This report covers:
- The starting point
- Meet Tiffany
- Special tools
- Back to Tiffany
- How it helps
- The point
- Why?
Today I’m addressing a huge subject that deals with airguns — fixing them and modifying them. This subject is so large that I won’t make it into a single series. Some of the repairs and modifications I will address may be a series of reports by themselves, but it all starts here. I want you to know that will be talking about the same thing — how to repair or modify your airgun to bring it back to life or to get it to do what you want.
The starting point
I really want to dive in right now and start explaining things, but that would miss the fundamental point I’m attempting to make today. And that is this — your airgun was put together by a human being. That means that another human being — like you — can take it apart and fix it.
Meet Tiffany
When I am about to undertake an airgun repair that I’ve never done before I imagine a person I call Tiffany assembling the airgun I’m about to repair. Tiffany is 21 years old and she texts her boyfriend Carl all day long while she assembles the very airgun that looks impossible to me. If I get to a certain place in the disassembly or assembly (and it’s usually during the assembly, after I did my fixing) where I just don’t know what to do, I summon an image of Tiffany assembling the same gun with her right hand while texting Carl with her left.
Special tools
Yes, Tiffany has access to special tooling that I don’t have, but that “tooling” usually isn’t exotic. Sometimes I summon up the image of a man in a vacant factory warehouse. He needed special tooling to assemble certain parts of an airgun, so he had a welder blow a hole through an upright steel girder and he uses that hole to hold certain parts as he works. Reader Siraniko, I’m sorry to say this but my image is of a man in a Philippines warehouse assembling a Farco air shotgun. Please don’t take offense, but I have owned two Farcos and have seen how crudely they are constructed.
The Farco air shotgun is crudely made. But it works!
The Farco is a 28-gauge shotgun powered by CO2 that’s bulk-filled into the gun’s long reservoir. The shot charge can weigh nearly a half ounce, but the resulting velocity is pitiful — barely 450 f.p.s. It was more of a gun we owned for bragging rights than for serious hunting, though there were a few stalwarts who did use it seriously. I do know that Davis Schwesinger of Air Rifle Specialists did take a wild pig with a Farco.
Back to Tiffany
I have actually seen Tiffany at work. When the TV show American Airgunner toured the Crosman plant in East Bloomfield, New York in 2009, I watched a woman assemble a model 760 multi-pump in about a minute. Her tooling consisted of large metal forms that were hinged to the table she worked on. As she went she flipped over the forms, one by one, to hold the parts in place while she assembled them. I didn’t time her but as I recall it took around one minute for her to go from parts to a finished airgun.
The parts were in bins all around her assembly station and she never got up out of her seat. Someone else brought the parts to her as they were depleted and that person was actually running to keep up because he had to get parts from all over the plant — some made there and others made elsewhere and shipped there.
She wasn’t texting anyone while she worked, but in 2009 texting hadn’t become that universal. The test after assembly was to pump the gun five times and dry fire it. If it popped it was sent to be packaged.
How it helps
Several weeks ago I overhauled a Crosman Challenger target rifle. That job that looked so simple in the online video took me about 4-5 hours. So it was harder than it looked in the one-hour video we all watched online. And I discovered that one part of the repair process had to be modified for it to work — at least for me. I did that and told you about it and even showed you the cut o-rings that were destroyed doing it the way the video describes.
I have always had an aversion to repairing a pneumatic airgun. It’s funny because I used to assemble thousands of air rifle reservoirs at AirForce Airguns. Know how many leaked after assembly? Obout one in a thousand, or near to it.
That all happened back in 2003 — when BB was Tiffany. That’s right, I was shown the simple steps to assemble a Talon SS or Condor air reservoir and could do it in my sleep! I made thousands of them for both the U.S. market and for overseas.
I used to talk customers through making repairs to their airguns over the phone after they had gone one step too far in disassembling them. The people who listened to me and did what I said fixed their airguns on the spot. Those who couldn’t be bothered or who were afraid to even try had to send the gun back to us and I fixed it — doing the same things I tried to tell them over the phone.
The point
Today’s point is, fixing an airgun isn’t rocket science. Forgive me for saying that, reader Rocket Jane Hansen. It may not be rocket science but there are steps that have to be followed. You can’t jump from step one to step three and then just hope for a miracle.
I have told you my weakness — pneumatic airguns. For some people pneumatics are simple, but spring-piston powerplants are a different story. I have repaired, overhauled and modified a great many spring-piston airguns in this blog and almost can’t comprehend why anyone can’t work on an Air Arms TX200. I say “almost” because I do understand. Springers are to those people what pneumatics are to me.
Why?
Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you because in the upcoming months I intend making repairs and modifications and I will remind you that I wrote this report first of all. I will probably refer back to it as we go.
Will be an interesting couple of months, sounds like!
Tom,
No offense taken. There are still traditional makers making the traditional pneumatics the way they were made in the 60s using brass barrels and tubing brazed together with fixed sights that will hopefully send a pellet where it is aimed. I’m just happy that most of the new makers have turned to more updated manufacturing methods especially with most new airgunners over here looking for a PCP powerplant as that bulk CO2 refill is not as easy to get especially out in the boondocks.
Hopefully you are going to avoid making those modified airguns into basket cases.
Siraniko
Unless you have your own, are high pressure air compressor that common out in the boondocks?
Maybe you are like Arnold and “pump it up”?
-Y
Yogi,
Most of those who begin do so with a simple three stage pump. Most claim to use it as a hunting tool so not many shots are required. When they start getting into competition with the number shots required for practice then they invest in a motorized air compressor.
Siraniko
Yogi,
I have been known to “pump it up” even though I have a large compressor and a large CF tank. It is true that I prefer the “low” pressure PCPs, but even then, it can be quite a pain to locate a CO2 source, even if you are not in the “boondocks”.
B.B.
I bet Tiffany can text, chew gum, and assemble with the best of them, with one hand tied behind her back.
Some people are just like that…..
In Amerstdam you see people riding their bikes, cell phone in the crook of their neck, while they are rolling a cigarette(at least I think it is a cigarette).
-Yogi
And dodging the dumb tourist pedestrians who walk mindlessly onto the bike lanes sporting a deer-in-the-headlights look while fumbling with their “devices.”
FM,
LOL! I can visualize that!
Learning how to do things is one of the main reasons I enjoy this blog. Whether it is how to shoot well, work on guns and accessories, or something unrelated, gaining new knowledge and skills is fun and interesting and valuable. Thanks for all you do.
BB,
As a long time DIYer I like this kinda stuff.
In production special assembly jigs are used when having an extra set of hands are helpful. At home, magnets, bent coat hanger, a blob of grease… or a hole in a beam can work.
A bit of ingenuity goes a long way – my spring compressor is made from some wood and threaded rod. I’d like to see what custom tools you end up making.
Looking forward to the blogs!
Hank
I often find myself searching and printing off schematics, parts layouts, parts lists, etcetera of the various airguns that come through RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns. Unfortunately, some of the manufacturers never released such or they simply do not exist. Learning what others such as yourself and/or paying great attention to details often help in that situation. It also helps me to know that if “Tifanny” and others can do this, so can I.
It also helps to understand that almost all of the sproingers operate in the same basic manner as do almost all of the PCPs. Once you grasp the basics of how they operate and how they are constructed, you are over halfway there.
With some of these “old gals”, manufacturers were just learning their way. There are often differences with how they would accomplish something, but in the long run the results were the same. Yes, there is a vast difference between the trigger on my 1906 BSA and the trigger on the FWB 300, but the end results are the same. I would suggest however, that you should leave the FWB trigger assembly alone until figure out exactly how it works. 😉 There was a major change in how the old PCPs worked and how most of the new PCPs function, but even with those changes they function basically the same.
What you soon discover is with how modern airguns are assembled versus the “old gals” is with materials and some methods. With the newer airguns you find more parts are made of polymers and aluminum, which is much easier to work with and cheaper than steel. Even with the “old gals” you will see a shift from machined steel to cast and stamped. With those that have wood stocks, you see a change from walnut to something like beech or laminated woods. Why use a threaded part when a smooth pin or some other retainer will do just as well. This will reduce both material and labor costs.
I have been blessed with a very high mechanical aptitude and the ability to think in the abstract. I can look at something and often figure out how it works. Do I sometimes make mistakes? You betcha. Are they sometimes expensive? Oh yeah. But I learn and I go on. If someone else can do it, so can I.
RR,
In the case of your 1906 BSA, Tiffany didn’t assemble it. His name was Trevor, and he rode to work each day on his bicycle.
BB
BB,
Very likely a BSA bicycle. Did Jacques build the Giffard or was it Pierre? Did Hanz build the FLZ?
Years later, he might have been promoted and then ridden a BSA motorbike, or motorcycle – as you like it.
FM,
I remember the older Beezers had the shifter on the wrong side, well at least for everybody but the UKers.
You sound like FM’s late father-in-law; the man did not have a college degree yet wound up doing high-level electro-mechanical engineering work for Western Electric, including missile testing assignments. He could diagnose and fix problems seemingly in no time; truly a Rennaissance-type – we could use more of those around. If he’d gotten into airgunning, FM would have benefitted from having the Father-In-Law of Airguns close to home, no doubt rescuing hapless son-in-law from airgun fails, foibles and miscues.
FM,
The Lord has blessed me with these abilities, so why not put them to use?
For so long I used these skills for others, now that I am on Mrs. RR time, I use them for her desires and even get lucky and find a little time for mine.
BB,
As is pointed out by many others, I do so much enjoy learning from those who have gone before me. It is my hope and prayer that you keep on showing us what is “behind the curtain” for many years to come.
Amen to that; FM has a LOT to learn yet.
B.B.,
I think it is a great topic that what Tiffany built even an airgunner can fix…BUT
First things first!
Why did the airgun break?
Busted it Bubba?
KNee Ann der Thal?
Dropped it Dumpy?
Power-mod Max?
How do airguns get needing fixing?
shootski
Don’t forget, Juswo Routsprings and Leekin Seelz
Roamin Greco,
I don’t cotton to those two either!
Stage WHISPER: DonnyFL Benjamin Discovery .177 A20 adapter arrived today.
Installed easily and looks great; it even allows the Williams front sight (Glowy Thing) to be reinstalled. Now i just need TANTO to ride into town on the Painted Pony and hush things down ;^)
PS: It is still holding 2,000psi…knock on the beautiful Walnut Stock those very early Discovery were fitted with.
shootski
Don’t forget a picture or two along the way!
Roamin Greco,
I have taken four photographs thus far.
The removal of the OEM muzzle protector/sight base and fiber-optic sight and tools used.
The DonnyFL A20 Discovery/Maximus adapter instal and reinstallation of the OEM fiber-optic sight onto the A20 adapter.
It took longer to write this reply than it did to do the swap and take the four photographs…i did need to find my fine screwdriver and hex bits (Not as good as Tom’s screwdrivers.) which took some time since i’m guting the house for a total renovation.
I will decide if i have the time to do a Guest Blog and how to make the upgrade interesting enough to be worthwhile.
shootski
As I have a Discovery in the original box awaiting a round tuit (and a hand pump), I’m interested in any upgrades.
Roamin Greco,
This is hopefully going to make this airgun urban/suburban back yard friendly. If not enough hush i will go for a KOI or TATSU.
I hope you have at least a few hundred pounds of air pressure in it and maybe a drop or two of Silicone Chamber Oil.
I store all my PCPs at or near their working pressure.
shootski
PS: I also have the Challenger Hammer/Striker spring adjuster and may install that even though the airgun wasn’t all too pellet picky without one.