TargetTalk

I all of the sudden couldn't shoot or call my shots. I was all of the sudden shooting 86-88, and have been a pretty consistent 93 average over the last 5 months. After sleeping on it, I went down this morning and shot off sand bags. My group was about 35 centimeters and very horizontal. I was stumped, I thought my vision was going or I had some kind of the yips.

I have always heard to not clean a PCP air pistol. I am basically lazy, so that worked for me.
Today I decided that it sure could hurt. I used a pull through made of weed wacker line with a melted ball end, a patch and some Ballistol that I use on my spring guns. It was pretty filthy and there was much lead glitter on the patches. I then peered down the barrel and noticed that the compensator looked really small compared to the bore. I should have measured it first, but I removed it and ran a bronze brush through it. A lot of stuff came out. It was a grey thick paste. I can only assume it was a mix of lead and whatever the oily coating that comes on RWS pellets. I have never cleaned it in probably 20 thousand rounds. I also think it was finally making contact with the exiting pellet.

After that I cleaned the barrel until the patches came out totally clean. Three felt pellets went down the barrel after that.

Back to the sand bags. The first shot went a little low. The other 9 shots made a fairly round hole that measured 8.5mm. My chronograph results showed a 7 fps average higher velocity, and my extreme spread cut in half.

I maybe won't become a regular gun cleaner, but perhaps never cleaning is not in my future either.
Your results might well differ, but an occasional clean might be beneficial, especially if you have a LP10 with an old style compensator. I can't help but think that the three barrel ports are another place that lead and wax can accumulate over time.

Yes, I am sure this topic has been "beaten to death" but maybe not to this exact detail. Hopefully it can be helpful to someone with the same symptoms.

There is a middle ground with air pistol maintenance, where a pull through and compensator clean might be worthwhile especially if you have been habitually using cheapo pellets.
When I've been forced to use low end pellets rather than my preferred R10's I do find lead "glitter" in the loading area after a while.

Regular use of cleaning pellets would probably be a good thing. 10 cleaning pellets every 500-1000 shots.

A while back I asked Feinwerkbrau about cleaning my P8X. This was their recommendation:

“the P8X model is in principle very easy to use and care for. After each shooting, the gun should be wiped with a slightly oily cloth (as you practice). Barrel cleaning is recommended after about 1000 shots. We use a cleaning cord with cleaning wick for this purpose. We don`t use felt plugs, because there is a risk that in the long term felt particles can get into the inside of the valve system, which can possibly lead to malfunctions. If the gun is not used for a longer period of time, the barrel should be pulled through with a slightly oily wick to ensure corrosion protection during this time. Depending on the use of the gun, the cocking mechanism and trigger parts should be cleaned and lightly re-greased. This is usually sufficient twice a year. Only use our special sliding grease or another high-quality gun grease - oil from a spray can should not be used, as there is a risk of oil fog penetrating the interior and thus impairing the function of the absorber (the absorber principle is based on friction)”

The comment about cleaning pellets is interesting. I used them for years in my RWS Model 10 and a FAS 6004 without issue.

Based on their recommendation I will avoid them in my P8X.

That is interesting. I would think the felt fibers would rapidly go down the barrel and any going into the transfer port would be shot out with the air from the plenum exchange.

My compensator was very small where the pellet passed through. A .187 drill bit barely passed through. Now a .195 will pass through. This should allow for any misalignment, and a better amount of buildup.

How do like like your P8X?

brent375hh wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:08 pm That is interesting. I would think the felt fibers would rapidly go down the barrel and any going into the transfer port would be shot out with the air from the plenum exchange.

My compensator was very small where the pellet passed through. A .187 drill bit barely passed through. Now a .195 will pass through. This should allow for any misalignment, and a better amount of buildup.

How do like like your P8X?

I really like shooting the P8X. It is accurate and pleasant to shoot. Far superior to my RWS Model 10 and FAS 6004. The P8X shoots far better than I will ever be able to take advantage of.

I can’t compare it to other 10 Meter PCP pistols since I haven’t shot any others. There is not much opportunity to try others where I live. When you mention air pistols here, most people think I’m shooting a BB gun (careful - don’t shoot your eye out!) and totally unaware that 10 meter air pistol is a sport much less an Olympic one.

I shot Bullseye years ago and appreciate a fine accurate firearm. The P8X falls in this category.

I don’t regret my purchase. However, I will say that the learning curve to get one set up was more challenging than a conventional firearm. I struggled with air supply and the proper way to maintain the pistol. Feinwerkbrau has been helpful and timely in response to my questions.

Of course, I would have been totally lost without the help of the members of this forum.

Thank You.

Nevergiveup wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:41 am We use a cleaning cord with cleaning wick for this purpose.

what exactly is a cleaning cord and wick? can anyone post a picture of one?

Azmodan wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:28 pm

Nevergiveup wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:41 am We use a cleaning cord with cleaning wick for this purpose.

what exactly is a cleaning cord and wick? can anyone post a picture of one?

I think they meant this :

https://www.amazon.com/Air-Venturi-Patc ... 579&sr=8-9

Easy to make one out of fishing line or trimmer line.

It's funny, the FWB 700 manual recommends the use of cleaning pellets, but the Anschutz 2002 manual specifically says not to use them.

marky-d

Nevergiveup wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:02 pm I think they meant this :
https://www.amazon.com/Air-Venturi-Patc ... 579&sr=8-9

Twenty bucks on Amazon. Try Champion Choice (six bucks):
LINK: http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx? ... tem=PWA17R

Regardless of price, perhaps we should consider using the available talent of dedicated suppliers, Champion Choice, Pilk, et. al. . . .

(Prior to sending more money to the richest dude in the world (amazon).)

You can take a piece of trimmer line, cut one end at a severe angle to poke a hole in a patch.Take the other end and light it on fire, the stub it out on something, so that it forms a flattened ball. Now the patch won't come off the other end when you pull it through the barrel. The other option is fishing line with a loop.

brent375hh wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 8:31 pm
I have always heard to not clean a PCP air pistol. I am basically lazy, so that worked for me.
Today I decided that it sure could hurt. I used a pull through made of weed wacker line with a melted ball end, a patch and some Ballistol that I use on my spring guns.

I noticed you used Ballistol as a cleaner. I’ve used Ballistol on my conventional firearms. Ballistol works well as a cleaner and preservative. You just have to get over the smell.

Is this the recommended cleaner and preservative for air gun barrels? Any others that are safe. I would assume whatever one uses, it should be used sparingly. I'm looking for a recommended product to coat the barrel if the gun ever needs stored.

Nevergiveup wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:00 pm

brent375hh wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 8:31 pm
I have always heard to not clean a PCP air pistol. I am basically lazy, so that worked for me.
Today I decided that it sure could hurt. I used a pull through made of weed wacker line with a melted ball end, a patch and some Ballistol that I use on my spring guns.

I noticed you used Ballistol as a cleaner. I’ve used Ballistol on my conventional firearms. Ballistol works well as a cleaner and preservative. You just have to get over the smell.

Is this the recommended cleaner and preservative for air gun barrels? Any others that are safe. I would assume whatever one uses, it should be used sparingly. I'm looking for a recommended product to coat the barrel if the gun ever needs stored.

I sure don't consider myself a cleaning expert. I have been using Ballistol on my spring air guns for a long time. I make sure I get clean patches through before I shoot them. I have never had a hint of diesel sound or smell when using it as above. I once tried TSI 301 about 25 years ago, but it very much appeared to be a plastic solvent. I haven't found a downside to using Ballistol to clean all my air gun barrels, and it is what I keep coming back to.

brent375hh wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:36 pm You can take a piece of trimmer line, cut one end at a severe angle to poke a hole in a patch.Take the other end and light it on fire, the stub it out on something, so that it forms a flattened ball. Now the patch won't come off the other end when you pull it through the barrel. The other option is fishing line with a loop.

the cord part is easy to understand. the wick part i didn;t figure out :)
wick is like a string of rope, right? how can you clean a barrel with that?

Azmodan wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:57 am

brent375hh wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:36 pm You can take a piece of trimmer line, cut one end at a severe angle to poke a hole in a patch.Take the other end and light it on fire, the stub it out on something, so that it forms a flattened ball. Now the patch won't come off the other end when you pull it through the barrel. The other option is fishing line with a loop.

the cord part is easy to understand. the wick part i didn;t figure out :)
wick is like a string of rope, right? how can you clean a barrel with that?

Maybe they are calling a patch a wick?

Wicks http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.a ... &item=A508

I use a doubled up 40# fishing line with the loose ends tied together. For the wick I get a cotton mop from the dollar store and cut it into 3" pieces.

https://www.nordicmarksman.com/Cotton-W ... g-Set.html

I also assumed they were referring to a patch. Language translation can account for the confusion.

Air gun barrels are small. The last thing I would want is to have a patch or wick stuck in the barrel.

With a properly fitted patch this problem is minimized. The only time I saw wicks used is in cleaning shotgun barrels. I haven’t known anyone use a wick for a conventional rifle or pistol although Bore Snakes are used by some

Wick or patch it should not make a difference. Feinwerkbrau just prefers you don’t use a cleaning pellet.