Tau-7 compensator placement

[wcordle]

I have an older Tau-7 for which I just purchased the match compensator. Just couldn't help myself. Do you know if there are any guidelines as to the optimal placement on the muzzle?

There is approximately 0.5 inches of play from having the compensator flush against the muzzle to having the first set screw clear the muzzle. If you haven't seen the compensator I will do my best to describe it.

The compensator consists of a tube with a conical insert. The pellet enters the small end of the cone and exits the large end. There are holes evenly placed radially on the tube body so that gas flowing along the outside of the cone will exit these holes perpendicular to the pellet flight. At the end of the compensator there are holes on the face so that gas flowing into the cone can expand along the inner wall of the cone and exit parallel to the pellet path. Naturally in the middle of the compensator face is the exit hole for the pellet.

As far as compensator placement on the barrel is concerned, it would seem that the idea would be to strike a balance between gas flow over the outside and inside of the cone, thus directly impacting the amount of gas exhausting perpendicular and parallel to the flight path. Any experience or theories as to best placement would be greatly appreciated.

I am expecting several responses along the lines of "try it out for yourself and see what you like best" which is great advice; but I would like to see what info and/or experience is out there.

Thanks
Will

[Mark Briggs]

Will - I'll try to give you a quick bit of general guidance, even though I have not played with the TAU-7 compensator per se.

Most air pistol compensators have a similar design. From what I have seen, the rear-most portion of the cone is generally placed slightly more than one pellet width forward of the point where the pellet exits the barrel. I'm sure there is a more exact measurement, but I've seen sufficient differences in the gap between the end of the barrel and the beginning of the tapered cone to suggest this may not be a precise science. In no case have I seen a gap less than the width of a pellet (4.5mm) by any significant amount.

Hope this helps!

[OzzieM]

The manual for the Tau 7 Match gives a precise measurement. I am travelling and can't provide the exact information until my return home in three days. Unless someone else beats me to it, I will respond with the exact information then.

OzzieM

[wcordle]

Mark -

Based on your message, I did the following:

- mounted the compensator flush against the muzzle
- slid a barrel weight flush to the compensator and tightened
- loosened the compensator
- slid the compensator forward just enough to fit the width of the pellet I was shooting
- fastened the compensator and removed the pellet
- slid the barrel weight flush to the compensator

You should know that I am a terrible shot, even two handed. Although for some sick reason I can't make myself move on to another activity for which I am more adept. However, there have been occasions when I have managed a nice 10 shot grouping. Its what keeps me coming back I suppose.

Well with that being said, I do believe I noticed a significant improvement in grouping when compared to the prior compensator placement. Earlier I had the compensator much closer to the muzzle, which must have been destabilizing the pellet, because the groups were far worse than without the compensator. At least now it seems to be shooting the same as or slightly better than it was without the compensator.

Honestly, I cannot perceive any reduction in muzzle jump; but then again my shooting form is probably not refined enough to notice. I may shoot the pistol from a vise to see what affect there is on groupings with and without the compensator. I realize the vise will neutralize any muzzle jump correction; but I am curious to see if the compensator provides any pellet stabilization benefits.

OzzieM, I am looking forward to hearing what what your manual has to say regarding compensator placement.

Thanks
Will

[Mark Briggs]

Will - if we look at the science behind muzzle compensators on air pistols, I think the reality is that they serve one major purpose and one minor purpose.

The major purpose is to vent off propulsive gases in a controlled fashion, thereby avoiding upsetting the pellet as it leaves the barrel. The testing I've done seems to support this theory although the differences in group size with or without compensator were quite small. When testing for the effect of a compensator in an air pistol it is a perfectly valid test to clamp the barrel in a vise and do group testing in this manner.

The second purpose of the compensator is to improve shot follow through and as such it's really more of a confidence builder for the shooter. Since the compensator is located at the muzzle and can only reduce muzzle rise AFTER the pellet has left the barrel it obviously can have no effect on any vertical stringing which might result from muzzle rise while the pellet is still in the barrel. But having a pistol which moves very little when fired really helps our mental game as shooters, so having a compensator to aid in after-shot follow through can be of significant advantage in dealing with the mental aspects of shooting.

With all that having been said, I'm glad to hear you're making some progress. On your next round of experimentation you might want to move the compensator out to about 1.5x pellet diameter and see what happens.

[OzzieM]

There is a poorly photocopied sketch of the compensator placement stapled into the manual that came with my Tau 7 Match pistol. It gives two dimensions measured in millimetres, from the crown face of the muzzle:

17.5 -o.2/+0.7 to rear face of compensator
and
11 +0.2/-0.7 to rear face of compensator exit bore (I don't know how you could measure this one).

I hope this helps.

OzzieM

[wcordle]

for now at least.

Mark -
I took your advice and using my previous method of mounting the compensator flush, sliding a barrel weight snug up against it and then loosening the compensator to move it forward. As you suggested, I moved it further forward, this time using the length of the pellet as a reference.

OzzieM -
Then I saw your post about what was included in the Tau-7 Match manual. I marked off 17.5 mm from the muzzle and mounted the rear face of the compensator to this mark. Out of curiosity I then mounted the compensator flush and made a mark on the barrel there. I will give you one guess as to what the difference was...one pellet length.

Unfortunately now there is little doubt that I shoot like crap! 8^)

It looks as if I will have to spend my days actually working on my form rather than my budget.

Thanks again guys for the information, it was a great help. I hope someone else will also find this information useful.

Will

[Lanning R. Hochhauser]

When I purchased my compensator from Rada it came with instructions. Once you set up the compensator with the cone some fixed distance from the barrel shoot several targets. - Base Line
Next move the compensator forward in mm increments and shoot targets after each adjustment.
Next return to base line and move compensator back in mm increments and shoot targets after each adjustment.
Doing this you will find the "sweet spot" for your compensator/pellet combination.
Lanning

[wcordle]

Lanning -

Your post was a timely one. I just finished reading an article by Rada and came here to post a link to it. That's when I saw your posting. Quite the coincidence.

http://www.topgunairguns.com/Testing%20 ... nsator.htm

You know the biggest issue I have with trying different compensator positions is getting the front site realigned. I suppose for testing from a vise it really doesn't matter.

Will

[Lanning R. Hochhauser]

Believe it or not your eye is a very accruate measuring instrument if used properly.

Set the gun up in a vise and put a level on top of the loading port. Next put a heavy black line on a piece of paper and attach it to a wall with the level to get the line parallel to the floor. Using this setup it should be fairly easy to get the compensator on straight.