test and Review by Randall

We recently received the following customer test and review of the QB57 air rifle from Randall. He writes...

“Hello Stephen, I offer more feedback for my QB57 which I've tuned and lubed, including making the trigger pull short, easy and crisp.  I somewhat straightened the rod connecting the front and rear sections of the trigger, which essentially lengthened it. That shortened the first stage.  

I then adjusted the vertically situated screw in the rear section of the trigger mechanism for a shorter second stage and applied blue Loctite (appx. 15 turns in).  It's as close to a target friendly trigger as my gun is likely to get.


Also, I installed an NCStar 2-7x pistol scope, which has very long eye relief (I've got it as far forward on the rail as possible), allowing me to shoot comfortably without having to crane my head forward on the stock.  

The only drag with this particular scope was adjusting the parallax (no OA) to my preferred 10 yds.  It was a tedious battle of adjusting both lenses, as one did effect the other, but now that it's set, it works fine.


I finally broke down and bought a Shooting Chrony Alpha and did some testing of the 57 using 12, 8.2 gr., Stoeger X-Match pellets (it likes those and H&N Sport - same pellet?).  The average velocity for my gun was 632 fps.  The attached target was my first shot after the trigger work.  I hope to do better with further practice.  
  
All in all, I think the QB57 a sensational airgun that is a joy to shoot.

I hope to be consistently shooting 200 point targets with several X's to sweeten the deal; the gun is more than capable of doing it given the right pellet and a patient shooter.

PS. The part of the QB57 throwaway scope consisting of the ocular lens, with 4x20 printed on it, makes for an excellent magnifying eye loupe, superb for close up work.”

Randall, thanks for your comments - that’s great shooting from your QB57!

SAFETY NOTE: Always keep your arm between the cocking lever and body of the QB57 when loading pellets to avoid this happening to you.

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24 January, 2013

Crosman 1377 or 2240 trigger pull weight too heavy? Here's how to improve it.

The Crosman 1377 and 2240 are excellent air pistols. But one very common complaint is that the factory trigger pull weight is much too heavy, typically well over 5 lbs.

The Archer Airguns 13/22 SuperSear solves this problem simply and easily, reducing the trigger pull weight on these pistols by around 2 lbs - that's a huge 40% improvement!

And it's easy to install yourself with no adjustments required...



The 13/22 SuperSear is installed by simply removing the right side pistol grip, removing the factory sear and replacing it. Full instructions are included with the kit. The included stainless steel washers help to center the sear and trigger, removing the objectionable side-to-side "slop" that's felt in the factory trigger assembly.

Note that the Archer Airguns 13/22 SuperSear is designed for use with UNMODIFIED Crosman 1377 and 2240-type air pistols. It may not work - or even be dangerous - if installed in combination with other trigger modifications such as weaker sear springs. If you've already made other trigger mods to your pistol, please don't add a 13/22 SuperSear!


We tested the trigger pull weight of two new, unmodified, Crosman air pistols (one 1377 and one 2240) both in standard factory condition and with the 13/22 SuperSear installed. Here's some test data that shows the huge improvement in trigger pull weight provided by the 13/22 SuperSear.



As you can see, the 13/22 SuperSear transformed these air pistols from having a trigger pull weight of over well over 5 lbs, down to below 4 lbs. This, together with the improved "feel" of the new sear, aids accuracy considerably when shooting.

Also, the 13/22 SuperSear reduced the shot-to-shot variation in trigger pull weight by over 10%, making trigger pull more predictable and again aiding in practical shooting accuracy.

If you want to make one simple, easy and predictable improvement to the trigger of your new Crosman 1377 or 2240 air pistol, the Archer Airguns 13/22 SuperSear could be your best choice!

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09 January, 2013

Barrel Cleaning - It Works!

OK, I admit it! I've never been a great airgun barrel cleaner, I've just never considered it necessary. But, maybe I've been wrong - at least some of the time. Recent discussions on the Chinese Airgun Forum have caused me to change my mind a little.

Well, actually Paul - who performs most of the Archer Airguns Gold Service tests on spring/piston air rifles - tried barrel cleaning under controlled conditions. He was testing a QB57 air rifle, which are usually very accurate, for a customer order and the accuracy for the gun was just not there. So, he cleaned this particular barrel with Q Tips saturated with "Break Free" and pushed through the barrel with a thin wood dowel. The images below show the results he obtained.

1. Here is the performance of the QB57 with an uncleaned barrel.


2. We see the resulting Q Tips from Paul's cleaning activities. He marked them so that you can see the progression in cleaning. The first is at the top, the last - when the barrel looked truly clean - is at the bottom.


3. Here is the test target that Paul re-shot after cleaning. There's a huge improvement! Note that this was done by the same shooter, with the same air rifle using pellets from the same tin and shooting immediately after the first target. The group shape was approximately the same in both cases, but the one achieved after cleaning was much smaller.


Yes, this is just one test, but I'd say that it certainly supports the contention that barrel cleaning is good for accuracy with airguns - at least occasionally and especially when the gun is new.

Thanks to Paul for his efforts and initiative in producing these results!

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04 January, 2013

Stoeger X20 air rifle test results. Great quality for the best price!

The Stoeger X20 Air rifle is somewhat overshadowed by it's more "sexy" sibling, the X20 Suppressor, but it offers great value for money at just $159.99.

Offering a good quality wood stock, and a better 3-9 x 40AO scope than the X20 Suppressor, the "regular" Stoeger X20 offers similar excellent performance for around $40.00 less cost - so long as noise level is not a consideration.

Not that the X20 is loud - it's about average for it's type and muzzle velocity - but it is about twice as loud at the X20 Suppressor version.

As for "real world" performance, take a look at this Gold Service test target for a .177 caliber X20 that we shipped to a customer today. As you can see, the gun is as accurate as can be - the 10-shot group size is more a result of my shooting ability than the accuracy of the air rifle - while muzzle velocity is excellent and very consistent, just look at that excellent 5 fps standard deviation for a new spring/piston air rifle that's not yet broken in.


Muzzle energy comes in at a very respectable 14.6 ft/lbs and that's combined with an easy to cock mechanism and a size and weight that aid accurate shooting. X20s are not very hold-sensitive either, at least in my experience, another benefit for this quality air rifle.


The Stoeger X20 could be one of the best air rifle bargains out there right now. And Archer Airguns has a very special price of $159.99 on the wood stock version in both .177 and .22 caliber.

The Stoeger X20 certainly qualifies as an airgun secret that you should take advantage of!

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About This Blog

This blog shares information, ideas and knowledge about air rifles. It compliments the information Stephen publishes on the Archer Airguns website, on YouTube and the Chinese Airgun Forum.

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