1985 Airmasters Tune

[Mach 1.5]

Stage 1 - £30.00
FWB, HW35/77/80/85, Original 45
Deburr, spring, lube, size piston head, phosphor bronze bearing on piston.
No bearing was added to the 85 because of the piston cut out.

Stage 2 - £45.00
All of above plus fitting of solid guides.

Stage 3 - £60.00
Available on HW77 only
All of above plus piston runs on rear PTFE bearing supported by a phosphor bronze skirt and a forward PTFE bearing, compression chamber shortened to match. Choice of stroke length. Roller bearings were used to remove torque. On our ‘race guns’ we used to set them up with an Original 75 piston seal. These were very efficient but only lasted 500 - 1000 shots.

Thanks to RB for this info. Not bad for 1985.
Mach 1.5

[gsxrman]

Love it.
1985 the 77 was roughly £100
2023 the 77 is roughly £500
Could you get that work done now to the exact standard for 5x the 1985 costs?

[T 20]

On our ‘race guns’ we used to set them up with an Original 75 piston seal. These were very efficient but only lasted 500 - 1000 shots.

Thanks to RB for this info. Not bad for 1985.
Mach 1.5

According to Gunspares the Original 75 has a 28mm piston seal, whereas the 77 would be 25mm at that time ?

The Original 5 seal would fit if you machined the piston ?






All the best Mick

[maximus]

Interesting that they did not fit guides on the stage 1 tune but did fit a bronze bearing on the piston. I think that fitting guides and getting rid of the twang is the single easiest and biggest improvement you can do to a springer.

[Blackrider]

Great news that, where's my Tardis ??

[b.b]

👍🏻 Had one done when they were at Hibbert street …

[clipper]

I got my standard HW77 from there around that time, with a Leslie Hewett 4x32 scope, my first full size rifle

Can remember several Christmas trips there through my teenage years, with a Webley Tempest, a crosman 1377, a Saxby Palmer pistol and numerous tins of pellets finding there way under the Christmas tree

If I knew then what I know now I'd have gone for more custom HW's and kept them in a box!

[Shed tuner]

Interesting that they did not fit guides on the stage 1 tune but did fit a bronze bearing on the piston. I think that fitting guides and getting rid of the twang is the single easiest and biggest improvement you can do to a springer.

well they already had guides fitted from the factory, so most likely they just selected a spring that fitted the existing guides well

[maximus]

well they already had guides fitted from the factory, so most likely they just selected a spring that fitted the existing guides well

Good point, I wonder if thats what they did?

[mattyw1987]

Good point, I wonder if thats what they did?

Also it could mean a fixed in the back block steel guide as it states solid guide? So may have fitted a new guide in the others that fit the spring correctly or as said above just selected a tighter I.d spring.

[Mach 1.5]

Yes fixed guide in the back block. Airmasters and Venom did this mod. Mach 1.5

[Shed tuner]

Also it could mean a fixed in the back block steel guide as it states solid guide? So may have fitted a new guide in the others that fit the spring correctly or as said above just selected a tighter I.d spring.

Solid guide is stage 2.

I think Maximus point was that a well fitting guide is so important, he was surprised it wasn't stage-1.. hence the conjecture on fitting a spring to suit the guide for stage 1.

[Mach 1.5]

I dare say a new guide was fitted but RB just forgot to mention it. My Airmasters rifles all have custom steel guides. Mach 1.5

[Winceby]

I went to Airmasters in Hibbert street about 1984\85. Went there to get an Airsporter and came out with a HW77k with the stage 1 tune. Gun cost £109 and the tune was £30. Also had an alloy silencer and under lever catch fitted along with a Tesco scope. Exchanged it some years later when they moved a few streets back for an Air Arms ex88. Regretted it ever since.

[Shed tuner]

I dare say a new guide was fitted but RB just forgot to mention it. My Airmasters rifles all have custom steel guides. Mach 1.5

Was that not the stage 2, from the above, Paul ?