I'm an Airgun enthusiast...

Bad Karma

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It feels so good to get that off my chest. ;-)

One of the symptoms is constantly searching out ways to improve the performance, and accuracy of the airguns. In that pursuit, I've come across a design for an O-Ring sealed piston cap. Someday I'd like to make them myself but for now I'll need to find a talented machinist to make one for me.. the finished cap will look something like this
oring3.jpg


Or this if done in Delrin or as is the case here, in Moly filled 6/6 nylon rod.
oring2.jpg


This is one of Ed's shop drawings for a similar 26mm piston he did some time ago.
oring1.jpg


The gun I'd be working with, an HW97K has a sliding compression tube and piston which I could send to whoever feels like tackling the project... the compression tube looks like this:
oring hw77-compression-tube.jpg
and the piston looks like this:
oring weihrauch-hw97-piston-complete.jpg




Looks like a challenging prospect to me but as I said, I'm not a machinist. What say the collective? Thanks for looking.

Steve
 
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Hi Bad Karma,

First off, welcome to the site! Awesome bunch of guys here with some seriously mind-boggling talent & a super friendly bunch, too…I think you are gonna like it here.

I’m a huge airgun enthusiast also…more like a fanatic! In fact, airguns are 100% the reason for buying a small lathe in the first place, & subsequently, joining here (gotta learn how to properly use it, right?) More into PCP’s myself, but do have a .22 Benji Trail nitro piston just to change things up once in awhile. Just started making chips for a scratch-built Cr 2260 multi-pumper…if for no other reason than I want to test my machining skills, plus never seen a 2260 pneumatic before. Would absolutely love to own a ‘97 or TX 200, maybe someday!

Anyways, enough babbling about my crap.

That sketch from “Ed”… would that happen to be “nced” from GTA? Looks like one of his drawings, IIRC.

If you happen to be a member at GTA, maybe give Scott (aka- “Motorhead”) a PM. He knows the 97’s inside/out & could make that up in a jiffy with his eyes closed! One of the best airgun tuners out there, for sure. Link may only work if you are a registered member?
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?action=profile;u=4853

If I was a bit more confident in my abilities I would make it for you, but still learning myself. Getting better all the time, but not quite comfortable enough to work on other peoples’ prized possessions yet. If it was mine, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to try & make it.

If one of the fine folks here can’t do it, don’t be shy…ask some (lots) how-to questions & who knows, you just very well may be able to handle it yourself. The guys here will certainly help guide you if you hit a road block.

In any case, I wish you good luck. Sorry I wasn’t more help.

*EDIT* - just thought, is it the whole piston/sleeve/cap assembly you need, or just the cap itself?
 
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A 90 Shore "Parachute Seal" which has been correctly sized to the cylinder is hard to beat for performance and durability.
What advantage are you expecting from an O ring over a "Parachute Seal"?
 
The folks who are using the o-ring pistons claim lower stiction, quicker shot cycle, no seal warm up, and better shot to shot consistency, along with somewhat better performance. I live at 7000’ elevation and it’s hard to get power from springers up here. I’m only looking for all of the little tips and tricks to wring the most from this platform.
 
Hi Bad Karma,

First off, welcome to the site! Awesome bunch of guys here with some seriously mind-boggling talent & a super friendly bunch, too…I think you are gonna like it here.

I’m a huge airgun enthusiast also…more like a fanatic! In fact, airguns are 100% the reason for buying a small lathe in the first place, & subsequently, joining here (gotta learn how to properly use it, right?) More into PCP’s myself, but do have a .22 Benji Trail nitro piston just to change things up once in awhile. Just started making chips for a scratch-built Cr 2260 multi-pumper…if for no other reason than I want to test my machining skills, plus never seen a 2260 pneumatic before. Would absolutely love to own a ‘97 or TX 200, maybe someday!

Anyways, enough babbling about my crap.

That sketch from “Ed”… would that happen to be “nced” from GTA? Looks like one of his drawings, IIRC.

If you happen to be a member at GTA, maybe give Scott (aka- “Motorhead”) a PM. He knows the 97’s inside/out & could make that up in a jiffy with his eyes closed! One of the best airgun tuners out there, for sure. Link may only work if you are a registered member?
https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?action=profile;u=4853

If I was a bit more confident in my abilities I would make it for you, but still learning myself. Getting better all the time, but not quite comfortable enough to work on other peoples’ prized possessions yet. If it was mine, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to try & make it.

If one of the fine folks here can’t do it, don’t be shy…ask some (lots) how-to questions & who knows, you just very well may be able to handle it yourself. The guys here will certainly help guide you if you hit a road block.

In any case, I wish you good luck. Sorry I wasn’t more help.

*EDIT* - just thought, is it the whole piston/sleeve/cap assembly you need, or just the cap itself?
Yes, Ed was kind enough to share the pictures.. he’s no longer interested in making caps for others but perhaps Scott will... thank you!

Oh yes, I have the piston and compression tube so all I need is the cap to replace the parachute seal. Eventually I would like to make one for an R7 I have... it’s already very smooth, I’m thinking it could have a shot cycle like a .22 target rifle. Snap!
 
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There is almost no Stiction at all with a correctly sized parachute seal, the piston should just hold in place with the cylinder vertical and then slide smoothly it's full travel if gently tapped with a finger.
 
I love the air guns oh ok all guns , I must have a dozen around here three or four out in the shop . A few collectable models , my favorite now is a hatsan .25 break barrel that with the right pellets blow thru a oil drum at thirty feet. One side but still enough power I could harvest deer at I'm bet twenty yards easy. I'm an accomplished hunter have done it over fifty years. But air guns are just so DERN accurate any more . Your piston build isn't really a tuff job , the piston and cylinder should be cked for sizes before any machining so you do get the amount of pressure you want to get maximum speed and efficiency. Different orings and lubes even.
I'm laid up or I'd love to tackle your build , I'm sure another will chime in . And hey WELCOME TO THE BEST MACHINIST SITE.
 
There is almost no Stiction at all with a correctly sized parachute seal, the piston should just hold in place with the cylinder vertical and then slide smoothly it's full travel if gently tapped with a finger.

Interesting. I’d been told by Jim Maccari that it should take 3# o constant pressure to move the piston down the compression tube.. (as far as I know, he doesn’t use o-rings at all) others say just make it loose enough but not too loose... as long as it’s not too tight... but tight enough.. there’s a reason that guys like Tony Leach, NCEd and Hector Medina among others build o ring caps for the guns they shoot. I want to know first hand what that reason is.

I love the air guns oh ok all guns , I must have a dozen around here three or four out in the shop . A few collectable models , my favorite now is a hatsan .25 break barrel that with the right pellets blow thru a oil drum at thirty feet. One side but still enough power I could harvest deer at I'm bet twenty yards easy. I'm an accomplished hunter have done it over fifty years. But air guns are just so DERN accurate any more . Your piston build isn't really a tuff job , the piston and cylinder should be cked for sizes before any machining so you do get the amount of pressure you want to get maximum speed and efficiency. Different orings and lubes even.
I'm laid up or I'd love to tackle your build , I'm sure another will chime in . And hey WELCOME TO THE BEST MACHINIST SITE.

Thank you for the kind welcome and encouragement. They are fun to play with aren’t they!
According to NC Ed and another friend, the guns like R1, your Hatsan, breakbarrels generally, are sometimes inconsistent diameter along the tubes and need to have that addressed before an o-ring piston has any chance of success. I’m working with two HW97K’s so it should be much easier job..

Now I just need to find the guy who’s interested in a small project!
Hope you’re up and at ‘em soon!
 
Interesting. I’d been told by Jim Maccari that it should take 3# o constant pressure to move the piston down the compression tube.. (as far as I know, he doesn’t use o-rings at all) others say just make it loose enough but not too loose... as long as it’s not too tight... but tight enough.. there’s a reason that guys like Tony Leach, NCEd and Hector Medina among others build o ring caps for the guns they shoot. I want to know first hand what that reason is.

I've fitted dozens of V-Mach kits as I described and none of them ever encountered problems.
 
I've fitted dozens of V-Mach kits as I described and none of them ever encountered problems.
There have to be thousands of V-mach and other aftermarket seals in service around the world just as you say. I’m looking for something different. Perhaps better, perhaps it’ll be an utter failure, a roaring success, or something in between. I’ll never know until I try. People whose opinions I trust and value tell me the O-ring Piston (henceforth ORP!) is brilliant and well worth the doing. So I’d like to do it... know any good machinists who may be interested in a project?
 
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