by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
B.B.’s TX200 Mark III
As you read this, I’m driving to the Roanoke airgun show. This is just a reminder that I’d like you veteran readers to help answer the questions we get from the new readers while I’m away from my desk. I’ll read the comments a couple times each day and answer those I need to, but I don’t have as much time when I’m on the road. Thanks!
Today, I’ll mount a scope on the TX200 Mark III and sight it in. This is normally accuracy day, but I’m slowing down this report so I can explain several things that are usually glossed over — such as mounting a scope and sighting-in.
This report will look like a photo gallery. And the photos were all taken with flash because there are so many of them. I apologize for that, but I have examined each picture and you will be able to see each thing I refer to.
Let’s get started. Someone said I should used the Hawke 4.5 to 14 X42 Tactical Sidewinder scope, so that is what I mounted. I used a set of Leapers 30mm medium-height rings because they’re high enough for this scope and have the vertical scope stop pin that the TX200 needs.
Does the scope fit the rifle?
The first step in the process is to lay the scope next to the gun, positioning the eyepiece where you think it needs to be to fit your eye position. That will tell you how the scope is going to fit on the rifle.
Laying the scope above the rifle where the eyepiece needs to be tells us how the scope will fit on the rifle. Notice that the objective bell will hang over the loading port a little; but as I mentioned in Part 2, that’s not a problem.
Seeing that the scope will fit, the next task is to position the scope rings on the rifle. I used 2-piece rings, so I will first position the rear ring with the scope stop pin. The TX200 Mark III has three holes for a vertical stop pin. Pick the hole you like and make sure the stop pin fits into the hole when the ring is installed.
Pick one of the 3 scope stop holes to receive the vertical scope stop pin in the bottom of the scope ring.
Adjust the vertical scope stop pin in the base of the rear scope rings so it goes deep into the hole on the rifle. On some rings, it will be necessary to peel up the anti-slip tape to access this pin for adjustment.
Now, you can mount the rear scope ring, making sure that the stop pin goes into the hole you’ve selected. Try to slide the ring to the rear of the gun so the stop pin makes contact with the rear wall of the stop hole. Then, you can tighten this ring in place.
Attach the rear scope ring to the rifle, ensuring that the stop pin is pressed against the back wall of the hole in the rifle. Tighten the screws on the ring base when you’re satisfied.
Once the rear ring is positioned, you can position the front ring, using the scope as your guide. Leave room on both sides of both rings to slide the scope back and forth, if possible. This is where the advantage of 2-piece rings shows up.
Now the front scope ring may be installed, using the scope as your guide. Leave room to slide the scope back and forth, if possible.
Once both ring bases have been installed, carefully lay the scope in them and see how it fits the rifle.
The scope is now laying in the rings. Notice that it does overhang the loading port by about as much as we estimated earlier.
Now that I know the scope fits as planned, I check it for fit with my eye by holding the rifle in a shooting position. The scope is still just laying in the bottom rings — the caps haven’t been attached yet.
By looking through the scope, I determine that the rings have been positioned correctly. I adjust the scope slightly to align the vertical reticle and also to position the eyepiece for maximum light when the rifle is held comfortably. The caps can now be installed and secured.
The caps are secured.
Aligning the scope
You can go through all kinds of machinations to align the scope perfectly vertical, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it looks vertical to you when you hold the rifle comfortably because that’s the way you’re going to align the scope every time you use it.
I used to do all sorts of things to “level” the scope before I finally understood that the scope will NEVER be level! Level is what looks level to you; and if you hold it the same way every time, that’s all that matters.
Sight-in
Now that the scope is mounted, it’s time to sight it in. For that, I made a white card with two black dots made by a felt-tipped pen. The top dot is my aim point and the bottom dot is as far below the top dot as the center of the bore of this rifle is below the center of the scope. That was just a rough estimate — I didn’t use a ruler. I’m going to sight-in the rifle at 10 FEET. That’s right — 10 FEET!
If this seems strange, you haven’t read my article about a 10-minute sight-in. When I worked at AirForce Airguns, I used to mount scopes and sight-in all the rifles that were sold directly by the company. It took less than 30 minutes from the time I was told what rifle and what scope was needed until I had the scope locked down and sighted-in at 23 yards. This procedure is how I did it so fast.
I step back about 10 feet from the card with the 2 dots and put the crosshairs on the top dot. I fired one shot. I used H&N Baracuda Match pellets because I know they do well in this rifle.
The first shot lands slightly high and to the right of the lower dot. Remember, the lower dot is where the pellet should go if it comes straight out of the barrel while the scope is aimed at the top dot.
Shot one is a little high and right, but it’s not too bad. I adjust the scope left and down from this.
Shot 1 was a surprise. Usually the first few shots are a lot farther off the mark than this. But I adjusted the scope from this — left and down.
How much left and down is not a precise thing. I do it by spinning both adjustment knobs and not even counting the clicks because I know that at 10 feet I have to move the crosshairs a lot to make them move at all. If I had to guess, I would say it was 16-20 clicks on each knob. Then, I fired the second shot.
I enlarged the view so you could see the second shot. It went exactly where I wanted it to go.
Now, the rifle should be on paper and close to on-target at 25 yards. It may not be exact because this is a loose method — but it will be close enough.
Next time, I’ll shoot 25-yard groups, and I’ll start with where this sight-in lands me.
B.B.
What a beautiful gun this is. Looks deadly too. Wish I had the dough to own one!
Errol
Pictures do not do it justice. When you have the opportunity to hold and closely examine one with a walnut stock, it will make your knees go weak! As anal as I am about accuracy, that is one of the reasons I do not own one. I have held one at the Roanoke show that PA had brought. The steel had a deep, rich bluing and the walnut was very nicely figured. I would be afraid to handle it and shoot it. If I ever scratched it or dinged it, I would quite literally cry.
As far as accuracy goes, there are very few sproingers that can match it. The list of PCPs that can beat it is not that long either.
RR
If you find a replacement at the show for the Talon SS I would like to buy it if it would ever go up for sale. Im serious.
And the TX200 looks to be the next springer for me.
Im not much of a springer person any more after getting the taste of pcp guns.
But like I said it will be next for me. This gun just seems to have something about it. Thats why I got my Diana 54 Air King too.
Not much chance of selling the TSS. I have it torn down right now and am rebuilding it into a .22 carbine. Hopefully I will be able to pick up some of the parts I want this weekend. Once it is finished, I will have too much time and money in it to let it go. Just go buy a Condor SS. You won’t regret it.
Sell your 54 and get a walnut TX200. You probably won’t regret that either.
RR
Well hope you find the parts. And nope cant sell the 54.
I still got room for a few more guns. Just being a little more selective now days when I buy something.
So the TX200 is definitely on the list. And I’m still not quite convinced about the Condor SS yet. I don’t want all that extra aluminum shroud if it and the baffles ain’t going to get the gun quiet enough.
I’m starting to think I want to get a Talon pistol because of its size and put a longer .22 caliber barrel in it instead of the .25 cal. barrel that comes with the gun. And probably a TKO muzzle brake on it. Probably still wont compare to your Talon SS though.
Will see. Not really in a hurry though. And I still haven’t figured out how to shoot all my gins at once. 🙂
RidgeRunner
I was going to respond to Errol, but you beat me to the punch.
I have never had the pleasure of holding a walnut version in person, but the beech stock is nothing to sneeze at. Or on. The wood has a glow to it that seems to come from within. The bluing looks like black chrome. I have never seen anything like it.
Here is a story to make you cringe. I was shooting the TX one day, and after knocking down all of my targets I set the gun buttpad down a patio chair, muzzle pointing to the sky. I went out to the fenceline and reset all the targets, but had to jump the fence to grab the stuff that had fallen on the other side. So it took maybe 5 minutes to do everything. As I walked back to begin shooting again, I watched in horror as my rifle slowly slid to the side and fell off the chair. How did it take 5 minutes for it to fall over? I am thinking the earth quit spinning for a second which caused it to fall off the chair.
S.L.
Ouch!! Must have hurt you more than the Gun!
Errol
R.R.
I’ ll take your word for it buddy. I consider you guys so lucky to be able see, hold & maybe shoot a fine gun like this
Errol
You need to get yourself a Mosin-Nagant 91/30. Nothing can hurt that gun. I used to think that the trail arms position in drill was just an exercise. But you can see Russian soldiers really using this method, dragging their guns through all kinds of crap. Maybe it was to give them a rest.
And as a side benefit, for all its roughness, this gun ejects cases more positively and precisely than any other, even the Mauser. It is the only gun where you can target practice (mortar-style) with your cases as they eject.
Matt61
For those mounting a scope, here is a nickles worth of free advice. When adjusting the scope stop pin, adjust it downward until it bottoms out in the scope stop hole. Not too far, or the rear ring clamp will be raised above the dovetail, and will not clamp properly. Once you have the pin adjusted in the right spot, mark it, remove it, and apply loctite, vibra-tite etc. Then put it back to the spot where you marked it.
When I first mounted a scope on my TX200, I did not loctite the threads on the scope stop pin. After shooting it probably less than 100 times, the vibration caused the pin to back out (or in, depending on how you look at it.) This resulted in the scope sliding back on the dovetail. By the time I had realized what was happening, the scope stop pin had cut a scratch in to the beautiful finish on my brand new gun. Luckily the scratch is covered by the rear scope mount, so the tears eventually dried up.
Also, you don’t have to peel up the anti slip tape to adjust the scope stop pin. You can cut or burn a tiny hole in the tape to allow allen wrench access, it will not affect the grip of the tape. Or you can insert the pin into the scope mount with the hex hole facing downward.
SL
I use a Exacto Knife to cut out the hole in the anti slip tape.
SL
You clearly know how it’s done because you have seen what happens when you do it wrong. Only a couple things I would add…
That no slip tape squishes down for a while. The caps can get loose from it. I tighten up the caps again a couple times over the next two or three days until the screws stay tight.
I mark the scope tube next to the rings with a fine tipped pencil so I can do a quick check any time to see if the scope is slipping.
AND….I don’t know where B.B. got those rings. That stop pin has a seriously bad shape.
twotalon
Noticed that too, but a lot of stop pins are like that. Off-hand, Leapers brand comes to mind.Solution is to cut the cone off and fit the end of the pin to the stop pin hole.
Typo on post above, I meant to say most China brands have pins like that leapers mount that BB uses here.
Robert
I have been using rings that have the cylindrical, flat bottomed pins. With the rifles that I use them on, I would really like the pins to be a bit fatter . It might be overkill, and I have never had a pin break off yet, but I would still like a bit of extra insurance.
Maybe they should make rifles with a whole lot of stop pin holes, and make rings with both having stop pins too.
twotalon
TT
I like the idea about the multiple stop holes and stop pins in each ring.
I have a question for those who have BOTH the TX and the 97K…..
How does the TX compare in feel to your “off” hand compared to the 97K ? My 97 feels heavy, and the forearm feels narrow and pointed on the bottom. This seems to want to force my hand to close up on the stock . The weight seems to feel very concentrated in a narrow stripe in my hand.
twotalon
Also, note that this Hawke scope just reaches the loading port. The scope on my TX overlaps the port and makes it very difficult (at least for me) to load so keep this position that BB is showing, in mind when mounting a scope. You don’t want it to completely overlap a sliding compression chamber loading port.
As for leveling or not leveling a scope, now we all know why others normally cant (pun intended!) shoot the “zero” we’ve set our scope for.
RidgeRunner, see you at the show on Friday. Looking forward to seeing Lloyd and BB again.
Fred DPRoNJ
Yeah, I think a leveled scope/reticle is a little more important than B.B. is letting on here, depending on your application. If your scope is canted, than your elevation clicks (and/or your mildots) aren’t in the same plane as your bore. So you can have a situation similar to off-center scope mounts, where your zero range is right on, but your longer and shorter ranges are impacting to one side or the other. Right?
-Jan
Right!
Yes, I would have to agree. I keep a standard plumb bob in my basement and it only takes a few minutes to make sure the scope is close to level. Maybe its not hundred percent necessary but it sure makes me feel better. Jan by the way I’m posting this from my phone thanks again!
I’ll be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Hawke.
I have a 3-9 Hawke Airmax mounted on my Slavia and love it…nice optics, not cheap, but not expensive and the adjustments are very repeatable.
And one of the two biggest improvements in my quest for accuracy with my Savage WMR was when I attached the 6.5-20 Hawke Sidewinder Tactical.
I think they’re great scopes for the price.
This has NOT been a paid endorsement 🙂
cbsd
I like the Hawke scopes. I have pretty well decided they are going to be my choice of scopes from now on. I like the quality of the optics at different parallax’s and magnifications. And the side wheel scopes are great.
I have had several Hawke scopes, they were nice for a mid price product. My only complaint would be the ones with the traditional AO were very stiff to turn compared with the almost butter smooth quality of the better stuff. But that is a moot point with the side focus.
I haven’t check lately, but in past years PA tended to carry some high end air rifles but no scopes that were worthy of riding on top of them.
VV
I have 2 right now that are stiff and 2 that are not. And it doesn’t follow magnification or type of Hawke scope either. So not sure why they have that going on. On mine anyway.
And I think I like the stiff adjustment better. I seem to over click the ones that are not as stiff.
Just me I guess.
Oh your were talking about the parallax adjustment. I was talking about elevation and windage adjustment.
But all 4 of my Hawke scopes are side wheel adjust on the parallax and I find them to all be the same and have just the right amount of drag.
A couple of things I do a little bit different when mounting scopes.
I try to make sure that either or both mounts are positioned so that their front edge is right up against the scope bell or against the bulge where the reticle adjustment knobs are. If one or both rings can be positioned like this the scope will never move in the rings.
I put the caps on loosely while fitting setup to myself because I have a habit of knocking shhh…..tuff off onto the floor….
I always try to estimate the amount of shim necessary and install it before tightening the caps down. This is just a guesstimate done by sighting though the scope at a target while holding it down solidly with my thumb and then sighting down the side of the barrel to spot any droop. The gun must be on a stable rest to accomplish this because you’re moving your head around during the process. Don’t forget to optically center the crosshairs in the scope before starting this procedure (you can do that with the rifle on the rest and the scope is resting in the rings).
/Dave
Scope stop pins are a great idea. My B30 has one and the scope has not budged in thousands of rounds. And I have to agree that shooting from a very close distance–like with the sighting in procedure is very forgiving. All my groups like good as a result. When I think about it, some of those one inch deviations (generally by dropping low) must be some really horrendous shots.
Edith, it is my belief that our shining, glittering society with its vast bureaucracy is functioning largely on massive ignorance. Adepts at bureaucracy are those who parasitize on this ignorance, generally by asserting themselves way beyond their knowledge and authority. Their biggest nightmare is someone who picks them out of their anonymity and follows up. I agree with Mac to punish people for their misbehavior. The postal service doesn’t get any of my business with guns.
Derrick, no danger of shooting my eye out. I’m fanatical about my safety glasses. On the other hand, I might be giving those gun seals a real workout. 🙂
J-F, 8 hours for charging up is a bit much. On the other hand, that corresponds almost exactly to a night’s sleep. Maybe the idea is to place these charging stations within a day’s drive so that you can sleep overnight while getting charged up. Or. Why not borrow a leaf from airguns with your replaceable air tanks like you have with the Air Force Talon. How hard can it be to have replaceable batteries that you can swap into your car and maybe keep as spares? That way, the resupply would be way faster than gasoline. Is the electric car battery too big for that now?
Matt61
The battery can’t be swapped out that easily, they take up the whole floor, cost around 10k and must be quite heavy.
J-F
This is really off topic so if you’re not interested stop reading. Anyone watch Amish mafia?
Several of the crews we use are Amish, a lot of times they tend to be framers. You might guess not too many of them are electricians, but anyway makes me look at them in a whole new light.
Way, way off topic. I just wanted you guys to know I’m doing pretty well. I’m still holding on to enough kidney function to avoid dialysis for a bit longer, and I’ve just about cleared all the hurdles for a kidney transplant. I hope none of you get in this fix, but if you do, I hope you have kids like mine. They actually argued over who got the right to donate. My son, turns out, is a near-perfect match; my daughter’s not even close. This should happen fairly soon. Six or eight weeks, we hope.
Now I’ve a near-topic question. How did theNavy Yard shooter buy his gun legally? He got it at an FFL in Virginia where we have very loose firearms laws and don’t maintain the background check list very well. But he lived in DC where there are few if any FFLs. I thought you had to show residence in the state where you buy a gun.
Also made a bit of a mockery of “it takes a Good guy with a gun” arguments. The Navy Yard is a pretty secure area, and Building 197 as the HQ of Naval Sea Systems Command is where the Navy vets its highest classified programs for advanced ships. It’s got armed guards on the door, and likely armed guards walking the halls if things haven’t changed since the last duty assignment i had in the previous NAVSEA HQ building. Even the wimpy State Department has roving guards since the day in the 80’s when a guy smuggled in a semi-auto, assembled it in the men’s room, and then blew his mother away. She worked in the Secretary’s outer office area.
Cheers, all!
Pete
PeteZ,
Glad to hear from you…and the good news that you’re avoiding dialysis. It also sounds like you raised your kids right 🙂
Edith
Thank you, Edith!
I know you can buy a long gun in another state, but it has to be legal in your home state. And to be legal in DC you have to go to the DC police and pre-register the gun before you can legally buy it. Is there any other hidden loophole?
pete
Pete,
Thanks for letting us know how you’re doing. I pray for you every day.
B.B.
Pete,
Good to see you’re still hanging in! If the laws haven’t changed in a while, as long as you’re of age and can pass the background check, you don’t need an FFL from your home state as long as the state you’re buying in shares a common border. Adjacent states.
/Dave
I didn’t see the adjacent states loophole when I looked at the law today; my error. The guy had only just moved to the area. Don’t know if he had gotten a local area DL.
In case any OS you were wondering about the shooting at the State Department, here’s a site:
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/22/us/man-kills-mother-and-himself-at-state-dept.html
I was working there when it happened.
pz
Pete Z
Sorry to hear about your illness. I admire your courage. But don’t worry, with a kidney from a kid like yours & prayers from people like B.B. you will be fine and running in no time!
Errol
Pete,
Glad to hear that things are progressing about as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Your kids are great! I’m sure you had a little something to do with that. 🙂 I am praying for you.
Victor
Nice step-by-step tutorial for scope mounting, BB. I always apply anti-seize paste to the threads and under the heads of all the screws for the scope mounts. This allows maximum clamping force and will prevent the hardened steel fastener from seizing in the softer aluminum of the mount. Ever have one squeak while tightening or loosening? That’s the beginning of seizing. This treatment is especially important to be able to freely change scopes or mounts later. I had a clamp screw seize up and the Allen socket stripped out. I had to cut the mount body apart with a hacksaw!!
I have a relatively new TX200 mk III in .22 cal. It likes the boxed Crosman Premiers. I lube them with Krytech wax. I did a lube tune on the gun. These babies are by far the easiest springer to disassemble! No special compressor jig required. After about 700 shots, the avg velocity is between 715-720 fps and most of the time the spread is much less. It’s freaky when the chrono reads DUPE 1 or DUPE 2!
And finally, I highly recommend getting the cocking aid accessory that slips on the end of the cocking arm. It makes it so much easier to pull the arm off of its detent ball retainer
I forgot to add that with the .22 cal Premiers weighing 14.3 grains, my TX is generating 16 fpe.
Feinwerk,
Do you have difficulty pulling the cocking arm away from the rifle? Mine pops out like it knows what I’m thinking!
I used an aide on an HW 77, but on my TX 200s (both that I have owned) there was no need for the aide.
B.B.
BB
I bought the cocking aid, and put it on my BAM B40 (T200 copy). I wanted to see what effect it had before I marred the bluing of the cocking lever of the TX. I found that it did not aid the cocking for me personally, because it left less of a gap between the barrel and the cocking lever for my fingers to pry the two apart. The finish of the cocking aid also does not match the finish of the TX (nothing does), so there is no way I would mount it even if it worked. I kept it on the B40.
Yes, the ball detent is fairly strong on my rifle. Several times the arm slipped from my fingers and slapped back against the barrel. The finish on my cocking aid seemed to match the rifle just fine.
The aid does not appear in the accessories window on the Pyramid Air site. Edith, perhaps you could add that to let buyers know about it.
I going to buy this gun in walnut but need to put a scope on it, will the Leapers UTG 6-24×56 AO Accushot SWAT Rifle Scope, EZ-TAP, Illuminated Mil-Dot Reticle, 1/8 MOA, 30mm Tube, work on this gun and what mount do I need to buy? I want to Field Target Shoot with this gun.
If this scope will not work what would you recommend & mounts?
MWC,
Yes, this scope will work, but it will hang over the loading port more than the scope shown above. You will have to load the gun by feel. I find that it’s easy, but you need to be aware of this before you buy it. Get high mounts, which the scope comes with, but you need mounts for al 11 mm rail (it comes with Weaver mounts) and also a mount that has a vertical scope stop pin.
B.B.
Thanks for the reply. In regards to Field Target Shooting what have other guys scoped this gun with and the magnification?
MWC,
A lot of guys have used a Leupold Vari X III 6.5-20 scope with the power doubled by Dick Thomas.
The scope you have selected will work well, too.
B.B.
B.B.,
Looks like Premier Reticles (Dick Thomas) is no longer in that business. I believe they were located in Virginia, but it looks like they’ve sold out to a company in Nova Scotia.
Edith
Thanks Edith for the info, I have ordered up a Hawke Sidewinder 8-32×56 IR 30mm Scope-Mildot I hope this works out ok?