Idiots guide to classic airgun strips (pt 1)

[Phil Russell]

MILLITA ORIGINAL V
Serial No 105327 with the numbers 5327 marked on virtually all individual parts. Outwardly very good but with two clear faults; the rear sight was missing the adjuster wheel (although the sight element was present) and the barrel release catch was loose which meant the barrel would not stay fully closed. Time to delve a bit deeper.
To strip the rifle it is not necessary to remove the butt from the trigger block but if you wish to do so then remove the two screws holding the steel butt plate in place and then undo the nut visible at the base of the hole. You will need a box spanner, most likely 17mm. I left the butt in place.
Remove the trigger guard, two screws into the action, a wood screw into the butt. There is no need to remove the adjuster screw … my adjuster was missing a lock nut but I found a 2BA one fitted very well so oil blued it and fitted it. The trigger is held by a pin through the end block. My pin was very tight so I left it alone, having ascertained that the trigger functioned as it should. The trigger block unscrews from the action but if you have not removed the trigger, you need to pull the trigger back to clear a cut out in the action in order to allow the block to unscrew. Take care when nearing the end of the thread in case the mainspring is strong. Mine was not, with only about 3cm pre-load. The mainspring lifts out. To remove the piston, release the cocking link by removing the screw at the pivot and lift the link away. It helps to ‘break’ the action. Remove the piston. The piston head was in terrible condition. There had been a leather washer but only half remained and there was a doubled over 4cm flat nail embedded in the remaining half. It was secured by a central screw which I suspect was a replacement as the screwdriver slot was off centre. I could see no evidence of a leather cup shape to the washer, just a disc. I made a new leather disc washer from 6mm leather hide and found a new retaining screw which I fitted with a steel dished washer countersunk into the leather disc. The leather was trimmed to just proud of the piston outer edge and left to soak in neatsfoot oil while I continued the strip.
Remove barrel with action broken by removing the keeper screw on the pivot bolt and then unscrew the pivot. Barrel just lifts away. To remove the barrel catch, drive out the pivot pin, approx. 5.5mm diameter. Mine was very tight and, I suspect, a replacement because the small spring that activates the catch was far too weak to do the job. The catch and spring just lifts out; it will only fit back one way. I found a much stronger spring approx. 12mm long x 5mm od and which fitted in the location holes in the catch and the breech block. A test showed it to work perfectly, restoring a positive barrel fitment.
The breech seal seemed quite OK so was not touched.
Attention turned to the rearsight. I hoped to find a replacement screw that could be modified to form an elevation adjuster but failed. The required thread was clearly very fine and I failed to match it. Purists look away: In the end I made a new adjuster from Delrin and used the thread on the sight base as a die to slowly cut threads in the Delrin. It took a while but was successful.
Rebuild was straightforward. Parts were lubricated as necessary during the rebuild. I started by assembling the barrel catch then refitting the barrel/breech. This is easier with the action in the broken position. Close the action and test tighten the breech pivot bolt to ensure you get a good nip on the breech while still being able to fit the pivot keeper screw. You can adjust this by the use of a shim under the bolt head but this was not needed. Assemble piston (with a little grease on the body ends) in the cylinder making sure the cocking slot aligns with the cylinder slot. Replace spring (lightly greased as required) and refit the trigger block / butt assembly. This is not the easiest job in the world and I clamped the action in a padded vice for stability while I engaged the threads on the trigger block with the action. Take care not to cross threads and remember to pull the trigger to allow the block to seat fully. Replace trigger guard.
Testing with various pellets produced velocities ranging from 486 to 508 with excellent consistency for any particular pellet. This is, I believe, about on spec according to data published by BB Pelletier (Tom Gaylord). Overall, I am quite happy.

Note: Quite by chance I found pictures of this exact rifle on Garvin's VintageAirGun Gallery.

Cheers, Phil