Marksman model 70 breakbarrel rifle.
This report covers:
- Thanks
- Remove the barreled action from the stock
- Step two — remove the end cap and mainspring
- Mainspring compressor
- Didn’t do it
- What else?
- Remove the mainspring
- Remove the piston
- Discussion
- Summary
Today we disassemble the Marksman model 70 rifle that we learned is a combination of BSF and Weihrauch parts. You are going to be surprised today!
Thanks
BB thanks all of you for his holiday yesterday. He used it to great advantage — by doing nothing, and doing it very well!
Remove the barreled action from the stock
Step one is to get the barreled action out of the stock. That is the same as for every Weihrauch rifle — two forearm screws and two more in the triggerguard. Once the stock was away I could see that the trigger in this rifle is not the standard Rekord trigger. Do you remember that I wondered about that?
Here’s what you are seeing. There are no pins through the side of the spring tube, holding the trigger assembly in, because this trigger is a solid piece with the end cap! You will see that in a bit.
It may look like a Rekord from the outside, but this is no Rekord trigger. Look at how thick the metal is. If it is a Rekord, it’s a variation I have never seen before.
Step two — remove the end cap and mainspring
Yeah, right. Step two is a journey into the mind of an engineer who was trying to make certain parts work with certain other parts. Since the trigger is not pinned into the end cap, something else has to be done to take the rifle apart. As it turned out there were three things holding the rifle together.
One was a bolt that housed the threads for the front triggerguard screw. This is a common approach with airguns other than Weihrauchs.
This bolt has 9mm flats and a circlip. But there is more to it than what you see here.
From this point on I took detailed photos of every step. I didn’t want to forget anything when it came time to assemble the parts.
That circlip was hard to remove because of course I don’t own the right tool. And the homemade tool I do have that will remove it is really for a crisis and not for daily use. I did get it off, though and look what happened.
The circlip and the plate under it are off the bolt. And the safety is on.
With the plate slid forward the trigger can now move the sear down (arrow) and release the piston. The safety is off.
Mainspring compressor
If that nut is coming out, it’s time for the mainspring compressor. I used a socket to push in on the end cap just a little as I removed the bolt.
Put some tension on the end cap and remove the bolt.
Didn’t have a 9 mm open end wrench. Tried a Crescent, but this bolt was really tight, so I started it with Vice Grips.
Didn’t do it
Well, when the bolt came out of the hole the inner hole popped off-center a few millimeters and stopped (not enough tension on the end cap), so something else was holding the end cap in. I flipped the compressor over and removed the sight rail from the top of the spring tube. But the rail was on very loose and came off with hand pressure. Something else was holding the end cap in! And you can see it in the picture below.
The sight rail wasn’t holding the end cap in, either. But see that rectangular block on the upper left of the tube?
What else?
Weihrauch used a belt-and-braces approach with this springer! I looked and sure enough there was one more thing. You know those four tabs that have to come out to remove the R9 end cap? Well, under the sight rail of the Marksman 70 they have one big one. I mentioned it in the last photo.
I cranked a smidgeon more tension on the end cap with the compressor and then screwed the single sight rail screw into the hole of the one block and pulled it out easily. The end cap was now free to come out of the spring tube! All I had to do was relax the compressor tension on the end cap.
And there is the block that holds the end cap against the mainspring.
As I released tension on the compressor, the cap came out and out and out! I went clear to the end of my compressor’s screw length before tension was off the cap. There is about two inches of preload on the mainspring, but there should have been a half-inch more. The end coils of the spring had collapsed over the years.
And notice in the photo below that the trigger assembly came right out with the end cap. They are welded together into one assembly!
The end cap with the trigger came out about two inches. Notice that the end coils of the mainspring are closer together than the ones that are closer to the center of the spring.
The left side of the trigger.
Right side of the trigger.
The safety is on.
The safety is off.
Remove the mainspring
At the back of the mainspring is a bushing that has the threaded hole for the first bolt I removed. It is now removed from the spring tube.
Out comes the threaded bushing.
Now the mainspring and rear spring guide can be pulled out of the spring tube.
Mainspring and rear spring guide. The spring looks straight, doesn’t it?
The mainspring is pulled off the spring guide. Wow! It’s really tight. Oh, there is the problem!
And there’s the problem. This end of the mainspring where the spring guide was has collapsed coils that have canted. That’s the source of vibration and power loss.
Remove the piston
One more step in the disassembly. Remove the piston. To do that the barrel has to come apart from the spring tube in the conventional way (i.e. pivot bolt out and separate the parts). Then the cocking link will pop out so the cocking shoe can be removed from the spring tube.
The cocking shoe is excellent. Sometimes they crack, but this one is solid. It’s the piston that has some surprises.
The piston is well-lubricated.
Note the notch on the back of the piston (the top when it’s in the gun). That’s to clear that block that locks the end cap in the spring tube.
Surprise number two is this piston has a liner! And it’s cut just to fit this piston.
The Marksman 70 piston is lined.
Discussion
Well, the rifle is apart and I now need to figure out what to do. I was surprised by the many details I’ve shown you today in this report. This doesn’t look like they threw some parts from this gun and some from that gun together and made a new airgun. It looks more like a snapshot in time before what became the Weihrauch versions of the Beeman R10 and R9 were developed. Sort of like they built these and then said, “But what if we did it this way?”
I used to think that if I ever saw one of these I would be able to spot all the BSF parts, but honestly, I can’t. What an unusual spring gun this is!
Summary
No doubt you guys will have a lot to say about all this. Even the yoots, whom I am starting to think are as smart as us old silverbacks — they just look better, will have something to say.
This is gonna be a fun one.
B.B.,
I applaud your skill at doing nothing. Also am pleased that you took some “me” time.
Dan
Dan,
I am back at it — bright-eyed and what little tail I have is quite bushy! 🙂
BB
B.B.
Oddly enough,, you say that you did nothing yesterday,, but I do that everyday,, and I never seem to finish. Maybe I’m not doing it right. (and not doing is what I do best)
Ed
B.B.,
Congratulations on your first holiday. You deserve it. If it isn’t a Rekord then what is it? Any other examples of BSF triggers? Could it be a Rekord trigger on evolution? Does it match any Weihrauch triggers? Is it a missing link? Whoever did this seemed to have been given an inventory of parts left over and given the mission to create a workable production unit. I don’t think factory installed piston linings is standard.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
So far you know as much as I do. I guess we all find out together.
BB
Just a guess, but it looks a bit like an R10 with the scope rail-interesting BSA style safety. For what it’s worth my R9 compression tube is 15 1/4″ long and around 1 5/16 diameter. There was a Weirauch model 98 ( I think) with a scope rail and HW 95 style end cap that was similar to the HW95/R9.
Johnmash2,
Yep — it’s a kluge alright!
BB
B.B., in the caption of the third photo, you have “It may look like a Record [Rekord] from the outside….”
What an unusual and interesting rifle.
It looks like the piston seal has some grooves in it, too. Would that be another cause of a loss in power? Looks like this new-in-the-box rifle needs a new spring and piston seal just for starters. Is this a rare rifle?
Is it unusual for a spring piston rifle to degrade this much just from sitting in the box with 2 inches or so of pre-tensioned spring pressure?
I wonder if Weihrauch has any more history to share about this rifle.
This rifle was begging you to install a peep sight on it for accuracy testing.
RG,
You have to remember that air rifle sat in that box with about 2 1/2″ of preload on it for a very long time. Sometimes they will come apart with no preload left.
As for the piston and seal, that very likely is just grease on them, although sometimes the person assembling the air rifle at the factory can damage the seal if not careful.
This air rifle definitely begs for a peep. A lot of the scope rails on many of these old gals are not scope rails, but peep sight rails. You have to keep in mind that even these “low powered” sproingers will destroy scopes. Scopes that are designed to take this type of recoil are a recent innovation and adds cost to something that was already very expensive.
Also, it was not until recently with the “Great Velocity Race” that sproingers became powerful enough to have an effective range greater than 25 yards. “Why do you need a scope on that thing? You can throw a rock further than that.”
Roamin,
Fixed that typo. Thanks.
Yes, this is at least a scarce rifle, if not rare.
There is a groove around the center of the piston seal. Haven’t see that before.
I’m still figgerin’ out what to do with her to get her going again.
BB
B.B., I see the groove around the circumference of the seal, but I was referring to the linear ridges that appear in your picture, which I will try to indicate and attach to this entry. RidgeRunner thinks those may be just ripples of grease, but to me they look like the piston seal is not round. Perhaps that piston seal is degrading, too, like the breach seal was?
Roamin,
That’s just grease.
BB
BB,
I have to say I like it. They used real chunks of steel in that thing. The safety is awesome! I have not looked at the present Weihrauch safety, but I do know I do not like it. Firstly it is automatic and secondly it has a horrible location. I think the attorneys here in the States told them they could not ship them over here without a safety. So the engineers at Weihrauch looked the designs over and came up with a solution. “Vell, eeft ve schtik zee pin through hare, eet vill schtop zee peeston frum being releesed und dat schuud make zee verdamntabeeten Americana attorneys hoppy.”
LOL RR!
Being of European decent I read this sentence hearing the same accent: “But vhot if vee did it this vay?” (mentality seeing a couple of engineers standing at a table full of parts in their lab coats and round spectacles). My grandmother lived in Canada for 30 years and never lost her accent.
What you say about the range of airguns is true. Been thinking about that. It is all linked together, the limitations of the power plants dictated the maximum velocities and the rifling twist rate to stabilize the pellet. As more powerful power plants have become available the barrels have evolved to suit and the “rules” and the range change.
Not too long ago I thought that 25 yards was an extremely long shot for a pellet gun. Now 40 yards is easy (with a scope and a rest) and (at the moment) “extremely long” is past 75 yards.
Will have to see where that goes, I’m turning my .22 for long range – 25 g JSB Monster Redesign @ around 960 fps (115 bar) and up to 1000 fps is possible with my rifle in factory stock configuration.
Fun stuff to play around with but I plan on going back to shooting 18 g pellets when I am done experimenting. They are cheaper and I don’t need the range and power of the 25 g pellets.
Hank
Hank,
With most of my sproingers, 25 yards is a long shot. I only have one “modern” sproinger and I plan on tuning it down some.
Now when it comes to the PCPs, they are the Long Rangers.
Vana2,
Bite your tongue Hank!
“…in their lab coats and round spectacles).” The round spectacles are acceptable.
Lab Coats are NOT!
The correct item is an Industrial Shop Coat. Typically found in a dark shade of blue so as to not show that grease and grime your apprentice failed to clean up properly.
shootski
BB,
LOL! I took off Thursday and Friday, along with the long weekend. Mrs. RR made sure I did not have much time to rummage through “the nothing box”. I did manage to get in a little trigger time though.
I am glad you took a breather. You should try that more often.
Sorry for all the questions. It would be great to have this rifle making those little cloverleaf groups again.
B.B., would a peep sight get in the way of the safety?
RG,
Do not apologize for asking questions. How else are you to learn.
Rule number one, there are no stupid questions. Well, really there are, but they are usually asked by mental midgets anyway.
The peeps that were designed for these old air rifles would clamp to the railing and come back like the rear of a scope so as to be close to your eyeball. If you are referring to a Williams type sight, if it will clear the compression tube, it should be no problem.
Here is one I am talking about.
/blog/2021/06/hy-score-807-pellet-rifle-part-4/
Thanks, RidgeRunner. Sorry for apologizing.
I was thinking that perhaps the thumbscrew(s) that clamp the peep to the rail might get in the way of the safety lever, but I guess you could slide the peep a bit fore or aft to keep it out of the way.
Question for those who hunt with springers, do you typically hunt with the rifle cocked, or do you load and cock the rifle after you spot the game?
Roamin
I do alot of pesting and some hunting with springers.
The gun is cocked, loaded and safety on. All I got to do is flick the safety off and I’m ready for the shot.
Roamin Greco,
You are obviously thinking of coiled spring and Gunfun1 is correct as far as i’m concerned.
Remember that the Gas Spring power plant can be left cocked (check your owners manual to avoid voiding your warranty) almost indefinitely with no ill effect.
There are those that say they need to be stored in a particular orientation to maintain the seal…i don’t believe that matters if they are cocked.
Safety considerations are another matter.
shootski
RG,
Do not sweat the sproinger. It should not hurt the sproing to be cocked for a good little bit. That is just a sales pitch for the gas sproingers. Another sales pitch is they are not affected by the cold. Booholly!
I have read that there are a lot of variations to the BSF rifles made after being purchased by Weihrauch with various combinations of parts. They must have had some clever people figuring out how to make the most of the parts they had left.
David Enoch
Good moring B.B.,
Great report, and I’m happy that you enjoyed your much-needed day of rest.
But what about Dale Evans? Did she enjoy the day, too?
It would be good to see a pic of that little spud (perhaps a selfie of you holding her?). =>
Take care & God Bless,
dave
Dave,
I forgot!
A photo of Dale. She follows me around the house to show me how aloof she is, so holding is out. But there will be a photo tomorrow.
BB
Awesome! My [indoor] cats are looking forward to it, LOL! =>
Thanks for all the pictures BB!
They are (almost) as good as taking the rifle apart myself – I miss getting the grease all over me though 🙂
Hank
Vana2,
Get that Industrial Shop Coat on and beat your apprentice for not keeping the shop spotless! LOL!
shootski
Glad to hear that you enjoyed your day of doing nothing, and particularly that you di it well! Those are needed.
This is an interesting rifle indeed, a bit of a kludge perhaps, but seems well done with solid steel. The trigger looks like an early version of the Rekord. Perhaps someone in Weihrauch knows.
The disassembly was interesting and challenging, and with your excellent photos easy to follow, minus the grease and a few choice words. BTW, just curiosity: how did you manage to take the end cap off with spring tension? It happened to me once and I had to reassemble and reposition the rifle in my home-made compressor.
Henry
Henry,
I didn’t say it by when the compressor reached the end of its travel, the socket that was pushing the end cap slid down and I was able to pull it out. If the mainspring had that extra hald-inch of travel I mentioned that wouldn’t have been possible.
BB
I replaced the broken mainspring in mine. The scope rail on mine lacks the block projection and has a small screw securing the front. This rifle is larger than my R1. I have a post it note on it that it shoots falcons @877 fps, premiers @825
Rob,
Thanks for that. I figured there would be differences in these as they were produced.
BB
I have been asked by some (Chris USA and Gunfun1) who are amongst those who for some strange reason follow what I have to say, to expound upon the magazine I have come across for the Maximus. I have resisted going into much detail concerning it because it has not yet earned the coveted 3R rating.
I tested it twice yesterday with Air Arms Falcons and it jammed both times. I suspect that because these and the JSB RS pellets are so short, they are rolling when they drop into the bolt slot. I have yet to test other pellets, so I do not know if it will feed properly. I suspect it will work fine with other longer pellets, but I do not know as of yet.
They have asked for pictures and I have a few, but have not downloaded them to my ‘puter yet. here is a link to a review of these magazines on Crosman pistols.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZuRXEjLsas
If you really want to buy something that is not yet 3R rated, here is the link.
https://www.airgun-parts-shop.co.uk/
RR,
Thank you. I have seen that video before (may have been you that posted it). It is clear now what you are using/trying. In the video,… the one on the rifle worked flawlessly. Looking forwards to further reports from you.
Chris
RR
Checked out the website. Now I see what you are talking about.
The reason I was asking is because I have a couple handful of guns with the steel breech that the mag will fit.
I’m going to get one in .177 and .22 caliber.
Thanks for the link.
GF1,
Stay away from the short pellets that may roll in the loading slot. When you jam this bugga, it is no fun to clear.
RR
I will probably for now just get one for .177 caliber with the steel breech since most of my guns are .177 caliber. If it works nice then I’ll get one in .22 caliber for the steel breech.
And I use the JSB 10.34’s in my .177 guns. They are fairly long pellets compared to the Crosman Premiere pellets. So hopefully they will work out with no jams.
I’ll let you know once I get one.
RidgeRunner,
It has been years since I stopped working on my 22XX/25XX pistols, carbines, and rifles. I still shoot them Frequently when visitors drop in. I will await your thoughts on this multi-shot loader. Are you getting the plastic breech version or the steel breech one too?
Also does it look like it could be opened up to load .25 caliber pellets to make my 25XX happy?
shootski
shootski,
I would say no to the 25XX. Now, if you contact the dude in England, you may talk him into making one for you.
What I have is for the steel breech. It is likely to be a while before I do much modding with the 2240. There are four air rifles in front of it. I will be shooting it though. It is a real nice shooter, even if it is a little loud. I think I am going to need another TKO.
RidgeRunner,
One of the easiest mods is to shim the trigger with thin Brass or Nylon washers; it will make your shooting experience far better with any of the 17/22XX. It gets rid of the side to side slop. I have shot all manner of triggers and can make them work for me; so I’m NO trigger nazi. I have always felt a trigger that is inconsistent is the worst attribute a trigger group can have.
Watch out for that pesky little safety ball and spring; I always use a 2 gallon (or larger) ziplock bag to work inside of to keep those little beggars from departing for parts unknown.
shootski
B.B.
Sorry to correct the “godfather”, but all my HW 50’s only have one fore end stock screw. I do not know about the HW 30, but the HW 50 DOES NOT have 2 fore end screws.
Glad you had a relaxing holiday.
-Y
Yogi,
Okay, I should have temporized and said “many.” The HW 30S also has one forearm screw, and both it and the 50S have an articulated cocking link.
BB
I wish it did have two fore end screws. Two is always better than one!
-Y
I noted that the left side of the trigger assembly seems to have a hole for mounting the safety on the LEFT side (as my Marksman Model 70 has). Maybe this was an attempt at an ambidextrous safety feature?
When I last ran my Marksman 70 thru my Competition Electronics ProChrono Digital chronograph in January, 2018, I got:
High Low Average Ext Sprd Std Deviation
989…..971…..980……………18………………5
These numbers were produced with RWS Hobby’s (7.0 grain).
I was pretty pleased with this performance, so I’ve never seen a reason to disassemble it since I purchased in used around 1990 +/- a year. Never so much as took the stock off.
Given its very impressive accuracy, I would disagree that it doesn’t deserve a scope. I’ve had a 6-18 X 40 Bushnell on it since the first year I bought it. Not that there’s anything wrong with a peep sight, but this isn’t a Diana 27 or HW30. It’s more in the FWB 124 / Diana 34 class.
If I had to sell off most of my airguns for some reason, the Marksman 70 would be one of the very last to go. It’s an excellent gun by any measure despite it’s age.
Motorman
St. Louis, MO
Motorman,
Nor should you do anything to it. When an airgun works well we leave it alone!
BB
Murphy’s Third Law: If it works, don’t screw around with it.
I’ve gotten myself into trouble more than once by ignoring this advice. Old enough now to (mostly) listen and learn from it.
Motorman
St. Louis, MO
B.B.,
Does it feel like your day of doing nothing was ages ago… already? Always feels that way right quick to me every last time!
As the US Navy SEALs say, ‘Two is One; One is None.’
shootski
shootski,
Yes and no. It does feels ages ago, but I had it and I will remember that! It was a good day.
BB