Sickly HW80 !

[Eligus]

I bought a second hand HW80 (.177) yesterday to play with, it has a number of problems, not least of which is it looks as though a previous owner has removed the screws with a tin opener !

He also hacked the end of the barrel off to remove the sight dovetails so he could glue a moderator on, present owner had managed to get it off but not all the glue. That's not a problmen, I can smooth it off and recrown.

However the barrel has some lateral play when closed, enough to be able to wiggle it a bit. Can I cure this by adding extra shim washers or is it more drastic?

The piston does not slide easily, the piston seal is a tight fit and takes quite a bit of force to move it in and out. It appears to be the correct size but I've ordered another one. Could the inside where the piston slides need polishing? It tried it on the chorno and it was running at about 9.5 ftlbs, possibly a combination of the piston seal and the breech seal.

It appears to had had an OX spring fitted, square section, maybe that's why it jumps like a frightened rabbit when fired !

Can anyone suggest decent components for the rebuild - spring, top hat, spring guide etc.?

The trigger is pretty crap as well, even the front adjuster screw is missing but I can fix that OK.

One good point, the wood is lovely !

[paul4be]

You could have just ordered a complete v-mach kit, which would include seal, spring, guide, lube etc.

As you have already ordered a new seal, perhaps a Tinbum tuning top hat and guide (about 20 quid) and either a standard or Titan spring. Whichever way you go it will need setting up power wise as it will probably end up over 12fpe once shot in a bit.

[para]

[QUOTE=Eligus;6428986]I bought a second hand HW80 (.177) yesterday to play with, it has a number of problems, not least of which is it looks as though a previous owner has removed the screws with a tin opener !

He also hacked the end of the barrel off to remove the sight dovetails so he could glue a moderator on, present owner had managed to get it off but not all the glue. That's not a problmen, I can smooth it off and recrown.



How difficult is it to recrown the barrel and how would you go about it??

[para]

Perhaps send it to SFS for tony to work his magic on !

[Eligus]

para - I bought it to play with myself !

Recrowning normally means using an 11 degree reamer but here is a method on YouTube using a spherical grinder ball and a brass, dome headed screw coated in grinding compound.

[The Squire]

Be careful with the V-Mach kit they tend to 'creep up'
If I was starting o mine again I think I'd go for a Tinbum kit, piston sleeve, good lube, de-burr/polish, and leave everything else as standard for a starter.

[sharpsman]

Sometimes taking on projects like abused HW80's on are just not worth it as far as being economicaly sensible, there is that many HW80's to be had a really good condition one can be bought for about a £100 if you have the patience to wait for one coming up.A friend bought one recently that was in a bag in bits for £35 and the only things missing was the 2 front stock screws and the barrel shims.How much did you pay for the one you got ? if you dont mind me asking.

[Eligus]

I don't mind you asking - as long as you're not going to take the piss !! lol

I gave 100 quid for it, including a real nice bag and a crappy scope.

I bought a new front adjuster screw for the trigger (it was missing) and now have the trigger just about perfect.

Fitted a new piston and breech seal, had to shave down the piston seal to get it to slide but it seems fine. Put the OX spring back in to try it and it's shooting OK, quite a bit of recoil but that could be the OX spring?

Sorted the barrel wiggle with a new barrel bolt and a good tighten, the shims are worn and need replacing ASAP.

Popped a few pellets off and got about 1" groups at 20 yards, I expect the recoil is not helping.

Now I need to sort out the rattling cocking lever, try and take out the rivet and slide fibre shim in.

[Eligus]

PS. It's doing about 11.5 ftlbs.