Assuming that you already have the breech/barrel removed from the tube/trigger frame...

- Remove the stock transfer port and its gasket from the valve exhaust transfer area.

- Place the stainless port inside the Viton sheath. If one end of the Viton sheath is cut less "pretty" than the other, put that side down onto the valve.

- Hold the frame/tube upright as if shooting and place the Boss Buddy into the tube transfer opening (on top of the valve).  Keep it upright.

- Tricky part for some: Lower the breech/barrel port opening directly over the Boss Buddy and hold together tightly with one hand.

- Make certain the hammer pin is behind the probe... and especially that the breech screw hole in the breech lines up with the tube breech screw hole.

- Install and start the breech screw a few turns. Check that is is going together straight and aligned... a very tiny amount of side to side and front to back moving helps me confirm I am in the right spot. If good...

- Tighten the breech screw another turn or so... check again... when you feel good about it, then go ahead and snug up the breech screw (do not over tighten or it will strip out the tiny breech screw head).

That's it.

Note: With all this going on it feels like you need three hands a couple of times, but go slow and keep the tube held level as if shooting the entire time.

I am pleased to announce that we are already in the process of gathering parts and beginning building some guns that have been done before (what hasn't?) but that we sorely miss.  


The 1740 (basically a 2240 in .177 caliber) has been gone for awhile, but has in most ways been replaced with the 2300T and 2300KT.  All three are / were nice guns.  We think our recipe will best them... and at a comparable price.

The 2289 / BackPacker /  Doomsday Bugout (DBO) has just been discontinued.  Word has it that the Crosman Custom Shop will eventually offer a pumper along these lines. Ours will be better and will be cost competitive given what we will add to it. It will be available in both .22 and .177 calibers with some barrel length choices as well.

Finally, a small run of Stubby / shorty CO2 8 gram cartridge guns will be made as well.  Their tubes, barrels and breeches will be noticeably smaller than a 2240, but they will perform and look fantastic.  After we build the run of complete guns, we will begin offering the parts needed for the DIY builders and modders out there.

The "Stubby" gun will be first out of the gate in a few weeks, then followed fairly quickly by both the 1740 and the 2289.  

So, watch for these and let me know what you think.

  

Our Pump RP valve for the 13xx family of Crosman air guns has been very popular due to its performance and the fact that it is Plug & Play (meaning that it simply replaces the stock valve and does not require a flat top adjustable piston).  

Feedback from many dozens of customers has been 100% positive.  Only two were ever returned: one was due to an alignment issue with the threaded hole not exactly 180 degrees from the exhaust port.  Easy fix! The other had a tiny spec of swarf at the check valve.  Another easy fix.

BUT... there is barely a day that goes by that I do not get questioned by prospective owners because they haven't read this blog I am typing now!  LOL 

Lets start at the beginning. I maintain that the longstanding fully modded flat top valve and its companion flat top adjustable piston is not one mod, but actually two.  The flat top of the valve and the mating flat top of the piston has NOTHING to do with the power potential of the valve.  The flat topping business is ALL ABOUT making the physical pumping efficiency so that a user can get more air per stroke into the valve.  Not a bad thing at all, but it does require BOTH parts (more expense and adjustment required) to get it.  I make, sell and use the flat top pair when I want BOTH more efficient pumping and a valve with more power potential.

So what if one were to take a bone stock (un-modded) valve and flat top the face of it... then pair it with a flat top adjustable piston?  What would we have?  It will take less pumps to reach the "sweet spot" (please read earlier blog)... but it will shoot the EXACT SAME fps as the stock valve and piston that took more pumps to reach the sweet spot,  The flat top is for pumping efficiency but does nothing to make the valve ultimately more powerful. So we would have to pump less to get the maximum power from the stock valve, but the performance would not be enhanced at all. 

Let's go the RP direction.  What if we leave the piston stock, then take a bone stock valve and modify it to make the pressure chamber slightly larger in volume... and then make the exhaust chamber slightly larger in volume AND angle the port?  Now the pressure chamber will hold more volume of air.  It will take MORE pumps to bring that larger volume of air even to the same maximum PSI as before the valve was modified, but now when we reach the "sweet spot" ... stop pumping and fire the gun... a larger (and more powerful) volume of air can be released from that larger pressure chamber and exhaust a larger charge to the barrel port for higher fps (and fpe).  Yes, we had to pump more times, but we get more powerful performance results.

We (and our customer users) have proven that this works very well, costs less, and is easier to accomplish. 

Other than having to pump more times to reach the sweet spot, is there any downside to this?  Maybe, depending on the operator.  If someone pumps 20+ times every time they fire... and pumps quickly,,, and shoots many times and often,,, then the stock plastic piston with its rubber cup is going to wear quicker.  I have not seen one break.  I have not even been able to wear out a piston cup yet.  But lets say that this speed demon that shoots an entire tin of pellets every outing... and shoots every time they get a chance... experiences a negative change in the gun's performance after many weeks/months/years (who knows?). What is the downside?  Another new stock piston and cup is cheap and easy to replace.  The valve, tube and linkage should be fine.  

Bottom line for me: I have a couple of guns with this valve and I like what it does for me with the way I shoot.  If I am plinking or target shooting (90% of the time) I do not pump for maximum velocity. If I am shooting for power / speed then I know I have that capability.  When I do pump that many times I do not fiendishly pump because I am not racing to shoot again and I can feel how warm the tube gets when I have done that in the past.    

For some actual chrony data from one of my customers that has two of these (one in a 1322 and the other in a 1377), please see the "Kind Words" page and the long entry there.

Just remember to "Have Fun Shooting"!

David G.

We modders like to know whether our changes are better or not. Efficiency mods on the 22xx family let us count shots per CO2 cartridge. Easy.  Accuracy mods let us compare target groupings.  But power mods need something to tell us whether our guns are more powerful (or not) than before or after a modification. That something could be a chronometer (chrony for short).  I have one... a really good with with a printer!  But it is a PITA to set up and worst of all takes TIME (not usually our friend).

For some time now, my quick down and dirty (but relatively accurate) gauge of power results from my modifications has been the use of a stack of cardboard boxes bundled and turned up facing me.  These boxes are folded and take up little room, are portable, and are 15 boxes deep... times two layers per folded box equals 30 layers.  This is more than adequate to stop any of the 13xx and 22xx family of guns.

All I do is make certain the before and after shots are from the same distance (usually 5 meters in my main shop room). I use the stick on dots to give me a bunch of bulls to shoot at. If in a hurry, a Sharpie marker will give me something to shoot at in a hurry.  Because the cardboard is so uniform, repetitive shots from a gun rarely varies more than one or two layers.  For example: somebody sends me a 2240 to install a hot valve and port.  I take the gun before and shoot five times into the boxes.  I get 10 to 13 layers.  OK.  Then I install the valve and the port and make certain everything is buttoned up tight, then shoot five shots into a different spot of the cardbard boxes.  I count layers and find 17 to 19 layers have been penetrated. Sweet.  Mission accomplished.  Now it is true I do not know the exact fps nor can I calculate the fpe, but I do know what I wanted to know: This man is paying for increased performance and he is fixing to get it.

You might say that this is the same as shooting a phone book.  No, it's not.  I can do a dozen or more sessions with one stack of boxes.  I can keep the groupings separate.  I can count the depth of penetration much faster (in seconds) and I can get boxes easily for free all year long,,, whereas I only have a few phone books and they read easier without holes blasted all into them.

Targets
I have a range set up in my back yard that lets me shoot 5, 10 and 20 meters.  I have a box filled with Duct Seal that holds two pages of targets at a time.  I like that.  Above that is a shelf where I can set things to shoot... cans, ice figures, spent CO2 cartridges, mild carton full of water, whatever.  i like that, too.  Above that I have one of the re-settable spinner contraptions that lets me shoot six times, then shoot the 7th that releases the six so  can go again.  Hey, what's not to like about that?

But my favorite target setup is this:  I have taken six metal coffee cans, screwed them into a treated 2x10 in a line horizontally with their tops facing me.  I pack tightly full each one of these six cans with the plastic bags that we get everywhere (grocery store, Wally World, Target, convenience store, wherever). Then I put the plastic lid on the front of each one... and finally peel off six of the Birchwood Casey orange adhesive targets and put one on each of the can lids.

Let me tell you... the stopping power of this is tremendous.  i shoot these with the Disco, the Marauder, and the PCP Hatsans.  It only goes about 1/2 way in.  Our 13xx and 22xx much less.  The cans only get hit on the edge if you are really a bad shot or have a flier, but that edge even takes abuse pretty well.  I am using the same six cans I started with three years ago.  I drink coffee year around so my supply of lids is ridiculous.   The lids do not crack or shatter, so they also take a surprising amount of shots before they get replaced (for free).

Thanks for stopping in.  Remember to have fun shooting!

The saying "your mileage may vary" gets tossed around a lot referring to our guns.  I use the phrase myself.  Whether bone stock right out of the box or highly modified and tuned, there will almost always be differences from one gun to another.

On the pump guns (1322, 1377, PC77, Backpacker, 760, etc.) so many people want more power, more fps, more fpe.  Often right out of the gate I get orders for heavy hammer springs over and over.  Hardly ever does anyone ask for a lighter valve spring.  But we've been over springs earlier, but I am just making the point that there are certain knee jerk reactions that might not be right for the gun (at least not right away).

Some examples:  I have had folks with a stock 1377 or 1322 call to order a heavier hammer spring.  I ask how they are using the gun (targets, plinking, small yard pests, hunting, etc.).  Often I hear primarily targets and plinking but with the occasional bird or squirrel as the target.  I ask how many times they are pumping the gun.  Lots say not over ten (as Crosman advises), but some say 12 to 15 or more.  I ask if they pump max all the time?  Or just as needed?.  So I ask at ten pumps (or whatever their self-imposed max is) is your valve retaining any pressure after a shot?  Most do not know and have never tried to find out. I HAVE to ask this next question!  Why are you wanting a heavier spring to release more air if you don't know if you even can?... when it is likely that your gun is dumping all of the charge every single shot!  So therein lies what I call the "sweet spot".  

You pump your gun higher until you reach the point that after a shot, you re-cock without pumping and see if there is anything left in the valve.  Lets say on a given gun that is 16 pumps. So if that is the case, then why even pump past 15 pumps? If you target shoot and plink 90% of the time with 6 to 10 pumps, then when you think you need more power you will know that 15 is about all she's got (without further mods).

Now there are speed demons out there that will pump the maximum all the time/ every time.  If your piston is stock and you do this repetitively and often then you are going to decrease the life of that piston due to the heat and friction this behavior subjects the piston to.  During a spirited shooting session of repeated maximum pumping just stop for a second and feel the air tube.  Pretty warm, huh? The concern over this is what is behind several mods including "stuffed piston" (reinforced so it will not bend / deform under higher pressures and temperatures... also the pistons made from metals (aluminum, brass) or better plastics (usually delrin) to take the heat and pressure abuse. Some go for Viton o-rings at the piston and the valve outer... because Viton handles higher heat than standard Butyl.

So find that sweet spot!... if for no other reason than to not be over-pumping every time and stressing your gun for no gain.  Hopefully that will be enough for you.  If that sweet spot is not enough for you, then you'll know you need to move on to valve and / or piston mods, spring mods, porting mods, extended probes, etc. etc.

It's really hard to tell how many readers we have of this little blog.  With 100 to 600 visitors every day I would hope that a few of you out there are reading and finding it at least worth the time it takes to read these little meanderings.  I'd really love to hear more of your comments, your take on the subject matter and even a few pointed questions.... or suggestions.  

So this reaching out does have a motive! I really love all these air guns.  I hope you do, too.  I am always thinking of what needs to be better or different or improved.  I just bet you fine folks do at least a bit of the same now and again. So, with that said I would like to invite YOU to share what you WISH were available but is NOT (yet).

I'll go first with a four of my dearest wishes... just to maybe get the collective synapses firing: 

1. The "holy grail" part on my wish list is a metal grip frame plate (now discontinued) for less than half the price of a new gun.  It is SO frustrating to me that I can plate or powder coat or polish and clear an entire frame, but there is that little triangle of black plastic to deal with.

2. I wish to have replacement options for all the Crosman plastic parts.  High on that list are the pumper (including Backpacker) barrel bands.  I do not like to be able to twist the barrel and tube laterally with little effort.  For some reason I do not have a problem with Delrin or properly engineered 3D printed plastic (the reason being is they are not bent easily at all... are very strong... take finishes well... yet are not brittle and do not shatter or break easily). Metal is good, but the offerings out there are pretty dang pricey. The Crosman plastic bends and distorts. It Is very tough, but hardly "serious" gun worthy.  That is perhaps why the metal breeches are so popular as an upgrade.  I am NOT knocking Crosman for using it!  I will repeat that I am amazed and thankful that Crosman makes these fine guns for so little of price.  I acknowledge that if they made them all metal and wood, then the price would be much higher and we would have less fun transforming them into what we want them to be. 

3. I wish for some rear sight options (besides the LPA MIM or the standard rear sight). I know there are more, but they cost MORE than the price of a new gun.  The Crosman rear sight is in my opinion a superior design (albeit that non-rigid plastic).  Maybe we can improve on that.  I also like the rear sight to be mid-gun on the guns we put longer barrels onto.  Whether LPA MIM, stock rear or other, the visual resolution is terrible when a long barrel is added and the distance between the two sights (front and rear) is lengthened without changing SOMETHING.  How can I hit the spinner at 20 meters if the front blade completely covers it up?  The stock Backpacker setup is pretty crude in my opinion.  These guns are more accurate than the sighting allows.  Maybe its just me!?

4. I wish for some inexpensive yet durable accessory mounting "helpers" that make it really easy to add a bi-pod or torch or laser to our guns without hanging metal adapters (scratch makers) all over our blued metal tubes and barrels. 

That's four.  Your turn.

Have fun shooting (and wishing).

  

It seems there are nearly as many opinions ABOUT what a good crown is as there are barrels.

Let's break it down and go for the obvious first.  

The end of the barrel can be flat faced without any harm to the accuracy of the gun.  How could the face have anything to do with the flight of the pellet, anyway?  But... any future bumping of that flat face may result in damage to the bore edge.  That just might affect the accuracy of the gun. I personally like BOTH a raised outer face perimeter with a faint bevel to the edge of the tip OD to take away the sharp edge.


The end of the bore (where the ID meets the face) should be crowned.  I like a 60 degree bevel at the interface of the face and the bore. However, if properly done (on a lathe), I see no reason why 50 or 75 or 90 would not work.  As long as it is symmetrical and smooth there should be no downside to one angle over another.  I expect that any good crown job will be very accurately made (again, on a lathe) with a crowning bit... a good burr check... and finally a good polishing with a lapping bit and compound.


I am convinced that none of the above really matters as long as the transition from rifled bore to crowned angle to face is smooth, symmetrical and without burr or dragger.  


Rule of thumb: If the pellet does not touch it as it exits the barrel, then it is not important.


Some of the best shooting guns I have shot have factory crowns that are not too pretty to look at.  Inversely, some of the barrels with absolutely gorgeous and accurately made crowns just will not group like the others.  So why is that? The problem is not the crown. It is something else.  


Does the gun NEED a different pellet?  Odd how our guns like certain pellets, yet another of the same model may need a different one entirely.  The answer is that there are numerous variations of the bore (diameter, straightness, any choking going on?)... variation of the lands and grooves of the rifling (the highly regarded Lothar Walther match barrels for our guns have more lands and grooves, but their crowns are actually quite plain AND ALL LOOK THE SAME)... variations of the leade of one barrel to the next and how well they seat (or distort?) the pellet on average, etc. 


Some people put an awful lot of importance to the crown.  I look at it as one of those things that if done accurately just eliminates the crown of a gun as a variable in our quest for the "nail driver" accuracy we all want.  Put another way: In my humble opinion, a bad crown can negatively affect accuracy (by physical interference and/or being non-symmetrical). But if it is not doing that... then it is a neutral that is having no negative OR positive affect.  One good crown job is no better or worse than any other good crown job.  A crown is either problematic or it is sufficient.  I say barrel crowns do not fit the "mojo" category.


Have fun shooting!


 

Well, in the grand scheme of things, maybe that is taking it a bit TOO far, but the sentiment is a good one for our guns.

The bad news:  When you get a brand spanking new Crosman gun (Co2 or pump), it will most likely NOT be as clean and smooth and lubed up as it needs to be to start its long life of service to its new owner.  The catch is that what I am about to recommend (what I ALWAYS do) will most certainly void your warranty.  So if that bothers you in any way, stop reading NOW.  I understand that this is not for everybody.  I know two truths for myself: I want to clean and re-lube my new gun... and there is no scenario in this world where I personally would ever need to send anything back to Crosman to fix for me. Even if in my cleaning I find a defective part, the gun will not go back to Crosman. They may be sending me a replacement part... and they may request that I send the bad part back to them.  Fine. WIthin days or weeks, my gun will be so changed that there is no way the warranty means anything to me whatsoever.  So please take this into consideration before you do ANYTHING. 

The good news: Our guns are easily dis-assembled and just as easily reassembled. And if you are new to "our guns", what better way to learn how it works and become familiar with all the parts and how they are assembled than to go through it for a good initial cleaning, polishing and lubing?  I can guarantee you that this was the best way for me to learn them inside and out when I first began.

Knowing the parts intimately and truly understanding their functions and interactions is absolutely a MUST for the serious modder / builder to make certain they wind up with a truly improved air gun. It sure helps to thoroughly know your gun before you try to change something you don't even fully understand, especially if you are the type that might actually come up with new modifications, procedures, new designs for improvement... or to solve a problem.

Second only to this one-on-one communion between you and your new gun during this initial cleaning exercise, I recommend that you join the CAPOF forum and start reading, pondering, looking and asking questions. In a short time you will know the answers to questions that you read from the new batch of newbies that come after you.

Finally, do not forget internet searches and Youtube videos (both best taken with a grain of salt at times, but usually educational and informative).  I actually found out about the CAPOF (Crosman Air Pistol Owners Forum) by watching interesting videos made by BRUTUZ the creator and web master of the forum! 

Notice: Dear Reader, I am telling you what I do and why.  I do not know your mechanical aptitude, what tools you have, whether you know how to use tools, what your fine motor skills and eye/hand coordination are, whether you can look at an exploded drawing from the Crosman site and see how things work, or whether you have the ability to have a clue where parts you just removed go back together.  Bottom line: Disassemble, clean and reassemble your gun if YOU want to do it... if YOU feel comfortable doing it, and YOU take full responsibility for attempting it.  If this disclaimer causes you to pause and/or doubt yourself, then do not do it.  Do not call me asking for the safety ball and spring you lost because you were following my recommendation to disassemble and clean your gun.  

Back to cleanliness!  I am not going to detail dis-assembly and reassembly.  There are some good Youtube videos to help you if you need it.  Watch them first before you begin and as many times as you need to do the job.  

While you are doing this total (or near total) tear down, wipe every part down with a clean cloth. Terry towel scrap or rag is just fine.  Just don't leave anything behind. I use white just so I get to look at all that black and brown gunk that covers much of the internals. Feel every surface that you can with your fingers and make note of any raised edges or burrs.  There should be none, but most times there are.  Maybe not anything totally absurd, but just not clean and smooth.  Now I do not recommend that you do any metal material removal at all.  But if the hammer looks like it was picked up off a greasy tray that it had been laying on for awhile... and the discoloration will not wipe off, then perhaps a very light sanding... or solvent bath... or tumbling in your reload vibratory tumbler if you have one... is in order.  

I do have both a vibratory tumbler and a solvent bath.  My set method for cleaning is to toss the hammer, the sear, the springs and the brass bolt (o-ring removed) in it on top of some walnut shell media for a couple of hours. Afterward, I blow them off with the air hose and finally I give them a bath in acetone or naptha or lacquer thinner, etc. Of course remember that nothing rubber (o-rings, seals, gasket) or blued gets the tumbler or the solvent bath.  If you have neither of these then you can do just fine with your cloth and perhaps some 60 grit paper if needed.  Do not sand anything blued and/or external, of course.  I suppose only the hammer and the outside of the 22xx valve are the only two light sanding candidates.


Push some cleaning pellets down the barrel until one comes out really clean.  It is usually the third one for me.  Then take that clean one and run it through once more from the opposite end.

Do not forget the inside of the tube.  I hold it up to the light and peer into it to look for anything that is not a smooth shine.  I run a cloth through it until it is clean.  

If this is your first time, perhaps skip over taking the valve apart (the two halves of the body just unscrews... and they only have seven parts including the o-rings and the valve housing halves on the pumpers... and only six for the CO2 valves).  But if you are game, go for it.  To unscrew the valve halves, I wrap a piece of business card around one end for scratch protection, then clamp it securely with vise grips... and turn the other end with the chuck end of a drill bit that just fills the valve port opening.  I can do this over and over without scratching the outside of the valve.  You may have a different or better idea.  I know my ways works just fine for me.  

I certainly do find little "treasures" from time to time in the valves: a piece of grit, or excessive locktite on the threads of the 22x valves... an occasional tiny piece of metal shaving (swarf)... and certainly more of the discolored lubricant that you will have already seen on the outside of the valve, on the hammer and spring and inside the tube.

So now you have it all apart and everything is clean.  Now we need to re-lubricate before we re-assemble. I use my own Cart Gun Oil (same as Pellgunoil) and just put a drop on my fingers and then rub over all the surfaces as I re-assemble.  No heavy application on anything, just a light surface film is all it needs.  This includes the threads of the CO2 cap, the springs, the hammer, the hammer pin, the valve parts inside and out, the sear, the bolt/probe, all o-rings, etc. etc.  I do not lube the barrel at all.  It will get mistings later as it is being used. Use a tiny amount of a lithium or synthetic grease on the sear and trigger pins, on the sear spot where the trigger contacts one end and on the sear spot where it contacts both the spring from below and the hammer catch from above. 

Until next time... Have fun shooting!

Here we have the Crosman Sear Spring Adjuster.  It is comprised of three parts (the spring, the base and the adjuster).  This upgraded sear spring comes on the 2300S and the Crosman Custom Shop 2300KT and 2400 KT pistols and carbines.

This upgrade will also fit any of the trigger frames of the 22xx and 13xx familes as well as the Backpacker.

These guns with the stock sear spring will have a trigger pull in the 3.5 to 4.0 lb. range.

Add this upgrade with the adjuster all the way down and you will immediately have a trigger pull in the 2.5 to 3.0 lb. range.  Getting better, huh?  But that's all there is?  The adjuster is all the way down and you can't relax the spring any further !?  Nah!

So lets mod the mod, then... shall we? 

Cut about two loops off of the spring on one end only.  If you can't count loops, then just make it about 1/4" inch shorter.  Re-install the spring with the freshly cut end of the spring DOWN.  With the adjuster lowered all the way, cock the gun and dry fire it.  If it will fire, then take the spring off and cut another loop off.  What?  Yes, we do not want the gun to release the hammer with the adjuster all the way down.  Fast forward to you having the spring in with the adjuster down and the gun will not release the hammer.  GOOD!

NOW... adjust the adjuster up while testing every 1/4 turn until it WILL release the hammer (dry fire).  Dry fire over and over to make sure it will release the hammer every time.  Adjust up in 1/4 turns until it does release the hammer many times in a row.  

Congratulations!  You now have a trigger pull in the 1.5 to 2.0 lb. range.  Feels really good, huh?  You are now about 1/2 the trigger pull of the stock trigger spring... and you have doubled the affect of the adjustable sear spring from approx. 1 pound of pull reduction to approximately 2 pounds of pull.  

If that is too light for you, there is still more upward adjustment to go higher with spring tension and trigger pull.  So, there is no harm done and we have not lost anything at all (except I am positive you just voided your sear spring adjuster warranty).  Pity that. ;)

Oh, almost forgot: If you have a CCS (Crosman Custom Shop) trigger frame that has the adjustable trigger stop, now is the time to set it as close to the the trigger as possible without preventing repetitive firing.  It takes the "slop" out of the trigger travel past the point of firing.  

Less unnecessary movement = better grouping / accuracy.  A repeatably predictable trigger pull that you can "get used to" and count on = better grouping / accuracy.

Next time we'll talk a bit about the finer points of cleaning and polishing and de-burring (Oh MY!).

Until next time... Have fun shooting!