Just tried something I've never done before on a springer.... and it worked !

[TonyL]

Yep, I've got a HW35 that I was given in 1986 that came fitted with an OX, it's presently running an O ring piston seal and 71mm stroke and is still powered by the same Ox --- the gun can be seen in the October edition of Real Airgun Sport.
The Ox in this gun gets no preload on it until the trigger block is screwed in by a few threads --- I can't remember if TonyL hit the Quigley bucket with this gun or not ?

I really enjoy folks talking about garden gates and sharp corners of the spring cutting Pistons, it makes me laugh.

Don't forget that Weihrauch fitted square section springs in the early HW97 with no detriment to the gun.

All the best Mick

I remember that one, Mick. Lovely.

[evert]

Don't forget that Weihrauch fitted square section springs in the early HW97 with no detriment to the gun.

Another reason why I'd like to hear how peoples OX springs measure is to positively ID the springs in my spring boxes.
The square section springs I have are salvage springs from guns that came in a sorry state, so no certain ID.

Are all OX springs made from the same dimension wire?

[Shed tuner]

just done a final strip, lube and rebuild, and measured up the spring.. it's actually a very soft wind, and now I'm thinking maybe it's an old HW97 square section instead ?

3.1mm square (surface area 9.6mm2, equiv to a round section 3.5mm, but the square may be stiffer - I don't know the equations)
230mm long (about 1.6" of preload)
30 coils (it's near coilbound when cocked)
20.3mm OD

With a little too much grease on the spring and guides, it's doing 10.5 FP and shoots pretty nice.. that's with just the bare action, so it should be good in a stock

[Chrisj.]

I brought an older BSA lightning .22 that had one in it was way over the limit so took it apart quickly so did not test at a target, but it did not feel to bad cocking or on firing . I still have I put in a XS I think .
I would only worry about doing damage. I think I would give one a go in an older gun one I was not worried about .

[T 20]

just done a final strip, lube and rebuild, and measured up the spring.. it's actually a very soft wind, and now I'm thinking maybe it's an old HW97 square section instead ?

The HW97 square section Spring had a weird colour to it Jon, it was neither gold or copper coloured, but somewhere between the two.

Ox and Airforce square section springs were black.



All the best Mick

[Shed tuner]

this one is just regular steel coloured...

[T 20]

this one is just regular steel coloured...

I doubt if it was a 97 Spring then Jon.

The biggest problem with the Ox and Airforce springs was that they were all too long for the application they were sold for but folks used to stuff them in their guns at full length and wonder why they shot like shit.

At the end of the day the Spring is just there to store energy, when you start trying to store more energy than the gun can handle that's when the problems start.



All the best Mick

[Shed tuner]

The biggest problem with the Ox and Airforce springs was that they were all too long for the application they were sold for but folks used to stuff them in their guns at full length and wonder why they shot like shit.

At the end of the day the Spring is just there to store energy, when you start trying to store more energy than the gun can handle that's when the problems start.

yeah, agreed... whilst I generally subscribe to the "soft and long" philosophy (no sniggering at the back ) if you have an application that needs a stiffer spring, that's all an OX is at the end of the day...

[TonyL]

The biggest problem with the Ox and Airforce springs was that they were all too long for the application they were sold for but folks used to stuff them in their guns at full length and wonder why they shot like shit.

At the end of the day the Spring is just there to store energy, when you start trying to store more energy than the gun can handle that's when the problems start.



All the best Mick

Absolutely, 100%, Mick.

As could be also said for the Titan springs.

Incidentally, the last time I looked on the NM Products website (purveyors of many airgun related products and pellets etc.) and no connection to me, I noticed that they were also marketing their own range of springs these days, although I can't remember if they were round or square section.

[crowbar]

As I have said before with 20mm pre load a OX is a fine spring! It's all these people who know everything and want everything
and cram them in and at the end of the firing stroke with loads of ENERGY still stored in the spring all it can do is BUZZ as it tries to push the breech block out and crack the weld on the stock mounting bracket.

Afterall a spring is just a spring!

[Shed tuner]

Afterall a spring is just a spring!

yup

[evert]

just done a final strip, lube and rebuild, and measured up the spring.. it's actually a very soft wind, and now I'm thinking maybe it's an old HW97 square section instead ?

3.1mm square (surface area 9.6mm2, equiv to a round section 3.5mm, but the square may be stiffer - I don't know the equations)
230mm long (about 1.6" of preload)
30 coils (it's near coilbound when cocked)
20.3mm OD

With a little too much grease on the spring and guides, it's doing 10.5 FP and shoots pretty nice.. that's with just the bare action, so it should be good in a stock

Thanks. Will measure up and compare the three or four in the spring "collection".

[Papa g]

brace yourselves folks, this is a bit radical....

.. I just fitted an Ox spring to a gun. Deliberately. I knew exactly what it was, but I still put it in there... and it's shooting quite nicely

Full context.. building up an HW35, and the 3.2mm wire gauge longish spring was giving a pretty unpleasant cycle; 10 FP, but it felt slow, and slammy at the same time. Just not nice. I was pretty sure this was due to the fairly heavy piston (270g) and the large 30mm bore, making for excessively slow initial acceleration, which combined with the famously long port, made for similarly slow initial pressure build up.

So I needed a stiffer spring. Just didn't have anything in the selection (around 30 ) any stiffer than 3.2mm, except one monster I'm saving for my FAC 48... but there were a couple of Oxs. This one was about 3/4" shorter, and obviously stiffer, so in it went.

Result pretty much as expected; much faster firing cycle, less slammy, and power went up a fair bit too. Cocking effort wasn't obviously different, but in reality would have been more at the end of the stroke - where you have most leverage, hence I didn't notice it. Not fine tuned anything yet - need to get a stock and try it out for accuracy first - but hey, it seems everything has it's uses

I’ve used them in many guns, if you use common sense and don’t fit them into flimsy made guns and cut the springs to the correct length and finish them properly they can be very good especially in a short stroke gun, I have one in my HW35 and it too shoots lovely.
Regards Graham

[Tea Kettle]

yeah, agreed... whilst I generally subscribe to the "soft and long" philosophy (no sniggering at the back ) if you have an application that needs a stiffer spring, that's all an OX is at the end of the day...

I'm at the back, and I'm not sniggering.

[T 20]

My next door neighbour's son had me try his Supersport, which shot superbly well and better than any other Supersport I'd ever shot before.
A couple of months later the disappointed lad had me try his Supersport again as he'd had it serviced by a local to him gunsmith --- it was absolutely bloody awful.
It turned out that instead of a simple service the gunsmith had talked him into having a full "tune" and had fitted a new round section Spring because the gun as I originally tried it had an "orrible Ox" in it.

As luck would have it this genius of a gunsmith had given him the removed "Orrible Ox Spring" back, so I simply pulled the new round section Spring out and put the Ox back in for him turning it back into a really nice shooter.



All the best Mick