by B.B. Pelletier
Okay, you now have a vintage airgun or two. Where do you get them fixed? Unless you know that, what’s the sense of buying them at all? In this posting, I will address repair shops for pneumatics and CO2 guns. I’ll cover springers and BB guns later.
George Pena
George is a Texan who fixes American pneumatics. His business card says “Benjamin, Sheridan and old Crosman model 140/1400 pneumatic air rifle repair.” He puts them back to factory specs. I’ve shot a vintage Sheridan he resealed, and he did a great job. Not only does the gun shoot like new, he didn’t mess up the vintage finish on a significant collectible while he did the work! George is at heligun1@msn.com or 512-863-2951.
Mac-1
Tim McMurray in California has been fixing CO2 and pneumatic guns since 1964. He has the parts to fix the old guns, and he often makes the parts he can’t buy. He also has several modified models of guns, such as the Crosman Mark I, that he turns into a bulk-filled long-barreled super shooter called the LD. There’s also the Steroid Streak, which is a very powerful Sheridan pneumatic. Contact him at tim@mac1airgun.com or call 310-327-0238.
Dave Gunter
Dave lives in Oregon and rebuilds vintage Crosman, Sheridan and Benjamin guns. He can reseal the S&W 78G and 79G. One of his specialties is making valves more efficient, and his Crosman 600 “Buntline” pistol is a legend. It gets close to 100 shots per fill and almost 500 f.p.s.!
Dave is a perfectionist who strives to get the most out of a vintage gun without changing its looks or operation. Contact Dave at dgunter@ados.com or call 503-336-1436.
Rick Willnecker
Rick is in Pennsylvania, where he repairs vintage and modern Crosman, Benjamin and Sheridan guns. Rick is another guy who has been doing this for several decades, and he’s very methodical in his work. He will restore airguns to operational specs, but he won’t increase power in guns beyond the factory levels. Contact him at airgunshop@aol.com or call 717-382-1481.
Are there others?
Of course there are others, but I know all these guys and recommend them. If you have another favorite repair station, I’d like to hear about it and why you like it.
Thanks for the information on the Crossman M-1. I have one and did not realize what it was. It is complete with magazine, wood stock, and vitrually no wear on the barrel. I was planning on giving it to my Grand Son, but now I think I will wait until he is a little older and can appreciate what it is. Thanks agin, R.B.
B.B.Pelletier, Can you (do you know), recommend anyone in North Central Ohio that can discern Why my Crosman 140 won’t pump up? (and can fix it?) Thanks,
jwest26@columbus.rr.com
Crosman 140,
I answered this on the other post.
B.B.
B.B. I am looking for a Daisy Repair Station. I was a destructive and curious child at one point and my Model 25 is in need of some reassembling and such.
Any advice? I contacted Bucky’s Daisy BB Gun Repair but he no longer does repairs however he does still sell parts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
AirGunRevolutionary,
Here are two places:
Jim Coplen, PO Box 7297, Rochester, MN. 55903 (507)281-2314
Jim Dry Claremore, Oklahoma (918)341-9104
B.B.
Ollie Damon’s in Portland, Oregon repairs current and vintage air guns. Here’s the website:
http://www.olliedamons.com/airgun.html
I have a Crossman 130 that has been in my family since day one.
It’s need to be resealed so I’ve sent a request in to George Pena at your suggestion.
I’m hoping Mr. Pena will respond to my email.
Thanks for the info.
I’ll let you know when I get a response and also how well he did the repair work.
spiderbiz,
Good luck. I had George rebuild my 130 and it came back fine.
B.B.
crossman model 2240 i shoot it and the co2 sprays out from behind the trigger and wastes the whole conister.
Sounds like you need a reseal. Either send it to one of the places recommended here or buy the parts from Bryan & Associates and fix it yourself.
http://www.bryanandac.com/parts.htm
B.B.
I have my father's old Crossman .22 cal air rifle. The number stamped on the receiver is A2090 CP. He had partially disassembled it to repaint the barrel. The seals were leaking when I was a child and I am now 74. I would like to find someone to replace the seals and restore this wonderful rifle!
Thanks for any help,
Jim, in Las Cruces, NM
Jim,
The best place to fix it is here:
B.B.
Jim,
Rick has repaired 4 or 5 of my air guns. I am 100% satisfied with the quality, turn around time, and price of his work.
By the way B.B. writes a daily blog Mon-Fri which can be found at/blog//. Please let us know there how your rifle turned out. It's also where you want to ask any of your questions to access the widest audience for answers.
Mr B.
Thanks Mr. B, I'll reassemble the gun and contact Rick!
Thanks for the quick response, and have a great day!
Jim
Jim,
I think Rick can handle a basket case. You can just bag the parts for him. He has to disassemble the gun anyway.
B.B.
Sir,
I used your site to find someone to fix a vintage Crosman 130 that wouldn't pressure up. I just got it back from Mr. George Pena of Texas and it works great. A great pistol and a great reseal job. Well worth the money to have such a pistol in operating order. Thanks for listing these fine craftsman.
R. Stafford
Louisiana
Rod Stafford,
You posted your comment to a blog that was written in 2006. There arn't alot of us checking out the old blogs. Did you know that B.B. writes a daily blog Mon-Fri which can be found at/blog//.
It's a friendly very knowledgeable group of people there who are sharing information and giving alot of people a helping hand with their air gun questions. Hope to see you there.
Mr B.
Rod,
Thank you for your feedback. It helps me keep track of the work of these repairmen, so I can recommend them to others in need. George fixed a 130 for me, too!
B.B.
Need info. regarding old Benjamin air rifle. When made, worth, etc. By using serial #.
Jim,
How about a description?
If it has a serial number Crosman has a place under customer service on their site where you can find the date.
http://www.crosman.com
B.B.
B.B.
Thanks I went to the http://www.crosman.com site and found it was a Model 101 manufactured between 1925 to 1929, which is probably when my father would have purchased it. On your advice last week I sent it to Rick Willnecker at Precision Pellet for repair. During WWII as a child I always wanted to use it when I would go hunting with my Dad; however, it wouldn’t hold air. Now, at the age of 74, I plan on using it to target practice in my sunny New Mexico back yard, eventually leaving it to one of my sons.
Thanks for your assistance in restoring a family heirloom and keeping it within the family!
Jim
Jim,
Good for you! I have a 101 and love it. You will, too.
B.B.
To BB Pelletier,
Thanks for the info. It looks like the crosman site says its manufactured in 1967. Its a Benjamin .22 caliber air gun. model 312. serial # H343838. It says these models were made between 1940 and 1974. I thought it was older than 1967, but it doesn't appear to be???
Anyway… thanks for the info.
Jim
Mr Hoff,
What a terrific introduction to what I imagine to be a great story.
Would you please keep us all posted on the progress with this cherished heirloom.
You've posted in the comments under an article that B.B. wrote in 2005. Not many of us airgunners check back on comments from 5 years ago. Please keep us updated in the "comments" under the most recent article that B.B. writes (he writes a new article everyday, Monday-Friday). This link, that you will need to copy and paste, will always take you to the most recent article that he has written:
/blog//
Look forward to seeing the continuation of your story there.
kevin
B.B.
I want to thank you for your recommendation. I just received my father's Crosman Model 101 which I believe he purchased around 1927. Rick Willnecker at Precision Pellet restored this gun for me and I am so happy. I wanted to shoot this gun in the 1940's when I was ten years old and would go hunting with my dad! Thanks to Rick's excellent work I finally got to shoot it yesterday afternoon in my New Mexico backyard, where the temperature was about 70 degrees. At the age of 73 it was a long wait but a real pleasure! Thanks again for your assistance!
Jim in New Mexico
Jim,
You are the reason this blog exists. Your story is our success,
Congratulations on going part of the way home again.
B.B.
Well, now that my Dad's old model 101 is back working, after reading your reviews I purchased a Crosman 1377 American Classic pistol. I found something I could do in retirement that's lots of fun and very cost effective!
Jim in New Mexico
Jim,
And your new 1377 is a direct descendant of a pistol Crosman made back in the early 1950s. Yes, there is now more plastic on it, but today's gun also shoots harder.
I think it's an heirloom airgun.
B.B.
I have an old air gun that looks exactly like a 101. But where it should say Crosman , it says Premier. Any info on this gun would be appreciated.
That is an old (1925-era) model 101. The word Premier should be printed over a pellet on the3 right side of the receiver?
These older 101s are valued a little higher than a run-of-the-mill 101. But I am not the person to ask.
Post on this forum and ask these guys:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/405945/
B.B.
I love this pellet gun! 🙂
Can anyone please explain why the cocking spring on my old 1927 ca. Model 101 is so difficult to pull? Rick gave me the later model pulling knob but it's still a real effort to pull it back. I could understand if the force was related to air pressure somehow.
Thanks – Jim in New Mexico
Jim,
I has nothing to do with the spring. The hammer in your gun is a crude metal slug and you are pulling it through a rough steel chamber. Friction is your enemy. The spring is strong and you can adjust it by unscrewing the hammer knob, but that will cost some velocity.
B.B.
i just grabbed a crosman 101 from an old woman at a yard sale the other day for $2 because it doesnt hold air when i pump it up. is there an easily explainable way to fix this or do you know of anyone who could repair it in the southeastern south carolina/savannah georgia area?
First off, the gun may work. You have to cock the hammer before you pump it. Second, the pump head probably needs to be oiled with Crosman Pellgunoil. DO NOT USE ANYTHING ELSE, or the gun will have to be repaired.
If that doesn't work, Ron Sauls in South Carolina is the world's biggest repair station for this rifle:
http://www.bryanandac.com/
B.B.
Number of pumps for my rebuilt Crosman 101? Can you please advise on the minimum and maximum you recommend for this excellent pellet rife? I normally use at least 3 and not more than 4.
KD5AEY,
you're right where you should be. Crosman's manual for this rifle, which can be found here:
https://www.crosman.com/airguns/service/manuals/crosman-rifles
recommends only 3-4 pumps. One other thing, you are posting on a blog that's almost 5 years old. Other than a core of volunteers who monitor these, no one else comes here. You are welcome to post questions and comments on the current blog, even if it's off topic. You will have literally thousands of folks who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with you. The blog is published 5 days per week, Monday through Friday and can be accessed at:
/blog//
We look forward to seeing you there. Enjoy that Crosman 101!
Fred PRoNJ
Just got my Crosman 130 back from Mr. Pena, and it was completely restored to factory. He replaced the pump hinge pin and fabricated a rear sight blade to replace the missing one. He totally cleaned it out and lubed the mechanism and replaced the seals. I haven't shot it yet, but I just wanted to say that I am impressed and highly recommend him based on what I see.
Hi,
I have a Benjamin Franklin 312 in .22. It holds pressure but is very low on power. I need help! Problem is I am in the UK. Is there someone here who can help, or can you suggest who could help me if I ring them and send me parts?
Nick Roberts
Hi Nick Roberts,
You can contact Rick Willnecker. You asked your question on a blog written 5 years ago. There arn't alot of us checking the old blogs for new posts. You might want to repost on our current blog which is written daily M-F. /blog//
Check it out! There are alot of great people there who are more than willing to help folks out. Hope to see you there.
Mr B.
Does anyone have a current email for George Pena?
ZOMBIEDAWG,
The one given above no longer works?
B.B.
Phil Briney in Canton, Ohio specializes in repairing & refinishing Benjamin, Crosman, & Sheridan vintage airguns. His website is:
http://www.philsvintageairgunrepair.com
or he can be reached at 330-477-3298 or philsvintage@yahoo.com
Phil Briney in Canton, Ohio specializes in repairing & refinishing Benjamin, Crosman, & Sheridan vintage airguns. His website is:
http://www.philsvintageairgunrepair.com
or he can be reached at 330-477-3298 or philsvintage@yahoo.com
Heather,
Thanks for this link. I will check him out and possibly add him to my list of repair stations.
B.B.
My model 312 is still going strong. It needs a new safety lever and rear sight but it's still shooting strong. Bought it new when I was a boy. 29.95 new, a lot back then.
B.B.
I have an old Benjamin 310 that needs some work. Is this model even worth repairing???
Jim
Jim,
There were actually 2 different guns made by Benjamin and designated as model 310. The first one is a front-pumper, and the second is an underlever pumper. Both are worth having repaired. Here is a place to do the work:
B.B.
Good afternoon BB,
I have an old Crosman Model 130 pistol that belonged to my dad and grandfather. Currently does not work, im sure it probably needs O rings and to be resealed, etc. Do you know anyone in FL, preferably central Florida, that services these and could get it back up and working?
Thanks!
Jordan
Jordan,
Welcome to the blog.
I don’t know of anyone in Florida, but here is a great guy Baker Airguns @ (937) 660-9152
Email: info@bakerairguns.com
B.B.
Internet search Accurate Airguns and you should find a service in Bellingham WA that I used in the last year. In my case it was a Crosman 760. I just acquired a Sheridan Bluestreak 5mm in working order.