Rifle has settled down

Okay decided to chrony her to see how she has settled down. Here are the updated results.

717.47 beeman laser

666.4 crosman pointed

689.2 crosman hollow point

731.33 rws hobby

She is shooting sweet as ever. I find the cocking to be very smooth and silky. I have to this date no issues using the scope on her as well.

On another note here is a pic of her beside her most recent kill. This one was the one that started it all. He will no longer be invading my attic or garage. The kill was a quick dispatch from a tree limb @ about 20'.

Crosman Phantom 500 Post tune report

Well after what seems like forever I finally have my phantom air rifle tuned. It was a long wait as I had originally gave it to an experienced tuner ( who I will leave nameless ) to be tuned. His schedule was a busy one and after 2 weeks he had not yet tackled the job. This was fine by me as I really wanted my rifle to shoot better than it was. However during this time I started hearing unfavourable reports of the said tuner's workmanship and trustworthyness. Not having experienced anything negative with the fellow I was fine at first. ( I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt ) But as the days went by and I heard more and more bad stuff about this guy I started to get worried. So after contacting him I was able to get my rifle back untouched. I choose not to mention the tuner because my experience with him was not necessarily a bad one. Who knows he may have done a good job on my gun or he may have not. In the end it all worked out well as I gained a learning experience as a result.



Now onto the air rifle. After purchasing the rifle I was fairly pleased with the way it shot. I found it to be accurate and though at first was not too fond of its appearance grew to appreciate it's form. I find it very ergonomically fit and easy to shoulder and hold. The one thing that disappointed me however was it's lack luster power.



My main reason for buying this air rifle was to control the squirrel population in my yard. They had done damage to my wife's bird feeders but more importantly found their way into our attic. That was enough for me. I had heard how hard hitting this gun was out of the box and so on so I decided to get one specifically to rid the pests. Even the box indicates that the gun is suitable for pest control. My first victim unfortunately didnt go down easy. A 20 foot shot to the neck only had him bleeding all over the snowy lawn. At one point he got back up sat there and watched the blood coming from his neck. To my amazement he started to walk back to the feeders ?! Thankfully I took him out with a second shot to the side of the head. It was over but I was not happy with having him struggle after the first shot. This scenario was prior to me chronying the air rifle.



Prior to the tune I chronied the phantom using 3 different pellets. Here are the results.


BEFORE THE TUNE UP

Crosman Hollow Points
416.3
415.8
431.8
413.8
410.6
Avg. fps 417.66

Crosman Pointed
429.3
427.0
429.8
437.1
425.3
Avg. fps 429.7

Beeman lasers
472.7
472.4
465.6
469.4
468.8
Avg. fps 469.78

After the lube tune and piston change that I performed here are the after tune results.

AFTER THE TUNE UP

Crosman Hollow Point
712.9
711
717.5
708.5
Avg. fps 712.47

Crosman Pointed
705
699.8
687.7
708.11
Avg. fps 700.15

Beeman lasers
726.5
745.3
746.4
735
Avg. fps 738.3

After seeing these dramatic results I can tell you that I am now satisfied with my air rifle. I know I could change the spring and do a few more things to really let her fly but Im happy with it's current configuration. By doing the lube tune and piston change I realized a big increase in fps of 268.52 with the Beeman lasers and a whopping 294.81 avg fps increase with the Crosman Hollowpoints!

I mounted my centerpoint scope on it late last night and surprisingly shot this at 27' . Since it was late and that first shot was bang on and the fact that it shot thru my pellet box I decided to call it a night.




best regards
losttourist

Crosman Phantom 500 Disassembly guide

By
losttourist

Hello
I’d like to start by stating that this was my first attempt at tuning an air rifle. I used a combination of guides found online from various sources including Charlie da tuna and information from several air gun discussion groups. I decided to make a guide specifically for the Crosman Phantom 500 .22 cal air rifle since there were none to be found at this time.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage done to you or your air rifle thru the use of this document. It is strictly a guide. Your results will vary depending on your own abilities.
That said if you take it slow and work methodically you should be able to achieve successful results.

First things first: Make sure the rifle is uncocked! The safety should be on as well.
Now onto the tear down.
1: Remove the 2 forward stock screws and washers.
2: Remove the 1 screw behind the trigger.
3: Remove the receiver from the stock.

4: Break the barrel free but do not cock it! Remove the barrel block pivot bolt to separate it from the receiver forks.

5:Separate the sliding block from away from the receiver.

6: Next you have to unhook the sliding block spring from the trigger block. Unhook it at the front leaving it hooked at the back on the trigger block. You can now remove the e clip as well.

7: Now remove the trigger block retention screw, I used a pair of vice grips.

8: Next comes the removal of the lock pin. When this is removed the spring will be released. This could pose a risk of injury. It is recommended that you use a spring compressor prior to completely punching out the lock pin. I did a really fast spring compressor for this job. Alternately for the disassembly part of the gun you can do this step without a compressor by butting the flat part of the end cap against a bench while pushing the receiver against it with force.
Then punch out the lock pin with a wooden dowel or a screw driver and a mallet. Once the pin is out while still retaining pressure on the receiver, pull out the dowel or screwdriver now in the hole. Slowly back off the pressure as the spring pushes out the end cap. Voila!

Similarly when putting it all back together you can try to do it the same way without a compressor just in reverse order. However putting it back is a little more difficult as you have to line it up right and put the lock pin back in. If you decide to put in a new stronger spring it will prove even more difficult without a compressor. It is your choice how you proceed.
9:Now you can remove the rear spring guide followed by the spring.

10:Remove the trigger block from the receiver.

11:Take the tophat off then pull the piston out using a screwdriver thru the slot of the receiver. My tophat did not fall out on its own. Seems there was some corrosion keeping it stuck in the piston. I sanded her down smooth before reassembly. (the above diagram is taken from a web source)

Congratulations ! You have now disassembled your Crosman Phantom 500 ! To reassemble your air rifle is basically the reverse of what you have done. Take care when you put back your piston. Make sure it is lubed lightly with silicone oil or dielectric grease on the seal and moly grease on the outside of the piston. (Not the seal) Align the long slot of the piston with the long slot of the receiver. You can use a dowel to push the piston all the way into the receiver.

Now that you have successfully taken apart your air rifle you can do a tune. Which may include upgrades such as springs or piston change that’s up to you. Tuning is another guide which you should be able to find online. A basic lube tune involves getting rid of the factory lubes some sanding etc. In my tune I replaced the 500 piston with a Phantom 1000 piston. I kept the original spring. I cleaned all the parts, sanded the spring ends and any rough spots I found on the receiver slots etc. Lubed it lightly with moly grease. My phantom is now a smooth firing powerhouse, and no factory twannnnggg!!

I hope this guide has helped you Phantom owners.
Happy airgunning!

losttourist