Lock time - barrel time

[Sir William]

Today, I am thinking about lock time and barrel time.  Shall we call it cycle time?  The AG in question is my 2300S.  Noteworthy because of its adjustable hammer spring. 
Ingrained in my thinking is that for paper punching (all I ever do) lower velocity is better.  Goes back to the .22 days when “standard” velocity rounds were the hot tip for targets.
So, I keep my hammer spring adjuster backed well out. 
Now in doing this I have slowed the hammer velocity down (longer lock time) and decreased the flow of CO2 increasing the “barrel” time.  Both of these factors combine to give me more time to move my hand between the sear release and the pellet finally leaving the barrel.  (Don’t need this as I’m shaky enough already!)
Am wondering if screwing the hammer spring adjuster all the way in might give marginally better results? 
Also wonder if the four-pound (sarcasm) hardened steel slug for a hammer is optimum?  How about less mass and more spring?  Or, less mass and less spring in the valve?  Wonder what the “lock time” is for Crosman 2400, 2300, 1377 etc. is anyway?
Just thinking out loud . . .

[eric]

with your thinking ,more spring in the valve or less of both but still keeping more in the valve for lower velocity . a lighter hammer would take out some "THUD"

[arkmaker †]

We eagerly await your experiment results 

Do a search on some of these questions. You might find something pops up.........

[breakfastchef]

Have not much delved into this subject matter. If shooting a comp, I prefer velocities between 450-550 fps so I set up my primary target pistol(s) to that level. Regardless of dwell times in the barrel or prior to the hammer striking the valve stem, I try to remember to 'follow through' on each shot to avoid these kinds of things.

[arkmaker †]

Holding the trigger after the break gets me all the time and is my number one drawback, well besides shaky hands and not being able to see 

[Sir William]

Well, yes, thats it - the longer the "cycle time" the more important the already important follow through is.  I'm just looking for all the help I can provide myself.

[quickster47 †]

How or what are you defining as lock time in reference to Crosman air guns?

Carl

[KevinP]

How or what are you defining as lock time in reference to Crosman air guns?

Carl

I would define it as ( any gun ) the time between the hammer falls and the projectile leaves the barrel ...

But that is just my 2 cents .......

[Sir William]

Carl:
As you probably already know, lock time in an AG is a somewhat complicated and even contentious issue.  In a cartridge firearm, my understanding is that “lock time” is from break of sear to firing pin strike on the primer.  So, my thinking, after reading some of the AG lock time discussions, is that lock time for a Crosman would be from break of sear to  depression of the valve pin.  Then, if we add the “barrel time”, or the time it takes the pellet to exit the barrel, we have what I called in my original post “cycle time”.  But wait, I have left out the time it takes the gas to flow from the valve into the “chamber” so lets throw that in too. 
What got me to sinking about this whole thing is the ads for the Olympic air guns (you know the ones I mean â€" and don’t tell me you don’t lust after ‘em) make a big deal about their “fast lock times”.  This led me to a critical review of just exactly do Crosman AG’s work. 
Strikes me that they work pretty darn good but the engineer in me wants ‘em to work better.  And if I spent two grand for a FWB my wife would not “get it”.  OMG how she would not get it!

[quickster47 †]

Sir William, I agree with you whole heartedly.

A lock is an action that fires a gun.  The time it takes from trigger break to hammer hitting the striker or valve is the lock time.  Simple term, but not generally what most people mean.  It does NOT include the barrel time.

Then there is valve duration and barrel time, which are in harmony in accurate gear.  If you have a valve that needs a longer barrel it will pick up as much as 15 fps per inch.  It goes to 10 fps when you get to that point where you are approaching a match that will induce minimal Yaw to the pellet as it exits the muzzle (at least with a properly fitted T-Brake).  This is when the JET EFFECT is minimal and ideally it is canceled out by the muzzle device.

Lots of time you can extend valve duration a little to get better power but often all you do is upset accuracy and use a lot more air.  Diminishing return is rearing its ugly head.

Once a pellet leaves the barrel all the air in the world can only upset the pellets flight and make noise.  That is what air does when there is too much for your barrel length.

Carl