Spring guide tightness?

[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.

[look no hands]

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

I'll see if I can see it through the cocking slot, if not then it will have to be a strip down in the future.

Pete

[look no hands]

a little update, I managed to prise the paint brush from my hand and decided to investigate inside the Lightning, well it turns out the guy who tuned the rifle before Chris owning it decided it would be a good thing to use a broken spring, after a rummage through the box of springs, I've come up with a very nice fitting Titan that fits the original metal guide lovely, there's a very slight resonance on firing but no twang and the addition of a top hat stolen from a spare kit finishes off the repair nicely, not sure what the power is as not chrono'd it yet, a job for the morning.

Pete

[TonyL]

a little update, I managed to prise the paint brush from my hand and decided to investigate inside the Lightning, well it turns out the guy who tuned the rifle before Chris owning it decided it would be a good thing to use a broken spring, after a rummage through the box of springs, I've come up with a very nice fitting Titan that fits the original metal guide lovely, there's a very slight resonance on firing but no twang and the addition of a top hat stolen from a spare kit finishes off the repair nicely, not sure what the power is as not chrono'd it yet, a job for the morning.

Pete

Sounding promising then, Pete. Guessing the spring will have broken whilst in use as opposed to being fitted in that state, though?

[look no hands]

Sounding promising then, Pete. Guessing the spring will have broken whilst in use as opposed to being fitted in that state, though?

Of course Tone, just my sarcasm creeping in, just chronoed it and it's doing just over 9ftp, I've not put any slip washers on it and to be honest, like we've talked about at the bashes, do we really need full power from all of the rifles we bring, it won't be used for hunting, I think after my plinking session with the Fenman and my arm aching after about 20 shots, really puts me off enjoying using hard to cock rifles, so I think softer sprung rifles are the way to go when bash shooting.

Pete

[baldinio]

a little update, I managed to prise the paint brush from my hand and decided to investigate inside the Lightning, well it turns out the guy who tuned the rifle before Chris owning it decided it would be a good thing to use a broken spring, after a rummage through the box of springs, I've come up with a very nice fitting Titan that fits the original metal guide lovely, there's a very slight resonance on firing but no twang and the addition of a top hat stolen from a spare kit finishes off the repair nicely, not sure what the power is as not chrono'd it yet, a job for the morning.

Pete

Sorry to hear the spring was broken mate, glad it was an easy fix though. Will buy you a pint at the next bash by way of compensation

[look no hands]

Sorry to hear the spring was broken mate, glad it was an easy fix though. Will buy you a pint at the next bash by way of compensation

Don't be daft, you weren't to know, and anyway where's the pub at the bash or do you mean your alcohol forcing area, ahem sorry, your tent

Pete

[junglie]

Sorry to hear the spring was broken mate, glad it was an easy fix though. Will buy you a pint at the next bash by way of compensation

Very common in lightnings for the spring to snap, seen it in 2 mercuriys too, think bsa had a batch of overtempered springs at some point in the early 90's late 80's.

[evert]

a little update, I managed to prise the paint brush from my hand and decided to investigate inside the Lightning, well it turns out the guy who tuned the rifle before Chris owning it decided it would be a good thing to use a broken spring, after a rummage through the box of springs, I've come up with a very nice fitting Titan that fits the original metal guide lovely, there's a very slight resonance on firing but no twang and the addition of a top hat stolen from a spare kit finishes off the repair nicely, not sure what the power is as not chrono'd it yet, a job for the morning.

Pete

I get very good firing behaviour and accuracy with Titan #1 in the supersport/lightnings I've tried it in.
Just put a delrin tophat to guide it properly, plus a tight guide and som slip washers at each end of the spring, and you'll get a very nice 11-12fpe gun.

[look no hands]

I get very good firing behaviour and accuracy with Titan #1 in the supersport/lightnings I've tried it in.
Just put a delrin tophat to guide it properly, plus a tight guide and som slip washers at each end of the spring, and you'll get a very nice 11-12fpe gun.

Do you trim the spring down, if so, how many coils do you have on the spring?

Pete

[TonyL]

I get very good firing behaviour and accuracy with Titan #1 in the supersport/lightnings I've tried it in.
Just put a delrin tophat to guide it properly, plus a tight guide and som slip washers at each end of the spring, and you'll get a very nice 11-12fpe gun.

That early Supersport of mine homes a standard BSA spring, as donated by Pete himself a few years ago. It had to undergo three shortening sessions to get it below 12ft.lbs. It has the longer barrel, is extremely easy to cock and exhibits fine manners and accuracy.

[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