smk th208

[cliff 87]

Hi all as any one had a smk th208 i was looking for hw90 but i can oly find one for 200 as i would wont face to face

[bruno22rf]

Hold out for the 90-theres no comparison between the guns you mention-ones a Merc the other is a bicycle.There are some on guntrader-your post is unclear,however,do you want face to face or not?

Edited October 26, 2011 by bruno22rf

[Fat toad]

Hi all as any one had a smk th208 i was looking for hw90 but i can oly find one for 200 as i would wont face to face

[Fat toad]

Hi I've got a smk 208 the way I read your post is you have £200 and can buy the smk but have seen a HW second hand and would like face to face to buy? Well Bruno is right HW will out perform the smk if it's a good one and HW owners look after there guns as they are very dear when new and keep their price when sold on as for performance my smk it hits 20 pence groups at any where for 15 to 30yds about 10 pence groups at 35yds any more then 35 is pushing it not very good groupings after 35yards and to get these type groupings it as taken me alot of practise so if the HW is good go for that I think most members will agree that HW is one of the top springer and pcp makers PS I also have a HW100t hope this helps you make your mind up

[SteveieP]

Hi I've got a smk 208 the way I read your post is you have £200 and can buy the smk but have seen a HW second hand and would like face to face to buy? Well Bruno is right HW will out perform the smk if it's a good one and HW owners look after there guns as they are very dear when new and keep their price when sold on as for performance my smk it hits 20 pence groups at any where for 15 to 30yds about 10 pence groups at 35yds any more then 35 is pushing it not very good groupings after 35yards and to get these type groupings it as taken me alot of practise so if the HW is good go for that I think most members will agree that HW is one of the top springer and pcp makers PS I also have a HW100t hope this helps you make your mind up

Depends on what pellet you use.

AA Field/ FX/ any JSB derived pellet are likely to produce best groupings.

Tried some Bisleys in mine after an article in Airgun Shooter (a while ago) that put some through the same gun...& they were PANTS! Horizontal stringing like you wouldn't believe. Even Superdomes don't group that well in these.

ATM using FX 5.52 (Same as AA Field)

[Fat toad]

Depends on what pellet you use.

AA Field/ FX/ any JSB derived pellet are likely to produce best groupings.

Tried some Bisleys in mine after an article in Airgun Shooter (a while ago) that put some through the same gun...& they were PANTS! Horizontal stringing like you wouldn't believe. Even Superdomes don't group that well in these.

ATM using FX 5.52 (Same as AA Field)

[Fat toad]

Hi I tried loads of sample packs when I got the rifle it's a 22 I am quite attached to her I striped her down when new and was very surprised to find no transit packing grease in fact the inners were to dry and I must stay very shiny not polished but not bad gave her some moly and she as repaid me well over the last five months I am very happy with performance of H@T field target pellet but I am willing to try bisly what are they called they make so many types??? Mine is a very nice soft recoil now she is run in what is yours like Doesn't the wood work come up shinny like it's in water smk have come a long way I don't think they will ever be as good as HW or Air arms both of which o have tried tx200 and hw95 I found them to be very heavy rifles but deadly accurate what do you think??? Frank

[SteveieP]

Hi I tried loads of sample packs when I got the rifle it's a 22 I am quite attached to her I striped her down when new and was very surprised to find no transit packing grease in fact the inners were to dry and I must stay very shiny not polished but not bad gave her some moly and she as repaid me well over the last five months I am very happy with performance of H@T field target pellet but I am willing to try bisly what are they called they make so many types??? Mine is a very nice soft recoil now she is run in what is yours like Doesn't the wood work come up shinny like it's in water smk have come a long way I don't think they will ever be as good as HW or Air arms both of which o have tried tx200 and hw95 I found them to be very heavy rifles but deadly accurate what do you think??? Frank

I bought my TH208 .22 nearly 12 months ago as I found a place in Loughborough doing them for £133.

Shot less than 50 pellets before installing a tune kit & also put in a Maccari Large Apex piston seal. The seals are excellent quality & only cost around £9.50 posted from the USA.

A bit of twang from the spring, before the tune kit. Whilst the rear spring guide is synthetic, it's a little undersized, but a kit fixes that.

The action is based on the Diana model 34 & the T05 trigger is copied fairly well, though only the synthetic stock version bares any resemblance to the Diana. The trigger is only really adjustable for length of first stage pull.

The internals were surprisingly clean, but the cocking slot needed the burs filing off to make it smooth (what's an extra 5 mins work when it's in pieces anyway?)There was a small amount of useless brown crud masquerading as grease but white spirit soon cleaned that off.

The OEM spring is well finished at the ends & doesn't have to be replaced, just polish up the ends.

Same gun out of the same factory is also badged as the Ruger Airhawk Elite but comes with an average 3x9x40 scope, **** scope rings & an unfeasibly high pricetag because of the Ruger name. Much better to buy under the SMK badge & add your own better quality scope for less overall cost. I added a Nikko Stirling Gold Crown Airking 4x12x42 AO Mildot.

Happily for me the tune kit cost nothing because I had something the vendor wanted & we did a swap.

Bisley Supefield NOT recommended for this gun.

The gun is a little nose heavy till it's scoped, then it feels balanced.

Reasonable ambi thumbhole stock even if the chequering is a little thin...some say the butt end is a little ugly.

Accuracy just needs the right pellet. Fortunately I bought in 5000 5.52 FX pellets (rebadged AA Field) when Deben fell out with FX some months back & picked them up for the equivalent of £7.60 a can posted!Wish I could have afforded more at the time.

Competent gun, reasonable finish & much better than it's pricetag suggests.

Put a Weihrauch trigger blade in my tuned SMK XS20 last weekend, for a mere £13.50 the trigger is now a proper 2 stage unit as well as being gold & blingy.

[Fat toad]

I bought my TH208 .22 nearly 12 months ago as I found a place in Loughborough doing them for £133.

Shot less than 50 pellets before installing a tune kit & also put in a Maccari Large Apex piston seal. The seals are excellent quality & only cost around £9.50 posted from the USA.

A bit of twang from the spring, before the tune kit. Whilst the rear spring guide is synthetic, it's a little undersized, but a kit fixes that.

The action is based on the Diana model 34 & the T05 trigger is copied fairly well, though only the synthetic stock version bares any resemblance to the Diana. The trigger is only really adjustable for length of first stage pull.

The internals were surprisingly clean, but the cocking slot needed the burs filing off to make it smooth (what's an extra 5 mins work when it's in pieces anyway?)There was a small amount of useless brown crud masquerading as grease but white spirit soon cleaned that off.

The OEM spring is well finished at the ends & doesn't have to be replaced, just polish up the ends.

Same gun out of the same factory is also badged as the Ruger Airhawk Elite but comes with an average 3x9x40 scope, **** scope rings & an unfeasibly high pricetag because of the Ruger name. Much better to buy under the SMK badge & add your own better quality scope for less overall cost. I added a Nikko Stirling Gold Crown Airking 4x12x42 AO Mildot.

Happily for me the tune kit cost nothing because I had something the vendor wanted & we did a swap.

Bisley Supefield NOT recommended for this gun.

The gun is a little nose heavy till it's scoped, then it feels balanced.

Reasonable ambi thumbhole stock even if the chequering is a little thin...some say the butt end is a little ugly.

Accuracy just needs the right pellet. Fortunately I bought in 5000 5.52 FX pellets (rebadged AA Field) when Deben fell out with FX some months back & picked them up for the equivalent of £7.60 a can posted!Wish I could have afforded more at the time.

Competent gun, reasonable finish & much better than it's pricetag suggests.

Put a Weihrauch trigger blade in my tuned SMK XS20 last weekend, for a mere £13.50 the trigger is now a proper 2 stage unit as well as being gold & blingy.

[Fat toad]

It is very nice to hear from some one who doesn't look down on smk as a make I'm keeping your post and may well get a tune kit and do it over winter I have had some good advice on Chinese forum and I have taken mine apart before but not to the extent you have and thanks for the tip about the burs will look out for them I recon when I have finished with her she will be sweet to fire I have a pcp now but find you can't miss them and I do miss using my 208 and missing the target it brings back all the fun again so thanks for all your advise on this subject and also newtons 3rd law I found that interesting as well I'll let you know by pm how I get on with project over the winter if that's ok

Frank

[SteveieP]

It won't be too challenging a project because there isn't that much to do.

The kits supplied by Woodfield GCP are no different to fitting a V-Mach kit & you don't need a spring compressor...just a little care taking the old spring out. The new spring will have little preload to worry about.

No disrespect to Woodfields piston seals, but Maccari seals are top quality, hard wearing & v. cheap & easy to get hold of. On it's favoured pellet, my power is set (by me) at about 11.5 fpe. Having a 28mm diameter piston (e.g a HW95K has a 26mm dia piston) coupled with a longish stroke, means it makes the power easily.

Most anything else is the usual debur & polish & a dab of moly grease.

Gun is easier to dissassemble & work on than say a HW95

Woodfield tune kit includes 2 undersized pins to keep the trigger components lined up whilst the trigger group is out of the action. There's a youtube vid of an XS208 getting a kit installed.

Accuracy is down to the pellet you use & is one area in which you can't skimp.Even SMK gun owners acknowledge SMK pellets are only fit for shooting tin cans.

I was at the range last Sunday & my last shot of the day was the smallest spinner at 45 yards, about the size of a 10p piece. Bench rested obviously.

I don't do the gun snob thing.Without bragging, if I wanted to spend £100's tomorrow on any nice German springer I fancied, I can afford it.Just I can't justify it when my 3 work v. nicely & do what I need

[happyshooter]

I agree with you StevieP , i have a SMK Xs-19.22 that i had William from Woodfield GCP fettle he

fitted one of his kits and smoothed out the gun,its now as accurate as my hw95k but my x2 early mk-i hw-77.s are my best springer guns, as a rat blatting gun i have a .25 Hatsan stryker 1000s cost me just over £120 and is excellent for the money it devastates rats . tree rats. and x4 bunnies the trauma damage these .25 pellets cause is overwhelming , i al;so use an fac .25 rapid @48fpe with 31grn H&N Barracuda pellets , its awesome!!!!!

regards Brian

[Fat toad]

It won't be too challenging a project because there isn't that much to do.

The kits supplied by Woodfield GCP are no different to fitting a V-Mach kit & you don't need a spring compressor...just a little care taking the old spring out. The new spring will have little preload to worry about.

No disrespect to Woodfields piston seals, but Maccari seals are top quality, hard wearing & v. cheap & easy to get hold of. On it's favoured pellet, my power is set (by me) at about 11.5 fpe. Having a 28mm diameter piston (e.g a HW95K has a 26mm dia piston) coupled with a longish stroke, means it makes the power easily.

Most anything else is the usual debur & polish & a dab of moly grease.

Gun is easier to dissassemble & work on than say a HW95

Woodfield tune kit includes 2 undersized pins to keep the trigger components lined up whilst the trigger group is out of the action. There's a youtube vid of an XS208 getting a kit installed.

Accuracy is down to the pellet you use & is one area in which you can't skimp.Even SMK gun owners acknowledge SMK pellets are only fit for shooting tin cans.

I was at the range last Sunday & my last shot of the day was the smallest spinner at 45 yards, about the size of a 10p piece. Bench rested obviously.

I don't do the gun snob thing.Without bragging, if I wanted to spend £100's tomorrow on any nice German springer I fancied, I can afford it.Just I can't justify it when my 3 work v. nicely & do what I need

[Fat toad]

Hi Steve thanks for all of your information I'm so glad I replied to this post as I have found out a lot of wonderful things I can do for my self with out having to send it away and thankyou for your photo of your set of springers they look in very good condition well loved it just goes to show you don't have to have top of the range rifles to get realy good results 45yds 10p spinner dam good shooting my friend thanks once again Frank