Quoted from Sly_Old_Devil:As a data point my (LE) auto launcher makes it 99% of the time...and that was out of the box. Manually it struggles and it came with the orange spring installed...
Most of the issue with all new Sterns is the shooter rod length. If you look down where the ball rests against the auto launcher, the plunger most of the the time is up to 1/4" behind the auto plunger. Ideally it should be just a hair behind it so that the ball rests against the auto launcher. This gives you more control over your plunges. With it being so far back, the shooter rod now has to go beyond its normal resting place quite a bit to strike the ball. This makes your manual plunge very weak sometimes. I have installed aftermarket shafts on my sterns, if they are a bit long it is easier to space them back and get the distance correct.
Oakdale, MN
