Tuners

M

max.burgess

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What is the lowdown on Tuners ? Do most shooters use them? What kind work best? They don't list them in equipment list.
thanks Max
 
FBecigneul said:
What sort of lowdown are you looking for? They work when you use them properly. Do most shooters use them? No. What kind work best? There is a Texan in west Texas, Odessa, that makes the best in my mind. Gene Beggs. There is a man in Poetry, Texas that makes a fine one. Butch Lambert. I believe if properly placed their tuners could make a singer out of me.
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Francis,
Although I think the singing part is a bit of a stretch :) , I know that Gene's tuners work and have helped my game. I have never used Butch's but I assume that they work also or Butch wouldn't be building them. I have just recently started using Ralph's BAT (big a** tuner) on my rail gun and I think it will be a winner also.
Best,
Dan Batko

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"
 
The most efficient and consistent tuner is a heavy one. Scott "Fudd" Hamilton makes one specifically for centerfire barrel vibrations..much different than rimfires. That tuner weighs 11 oz and it will tune the barrel, not just for the moment.

The big tuner Ralph Stewart uses will do the same barrel tune. Trouble with a tuner this heavy in NBRSA/IBS LV is that some weight must be turned off the barrel to stay in LV weight. About 4# 7 oz would be max with a LCS or March scope even with a light weight stock like a Leonard.
 
JerrySharrett said:
The most efficient and consistent tuner is a heavy one. Scott "Fudd" Hamilton makes one specifically for centerfire barrel vibrations..much different than rimfires. That tuner weighs 11 oz and it will tune the barrel, not just for the moment.

The big tuner Ralph Stewart uses will do the same barrel tune. Trouble with a tuner this heavy in NBRSA/IBS LV is that some weight must be turned off the barrel to stay in LV weight. About 4# 7 oz would be max with a LCS or March scope even with a light weight stock like a Leonard.
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Jerry, do you belive that it takes the same or less weight if it's beyond the muzzle vs. behind the muzzle? Thanks.--Mike
 
mwezell said:
Jerry, do you belive that it takes the same or less weight if it's beyond the muzzle vs. behind the muzzle? Thanks.--Mike
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Shouldn't make much difference I would think other than the advantage of leverage for a beyond-the-muzzle tuner. The bullet sure doesn't care, BUT, a beyond the muzzle device must have a pretty big hole. In 2005 when we were using tuners in IBS, Jim Borden did a calculation for me for minimum bore diameter for the tuner and it was something like 9/16". That resulted in a tuner about 6"-7" long to stay within those existing IBS rules.

The center tuner is a Fudd, the lower one a then legal IBS.
 
JerrySharrett said:
The most efficient and consistent tuner is a heavy one. Scott "Fudd" Hamilton makes one specifically for centerfire barrel vibrations..much different than rimfires. That tuner weighs 11 oz and it will tune the barrel, not just for the moment.

The big tuner Ralph Stewart uses will do the same barrel tune. Trouble with a tuner this heavy in NBRSA/IBS LV is that some weight must be turned off the barrel to stay in LV weight. About 4# 7 oz would be max with a LCS or March scope even with a light weight stock like a Leonard.
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Jerry,

Ralph is making the BAT (Big A** Tuner) to fit rail gun barrels only, where weight is not a consideration ( I could be wrong, but that was a long time ago.) :)

Best,
Dan Batko

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"
 
wolf gray said:
Jerry,

Ralph is making the BAT (Big A** Tuner) to fit rail gun barrels only, where weight is not a consideration ( I could be wrong, but that was a long time ago.) :)

Best,
Dan Batko

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"
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Yes, it is a BAT, there are two of them I think. Ralph made one for another Texican I think. Looks like a muffler on a dump truck.

But, on a rail with its large diameter barrel it would take more than the 11 ounces I mentioned above. Probably 3-6 pounds.

George Kelbly and Paul Gotshall made one one time that weighed 5 pounds. I've seen it. He still has it at the shop! Long story.
 
Yes, they work.
What a tuner does, (I have been shooting them for a long time), is optimize a barrel. In other words, what ever a barrel has in it, the tuner will help you find it.
The are not magic. I have been known to adjust mine during a match, and get things right. I have also been known to adjust mine during a match, and really stink things up.

What I normally do when I put on a barrel is stick my pet load in, and adjust on the tuner untill I get it shooting at a competitive level. I then try to resist messing with it after that. i tune 133 by humidity, if it goes way down, I add about .4 to the load.

There are a lot of shooters who expouse a lot of theories about tuners who have never won a single agg using one.........jackie
 
Gene
Do you have a web sight and do you make the wind probes ? Thanks Max
 
JerrySharrett said:
Yes, it is a BAT, there are two of them I think. Ralph made one for another Texican I think. Looks like a muffler on a dump truck.

But, on a rail with its large diameter barrel it would take more than the 11 ounces I mentioned above. Probably 3-6 pounds.

George Kelbly and Paul Gotshall made one one time that weighed 5 pounds. I've seen it. He still has it at the shop! Long story.
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Jerry,
The tuner that I bought from Ralph is two rings, similar to Gene's tuner. I think each ring weighs either 8 or 16 ounces each(I have not weighed them). I know Ralph had a batch made up and is selling them. They are nicely done with number graduations on them. I plan to ring it out this weekend at the Seymour Texas Unlimited Shootout.
Best,
Dan Batko

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"
 
wolf gray said:
Jerry,
The tuner that I bought from Ralph is two rings, similar to Gene's tuner. I think each ring weighs either 8 or 16 ounces each(I have not weighed them). I know Ralph had a batch made up and is selling them. They are nicely done with number graduations on them. I plan to ring it out this weekend at the Seymour Texas Unlimited Shootout.
Best,
Dan Batko

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"
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Dan, the tuner of Ralphs I was referring to was for his rail gun not his LV tuner.
 
Jerry,
I am talking about a railgun. I have a Young Rail Gun and have a Ralph Stewart BAT (Big A** Tuner) on the the barrel. It looks a lot like Gene's tuners. Kinda' like a Beggs Tuner on steroids. :). I also have Begg's tuners on all of my other Benchrest guns(LV,SP,HV, etc). I can't really tell you what tuner I have on my .22 Benchrest rifle, Bill Myers built the gun for me and I never asked him what brand or whose tuner it is. It is whatever tuner(hangs off of the front of the barrel)Bill was putting on his rifles(about a 4" long tuner with number graduations). If I didn't already have my rail gun packed for Seymour, I would get it out and take a picture of the tuner.
Best,
Dan Batkp

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"

P.S. Ralph tells me that each of the rings weigh 8 ounces each for a total of one pound.
 
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wolf gray said:
Jerry,
I I can't really tell you what tuner I have on my .22 Benchrest rifle, Bill Myers built the gun for me and I never asked him what brand or whose tuner it is. It is whatever tuner(hangs off of the front of the barrel)Bill was putting on his rifles(about a 4" long tuner with number graduations). If I didn't already have my rail gun packed for Seymour, I would get it out and take a picture of the tuner.
Best,
Dan Batkp

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"

P.S. Ralph tells me that each of the rings weigh 8 ounces each for a total of one pound.
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The Bill Myers tuner may be a K C Young if it looks like a micrometer spindle. I have a LV 22 RF that Bill built for his wife Inez and it had (has) a KC Young. I put a Fudd like the one in the picture above.

If you have about 16 ounces of tuner that is probably enough weight. A rail barrel is not too whippy to start with,

Some rimfire shooters are adding a bunch of weight to their tuners but many of them are shooting whippy barrels or whippy barrels with a reverse taper.

Then there is that new rimfire tuner, I forgot the name, that comes with extra weights to add on. Its some guys name. I bored the first one of those sold out to fit Stigals HV RF barrel. It is a nice tuner.

My favorite is still George Kelbly and Paul Gotshalls big goober that weighs 5 pounds and clamps on with one big bolt!!

My other Texas buddy Sam Arnett is shooting at Seymore then on to the Super Shoot. Hitch onto his bumper and come along.
 
I am a fan of the behind the muzzle tuners. I believe they are easier to use and there are no cleaning issues. From my exoperience so far, 4oz is plenty and , perhaps more then enough to tune an HV taper barrel. Perhaps the thinner the barrel, the more weight one needs but I am finding less is more.
 
jackie schmidt said:
There are a lot of shooters who expouse a lot of theories about tuners who have never won a single agg using one.........jackie
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Jackie sir I have to say respectfully in my opinion and I think you know deep down that wind reading is what wins aggs. For example I went to denton to test my rifle a short range 200yd 5 target agg with my integrated tuner just to put some numbers on paper, lead the agg most of the match and messed it all up only because of my very last wind judgment in a complete reversal which was not the fault gun or the tuner,that was all me. Ralph and Tim O were sitting right there as I screwed up a nice little 4 shot bughole.I think they would agree the rifle was in tune and my wind reading was just not good enough to beat them . I was thrilled to just come close.I think they were just waiting to pounce on my agg at the last minute.[lol],I must also say that these theories are now a reality so they are not really theories anymore at least with respect to what I am doing with tuners winning or not. Tim in Tx
 
Tim,
Integrated tuner? Perhaps a picture....Does that mean that the rest of us are shooting segregated tuners ;-) Sounds like something is working, but I seem to remember hearing (Neary/Boyer) that tuning for a "dot" can be dangerous because of just what you experienced. Of course many days I wish that I could get just a little closer to that danger.
Boyd
 
I use and endorse Gene Beggs Tuners, I also have installe quite a few. They are easy as pie to adjust and they work. What more can be said. Well I can ad more... Gene is a great guy to deal with, When you call he catches the phone, when you need more tuners they are on the way. They will not make a bad barrel become a good barrel, but they will allow you to find a barrel's potential quickly no matter what the conditions are. And if the conditions change you can change the tuner.

Paul
 
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