"MUST!"
Anybody owns a tuned one, and can describe all differences?
Who tunes RWS 34 best, and why you think so?
Seems lots of money. Enough to get a new RWS, so tune is that much better?

If only because that name looks to be about as hard to spell and pronounce as mine.

Tunes are for a couple of different reasons.

First off, these guns are mass-produced. The cheaper they are, the worse the finish quality. If you search on basic tunes, you will find that one of the things recommended for a new gun is to remove the spring and smooth out the inner surface of the compression tube. The holes in the tube are made by punches working from the outside in. These leave sharp edges that can nick or score piston seals, resulting in loss of power and harsher cycling since the compressed air is escaping faster than it should, allowing the piston to bounce harder. Polishing also helps reduce any friction between the spring coils and tube.

Second, any other defects can be identified and corrected. Maybe the gun has a bad piston seal from the factory. If a break barrel, is the lockup tight? Things like this can come to light with the pre-tune testing. Also, some guns come from the factory loaded up with a ton of unknown lubes while others (Slavia's, for one) are bone dry. When you get to the really cheap Chinese guns, some even come with grit from the manufacturing process. (Remember, these guns retail for about $40.) In these cases, tuning can save money since you are preventing further, expensive damage.

Third, a properly tuned gun that has had everything set to specs and lubed will handle better than a stock one. The shot cycle should be smoother, more predictable and the power level where it should be.

Of course, the more you pay, the less you will have to do. I guess some guns are so well made they don't need a tune out of the box. These would be target rifles, primarily, but you are paying for about the same thing from the factory.

Or, as John Ruskin once said,

"It is unwise to pay too much, but it is unwise to pay too little.
When you pay too much, you loose a little money; that is all.
When you pay too little you sometimes lose everything.
Because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot.
It cannot be done.
If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run and if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better."

Sometimes a tune can make a gun you would be a bit disappointed in into one you really enjoy. What's that worth?

For those of us that are lucky enough to have a gun that Jim offers a kit for it is a no brainer. Anyone can make a spring compressor and do the work themselves. The total kit with spring, guide, tophat, lubes is typically close to a 100 bucks. Considering that the gun will last you a lifetime it is money well spent and you will be glad you did it.

Now if I had to pay a couple/few hundred between work, parts, and shipping I wouldn't do it for a RWS 34/36. But I might do it for a TX200. In short I guess I am saying it would depend on the % of cost compared to the guns oringinal cost and the overall quality of the gun. It's one thing to spring for a $500 super tune on your Ferrari but kinda stupid to get one for your Yugo:)



Russ
P.S. I have a RWS 36 with Jim's kit (which I installed).

There a couple of forms of tuning. Your gun needs to at least be lubed or a "lube tune" after 1,000 shots or so because Dianas have very little lube if any from the factory. Continued shooting without the proper lubrication will only degrade the performance of your gun and lead to damage of internal parts including heavy gauling which you don't want. My 350 after 2,700 shots with no lubes whatsoever since bought new, had just started to cause some gauling but we caught it early enough.

You must remember. Springers need frequent maintenance, and so do many firearms, and even CO2 airguns needs seals, etc. Periodic internal lubes is part of a springer's maintenance. The other is spring replacement every few thousand pellets. Tuning your gun also makes it go much longer before it needs maintenance.

As far as the 34 goes, you are right, it doesn't cost much to begin with and getting even a basic tune (lube, debur, polish, etc.) with the cost of a JM spring kit will amount to the price of the 34 that it cost you originally. It's up to you how much you want to spend to keep your 34 performing optimally. It is definitly "worth it" on more expensive guns >$300 like the 48/52 and 350/460, etc. but if you are a true airgun ethousiast, you might see that spending $150 (to a tuner) to make the gun shoot at its best and make you happy, may be worth it. I was really surprised with the accuracy of my tuned 36 and how little recoil it had with 900fps velocities so that alone I think is worth it for most people.

Like everyone else said, these are mass produced guns. They are not perfect but can be so much more with a proper tune, like shoot better with no torquing or vibrations and be more accurate as well as last longer as I said earlier without as much maintenance because there will be less friction and stress on the internal parts.
Your question is a valid one and one that I 'm sure everyone has contemplated over and over before their first tune. I know I did.

http://www.charliedatuna.com/Turbo%20Tune.htm
Is $149 and ship

http://www.springgunning.com/TunePrice.html
Is $85 then
http://www.airguns.citymax.com/catalog/item/251488/2514146.htm
$69 kit and ship

http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/ekreally/myhomepage/business.html
Is only $85 and ship with mounting scope plus sights in

http://home.comcast.net/~peterdragin/index.html/My_Homepage_Files/Page9.html
Is $125 up and ship

Who has RWS 34 tune done by any them? What is better now? Smoothness, trigger, velocity?

Thanks for answers, really want RWS34 to shoot good but who does best work for $150?

go with Ed K. - the 4th one down, but get the Ultimate Tune, not the $85 one. That's just debur, polish and lubes. Your spring may need replacement and the plastic Diana guides are not up to par and cause torquing, vibrations, and your spring to fatigue faster.

CDT would do a comparable job as well. I hear good things about both.
Ed K. gets a lot of Diana business from what I hear and several people here have had their guns tuned by him. Not sure how many here had their Dianas worked on by CDT but hopefully you 'll get some more responses from people that had their guns tuned by some of the vendors you listed.

You should purchase the GRT kit ($69+ship.) from Jim Maccari's site that comes with custom guides, and have it shipped directly to Ed K. or let him buy it and put it in.

http://www.airguns.citymax.com/catalog/item/251488/2514146.htm

Ed can tailor the tune to your likes or depending what you use the gun for (hunting, target shooting, etc.). Power tune, OEM power, or less velocity/smoother, or both smooth with OEM power, etc. Ed can accomodate, unlike a couple of other tuners that only tune for smoothness with loss of power. Just ask him to add a custom made metal top hat which should be included in his ultimate tune, and possibly a heavy washer/spacer to bring the velocity up some if it drops off with the JM spring which definitely will a little. Ed will also mount and sight in a scope with any tune service, so you could take advantage of that as well.
E-mail him or call him and ask questions, get a price quote, etc. on the Ultimate Tune. Also get a commitment on turn-around time as some tuners have been known to hold on to your gun for a while in order to do more expensive tunes first or instead of first-come first-serve.. or they go on vacation without telling their customers. Get it done once and done right the first time.

You can chose to ask them to e-mail you a list of the tuning tasks (mods) they will perform on your gun including any and all custom parts, and copy it here for comments. Better have it in writing than a verbal agreement.

Remember, not to shoot heavy pellets with your 34, now or after it gets tuned, and it should last for many years with only some lubes now and then. Leave the heavy pellets for the 20+fpe Magnums. My tuned 36 (same powerplan as 34) sounds a little different shooting 8.9grain Beeman FTS although they are very accurate, the shot cycle is a bit different and slightly more harsh. It does seem to like 7.9 and 8.2-8.3gr pellets a lot better so I 'll stick with those. Discuss this with the tuner as well. Write down a list of questions when you call so you don't forget them.

e-mail me and find out

warren

and remember "it's 30% the gun and 70% the shooter"

Sent email, no reply yet. What is bad about a tune?

but WHO tunes it

warren

PS: waiting for your e-mail

and remember "it's 30% the gun and 70% the shooter"

Lenny, one of the tuners that you posted had to say this

"My #1 goal when tuning a gun is to have a pleasant shooting gun that will stay that way for a long time. If your primary goal is to have a gun that will shoot peak velocity right after the tune there are several tuners that will do this for you. I could do the same but the end result is a gun that will shoot harshly and develop spring noise after 1500-2000rnds."

I am not going to comment of my knowledge about any of the tuners that I have not had experience with. Nor give you any advice about fps etc. I have a tuner that is very highly respected and no longer tunes gun for money, but only for the love of tuning. I have the utmost respect for him and his knowledge. When he has tuned any of my guns, I do not tell him what speed I want the gun. But rather I ask him to TUNE THE GUN AS IF IT WERE YOUR OWN. I now have a tuned 34 that I would put up against any in the world. I am very fortunate.
I wish you all the luck in your tuning and believe any of the tuners you select will do a fine job for you.

Good Shooting
Dave@vabch

Pleasent shooting without spring noise would be good. Who does this type tune? Is this RWS 34 and can you describe how is trigger and velocity now?

Let me refer you to my earlier post:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/184474/thread/1205793075/last-1205931553/How+to+chose+a+professional+tuner

Hi j,

This is going to be long, but I am going to knock it out anyway as I am totally impressed by your post....

First, and most importantly, let me congratulate you on a job well done on the First Place for the Standing Class...that is fantastic!!!

I am tipping my hat to Ed who did what a tuner SHOULD DO...he obviously spent TIME on the tune and got it RIGHT and he pleased his client....who could or should ask for more?!?!?

I am primarily a mid to long distance hunter who doesn't shoot field target, but my girl shoots 10 Meter, and one of the things that I have always noticed in any shooting discipline is that a "well behaved" gun which is consistent is a MAJOR MUST, and even excellent shooters DO suffer with a backup gun or a borrowed gun which may not be as smooth and well behaved as their primary "go to" gun; a good gun is truly a benefit to shooters of all skill levels to be sure!

I have always been a firm believer in the quality of Diana rifles and their ability to compete with guns costing twice their price if they are “finessed” with a good, comprehensive tune where every single detail is checked and checked again until everything is perfect and harmonious!

I think that it is GREAT that you took a "sporting hunter" and turned in into a highly competitive field target rig which, along with your expertise, took a First Place Award!!! I am sitting here thinking that “field target” is really a demanding shooting discipline in which there are certain rifles that tend to dominate the sport, but what you have been able to prove is that when starting with a quality gun such as your 52, a comprehensive tune can take the gun to a whole different level!! I don't know if you hunt or not, but regardless, I am SURE that your beautiful Diana is a TOTAL PERFORMER regardless of the type of shooting that it is being called upon to do; again, I am VERY IMPRESSED and I wish to heck that I could personally put a few pellets through it!.

I am so very glad to hear somebody else talk about how great the “T” series triggers can really be! They are HIGHLY under-rated and they DO offer a solid platform for advanced tuning options, especially the T05. As I have said so many times before, I honestly believe that the T05 trigger can be tuned to “feel” and “function” just as good as a Rekord, all things considered!

All too often, people negatively prejudge the “T” series Diana triggers based on the “plastic” trigger blade. While it may not have the visual appeal of brass, stainless, or other “metals”, the plastic trigger blade has nothing to do with the “feel” of the trigger unit itself…that is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of fact. If a person removed the plastic trigger blade and replaced it with an EXACT CLONE COPY which was fabricated from solid brass or stainless steel, the trigger would STILL feel EXACTLY the same. What dictates the “feel” of the trigger are the bearing surfaces of the internals (the contact points) and how well they are braced internally. Deburred internals and polished contact points which are properly lubricated and working in conjunction with Delrin or Poly-P spacers to reduce “side to side” movement and maintain constant and consistent alignment of the internals is where the “feel” of the trigger really happens; the coil spring at the lower arm (in a T05) dictates 95+% or more of the “pull weight” of the trigger unit and it can have a very small degree of influence on the “feel” of the trigger, but it really has nothing to do with the trigger breaking “clean and crisp” as many people have said over the years.

I am also glad to hear somebody finally say something positive about a tuner who was not afraid to take a bit longer than what may seem to be usual or "the norm" to work all of the problems out of a gun and return it to the owner as a true masterpiece! You mentioned that Ed had worked on some problem points of your gun for over a year; now I don’t know if that was all at one time or if it was spread out over that time in multiple sessions, but a tuner that is willing to invest that sort of time on one gun and maintain the price that was originally agreed to is a TRUE gentleman and the consummate professional who cares more about the gun than the profit margin!!! Amen to that!!!

I quit tuning guns (air and powder) years ago, mainly because some/most people just can't appreciate what actually goes into a "quality" tune - quality being defined as the end result of being totally focused on the very smallest details...things that most people, even enthusiasts, really never think of.

I am tuning a Diana 350 Mag for one of the users of this forum, Harry (only1harry), as he had some specfic things that he wanted to achieve with the tune and we BOTH share a fanatical love of .22 350 Mags!! I have had the gun since the 10th of last month but have actually logged in 3 weeks over 41 hours and 25 min. working on it, and while it is close to being completed, once again, I am waiting on raw materials for fabricating new parts before doing the "final tweaks". Just as some tuners can be great, so can some customers/clients and Harry is just that, a perfect client who is knowledgeable, patient, and polite; a true gentleman indeed and the quality of his tune will be a reflection of the time that he has afforded me so that I can make his 350 as perfect as a 350 can be (short of a custom stock and a custom .25 cal L-W barrel - elbows Harry in the side).

There are so many of the “little stupid things” that can really suck up time on a tune…slow vendors, slow shipping, bad materials that have to be returned or written off as a loss, etc.; those little "bugs" can really put the breaks on the workflow. Some people don't realize that just like guns, other things like brass/stainless steel/1050 steel/etc. are not created equal, and unless they work with it, or have in the past, I don't expect them too know that. I just got a length of brass rod stock and one in stainless from a vendor and the brass isn’t consistent thourgh-and-through and doesn’t chip well at all - I am NOT going to use it in Harry’s tune for I would rather have the tune take a bit longer and have the materials for the fabricated components be “top notch” by MY personal standards as MY name is going to be attached to the quality of this tune FOREVER and, of course, I want the gun to be the best that it can possible be in it’s final form...these expensive German guns are what I call "generational guns" that should last longer than we do and 40 years from now, I hope that Harry's Grandkids will be teaching their kids how to shoot with it - work on these guns should not be rushed or done in haste!

I wish people really knew that even if a tuner charges a good bit of money for the work, if he or she is REALLY going through the gun with a magnifying glass and a fine toothed comb, the total price of the tune divided by the hours of work will NEVER allow you to make a living doing this type of work....it has to be a labor of love...if it is not, then ya shouldn't do the work at all, even for free, as it will just end up getting "rushed" and little details will be/could be missed.

The important thing, in my humble opinion, is for a tuner to keep in CLOSE contact with the gun’s owner so that progress reports and explanations can be provided; that is one way that close bonds form between the two parties which is very important…it is like “knowing your mechanic” or plumber, etc…it just makes things better for both parties all the way around!

I want to thank you for a great post....you have, in my opinion, offered “proofs” for some very VERY important points:

A great gun in a great set of hands can accomplish GREAT things!

Diana triggers CAN be tuned to "match grade" quality.

Diana Sporters can keep up with the best of the rest, even the venerable Whiscombes and TX200SRs!!

Good tunes can’t be rushed if everything is going to be A+ perfect.

I am saving your post and pics to serve as a documented “proof” for anybody who ever tells me that a Diana “can’t compete with the “Big Boys”….I have always known that they could!

Again, your 52 is beautiful and I stand to applaud your vision and your achievement!

Sincerely,

-Curtis

Noone else tells what tune act like, and name, until now.

Did get email, but very cryptic, telling that I can use 'their tuner' for $150 half price. So only have to buy unused $55 JM kit, since 'Titan' STEROID tune is for Panther. Then, just send gun to mystery tuner, which is $205 and ship total, with nobody else recommend.

Do diesel tractor mechanic work, but not for my car. Isn't my expert area.

Expert tune RWS 34 isn't either.

Thanks for all answers, will see what Ed K tells.

I'm seeing a bit of growth on this forum. What with people like Curtis, Hector and others showing the way, there should be a lot more enjoyment out of this sport of shooting these wonderful tools.

Curtis is telling the truth. It takes way too much time on some of these airguns to get through to where they are what they ought to be. It has to be a labor aimed squarely at the enjoyment of the process and final outcome.

Most home tuners (me included) might get about halfway there [to perfection of a certain example] if we're lucky. Sometimes you can only go so far with the tools you have and other times, for the individual work, it may feel like an effort of diminishing returns.

What people like Curtis are presenting you guys with is not only the extreme level of consistancy in the shot cycle, but reliability over many thousands of shots. That's what matters. Those two things.

Today is the first day since I got back from Florida where I felt consistant again with the Diana 75. We're talking about the last top of the line spring piston match rifle the company ever made. You want to talk about a rifle so perfect the only fault is in the user?

This is what shooters crave. To get beyond their own current level best shooting ability. In order to do that they need the best. Not just good, they need better. And it starts with consistancy and longevity. No breaking rifles on the line. That's where you lose and the game ends. No matter how good you are, failure in the tool results in failure to compete at peak level. Whether its in FT (huge congrats by the way!) or eliminating pests. Consistancy in the tool allows consistancy in the shooter. Without the first the second can never reach his or her potential.

This is why Curtis and every other tuner who prides himself on the quality of the finished work will take the time to make sure each degree of part interaction is as good as possible. Often beyond what some home tuners would consider reasonable for the price of labor, parts and time. For the first group its often a measure of personal pride. They see today's job as the standard. The best with what they knew when they started this particular project. Chances are tomorrow's job will go beyond. What they learned today only sets the bar higher.

The only question is, what does the consumer consider good enough? Based upon price? Time spent? The level of finished work really comes down to what the consumer sees as the invisible line of diminishing returns.



Harv

When I found out how long it takes to get a target-type tune on firearms, and how much it costs, I knew why.

J's rifle was ultra-smooth and had a great trigger after the very-first re-assembly. Sound good? Ha! Accuracy was mediocre at best.

I tried several spring and guide combinations, as well as other experienced 'tuner methods' to make it right. It tightened up a bit each time, but was only willing to cough up small-game hunting accuracy at best after all that. (No offense to J, but his rifle had the earmarks of a sour, yellow citrus fruit---lol).

I didn't work on it for a year solid--no way. But, I'd take some time to re-re-do it, get inglorious results once again, and then have to set it in the corner again for a while. I couldn't stand to look at it near the end! Also, I had other rifles to tune--you can imagine what a rifle like that does to your schedule--it pushes everything and everyone back. Still, there was a mystery in there waiting to be found, and J was very patient: no harrassing emails or phone calls, he knew he was waiting for something special, and he's smart enough to know that takes time (he doesn't say it here, but he has, um, 'a bit' of mechanical ability himself).

Anyway, I was about ready to send it back as a decent hunter-type tuned rifle, "no hard feelings" he said, when I tried a couple of other 'odd' things out of sheer frustration---voila'! Sudden glimpses of a tack-driver!!

It took several days in a row of very-tight targets before I trusted the results. But, they stuck.

The above story falls under what I tend to call, "The glory of airgun tuning". If all you do is make 'em smooth, nice trigger, good velocity--it's not too bad. If you actually test for and verify accuracy, it's a whole differernt ball game.

Ever see someone on a forum post, "I got it back from the tuner. It's real smooth and shoots real nice, but I can't seem to find a pellet it likes. Any suggestions?"??? Well, those aren't my customers. (With the exception of the man who insisted on using the ONE brand of pellet I specifically told him NOT to use--they shook the gun badly due to poor fit, the velocity was 100 fps slower than anything else of the same weight, and the accuracy was horrid. But, he'd read on the forum they were great pellets (one brand really fits all??), so he said he was going to use them too. A nice guy really, but, "Ugh".

This work is pretty easy, except when it isn't.

BTW, if someone knows they have a 'very sick patient' with odd symptoms before they even send it to me, I ask they tell me and describe the symptoms ahead of time--otherwise it could cost extra time and $$$$$$$.


I'm outta here---Happy Shooting!

Ed

The Airgun Tune-Meister
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/ekreally/myhomepage/business.html


"We can rebuild the squirrel. Make him stronger, faster...We have the technology"---Skyler M.

Bravo on your determination to find the "bug" in the gun and resolve it. You made your customer happy and I assume that you as the tuner are satisfied as well...that is 100% of winning the game and you did just that!

One thing that seems odd to most people is when I would say that it is harder to tune a GOOD gun like a Diana, Beeman, AirArms, etc. than it is to tune something like a Gamo or the like. With a good gun, when you get past the “basic essentials’, you really have to start looking for factory flaws and then at progress to the "little" things that just couldn't be addressed at the factory. With a gun like a Gamo 640 or a "Big Cat 1200" or the like, I can put an hour or two into them on deburring and some corrections (trigger included) and then put a tophat/rear guide/spring/piston seal into them and lube them properly with the correct lubes and see a 1000% deference; it is just not that easy to see the fruits of your labor that QUICKLY and easily with the better guns that are already close to being great guns out of the box!

I DO well know what ya mean Ed when ya say that working on a “target” rifle is a toughie!!

As one of MY favorite examples, well, I don't mean to sound rude, but I always cringed when somebody wanted me to work on a NEW TX that they had just got. They are great guns right out of the box (short of the usual TX problems) and often times it is hard to improve on near perfection. You can get to a point where you are sitting and just looking at the gun with a ashtray full of butts and thinking long and hard...that time counts as part of the tune too, not just the hands-on work. When the gun is giving you your expected chrony numbers and .273 groups of 10 at 30 yards with a variety of high quality pellets but you know that it can and should do better, well, that is where you are really NOT earning your money, you are slaving for it. That's were you end up thinking to yourself, "There are basically just a small handful of parts that can possibly affect accuracy in this gun - everything seems right in my eyes - so where/what is the problem? Am I standing so close to the trees that I can't see the forest? Have I touched or looked right at the problem part/area and didn't realize it and will I recognize it if I pass over that area again? Is it a concept/thought/theory that I am overlooking or not applying? Aggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg with some hair pulling!!! (LOL) There are times when I have felt like it is just an "Act of God" for something bad that I did when I was 14 (thinking of the snails that I poured salt on all those years ago). Perhaps there is no problem at all, but rather, a bit of refinement in a single or just a small handful of areas that bring everything together.

BUT, then again, it is soooooooo rewarding when you finally find the problem and resolve it. The killer is when you all but build a whole new gun and still no A+....because at WHAT POINT do you have to give up - refund the customer's money, eat the time and the cost of materials for the custom parts, give an apology which will always seems lame, and go back to the shop and hang yourself?!?!?! It can be a real toughie...please don't ever think that it isn't.

Again, this kind of work has to be a labor of love as $2-$3 per hour does not pay the bills....however, when you have a customer/client that is thrilled beyond belief deep in his or her heart, just like "J" was/is, and then sends you a set of pics like "J" posted here, well, that kind of payment is not measured in money values!

If ya want to make money tuning guns, specialize in the better quality “cheap ones”…if you love the guns and the work and you want to take something that is already GREAT and take it to the next level and its full potential, tune the “legends” (IMHO).

Again, congrads to "J" for knowing what he wanted and for not walking the "beaten path" and congrads to Ed for putting in the extra time to make his customer happy and make the gun a masterpiece!

I see it as a total success in every possible regard!

-Curtis

For your supportive comments and replies.

Don't do anything rash, Curtis. Sure, we could make more money at McDonald's. But we wouldn't get to use all these neat tools. Besides, they're just airguns--you know, our toys (I try to remember that when my own air rifles don't shoot as well as I expected they would on any given day).

Something I've noticed: It used to be 'let the buyer beware' (Caveat Emptor), but now the seller (aka tuner) also has some reasons to be as careful. The infamous Nigerian scams have recently made it obvious that scammers are sometimes region-specific for some reason, and/or they work in groups to accomplish their aim. To wit: It pays to own a map.

Supposedly for just such reasons, it's been rumored that one well-known tuner has suggested he may soon be tuning based on referral only--that is, either he knows the person's good reputation already, or they come highly-recommended by someone else he does know. At first the idea seemed too 'out there' for me, but it may soon become just another part of the times in which we live.

Happy Shooting to All,

Ed

Ed never mention what he tried that made the airgun in the story finally shoot, I bet he traded out the barrel on that gun. It is a common fix all when you've tried everything with centerfire bench rest shooters.

Climbed the proverbial ladder to fix that gun !

He email about how he has got tuned RWS34 and free. Tells to send to Gene at GTA or Rich in Michigan, but who tunes his 34?

Don't like when customer won't pay, because my shop is small. Work for only one tractor doesn't get paid, I would have to close.

Watch out about this. I think, not good is why for free, but is because he waits for a good job done. Am very glad my customers treat me better than this.

I quit tuning airguns some years back for 6 dozen hands full of reasons....here are a few of them:

People were always in a rush to get the gun back and would load up my voice mail, email, answering machine with endless madness and yet they wanted jewelry work.

People were always quoting some ridiculous statistic that they heard from a friend's brother's sister's friend's cousin's aunt's neighbor's best friend that was the self proclaimed airgun guru of the world and many parallel universes and no matter how much to talked to them, no matter how much debunking evidence you provided them with, they would RARELY (if ever) believe me.

Once, a local guy came to pick up his gun, shot it BEFORE he paid me, thanked me beyond words for a GREAT TUNE JOB and gave me a personal check. As he was backing out of my driveway with his gun, I got in my car to go get a burger and cash the check at his bank (I learned fast not to deposit personal checks directly into my account). I stopped at his bank first and found that a "stop payment" had been put on the check minutes before I got to the bank. He would have had to drive through city streets at 200 MPH to get home that fast to make such a phone call to the bank, so that tells me that he either stopped at a pay phone to make the call to the bank OR used his cell phone while driving away WITH HIS DAMM GUN next to him laughing all the way home; he would never answer my calls and the bank never helped either!!

Some people just didn't believe that manufacturers would "hype" FPS #'s, then when they would get the gun with the Chrony report, they would have a fit.

THE DROP DEAD WORST AND FINAL STRAW:(this is from my best recollection as it has been years & years ago) I have told this story to Tim and Harry on the phone - the worst experience that I ever had was when I tuned a gun for a local Vegas man who brought another gun that belonged to a friend of his before his tune was complete (both guns were .177 Gamos [890's I believe]). I invited them both to come to pick up their guns when they were done. I set up the chrony (it was actually an Oehler 33 - "Chrony" is actually a brand name of one type of chronograph) and popp'ed 10 rounds in each gun and they both (bad word - bad word) pooped themselves!! They accused me of ruining their guns because the manufacturer rated the guns at 1000 FPS and they were averaging high 940's. I grabbed some light RWS SuperPoints and put them through to show them that pellet weight can affect FPS (moved up to mid 960's), then I tried in vein to explain to them that manufacturers often times shoot ridiculously light pellets and take the best # out of 100 maybe 1000 or 10,000 shots and use that as their FPS rating. I tried to tell them that altitude affects FPS ratings and who knows what altitude the factory test gun was shot at to determine the FPS rating. I tried to tell them that a gun will "break in" over time, regardless if it is now or just freshly tuned, and the FPS can actually go up, not down from the use.

Every single one of the "thoughts" on the FPS #'s were and still are exactly true and accurate - but you boys already know that! Thank God -

To make a long story short, I didn't get paid and I ended up getting served with a summons to appear in small claims court - I was being sued for the replacement cost of the guns AND the 2 guys time off work. The case was dismissed after I offered a bloody TON of printed information with references from numerous sources in lew of an expert witness (L). The judge indicated that there was no "legal" basis for the complaint as there was not a "stated guarantee" of what the FPS rating would be after the tunes and that the plaintiff(s) did not have any proof of what the guns FPS was prior to bringing them to me...additionally, there was sufficient cause for the court to believe that based on the information that I provided (chrony printout and the info from other reputable sources that I provided) that manufacturers inflate FPS ratings and/or shoot specific ammo under controlled conditions that are generally not indicative of "real world" or average shooting conditions.

The judge told me that I won the case but was not entitled to a judgement to get paid what I was owed as I didn't file a counter-suit to get the money. I already knew that but I was just happy to have it done and over with - that was the day that Steph told me "no more tuning"......

Anyway....I hear ya "J"....but it really bothers me to be out of the tuning game (for the most part) as there are really good guys and gals that are good people and not scams...the problem is that ya just can't tell be looking at a person or talking to them on the phone.

I still do referal work, but it is tough as I don't keep many raw materials in stock and when I have work, I have to order materials which takes time, especially if the material is junk quaity or not what ya ordered...shipping lag is a pain too!

I miss the work as I have always found it to be relaxing, challenging at times, and very rewarding...-sigh-

I am having a great time with Harry's gun.....

-Curtis

PS....I love looking at your 52 J....knowing that it is a tack driver that is a pleasure for the owner to shoot makes me smile and giggle at the same time...I am in Las Vegas, but if I ever make it back to your neck of the woods, I'll let ya know in advance and we can have a good shoot...

No tell from Mr Warren. Just that he like the tune but got for FREE, did not pay. Back to the shop in few days.