Goldstar Spring starting point pretty please.

[gizwaz]

A’noon all.
As some will know I’m in the process of a bit of tlc on my .177 Goldstar springer and hoping for a bit of time saving help/advice.

I have a new Titan spring to go in, plus newfangled plastic guide that’s ‘recommended’. Assembled today to see how it’ll go and its a running a bit hot ( no surprise there really, but had to try it…) so stripped it all apart again and obviously I gotta cut the new spring down. This is where I could do with some advice please if possible as Ive tried going thru the spring info on here but tbh my eyes went blurry just before my brain did, so if anyone has done the same in theirs I wondered if they’d be able to give a bit of advice re starting point.

I know it’s basically a process of coil elimination, but if I can skip the first one or two “disassemble, remove, cut, smooth, reassemble, test” stages it would be a great help. I appreciate this sounds lazy, and it kinda is, but my bench time is restricted so as much as I love tinkering and learning in the process unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of limitless time to spend in the batcave. ( I know, I know, none of us get as much as we’d like….😔😔 )

If anyone has done the same to theirs I’d really appreciate knowing how many coils you eventually had to cut to get it right. I know mine won’t be exactly the same but if, say, you had to take 3 off, then I’d start with 2 and go from there, saving 2 cycles of the process and some precious time.

If its not that simple, ie every gun will be totally and vastly different then please feel free to give me a slap, tell me to put my big boy pants on and just get on with it, and I’ll go cry in the corner for a while then get on with it as and when.

Also, if anyone else has any specific tips pertaining to this particular rifle I’d be all ears….. Always keen to learn.

TIA

[lightning22]

I seem to remember that 2 coils off took mine to close on the limit, it was initially up around 14+.

3 coils on mine made it comfortably legal.

[deejayuu]

The two Goldstars we've seen have original springs i) 253 x 20.7 x 3.25 x 33.5 coil x 36 lb/inch rate plus spacers x 8 mm Pre load 23 mm
ii) 260 x 20.7 x 3.25 x 34 coil x 36 lb/inch rate plus one spacer 6 mm 11 fpe with Exacts 13.5 gn
Can you say which Titan you use please?
The Titan 1 is 280 mm and 38 lb/inch so would be too much methinks. Removing coils will increase its rate but may be effective around 260 mm.

[gizwaz]

I seem to remember that 2 coils off took mine to close on the limit, it was initially up around 14+.

3 coils on mine made it comfortably legal.

Thanks for that 👍

[gizwaz]

The two Goldstars we've seen have original springs i) 253 x 20.7 x 3.25 x 33.5 coil x 36 lb/inch rate plus spacers x 8 mm Pre load 23 mm
ii) 260 x 20.7 x 3.25 x 34 coil x 36 lb/inch rate plus one spacer 6 mm 11 fpe with Exacts 13.5 gn
Can you say which Titan you use please?
The Titan 1 is 280 mm and 38 lb/inch so would be too much methinks. Removing coils will increase its rate but may be effective around 260 mm.

It’s a Titan 1 which is they’re recommended “generic” BSA fitment.

As you say the Titan is 280mm, 29 coils ( if I counted correctly )

The current removed spring, which I’m assuming is a standard original, is 250mm at present and 31 coils. Got a slight lean to it and coils are unevenly spaced so deff’ due replacing.

With the original spring she was shooting at 9.3 or thereabouts. I have replaced the probe seal in the barrel as that was well worn and quite hard so don’t think that would have been doing its job properly, but can’t imagine that alone would be responsible for too much power loss, or could it??

[TonyL]

The two Goldstars we've seen have original springs i) 253 x 20.7 x 3.25 x 33.5 coil x 36 lb/inch rate plus spacers x 8 mm Pre load 23 mm
ii) 260 x 20.7 x 3.25 x 34 coil x 36 lb/inch rate plus one spacer 6 mm 11 fpe with Exacts 13.5 gn
Can you say which Titan you use please?
The Titan 1 is 280 mm and 38 lb/inch so would be too much methinks. Removing coils will increase its rate but may be effective around 260 mm.

Excellent information.

@ gizwaz........much will depend on the efficiency of the rifle. So, if you wanted to do the maths, calculating spring rate, preload, force at rest and cocked, muzzle energy, you could work out the efficiency and, therefore, how much you need to shorten by. Most, however, would probably take the "less scientific" of trial and error which you've already described. And much will depend by how hot it is to start with.

[deejayuu]

With the original spring she was shooting at 9.3 or thereabouts. I have replaced the probe seal in the barrel as that was well worn and quite hard so don’t think that would have been doing its job properly, but can’t imagine that alone would be responsible for too much power loss, or could it??

No mention of spacers. I would say with around 10 mm the original spring will give adequate energy. The factory used synthetic buffer washers, from redundant models, to trim pre load/ME.
Defective probe seals will lose energy but easy to test.

[gizwaz]

thanks for all the info so far guys, really appreciate it even if some of it shot straight above my head, lol.

No mention of spacers. I would say with around 10 mm the original spring will give adequate energy. The factory used synthetic buffer washers, from redundant models, to trim pre load/ME.
Defective probe seals will lose energy but easy to test.

Now it could get interesting, there are some spacers/buffers/weights between piston head and spring.
I assumed they are the designed fitment/amount but now thinking about it maybe not. Every days a school day eh.



I guess that’s another whole can of worms now, as in what effect will less have if I were to remove them and use the titan, as that would bring available spring space up to what would be required to accommodate it without cutting.

It’s looking more and more like I’m just gonna have to suck it up and try and make more bench time to experiment and learn in the process…….

[Shed tuner]

I'd get that lot out of the piston, as you shouldn't need them, and will make the piston too heavy.

[deejayuu]

I'd get that lot out of the piston, as you shouldn't need them, and will make the piston too heavy.

For what it's worth they're normally the synthetic buffer washers used with the earlier BSA O ring seal setupo so weight is quite low.
My theory is they were using up stock springs and needed suitable spacers which again they had in redundant abundance.
Seen ones and twos but never seen four before.
Spring space may be 238 mm so 280 Titan at 38/40 lb/inch still seems a lot to me.

[TonyL]

I wonder if it was someone's attempt at twang suppression in a previous fettle?

Get 'em gone!

[gizwaz]

Again thanks for the comments guys. I’m slowly learning 😂.

Will whip em out and go thru some suck it and see scenarios to work out what’s what and works best.
As for a twang reduction attempt, it didn’t work at all. When I got her she had a such a twang even zeberdee himself would have been embarrassed. Couple of thin poly card sleeves sorted that tho.

[gizwaz]

Quick update, and a happy one too.
Removed buffers/spacers and reassembled using titan spring and acetal guide to see how it performs.

Now shooting 10.5 give or take with no twang ��. That’s plenty good enough for my wants and needs.

Also seems to have reduced recoil over how it was, but I was only test firing in the batcave. Will take it up the range next time I go for some ‘proper’ shooting and see how it feels and performs but a happy bunny, certainly for now.

Thanks again to all for your input, muchly appreciated and I’ve certainly learned a bit. ��������

[TonyL]

Sounds good; well done.

Do let us know how it fares once you have tried it out properly at the range.