pellets be lubed?

[savage]

my query Is that should pellets be oiled??lubed??or greased in any sort of way? If yes then, what changes will occur(good or bad)? HoW will the accuraccy be effected?will the speed increase or will the accuracy suffer ,what effects will it have on the barrel?

¿¿¿Confused???
Ranveer

[dr.jayakumar]

no should not be oiled,it will burn.should be clean thats all.i doubt will do anything with accuracy and speed.

[essdee1972]

Hi, Ranveer,

There are many different viewpoints available on this, if you search the net. E.g. an article in ehow.com advocates lubing the pellets (as well as using WD40 and Teflon inside the barrel).

However, in my opinion, lubing of pellets will lead to dieseling, unless a very high flash-point lube is used. Moreover (assuming high flash-point oil is used), the accuracy of the pellets depends on the spin given by the barrel rifling, which in turn depends upon the friction between pellet skirt and barrel. Hence, reducing the friction might lead to accuracy suffering. Only thing which might increase is the speed of the pellet, and I assume even that would be pretty erratic, depending on how thick is the layer of lube on each pellet (we are talking molecular dimensions here, so whatever we do, the uniformity cannot be ensured to those levels).

I get extensive dieseling for a few shots, even when I lube only the barrel (Singer oil), so I believe dieseling will be high if the pellets too are lubed.

Cheers!

EssDee

[savage]

EssDee,
I agree that high quality oil should be used but doesnt lubing protect the barrel from extensive friction??
Say grease....it wont disel but will provide enough surface tention on the skirt to rotate within the barrel....

Regards
Ranveer

[essdee1972]

Ranveer,

Firstly, you should use high flash-point lubes (high quality is optional ). Depending on the use for which the oil is manufactured, many high-quality oils may not have high flash point. Flash point is the temperature at which the oil "flashes", i.e. burns. (you can speak to anyone in lube industry, this is the limit of my engineering knowledge )

Secondly, the lead alloys used for airgun pellets should be too soft to damage the rifling to any extent, even if fired unoiled. In fact airgun lubrication is recommended only after every 1000 shots.

Most of the stuff I am dishing out here is courtesy threads/posts from the real gurus on the forum. I had once raised a similar question (on lubing airguns). I think there is some info in the Airguns and Gun Care sections.

Anyway, you can try it out..... but don't blame me if all the dire predictions come true

Cheers!

EssDee

[hornet]

which are the best indian pellets? do we have to source it from g smith&co please can we have thier mail connection?

[dr.jayakumar]

which are the best indian pellets? do we have to source it from g smith&co please can we have thier mail connection?

hornet..chandigargh has good number of ifg ians, i am sure they will help you.g.smith is good pellet.also check the sale section you may find your pellets.

[brihacharan]

Hi Guys,
> Can air rifle pellets be lubed?
> I searched the net and came across some interesting information - which I wish to share. The "I" appearing in the write up is not "ME", but people who have experimented and given their experience.

LUBING PELLETS USED IN SPRINGER AIR RIFLES
The potential problems with using lubed pellets in SPRINGERS include the possibility of the lubes detonating or giving inconsistent velocity(more likely).The other major issue is that SPRINGERS depend on pellet friction in the breach to get the pellet to hang around long enough for the piston to develop peak pressure. Too loose or too slick a pellet will drop the velocity. To add to the confusion, virtually all pellets are coated with something at the factory to reduce oxidation in storage. If you clean and coat your own, at least you know the pellet is clean and what the lube is. Try some cleaned and lightly lubed,("lightly" seems to be key), and see what you get...

After a conversation on the internet on the Chinese Air Gun Forum with Jim Durham, he mentioned that he had read someplace that WD 40 Penetrating fluid restored air gun power. I started thinking about the matter and I thought as a lubricant it could not work too long, because WD 40 dries fairly fast and is too thin, but as a dissolvent it could work. I have used WD 40 for years to take half dried paint, tar off my hands and other surfaces and off course it take rust out too.

I knew one of biggest problems about air guns is the dieseling of oil inside the chamber and that once the oil diesels it becomes a sticky oil /tar and causes power lost to air guns. Most Chinese air guns come flooded with oil and the oil they use seems to be regular motor oil, not cylinder oil. One of the main complaints about Chinese air guns is the loss of power. You could take the air gun apart and clean out the piston chamber, but for that you would need a spring press and not everyone has one. After I finished my brain storm, I went to testing.

I took my favorite plinking rifle, a B-42 that has over 5,000 shots on her and decided to use her for the testing. My B-42 has been under "Slick 50" (Advanced Formula) treatments ever since I bought her and was shooting a good 720 to 780 fps even with all the rounds I have shot out of her. I knew that my B-42 could not shoot thru a 3/4 inch thick piece of pine wood and decide that after the treatment that would be the test.

INFO ABOUT "SLICK 50'S ADVANCE FORMULA" TREATMENT

On my testing I have found that "Slick 50's Advance Formula" gives the piston's seal, the pressure chamber's walls and the inner barrel a Teflon coating. This Teflon coating is known as the "Moly effect". It reduces friction, reduces heat and increases (fps) speeds on spring piston air guns. I have used these treatments on my spring piston air guns for about a year now with no negative side effects.

THE PROCESS

Caution, I do not recommend using this process on air guns that the manufacture does not recommend lubing and I do not recommend using WD 40 in magnum class air guns with synthetic piston seals. Only in lower powered Chinese air guns that have lost their power. The restoring process works best with air guns that have leather piston seals.

Let us start with the basics for those of you who are new and know little about air guns. To lubricate a spring piston air gun you first must cock the spring piston air gun, once cocked you lubricate the barrel and the chamber holes, the chamber hole is where the air comes out of, this is the pressure (piston) chamber is and this is where the piston with its seal is.

Now back to the process, first cock the rifle and flood the chamber with WD 40, after filling 1/5 of the chamber with WD 40 take the cocking arm and work it up and down to help clean out old sticky oil and tar out of the chamber for a few minutes. Also spray some WD 40 down the barrel to help clean out any oil and lead dust it may have. Shoot off 3 rounds using flat head pellet to help clean out the barrel.

Now after a cooling time of 5 minutes, repeat the process again, flooding the chamber, working the cocking arm up and down and put WD 40 in the barrel also, but this time shoot off 6 rounds to help get the excess WD 40 out of the chamber and the barrel. Let the air gun cool off for about 10 minutes.

Now take "Slick 50" (Advanced Formula) motor oil treatment and place 4 to 6 drops down the chamber hole and 6 drops down the barrel. "Slick 50" will create a Teflon coating (Moly effect) to the chamber/ piston's seal and the inner barrel to help reduce friction and speed up the piston's action. Shoot off 10 fast rounds to help heat the treatment, after that, the treatment is complete.

THE TEST

After the treatment I took my B-42 and decided to test it. I used "Crosman Pointed pellets" and I shot at a 3/4 inch thick piece of pine wood at 15 feet of distance and I checked the results. On the first shot the pellet almost went thru, on the 3rd shot the pellet went thru completely. I then shot off 5 more rounds and all of them went thru the 3/4 inch thick piece of pine wood with ease. I can safely say my B-42 is now shooting about 800 fps after dieseling. I believe the shot that went thru the pine was with the help of combustion and with a little help of combustion my B-4-2 might have reached up to 900 fps. The results were positive and great.

I then remembered that my new QB-36 had lost some of its power and was not passing thru the 3/4 inch thick piece of pine, like it used to, I guess the oil dieselled too. I gave my QB-36 the same treatment. I then tested it and it went back to its original power, 900 fps and was shooting thru the 3/4 inch piece of pine with ease.

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PROCESS

The restoring process tends to work best with spring piston air guns that have leather piston seals. WD 40 tends to clean the leather piston seals and swell them for tighter pressure, permitting the leather seal to absorb new lube. The Teflon that Slick 50 has reduces friction and creates faster speeds (fps). According to Cardews (experts on air gunning) sport air guns need good slow combustion for top performance. The leather piston seal tends to absorb the lube (Slick 50) and creates a slow release of good combustion giving the spring piston air gun top performance.

I also found that on your high powered magnums with synthetic piston seals that have lost power, that 4 drops of "Slick 50 Advance formula" restores the lost power. I would avoid using WD-40 on these high powered magnums due to the high speed friction and temperatures they create which can really cause violent combustion and cause damage to the piston's seal /main spring.

Also for those of you that do like the idea of putting oils in the chamber of your spring piston air guns but want to improve its power/speeds (fps). Just turn your air gun barrel down (un-cocked) and squirt about 6 drops of "Slick 50 Advance formula" behind your piston's seal and place about 10 drops all around your main spring. Let the air gun sit upside down for about 5 minutes.
In this way the "Slick 50" will not enter the chamber and it will give the Moly effect only on the chamber walls and the main spring. This lube job will reduce friction on the chamber walls and the main spring and will help to increase speeds (fps).

This "Restoring Process" and using "Slick 50" is not recommended and if you do it, you do it at your own risk. But one thing is for sure, it works. Most people ask me what to do after the process to keep their air guns shooting powerfully, my answer is the following.

•After the "Restoring Process" about every 250 shots or a can of pellets, place 2 drops of "Slick 50" Advance formula down the piston's chamber and 3 drops down the barrel in spring piston air guns with leather seals. Shoot off the excess oil (for about 5 shots). This will help to keep your air gun in top condition. In air guns with synthetic seals put one or two drops down the chamber every 1,000 shots.
•If you should notice that with time (around 1,000 shots) that your air gun loses power, repeat the restoring process again in leather seal spring piston air guns.
Cheers
Brihacharan