Idiots guide to classic airgun strips (pt 1)

[ggggr]

READ FIRST TWO POSTS. The Diana 22/23 +Webley junior/jaguar/ranger strip. These are all more or less the same gun except some have pins instead of nuts and bolts and different way of holding the piston washer on. You may remove the sights to prevent breakage. Undo the front 2 stock screws and the one to the front of the triggr guard and remove action from stock. Unscrew (remove pin) from cocking arm. I use a screwdriver with a gap ground into the middle of the blade to undo the nut. This nut is about 5/16 OD and is tapped 3/16 bsf if you need to make one up as they go missing a lot. Do the same with the barrel pivot. If you want to remove the plunger on the cylinder you will have to undo the little grubscrew and it may be peened over. remove the plunger and spring and clean up. If this spring needs replacing,better to take it to local shop to find match or send it to Nibbs otherwise he will send you the wrong one(they sent me two wrong ones).Using a small screwdriver, hook trigger spring of tang on end cap. You may have to tap endcap with a punch to remove from cylinder. Triggers sometimes seize to pivot pin and may need "plus gas" to free off. Undo pivot and remove trigger. Clean any old grease you can see in the back of the cylinder because this sometimes gets under the sleeve holding the spring in when it starts to move. Next find a socket that will fit on the sleeve and an extension bar to put on it. GO TO NEXT POST.

[ggggr]

You now put your cylinder breech jaws down onto a piece of wood and push down onto the sleeve with the socket and extension bar until you see the locking tang on the sleeve move in the recess in the cylinder and then you flick it with a small screwdriver and slowly release pressure. The sleeve,guide and mainspring should all come out. Ease piston out with a screwdriver or rod and inspect the piston washer and whee the cocking arm pushes against. The piston washers are held on either by a screw or a special nut (time for the screwdiver with the gap again) onto thread on the piston. If all looks ok then you have got away with it. If the nut is all bashed,you can try to grip it in vice and unscrew it. Where the cocking arm pushes is often worn as its very thin and may result in the piston not going far enough back to cock the gun (other causes being worn slot on piston rod,worn trigger or small screw being put in cocking arm instead of proper bolt or pin). If its bad then a complete piston and washer set up is about £22 at Nibbs which seems ok compared to £14 for the piston washer set up. If its your only gun it may be worth paying the money for the piece of mind knowing you will not have to do it again. GO TO PART 3

[ggggr]

So now everything is clean and lubed ready to go together. If you want to change breech washer, now is a good time to do it while you have room to work. They take the rubber webley washer ,although Diana 23 I did had a thinner washer than other Ive done,(rounded side facing barrel) or make one out of leather by cutting round a small socket and putting hole in middle. I soak them in almond oil. When the gun is together you may have to keep poking the hole open for the first few days till it settles in. Replace your spring and plunger and nip up grub screw (till it locks plunger and then back it off) I had some 4ba brass bar and just cut a length of this and cut a slot in top for small screwdriver. Piston,spring and guide back in cylinder and then the sleeve (NEXT BIT TRICKY) push on sleeve with bar and socket and then turn it to locate on recess when far enough down. THERE IS A LOT OF PRELOAD ON THESE SMALL SPRINGS. Offer triggerup and replace pivot. Locate endcap and push in till you can just get trigger spring in and then tap home. Replace barrel and then cocking arm and then fit back in stock and replace sights. Ive seen a lot of these where the trigger AND/OR piston rod is worn--filing them square again will get the gun working but keep an eye on it for safety. God Im sick of this already. Diana 25/27 next.

[ggggr]

The only real differences between the german made diana 25 (i have a 1951 version) and gecardo (which I think was the name they used for America) and the British made ones are the German ones have two pins for the sleeve that does in the cylinder,one to hold the sleeve and one for the trigger, while the British ones have one pin to do both jobs. The German ones also have a pin in the piston that pushes against the piston head screw and will probably need drilling out if you want to remove the piston washer.
Remove sights. Remove two front stock screws and screw from front of trigger guard and take action from stock. Unscrew cocking arm lock screw and pivot screw and remove cocking arm. Unscrew barrel pivot lock screw and pivot screw and remove barrel. There is a little screw on the side of the breech block if you want to take out barrel locking plunger and its spring. Unscrew the cylinder end cam and any washers that may be behind it. The 27 has a small spacer tube about 3/4s wide. Use small screwdriver to remove triggr spring off tang on sleeve. Tap trigger pivot (on german models) and remove trigger. SEE NEXT POST

[ggggr]

On the British version you will need your piece of tube with the slots cut in to push down on spring guide to enable you to tap out pin. Its difficult to line it all up( and hard to get trigger back) so once pin has moved enough,leave punch in the hole and as you push on your bit of tube you should be able to pull pin out with fingers. Remove your punch and ease pressure on tube. Guide and mainspring should come out. Ease piston out. Check if washer needs replacing (and whether you will have to drill lock pin out on German guns -refer to above post). Cleaned and lubed? Put piston ,mainspring and guide back in the cylinder and then the sleeve. With the German guns, push down on your bit of tube and locate the pin that holds the sleeve and then take your time to put trigger and pivot pin in. On British ones You push down and just locate your pin and use your punch or a slave pin to locate the sleeve hole with the hole on the other side of the cylinder. Take your time and wangle the pin through the sleeve,side of trigger,floating bit of trigger,other side of trigger, slleve and cylinder, ( your mate with the German one will be laughing). THIS WOULD BE MUCH EASIER WITH A SPRING COMPRESSOR. Hook on trigger spring and replace washers and end cap. Replace your barrel plunger and spring back in the barrel if you have had them out. GO TO PART 3

[ggggr]

Replace barrel and barrel pivot bolt and the lock screw. You can use or make up a bit of shim so the cut outs in the bolt head line up with the lock screw. Replace cocking arm and its pivot and lock screw. Put action back in stock and tighten up stock screws. Replace sights.
I find these a very well made,robust gun and an ideal starter to strip. The only real problem on the British ones being lining up the trigger when replacing the pivot pin. The pistons are much better than the 22,s and I reckon if you have a decent piston and breech washer and keep an eye on the pivot screws,will probably not need doing again until you need a new mainspring. I think meteor springs will fit the 27 and are a touch "softer" although there is not much in it. If the trigger goes light, you can file or stone the trigger face square (and /or ) the piston rod face. You can also play with different bits of trigger spring to get a feel you like. Manchester Airguns used to sell lengths of spring for a few quid and this was ideal for playing with trigger and barrel plunger springs.

[ggggr]

I cant do links ---but if you check Richiet,s "webley mk 3 date " thread of 18/4/09 and see my post2 then that will do for most of it. Dont know about guide but strip is very easy ---take out of stock,take off cocking arm and under lever--Take breech plate off and remove tap. Take out trigger screws and then pins to remove trigger and sear--UNDO LEFT HAND tHREAD SCREW-Unscrew trigger block-- Remove mainspring and piston----(hard bit coming up) I think earlier ones had the piston washer rivetted on and later ones screwed---Sometimes,as on all guns with a countersunk screw holding on the piston washer, The screw gets battered and can be hard to remove, usually resulting in a damaged piston washer. If you are lucky then the washer will be in good nick. I think its pot luck---Ive seen some guns around 45 or 50 years old that the washer is okay on and others where it has rotted away, probably due to too much oil being put into the cylinder. I hope this helps.
Regarding putting the trigger back on these, its a "patience" job---One of those that will go in first time or spend 30 mins swearing at it. You put the sear in and locate it with the pin, then you put the trigger spring in and sort of have to push the trigger up and forwards to compress the spring a bit and locate the trigger pin. If the gun doesnt cock and you are sure the you have done everything right, remove the main spring and see if it cocks then ie. if the piston is coming far enough back. Sometimes the cocking arm has bent a touch and the piston rod is a few thou short of engaging. IF YOU ARE SURE THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING-remove the cocking arm and place either end on a block of wood, then place a smaller block of wood on the bend of the arm and give this block a sharp tap with a smallish hammer. This should cure the problem. NEXT UP ---WEBLEY FALCON ,then HAWK MK1


Re--the mainspring. Troubled shooter says " The original spring was: 9 ½" x 27/32" x 29 coils (24.2cm x 21.30mm) "
I found a spring that was 20.5mm Od and about 2.75mm thick wire. I cut it to the same length as the Webley spring and it is a nice, pleasant to shoot and easy to cock plinker.

[hwvixen]

Great effort..........long way to go though.......you'll need to recondition your keyboard when you finish!