Collecting | Air gun blog - Pyramyd Air Report

Basic airgun maintenance for beginners

Posted on October 20, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 26 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

Good for everyone
Back to the LG55
Oiling the piston seal
How to tell
How to oil the piston seal
Other maintenance
Cleaning the barrel
What pellets?
Cleaning the outside
That’s it

I received this question on Tuesday.

“I just received an LG cal 4.5 mod 55 Walther’s patent air rifle. It’s a great gift, and I would like to keep it in good condition. I live in Europe though, And like most Europeans, I know almost nothing about guns.

Could you write an article about basic airgun maintenance and important things to check when laying hands on an old gun?
Thanks in advance for any help, Jean”

Good for everyone

With the enormous number of readers we have, I imagine Jean is not alone with his question. I put the answer here in the History section because his Walther LG 55 is a vintage breakbarrel spring-piston airgun that’s no longer made. It was made from 1955 to 1967, according to the Blue Book of Airguns. For some of those years (until 1963) it was Walther’s top target air rifle, and even today it has a smoothness and robust construction that cannot be overlooked. You don’t have to know airguns to recognize the quality of this rifle.

Determining the age of a vintage airgun

Posted on October 16, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 33 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

A history of airguns

This report covers:

How old?
It starts with straight razors
Shape of the blade
Shape of the scales
Blade profile
Airguns
Generations/ages
Very old steel and wood
Seals
Spring guns
Funky parts
Other finishes
Post WW II steel and wood guns
Breech and piston seals
Look for plastic
Painted guns?
Summary

How old?

If you are new to the field of airguns there seems to be an ocean of things you need to know. If you want to become a collector, some of these things are crucial. Today I will explore how you can determine the relative age of a vintage airgun.

It starts with straight razors

Don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about straight razors very long. But they were the thing I used to rediscover what it feels like to be a new guy in an established hobby. Although I am not interested in collecting them, I couldn’t help but pick up some clues to their relative ages (when they were made) along the way.

Shape of the blade

Before around 1800, straight razors had no real tang. That’s the skinny part behind the blade where you hold the razor to shave. Razors from 1800 and earlier simply don’t have one. They just end the sharp blade and remain almost as wide but become dull as they go back to the pivot pin on the scales.

The Diana 27: Part 3

Posted on October 9, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 30 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

My .22 caliber Diana 27 is actually a Hy Score 807.

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

This report covers:

The test
Eye report
RWS Superdomes
Some questions arise
RWS Superpoints
The artillery hold
Summary
MP40
Second time was the trick

Before I begin, someone asked about Rich Shar. He’s the guy who smoothes the biggest spring guns like the big Gamos and Hatsans. Rich tells me he has not been working on guns for awhile, but he does have a project in the works. He promises to tell me more about it. Now, on to today’s report.

I have decided to take my Diana 27 apart and clean out the old grease, then relubricate it with Almagard 3752 grease, to see what difference it might make. But not today. Today will be a traditional Part 3 accuracy test.

The Diana 27: Part 2

Posted on September 29, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 154 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

My .22 caliber Diana 27 is actually a Hy Score 807.

Part 1

A history of airguns

This report covers:

RWS Superpoint
RWS Superdomes
Crosman Premier
Am I satisfied?
Cocking effort
Trigger pull
The ball bearing trigger
How to adjust the ball bearing trigger
Summary

Today we look at the velocity of my vintage Hy Score 807 breakbarrel air rifle that you now know is a Diana 27. Besides that I will test the trigger pull, the cocking effort and I will tell you how to adjust the ball bearing trigger. That, alone, is worth what you paid for this entire blog, so settle in and let’s have some fun!

RWS Superpoint

The first pellet I tested was my go-to pellet for a .22 caliber Diana 27 and many other old air rifles — the RWS Superpoint. I believe that Superpoints have such thin skirts that they seal the bore better in these lower powered spring rifles. I told you about the lithium grease “tune” I did about 20 years ago. It’s still performing well after all this time, and I never oil the leather piston seal. As I recall, the Superpoint averaged around 475 f.p.s. in the past. Today 10 pellets averaged 468 f.p.s. The spread went from a low of 458 to a high of 474 f.p.s., which is 16 f.p.s. So, the rifle is still pretty much where it has always been. At the average velocity this pellet generated 7.05 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.

Umarex Legends MP40 BB Submachinegun: Part 2

Posted on September 27, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 61 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Umarex Legends MP40 BB submachinegun.

Part 1

This report covers:

CO2 effect
Installing CO2
Loading
Umarex steel BBs
Fire control
The sensation
Daisy BBs
Hornady Black Diamond BBs
Shot count
Hornady Black Diamonds — again
Bottom line

Today we look at the velocity of the new Umarex Legends MP40 BB Submachinegun. Since it has a semiautomatic mode, this will be easier than expected. However, there are special considerations for a gun like this.

CO2 effect

Most of you know that CO2 chills the gun as it is fired. And CO2 loses pressure as the temperature drops. Will that affect the velocity of this full-auto airgun? I plan to test for it. My test will show the velocity you can expect from the gun at its fastest and also what will happen as the shots happen faster and the temperature falls. There are unlimited ways of doing this, and I have selected one.

How to sharpen a straight razor: Part 4

Posted on September 22, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 95 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

A history of airguns

This report covers:

Who to believe?
Quart of blood!
How do you know what you don’t know?
Make haste slowly
There is more than one way…
Setting the bevel
Most important point
World-record sharpener
Bad advice that turned out well
Artillery hold?
Three ways to sharpen.
That’s all, folks!

I didn’t think I would be back to this subject so soon, but I’ve had some major breakthroughs recently that I wanted to report before I forget them. As you may recall, I am writing this report because I want to experience what it feels like to be a new guy in a subject that interests me, but one that I know very little about. That way maybe I can better understand what new guys want/need to know about airguns. I had no appreciation of how much of a new guy I was when it came to sharpening straight razors, or just how deep I would get into this new subject!

The Diana 27: Part 1

Posted on September 18, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 35 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

My .22 caliber Diana 27 is actually a Hy Score 807.

Part 2: The Diana 27

A history of airguns

This report covers:

Not the pre-war 27
First time
Why a 27?
Great feeling!
Description
Sights
Seals
Breech seal
Trigger
Overall evaluation

What is a classic? One dictionary defines it as “…of the first or highest quality, class or rank. Serving as a standard, model or guide.” Although that definition is somewhat subjective, I believe it captures the essence of the word. The Diana model 27 air rifle is certainly a classic by that definition.

Not the pre-war 27

Before we dive in let’s understand that Diana also made a model 27 before World War II. That one had only a wooden buttstock with no forearm. It looks significantly different than the rifle we are examining today. It’s not the same air rifle.