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Gunrunner · Member

Hello all, been awhile since I've been on here, just to busy this summer.
any who, picked up a Phantom the other day at Wally world, great price.
Brought it home and started to rip it apart. much better workmanship on it, nice tight barrel lock up on it, no side to side play.
This all has been covered in other post already but I'll just add what I came across.
Nice heavy piston, thicker walls than the Quest, good looking spring wasn't sure to go with it or the B-19 spring which is about 1 1/2 in. longer same coil count, by the way the Phantom spring is almost the same size as the B-4 just thicker wire ..Hmmmmm, ended using the original spring,
cut the piston down, cleaned out all the red goop that was in it, deburred it, basic tune.
So after that I got to take it out today and do a test run, big big difference from the Quest, nice solid thump, scoped very nice, heavier cocking then a Quest, must be that nice spring, put about 200 rounds through it came home and set up the chrony.
Crs hollow 747
Gamo Mags 720
Gamo Match 765
RWS Hobbies 794
these were the average with 10 pellets each.
What do I think .. looks like Crosman doing something right again..
love the gun, now I need another one just in case they stop making them .

Good to be back..

Gunrunner Cool

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Holy Crap! We thought you died or something! Flapping

Seems everyone who gets the new Phantom 500 loves it, which is not hard for what you get for the price. It's too bad it is thus-far a Canada-only model. It would be interesting to see if the Phantom 1000, the G1 Extreme and the Tac-1, which are available everywhere and use the same B1x platform, have also implemented the same changes (thicker piston walls, narrower spring, tighter bushings).

How far down did you cut the piston? The 2" to make it match a 1000-series gun, or even more? The reason I ask is that I was getting around 720fps using Crosman wadcutters with a 1000 piston- but that 747fps with Crosman HP's is 4% higher than that- not alot, but 4% is 4%, right?

Gunrunner · Member

Hi Eric, still alive and kicking..lol
I measured the 2" and cut it just on the other side of the line or tape making it just over 2" what ever thickness the 2" dremel blade is .. where I think I made the diff is the sear slot there is no play in the barrel "piston after its cocked, what I mean is when I cock the gun it catches right at the end of the stroke.
On my Quest after I cock it there is a bit of travel back or play in the piston .. not on the phatom, this also made for a very sweet trigger, not sure what the pull is but its at least half of my Quest.. guess I just got lucky when I cut the piston.
Now if we could only get a new spring for the Quest with a bigger wire dia. and the same OD be a whole diff gun.

Gunrunner Cool

Alstone · Moderator & Site Supporter

Hi Gunrunner nice to see you back, I've been wanting to ask you about your QB78, you postered some pictures a while back and it shows what I think is a power adjuster below the bolt, I realise that yours is HPA tuned and I want to use use it for Co2, if it is do you have the details for it design etc, I would be intrested in modding my own QB if it was possible.

Looking at it I would say that it's just a matter of removing the pin from the rear spring support piston, and putting an adjuster through the rear tube plug, or am I being to simplistic about it.

Al

Gunrunner · Member

Hi Al, the set up I made is like the ones that have been done on the 2240.
The rear hammer plug is drilled out centre and tapped, the botton of the plug is the same the screw holding the rear trigger , now this is where I changed it,just like the 2240 I use a screw that comes down from the top of the bolt screws through the plug on the bolt and down to the plug on the hammer, also tap it there, so you have now 2 screws one from the top and the original from the bottom both going into the hammer plug. works great for hpa and I'm sure it would work just as good for CO2.
Hope this all made sense.
Good luck.

Gunrunner Cool

Next project to my QB's is double air tubes, should bring my shot count into the 70 shots per fill.

Alstone · Moderator & Site Supporter

Cheers Gunrunner I'll give that a try this next week. Very Happy

Good luck with the twin tubes it sounds an intresting and unique arrangement.

Al

Gunrunner · Member

Good luck there Al.
I noticed Eric that you and Harly added to washers to your piston.. you where asking what I did.. well I tried adding 2 washers, wouldn't cock, tried 1 washer, still no go. The only way it will cock is without any washers so I think thats where the diff. may lie, the piston is shorter, what do you think?
here's the measurement I did.
cut off 2.04" off the piston
the wall thickness, on my Quest piston ..06
on the Phantom .09
not sure why there is a diff between the wall thickness, must make a diff in the fps.
The gun rocks ..

Gunrunner Cool

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Well- as Daniel Sheldon found out by trying it- there is very very little 'extra' space for washers in the setup!

I blew my trigger out probably for the same reason- lack of space, but the first spring I put in was a Maccari Tarantula which had not been 'set' and was 2" longer than the stock Phantom spring- so that combined with the washers must've been what caused the trigger hold spring to go funky on mine. For the 10 or so shots I had before the trigger gave it up- I had extreme dieseling and the gun (no kidding) came close to breaking the sound barrier- sounded like a 30-06 being fired minus the crack at the barrier. As of last try- my Phantom had the stock spring and two washers without any problem (Daniel Sheldon also has two in his). Maybe I could add another one or two to get to that 750-ish fps mark- or prevent the trigger from holding the piston- trial and error if I feel like it I guess.

Based on what you are saying- you cut your trigger slot a bit high- thus taking up and possible spacing in the spring, making washers (which act as spacers as well as more rotational surface) unusable. I guess you've "maxed out" the spring!

Why the piston is heavier is pure speculation (I'm betting all the newest Quest will get the same thickness as well)- it could be "tuning"- but due to the changes on the spring and guides, I'd bet the 'tuning' was for recoil, not power output necessarily. The piston may have been made thicker because perhaps a few too many guns went back under warranty with cracked or ripped apart pistons in Quests- and Crosman has taken the B1x platform and used it in almost everything they have offered new in the last year or two- the G1 Extreme, the Phantom, the Tac-1 and of course the old Quest- so they decided to use better quality pieces to avoid any inconvenient and potentially expensive failures. I dunno- without talking to a Crosman engineer or the business manager who would have directed the Chinese supplier's engineers what the reason- it's all just a guess.

daniel sheldon · Member

Are there any stronger springs u can get aftermarket?

AirGunEric · Site Admin

The Maccari Tarantula or perhaps a copy if it (it isn't sold by Jim Maccari anymore). Airbuddy3 installed one in his Phantom and I think he said somewhere he's getting close to 800fps with it- but he'd have to verify this.

leadman · Veteran Member

can we get specs for the tarantula spring and a link of where to order springs from?

AirGunEric · Site Admin

The Tarantula is a 33-coil, 9.75" (once set), 3/4" OD spring. I don't have any other specs on it handy, but before it is set (as in put in a gun and cocked a few times) is measures 11.75" (it shrinks 2" when set".

I also believe Maccari may be selling a new one now. Here's a link- but I'm not sure if this is now the 'dead' older item or the new one:

http://www.airguns.citymax.com/catalog/item/251488/43410.htm