BSA Meteor MK I help

[MattyBoy]

Just before I read that I noticed the screw in the front sight! - they certainly made these junior guns to a high standard in the good old days.

[goes to workshop to make new taller front sight]

EDIT: See Knibbs has these too - mine is currently the lowest he stocks 9mm = A (I).

Yes there are several different elements available with differing bead heights.

Sounds as if you have the skills to make a piece out of sheet to at least work out what will give a decent sight picture on zero at 20 yards

Matty

[felix gunner]

Cheers Matty, yes just a piece of mild steel 2mm thick, just knocked one up at 10.5mm high - pretty easy to shape and drill with the usual tools - heated with a blow torch and quenched in engine oil to blue it - looks pretty good! I will need to reassemble of course to try first - then I can get the actual BSA one once I dial in the best height.

[felix gunner]

The rear sight should have a tiny coil spring located in a hole at the front of the base.

Be careful when refitting it to the barrel,it's easy to separate the base from the dovetail section,the two are held together with a single spot weld.

A new replacement standard mainspring should be around 240mm long,cheapest supplier protek supplies.

Mine measures 220mm and bends both ways....

So, new breech seal, spring, front sight and cup washer should complete the list - and cost about 1/2 what the gun cost...

[MattyBoy]

Mine measures 220mm and bends both ways....

So, new breech seal, spring, front sight and cup washer should complete the list - and cost about 1/2 what the gun cost...

That seal looks spot on to me mate. I would put a wipe of neatsfoot or SM50 oil on the original and use that.

Give it a go before trying to size and re-bed a new leather seal.

I've been here myself having owned 4 MK1 Meteors (I still have 2)

New spring to OEM spec from Chambers is the way to go.

8 ft lb and it will shoot sweet. I got one up to 10 by lengthening the stroke and adding a piston weight but it wasn't nearly as nice to shoot. it's what it is - a small gun built for 8 ft lb.

Matty

[felix gunner]

Good advice, I'll do that.

Here's the home made sight. I'll have to get the spring first I guess as the new one will affect power/aim of course.

[felix gunner]

Just to update if anyone interested in the follow up - I mentioned the fit of the piston head being loose - thanks to ggggr for the tip to use a thin piece of leather. I cut a piece ever so slightly oversized from thin leather (taken from Poundshop riggers gloves - always a useful source for small leather items, especially for catapult pouches ) and after soaking overnight together with the original cup washer I test fitted it all today to try in the cylinder.

A lot of fine trimming but spot on now and a very snug fit. Not sure if it benefits in adding a slight second seal but with finger over the port there is a gentle air spring effect now and the fit in the cylinder is beautifully snug but smooth too.

[felix gunner]

Hmm, not quite as original as I thought. Just realised for some reason the trigger unit has been changed for a later MK V (or is it MK IV?) in the crappy sintered metal with the obligatory broken off piece.

I guess the function is to hold the spring fully (see the pic of the intact one I took from that site) but it has always functioned fine so I may probably just live with it.

Any thoughts?

[piggy589]

The later trigger mechanism is obviously just a cost cutting exercise,less moving parts and quicker to install at the factory.

No where as nice a pull as the earlier Mk1/2 unit,but arguably safer as a result,the gun being intended as starter item.

[MattyBoy]

Good advice, I'll do that.

Here's the home made sight. I'll have to get the spring first I guess as the new one will affect power/aim of course.

Grind the front of the sight blade you made to follow the contour of the front elevation of the sight block (i.e. concave) and you'll be pretty close to the original profile.

Nice work.

Matty

[felix gunner]

Well, this is driving me nuts - the spring Protrek sent measures up as correct but boy does it seem too powerful for this little old Meteor. It's longer than the one in my 77K.

The breech seal they sent is a pretty poor/loose fit too.

I made up a slotted compression tool but even then it was most of my body effort to compress the thing enough to (finally, finally) get the rear action holding pin in...

But I don't like the idea of what seems like too much preload in a 60 year old junior gun.

But the next bit is defeating me (severely) at present - trying to get the barrel pivot pin in while also trying to get the detent/barrel lock up pin in. A pig of a design that seems to need three hands.

When I rebuilt it with the original spring (giving me around 4.5 ft lbs) I left the pin just in the outer fork, installed another correct size metal dowel in from the other side while keeping the whole thing together and pushing down on the detent pin so I could push the temporary dowel in against the detent flat (hope that makes sense) then leaving that dowel in while I knocked the main pin in.

But there is just too much pressure on everything now and it's impossible.

Beginning to think I should leave this happy little gun with the original spring as the extra 20mm spring length is causing no end of issues...and might just lead to too much strain and the barrel or linkage giving out.

Any advice chaps - I could heat and collapse a coil or two I guess but seems a shame on a new spring before I have even test fired the thing...

[felix gunner]

Ahh, solved the detent issue - using the larger trigger pivot pin as a temporary stop pin I installed this first to hold the pin and then be knocked through with the main pin...

[felix gunner]

Another update - the 20mm extra of the spring makes a huge difference - pretty horrible to cock and fire now as harsh and twangy in the extreme but after two shots the trigger failed to hold it for the next two...

New spring now out!

If I collapse a couple of coils to make it the same length as before (220mm) will it fix things and being a new spring still get the power back up?

Or should I just put the old spring back and add a couple of washers to increase the preload on that one?

[piggy589]

Two words,Sash Clamp......and make sure you have removed any remaining parts inside the piston.

[felix gunner]

Just to follow up - I decided to go back to the original spring as it shot so nicely. But I did modify a delrin spacer (approx 5 or 6mm thick) I had to go in front of the spring in the piston to add a bit more preload. I also went back to an older method of making breech seals by cutting a slice from an appropriate ID/OD of silicone tubing. It's now gone from an average of 4.61 lb ft (with Hobbys') to just over 5.5 ft lbs. I know these can make 9 or so but it shoots and cocks very nicely with this lower power and better to rest the old girl in here old age I think.

[peddy]

Quick fix for upping the power, drill transfer port out to 3mm. With a few other mods using standard Spring got my mk5 upto 11.3 fpe with very little recoil.