Can someone give me some info on tuning rws 34. Is this something that I can do or not? Have never had my gun apart. Would like to make it shoot better. Where could I send it to get it turned and about how much would it cost? Or would you recommend that I try it myself. I have read that there are drop in kits or Macaroni springs that make the gun shoot better but not sure if these are the same as a tune. Please educate me.
the RWS M34 can benefit from a tune, that is "do I need to do it"
the "do I want to do this" is expecting the 34 to behave as a MAGNUM, no dice, the 48/53/54 and the 350 and 460 are NOT a 34 and the 34 cannot chase these Magnums'
feel comfortable with 720 fps MAX in .22 cal with a M34?? because that is the HIGH end and achievable fps for the M34
do you want 900 fps?? then the M350 does that
a TUNE means WHAT?? a rifle tune, a trigger tune they are different
a FULL tune means from head to toes not from head to waist and the M34 is worth a conservative amount of $$ in a tune, it's a $200.00 MAX air rifle, why spend $200.00 in a $200.00 air rifle?? that will give you 40 fps more with a tune
FIRE it to the ground, untuned or keep it for your grandkids for $200.00 more tuned M34 air rifle
warren
and remember "it's 30% the gun and 70% the shooter"
Not completely confuse him! He sounds as if he wants to tune a 34 and, if he is the same guy who asked on the Yellow, it makes us look unlike the DianaWerke over here.
One thing to consider - a fellow goes by C.A.P. here is testing some proto-type drop-in units by Vortex (sp?) that look very promising for a do it yourself. Look for his thread. May be worth the wait. Especially if your gun is new. Give it a chance to bring to light any defects covered under warranty. Once you get into it, it usually voids that.
there are no miracles in the M34 you get what you have, it is a 600ish fps air rifle and capable of 700 but NOT 800
ANYONE that has an 800-850 fps M34 in .22 cal shooting that fps with a CP 14.3 gr. pellet and with a behaved firing cycle and accurate up to 40-60 yards
name your PRICE and I will buy it from you
or since I live in Tampa, FL you have an open invitation to stay at my house 20 min. from Bush Gardens, 1 hour from Disney, and other theme parks for FREE
bring your family and also bring that SPECIAL M34
warren
and remember "it's 30% the gun and 70% the shooter"
If the 34 you have is "harsh" or "twangy" then it will beneifit from a "lube tune" -- This is NOT the same as pro complete tune, which (in addition to a specalty lube job, will change out the spring and guides, debur, smooth various parts, and depending on the tuner also do a smooth and adjust job on the trigger.
The 34 as it comes from the factory these days is seemingly quite "dry" and to me would obviously benefit from either type of tune. But RF's advice to shoot the thing until it is completely broken in and has revealed any flaws is sound, because "opening the gun up" will void the factoryy warranty.
Then start by e-mailing John in PA who contributes to this forum and has a good reputation, as a start.
Randy did not mention "Magnum" nor did he mention "900 fps" -- YOU did, and that in my interpretation was not germane to his question. He simply asked for info on tuning a M34.
---germane: "2 : being at once relevant and appropriate : fitting
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Your opinion that one should not spend "X" dollars on a particular gun is just that, YOUR opinion. My opinion: If one has the $$, and spending them on a rifle of whatever value will make that gun more pleasurable to own and shoot, more power to them!
Don't know why we seem to be at cross purposes here, Warren, I certainly respect your knowledge and experience. I must say that I find your posts sometimes a bit agressive.
giving advice is the trick part of the post, you could be WRONG and I hate to be wrong
what does 600 versus 601 fps mean, not a lot for the informal reader but a whole lot for the experienced shooter with 1 fps difference to understand or make an interpretation, Imagine 1 fps difference
am I an experienced shooter?? NO, to many I am an experienced buyer of many air rifles
agressive is not the bad part, being wrong is the really bad one
agressive and right, I can live with that
agressive and wrong makes you 2 times wrong
what about passionate??
sometimes my passion reaches the point of seeming aggresive but do not confuse passion with aggresivity, not the same
your opinion is as good as mine regardless of my knowledge or yours, I value an opinion as a MEGA million jackpot, meaning ANYONE can win but if you do not make your bet you do not participate in the win pot
warren
PS: and please DO come back
and remember "it's 30% the gun and 70% the shooter"
Thanks guys. Fuller is right. I don't expect this gun to be some super duper powerfull gun. It is what it is. I like the gun and it is plenty powerful for taking care of the tree rats around my house.
It has about 600 pellets through it and it does seem to have that twang to it and it makes a groaning sound when it is cocked. It just seems to need smoothing out and I agree Warren, it is not my intention to spend too much on this gun, just want to try to improve it somewhat.
Take these tips from a guy who just asked the same question of this forum a week or two ago; 1. Build a spring compressor. It cost me less than $5 to build it and the better part of 3 hours of my time. Even though you can get things done without one, you'll appreciate the ease. Harbor Freight is a great place. 2. Buy moly lube. A lot of people like Jim Maccari's stuff. Rich from Mich has some too. Or try your own. I'll do both. 3. You can't go wrong with deburring/polishing/lubing a new rifle. A small file set, some fine grit sandpaper, and attention to detail make the difference here. 4. Buttons for the piston and maybe the "heat shrink tube on the top hat" trick might smooth things out for you.
There is more you can do, like a tune by a professional. It's your rifle and your money. Go nuts.
I made a leather wrap for my 34 stock, that is removable, that sits between the bottom of the cocking arm slot and the front end of the trigger guard. This actually decreased a bit of the twang for me. However, a while ago I realized that, for the money, a Diana 34 is a fine spring rifle with compromises that make it different. A little twangy, a bit of recoil, and relatively heavy.
I'll keep mine forever and I'll adjust to it's preferred handling style to get the best of out it.
Hey Randy , a tune will make it a real pleasure to shoot , I did it with my 350 magnum and it was worth every penny. A tune will make it smoooooooth and deadly accurate .the trigger will pull just right , and it makes it so much nicer to shoot .
Can you tune your own rifle??? Somewhat, you can improve its performace a little bit. but if you it want done right, you have to pay .
the question is do you want to put 200 into a 200 gun?? you would have the best 34 on the block Im sure. but its a matter of how much is it worth to you?
If you have the xtra jing go for it. its well worth it
with "Holdover"! Just exactly how does a tune make a rifle 'deadly accurate'? It can be made to shoot more accurately if the crown is bad, but I wouldn't consider a re-crown to be a tune. I mean if the barrel isn't an accurate one before a tune, it won't be an accurate one after the tune. If the gun wasn't capable of shooting one hole groups from the get-go, no amount of 'tuning' will make it a one-holer. Not without doing some work on the barrel or even replacing the barrel. Again, not what I consider 'tuning'. You could put an accurate barrel on a rifle that had a bad barrel on it, do no 'tuning', was 'twanging' to beat the band, and proceed to shoot one hole groups. Yes tuning does make it easier for an INDIVIDUAL to shoot a gun more accurately. However the accuracy was there from the beginning. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Using heat shrink on the top hat basically increases the OD of the top hat, which keeps it from rattling around during the firing cycle. I have no idea of any other benefit, or even if it works. I was just offering that because of the frequency other people are using it.
I am a big fan of shrink tunes. Just got done shooting a shrink tuned 34N, it is twang free, mild mannered, and pleasant at 905 fps with JSB Express pellets.
A shrink tune involves cheap, polyoleofin (SP?) electrical heat shrink tubing glued and shrunk in an oven on to your stock spring guide...(not the top hat; Diana's don't come with top hats). Your guide diameter is increased by about .030", which makes the spring fit the guide snugly, and dampens spring vibration when the gun is fired.
First degrease the guide, then apply a THIN coating of adhesive of your choice (I use silicone aquarium sealant). Use a piece of shrink tube a bit longer than the guide and shrink it on in an over at 250 degrees for a plastic guide, 300 for metal ones. Trim excess tubing off with a small sharp knife so that it rolls over the front of the guide a bit, then let it sit and cure for a day before using (although I usually don't ).
Be sure and lightly chamfer, deburr, and smooth the spring ends to avoid damage to the tube during installation. Twist the spring on if it's too tight to slide straight on.
That is good info Jeff. I presume the standard lubes still are applied? Or do you use another lube--something other than heavy or clear tar for the outside of the spring? And do you still lube the outside of the shrink wrapped guide?
you DO NOT get accuracy with a tune all you get is a smooth firing cycle out of that accurate air rifle, that is if you have accuracy to start out with it
on an tune with an in-accurate air rifle you get an in-accurate air rifle TUNED
a pig with lipstick is a pig with red lips, still a pig but a lipstick in a nice girl is a model
and a good pellet brand in a POS air rifle does not make that POS shoot better
a tune in a good air rifle makes it better not the other way around
a Wal Mart air rifle will not be the same as one you buy from Air Guns' from Arizona
some times you get a Lemon and no matter what you do to it, it's still a Lemon regardless of the $$ you spend on that Lemon
I can give your 34 an original parts tune for $70, if you want any after market parts they will be at my cost...I will add a fitted top hat along with the tune....
Just exactly how does a tune make a rifle 'deadly accurate'? It can be made to shoot more accurately if the crown is bad, but I wouldn't consider a re-crown to be a tune. I mean if the barrel isn't an accurate one before a tune, it won't be an accurate one after the tune. If the gun wasn't capable of shooting one hole groups from the get-go, no amount of 'tuning' will make it a one-holer. Not without doing some work on the barrel or even replacing the barrel. Again, not what I consider 'tuning'. You could put an accurate barrel on a rifle that had a bad barrel on it, do no 'tuning', was 'twanging' to beat the band, and proceed to shoot one hole groups. Yes tuning does make it easier for an INDIVIDUAL to shoot a gun more accurately. However the accuracy was there from the beginning. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. 
