SDB Apache SE

[Big Daddy]

Today I opened the gun and found that the Price reflects the quality of the internals. The worst part is the piston. The piston rod is off center and not concentric with the piston. The spring is of very poor quality. Spring guide sucks. All three parts need to be replaced to make this gun good.

Hi GNV,

I was also surprised when I opened my SE. However, I did not have any complaints on the quality of the internals, perhaps except the spring and the trigger blade (which is personal. I do not like triggers with rolled sheet metal)

https://www.indiansforguns.com/viewtopi ... =2&t=23543

In my post you can see the the piston post polishing (13th pic) The piston rod also was bang on......

Perhaps lethargy has crept in.

Let me know if you need a piston made. Can have one made.

BD

[GNV]

Hi BD,

I too don't like these kind of triggers.
Right now I am not trying any modifications of trigger parts like polishing etc.but just now I am trying to improve the gun without making any custom parts.

The spring is extremely bad so replaced with a Hurricane spring I have. Lined the inside walls of the piston with coke can sheet metal to correct fit between spring and piston inside. Also used two PH thrust washers I have at both ends of the spring. The stock piston seal is leaking air so replaced it with PH piston seal which fits perfectly. Now the compression is good. Lubricated the internals with moly. That job is satisfactory.

The cross pins and holes in the end cap for them are rough. Polishing them smooth. so that the cross pins slide in and out smoothly. Then I'll assemble the gun and see the results of my work tomorrow. I think the firing cycle would become silky smooth.

GNV

Added in 22 minutes 52 seconds:

Thank you GNV sir , for your information kindly post further details of upgrade you made to the rifle and what is the best suitable way to tune the rifle to match the quality of precihole sx or nx series , and most importantly how much it costs because many like me see budget for tuning Air rifle

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

Dear greenrifle,

Right now I am trying to improve the gun using spare parts for other guns I have and without using custom made parts. If I succeed in my efforts I'l post a complete detailed process with photo illustrations.

GNV

[Basu]

Dear GNV,
Replacing SDB spring with Armar spring , will surely improve accuracy , but I am afraid , the AR would lose its velocity.

Basu

[GNV]

Dear Basu,

Now I wish I had chronographed the gun before disassembling it. Actually I was not expecting a bad spring and simply wanted to lubricate it properly.But the internals proved to be something else. Finished all polishing of parts and only have to assemble it and see the results. I had lubricated the receiver tube spring etc and just now remembered that I had forgotten to drill the arrestor pin holes. Now I have to do it clean the receiver tube and lubricate it again.

Will do it and assemble the gun tonight and test it tomorrow.

GNV

[Basu]

Dear GNV,

Hah.....hah...ha....

I did the same stupid thing unmindfully , by not putting sleeve.
I had to open it again ........

Waiting for one hole grouping , may be after hundred shots.

Basu

[GNV]

Today I opened the gun and found that the Price reflects the quality of the internals. The worst part is the piston. The piston rod is off center and not concentric with the piston. The spring is of very poor quality. Spring guide sucks. All three parts need to be replaced to make this gun good.

Hi GNV,

I was also surprised when I opened my SE. However, I did not have any complaints on the quality of the internals, perhaps except the spring and the trigger blade (which is personal. I do not like triggers with rolled sheet metal)

https://www.indiansforguns.com/viewtopi ... =2&t=23543

In my post you can see the the piston post polishing (13th pic) The piston rod also was bang on......

Perhaps lethargy has crept in.

Let me know if you need a piston made. Can have one made.

BD

Dear Joy,

Thank you very much for your kind offer. I got this Apache for a friend of mine who is also a cocoa plantation owner. A couple of months ago he shot my air guns and was thoroughly hooked and wanted me to get one for him. This is his first AR. So I wanted to get him an economical but good AR so that he could learn and later graduate to better ARs. I loaned him my Hurricane for the time being to keep him peaceful. I could not loan him my SX- ORION let alone the NP ORION . Since he preferred heavier AR I ordered the Apache otherwise I would have ordered the lighter SDB SPORT. At present I don't want to change the Piston. But remember your offer. I may call on you later. Also you made two more offers to me. You know them. And I am keeping them in reserve and may call on you in near future .

I think when the manufacturers present a prototype air gun or any other product it represent the basic shape of an idea and mainly for feedback before finalizing the design. From that feedback of suggested changes or modifications by the reviewer they take into account only changes suggested that they can implement or they want to implement. And then make a few final prototypes of the production rifle. If the final design is free of any fault the final prototypes would be perfect guns because they make them taking best of care in every stage while making them. If one could get one of them they would be lucky.

My above theory holds good only if the final design is completely flawless. Then when commercial production starts the product would not be made with the same care taken while making the final prototype.There would be inevitable initial MISTAKES while manufacturing them ( like in the earlier PH air guns ). They would be noticed and rectified and hopefully good guns start coming out of the factory.

Then after some time lethargy creeps in. And the results would be ........ bad.

If I am the manufacturer of this gun I would most probably start to think like this whenever I notice a bad part has been used. I had designed and made a good gun at a great price. It is already the best in its price range. Why discard a part for the sake of one gun. Most probably it would never get noticed. How many of the buyers of my guns open them and look at the internals. May be 25%. and how many of them would know the part is bad. only a handful. And how many of them would care to complain. Most probably none. They would probably have custom parts made and use them. And most definitely enjoy doing it calling it TUNING and boast about it to everybody who want to do it to their guns. In fact I am doing the air gun nuts a great favor and helping them to enjoy their hobby by providing them guns with a couple of badly made parts. They should be thankful to me instead of complaining about it. So everybody is happy in the end.

If indeed some idiot who does not appreciate the favor I am doing them do complain I could always replace the gun or claim that, that idiot himself damaged that part. After all I had not given any warranty against manufacturing defects. He purchased it at his own risk. and so.... on.

I am in a pretty bad mood right now. So I had better stop.

Regards,

GNV

[anoop]

Dear GNV i agree in totality with you that SDB manufactures have to think positively and improve the shortcomings. I have not seen the internals of my Apache but whatever the combination of external and internalsof my AR, it is performing well even after 1400 shots. Hope we will be able to improve its performance even more with your guideance , knowledge and experience. Anoop

[anoop]

Dear GNV. eagerly waiting for test results post cleaning and tuning of Apache. ANOOP

[GNV]

Dear Anoop,
Right now I don't have pellets that fit the SDB's rather tight barrel properly. On a friends advice I got some United Shot Power Rangers and nearly 80% of the pellets in the 500 box are badly deformed with damaged and disfigured skirts. I could salvage only a hand full of good pellets out of the box and used the bad pellets in breaking in the gun. I used the few good pellets to zero the scope at 10 and 20 yards. And now I have no good pellets to do accuracy tests. All I have are JSBs, H&N, Crosmans and such which for which the SDB barrel is too small. This gun is not suitable for High quality Imported and GSmiths which fare extremely well in both PH and AARMR guns. However the few Power Ranger good pellets proved to be very accurate in the Apache at both 10 and 20 yards. I think light weight Indian pellets fare well in this rifle. Ordered a few different brands from kovibazaar.com and waiting for them to arrive. My feel is that SDB is not as accurate as PH and AARMR overall at longer ranges. At 10 yrds it is dead accurate with poor quality Indian pellets.
Actually I can not comment on its potential until I find atleast one right Indian pellet for it with which I can shoot accurately from bench rest and using a scope.
Regards,
Anoop.

[vsraja]

Dear GNV, for a past few days i am using a pellet brand name ''Marksman shot'', round head. It was very accurate in both of my IHP 35 and SDB apache.The fit and finish was uniform and very less deformed pellets, less than five in a box.I also impressed by its price.I am getting them for 3box of 100 pellets for 100rs.It stands a winner against many brands i used like united shot,master shot,etc.The point head variant also gives the same performance.
''http://s1027.photobucket.com/user/vsraj ... 1.jpg.html''

[Basu]

Dear vsraja,

Unfortunately the said pellet manufacturer do not market their products here in Kolkata.

I am unable to get to your fotobucket.

Basu