Another Airsporter Question

[Airsporter1st]

There's that many on at the moment, perhaps we should have a dedicated section!!! (That's a joke before anyone jumps on me.)

I've just picked up a Mk1/2 which has totally immaculate metalwork. Problem is that it is dieseling and harsh to shoot. I therefore want to give it a tune.

My old Airsporters are in worse condition cosmetically so I have not felt the need to pussyfoot around with them in unscrewing the trigger block - I've used a soft rod in the loading tap hole and another in the trigger block without problem.

However, with this new gun I'm s**t scared of damaging the gun either mechanically or cosmetically.

Any suggestions???

Regards, Paul.

[Garvin]

Paul I'd be tempted to shoot the other ones and keep this one as a 'closet queen' rather than risk damaging it.

[johnbaz]

if it's dieselling at over 50 years old, i'd say someoner has been inside it recently and overdone a lube job, it could be that the trigger block will unscrew without any tools (rods etc), as garvin says, if you're not confident, just ogle it and shoot the rough 'uns


john

[Airsporter1st]

.... but I like to shoot the guns as well!

Generally, I'm only into plinking in the dry and always wipe the gun over with a silicone cloth after handling it.

The new one is going to be a keepsake for my son so I definitely want to look after it. I like to have a gun as a keeper - but I still want to know that it shoots properly.

I tuned up my original old airsporter using a MoS2 lubricant which my old man got from his works - this was long before the benefits of using it in airguns were 'discovered' and reported in AGW - and it still remains smooth firing today. Interestingly, it was going through a trigger spring about once every couple of months before I used the lube on the trigger parts. Since then I have changed out the spring only once in tens of thousands of shots.

Thanks for the input. Paul.

[Airsporter1st]

if it's dieselling at over 50 years old, i'd say someoner has been inside it recently and overdone a lube job, it could be that the trigger block will unscrew without any tools (rods etc), as garvin says, if you're not confident, just ogle it and shoot the rough 'uns


john

When I bought it I had a very close look at the stock screws and there are no signs of it having been off (or if it has the guy who removed/replaced it was careful at least). However, there is a little oil hole in the cylinder (visible when the underlever is pulled down) so it is always possible that the last owner went overboard with 3 in 1.

I'm ashamed to say that in my ignorance as a 14 year old, I regularly used to put a couple of drops of Castrol GTX in the loading tap before going out shooting. I think I got addicted to the smell of that burning off!!!!

By the way, in Wesley's book, he actually mentions a small venturi device which he designed and built to introduce an oil mist into the cylinder when the gun was cocked thus guaranteeing a 'consistent' diesel on each shot!!!

Regards.

[johnbaz]

When I bought it I had a very close look at the stock screws and there are no signs of it having been off (or if it has the guy who removed/replaced it was careful at least). However, there is a little oil hole in the cylinder (visible when the underlever is pulled down) so it is always possible that the last owner went overboard with 3 in 1.

I'm ashamed to say that in my ignorance as a 14 year old, I regularly used to put a couple of drops of Castrol GTX in the loading tap before going out shooting. I think I got addicted to the smell of that burning off!!!!

By the way, in Wesley's book, he actually mentions a small venturi device which he designed and built to introduce an oil mist into the cylinder when the gun was cocked thus guaranteeing a 'consistent' diesel on each shot!!!

Regards.

I still love that smell of burning oil (though it's the 3in1 that i love)

john.

btw, a 'proper' gunsmith will have the correct turnscrews that fit gunscrews better than ordinary screwdrivers, these will leave the screwslot unmarked

[wobbly45]

I just sold an Airsporter today on the BBS, amazing response. Still have a Mk2. I am not ashamed to say that for me the '3 in 1' smell is what a springer is all about. when i was knee high to a tremolo arm (guitar term) ok 15. I thought that if it did not have that smell there was something wrong. I have had a break for 20 years and got back into it big time, when i fired a BSA Scorpion pistol (bought from a Arms fair) it all came back to me. 'Ahhh Bisto'.

By the the way just a mention to Johnbaz, thanks i got the BSA Mercury from the British Blades site this week. Fitted a .25 barrel and it kicks like a mule now, love it. (Johnbaz was first but backed out of sale so i could get it, thanks).

[johnbaz]

I just sold an Airsporter today on the BBS, amazing response. Still have a Mk2. I am not ashamed to say that for me the '3 in 1' smell is what a springer is all about. when i was knee high to a tremolo arm (guitar term) ok 15. I thought that if it did not have that smell there was something wrong. I have had a break for 20 years and got back into it big time, when i fired a BSA Scorpion pistol (bought from a Arms fair) it all came back to me. 'Ahhh Bisto'.

By the the way just a mention to Johnbaz, thanks i got the BSA Mercury from the British Blades site this week. Fitted a .25 barrel and it kicks like a mule now, love it. (Johnbaz was first but backed out of sale so i could get it, thanks).

ahh, from over on the british blades forum, glad it's ok mate, i've had quiet a few merc's, good rifles and dead easy to strip/ repair/ lube.

best regards, john

[pennineway.fswo]

hi Paul

Garvin's advice is probably worth following if you have a number of these old Airsporters and do not need to use the mint rifle

However, about 2 years ago, I bought a mint Mk11 in 22 that had never been stripped.
It was very harsh to shoot (particularly with 5.5mm ammo) and when I chronographed the rifle it was over the legal limit - consistently.

It was also, not that accurate and very, very pellet fussy. In fact, it would only shoot 5.6 mm Wasp or John Knibbs's 5.6 mm Marksman pellets.

I love to shoot all my air rifles so I took the action out of the stock and decided to strip it and remove the surplus of oil in the cylinder to stop the dieseling.

The trigger block was very tight and I did not want to damage the enamel finish on the trigger block or the blueing on the cylinder

So I used a degreasing spray and applied it through the slot in the cylinder. I kept the cylinder vertical with the trigger block at the bottom and allowed the degreasing agent and oil to drain out of the trigger block

I then allowed the rifle a couple of days for the volatile degreasing agent to drain and evaporate.
I then applied some Mo. disulphide paste and grease onto the spring through the slot in the bottom of the cylinder, a bit of 3 in 1 on the trigger and put about 20 shots through the gun. Some slight dieseling occurred but no violent detonation and the gun quickly settled down to about 600 ft/sec with JK's 5.6mm Marksman pellets

The rifle is still pellet fussy due to the strong spring and has to be fed 5.6mm pellets but it is sweet to shoot and very accurate up to 30 yards with the limited choice of pellets.(Note; the QC on these 5.6mm JK Marksman pellets is not that good and about 1 pellet in 20 is either undersize or oversize on tail diameter - a micrometer is useful to prevent rogue shots)

I have found with these early Airsporters, that if you want them to accept 5.5mm pellets then you have to fit a weaker spring or they can be very harsh to shoot
john

[Airsporter1st]

hi Paul

Garvin's advice is probably worth following if you have a number of these old Airsporters and do not need to use the mint rifle

However, about 2 years ago, I bought a mint Mk11 in 22 that had never been stripped.
It was very harsh to shoot (particularly with 5.5mm ammo) and when I chronographed the rifle it was over the legal limit - consistently.

It was also, not that accurate and very, very pellet fussy. In fact, it would only shoot 5.6 mm Wasp or John Knibbs's 5.6 mm Marksman pellets.

I love to shoot all my air rifles so I took the action out of the stock and decided to strip it and remove the surplus of oil in the cylinder to stop the dieseling.

The trigger block was very tight and I did not want to damage the enamel finish on the trigger block or the blueing on the cylinder

So I used a degreasing spray and applied it through the slot in the cylinder. I kept the cylinder vertical with the trigger block at the bottom and allowed the degreasing agent and oil to drain out of the trigger block

I then allowed the rifle a couple of days for the volatile degreasing agent to drain and evaporate.
I then applied some Mo. disulphide paste and grease onto the spring through the slot in the bottom of the cylinder, a bit of 3 in 1 on the trigger and put about 20 shots through the gun. Some slight dieseling occurred but no violent detonation and the gun quickly settled down to about 600 ft/sec with JK's 5.6mm Marksman pellets

The rifle is still pellet fussy due to the strong spring and has to be fed 5.6mm pellets but it is sweet to shoot and very accurate up to 30 yards with the limited choice of pellets.(Note; the QC on these 5.6mm JK Marksman pellets is not that good and about 1 pellet in 20 is either undersize or oversize on tail diameter - a micrometer is useful to prevent rogue shots)

I have found with these early Airsporters, that if you want them to accept 5.5mm pellets then you have to fit a weaker spring or they can be very harsh to shoot
john

John,

Great advice and just the sort of thing I was looking for. Thanks very much.

One point of interest, this gun is a .177 so I would not expect it to be so pellet fussy as the 0.22's.

[pennineway.fswo]

Hi Paul
If you go down the route of using a degreasing agent through the slot in the cylinder, check the instructions on the tin before using to make sure that it will not effect the paint finish on the trigger block. Also an aerosol spray is a good way to flush out the old oil.
If you do decide to try and unscrew the trigger block, I would never use the loading tap hole to lever from, as even slight damage may well effect the guns performance. Sometimes some heat applied to the end of the cylinder adjacent to the trigger block can help you unscrew the trigger, but do not use a gas flame as again it could damage the black paint finish on the trigger block.
Good luck
John