Reply With Quotehttps://i.imgur.com/pSf6uBN.jpg
And a picture, it's in the middle..
Dodgy Diana User
I have owned this for 20ish years. Soon after buying it, it developed a leak, and went back to P-H (1998 or 9) to be fixed, which they did FOC, and - I think also FOC - added factory sling swivels. Later, it developed another leak and I kind of gave up on it.
So I dragged it out of the cabinet, and had a plink, assisted by a small quantity of value lube (Brocock/S&P lube, which I have a lot of in stock).
Conclusions/impressions:
Bluing, fit, finish, stock wood are all excellent.
Cocking and loading are hard and fiddly. I can shoot well much quicker and with less movement with a springer. Lever all the way out, press in valve, lever back (oomph), twiddly bolt open, fiddly pellet in, twiddly bolt closed, release safety/valve.
Trigger (I confess I have never played with it much) is OK, but not a Rekord.
It is quiet, especially with the required suppressor.
Releasing the safety/valve is very loud. Clang/thump. Not good.
It is quite heavy and top-heavy, and off balance side to side because of the cocking lever. It is handier without the suppressor, but hangs better seated with it, unsuprisingly. Still feels like a big old lump.
It still leaks. Its group size varies from ok to awful depending on the time between completing the charging stroke and pulling the trigger - anything from a decent group to not firing at all. But that is a function of the leak.
Interesting. Good bit of airgun history.
If I get round to fixing the leak, how best is that done, and/or who can do it?
Any other experiences and views?
Dodgy Diana User
https://i.imgur.com/pSf6uBN.jpg
And a picture, it's in the middle.
The Chrono Slayer
Oooh!!
That's a big old beauty!!
I can vaguely recall someone telling me of a gunsmith that knows these inside out, He may have worked for PH at some time, Trouble is that I can't remember for the life of me who told me
Flippin' senility
John..
for my gunz guitarz and bonzai, see here
www.flickr.com/photos/8163995@N07/
World pork pie juggling champion three years straight
Sorry, can't help with the leak. Like you, I don't find the Winchester type action that pleasant to use. Marmite I suppose.
Dave
Smell my cheese
Registered User
I bought one of the first PH Dragons in a field target stock.
I couldn't hit a barn door with it but couldn't see what was wrong with it. And yet, when I tested it over a Chrono it was one of the most consistent guns I ever tested.
I took it back to the shop.
The owner didn't believe me at first and then he tried it. He couldn't hit a thing with it either.
I left the shop with a new TX200SR.
Administrator
Hi GeezerOriginally Posted by Geezer
The bad news is that I class the Dragon as an overly complex gun, in that the stripping and rebuilding of them is a bit complicated, to say the least.
The good news is that all the seals which could give rise to your leak are simple common or garden O rings.
I believe the BBS expert on these guns is member JustinThyme :-
http://www.airgunbbs.com/member.php?118393-JustinThyme
All the best Mick
Last edited by T 20; 20-06-2017 at 07:23 AM.
Registered User
I always fancied one of these,
They do look big
Registered User
I love mine.
As Mick says, quite tricky the strip - the valve mech is "impressive" for all the wrong reasons. Mine is very accurate.
Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.
Registered User
Administrator
I have two at present, Jon.
I have an incomplete action with no stock which Transporter sourced for me, and I have Captain Bongo's complete gun here which he kindly loaned me so that I could copy the cocking lever.
There's certainly a lot of parts in a Dragon compared to its nearest rival, the Mohawk.
All the best Mick
Registered User
I had one...with a leak...fiddled and fiddled...ended up repaired and gave it away....i ll stick to my Genesis far easier to shoot..
Registered User
The resealing of a Dragon is complicated but doable if carried out in a very careful manner. There is a guide that I followed to reseal mine written by Phil Russel either her or on AGF UK.
If you are confident at working on your own rifles you'll be able to do it , though be prepared for some very unfamiliar internals that could phase a non believer
B.A.S.C. member
Mushroom Man
The guide is in Idiots Guide ... sorry but the number is not immediately to hand but should be in the guide index ... see post 1.The resealing of a Dragon is complicated but doable if carried out in a very careful manner. There is a guide that I followed to reseal mine written by Phil Russel either her or on AGF UK.
If you are confident at working on your own rifles you'll be able to do it , though be prepared for some very unfamiliar internals that could phase a non believer
Quite do-able as long as you take care, no special tools needed... a few mildly fiddly bits. O ring kits are available from 'the site'.
Cheers, Phil
Dodgy Diana User
Thank you all. I shall keep it in the "pending" tray.
I had high hopes for these, and the Mohawk, but they never quite delivered the goods, IMHO.
IIRC, Tom Gaylord described the Dragon as (something like) a physics experiment rather than a usable gun.
Registered User
We had a guy at our old club who bought the target version of the Dragon and was doing really well with it until it started to drop pressure to the point of complete failure. I think he took it back and swapped it out for a Ken Turner tuned '77 and said how much better the spring rifle is compared. That was the death of the SSP Dragon at that point I believe.
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