Summertime Blues: CO2 in Hot Weather
Summertime brings out several things.....picnics, swimming parties, mosquitos.....and CO2 guns. And warm weather is where the CO2 gun can really shine!
Due to the nature of CO2, warm weather brings out the best in CO2 guns. But sometimes too much of a good thing becomes....well, not good. For instance, a few summers ago I was visiting my brother in Baton Rouge. Dead heat of summer. Miserably humid, and so hot even the fire ants were fanning themselves.
I had brought a TF-78 and a Crosman 2250XT (which was brand new to the market at that time) down to enjoy some off-the-back-porch shooting. My brother and I were busy making crumbs out of snack crackers when the TF-78 he was using just up and quit. No explanation, no warning, still had gas in it.....it just quit.
Now, for those of you who have been shooting for awhile and know the nature of CO2, I'm sure you've already deduced what had happened. Sure enough, I had experienced valve lock. Valve lock is a condition when the internal pressure of the CO2 gun's reservoir becomes too high for the force of the hammer to open the valve for the realease of gas during the firing cycle. As I recall, it was in the high 90's, and we were sitting in the sun, shooting in between sessions of wiping our brows free of sweat. All that exposure to the sun increased the temperature to the point where the valve would simply no longer function.
The best way to cure that condition is to have patience. I didn't have any to spare that day, and I tore the gun down in order to manually force the valve open with a hammer and a dowel rod. That was my first dumb idea, as I promptly lost the little piece of tubing (the transfer port ring) when i knocked open the valve for the first time, shooting the little piece of tubing off into the grass somewhere. Never did find that thing!
A much wiser way of solving the problem would have been to take the gun inside for awhile and let it cool down. The pressure would have reduced itself to a level that would have allowed the gun to work again, but I wasn't thinking to brightly that day. In subsequent instances of valve lock, I began setting the gun in the deep freeze for about 5-10 minutes. That's all it takes to reduce the pressure enough to once again enjoy some great shooting from a CO2 gun.
The nature of the CO2 gun does not lend itself to leaving the gun exposed for long periods of time to sunlight and heat. As the pressure inside the gun rises, the seals are being pushed on at a much higher force that they were ideally designed for. It may take more than one occurence, but eventually the seal is going to give way, and then you'll have a gun that leaks gas and doesnt' bring anyshooting pleasure at all. And in some gun designs, the valve is held in place by a single screw. Enough force applied to that and you'll shear the screw right off, mess up the threads in the valve that receive that screw, and be in need of a new valve, much less a new seal. So realize the issues behind CO2 and its use during high temperature.
CO2 has its detractors in the airgun world. However, properly set up, it can give a very inexpensive shooting experience. I hunt during the early season with CO2 guns for squirrels and have very good luck. They are powerful enough for most small game needs in weather above 50 degrees or so. I do take the caution of shooting a couple of sighting shots before a hunt to determine any differences in point of impact due to the temperature of the day in question. And using a CO2 gun such as the TF-78T that has a bulk CO2 supply lessens the effect of the temperature to a small degree.
Here is a brief list of CO2 guns that I consider great values for your money, as well as coming in high on the enjoyment list for shooters in general:
TF-78
TF-78T
TF-78 Gold Series
RWS 850 Magnum
TF-79
TF-79T
TF-79TH
Crosman 2240
Drop by Compasseco's product categories or click on the links above to read up on all the features these guns provide. And in the warm summertime, enjoy the great shooting that a CO2-powered airgun provides.
Due to the nature of CO2, warm weather brings out the best in CO2 guns. But sometimes too much of a good thing becomes....well, not good. For instance, a few summers ago I was visiting my brother in Baton Rouge. Dead heat of summer. Miserably humid, and so hot even the fire ants were fanning themselves.
I had brought a TF-78 and a Crosman 2250XT (which was brand new to the market at that time) down to enjoy some off-the-back-porch shooting. My brother and I were busy making crumbs out of snack crackers when the TF-78 he was using just up and quit. No explanation, no warning, still had gas in it.....it just quit.
Now, for those of you who have been shooting for awhile and know the nature of CO2, I'm sure you've already deduced what had happened. Sure enough, I had experienced valve lock. Valve lock is a condition when the internal pressure of the CO2 gun's reservoir becomes too high for the force of the hammer to open the valve for the realease of gas during the firing cycle. As I recall, it was in the high 90's, and we were sitting in the sun, shooting in between sessions of wiping our brows free of sweat. All that exposure to the sun increased the temperature to the point where the valve would simply no longer function.
The best way to cure that condition is to have patience. I didn't have any to spare that day, and I tore the gun down in order to manually force the valve open with a hammer and a dowel rod. That was my first dumb idea, as I promptly lost the little piece of tubing (the transfer port ring) when i knocked open the valve for the first time, shooting the little piece of tubing off into the grass somewhere. Never did find that thing!
A much wiser way of solving the problem would have been to take the gun inside for awhile and let it cool down. The pressure would have reduced itself to a level that would have allowed the gun to work again, but I wasn't thinking to brightly that day. In subsequent instances of valve lock, I began setting the gun in the deep freeze for about 5-10 minutes. That's all it takes to reduce the pressure enough to once again enjoy some great shooting from a CO2 gun.
The nature of the CO2 gun does not lend itself to leaving the gun exposed for long periods of time to sunlight and heat. As the pressure inside the gun rises, the seals are being pushed on at a much higher force that they were ideally designed for. It may take more than one occurence, but eventually the seal is going to give way, and then you'll have a gun that leaks gas and doesnt' bring anyshooting pleasure at all. And in some gun designs, the valve is held in place by a single screw. Enough force applied to that and you'll shear the screw right off, mess up the threads in the valve that receive that screw, and be in need of a new valve, much less a new seal. So realize the issues behind CO2 and its use during high temperature.
CO2 has its detractors in the airgun world. However, properly set up, it can give a very inexpensive shooting experience. I hunt during the early season with CO2 guns for squirrels and have very good luck. They are powerful enough for most small game needs in weather above 50 degrees or so. I do take the caution of shooting a couple of sighting shots before a hunt to determine any differences in point of impact due to the temperature of the day in question. And using a CO2 gun such as the TF-78T that has a bulk CO2 supply lessens the effect of the temperature to a small degree.
Here is a brief list of CO2 guns that I consider great values for your money, as well as coming in high on the enjoyment list for shooters in general:
TF-78
TF-78T
TF-78 Gold Series
RWS 850 Magnum
TF-79
TF-79T
TF-79TH
Crosman 2240
Drop by Compasseco's product categories or click on the links above to read up on all the features these guns provide. And in the warm summertime, enjoy the great shooting that a CO2-powered airgun provides.
posted by Randy Mitchell at
11:24 AM
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