Is my Spring worn out?

[JackReid 35]

Bad news on this end.

 

All started the otherday when I cocked my rifle pulling the barrell down and it didnt lock into place, it wasnt catching.

 

Repeasted the process and it did lock and al lwas fine. This has happened once or twice a shoot for a week.

 

Then today hitting some targets it wouldnt lock down at all, I tried and tried bring the barrell down but it wasnt catching at all.

 

So I jumped into the car to gunsmiths, he takes it out the stock, takes the trigger unit out and fiddles with the Sear thingymabob which wasnt catching.

 

Somehow he got it fixed put the trigger back in and done!

 

He said that he better fire a shot or two through it to make sure it was ok, so into the room with the chronograph and he fired in a 'yellow pages' directory.

 

I asked him 'are you chrono'ing it?' and he said no but he could if I wanted so he did. Last time I got it done it was dangerously close to 12ftlb so I was interested to see what it was now.

 

'Its well bellow power' he said. :censored:

 

So we tried a few diff pellets and 9ftlb was the highest we got! What the !?

So we started talking about it and he mentioned that the gun was running really smooth and bedded in which it is, and asked how much its been used how old etc...

 

Its prob 3 years minimum and fired sooooooooooo many pellets. Like 20,000 + easy.

A Weihrauch shouldnt die in this ammount of time..

We discussed the options and how long the gun could have been running at this.

 

I have been doing well with it aswell recently but not shooting beyond 40 meters really and had good results. However last night and earlier today I was firing alot of shots low of the bull, and put it down to me. Having taken the scope off to sort the sear engagement it couldnt go and test this hypothesis as I had to rezero her and obbviously would be re-zeroing to a 9ftlb trajectory!! I must say it doesnt feel any weaker...

 

This drop in power could have happened recently quite quickly, or slowly over the last 6 months I dont know...

 

So I suggested with so many shots gone through it the spring was tired or whatever. This gun goes back to the days where I was a newb and took 200 shots to zero and stuff so its seen a lifetime of action already with only a few scratches o nthe stock to show for it.

 

He said a new spring could probably fix it, but he says he would usually do a full service replacing seals etc whenever he replaced springs. He suggested you could changeb the spring and still find it under but unlikely.

 

To make things worse on the counter was the same gun, a HW95K bbut with a nicer wood stock in .177 sold as used for £225.... It was untouched and he knew the rich guy who bought it, fired a tin of pellets and then bought a HW100.

 

I tried another gunsmith to se eif he would buy mine with an old scope for cheap, a well bedded HW95K. I would have sold for real cheap aswell just to give me enough cash to get this new HW95K in .177 and totally fresh stock etc. Would have been like a fresh start with the same gun minus all the early days of firing hundreds of shots through it just trying to get good when I was younger.. However he had a full rack of guns and was interested in exchange not buying this time.

 

Here are my options..

1: Pay for him to fit new spring - cost = unknown but also risk of gun still being underpower or firing shitty.

2: Pay for full service, replaced spring, seals the lot - cost = 75 quid + having to bed the gun in again

3: Pay for a full service with sandwell fieldsports (apparently they are the dogs so it will eliminate any worries of it not being a nice gun to fire after)- cost = 75 quid? Plus sending it there and back.

 

4. Just keep using it at a maximum of 30 meters or so and get chronographed regularly to see if it drops further until after summer when i can think about buying a new gun. However I cant really afford one at the moment while being a student and this .177 HW95K on his counter will go in no time! Thats the only gun I can afford at the mo really and its a good deal.

 

I will add that the guns making no bad noises etc that suggests a snap i nspring or whatever...

 

HELP ME!!!

 

Jack

[zini 1,939]

Jack,

 

There is only one thing that I would do if I was you mate looking at the prices of your other options and that is to send your rifle to Tony Wall at SFS.

 

I can personally voucher for his work and have bought 4 tuned Weihrauchs from him with the one I am picking up in July mate.

 

He is the dogs nads mate and what he doesnt know about tuning a springer isnt worth knowing.

 

Your rifle would shoot better, more consistent and smoother than it ever did do pal I promise you that with my hand on my heart.

 

You know me mate, I love my shooting and take it very seriously and I wouldnt go back 4 times if he wasnt the best.

 

Basically mate your rifle would come back better than the day it was made. (fact)

 

It would be well worth the money pal, the man is a legend.

 

Si

Edited May 27, 2010 by zini

[JackReid 35]

Yeah I here you buddy. Shall I phone him and say you passed me on and discuss things with him price etc? Jack

 

p.s I f g hate being a skint student!

Edited May 27, 2010 by JackReid

[andyfr1968 772]

Hi, Jack.

 

If the barrel's catching as you cock the gun and the trigger's not engaging reliably, sounds like the spring's broken.

 

£75 to service a 95??????? FFS, it's 20 min. job and about £20 worth of gear. They are a doddle to work on. Stock off, trigger removed by tapping out the two retaining pins, unscrew the breach block from the cylinder, be careful as it's about to seperate 'cos if the spring is good, it'll have about 40mm of pre-load.

 

The piston seals on HW springer's never normally fail, the breach seal's may get damaged but that's a 2 min job.

 

Good luck, fella and let us know how you get on.....

 

Cheers.

[zini 1,939]

Yeah you can do buddy .

 

Just say Si Pittaway who is in the army in Germany and it picking up the tuned HW97KT in early July put me on to you.

 

He will know who you mean then pal.

 

I have had a

 

.22 HW97K

.177 Spectre carbine (based on a HW95K with thumbhole stock)

.177 HW95K

and a HW97KT (my new gun) from Tony all tuned by him mate and believe me when i say it the 3 i shot were all perfect rifles and shot like a dream.

 

Si

[andyfr1968 772]

I've heard a lot of good things about Tony Wall and his work.

 

The money he charges for the work put in to proprely tune a gun is a bargin but the £75 you've been quoted for just a basic service is a little steep to say the very least.

 

Cheers.

[zini 1,939]

I agree Andy mate, £75 for a service

 

For £75 with Tony you get the service and tune mate all in and i rate him this much pal that if your gun comes back and its not the best its ever been i'll personally give you you money back Jack.

 

Si

Edited May 27, 2010 by zini

[stealthy1 3,964]

£75 for a full service and spring is good if the gunsmith changes the seals while he has it apart too

[zini 1,939]

I paid £50 or £60 i cant quite remember on my BSA Airsporter in Bedale for a new spring and seals and abit of a tune.

 

It was better than when i got it but nothing and i mean nothing, not even close to Tonys work.

 

Si

[andyfr1968 772]

£75 for a full service and spring is good if the gunsmith changes the seals while he has it apart too

 

Honestly, mate you really would have the whole job done in less than half an hour on one of those.

 

All HW springer's are so easy to work on, it's not true. Very well designed and built. Removing the piston only requires the cocking link to be taken off (one pin!!), then the piston just slides out.

 

£110 per hour labour from your local gunshop? Bit much, me thinks...

 

Cheers.

[JackReid 35]

Yeh well my knowledge of tuning etc is nothing compared to you lots., I think for 75 quid he meant he would change spring service it all cleaned up change seals or whatever. What is it that goes beyond this that we call 'tuning'? (Dont worry about giving me the whole shibang just basics). Basically I'm asking what will Tony do which is better than this guy for the same price (apart from his skills at doing it all)? Will he be replacing lots of parts or what?? Sorry for confused post - still feel a bit delerious with this food poisoning! Jack

[andyfr1968 772]

I paid £50 or £60 i cant quite remember on my BSA Airsporter in Bedale for a new spring and seals and abit of a tune.

 

It was better than when i got it but nothing and i mean nothing, not even close to Tonys work.

 

Si

Bedale? Was that with Kevin Burrel, by any chance?

[zini 1,939]

Yes Andy it was mate.

 

Si

[andyfr1968 772]

Yes Andy it was mate.

 

Si

 

Bloody hell, small world!! I used to work with Kevin 20 odd years ago in a gun shop in Leeds.

 

Edit... He used to do the shotguns and other firearms back then, he didn't like working on airguns, so I used to do all the work on them. Bloody good with woodwork as I remember. Made some lovely stocks.

Edited May 27, 2010 by andyfr1968

[stealthy1 3,964]

£75 for a full service and spring is good if the gunsmith changes the seals while he has it apart too

 

Honestly, mate you really would have the whole job done in less than half an hour on one of those.

 

All HW springer's are so easy to work on, it's not true. Very well designed and built. Removing the piston only requires the cocking link to be taken off (one pin!!), then the piston just slides out.

 

£110 per hour labour from your local gunshop? Bit much, me thinks...

 

Cheers.

 

 

I do my own guns, but £75 all in with all the seals including piston seal, if you dont want to do it your self is good, the last Vmach kit I bought cost me £50