Hello,
New year greetings!
Artemis update:
Spares have arrived. Artemis should be in working condition by the end of next week. (Things are busy at the workshop)
Precihole SX100 Pegasus:
Last week, I got my SX100 in walnut stock and RF finish for 11,000/- from Mr. Apoorva Tandan of M/S Amarnath Pirthinath, Agra. I found him to be a reasonable gentleman. Though his store completely lacks bling(actually it is borderline dilapidated), and he doesn’t carry much stock, I found his suggestions and opinions to be very honest and completely devoid of monetary inclination. I have no qualms in recommending him to the air rifle enthusiasts of nearby area.
I also requested following items along with the SX100:
Precihole 40 turns spring x 2
Precihole rifle lip seal(piston seal) x 2
Precihole O ring(breech seal) x 2
Precihole Moly grease x 1
Mr. Tandan was confused when I requested the spares along with the brand new rifle. He said, “Arey, itni buri bhi nahi hoti Indian airgun”. Little did he know that I was smarting under my experience with Artemis. He suggested that I would be better off purchasing the spares from Precihole directly.
I smiled and confidently inquired whether he had some 30-40 feet of space where I could test the rifle. He directed me outside, alongside his store on the footpath. He assured me that he owned the two adjescent shops and that there would be no objections against testing the rifle there. He placed a cardboard box at one end. I drew a one inch circle on it and walked to the other end. I had already carried Precipell Match FH with me. I took three shots. As luck would have it, all three shots were in the circle and half an inch apart! A few bystanders and fellow customers were impressed.
I immediately had risen to the celebrity status at his store.
Mr. Tandan offered me H&N and RWS pellets at rates that were much better than what any websites offered. I immediately put down request for a few different types.
Here are the pics,
The stock is synthetic in wood colour. In my opinion, a ₹1,300/- premium over standard synthetic stock is not justified.
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Once at home, I ordered the spares from Precihole website and took about a dozen shots after. These were my initial observations:
1. Rifle is lighter than, and has less recoil than Artemis.
2. Metal work is of a very noticable higher standard than Artemis.
3. Accuracy is comparable to that of Artemis.
I decided not to take anymore shots till the spares arrived and the tuning could be done.
Tuning:
Tuning was done in following steps today at my workshop.
1. Polishing the piston.
2. Washing every thing in kerosene and then rubbing alcohol.
3. Changing the piston seal. (The pic will explain)
4. Generous application of Moly grease on every moving part.
5. Removal of preload washers from the receiver side of the spring. vsraja would have been proud, if he saw me at it
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After tuning I observed:
1. Reduced cocking and discharging noise.
2. Somewhat increased muzzle speed. (Or maybe, it’s just in my mind)
RWS R10 Match FH:
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Price: 670/- plus shipping from Kovibazaar.
I observed:
1. Finish as well as consistency is at par with H&N, which in turn is better than GSmith and Precipell.
2. Fit in breech is as tight as Precipell Match FH and GSmith. I haven’t tried H&N Excite Econ FH in SX100.(Have none left)
Accuracy:
I shot my best today. It could be the pellets. Or it could be the tune. Or it could be just luck.
Today’s shooting:
I shot after a week today.
I took three sets of thirty shots each. As per my system, the scores were,
1. 175
2. 200
3. 251
Here is the pic of my best spread:
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Today’s average score: 208.7
I missed the forum.
Cheers!