by B.B. Pelletier
Today, we’ll look at the final part of Fred’s glass-bedding article about the Benjamin Trail NP XL. I held back on this part last week because that’s how Fred experienced it. In other words, the solution wasn’t instantaneous for him, and I wanted to separate the work from the final inspiration. Over to you, Fred!
by Fred of the People’s Republik of New Jersey
Benjamin Trail NP XL air rifle.
Let’s begin with a little review of the last report. After the bedding project was complete on the Benjamin Trail NP XL air rifle, I had to wait a week to get to my local shooting range so I could test the rifle at 30 yards. As I mentioned in the last report, it was a major disappointment for me, as the best group I could manage was 1.50 inches. There was no improvement whatsoever.
So tantalizing – 4 pellets within .875″ of each other…and then #5.
Like Mac in his review of this rifle, I was getting 3 or 4 pellets almost in a single hole or very close together, and then one or two pellets would ruin the group. On numerous occasions, my first pellet from this rifle would go right into the X-ring — and then the point of impact would shift from my point of aim. I felt it was a result of some part of the rifle shifting — the scope, the action in the stock or, as I’ve often wondered, the barrel pivot having some lateral play, allowing a different barrel position relative to the action every time the rifle was cocked. But I didn’t know for sure this contributed to this rifle’s inaccuracy.
This was achieved after the recrowning project, and it’s a representative target of what I would get with this rifle at that point in time. One shot dead on and then a shift of impact. This is a 28-foot target.
Then, after publication of the first part of this series, duskwight, our Russian blog reader, mentioned that he didn’t really trust breakbarrel rifles because of the pivot bolt potentially being a loose fit and destroying accuracy. It isn’t a problem when using fixed sights since the rear sight is mounted on the barrel along with the front sight, but a scope that mounts on the action does not maintain any sort of relationship with the barrel.
Out came my screwdriver, and I removed the action from the stock. I was rewarded with a bit of resistance as the action was now a tight fit. For the first time since I owned this rifle, I put the screwdriver onto the pivot bolt and found it to be moderately snug but not tight. Testing the barrel fit as I tightened the screw, I was able to turn the screw another three-quarter turn before reaching a point of not being able to turn it more without damaging the screw slot. While the cocking effort was now higher, it was still smooth and well within what I could handle.
At 28 feet, I put 4 pellets into a single hole measuring .4375 inches. The center-to-center dimension worked out to 0.218 inches, the best I’d ever achieved with this rifle. True, this was only 4 pellets, but I was running very low on the best pellets for this rifle.
Now, I had to go back to the range and test this final improvement at 30 yards. Since I was running out of H&N pellets, which were the most accurate pellets for this rifle, I had to use the last of them for the 30-yard test.
With only seven pellets remaining, I used one for sighting and then the rest. This is what I got:
Six pellets fit into a 1.125-inch group with the seventh pellet dismissed as a flyer — I pulled the trigger before I was ready. On a center-to-center basis, we’re talking 0.813 inches for the six pellets. I feel I’ve achieved my goal of getting this rifle to a point where it will hunt. I’m also confident that a better shooter could obtain a smaller group than I have.
Was it worth it?
Looking back on this entire project, it was obvious that the recrowning was a major improvement and definitely needed but more importantly, it reinforced in my mind that whenever I reach for a spring-piston or gas-spring rifle, my screwdriver needs to be at the ready so I can check all stock screws — and now the pivot screw for the barrel — before I start shooting.
Did the bedding and/or pillaring make a difference in this rifle? It’s impossible to say. Certainly, the proper procedure for making any type of changes is to make one change at a time and then an analysis of the results. I’m sure the bedding only helped and didn’t hurt. I’ll be on the lookout for the next inaccurate rifle and try my hand again as I readily enjoyed this entire episode. I learned a few things, and I hope you did, too.
Fred…
Glad you finally found it.
Did the barrel swing freely once cocked? That is a sure sign of this problem.
I have a Shadow that just flops once cocked.. And Gamo in their wisdom made the hinge bolt with a shoulder on it so it can’t be tightened. You have to get inventive to tighten up a pig popper.
twotalon
TT,
no, the barrel never flopped around. It always seemed to have enough tension to hold it in whatever place the barrel was in – gravity would not move the barrel. The new supply of H&N pellets came in last Friday but I left on vacation on Saturday so no further testing could be done.
I believe I’m in Lloyds’ country today – Charlottesville, VA, – and will finally get home Saturday so perhaps more testing Sunday.
Fred PRoNJ
Fred: enjoyed your blog and for me two things stand out about your rifle. The first is that you mention that on numerous times the first shot hits very close to, or on the point of aim. In a hunting rifle that is the one most desirable attribute a gun used for hunting can have.
The other is your discovery about the loose pivot bolt. On the Crosman breakbarrels they use a pair of plastic barrel washers that I find that wear . I have even made and fitted brass ones to replace the plastic ones. I have found that this is not so simple as the metal ones have to be fitted very carefully or they will not work any better. The breeches on these rifle vary a little bit from gun to gun. Those plastic washers are actually not a bad solutiuon to this problem, as they take up the space with out wearing out the breech pivot. Otherwise I suppose the guns would cost a great deal more. I now just buy a couple extra pairs from Crosman and change them when I feel they are done. You can buy a lifetime supply for about ten bucks. Also watch out for the hollow sleeve that the breech bolt rotates on . A couple of the ones I worked on were a couple thou to long, and prevented the bolt from tightening all the way so you get proper tension. The right fork of the tube is pulled into the sleeve on that side and againist the head of the bolt that bears on the other side of the sleeve when the bolt is tightened. Also moly the inside of that sleeve, and clean and loctite the treads on the end of the breech bolt. Regards ,Robert.
Great tip, Robert. I’ll keep this advice handy.
Fred PRoNJ
Fred,
Those pivot bolts will get You every time !! I don’t believe glass bedding will give You any improvements since the barrel never touches the stock anyway . This is a problem in rifles due to stock/forearm tension affecting harmonics of the barrel. Glad to see You getting into it. I hope You didn’t have to sleep outside after Roanoke !!
Wifey doesn’t know I came home with three rifles. By the way, I’m in Roanoke tomorrow. Gene, I am having fun working on these air rifles and while there are plenty of gun smithing books around for firearms, I never located one for air rifles so I’m in the position of teaching myself and learning from this blog.
Fred PRoNJ
Fred
Thank you for another great blog. Chasing down intermittent accuracy problems can be infuriating, particularly when it involves removing the scope, stripping the rifle, etc. over and over.
Nearly all the reviews I see for these rifles falls into two camps; those that love them, and those that have nothing but problems. I guess that is how Crosman is sometimes. I’m just happy my Marauder rifle in the dreaded .22 caliber is a tack driver. I have never had to do a thing to it. Hitting Dum-Dum lollipops at 30 yards is hopelessly easy (but not boring!)
Crosman can be bad enough anyway with their own stuff, but with their chinese imports all bets are off.
My Titan which is about the same rifle was a real pig. I still need another trigger assembly for it. Of course Crosman does not have a parts list for it. I need to find out if the assembly from one of their other guns will fit in it.
twotalon
Did the old assy break, or are you just done with it?
The assembly did not break, but it has a heat treating problem. The piston latching sear is too soft. If the rifle is left cocked too long it will hangfire. This is a very dangerous situation. I have had up to 2 or three second delay for it to let go.
This has happened after around 6 hours of being cocked, but could easily get much worse quickly.
I got the other numerous problems out of it already. After a LOT of work.
twotalon
Fred,
Thanks. I need these frequent reminders.
I’m usually pretty good about checking all the screws on a springer before I start shooting. Recently I was shooting rimfires and forgot to check the screws. I was so focused on the scope I had recently mounted being the problem that I didn’t check the screws until the next day. Felt like an idiot.
kevin
Kevin,
I’ve done very similar things, wasting valuable range time. I either realized that I overlooked something at closing time, which is REALLY frustrating when you still have everything out, but can’t shoot, or I realize it the next day.
Victor
Fred,
Much, much better. Nice work. Seems like inconsistent lockup is often the cause of inaccuracy in these break barrels.
The Remington (Crosman) Summit I have was a nightmare to work through. Like Robert from Arcade, I made new pivot washers–ground to size from hardened steel. The pivot bolt was undersize inside the hollow sleeve. Stippled the bolt to increase it’s OD then lapped it into the sleeve for a zero play fit. A CDC trigger and a Maccari spring & fitted homemade guide took care of the rest. Did this before anotherairgunblog–it might’ve made an interesting post.
Still wouldn’t hesitate to buy one. I still think they represent a very good deal provided you understand that there may be some work involved.
Okay, I feel better now.
That last target is what I’ve been getting with my Slavia at 30 yards. 6 or 8 shots will all be in a clump (maybe .75″-1″ across), then a couple will open it up to an inch and a quarter or a half. And at 30 feet I can put 10 shots in .25″
I think if I had the power (and the will) to hunt, I’d be happy…pretty sure of hitting an inch at 20 or 25 yards, but I pretty much just punch paper and I probably am woo’d by all that talk of PCP .25″ groups at 50 yards.
I’m heading out this weekend with a couple of tins of JSB Exacts in different skirt sizes. If I could get a consistent 1″ group at 25 or 30yds I’d be happy.
CSD
Is it possible the bore needs a cleaning? It is amazing the difference that can make. And it is so easy on breakbarrels. I love my CZ rifles.
SL, I’ve wondered that myself. I read so much that says that low powered guns seldom (if ever) need cleaning.
But realistically this gun has at least 5000+ shots through it.
I guess I’m hesitant because of my Avanti 853c. It’s a tack-driver…on most days I can hit the 10 90% of the time…yet it easily has 10,000+ shots on the clock.
If I don’t get tighter groups with the new pellets I’m taking out this weekend I’ll try giving the barrel a cleaning…than start the pellet hunt over again.
But something brought up above might be an issue. You say you have CZ’s Slinging, so maybe you can provide input. When I cock the Slavia the barrel is definitely not ‘tight’. It will swing back and forth quite easily, though there seems to be no side to side play. Because it has those little lock screws on the pivot screw I’ve always assumed that there was really no way for it to become loose.
So SL (or b.b.) is your Slavia barrel tight or free swinging?
CSD
My Slavia barrel used to be a wee bit looser than I liked. All it took was to tighten the breech bolt just a tad. I didn’t even loosen the lock screw as I did not need that much adjustment, there was enough play to move the bolt just enough. I have not shot groups at distance with this gun yet, but you have piqued my curiosity! Mine came with a micrometer adjustable rear peep sight, and a Diana front globe that accepts inserts. I have been shooting it at 10 yards mostly and have shot the best open sight groups I ever have achieved with this rifle.
I will have to mount a scope and stretch her legs a little bit.
SL…I guarantee at 10yds you’ll be amazed. As I said in a previous post, at this distance it truly rivals my Avanti.
Even at 25 yds it is delivering tight groups. It just seems that 100ft (33yds) the groups start to open up, and this is outdoors. Who knows, if I had a 100ft indoor range perhaps the groups would still be tight.
It’s this last 6 or 7 yards that is suffering, which is why I think I’ve hit either the distance level of a 495fps gun (outdoors in a breeze), or I need to find a pellet that bucks the wind just a bit better.
Fred,
Good end to a good job! I can sense the pride you have in healing this wounded soldier. I appreciate the fact that you’re sticking to and enjoying the process rather than becoming a frustrated closet stuffer. Also, thanks for the reminder to check for screw tightness before beginning a session. I need this reminder. I’m beginning to think I need a pre-shoot checklist hanging on my range wall.
Chuck,
Just got into Roanoke and started reading the comments list. Chuck, you are right on the money about a pre-shoot checklist for these breakbarrels. I haven’t gotten to the bottom of the comments but let me put my new “checklist” here: (1) screwdriver out and double check all stock screws – either before I put the rifle away or before I start shooting (2) Don’t forget pivot bolt – grab barrel and see if I can rock it side to side (pivot thrust washers may need to be replaced). Probably a good idea to apply Locktite to the screws if they keep on loosening. (3) grab scope and see if it moves side to side, up or down or front to rear – any felt movement means the hex head screws need to be snugged down (4) if first pellets don’t seem to be hitting accurately, get out the can of silicon spray lube, spray around the breech seal generously and then fire another pellet while watching for a nice cloud of silicon lube. If a silicon cloud comes from the breech – action border, time for a new o ring or shim the one in there. If all that fails, clean the darn barrel with JB bore paste. And if that fails, now it’s time to get serious – re-crown, glass bed, send it back to Gene at PA and tell him “the rifle won’t hunt” and fix it. It is under warranty, right? (Kidding, Gene).
Fred PRoNJ
Wow! Excellent check list. A couple things there I never thought of. Thanks for that.
Off topic but, anyone eles get the PA email this morning about reviewing the new site and getting gift cards for your input? I have lots of input, but where do I send it to get the $5 e-card? I need to buy some bkl mounts and some pellets and that would help me out. (the
p.s. anyone have a number for a Air gunsmith in DFW? i live in denton and my tank and BSPP adapter are stuck together on my AF talon, I’ve had the stupid POS 5 years and have had less than 100 pellets threw it. It may be the most Accurate I own but its also the biggest PITA and most upgrades are too costly. (24″ barrel I cannot find under $175) no price on a decent shroud, (needs a additional stock or but-pad to really be effective, etc. for all that money (or for less than i bought this gun i could buy an Ideal CZ-452 american with a left handed stock and lefty bolt action. that doesn’t need anything out of the box except ammo.
(sorry for the rant just pissed for buying this thing and never getting to use it i guess)
I have no clue how to sell this thing other than air-gun classifieds, where you you get a shipping box to ship these things? is there going to be a roanoke air-gun show soon? I may be able to trade or sell there?
back to topic, I dont think I would ever own a Trail XL, I gave away my break-barrel and if I ever bought one it would be an R7, but I won’t buy one because it doesn’t have open sights, (send this comment to manufacture please so they get the hint), Id even buy 2 of them but they are missing a key feature.
while on the rant of manufactures ill state this. Why hasn’t Daisy built a repeater version of the 499? u think people wouldn’t want a match grade repeater bb gun? i know i would, if i could just get a red ryder with a slightly smaller dia smoothbore Id be happy with that. much less a awesome 499 style repeater with a front globe and a rear peep. can i get a +1 for the idea? 😛
Casey,
Click on the image in the body of the email message.
The link takes you to the new site’s home page.
In the upper right corner of the page, you’ll see a link that says $5 for your 2¢.
Click that link & follow the instructions to submit your bug or error.
Edith
Edith
Oooo, I have a big one, it should be worth $10 at least. On the homepage for the new site, there is a graphic with 2 images of Paul, and only one image of Crystal?! Doesn’t anybody edit these things? It doesn’t take a genius to put that one together.
SL,
I must be dense. I don’t understand what you’re saying.
Edith
You aren’t dense, I am fluent in gibberish.
The gist of my post was, Crystal > Paul. Typical male stuff. Pay no attention to me.
I’ll admit that I understood exactly what Slinging Lead was saying.
Matt61
Sorry Edith, but Slinging Lead was not talking gibberish.
Any picture of the gal is worth 6 of the guy. Who cares if he can shoot! 😉
-AlanL
AlanL,
And I guess…who cares if she can shoot? Did I get that right? 🙂
Edith
Absolutely!! 😀
-AlanL
AlanL,
I guess we should just put pictures of pretty girls on the Pyramyd AIR pages. Well, that makes it real easy.
I’ll never forget one of the old Bob Hope USO tours on TV. Jayne Mansfield was on the stage, and she asked Bob, “What do you want me to do?” (since she couldn’t sing or dance or act). A guy yelled out, “Breathe!”
I guess you were that guy 🙂
Edith
But she can shoot! Ask Tom!
Other than that, she is a very appealing young lady. She seems to be the quintessential girl next door… except 10X cuter. If it were not for these intangibles gathered through scrupulous viewing of American Airgunner episodes, she would not be nearly as appealing.(She’s smart too!)
Are you sure it wasn’t SlingingLead??
Go look at the BestAirguns site and get your fill…
Frank
I am not that classy. I would have said “take it off!”
This:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sophia_and_jayne.jpg
is one of my favorite photographs of all time. Two of Hollywood’s most stunning women, ready to claw each others eyes out.
Edith,
The links in the email don’t work for me. Could you post the URL for the new website here instead?
Thanks,
Bobby
/
You can also find the link on the old website…it’s right next to the Pyramyd AIR logo 🙂
Edith
Edith,
Thanks for the reply and information, Although it wasn’t exactly the issue i was having, The page wasn’t loading and was giving me a NET_ERROR. Possibly due to high Internet traffic the old site was loading fine. I eventually was able to make it happen. Thanks for the reply!
J-F
thanks for the vote! I knew that I wasn’t the only one with this idea. Although wish I had the funds to make it a reality!
Kevin,
Thanks for the information, You answered a good portion of my questions without fail! your awesome, however, a couple things, the r7 has a Ambidextrous Stock, which is more appealing off the bat, I am a left handed shooter so the r7 wins there, also the cocking effort is less which plays a big role win my spouse wants to shoot with me. or win im out plinking in the backyard. ect. Not to mention the new r7 looks amazing! Anyway its not even that important just the only break-barrel I would want to buy if it was made slightly different. thanks for the great info on the boxes and other!
Frank B,
The AirForce 1/8″ and 1/4″ BSPP Refill Adapter set is stuck on the tank, if i could <img src a picture to this I would show you, I have tried many different wrenches and I can't get the thing off, I believe this is because my friend was looking at the setup and pulled the round seal ring out of the inside of the adapter, I have the ring its black rubber and can fit around a finger. i think my only option right now is to have some metal shop, with access to a heavy duty Vice and other heavy duty tools. it was tightened then when I started to fill the tanks i could hear the air coming out after 20psi. and when i found the seal i was like WTF!!!(ANGRY FACE). I had just bought the Benjamin Disco combo a month before and finally got to shoot it maybe one fill up @ 3000 psi. So since I bought it(both of them actually) at PA in 2006 its mostly sat in its original case since owned. Im looking at over $200 just to shoot it again which sucks. I doubt I wanna keep pouring money into a gun like a old beater car. I want to sell them both actually and just have a nice multi purpose repeater (maybe the P-Rod :-)).
Chuck,
You are forgiven 🙂 i bled out the air before removing the hose (using Beni hand pump) the problem is the seal was removed. Also it sits in the original box it came, pulled some additional pieces for etra parts a bought, i have the AF open sights, a nice leapers 4-16-50 i believe, a scuba refill i never used, ect. thanks for your input I appreciate it.
B.B.,
Yes its fine, can I just casually walk into the factory? Iv'e always wanted to check it out but thought it would be of limits for some reason.
Thanks!
Loren
Im talking about the AirForce 1/8" and 1/4" BSPP Refill Adapter set which is what it is called @ PA.
thanks for all the help this is my favorite blog its the first thing I READ/Do when I wake up.
Sounds like a second excuse to take the unit to AirForce… It’s been five years and I think that’s the time span for the hydrostatic test to be run on the tank too…
Maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll just swap you a current production tank (one can dream, can’t one) and adapter.
Casey,
No, you can’t just casually walk into the AirForce factory. But since you live in Denton, which is about 30 miles from the factory, it will only cost about $10 to FedEx your gun to them for repairs.
Now, if your parts are so tight that they need a vice to disassemble, then they have been manhandled and nobody’s gun can take abuse like that. So I’m assuming you bought this gun used? Or how did it get jammed together this way? Was somebody trying to tighten the assembly against air leaks with the o-ring missing? Because that’s impossible to do.
You absolutely need that large o-ring in the adaptor. And if you watched the video that comes with the gun, I tell you to put some silicone on that o-ring, just like you would on any other o-ring in a pneumatic system. But you obviously haven’t watched the video, which makes me think you bought the gun used.
Nothing wrong with that, except the former owner may have screwed around and done things to your rifle that aren’t right. Fortunately AirForce charges reasonable rates for their parts and labor, so you can get this abuse reversed and get that rifle shooting again. And because they are so close to you, the turnaround time will be short.
You ask where to get a shipping box. All AirForce rifles come in a foam-lined box that’s perfect for shipping. Just slip it inside a larger box for protection and FedEx can slap on the label. But if you don’t have the original box, is it necessary to send in the entire rifle? If so, because it comes apart, there are many boxes available that will hold it and the tank. If you can send in just the tank you’re in an even better position.
B.B.
As i stated i bought the gun new from PA, didn’t use it until a year or 2 later when I also purchased a DISO combo(from PA) that came with the hand pump, had it a month until a friend pulled the seal out without telling me, i did see the DVD and guess what, You were the Instructor! how do i know, cause i have the DVD still as well as everything that came when the gun new. Yes i obviously DID do all that and if you read what i wrote you’d see i found the o ring after i tried filling the tank and hearing it leak like a *****.
sorry if i sound a little heated but your making all these assumptions without really knowing what happend. I know it was my fault for not checking the adapter before i put it on, but I hadn’t recently pulled the seal out. surprise! it was out and there was my WTF Moment! needless to say all my stuff is not left out anymore so the problem shouldn’t happen again.
Casey,
R7 vs. HW30
Didn’t know you were left handed. The cocking effort on these two guns is identical since the actions are identical. Only the stocks differ.
If you’re serious about an R7 because the stock is ambidextrous why not just buy a front and rear sight from PA? I prefer a lightweight scope since the R7 is accurate enough to warrant one. It’s an accurate, easy to cock springer with the terrific rekord trigger that is like eating peanuts or popcorn when you shoot it. You can’t stop.
kevin
You get my vote for the 499 repeater. Too bad you can’t get the barrel alone, it would be great in the redryders and the mod.25 and maybe another one to cut in pieces for a few BB pistols.
J-F
Casey,
Hope you can get the talon fixed. Never owned a talon/condor so don’t have any suggestions about a fix. Don’t know of an airgunsmith in the DFW area. Sorry.
You can cut down a larger cardboard box or buy a sheet of cardboard at an office supply store and make a shipping box for a gun. Retail Golf stores frequently have surplus boxes that golf clubs are shipped in and they make good shipping boxes for guns. Uline.com sells shipping supplies and have cardboard boxes for shipping guns (4 x 8 x 52). Minimum order is 15 boxes though. They cost less than $2.00 a box.
I’ve successfully sold many airguns on the yellow classifieds since there’s no charge. I’ve sold a few on gunbroker. The Roanoke airgun show is usually in October.
If you want sights on an R7 look for an older one or consider buying a new HW30 from PA since it comes with sights.
Match grade gun and repeater are diametrically opposed in my experience.
kevin
Casey,are you saying the charge adaptor won’t unthread from the tank itself?? That shouldn’t be a huge problem…..and certainly shouldn’t require a gunsmith.First off,I would disconnect the charge adaptor from the hose to make things easier to work with.Do you hae any neighbors that you suspect
have some basic tools?? A pair of channel locks,pipe wrench….or a large strap wrench should do the trick.In a worst case scenario you could bring it to a plumbing supply or a plumber…..it might cost
a six pack and take a few minuites.I suspect that the lg. O-ring in the chg. adaptor may hae been missing when you put it on the tank.If the pressure wasn’t bled the fitting would stay locked on…FWIW.
Neal Stepp at ISS may be able to help you: http://www.iss-internationalshootersservice.com/ammunition.html
pz
Casey,
Forgive me if I’m stating the obvious but I don’t know what steps you’ve taken so far to resolve your Talon issue.
One thing that could be fighting against you (someone else alluded to this, also) is that there is too much air pressure in the rifle preventing removal. You must bleed the pressure off before you can do anything. If you can shut the tank off do so and fire the gun to relieve the pressure. If you can’t shut the tank off you’ll have to fire it until the pressure is gone from the tank, too.
If the gun is bled then the previous suggestion of getting some plumbing tools is about your only recourse.
As far as packing: for you it’s a little too late for this advice, but ALWAYS save the original box and packing. Having the original box not only helps in returning a gun but also increases the resale value of the gun many times. As is, if you can’t find a rifle box as suggested in someone else’s reply, visit your local grocery store and get a box from them with enough cardboard to fashion one.
I have a Talon SS and dearly love it. I’m sorry to hear you’re having so much trouble.
Chuck,the tank cannot be on the gun if the BSPP (British standard parralell pipe) fitting is in place.
If on a scuba tank filler or even a hand pump,it is VERY possible the pressure hasn’t been bled from the fill source! Especially if it is his first PCP……as a plumber,the only other scenario I see as being likely would be if the Oring wasn’t in place on the recieving edge,causing him to overtighten things to try to seal it.Cross threading is very unlikely on coarse threads,especially steel ones of that diameter.Since he stated there were less than 100 pellets through it…..I suspect the habit of bleeding it hasn’t yet become….well….a habit.Casey,we’ll get you fixed up.Even if you need to send it (the tank) to me in Alabama(free of charge,I’ll even pay return shipping).I have a Condor and a Talon…..love them both! I hate hearing you haen’t been able to shoot it for so many years! I would have gone nuts.
LOL at this I didn’t read it iv’e been AFK all day but im back! and yes I get to shoot @ my fathers place. It’s north around the Lake Ray Robert’s area but in the country, I skeet shoot often out there and have other Firearms. Also trying not to spend lots of money, on the lookout for a few new things:
Anyone selling a Savage model 24?
also looking for a nice PPC style revolver.
or a Remington International youth .410
LOL I love both firearms and Air-guns alike. I think I have a gun problem…;-)
Casey,
Ha Ha! Gun problem? Man, have you come to the right place. We know how to feed that puppy!
Casey,
AirForce makes the gun in Fort Worth. Is that close enough?
B.B.
Casey
I don’t know what a BSPP adaptor is but if you are talking about the co2 adaptor, you will need to fire the gun till most of the co2 is depleted then the the adaptor will unscrew.
Loren
You just gave me one of those WTF moments. This is worse than the time I was driving down a back road and saw a big black goat tied to a stop sign. If there had been an al-quida or taliban right behind it wearing hip waders it might have made more sense (next best thing to a camel).
The only way I can see this happening are….
The fill line has not been bled.
You put it on with a couple of pipe wrenches so tight that it pulled the threads.
The threads are seriously mismatched for size (too loose) and the pressure from the fill is pulling and freezing the threads.
twotalon
my hands count as pipe wrenches? lol i replied to everyone when I replied to edith, its stuck because the seal is out. maybe I will try to contact AF directly later this week, probably about a hour drive from me to there.
cheers.
It should have leaked like hell when you tried to fill it.
twotalon
it did, and i stated that it DID leak, i fill my discovery fine, its leaking cause the seal is out all of which i stated…
Sorry…too much beer. I did not read everything.
twotalon
Edith,
Pyramyd send me adds on my E-mail they have always worked until the new one.
No pictures and anything I click on I get the message( Safari can’t find the server)
are they having a problem or is it at my end?
The latest one is about the new site, and it looks like the new site’s server got slammed with a bunch of hits. I couldn’t even get to the new site this morning to verify or check some of the reported errors.
Edith
They must be flooded with bugs report.
I sent a few ones in, my mags shouldn’t cost me too much 😉
It says I’m suppose to receive an email confirmation but haven’t got anything, is this another bug of the new site (5$) or are they getting so much bug reports that the system can’t keep up with the demand?
Or is it on my side (-5$)
J-F
J-F,
We’re working as fast as we can. If you don’t hear anything by tomorrow, let me know.
Edith
That’s what I figured.
No hurry. I’ll Let you know if they come in or not (I sure hope I don’t have to resubmit everything).
If I can help you guys out in any other way just tell me, I have windows 7 and windows XP, explorer and chrome. I can also use use safari on my iPhone.
J-F
J-F,
Just found out that the emails are going out very quickly. You should have gotten yours by now. Are you sure you hit the submit button when you sent in your bugs/errors?
Send me an email at edith@pyramydair.com with the email address and name you used for your submission. I’ll check my email archives and see if I can find your submission (I get them but I’m not the one who answers them). If I can’t, that means your submission never made it and you’ll have to resubmit it.
Edith
Fred, well congratulations on getting it done. I’m with duskwight in my suspicion of breakbarrels and affinity for the fixed geometry. Even so, both my sidelevers have needed their screws tightened; I just had someone else do it.
SimonHenton, I can explain my osmosis idea better. My understanding is that the principle is at work in the process of salting slugs. By sprinkling salt on the outside of a slug, you increase the salt concentration outside of them. The water inside them will rush toward the salt to dilute the concentration leaving the slug dried out. So my vision is that ingesting salt while thirsty will heighten the need for water even more as the biological systems seek to reduce the salt concentration inside you. However, I suppose that human biology is more complex than this and what you’re doing is really replacing electrolytes that have been voided or sweated out and the resulting osmotic imbalance is not significant. Maybe that’s why salt tablets are not useful but electrolyte/energy drinks are. Incidentally, I reread the Gunga Din poem and I see that it is a poem about serious thirst. Indeed, the heat last week did “make my bloomin’ eyebrows crawl.”
Victor, wow that is pretty crazy with your dive shop. Imagine if someone had tried to go diving with the tanks from that place. It always amazes me when someone who has no idea what they are talking about asserts themselves with utter confidence. I don’t get it. Aren’t they embarrassed? And what is the big deal about just being clear with what you know and what you don’t know?
Using the bubble-level to help achieve a natural point of aim and good body position makes a lot of sense. My trepidation came from reading David Tubb who installed a bubble level on the front sight of his Tubb Rifle. Apparently, his right eye would jump back and forth between the front and rear sights while his left eye would check the bubble level. It gives me a headache just to think about it.
B.B., the mystery with the Lee-Enfield is solved! The answer is highly embarrassing but after all this fuss I am bound to report. What I was interpreting as an obstruction to the bolt was this spring pressure you were talking about. That is one stiff spring. I need to realize how tough these military rifles are. This is just like my experience with my M1 which I thought had a broken safety because it required so much force. I’ve kept in mind the maxim that you should never force things when working with tools, but I suppose sometimes you do. Once I began applying some force, the bolt moved forward, and then things happened exactly as you said. It’s just that the bolt head rotates at the receiver notch near the chamber, not behind the receiver bridge at the rear of the action.
So, last night I finally got to try out the fabled Lee-Enfield action. It’s smooth all right, but what surprised me more was the difference in the feel of the cock-on-closing action which is different from the Mauser-based actions of most hunting rifles which cock on opening. There is a lot of force on the spring and it is not just confined to rotating the bolt downwards but starts before the bolt closes on the breech. However, this same force causes the bolt to really rocket backwards when you open it creating a lot potential energy real or perceived to rebound forward and chamber the next round. There’s a kind of smooth explosiveness. I wasn’t able to go very fast–especially not after hitting myself in the face (the bolt stroke is not that short and the buttstock is), but I can see how you could really work this action fast. You folks have got to try this. I was starting to think that a gun is a gun, but this is quite the interesting new experience.
Matt61
Matt
Congrats on your new purchase! Between this, the M1 and your Anschutz, you are what we say in the south ‘$hi++ing in high cotton.’ Only the Mosin-Nagant and a Mauser to go.
As I understand it, the salt we speak of in hydration is a vague term. Salt as most of us think of it is NaCl. This exists in high concentrations in the ocean. Drinking it when dehydrated will facilitate your death in a most painful way.
Our bodies depend on salts to efficiently transmit the electronic signals our nerves send. The salts best for this are Potassium and Magnesium. If these salts are severely depleted due to sweating, drinking plain water will rehydrate, but leave the body stressed.
As far as salting slugs, no science in that. Just good old fashioned fun. 😛
Fred,
Congratulations on finishing your project. It seems you really got almost everything out of this rifle. Well, you got an experience and you can say you’re not afraid to work with your hands. I think that’s the main result of all the things happened.
duskwight
Duskwright,
I’m not finished yet! Remember I’ve been complaining alot about the trigger. I replaced the trigger with what is known here as a GRT III trigger by a fellow in Simpsonville, South Carolina (Charlie da Tuna)
https://charliedatuna.com/GRT-III%20Trigger%20New.htm
and never really started to adjust it as I recall, his instructions said to leave it alone the way you received it. I just read another comment on installation and adjustment on a different websites that leads me to believe that I can obtain better feel and letoff from this trigger. By the way, you and several others had obviously correctly diagnosed my problem but I couldn’t tell you and was it Chuck(?) were correct without giving everything away.
More experimentation!
Fred PRoNJ
Finally, a very public thank you to Tom (whoever he is 🙂 and Edith for a super job of editing my blog. You really made it read much better than the original version.
Fred PRoNJ
B.B.
I can finally boast 🙂
This is my synchro and main coupling all together. Main tube just won’t fit the shot. Unpolished (yet), but all the working surfaces are polished, hardened and match to hair’s width.
http://i52.tinypic.com/29xxc1d.jpg
duskwight
duskwight,
What a beautiful mechanism. Even if I didn’t know what it did I would want one!
It must be very satisfying to have come this far in your project. Your machinist does nice work. Those gears look quite accurate.
I can’t wait to see more.
B.B.
Duskwright,
Nice rack on that thing! I’m glad I got to see a picture. You’ve been referring to the “synchro” and I’ve been picturing the electronic rotary resolver type of synchro and couldn’t make anything work in my minds eye. Now it makes sense!
Beautiful assembly.
Lloyd
Hey guys I checked the Baldwinsville air gun show location and it seems really small from the satellite… How many tables should I expect.
wprejs,
There will be about 40-45 tables. That’s about 100 times as many airguns as a good gun show might have.
B.B.
Fred,
Admirable job. You have passed along some good tips to us. I am always amazed at the accuracy break barrels can achieve, given the inherent shortcomings of the whole hinge-lock-up deal.
You in Roanoke on business? I live about 40 minutes east on I 64 as you pass Staunton on the way home. The welcome mat is always there for airgunners. It’s outside the door to my shop….. sorry, can’t let ’em in the house, ya know. (Just joking) My dad raised racing pigeons and I remember my mom talking about dad’s “damn pigeon buddies”. They had to use the bushes out behind one of the lofts! LOL. My wife is a lot more tolerant.
Lloyd
Fred,
I just re-read and see that you are on vacation and have me on the airgun map. Actually, the wife is out of town until Friday anyway! The offer is open.
Lloyd
Lloyd, just came back from my favorite BBQ joint (Wild Wood Smoke House on Electric Avenue) and introduced the wifey to some of Virginia’s good food. Am in the Marriott Courtyard across from the airport and tomorrow will be touring downtown Roanoke. The purpose is scouting out a place to retire. I only have 51 months and 19 days to go so time is of the essence! Plans are to tour downtown and maybe look at real estate ads and then boogie on up to Lexington, VA.
I don’t know how flexible your job is but if you would like to meet for lunch around here, it would be on us. Don’t think you’re getting off free as I’d be asking you a lot of questions about life here.
You can get me at cyclealleyriders@gmail.com
PC is on till 11 tonight.
Fred PRoNJ
Fred,
Sent email last night.
Lloyd
Fred,
Thanks for subjecting yourself to all this pain, so that we can all learn something valuable. We usually learn best through our own efforts, but that’s not to say that we can learn well through others efforts.
Victor
I meant to say “can’t learn …”.
More importantly, only you can claim the pride in having done this for yourself, by yourself. Good job!
Victor