​Once I became an airgunner, I worked quite some time at improving the MSP's of the time.  Living at 8,000 FASL the yield of spring-guns was "weak" to say the least, and the springs that worked for sea level provided a very harsh shot cycle. So an MSP pumped up 13 times (as opposed to the 10 needed at sea level, did provide useful energies and performance.
Sheridans were hard to work on, and then-current Benjamins were not that good. 
I re-barreled a few 2100's into 0.20" cal when the best pellet in the world was the 14.3 grs. Premier in the cardboard box.
And the Lothar Walther barrels then in use also performed well with wadcutters:

​- A partial assembly was put together so that Mark could see exactly what he would be looking at once his gun was finalized:

​After receiving the AM03 and getting it set up to shoot everything went very smoothly and the rifle fit me well just as received. My quick impressions from the first shooting sessions were very favorable. The AM03 is heavy. The all up weight is 9 lbs. 11 oz. which is heavier than my Diana 34 at 9 lbs. exactly. My HW30S weighs in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. Both rifles are scoped. The cocking effort of the AM03 was perceptibly heavier than the HW30S but not by a significant amount. The difference between the two would not make me choose one over the other just based upon the work involved in cocking. My Diana 34 is significantly more work. The trigger on the AM03, which I understand is an Ntec T06, is very light and has a clean, crisp break. A very nice trigger so I can't blame my sometimes poor shooting on the trigger.

N.E. I would like to finish this entry by thanking Bill for his time and effort.

And yes,I learned things that we expect to put in place with the new EMS line at DIANA.

The 34 EMS will allow users to "tailor" the gun in such a way as to suit THEM.

Particularly in Bill's case, I am already envisioning a 34 EMS with the NTec trigger, a lightweight ABP unit inside the OEM piston, a shorter barrel, and a Carbon Fiber moderator/Harmonics Tuner in place. The short barrel will save 1 full pound of weight, the Carbon Fiber mod/HT will save another ¼ lb, and a beech stock will also save another ¼ lb, so, all in all, with a Traditions lightweight scope in small ZR Mounts, we could be looking at a 7 to 7¼ lbs all up rifle still capable of delivering 12 ft-lbs at the muzzle with a bit over 25# peak cocking force.

Now, THAT would be an interesting little gun, LOL!


Keep well and shoot straight!





​HM

BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE, I am required to post this, the legal disclaimers:

1.- Swapping the trigger blades WILL invalidate the warranty of your rifle.
2.- ANY user intervention in the triggers MAY result in an UNSAFE condition. Once you get into the trigger you are on your own.
3.- I have no control of YOUR actions, so I can take NO responsibility for the results YOU get. This process proved safe and sound in MY gun. I cannot guarantee that it will be the same in YOURS.

Back in May 2018, I wrote a note about the then available "Super Custom" Triggers for the LGU/LGV rifles.
In the original post we discussed European versions, but on this one we will discuss an American design.

For those that have not followed my interest in these fine guns, I would suggest you take the time to read these entries:
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-walther-sport-family 
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/swapping-the-walther-lgus-trigger 
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/a-yankee-tune-for-the-walther-lguhttps://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/a-yankee-tune-for-the-walther-lgu-second-version 
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-walther-lgv-a-second-look 
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-walther-lgv-pushing-the-power-limits 
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-supercustom-triggers-for-the-walther-lgu-and-lgv

As you can see, I am a great fan of the LGV, considering it the best breakbarrel rifle in recent production. We would have to go a few decades into the past to get something better.
These models had been in production for less than 6 years, and in those 6 years, not less than 4 trigger blades came into the market, WHY?
Savvy airgunners have been puzzled about how could Walther put such a bad trigger on such a good gun.

And here is where I sometimes ask myself questions that I know would be very "uncomfortable" for a manufacturer to answer, but that definitely point to a marketing strategy that fails to take into account the simple truth that "There are no second 'First Impressions' "

If we analyze the cold facts, they are:
- Rifles are very good rifles, among the breakbarrels, the LGV has no peer. The LGU faces stiff competition from other fixed barrel rifles that are just as good, if not a bit better, depending on the criteria used for judging.
- Price, when they hit the market was high. Granted, ALL airgun prices were high back then; in general, prices have come down as demand has grown, production volumes have gone up, and more brands/models are available.
- Simultaneous to the launch of the rifle itself, Walther launched a "Match Abzug" (MA) that promised a better release but, again, price was high.
- In at least one market, the rifles were ONLY available WITH the MA, at considerably higher price still.
- At some point, up to 6 different "variants" were offered of the LGV. From "De Luxe" models to "Workhorse" models.

To be honest, as a marketing strategy, this is a recipe for trouble.
Those that could ONLY buy the expensive versions thought about it and probably didn't, or if they did would always question their decision.
Those that bought the "economy" versions would not buy the accessory trigger.

Everyone agreed that the guns were between good and great, but still the market response did not justify the costs of production, one by one, the different variants of the LGV were dropped. Unconfirmed information says that Walther has decided to discontinue ALL breakbarrel rifles. Even when the attempt was never made to market the "Century" (a sort of economy LGV with all the good characteristics, but none of the fineries) in the USA
Which is a pity.

And it is what brings us to this entry.

As with many things in this "CoVid-19" world of "stay at home and do something", some people with the skills and the machines in their workshop now have the time to actually do some serious stuff.
In my cybertravels through the airgunning community, I came across an interesting post about "yet another offering for triggers" for the LGU/LGV, and it piqued my curiosity.

And this is how I met Eric. Eric lives in Texas, and he is a great guy. Modest and unassuming, it's a pleasure to deal with him. He is also talented. At first he said he had developed another trigger for the LGV/LGU rifles but that he needed to polish some aspects, a few months later, he comes up with fully finished prototypes. So many corporations would LOVE to have that time of "Start to Finish R&D", LOL!
SOooooo...
Let's get to the trigger:

I have received some questions about this system (yes it is a SYSTEM), as well as a specific request from one of my favourite persons in the airguns' cyberworld, and the questions tell me that without the IWA 2020 happening, a LOT of what WE (DIANA) had hoped to relay to the users and accomplish on the shooter's information side simply DIDN'T  happen.

Questions also tell me that people are not really up to date about where the research and development of spring guns is going. In a way, that is understandable, manufacturers are not doing the best of jobs in telling people how more advanced today's spring guns can be in relation to those airguns that the Cardews' analyzed in their legendary works.

So, let's look at a little bit of history and how it percolated into the production line of one of the foremost examples of applied technology in the spring-piston airgun world, then we'll look into more recent experiments, and how, finally, the product became a system to be included into the new edition of the Air King (the AirKing Pro). Along the way, we'll discuss how sometimes even manufacturers fail to recognize the DIFFERENCES between an airgun and a firearm.

So, let's get started:

Ever since my powder burning days (1966 to 2000), I have been a firm believer in tuning the gun to the projectile, and choosing the best projectile to the task at hand. If you are familiar with the "Accuracy Node" concept, you know that all rifles have a MV where the bullet exists at the point where the barrel's muzzle's excursion is at its extreme. Meaning that it is going in one direction, stops, and then starts moving back. Like a pendulum, but in a much more violent manner. So, following that methodology, the MV of airguns can be changed in small increments through the use of spacers in the spring, so that the pellet's exit coincides with the end of the oscillation where the transversal velocity of the muzzle is as low as possible because it's either stopping, at rest, or just starting to accelerate back.

Therefore, when I came across a commercial unit that offered to do that for the DIANA's  I jumped into it. Over time, I found the unit somewhat fragile and capricious (getting out of adjustment at the worst possible time), till at some point, I had it glued (this commercial Harmonics Tuning product was discontinued about 15 years ago), then in 2015, as a result of its dismal failure in a WFTC Match, I decided to design something that would work in my favourite platform, the DIANA 54 AirKing.

Some time passed and I then came onto the realization of a basic characteristic of the DIANA 48->56 family: The barrel is in reality a 15.2 mm's barrel that has been encased in a shim and then that shim goes INTO an 18 mm's  sleeve, that is what we see. That is the nicely blued part that we take for a barrel, but it is not.

In the past, SOME shooters used to fill the cavity between the shim, sleeve and barrel with resin, or other compound, and claimed to have improved the accuracy, but my problem with that approach was that it was a FIXED solution. "Tuning" of your system would STILL need to play with the MV and finding the "right" pellet.

I wanted a simpler device, something that would allow you to re-tune the gun should you change pellet batches, or wanted to change brand, power level, or any other thing. Something that would allow you to set a velocity (according to some rules, or other criterion set by YOU), and then tune the gun to THAT. In other words, command the gun and not be commanded by it.

I looked at all the existing Harmonic tuning systems (firearms, archery, and airguns) and all but one depended on a weight that was knurled and screwed or unscrewed along some position in the barrel, or a rod. The one that didn't, depended on moving the support position of the barrel in the stock (forend pressure point bedding) therefore lengthening or shortening the free-floated length of the barrel, problem was that most spring-piston airgun barrels are free-floated by design.

So, I decided to combine both concepts and came up with a system that is comprised of a specifically dimensioned weight that can move back and forth along its position on the barrel with set spacers.
I worked through a few prototypes and when I had settled on something I published my results here in this blog entry.
Now, do note that this happened in 2016, that's 4 years ago!

Since then, most of CCA builds have benefited from this "gadget", and/or from the knowledge and techniques that this research brought. Further research has been done and now we know not only how to control, but how to REDUCE the harmonics at barrels' muzzles (though that is another story ;-) )

Almost three years ago, I started working closely with DIANA, and since there were talks to bring this technology (and others) to the public/shooters of DIANA airguns, I did not pursue further the commercialization of the product.

So, when the time came to write the spec for a "new" 54, it was normal for me to include this device into the spec. In complete agreement with DIANA, we decided to name it the HPM (for High Performance Muzzleweight).

The first appearance of the device to the public under the DIANA brand was at 2020 SHOT Show, there is a whole thread about it here where you will find links to videos, reviews and other comments; as well as a lot of questions and answers.

And that brings us up to the present

It was towards the end of 2019 that I was told that about 300 "54 barreled actions" were available and that we could use those to launch a re-vamped 54.
The problem was that there was NO BUDGET available for improvements. Meaning that whatever we wanted to put in, had to come from reductions and savings in the SAME model, that is a tough value-engineering problem: Improve a product AND make it cost the same or less. Not easy without a technology leap. Still the challenge was taken up by the team and we discussed a number of things that could be improved. Sadly, ALMOST ALL implied some cost increase. The exception was the Harmonics Tuner. A muzzle piece needs to be there, and the plastic one in current production, though not expensive, is not cheap either. It's a complicated mould. Also, the change COULD imply that the "Pro" model would be a scope-only rifle, so the sights could also be eliminated. Lastly, there was an extra operation on the barrel to create the "key" where the front fight ramp/muzzle piece needs to index to always keep the front sight straight up. Between all these "savings" the Harmonics  Tuner seemed to be a good candidate.
It also promised to be the most value for money that would still be useful to ALL shooters (and here I want to remind you that DIANA operates in more than 90 countries with 7 different power levels and some caliber/rifling/OAL legal complications).

And, finally, adapting it to the EMS system would be a breeze, so, after much thought, the concept of the Harmonics Tuner came to the forefront. The part is simple to make and easy to use, it does NOT come out of adjustment, and use tends to affix it more and more firmly into its place.

Simultaneous to that I had started some serious work with a friend with a scientific penchant that tested the usefulness of the Harmonics Tuner in two completely different power plants: A short stroked D56 and the "skinny piston" (22 mm's compression chamber bore) version of the same gun. As different as apples and oranges.
You can read the results of those experiments here:

https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-saga-of-a-56-th 
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-saga-of-a-56-th4603110 
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-saga-of-a-56-th8042880 
https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-saga-of-a-56-th2541108 

As you can see from the whole SAGA, the Harmonics Tuner proved its usefulness in two completely dissimilar engines. It would be like testing a turbo-charger in a Mack Diesel Tractor Trailer and a Subaru BRZ and still finding improvements in both results.
And the HT was deemed an "easy to use" device, needing the release of the screws, the addition or subtraction of an ORing and the reassembly of the gun, an operation that took less then 3 minutes per test.

So, it was DOUBLY annoying when DIANA's head gunsmith told me that they had not found any change in group size when tested in the factory, regardless of the number of spacers added.  WHAT?
Luckily, the Technical CEO told me that they would still go ahead and planned the use of the device, but that I had to come up with a new design, test and a procedure to demonstrate the usefulness.

After taking a day (or two) to calm down and analyze the whole thing, I decided to question the test procedure followed by the factory. It was then that I was told that the gun had been put on a vise that held the sled system fixed, but at an angle, that changes had been made from the original spec (aluminum instead of steel), and that only two screws, instead of the 6 that were originally specced had been used, granted that perhaps my drawing had not been completely clear, but still the device built by the "Construction" section of the company was not what I was talking about, these substantial changes warranted a re-design and re-test, under conditions that would be found in real life shooting.

And here is where there is a lesson: If you need to test something that is going to be used under field conditions, then test it under the same field conditions.

A new material was sourced as Aluminum DOM bar, and new prototypes were made, but this time complying with the needed weight (one of the most lengthy sets of experiments I ever conducted way back in 2015).
I then prepared a completely new test using one of the guns that were on the pipeline, and these were the results:

As you can see, adding or deleting ORings yielded observable and measureable results. Dispersions went from horizontal to vertical and then back, and too many ORings (same as too large a weight) produced horrible results.

With these results in hand, I went back (electronically) to DIANA, and it was agreed that the AirKing Pro would come equipped with the device.

The device itself is VERY simple and easy to make. From the outside it looks just like an average Muzzle Weight, but the trick is on the inside, where ORings can be added or removed to determine the position of the weight along the muzzle. In the same way that using a longer or shorter bar changes the "tone" of a grandfather clock carrillon, the harmonics (vibrations) at the muzzle also change and this is what determines the POSITION of the muzzle and WHERE IT IS AIMING AT, when the pellet exits the muzzle.

As ORings are added, the muzzle that was flush with the end of the HPM, becomes more and more "recessed" into the cavity.
Using one of Steve's excellent pictures, although that is a steel version of the HPM for the model 56, not the 54, you can see the make up of the whole system

The other difference you will find is that while 3 screws are enough for 12 ft-lbs, for 24 ft-lbs you need 6.
But the principle is the same: You add or delete ORings to bring down the group size with the pellet you want to use (within reason).
As it was demonstrated and re-tested, in a normal 54, the results were verifiable and repeatable:

Between 4 and 6 months after "re-start" of the world's economy once CV-19 has been overcome, we should be able to see this in retailers and internet sellers.
There will be other options in stock colors and, of course, a beech version.
The process to "tune" the rifle's harmonics will be the same: 
1.-Start from 0 ORings
2.-Shoot three shots into a "waste" bullseye
3.-Shoot a 5 shot group at least 15 meters away (19 is preferrable).
4.- Add one ORing
5.- Repeat from 2
6.- Repeat from 4
When you reach 10 ORings, STOP, you should see a "periodicity" each 4->6 Orings (depending on power level), settle on the two settings that are most promising and re-test till you are happy that you are at the best possible point.

I would advise to "Run in" the rifle BEFORE the tuning (if in doubt about what is the BEST way to do this, read this), as the wearing in of the parts amongst themselves is an essential part of what airguns need to be able to deliver top accuracy, but if you want to "train" yourself in the procedure by all means do it several times. Just understand that, in the end, you cannot put the carriage before the horses.

Hope this answers as many questions as is normal before seeing/handling the actual thing.

Always open to questions or comments.

Keep well  and shoot straight!





​HM

Most of you know me as just another spring-piston guy dedicated to Field Target.

But that became pretty much the single track ONLY after I moved to a reasonable altitude.
​
For most of my early airgunning history I lived near Mexico City (8,000 FASL), and hunted in the surrounding mountains (10,000 FASL). A spring-piston guy I WANTED to be, but couldn't.

So, between 2001 and 2010, I developed several interesting PCP's; from hunting Steyr's (bases for the later "HP" models), to highly sophisticated Talon SS's.
One platform provides the exquisite precision of Austrian gunmaking, the other provides a superbly simple device with huge potential under a proper understanding of the in-line valve so seldom encountered in commercial airguns.
It also helped that I had, and have, personal connections to the CEO's and Inventors of both guns, LOL!

Anyway, the usual disclaimer:

Modifications made to the gun in this blog entry were made by knowledgeable professionals, do NOT attempt to replicate. They proved safe in the specific gun in question.
NO WARRANTIES, expressed or implied are given with this publication, if you modify your gun, you are responsible for the modifications and their consequences.
No "fit for purpose" guarantees are made and the responsibility of proper function remains with the manufacturers and importers of the specific products herein reviewed.

So, with that out of the way, let's get to the System:

In 2002 I got my first Talon, I had a trip to Arkansas, to visit my good friend Tom Anderson (R.I.P.) at the Buzzard's Bluff for the airgun show at Little Rock, and I had it delivered there.
After some time using it in an OEM configuration, I started adding/deleting things; from baffles to a "High-Flow" valve, to the infamous, and completely useless, safety.
When a friend asked for a custom build to yield 50 shots at 35 ft-lbs with a single 20 BAR's fill, was when I discovered the true potential of the in-line valve. And then the Mid-Flow valve came into being.

A valve that was designed to CLOSE ITSELF upon reaching a specific flow rate.

Now ¿Just what is a "Flow Rate"?

Well, the definition we apply here is best exemplified in this diagram:

As you can see from the drawing: Average V (V with a dash on top), is the velocity of the fluid; A is the area of the conduit, d is the distance traveled by the fluid in a certain amount of time t.

In essence, a valve that closes itself upon reaching a defined Flow Rate (Q) means that the valve closes when the speed of the fluid (air in this case) through the conduit reaches a certain point.
And so, if you have the same speed of the air flowing into the barrel behind the pellet, it stands to reason that the velocity of the pellet at the exit of the barrel also has to be the same every time.

In reality, there is nothing perfect, but this simple arrangement is pretty close. There are no moving parts, no regulator, the pressure itself behind the air in the reservoir is the main closing force (the valve uses a very weak "starting" spring for the closure), but the true force of closure comes from the pressure in the tank. More pressure creates a quick closure, less opening time, but because the whole thing is triggered by the flow rate, it is very consistent in the MV. Standard deviation for 10 and 30 shot strings at 850'ish fps was 3 fps.

AND, to improve on things, the Power Wheel in the rifle ACTUALLY becomes a working control.

To give you a few examples:
With a 12" L-W barrel in 0.22" cal, the short rifle yields:
34 ft-lbs with the Power Wheel at 4:3 and Baracuda Match (21.1 grs. pellets)
At 6:3, the gun yields 36 ½ ft-lbs with still a good shot count.
Using JSB Monsters (25.4 grs), with the PW at 4:3 it yields 34½ ft-lbs
At 6:3, it yields 37¼ ft-lbs
At 8:8, it yields 39½ ft-lbs. And then it settles into the strongly diminishing returns section.

I decided to settle on 853 fps average MV, getting 55 perfect shots at ± 3 fps of standard deviation. The gun uses 26.2 cc-BAR / Ft-lb so it's not extremely efficient, but it is not a bad number for the power level.

The forend was taken from an old Benjamin, and the pistol grip was carved by a friend in Argentina. What you see strapped to the front section is the remote control for the laser rangefiding scope. Yes, that "small" scope is a laser rangefinding scope with quite impressive capabilities, but more on that later.

Accuracy wise, the gun seems to perform better with the H&N Baracuda Match, this being a typical test target:

Groups 1-5 are different tests and intents to get a grip on the wind drift. Some groups are 5 shot groups, one group is a 10 shot group, and the important #6 group is a 3 shot group after a 20 minutes rest, dealing with he wind blowing between 3 and 15 mph.
​In the old days, the barrel liked very much the 18 grs Jumbo, but I am out of those for the moment.
​
Not bad at all for a 33" carbine with a 12" barrel that weighs in at 7# 10 oz WITH the laser rangefinding scope and the remote control.

In a hunting airgun, the scope is as important, if not more than the rifle itself, once certain minima for energy, accuracy and precision have been met. This scope was an interesting find at the 2019 IWA show, but it was not until now that I have had the chance to put it through its paces.

Scope is made by Opteck, a company based in Canada, and the scope is a peculiar unit.
Laser rangefinder is specced to provide readings between 10 and 750 meters, which makes it ideal for airgunners. It also is a relatively simple device because it does NOT have neither elevation nor windage adjustments.
In order to keep everything simple and as weather proof as can be (scope is rated IPX6), there are as little external perforations as possible. So, how do you manage?
Answer lies in the smart base. The BASE is adjustable for windage (60 MOA) and elevation (90 MOA).
Now, BOTH adjustment dials are on the sides. AND they follow the Central European method of stating where the impact IS, not where you want the impact to MOVE TO. But, once that is understood, adjustments are just like any other device.

Scope is 10X32, fixed, with controls for reticle focus and for parallax/image focus. Powered by a single CR123 battery, it is not difficult to keep fed.
An auto-shut-off after 15 minutes works like a charm, and the remote control uses a CR2032 battery.

The display is also unique:

Do note that at the top of the viewing window we have:
Distance to the target (the small tree with the white flowers in the picture), angle of the shot (to the right), rifle cant (the two lines appear and disappear as the rifle is canted one way or the other).
Simple, but effective, a lot of information for the long range shooter.

Now, what about the gradation in the reticle? Well, our friends at Opteck put this diagram in IPHY (Inches per Hundred Yards), or "shooters MOA"), but in reality those divisions are metric and are in mrads and halves of mrads:
​

In other words, this:

This scope would be interesting at almost any price.
No other scope can boast of the same rangefiding capabilities.
No other scope can boast of the same IP rating
It combines three ADDITIONAL things that are critical to the long range shooter (and in airguns that is anything beyond 40 yards/36 meters): Slope meter, level, and rangefinder.
Reticle is clear and not too complicated. Personally, I would like a more "informative" reticle, but with the laser rangefinder, that is almost overkill.
Glass is clear and even at 10X, it is not overly dark for a relatively small package.
And it is a lightweight device (under 17 Oz.), when you compare it to the scopes I am used to for FT.

Since I am going to declare war on a band of depredating deer (the little tree with the white flowers is the only one remaining of three that were sown some time ago). I am sure this system will be an important element.

;-)

Keep well and shoot straight!






​HM