Fitting an Altaros regulator

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Archer50
Posts: 200
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:06 pm
Location: Perth

Fitting an Altaros regulator

Thu Aug 31, 2017 5:26 pm

I've just finished fitting an Altaros regulator in my S400 Classic. My overall results were very much like Mark112 with his Lane regulator: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3300 but the big difference is I didn't need to polish the inside of the cylinder or drill any holes.

First I did a ‘drop-in’ installation, exactly as per instructions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXMNayVzmkw . Just push the reg into the cylinder, with its stand-off spacer and replace the valve pot with the new fitting set to the recommended 8mm. This worked in a technical sense, with no leaks, a steady 100 bar output and a 10-ish fps spread on JSB 8.44’s. But just like Mark's Lane regulator the air usage was very inefficient and I only got 70 regulated shots from 200 bar, as opposed to 70 shots in my sweet spot from 170 bar previously – so no real gain.

Next I collapsed one coil of the hammer spring and let it air cool as I did not want to harden the collapsed part. This gave about 10.8 ft-lb with JSB Heavies with the power adjuster screw right out. The next step was the fiddly one – I reduced the valve spring tension until I got about 11.4 ft-lb on Heavies. The final setting was 8.45 mm, but it took 4 or 5 tries to get there, and of course it will be different for every gun.

The good news was that it also gave 11.4 ft-lb with JSB Exacts and 11.2 ft-lb with Air Arms. This is vastly different from before I collapsed the spring, when I was getting 11.5 with Heavies, 10.8 with Exacts and 10.2 with Air Arms. It suggests that my hammer/valve balance is now pretty well spot-on – more by luck than judgement, but who cares! The best news was 105 - 110 regulated shots from 200 bar. Early days yet, and the spread is around 15 fps, which is a bit more than I would like, but I think that has more to do with the butchered hammer spring settling in than the regulator and I think it will improve.

Another advantage is that the gun is now about as police-proof as any gun can be, since the adjuster can only reduce the power from its current safe level, and it needs comparatively major dismantling to increase it.

I'm very happy with the outcome, and although I might be able to squeeze even more shots out, I won't bother. It confirms by belief that, in the real world, there is no need whatever for the venting hole, and this set-up is totally reversible for the cost of a new hammer spring - which is less than a tenner.

Is it worth doing or is it just something else to go wrong? I'm not sure. I'm no great fan of regulators, as some of you will know, and there is no increase in accuracy or consistency compared to an unregged gun in its sweet spot. But I think it probably is worth doing for the Carbine, with its low shot count, while at the other end of the spectrum, I wouldn't even consider it for my HFT 500, which already gives over 100 shots in the sweet spot. Anyway, I had a good time fiddling about, and learned something at the same time. Good luck if you decide to try it.

Alan

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Roger5
Posts: 1071
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 8:04 am
Location: Hampton middlesex

Re: Fitting an Altaros regulator

Fri Sep 01, 2017 2:40 pm

Nice one Alan, I have fitted a few Altaros regs myself, like you say easy to fit, and no need to drill cylinder, so if it's not to your liking, you can just remove it,and you haven't buggered anything up. An S510 had to have the cylinder polished due to air creeping past seal, and I give a quick polish to any that I do now, just to make sure, I did one recently for a lad that does B/rest shooting and he is over the moon with it. I think the best part of doing it, is that you get to really understand how your rifle works, as I say, nice one mate. Rog

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retroruss
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2016 7:02 pm

Re: Fitting an Altaros regulator

Sat Sep 16, 2017 11:38 am

thanks for sharing been thinking of going down this road for a while

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AA_Fanatic
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:18 am

Re: Fitting an Altaros regulator

Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:17 am

Hi Alan,

This was probably the most sensible, level headed comment I have read on the subject. I have a much cherished S400 Classic with a custom walnut thumbhole stock, Airmax SF 30 scope (sorry if you're yawning - but I love my gun!!) that I am using to get back into HFT.

I know we can (and do) throw piles of cash and time at these things (any hobby is the same) in the quest to 'get better' at it and make our much cherished free time, more fulfilling. For the most part - I think it's the plonker behind the rifle that needs improving - me being that plonker..!

I am at that very cross road - thinking about shelling out for an Alteros reg. I have the skills (just!) to be able to do it myself but am now wondering just what the net sum gain would be. I too, get about 70 (ish) reasonably consistent shots from 170 bar....etc.

Apart from not making sure of 'overfilling' ie - stopping at only 170 bar - after fitting an Alteros - that would be the only advantage here...? I note your shot count is the same in the sweet spot unregged vs the same regged?

Also - there's the 'bumblef*ck factor' which should never be overlooked ....always the chance of stripping something and it never being quite the same again.

With the max permissable shots on an HFT course being 60 shots anyway - I think I'm better off saving the money ....or have I missed something? I think i would be better off just spending the time and money practicing....practicing and more practicing.
''You can't fight in here....this is the war room...'' Dr Strangelove.

S400 Classic, Custom 'Geordie Stocks' walnut thumbhole stock, Hawke Airmax SF30.

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Roger5
Posts: 1071
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 8:04 am
Location: Hampton middlesex

Re: Fitting an Altaros regulator

Sun Oct 01, 2017 4:38 pm

I'm not sure if I would bother putting a reg in a classic, as you get enough shots in the sweet spot to do an hft course, but I would and do put them in the carbine, but it is only used for hunting, so don't need that many shots. I get about 45 reg'd shots with about 5fps over the lot, good enough for my needs. Rog

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Archer50
Posts: 200
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:06 pm
Location: Perth

Re: Fitting an Altaros regulator

Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:20 am

AA_Fanatic wrote: With the max permissable shots on an HFT course being 60 shots anyway - I think I'm better off saving the money ....or have I missed something? I think i would be better off just spending the time and money practicing....practicing and more practicing.

Thanks for the nice comments, and no, I don't think you've missed anything at all. For me the fettling and experimentation (or as some of my clubmates would say, fiddling around :D ) is very much part of the enjoyment of airguns and also, as a scientist I believe in testing anything you can test, rather than arguing from a position of ignorance - which, I'm afraid is what far too many people do. But when it comes to the shooting itself, I think you are dead right and provided your equipment is of a decent standard and reasonably set up, practice, practice and more practice is what gets the results.

Did I hear someone say "why don't you practice what you preach" ???? ;)

Alan

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AA_Fanatic
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:18 am

Re: Fitting an Altaros regulator

Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:46 pm

Thanks Alan & Roger - I think that answers the question for me very nicely.
''You can't fight in here....this is the war room...'' Dr Strangelove.

S400 Classic, Custom 'Geordie Stocks' walnut thumbhole stock, Hawke Airmax SF30.

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