I know we've had this title a thousand times and a search will unveil many answers.

However, I am not asking how to tune a HW77...I've tuned quite a few before including having one tuned at Venom (Even baz bought a HW77 off me!).

This is more of a begging/scrounging exercise with a request for a bit of advice.

A couple of youngish (18) lads I know from the cricket club have shown an interest in airgunning and have both bought guns. They bought them from a local shop, who sold them to them as 'sold as seen'. The guns are a HW95 and a HW77.

The lads don't have a lot of money and these were all they could afford at the time.

When they showed me the guns they are both cosmetically rough as a Bear's and both of them were well down on power. A new breech seal in the 95 got that up to @ 11fp and that now shoots reasonably well. The HW77 however is shooting at @6fp. I have explained that this is too low to hunt humanely (at any reasonable distance) and have also tried to explain the laws regarding airguns and the 12fp legal limit etc.

The lad has asked me if I can sort him his gun out.

Now here's the scrounging bit....

I know I can just buy a Venom kit or a Chambers kit and fit that but that will cost around £50 and as I say the lad has just coughed what little cash he has to buy the gun.

At the moment I don't have any spare bits for a 77.

Anybody got any spare guides (front and rear) that I can fit to a new spring. Or a set of guides/spring that are OK that you replaced for some reason that you want to flog on the cheap to get this lad up and running.

I know in an ideal situation you make the guides fit the actual spring but the original metal HW rear guides are useless (far too much play).

Sorry for the blatent begging. If it was me I'd bite the bullet and spend the cash and get the job done right but I'm trying to get the gun shooting right for this lad at the lowest cost.

The other part of the question is....

I have told this lad about the 12FP law and that there is no way I will tune it for him over that limit.

When I've tuned it.....Is it worth giving him a chrono test result chart with a date and signature on it showing that the gun is under 12FP with different pellets.Obviously I keep a copy on file.

I suggest this in case in the future he goes along the darkened road of 'square' springs etc and totally wrecks his gun but puts it a few FP over the limit and then gets pulled by Mr Plod.

I don't fancy a knock from Mr Plod saying that this lad says I have made him this nice little firearm.

Probably paranoid but any advice welcome.

Bozzer