Spring guide tightness?

[look no hands]

Sounds like the piston sleeve is too tight.

Might be that as well.

Pete

[NickG]

If you're guides are good, no need for a sleeve .

[look no hands]

If you're guides are good, no need for a sleeve .

BSA put the grease tube in as standard Nick.

Pete

[evert]

Need for tightness to kill all vibration varies.
Setups with a lot of preload, like you ususally find in the Supersport/Lightning often need tighter guides than other guns,
as the preload opens the spring ID when the gun is assembled.

As you say, tight guides often gets most of the lubricant scraped off.
If there is no visible heavy wear marks on your spring/guide, I'd leave it alone, or perhaps smear some high content moly grease between the coils.

[look no hands]

Need for tightness to kill all vibration varies.
Setups with a lot of preload, like you ususally find in the Supersport/Lightning often need tighter guides than other guns,
as the preload opens the spring ID when the gun is assembled.

As you say, tight guides often gets most of the lubricant scraped off.
If there is no visible heavy wear marks on your spring/guide, I'd leave it alone, or perhaps smear some high content moly grease between the coils.

It actually shoots quite nice and I know it sounds daft but cocking the gun really spoils the shooting experience.

Pete

[evert]

It actually shoots quite nice and I know it sounds daft but cocking the gun really spoils the shooting experience.

Pete

Stupid question: how is the end chamfer on the guide?

[look no hands]

Stupid question: how is the end chamfer on the guide?

Not really seen it yet, got a few more projects to do before this one gets anymore attention.

[Shed tuner]

Stupid question: how is the end chamfer on the guide?

yeah, good call, that could create notchiness if it's burred or not profiled.

[Phil Russell]

It actually shoots quite nice and I know it sounds daft but cocking the gun really spoils the shooting experience.

Pete

I sympathise as I have seen a couple of rifles with this symptom. As noted, it can be due to the cocking link or shoe riding over the coils but if there is a sleeve in place then this is not so. But I have also seen a case where the spring itself was slightly too big (too large diameter) such that there was little clearance between spring and sleeve, or sometimes caused by sleeve being too thick (I have seen this with PTFE or other plastic sleeves but it can happen with much thinner steel sleeves) such that on cocking, the spring catches on the sleeve as it compresses; the sensation transmitting through the cocking action. I note the action had been 'tuned'. Maybe an aftermarket spring with a greater od than original .. fraction of a mm could do it. Or too thick a sleeve. Might be worth a check. If the spring is a quite firm sliding fit in the sleeve then maybe sleeve is too thick or another spring is needed.
Cheers, Phil

[evert]

I've seen two different sleeve thicknesses on the Supersport/lightning, so you may have the option of fitting a thinner sleeve if that turns out to be the problem.

One thing with the cocking lever is that it is not properly profiled from the factory, which means it digs a track in the sleeve.
Easily remedied with some dremel work to the lever, just make sure you done take off too much, just enough to clear the sleeve.

[TonyL]

BSA put the grease tube in as standard Nick.

Pete

And what other little gold nuggets have they come up with in the past?

[TonyL]

the spring should loosen on the guide as you cock it.. are you sure that;s what you are feeling ? Or the cocking shoe running over spring coils ?

I go with a guide that is a firm push fit, maybe even needing a bit of a twist to get it in. Then then under preload, it'll be a good bit looser and when cocked completely free.

Sounds like the piston sleeve is too tight.

If you're guides are good, no need for a sleeve .

Agreed.