MarauderAirRifle.com

[patrick]

Hello All!
I've been lurking for a couple of days before I joined.
Yesterday I crossed over to the dark side and purchased a M-rod in .177 which is on the way to me.
I'm not new to air gunning but this is my first PCP and I have to admit at this point I'm in over my head and a little intimidated by PCP charging equipment and the M-rod's adjustment capabilities.
I really struggled selecting the caliber. I plan to use this rifle for precision target shooting and not hunting and maybe build up enough confidence for field target competition so I decided on the .177. That is why this is posted here. Seems a lot of owners have .22s and .25s.
Soon I will have just a bare rifle and I know I need a scope and a way to charge it.
I decided not to go hand pump or CO2 or compressor so I guess that pretty much leaves me with a scuba tank.
I need a good source for a carbon fiber tank and fittings as well as what fittings, hoses, adapters, gauges etc. I will need for the gun and tank.
I am looking at a couple of scope options: a Bushnell 8-32x40 or a Centerpoint 8-32x56 for starters. Any other suggestions are welcome based on your experience with your guns.
I also need some advice on scope mounts i.e. what brands/types and how high? I read a Tom Gayload article where he used an adjustable rear ring (a B square) set higher than the front ring to correct for barrel droop. His scope looked like it was resting on the barrel. I understand that you can only use two piece rings due to the magazine.
Anyway, I'm a little excited and overwhelmed at this point and would appreciate any advice or wisdom from the forum for a brand new PCP and M-rod user. Share any info on set up, cleaning, pellets things to look out for or anything you have found out along the way on your journey with the M-rod.
PCP is a slippery slope indeed.
Hope to be able to contribute to the board as I gain more experience and have something meaningful to say but for now I'll read, lurk and probably annoy you with stupid questions.

[Supercharged86]

Hi Patrick, Welcome to the family. Yes, it can be a little daunting at first but you'll get the hang of it fast. There's certainly lots to consider in the beginning and some of it will be trial and error. Personally I think your going the right route in terms of SCBA CF tank(preferably a 4500) but be sure you have somewhere to fill it before buying. The fill hose you can get here: http://www.AirTanksForSale.com, the best quality.

A scope choice is merely a personal preference, just remember the larger the AO the higher it sits and the worse your cheek weld will be unless you have a longer face or install a comb riser. Look here for measuring the scope rings: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=808. Personally I wouldn't worry about having an adjustable rear ring. For a 40mm AO you probably can have low's and for the the 56mm you might get away with medium's (depending on manufacturer).

As far as pellet choice, you'll need to shoot many to find the one your Mrod likes. I'd start with the Crosman Premier Heavy (Ultra Mag) 10.5, Eunjin 16.1, Beeman Kodiak Extra Heavy and the JSB Exact Heavy. Good luck. Cheers. Steve

[hawkeye]

Hi Patrick and welcome to the forum. Steve pretty much sumed it up on what you'll need when setting up your new Mrod. I'll give you some additional information on how I set my .177 Mrod up, what accessories I use, and why I use them. First of all I use a SCUBA tank rather than a SCBA CF tank like Steve mentioned. The reason why I chose the SCUBA tank over the SCBA tank is because I don't have a place to get a SCBA tank filled. I do have a local dive shop who fills my SCUBA tank. In my opinion the SCBA tank is the better choice because you get considerably more fills with it. SCUBA tanks are typically filled at 3000 psi while the SCBA is 4500 psi. But make sure you can get the SCBA tank filled if you chose to buy one. If you want a work out buy a hand pump as a back up. I have a Benjamin pump and it works fine for me.

As Steve mentioned scope choice really depends on what you want to use the gun for. For example, I use my Mrod to thin the local chipmunk and racoon herd in my back yard. My maximun shooting range is about 40 yards so I bought a Leapers 3-9x 40mmAO scope with medium height rings for my Mrod. I don't think you need to worry about barrel droop on a Mrod so just buy the regular rings. I bought UTG (Leaper) rings from PA and they work great. This rifle scope combo gives me the accuracy /power I need out to 40 yards and beyond. The other good point about the Mrod is that it is really quite. Neighbors don't hear a thing.

Finally, I experimented with a number of different pellets and I found that Crosman Premier Heavy 10.5 grs pellets work about the best for me. I have my Mrod tuned for a muzzle velocity of 930 fps which is about 20 fpe using the Crosman pellets. My tune at a 2600 psi fill is 2 turns CW on hammer tension, 2 turns CW on the striker distance, and 3 turns CCW on the air port. I also have a can of Eunjin 16.1.gr pellets that I haven't used yet. Steve has use them with great success. If I remember right he gets about 29 fpe out of his .177 Mrod. That's great performance from a .177 rifle!!

The forum is a great place for info on the Mrod. Enjoy....

Tom

[Lammy1000]

Welcome aboard...it's alot of fun.

I have a "light" setting in .177....2 turns cw hammer spring, 2 turns cw hammer stroke and only 1.25 turns ccw valve. Make sure to check settings before shooting (they may drift during shooting...easily fixed). Not sure of velocity...chronograph in near future.

I have best accuracy w/cros prem 7.9 grs and the cheap cros prem hollow points f/wal-mart.

3000 psi scuba tank ($200) w/airforce adaptor ($80 f/pyramid air). After 1300 shots I still had 2050psi! I fill to ~2200 and shoot sometimes to as low as 1050 psi. Works great with awesome accuracy.

Barrel does need cleaning after~200 rounds. Do not use a rod. Use string trimmer string. Melt one flat with an old butter knife, cut the other end at a diagnol to poke through the patch.

[spysir]

Patrick,
You will ove it! A Bushnell 4200 would be best for FT, second up, Hawke Sidewinder & grab some Hawke rings while you are buying. Decent Hawke prices here:
http://www.kyhistoricsalvage.com/2010pricelist.html
Joe does have the good fiber 4500psi tanks, you likely can get buy with a regular 3000-3200psi scuba tank. If money is an issue you can find a scuba yoke for around $35.00, a new scuba tank is around $150,
Look at Jeff's blog:
http://avveduti.wordpress.com/2010/04/3 ... e-trigger/
And do get out there and shoot some FT!

John

[patrick]

Hi Patrick, Welcome to the family. Yes, it can be a little daunting at first but you'll get the hang of it fast. There's certainly lots to consider in the beginning and some of it will be trial and error. Personally I think your going the right route in terms of SCBA CF tank(preferably a 4500) but be sure you have somewhere to fill it before buying. The fill hose you can get here: http://www.AirTanksForSale.com, the best quality.

A scope choice is merely a personal preference, just remember the larger the AO the higher it sits and the worse your cheek weld will be unless you have a longer face or install a comb riser. Look here for measuring the scope rings: http://marauderairrifle.com/forum/viewt ... f=16&t=808. Personally I wouldn't worry about having an adjustable rear ring. For a 40mm AO you probably can have low's and for the the 56mm you might get away with medium's (depending on manufacturer).

As far as pellet choice, you'll need to shoot many to find the one your Mrod likes. I'd start with the Crosman Premier Heavy (Ultra Mag) 10.5, Eunjin 16.1, Beeman Kodiak Extra Heavy and the JSB Exact Heavy. Good luck. Cheers. Steve

Thanks for replying. Yes I've read that 4500 psi is the way to go because of the higher volume/more fills but I'll check if I can fill before I buy. Good Advice. Thanks for the links on the hose and rings. Looks like I need to order a few types of heavier pellets for this monster. The CP 7.9g and JSB, RWS etc. ones I have for my R7 seem to be on the light side.
The Bushnell is more than what I paid for the gun but probably needed to compete against the guys with the $5,000+ European rigs. LOL.

[patrick]

Hi Patrick and welcome to the forum. Steve pretty much sumed it up on what you'll need when setting up your new Mrod. I'll give you some additional information on how I set my .177 Mrod up, what accessories I use, and why I use them. First of all I use a SCUBA tank rather than a SCBA CF tank like Steve mentioned. The reason why I chose the SCUBA tank over the SCBA tank is because I don't have a place to get a SCBA tank filled. I do have a local dive shop who fills my SCUBA tank. In my opinion the SCBA tank is the better choice because you get considerably more fills with it. SCUBA tanks are typically filled at 3000 psi while the SCBA is 4500 psi. But make sure you can get the SCBA tank filled if you chose to buy one. If you want a work out buy a hand pump as a back up. I have a Benjamin pump and it works fine for me.

As Steve mentioned scope choice really depends on what you want to use the gun for. For example, I use my Mrod to thin the local chipmunk and racoon herd in my back yard. My maximun shooting range is about 40 yards so I bought a Leapers 3-9x 40mmAO scope with medium height rings for my Mrod. I don't think you need to worry about barrel droop on a Mrod so just buy the regular rings. I bought UTG (Leaper) rings from PA and they work great. This rifle scope combo gives me the accuracy /power I need out to 40 yards and beyond. The other good point about the Mrod is that it is really quite. Neighbors don't hear a thing.

Finally, I experimented with a number of different pellets and I found that Crosman Premier Heavy 10.5 grs pellets work about the best for me. I have my Mrod tuned for a muzzle velocity of 930 fps which is about 20 fpe using the Crosman pellets. My tune at a 2600 psi fill is 2 turns CW on hammer tension, 2 turns CW on the striker distance, and 3 turns CCW on the air port. I also have a can of Eunjin 16.1.gr pellets that I haven't used yet. Steve has use them with great success. If I remember right he gets about 29 fpe out of his .177 Mrod. That's great performance from a .177 rifle!!

The forum is a great place for info on the Mrod. Enjoy....

Tom

Hi Hawkeye,
Wow such great and useful information from the forum. Just exactly what I was hoping and looking for and you folks seem great.

The hand pump as a backup is a good idea. When I want a workout I take out my Sheridan Steroid pumper for that. LOL

I also own a 3x9x40 Leapers mil dot illuminated with UTG rings from PA. Great scope. I have a Leapers 4-16x40 on its way to me from OpticsPlanet. I bought it before I decided to buy this gun and may use it on the M-rod to start. If I do decide to do FT then I need a more powerful scope with good light ability.

I agree the Mrod is quiet and that is one of the reasons I bought it so I could shoot in the backyard without annoying the neighbors.

The info on the tuning is great and I will definitely try 930 fps. I think from what I've read that is the sweet spot for this gun for accuracy and fps consistency. Thank you for sharing your specs and research and it looks like an order to PA for some Crosman Premier 10.5 Heavies is imminent. I will dial in your settings after I get familiar with the Mrod. Thanks again for the info. Keep the tips going people maybe even current owners can get a few new ideas.

[patrick]

Welcome aboard...it's alot of fun.

I have a "light" setting in .177....2 turns cw hammer springs, 2 turns cw hammer stroke and only 1.25 turns ccw valve. Make sure to check settings before shooting (they may drift during shooting...easily fixed). Not sure of velocity...chronograph in near future.

I have best accuracy w/cros prem 7.9 grs and the cheap cros prem hollow points f/wal-mart.

3000 psi scuba tank ($200) w/airforce adaptor ($80 f/pyramid air). After 1300 shots I still had 2050psi! I fill to ~2200 and shoot sometimes to as low as 1050 psi. Works great with awesome accuracy.

Barrel does need cleaning after~200 rounds. Do not use a rod. Use string trimmer string. Melt one flat with an old butter knife, cut the other end at a diagnol to poke through the patch.

Hi Lammy,
Thanks for the setting info for low power/light pellets. Also, that is a very economical (relatively speaking) way to get into air vs a $650 CF tank. As promised, here is my first "stupid question". When you state 2 turns cw hammer stroke that means that you first close the screw clockwise until it turns no further and then back out counter clockwise 2 turns right?

I have an ample supply of CP 7.9s and will give them a try as long as I have so many around. I want to make sure that the gun is powered down first. I've also read that CPs are hard dirty pellets.
I'm glad you mentioned barrel cleaning and may do that as the first order of business. I've heard these barrels can be shipped dirty from the factory. What liquids do you guys recommend to clean your barrels with?
I would never use a rod to clean the barrel through the crown. I have a Beeman cleaning kit with a line and may use that if it appears suitable otherwise I have a lot of .010 trimmer line in the garage.

Thanks Again.

[Lammy1000]

The standard, in terms of communicating settings is to back out the hammer stroke and spring preload fully ccw. Count revolutions turned inward (cw) and report this data as your "setting". Slightly confusing at first because turning hammer spring cw increases energy, while turning hammer stroke cw decreases energy. The meter valve should be turned fully inward (cw), then count amount turned out (ccw).

I use isopropyl alcohol and "break free" to clean my barrel. Use sparingly to avoid getting liquid into transfer port. Of course, the alcohol will evaporate.

With .177 caliber you can get so many shots from a 3000psi /80ft^3 that I can not justify a $600 4500 psi tank?

[patrick]

The standard, in terms of communicating settings is to back out the hammer stroke and spring preload fully ccw. Count revolutions turned inward (cw) and report this data as your "setting". Slightly confusing at first because turning hammer spring cw increases energy, while turning hammer stroke cw decreases energy. The meter valve should be turned fully inward (cw), then count amount turned out (ccw).

I use isopropyl alcohol and "break free" to clean my barrel. Use sparingly to avoid getting liquid into transfer port. Of course, the alcohol will evaporate.

With .177 caliber you can get so many shots from a 3000psi /80ft^3 that I can not justify a $600 4500 psi tank?

The concept is definitely a little confusing but hopefully will become clearer once I receive the gun and instructions and can see it in front of me. I received confirmation yesterday that the gun was shipped.

I'm beginning to see what you mean about a 3000 psi tank. I went to Joe's site and the setup that I was looking at (Great White 2) was twice what I paid for the gun. Difficult to justify for one PCP and I would need to be sure that there is a place that could fill it. Can I still regulate the gun to shoot a heavy pellet at 930 fps with a 3000 psi tank? I would need this for FT.
I have Break Free that I use on my powder burners. Is it safe for a PCP? No danger of deteriorating or gumming up the seals or valves?
Do you mix the isopropyl and Break Free together or use separately?
Life was a lot more simple with CO2, pumpers and springers. I know I'll love it.