Synthetic or Leather

[BC312]

New leather piston washers for old BSA Standards are they of the parachute design, any one have a pic of the correct type of washer set up of the BSA standard as with any other pre war BSAs.

[Mike95]

I have just stripped my 1929 Standard .177. The shaped leather washer has a stiff fibre inner and a domed soft leather "outer" all held onto the flat of the piston with a screw, exactly the same design as a Webley Mark 3. Not a cup washer type.. I found the washer to be in good condition and the spring was of flat wire with rounded edges, as fitted to the early guns...might be the original spring and washer! I soaked the washer in oil, squeezed it dry and found it to be a good fit in the cylinder. Spring also seemed fine so it was just a case of a good clean/polish and a modern relube. Shooting at around 7ft/lbs but a bit erratic so far. Will need a few hundred pellets to bed in the washer.

Mike95

[keith66]

If you want consistency & therefore accuracy it will be down to individual rifles preferences, For example i have a 1910 imp model D .22 that does just under 12ft lds with a shot to shot consistency of just four fps over a ten shot string this with a leather washer. It is using modern lubricants.

[BC312]

My BSA mod D 1908 .177 has the original flat washer with the original screw that is recessed below the face of the washer so it doesn't bang against the end of the cylinder as seen in some illustrations in John Knibbs BSA book. The gun works fine and is quite powerful. What i am afraid of happening is if the washer replacement is not done correctly the screw will mangle up at the end of the cylinder if not seated below the face of the washer face, this has happened to a BSA standard .22 1922 i recently acquired. I have seen different ways of washers fitted on other peoples BSAs but would like to know the correct way, so photo's or even a sketch would be helpful. The 1908 and 1922 BSAs i have both have the same diameter piston sizes and washer screw, I know that there were improvements between these years in washer design but i not sure what. I would think it would be best to venture the leather route way rather than synthetic as i think its less strain on these old guns especially using the correct flat wire springs in pairs which are still available for these old guns. So can any one help with photo's or pics of the type of piston washer set up these BSA's should have.

[BC312]

If you want consistency & therefore accuracy it will be down to individual rifles preferences, For example i have a 1910 imp model D .22 that does just under 12ft lds with a shot to shot consistency of just four fps over a ten shot string this with a leather washer. It is using modern lubricants.

Modern lubricants, what do you use?

[keith66]

It is lubricated with sm 50 & Lt2 moly grease also heavy moly spring damper on the spring, incidentally it runs a cut down FWB sport spring which i happened to have in stock. its very smooth & quiet, pity the rifling is rather worn as every now and then it chucks a flyer!

[coburn]

Mike that washer fitted to your Standard sounds just like the one fitted to my L Pattern. I thought it was a home made job. Thanks for the info. I am off to the cobblers to scrounge a bit a leather to make a new one...

[BC312]

This is what i am trying to figure out, what is standard or home made. I found a piece of doamed leather in my standard but no fiber part plus the screw bent up and the washer in half. I know that if these washers are not correct or fitted properly the piston just smashes to the end and buggers the screw up, something i want to avoid if i can.