Idiots guide to classic airgun strips (pt 1)

[ggggr]

Now replace the mainspring,guide and sleeve in the cylinder. I used a socket to push on the sleeve and then put a pin through the sear pivot hole in the cylinder. With this holding things in place you can replace the endcap and push its pin through ( then remove the pin from the sear pivot hole). Replace the trigger and its spring, making sure the long leg of the spring pushes against the cocking arm retaining pin,then fit the trigger pivot pin. Get your tweezers out and replace the small trigger adjusting pin into its hole in the endcap. Heres the tricky bit You now need to replace the sear and its spring and that small piece that locates on the tang on the cylinder. I would reverse the way you got it out. Get the sear,spring and small piece somewhere near and then locate the small piece on the tang on the cylinder. Keeping pressure on you should be able to locate the sear and replace its pivot. Replace the small spring and pin that locate the rearsight adjuster and refit the adjuster. Put action in frame and replace trigger guard and its screw,the 2 side screws and the one through the pistol grip.
On mine the trigger travel adjusting screw was stiff so I put some plusgas on it while the gun was apart. You wind it in to reduce travel but it does not need to come out for the strip. On my gun I noticed the mainspring was quite small in diameter( I was expecting one like the Original model 5). I thought about fitting a larger diameter one that was shorter but left that for another day. The spring in the gun was a bit worn but the power is not bad now made up a piston washer. The trigger is heavyish and would benefit from some work but the pistol is fine for plinking. I dont have a chrono but would say it,s more powerful than a Webley but less than a Scorpion. The rearsight is not the best but it is a fairly fun plinker. I shoot two handed. The foresight does dig into your hand a bit when cocking. A strange gun this Ugly and beautiful----Well made but with some chimpanzee touches

[Phil Russell]

It is a long time since I serviced a Challenger.... it was in .177 and I later sold it, a decision I now regret. An opportunity arose to look at a .22 version and, as they are a little different to the standard Mercury, I thought a separate entry was justified:

This is basically as for the Mercury but with a few differences. The Challenger has the Maxigrip scope rail ... a raised rubber rail fitting to the top of the cylinder by lugs. It also has an articulated cocking link.
To strip, remove stock bolts at front of action and the large bolt through the pistol grip, just as for the Mercury. Remove front and rear sights for safety. Remove trigger block by unscrewing the unit as normal. I secured the action in a rubber faced vice to start the thread moving then put the trigger block in the vice and unscrewed the action as it gave better control. Spring and spring guide will lift out. My rifle had a thin washer on the spring guide. My breech seal was OK so I left it alone. Otherwise now is a good time to renew it.
With trigger block removed, get a piece of wood and place it against the edge of the scope rail ... tap it to drive the rail backwards about 1cm when it will lift off. Note that it is not possible to remove the piston until the scope rail is removed.
To remove the piston you need to release the cocking link. You could release the connecting pins or the barrel from the breech but I found it easier to remove the two bolts holding the cocking slide and lift it away, noting that there is a thin steel sheet floor to it next to the cylinder. This leaves the linkage attached to the barrel breech but I found this perfectly OK.
It is now possible to release the cocking link and pull the piston out. It has the standard O ring plus buffer washer system on an aluminium piston head. My buffer washer had disintegrated. To put a new one on, find the thin (about 1mm diameter) pin that holds the head to the piston body and push it out enough to release the head. At this point I took the opportunity to clean up the head (with O ring removed) as it was a little rough in places and also smoothed any rough edges off the piston body. Renew the buffer washer on the piston spigot. Replace thin pin and add or renew the O ring ... mine was OK so I refitted it.
Clean the cylinder, lube the piston and O ring and push back into the cylinder. I checked compression with my thumb over the transfer port. All was OK.
Replace the scope rail now. Press the rail into position using the imprint left by the rail after removal as a guide ... again use a wooden block to help tap the rail into position. Make sure all the scope rail lugs engage and that the end of the rail is flush with the end of the cylinder or you may have difficulty refitting the trigger block.
You can now replace the cocking link in its slot followed by the slide, not forgetting the thin sheet base ... note the lugs that fit in cut outs on the slide. Tighten the two bolts.
Replace spring (thin smear of moly grease) and spring guide and washer.
To refit the trigger block, I held the block in a padded vice and offered up the action. I have a small block of wood with an indentation in it that takes the muzzle. With the block over the muzzle and holding the cylinder in position with my left hand, I push the wooden block with my right hand until the cylinder engages the threads on the trigger block then turn the cylinder with my left hand .. it moves easily due to the muzzle being in the wooden block. Continue to screw the action to the trigger block making sure the block ends up in line with the cocking slot.
Replace stock and sights. Test.

Extra notes on the barrel / breech jaws: If you split the barrel from the breech jaws by removing the cross bolt, note that this bolt also secures the barrel lock plunger. When re-assembling the assembly you need to place the breech block between the jaws with the through bolt hole lined up, then press the plunger in about 3mm in order to allow the bolt to pass through. I press the plunger against a wooden block while holding the action and feeding the bolt through.
The breech seal: This is 12mm od and 8mm id x 4mm. New ones can be cut from urethane tubing 12mm x 8mm at a fraction of the cost of buying new.

Cheers, Phil

[Phil Russell]

DIANA Mod 27

Note: this is the Diana 27 not the Diana G27.
This rifle has a variant on the ‘3 ball trigger’ as used on larger Diana/Original models. It should not, however, give any problems during the strip and rebuild but I recommend use of a spring compressor in order to keep control of everything.
To strip: Remove the two bolts at the forend. Remove front trigger guard bolt and remove action from stock. Remove sights. Remove action end cap (just pull off).
Look at the action ... note the smallish cylinder coming out of the back and the small spring on the underside top of the action that fits into this cylinder.
Secure action in spring compressor, barrel to left and trigger uppermost. Using the compressor, just take the strain on the protruding cylinder. There are two cross pins; remove them both with suitable sized drifts. Slowly release tension on the spring compressor... the inner cylinder will begin to be pushed out by the mainspring.
As the inner cylinder comes out, keep the trigger pulled. There is no need to remove the trigger blade or its pivot or spring. The inner cylinder will come out along with a surrounding metal sleeve onto which the front end of the small spring rests. Once the mainspring tension has been released, lift away the small cylinder and sleeve ... the small spring may well come loose at this point and the spring guide may remain attached to the front of the small cylinder. Try to keep the small cylinder within the sleeve until you have the parts safely in hand.
Separate sleeve from small cylinder and note the 3 ball bearings in recesses in the small cylinder. Note which way round the parts fit and clean them. Note that the outer sleeve has a cut out for the rear cross pin not distinct holes.
Remove mainspring.
Release the cocking link from the breech by removing the lock screw and the pivot bolt. Remove link and detach from piston.
To remove the piston, simply slide it out but pull the trigger to allow it to pass freely.
Inspect piston washer and replace if necessary. The breech seal on this rifle needed replacing. I made one from leather 3mm thick, 13mm o/d, 8mm i/d. You may be lucky and be able to remove the old seal in one piece and add a shim to take up wear. This rifle already had a thin sheet steel shim but the seal fell apart during removal.
Once everything is cleaned and rough edges removed, rebuild is a reversal of the strip.
Replace piston in cylinder, correctly lubed. Remember to keep trigger pulled during replacement. Replace cocking link. Add mainspring and guide.
Replace action in the compressor as before.
I now added the balls to the inner cylinder after placing grease in their location holes. Then insert the cylinder into the sleeve. The small spring will fit into the long slot on the inner cylinder with the forend (nearest barrel) of the spring fitting against a depressed tang cut out in the sleeve and the rear end of the spring fitting against the end of the cut out slot. You will soon see which way is correct as the trigger slots must face the trigger sears and this tang goes against the top of the action. Do not add the small spring yet unless you are confident of keeping it all together.
Hold the small cylinder and sleeve in position on the spring guide and start to wind them into the action a little. This is the time I refitted the small spring. I turned the action through 90 degrees in the spring compressor so that the trigger was pointing at me. Locate the small spring against the cut out in the sleeve and compress the spring to locate the rear end in the slot in the inner cylinder. Compression is not great and once fitted it should remain steady. Continue to wind in the mainspring. Make sure the spring guide fits over the piston rod ... if you meet sudden resistance while starting to wind the spring in, then you need to back off and jiggle the guide over the piston rod.
As you wind the unit in, the sleeve will also move in but keep checking that it is moving in fully by pushing it in with a screwdriver blade and keep checking the trigger is not impeding movement by pulling it. If the trigger feels stiff, back off and pull trigger. Wind the small cylinder in until you can see the locating holes for both cross pins. Replace cross pins and end cap.
Replace action in stock and add sights.
Cheers, Phil

[Phil Russell]

FALKE MOD 70

A well built rifle that is straightforward to strip. But beware of the spring preload; not excessive but be prepared.
To strip: Remove two screws at the front of stock. Mine were 4mm thread. Remove front bolt from trigger guard and lift action from stock, leaving trigger guard in place on the stock.
Note the large ‘bolt’ at front of trigger housing; the front stock screw fastens into it. This secures the trigger housing position to the main cylinder and must be removed before you can unscrew the complete housing from the cylinder. I clamped the trigger housing in a padded vice, trigger uppermost, and unscrewed the action from the housing, wearing a thick leather glove on my right hand. Take care when you see that you are close to the end of the thread as the action will release suddenly under the tension of the mainspring. Remove mainspring.
I had no reason to dismantle the trigger mechanism but it looks as if there is just one cross pin holding it in place.
To access the piston, remove the barrel and cocking link assembly as a unit by removing the barrel pivot lock screw and then the barrel pivot bolt. Separate the barrel from the breech jaws, catching the barrel release catch as you do so. The cocking lever will lift out of the piston cocking slot and is just slid out of the cylinder housing. The piston can now be slid out of the cylinder.
The piston washer on my rifle was leather and in good condition so I did not dismantle the piston head. If needed, it looks easy to do with a conventional centre bolt and washer holding the piston washer to the piston body. I cleaned all the accumulated gunge off the piston washer and piston body and smoothed away some rough edges. I did not make a piston sleeve but did add a steel washer inside the piston to act as a spring bearing.
Clean inside the cylinder if needed.
The mainspring looked OK .. 235mm long, 3mm section x 21mm diameter. I do not know if this was original spec but as it looked Ok I re-used it.
To reassemble, lubricate and add piston to cylinder. I used a few drops of SM50 on the piston washer and a light smear of moly grease on the outside of the piston body. Add spring, light smear of moly paste again.
To refit the cylinder to the trigger housing, I clamped the housing in a padded vice and screwed the cylinder onto the housing. I did this before refitting the barrel assembly. To help do this, I used a block of wood over the breech jaws: this gave a much better surface to push on to compress the spring and allow my left hand to turn the cylinder to start the screw thread. Screw the housing and cylinder together and finally secure with the large bolt. Feed the cocking link into the piston slot, place barrel release lever in place and fit barrel into the breech jaws. Secure with bolt and lock screw. Refit action into stock.
Basically, that is it. The sprung barrel plunger was OK but if you need to remove it, there is a simple cross pin that holds it in place. The breech seal was leather and looked easy to replace if needed.
After this simple service our .22 rifle returned 525fps with AA Field and 535fps with Superdomes.

Cheers, Phil

[Iain K D]

It's been suggested that I should add this here as well, originally from the air pistol section.

Removal of three screws – either side, at the front, and behind the trigger – allows the plastic grip/frame to be removed to expose the action. Also visible a little more clearly now is the trigger adjustment screw bearing against the front of the trigger.

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The first stage in further dismantling is to remove the cylinder end cap by pushing it in slightly to allow the cross pin to be pushed out. This pin is actually a very loose fit, and prevented from moving by its stepped ends.

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Removing the three pins (one of which, behind the trigger, is not a pivot but merely limits its movement) allows the sear and trigger to be removed, note that the trigger is in two parts; the broad, stamped trigger blade and the separate solid metal trigger sear (to use Baikal’s nomenclature) behind it. These two parts share the same pivot and have a small spring between them to give a first stage to the trigger pull; the adjustment screw bears on the trigger sear.

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Becasue the sear passes up through the cocking link, the easiest way to get it out is to remove its pivot pin and then break the gun - the cocking link will move back carrying the sear with it out of the trigger mechanism housing.

Looking at the essentials of the mechanism, it is possible to see how further movement of the trigger sear removes the support from the sear, allowing it to move down and free the piston.

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Until the mechanism is actually set into this position, by the forward end of the cocking link pushing the sear upwards, as soon as the cocking stroke begins the rear end of the sear is forced into engagement with the ratchet on the cocking linkage – a very unusual feature on a break-barrel.

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The other safety feature is that the trigger blade can clear the recess in the cocking linkage only when the gun is properly closed; opening the gun (and therefore, moving the linkage back) prevents the trigger from moving – but not the trigger sear, which could be released by poking with a screwdriver (this still does not allow the gun to be decocked, since the ratchet would promptly re-engage).

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In normal use the cocking linkage doesn’t travel far enough back to be freed from the slot in the air cylinder, and in fact Baikal suggest removing the pin between the two sections of it, making a hole in the housing to allow it to be reached (that is, not the pivot between the linkage and barrel block). However, with the barrel axis bolt removed, it is possible to get sufficient movement back to simply remove the whole barrel and cocking linkage together. The piston can then be removed from the air cylinder.

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The piston itself is a fairly plain parallel-sided cylinder, the sear engaging with the piston wall. There is no piston rod, nor a mainspring guide. The piston seal is a fairly conventional synthetic head.

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The barrel block houses the conventional detent catch, retained by the cross pin visible once the barrel has been removed. The breech seal is a rubber bushing inserted in the enlarged transfer port.

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As mentioned, the earlier versions had different sights, but current models have a fully adjustable rearsight and a foresight that, while not adjustable, consists of a spring-loaded blade that is intended to retract into the foresight housing when cocking, for comfort.

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The rearsight isn’t the most elegant of designs, but it works and even manages to include click-stops on the windage and elevation adjustments without resorting to tiny springs and easily-lost ball bearings. By unscrewing the windage adjustment screw completely the sight element can be replaced easily.

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The screw at the front acts as both a pivot for the sight leaf, and also clamps the sight base onto the rails.

Iain

[Phil Russell]

Here is my simple guide for anyone wanting to take this rifle on. I approached it almost blind but did have a picture of the valve assembly from an Indonesian webpage. It is quite straightforward and the only tools needed are screwdrivers and a needle to remove a seal and twiddle parts into position. You will need a narrow shank screwdriver to access the cylinder to barrel screws. I am afraid I did not record the O ring sizes I used but all came from either a cheap small variety (about £1) box from a tool shop/discount store or from a larger set of around 300 rings available for about £10 from tool shops.

SHARP PAN TARGET (and Victory)

These notes refer to the Sharp Pan Target pneumatic rifle but as the action is basically the same as the Sharp Victory model they will be of help should anyone wish to strip and reseal that model.

The rifle in question would only fire at around 400fps (.177) no matter how many strokes of the pump were used. There was an initial hiss as the air entered the inlet chamber on stroke one but no hiss on subsequent strokes and the pump lever would move easily to the open position on its own. My diagnosis was that air was escaping back from the inlet valve into the pump compression tube.

As always, put all small bits in a safe container. Remove sights. Remove action from stock: 1 bolt in forend and the 2 trigger guard bolts. There is no need to remove the trigger guard if it is firmly held in the stock.

Remove pellet probe by removing the 2 small bolts in the small plate on the lh side of the breech and then remove the larger bolt that is underneath. Take care ... hold the probe as you remove the bolt as the probe is sprung laden. Note that this bolt has a square end where it fits against the pellet probe.

Remove trigger unit by undoing the single large bolt at the rear of the trigger. Remove the trigger unit, taking care not to lose the spring that sits underneath it.

Look at the rear end of the compression cylinder ... note a plug with 4 small holes in it. Unscrew this. You may be lucky and find it only finger tight or you may need to use a tool. I used the prongs from a pair of circlip pliers. Remove the plug complete with spring and probe.
Look inside the end of the compression tube and note a small cylindrical bit with a hole in it. Wiggle this out of the tube through the adjacent hole in the cylinder (the spring under the trigger unit pressed against this part).

You can now see the valve assembly in the compression tube but cannot remove all of it before removing the barrel.

It is easiest to remove the pump lever now. I did this without splitting the lever handle away from the link arm. Undo and remove the screw in the end of the compression cylinder near the arm pivot. Remove the threaded insert that this screw passed through. Remove the end plug ... again it has 4 small holes. With this out of the way it is possible to fold the pump arm against the body and gently tap it towards the front (remove plastic handle first) to knock out the interior plug and reveal the pin that the pump arm swings on. Remove the pin and then push the interior plug and arm back into the cylinder so that you can free this end of the arm. Remove the interior plug. Now fold the arm over and push the compression piston towards the end of the cylinder ... it can protrude enough to allow you to remove the next pivot pin. Pull unit back into the tube and remove the complete pumping arm assembly. You can now pull the pump rod and head assembly out of the front of the tube.

You are now left with a cylinder with barrel attached and the valve system inside the cylinder. Look through the hole in the pellet probe housing about half way along . You will see a bolt that connects this end of the barrel to the cylinder and valve. Remove this bolt. A light tap will now release the rear (pronged) part of the brass valve assembly into your hand but leave the main valve in place. Remember which round it is. This end of the barrel is now free.
To free the barrel there are 2 more screws accessible though holes in the underside of the cylinder ... one about 5cm back from the front of the cylinder, the other about 18cm back. You unscrew the screws by inserting a screwdriver through these holes. The screws are quite small but are visible through the slot in the cylinder that the pump arm moves in. Take care ... as you release the barrel it will come away and release the plastic padding strips. Note that there is a brass washer/guide in the strip near the breech. The cylinder will have the transfer port attached and will most likely leave the port seal in the barrel recess. Put barrel on one side.

The transfer port screws into the cylinder and valve assembly ... remove it carefully. The main valve is now ready for removal. I had to use a dowel to push the assembly out of the rear of the action. It is sealed with an O ring.

Once free, split the valve assembly by unscrewing the front from the back. Remember that the front has the O ring. The rear (exhaust) assembly comes away easily to reveal the valve head, spring and plunger. Clean all components. I needed a new valve head seal ... the old one was a rubber insert press fitted into the valve head unit. I made a new insert using a 3/16” disc cut from a water cistern valve sealing washer. Replace the O ring inside the rear assembly through which the valve stem passes.

The front part of the valve (inlet side) may have remained as one piece. To service it, prise out the large seal you can see inside the valve and release all components. Note the order. Clean everything. There will be a valve stem plus seal ... replace this seal. I used an O ring even though the seal looked somewhat domed. Replace the other small seals with O rings. Rebuild the unit. The large main seal you prised out may have been a square section one but I replaced it with an O ring. Replace the exhaust assembly onto the inlet housing... don’t forget the plunger. Check that the entry valve works on its spring and that the exhaust valve can be pushed in against its spring.

It is now time to put it all back together. This is really a case of just working back through the dismantling procedure but there a couple of points to note.
When replacing the valve assembly in the compression tube remember to lubricate the sealing O ring as you push the unit into place. It will be a tight fit, as it should be. Remember to push it in with the transfer port hole correctly aligned with the top of the cylinder. Pushing the valve in is complicated by the protruding valve stem ... use the pronged part of the valve assembly to help push. Leave this part in place with the holes correctly positioned.
Now replace the barrel. I found it easiest to fasten the long bolt through the barrel breech housing into the pronged valve part first. Just replace the rubber buffer at this end (I think the rubber buffer is profiled so make sure it is the right way up), making sure the brass washer/spacer is correctly located and nip the barrel into position. Now add the rubber buffer at the forend and replace the other two barrel retaining screws. They are fiddly to fit so I use a pair of tweezers through the pump slot to hold them in place. Make sure all is nice and snug.
Refit pump arm (lubricate the head with a suitable lubricant; I use Pellgun oil) ... fiddly but persevere. Add the ‘small cylindrical bit’, prong end first and to the left of the breech. Screw in the end plug assembly, making sure the rod part goes through the ‘cylindrical bit’. You can check all is OK by looking through the trigger housing hole ... you should see the exhaust valve rod and the cocking rod. Refit the loading probe; push it all the way with the cut out facing left, then add the screw with the square end. Too tight will impede movement so get it just right.
Refit the trigger unit, making sure you add the spring between the unit and the ‘cylindrical’ bit. Check that the cocking button cocks the trigger and releases the loading probe and that the loading probe will lock forward again. If it does not work, remove trigger unit and end plug and turn the ‘cylindrical bit’ a half turn. Refit. Check again.
When all seems OK, replace the small cover over the pellet probe screw and refit stock and sights.
A quick test showed that air hissed in on stroke 1 and again on stroke 2 and 3 with a healthy crack when fired. Success. I put 4 strokes in and found the fourth very hard going. I clearly need more porridge.
I have some pictures of the valve etc so if you need them, just ask.

Cheers, Phil

[Phil Russell]

ORIGINAL MODEL 10 pistol (Diana Model 10)

The basic action of this pistol is the same as for the Original Model 6 but there are differences in the trigger unit and associated components. This model was seriously down on power with the pellet not leaving the barrel. Note that there are two piston seals to replace, a main seal and a dummy buffer seal.

To strip the action: Remove grips. There are two screws for each grip. There is no need to remove the palm shelf, just loosen it and slide it down so that the lower grip screw can be accessed.
Remove trigger guard: a screw at the front and a pin at the back. Pull away carefully as there will be a small coil spring attached to the rear end of the guard. After lifting the guard away have a look inside the frame and note the small square ended peg that this spring fastened onto ... the peg is on a pivoting lever part of the trigger mechanism.
Remove the steel shroud.
As a precaution against pins falling out, put some tape over the sides of the handgrip frame.
Look at the trigger and note the small spring sticking up towards the muzzle. Remove trigger pin and spring (the spring pivots on the pin).
Remove the cocking lever pin with a suitable drift. To remove the cocking slide, pull barrel forward and twist 90 degrees to lock. This now gives extra room to lift and remove the cocking slide forward.
Remove the pinion cover lock screws above the handgrip frame and remove the pinion covers. They can be very firmly fastened. Take care to use padded grips if needed. Keep the covers their pinions as sets for left and right of the frame. The pinions may need easing out with a needle.
Remove the end cap locking screw and release the end cap. This can be very tight and after starting the movement it may be easiest to use a spring compressor to control the unscrewing and release movement. There is about 60mm of preload but pressure is not excessive.
Remove springs and dummy piston.
Remove the main piston. It will most likely need easing over the trigger sear ... push the sear down by pressing at the rear side of the grip frame. Eventually the main piston will slide out.
On this pistol the main piston seal had disintegrated into a cheesy granular mess, leaving debris firmly mashed at the bottom of the compression tube.
Clean both pistons, their associated spring guides and the inside of the compression chamber. Make sure to remove all debris as it can stick quite firmly to the bottom and sides of the chamber. Fit new seals to the pistons. Clean the springs.
To rebuild.
Lubricate the cylinder and introduce the main piston with its guide, easing it past the sears and taking care the fine edge of the seal does not catch on the cut outs in the tube body. Make sure the rack on this piston is on the hand grip side of the action i.e. down.
It may now be best to use a spring compressor: lubricate and add the springs and dummy piston with its spring guide. Wind the dummy piston into the compression chamber with the rack uppermost to the action. Engage the thread on the end cap and slowly tighten the cap. One or other of the racks may well turn as the spring is tightened. Prevent this by locking their positions through a pinion hole with a suitable implement. Tighten the end cap such that the locking screw will be in the correct position with its hole in the main body and add lock screw.
Replace pinions and covers .. making sure you have them fitted as taken off. They can be fiddly to do.
Replace the cocking slide and pin.
Replace the trigger and its ‘bent’ spring. The round hole on the end of this spring fits over the trigger weight screw in the trigger guard when you refit the guard. Replace the shroud.
Replace the trigger guard complete with the fine coil spring, making sure it fits over the square peg on the lever. It is best to hold the pistol with the grip handle facing down to do this. Take care not to trap the ‘bent’ spring ... sliding the guard into position can push this spring into position. When doing all this take care that the shroud stays in position as it is easy to inadvertently push it out of position, which makes slotting the trigger guard into position difficult.
Hold the guard in position and look through the trigger slot. You should see the bent spring in place... try a slight push on the spring with the end of a fine screwdriver ... the spring should ‘give’ and spring back into position.
Still holding the guard in position, try the trigger: there should be some movement and it should spring back a little. If it has locked solid, start again. Replace the trigger guard screw and pin.
Replace the grips.
Cheers, Phil

[ggggr]

The Mk1 and Mk2 meteor are virtually the same gun apart from sights and the Mk1 having grooves in the stock. The Mk1 has a different trigger guard to the Mk2-Mk5,s. It has a stock screw that you get at by removing the trigger guard. The Mk1 and Mk2 have a different trigger set up to later Mks and that,s what I will try to explain later. The Mk1 and Mk2 have a different spring guide to the later models. It has a fishtailed washer on it so make sure it goes back in right or you will struggle to get the cylinder pin in or the trigger to work. They both have riveted cocking arm pivot pins and I would leave this alone unless you really need to get it out. You should be able to peen it back over when you refit it. Other than that, they have a steel piston head and a leather washer, which you can replace with the later alloy head and O ring set up if you want. Other than that, the guns strip the same as the later Mks that have been covered earlier in the guide. I will assume that you have now stripped the gun and got the action back together other than the trigger. Place the action in front of you with the trigger housing towards you and the barrel facing to the left.
Place your sear in front of you, with the pivot hole to the left and the single lumpy bit that catches on the piston, to the top. Now get your trip plate the same way, with the little bent over tang to the top and the long straight side of the plate to the right and the smaller tang to the bottom.
Lay the sear spring (the one like a safety pin, not the curly one) on top of the trip plate,with the short leg to the top. Insert the trip plate and sear spring into the hollow of the sear and then enter them into the trigger housing and locate with the sear pin (large one of the 3 pins).
Now push the long leg of the sear spring upwards and then push the middle of the 3 trigger pins through so the leg of the spring is above it.
Get your trigger and lay the trigger spring inside it with the short bit to the top and the long bit to the bottom. Enter this into the housing and locate it with the trigger pivot pin into the lowest of the two small holes in the housing. The pin actually passes through the centre of the spring. The top of the spring locates on the underside of the middle trigger pin.
It sometimes helps if you wind off the trigger adjusting screw a couple of turns to make it easier to fit and then adjust it back after.
If you get problems with a Mk1/2 cocking/not cocking/cocking and not firing etc, then it is probably the trip plate that is worn and needs replacing. However I checked one out for someone the other week and the sear spring had been bent and was barely catching on the centre trigger pin. I cured that by heating and straightening the spring and then dunking in oil but issued the warning that it would probably need replacing.
The later trigger set ups will fit the gun but I do like this set up although the spares are dear. However, I reckon a new trip plate or sear should be good for about 30 years.
I hope this makes some sense as it is very difficult without pics.

[RayB]

Interesting reading RayB

[ggggr]

This is the earyl mk 1 (2nd model told), that does not have a trigger adjuster, although apart from that the strip should be ok for slightly later models.It does have a safety catch. I got a very rusty example that I am still playing with so may add more later. Undo the grip screws and remove the grips (on mine I had to drill the screws as they had corroded in).Take off the rearsight so it doesn,t get damaged. Undo the barrel pivot screw and remove the barrel and linkage. Put this to one side unless you are going to change the short link, which can wear over time and stop the gun from cocking.If you want to remove the barrel catch, then knock out the small pin holding it and then slide the catch and the spring out. You can remove the breech seal now if you plan on changing it. On early Webley pistols you can get at the piston without removing the trigger set up (unlike the Hurricane,Tempest and Typhoon) but for what it is you might as well clean and lube the trigger. Knock out the 2 pins that hold the trigger guard on from the left of the gun to the right and remove the guard.Then knock out the sear pin and remove the sear and its spring. Remove the trigger pin and the trigger. Use a small, well fitting screwdriver to remove the lock screw at the top right of the safety catch. The catch and its spring should now come out. At the top of the cylinder end plug,below the rearsight is a small locking screw. Remove this before you undo the end plug. The plug on my gun was very tight and needed soaking to free it. I should have made up a tool to undo the plug but found a 2p piece fitted the slot and I used a small adjustable spanner to turn it Keep pressure on the plug to make sure it does not fly out as you get to the last couple of threads. You should now be able to slide the piston, mainspring and guide out of the gun. If the piston washer needs changing, unscrew the shouldered screw that retains it. On my gun the washer looked ok but crumbled as soon as I touched it. guessing it was the original washer!. Go to pt 2

[ggggr]

I had a go at making a washer for mine and it seems ok although waiting for the return of a modified part before I get a chance to try it out properly. I put a hack saw cut in the top of the piston washer screw as they are very narrow. Clean and lube all your bits and get ready to put the gun back together. Put the guide, mainspring and piston back into the cylinder and then screw the end plug back on (should not be very hard as the mainspring is quite weak). Once you have tightened the plug, replace the lock screw that goes under the rearsight. If you are changing the breech seal, then it is easier to do now, while the barrel and catch are off. Replace the barrel catch and its spring and then replace the pin, making sure that the catch is in the right place so the pin slides in through the slot in the catch. You can usually push the pin so far with just finger pressure, before tapping it home with a punch.
Locate sear and sear spring in the trigger housing and replace its pin. Replace the trigger and its pin. Replace the trigger guard and it,s 2 pins. Making sure the safety catch is in the right position, replace it and it,s spring and then refit the locking screw. You might need tweezers to help you get this in as it is quite small and fiddly. Replace rearsight and screw and then the grips and grip screws. On this example, there was a lot of rust and the gun was not cocking properly. When I stripped the gun there was a lot of rust and sediment between the guide and piston. The gun initially worked when i put it together but then would not cock again. Closer examination revealed the piston lip where the sear goes on was rounded. guessing that the build up of rust and crud had stopped the sear engaging properly and as a result, over the years, this had caused the lip to wear. I cleaned it up a bit with a file and the trigger was much more positive. However someone is going to clean the lip up a fraction on a lathe. It will give the gun a slightly shorter stroke and less power but it saves buying a new piston. I actually tried the .22 barrel off this gun on another later gun and it shot really well. looking forward to getting it back together once the piston arrives.


A tuning link --just so they dont get lost in the normal collectable bit.


https://www.airgunnation.com/threads...ariant.882827/

[ggggr]

This is a late model pistol, produced before the Hurricane was introduced. It has an alloy frame and a cast in trigger guard like the junior mk2. Because of this, it has only 3 trigger pins. The front (1st) is for the sear,the middle (2nd) is for the trigger and the back (3rd) is a stop pin. Like the earlier pistols (but not The Hurricane, Tempest or Typhoon)you can get to the piston without stripping the trigger. However in this I will do the full strip.
Remove the grip screw and grips and then the rearsight screw and the 2 plates (blade and slider). Undo the barrel catch screw and remove the barrel catch, making sure you get the little plunger and spring that are located in the housing on the LHS of the frame. Undo the barrel pivot lock screw and barrel pivot and remove the barrel.If you are going to change the breech seal then remove the old one now. You can now get to the linkage if anything needs doing. On the model I bought, the gun was not cocking despite the vendor telling me it just needed using to bed in . It was actually the front of the short link that had worn, so I knocked out it,s pin and reversed it like you can do on the earlier models.
Undo the trigger adjuster lock screw and wind the adjuster far enough out so it is not in the way. Remove the back one of the 3 trigger pins (stop pin) and then the middle one (trigger) and remove the trigger and it,s tiny spring. Undo the front pin (sear) and remove the sear and it,s spring. Unscrew the plug at the front of the cylinder, keeping weight on it to stop it flying. You can remove this, the mainspring and piston now. On my model it had a split ptfe ring on a boss for the piston washer but other guns might have leather and a screw as Webley often used old bits up on newer models first. Clean and lube your bits and get ready to put back together,

[ggggr]

If you are fitting a new breech seal do it now while the gun is bare---it,s easier. Fit your piston washer to the piston and put the piston in the cylinder, followed by the mainspring and guide/end plug. This should not be too hard to compress and wind in but make sure you don;t cross thread it. Slide the cocking linkage into the slot on the top of the cylinder and locate the barrel and replace the pivot screw and lock screw. Put sear spring into the hole on top of the sear and insert it into the trigger housing and locate it with the front pin. On this gun the pins were knurled so insert from the same side they came out of. Locate the trigger and trigger spring and push the middle (2nd) pin through to locate it. If you pull the trigger back a little now, you can fit the stop pin (3rd). Wind your trigger adjuster back in to the position it was before and nip up the lock screw. Replace the barrel catch plunger spring and plunger in their housing on the LHS of the cylinder and fit the barrel catch and its pivot screw. Refit you sights and grips.
I tried this pistol briefly the other day and when it settled it seemed pretty accurate. The trigger was still light but I find most premiers to be like that. I would say all the pre Hurricane pistols suffer from the sights being hard to get exactly right. If someone made up a set with one plate for elevation only and one for windage, I think that the pistols are quite accurate, only really then suffering from a fairly short sight line.

[Phil Russell]

Here is a dismantling procedure for the Park RH93. I fully expect it will be OK for the RH91 as well as the only difference, I think, is the safety catch on the RH93. I found the procedure while searching for information and post it here with the permission of the original author (dvd).


Park RH 93 strip-down.
This is for those who have one of these unusual airguns and would like to know a thing or two about stripping them.

Dismantling procedure:

Please observe all safety requirements. Keep all parts removed from the rifle, in a well ordered sequence, to aid assembly later.

Remove the woodwork from the action by undoing the two fore-end screws and one on the trigger guard.
Grip the action in a well-padded vice. I use old cotton T shirts folded without any lumps to grip the metalwork evenly, and remove the trigger as a unit by removing the retaining pins and circlips.

With a suitably shaped piece of hard-wood so as not to press directly on the safety tab, and using a little bit of pressure from a spring compressor, push the end plug just enough so that the retaining cross pin is not under tension and it can be pushed out using finger pressure.
The spring compressor is then released slowly and BEFORE the end plug is fully free of spring tension, care is taken to CATCH the safety return-spring and guide located in the end plug, which bears against the upper side, inside the cylinder.
Once the plug is fully withdrawn, the safety tab assembly, spring assembly, and cross-pin are taped together to avoid losing the small bits.

Using a suitable packing piece, compress the rear piston till there is enough slack in the chain to remove one of the two links, that which is situated on the exposed part of the chain. (i.e. cylinder front end.)
When this link is removed, slacken the compressor and remove it from the action.
Remove the other link from the chain and rear piston. Remove the threaded pin and chain guide roller at the front of the cylinder.

Using a suitable tool, push the rear piston to the rear and out of the cylinder. Then, using a plastic/wooden dowel rod of a suitable diameter through the hole which accommodates the cocking-lever-ball in the front of the cylinder, push the front piston and chain towards the rear and out of the cylinder.

The trigger unit is easy to work on and polishing of the bearing surfaces is easily done.
The rear piston engages with the trigger sear and this is rather more difficult to polish.
There are two adjusting grub screws, size1.5mm on the trigger. These are locked in place with another two grub screws size 1/16 AF.

Reassembly is the reverse of the above procedure. The plate and clip in the chain link fits better with a slight bit of tension on the chain.

I stripped mine down for a re lube (10 years old now) and to see what makes it tick. Provided all serviceable parts are in good nick, it can be put back together again without any problems.

I hope this is useful information for whoever is contemplating a stripdown of these airguns.


Cheers, Phil, with thanks to David, 'dvd'

[davyt63]

hi
thanks for sharing this strip down for the crosman 766,and here is a pic of the valve

many thanks

Davy