A "Gunsmith's Tune" of an LGV

Thanks for the link, great read.   I wish I had the smithin' skills that you have! 

You just shot an LGU at DIFTA, how did you like it?   Will the LGV be replacing it?  My LGU shoots very well, but is a bit twangy  (It is stock).   My 430L is a shotgun, not sure what the issue is yet but won't have time to look at it for a month or 2.   I like it's compact form factor, nice trigger and easy pointing, but will have to figure out why it's so disagreeable when trying to hit a target.

Looking forward to the WFTF powered update on the LGV.

Regards,
John

@jfs Hello John!

I have not shot an LGU in FT, ever. The LGU that I had was bought by a very eager shooter, LOL! 

Since then, I have only obtained a 0.22" cal LGU that had completely disappointed the owner and he sold it at what the stock alone would be worth.

My friend Eric Brewer shoots an  0.177" LGU in "Hunter-Piston" and he does quite well with it. He has shot my ABP LGV and declared he wanted one, but we have never really gotten around to that.

What I shot at DIFTA this past Saturday was this LGV, and I loved it. I arrived to the shoot having finished the build the night before. Sighted in at 10 meters in my workshop at 22:00 hrs and next morning with a new scope, no sidewheel, no trajectory card, and still unsure about which pellets to use, I took three pellet varieties to the shoot, took some time in the sighting in range, came up with a possible trajectory, and shot the match. I almost shot 42/62 in a deluge, where everything got WET. Luckily, even the rain was warm, LOL! But I ACED  the offhand lane, and got some pretty far targets, so I was really happy.

 It was only after the Match, that I could really get some long range test targets, LOL!

I am fascinated by the LGV because it is, possibly, one of the best guns of all times. BUT the last yard of engineering was lacking (budget restrictions, I assume, because I know the engineer and he is, for sure, one of the more "lucid" minds in the industry).

The LGV is a break-barrel, and yet it shoots right alongside fixed barrel rifles as far as accuracy and precision is concerned but, it is simpler to operate, a bit lighter, and more elegant all around. The LGU has some problems, as all underlever rifles have, when the lever is held in the battery position by a detente. The CHALLENGE is either to make the detente completely consistent, OR, to make the closure independent. And that is a hard challenge.

So, what we have made in this exercise is what the LGV should have been from the start. I cannot imagine the success story it would have been if it had TRULY delivered the 23J / 17 ft-lbs that were advertised, but never really materialized with any decent pellet. Add a good trigger blade and a good guide/spring (not really extra costs when you design from the ground up for this), and you have a winner. For those markets that need restricted power, sell short stroke pistons (again, not an extra cost if done from the factory).

As far as my FT shooting is concerned, I am taking a (SHORT) break from the WFTF D54 on purpose. The LGV at full power is so much fun to shoot! It is illegal as WFTF rules go and, I fear, once it has been "tamed" down to sub-12 ft-lbs, that part of the fun will be gone.  But, we will know when we compare the WFTF tune to the ABP tune. Before that, it's hard to remember "muscle memory" LOL!

Initial experiments with the 430L have yielded excellent results, between the short-piston/long stroke modification, and a good Titan spring, the gun is yielding 17 ft-lbs, it LOVES Baracuda FT pellets lubed with T-9 so, stay tuned, as that will be part 3.

If you are interested in making your LGU "All it can be", then drop me a PM, cost would be around $230 for the trigger, the guide and the spring.

There is a Harmonics Reducer design for the LGU that uses the resonant cavity in front. That is also something that can be explored.

Thanks for reading, keep well and shoot straight!

HM

Nice shooting with that  LGV  , lot's of power for FT and it seems controllable.  I have been very close to buying a 340 N-Tec a few times, not too interested in more power (350 N-Tec).   I've read very good things about 340  regarding accuracy (I don't own a Gas ram/spring gun and would like to own at least one), trigger and shooting cycle.  

I hope to make the next DIFTA shoot, but am moving a bit further away so it'll be tough to make it there on time (I work nights).  I am interested in anything to improve my LGU, but worried as it's pretty good as it is.   It is a bit twangy though but that's likely just a lack of tar on the spring.  I have not had it apart.  The trigger stinks, so I'm quite interested... plus the guide work.  I'll drop you a PM and may need to inquire about my 430L which is not shooting well AT ALL.  Thanks.

Regards,

John

@jfs Just let me know what you want to do with the guns. It ALL starts from the goals.

😉

Keep well and shoot straight!

HM