It's Edmund again, and Happy New Year! 2011! As some of you may know, I have posted comparison results from the Maccari vs Vortek for RWS 350 Mag? and indicated what I found after kit installation and CHRONY results.
If you have not read it yet, you may find it at:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/184474/thread/1293590743/last-1293940295/MACCARI+vs+VORTEK+for+RWS+350-
I ordered a new VORTEK PG2 for RWS 350 Mag. and MACCARI 350 Mag. Spring Kit. (These are brand new Kits.) These are not Kits from the prior comparison I had with RWS 350 Magnum Wood Stock with the Maccari 350 Mag Spring Kit and Apex Seal; or the RWS 350P Synthetic Stock with the 350 Mag Vortek PG2 Spring and Guide with Vortek 28Seal. I already have on hand from Air Rifle Headquarters the Moly, Heavy Tar, and Light Tar for this test. The Vortek Kit includes its own lube enclosed in a small black round plastic compact container. The Maccari Pro-Mag Spring did not come with a spring guide.
In an attempt to obtain a fair comparison between the Maccari Pro-Mag Spring and Tar kit to the Vortek PG2 Spring and Guide for the RWS350 Magnum -- I have used the same rifle for the test -- an RWS 350 Magnum Classic .22 cal. Feuerkraft.
I have an RWS 350 Magnum Classic in .22 caliber -- the Feuerkraft that I purchased back in July 2010. In order to find out how many grooves the barrel has, I ran an RWS 14.5 gr. .22 cal. Superpoint pellet through the barrel and counted the lands on the pellet skirt. I found 12 grooves. I must have shot about 5,000-6,000 pellets through it.
While we had rain storms in So. Cal in December a week before Christmas, I disassembled the rifle and I opened it. I discovered it had a broken OEM mainspring near the trigger assembly and I was unable to CHRONY the rifle prior to the Tune Kit installation. However, while stock, I was getting 818-836 fps with 14.5gr Superdomes at 2,700 ft. above sea level. (This is why I believed all three of my .22 cal. magnums are the same -- the Feurkraft 350 Classic, Synthetic 350P, and Wood RWS 350 Magnum).
I also own two idential .177 cal. RWS34 rifles, both with Wood Stock. (Not the Panther) Both 12-land or 12-rifled grooves in the barrel. Both with 15.3 in. barrels. The first .177 RWS34 rifle I bought was in June or July 2010, and the 2nd RWS34 rifle in November 2010 after black Friday and I received it on December 1 2010. They are identical but as we all know, not the same. Each rifle has its own pellet likes and dislikes for accuracy. However, stock is stock, and I have results for the RWS 34 Kits from Maccari and Vortek as well, but that's at another post I will be putting up tomorrow. The Maccari RWS34 GRT Kit did very well, smooth firing cycle...(sorry, this statement doesn't belong in this post).
I took the Diana 350 Feuerkraft I did the disassembly, deburring, cleaning and replaced the piston seal with the red orange colored Vortek28 Seal and used it for both Spring Kits, just to minimize the variables. I cleaned and deburred the inner cylinder tube inside the piston as I need this for the Maccari Kit. I then applied clear tar to break barrel joints, cocking lever connections, ball bearing below the breech, and cocking guide slot, etc. I checked the round breech seal, and I found it was still good with no cracks and is still slightly elevated from the breech port and not flattened in. The OEM Diana piston seal looked worn and faded blue so I replaced it with a new Vortek 28 Seal. I applied a thin (and I mean thin) coat of moly around the front and rear of the piston and it slipped right in to the receiver. The piston and new seal went in smoothly with slight drag and became a little more snug toward the breech. I used a 1/2 in. diameter wood dowel rod to push the piston inside the receiver or compression chamber toward the breech.
I had to fire the rifle 250 times or 1 tin of RWS 14.5 gr. Superdomes before I ran each kit through the CHRONY using the same .22 cal 350 Fuerkraft rifle. I want to break it in and not have any of the potential dieseling or what not interfering with the CHRONY results. Usually, after 200 pellets the rifle settles in, and the spring is seated. Also, I used the same Vortek28 piston Seal with each Kit to minimize the variables. The Vortek PG2 Kit requires I remove the 5mm thick washer inside the piston and the piston cylinder sleeve.
Here are the results of the 10-shot string per pellet type:
MACCARI 350 MAG SPRING AND TAR KIT on RWS 350 Feuerkraft .22 cal. Mag. Rifle:
RWS .22 cal. 14.5 gr. Superdomes in fps: 816.8, 819.0, 823.1, 829.0, 818.6, 819.5, 823.3,824.1, 817.8, 829.0 = 822.02 fps average
RWS .22 cal. 14.2gr. Super-H-Point (Hollowpoint) in fps: 841.0, 841.3, 831.5, 842.9, 832.3, 839.9, 849.7, 845.3, 841.5, 842.4 = 840.78 fps average
RWS .22 cal. 14.5gr Superpoint Extra in fps: 802.2, 810.5, 811.9, 821.6, 823.7,806.5, 804.3, 813.2, 819.8, 805.1 = 811.88 fps average
VORTEK PG2 350 MAG SPRING GUIDE KIT on the Same RWS 350 Feuerkraft .22 cal. Mag. Rifle:
RWS .22 cal. 14.5 gr. Superdomes in fps: 852.7, 858.9, 848.8, 851.0, 849.3, 850.9, 848.8, 852.6, 848.9, 854.6 = 851.65 fps average
RWS .22 cal. 14.2gr. Super-H-Point (Hollowpoint) in fps: 847.4, 858.3, 846.7, 856.1, 858.3, 857.5, 845.9, 860.9, 852.2, 854.1 = 853.74 fps average
RWS .22 cal. 14.5gr Superpoint Extra in fps: 836.9, 834.2, 838.4, 838.8, 842.0, 839.5, 831.0, 835.6, 832.1, 841.6 = 837.01 fps average
I find this to be very interesting. The Vortek is still a bit faster in fps. What? About 22.5 fps on average. It is not as big of a difference from the last comparison using two different rifles with the same 350 Magnum power plants:
The 350 Magnum Wood Stock with Maccari Pro Mag Kit & Vortek Seal compared to the 350P Magnum Synthetic stock with Vortek PG2 350 Kit and Vortek28 Seal.
The characteristics I do find is that when cocking, the Maccari Pro Mag Kit is more linear in cocking tension until the piston rod catches the sear of the trigger housing and becomes cocked.
The Vortek Kit gives you the perceived lighter cocking until you reach 3/4 of the way cocked and the piston rod catches the sear of the trigger housing and becomes cocked.
Both Kits are smooth to cock and the same as my prior comparison.
The perceived shooting characteristic of the Maccari Kit is short and smooth with a short pronounced recoil.
The Vortek Spring and Guide, perceived shooting characteristic is a fast "thunk" with short and quick recoil. It really is hard to describe.
What I find however, it that either kit does not negatively influence the accuracy of the rifle. This 350 Feuerkraft loves 14.5gr Superdomes. The Maccari Kit gives me tight groupings at 11o'clock and the Vortek gives me tight groups at 3 o'clock. I didn't even re-zero my scope.
I guess, it all comes down to which shooting style you like on your Magnum. (Hunting or target shooting?). Compared to a stock rifle, either kit will accomplish the smoothness in cocking an air-gunner may be looking for, and the smooth, quick and short shooting cycle tuners enjoy. All without spring twang and vibration.
