Commonly encountered faults on airguns

[Lakey]

Hi All,
Just thought I would start a thread about commonly encountered faults in collectable air rifles and pistols. As I go around viewing old airguns I see the same recurring faults on a few of the guns I find, so I thought I would list some of them, to help others during their airgun collecting travels.
My main area of interest involves pre-war BSA underlevers, and as these are very simple in their design, there is not too much that can go wrong with them, however here are a few faults that I have seen

Wrong Sights – BSA Cadet and AirsporterMk I sights fitted in place of the original sights. Earliest BSA’s have a low rearsight with a small elevation wheel. Improved Model D’s should have the No.10 rearsight, which is wider and has a larger offset elevation wheel, and the post WWI ‘Standards’ have a high rearsight and foresight fitted. The rearsight on these overhangs the barrel, and has a solid centrally aligned elevation wheel. If the elevation wheel has a hole and spring in the centre, it is the wrong one.

Gun fails to cock – Trigger and sear either broken, or missing or clogged up with old grease and dirt. I have also encountered return springs missing on the trigger. Early pre-WWI guns had a one piece trigger, with trigger adjustment through the trigger guard.Occasionally the trigger adjustment screw has been screwed in too far so that the sear fails to engage. Back off the trigger screw and retry.

Wrong screws and bolts - Check screws for later replacements. Check that screws match and patination is the same etc. Original replacements are hard to find and often expensive.

Stock Damage –Steel locating peg in trigger block often found rusted, leading to split stock at the top of the pistol grip. Missing stock bolt cover- Very difficult to source original ones, and time consuming to carve replacements.Water damage where guns have been stood up in damp conditions.

Low on power/poor compression – Often encountered dry piston seals on these guns,and seals which have disintegrated over time. Also look for foreign objects imbedded in the face of the piston, leading to a poor seal. Broken springs or wrong replacement springs also found.Occasionally the screw securing the piston seal to the piston shears off leaving the piston washer separated from the steel piston.

Underlever does not lock – The button catch on the inderlever can become bunged up with dry grease and dirt preventing the button working. Also the spring loaded plunger on the early bayonet underlevers can also become jammed with dirt and grot. I also once came across a later end button underlever that would not engage with the catch post because the end of the post had become bent and the undercut had become distorted preventing the catch operating.


I have never encountered a BSA underlever with a mis-aligned tap, however I have come across this fault with several Webley MkIII’s.
Lastely because all BSA underlever components are readily interchangeable, I have often found ‘S’ and ‘T’ prefix .177’s and I have also seen an ‘L’ prefix .22! not to mention many wrong stocks for a given model type ( eg a post 1919 style rounded stock on a ‘The BSA Air Rifle’ dating from 1906) so watch out and consult books to check how the gun should look.
Has anyone else got any experience of regular faults they have found on other collectable airguns??

ATB

Lakey

[mikewareing]

I once got a 1929 Standard light with the earlier, lower, lincoln jeffreys sights fitted, also a cadet major with a later trigger guard

Mike

[Lakey]

Hi Mike, Thanks for your reply. BSA's seem to be particularly prone to this mix and match of bits and pieces.

Other faults I have come across are cocking faults in webley pistols, due to bent barrels, and worn sear/trigger parts leading to guns going off without warning etc.

what other faults have you come across in your collecting travels......?

[DCL_dave]

Hi Lakey,

Some problems I have encountered with Gems include...

Sloppy breeches and barrel latches - by virtue of design really.
Worn or replaced pivot pins - seems to be very common...
Bent trigger guard/cocking levers - they do take a lot of strain during the cocking proccess and can bend inward.
Split stocks,
Worn trigger sears,
Missing, wrong or homemade sights...

...and, as is most often the case, the general wear and tear from a 100 years of neglect!...all good fun though!

[I. J.]

To be pedantic - the wrong rear sight on FWB Sports (124 & 127).
Wrong foresight hood on early BSA Airsporters.
Cracked stock around pistol grip on quite a few classics.
Spring retaining cross pin elongating the cylinder on Webley Hawks.
Ox mainsprings.

I can think of many more given the time.

ATB
Ian

[Garvin]

Good thread Lakey. One thing that springs to mind re. pre-War BSAs is something I think you mentioned to me yourself. It's damage to the front part of the stock where it meets the trigger block, due to oil applied to the metalwork slowly running downwards when the gun is placed upright in a rack, cupboard or against a wall. I've seen plenty like this. The oil soaks into the wood, staining it black and making it soft and prone to impact damage.

Another BSA problem I've come across more than once is cocking lever catch posts coming loose in their little dovetails under the barrel.

On various pre-War rifles, including the BSAs, I've seen the tips of the front sights having been knocked off and sometimes new ones brazed on, generally not very well. More often the front sight will be reshaped crudely but without the tip will be several millimetres lower than it should be.

[pennineway.fswo]

Early Airsporters with loading tap levers bent towards cylinder (from dropping gun) preventing the tap fully closing and hence giving awful accuracy

Ball bearings embedded in leather piston heads of Webley Mk3's

Lost ball bearings of Airsporter loading taps preventing positive opening and closing of tap.

Completely disintegrated /burnt leather piston washers on Cadet Majors and other rifles with leather washers.
Worn trigger sears on same gun causing rifle to fire on closing/lock up of the barrel.

Cracks in stocks of Mk1 and 2 Airsporters around the grip and rear of trigger area. Many of these cracks are small and not noticed by owners, but will propagate over time if not repaired.

Damaged rifling in old rifles caused by the owners shooting nails, ball bearings or anything else that would go into the breech. This damage can often be seen when looking down the rifling. It can also be found by pushing a pellet down the bore with a brass or plastic rod. The pellet sticks at damaged area and the pellet skirt and head show irregular marks when pushed right through. Usually this damage does not affect short range accuracy too much.

Bent barrels on Webley Mk1 pistols, particularly the .22 cal.
John

[le frelon]

And where do all those wood butt plugs go to?
(No offence intended!)

White paint! What about the ones that are simply painted as an alternative finish? I have a Gem sporting army green paint and have seen more than my share of very poorly re finished mechanisms and stocks, but then I suppose they weren't being looked at as desirable collectables at the time.

Carl

[Powderfinger]

Butchered screw-heads! Use of proper gunsmithing tools should be on the school curriculum. Hell, gunsmithing should be on the school curriculum and shooting should be our national sport...

White paint. As has been noted, where does it come from. I bought a BSA rimfire on Saturday. It has white paint on the barrel. How....?

Vice marks on stock. Pad that vice out, FGS! See my first comment.

Knackered butt-plates. I have seen butt-plates and pads that look like they were scraped along concrete. Who does this crazy stuff?

Nails in the cylinder. I think this must be something to do with kids that used to get hold of an airgun but were not old enought to buy pellets. Please tell me adults don't fire tin tacks....

[silva]

Drilled out transfer ports by the bodgy airgun home tuner.....