air rifle, maybe some day?

[vtsteam]

I've had an inexpensive air rifle, bought to solve a red squirrel problem in the walls of the house after trying everything else I could think of to convince them to leave. Worked. That was about 5 years ago. It's been sitting in the back of a closet for quite awhile, but recently I took it out ans started shooting at paper targets. I'm kind of amazed how accurate it is, after finding that one particular pellet seems to favor it, and I find myself thinking about maybe some day trying to build an air gun for the heck of it.

The one I have is called a Crosman Storm XT and it really shoots a very small pattern with the Crosman hollow point pellet. Doesn't seem to like much else.

I can't find anything at all online about how to build an airgun, except for a reference to an out of print book for what looks like a pcp gun. And I think the break barrel springer is more the way I want to go.

I think the way I might approach it is to just take apart my present gun and do a small project with it at a time. For instance, I could try to make a replacement trigger block for it, but machined or hand made, instead of stamped and bent sheet metal parts. That could be the whole project. The gun would work with the original parts.

Then I could try to replace other parts. Eventually the whole gun would be a new one that I'd made. With any changes that seemed desirable added along the way. Seems like it would be a good way to learn compared to just jumping in with an unproven design and no experience. Kind of appeals to me as a set of smaller projects. Probably by the time I got through, I'd want to remake the trigger block again. You could probably go around through the steps several times as you thought of new things you wanted to try.

[vtsteam]

Not what I want to do, but this is kind of a blast from Mathias at woodgears.ca. Thought he was such a mild mannered type, too!Came across it looking for airgun construction info. kind of a cross between a muzzle loading ball firing musket and an airgun. surprising the amount of power it has -- a little scary and cob jobby, but clearly it works. And makes an entertaining video.

http://woodgears.ca/airgun/

[Manxmodder]

Hey Steve,not heard from you in a good while,welcome back.

A close friend of mine is a gun smithing enthusiast and  has built a range of weapons from air pistols,rifles right through to competition centre fire pistols (he's a mean shot too)

Anyway I'm pretty certain he'd be happy to share info and give you some advice with a project if you decide to go ahead.

I could put you in direct email contact with him if you like.

Just for interest scratch building usually starts with a commercially obtained barrel blank which has been machine rifled.

Your small target grouping observation doesn't surprise me at all. I've owned many accurate air rifles in the past and they are often that way because of the relatively low forces exerted on the mechanics and the consistency of the air volume produced to project the pellet from one shot to the next.

Also agree,different rifles shoot sweeter and show a preference for a particular brand of pellet.

Years back I used to own a much modified BSA  Super Meteor that had lethal accuracy with Jackal Jet pellets.......OZ.

[Brass_Machine]

Hi Steve,

We have seen a couple of air gun builds on here. I will look for the links.

Are you talking about the book "building a modern air gun"?

Eric

[Brass_Machine]

Here is one of the links.

Link

[shipto]

I kinda built one before I joined this forum loosely following "building a modern air rifle" or a title like that, still have it in the shed I seem to recall posting a page or two for someone else on here but that of course is a pcp which is much easier for the hobbyist to make. A springer would be a much more complicated build to my mind but I look forward to seeing the build log if you do decide to make one.
I got mine to the stage where it was spitting pellets out of the barrel but funds would not stretch to the proper materials for it and I decided to postpone it till I could afford it then forgot all about it.

[nrml]

I've got the two books by H.M.Buckley. He sells them directly to interested people. If you want them, you can send him an email. They are well thought out designs with good drawings and instructions for machining sequences. I intend to attempt one of them as a test of my precision machining skills once they improve considerably.

The only other plans I've come across online are these http://www.john-tom.com/ForSale/ForSale.html#AirRiflePlans
I haven't seen any reports of completed builds of these online yet.

I remember doubleboost posting something here on springers a long while back. I can't remember if it was a new build or a rebuild.

[vtsteam]

Thanks Oz.  I don't think I'm ready yet to correspond with a gunsmith. I'm just thinking about it. I think maybe the first thing I'd do is change the stock on my present one. That would be something I could do pretty easily. Next would be just making a new trigger block for it. They are removable on the Crosman as a unit. And then swap it. That would take me a long way along. No actual plans beyond that except what would suggest itself. Actually I feel like I should finish my lathe project before I do anything else in machining. That would then be a nice first project for the lathe.

Eric, thanks for the link. That was quite a piece of work!

Dwayne, it would be cool to see what you came up with if you ever care to poat anything about it.

nrml, do you have a link or address to Mr. Buckley? I could at least read about it beforehand. I doubt I could start anything mechanical before fall because of the cistern build, and maybe completing the lathe project, but reading in the evenings would be possible.

Thank you guys for your ideas! 

[Manxmodder]

Lathe project...what lathe project...I don't remember you doing one of those 

The gunsmith friend has a couple of much modded crossman air pistols in his collection.

I remember that the trigger assy and sear block were replaced with homemade items as early modifications. He is certainly a man who likes a predictable trigger squeeze and a polished sear block ....OZ

[S. Heslop]

A while back I was thinking about making an air pistol, largely as an excuse to do something 'complicated' with files and chisels. I had a cheap air rifle I bought second hand with the idea of using it to release the vacuum from a CRT TV from a distance. I can't even remember what I wanted from the CRT TV but I never got around to doing it. But yeah I took the rifle apart with the idea of using the barrel to make the air pistol from.

The air pistol I was thinking about making was mostly a clone of the Webley Senior, which really impressed me with how tidy it looks. Most air pistols i've seen either look like chunky exterminator tools, goofy real pistol lookalikes, or those riddiculous target pistols with all the weights dangling off them.


I even made up a shoddy plan.

"The Webley Seņor"

But that's about as far as I got. I could never find anything out on the legality of building air guns in the UK. I don't believe it's illegal but I still didn't want to risk filming myself commiting a crime.

The plan was mostly adapted from exploded parts diagrams as well as photos/ videos of disassembly to try figure out what each part of the thing did and how it worked.


Also you may have already read this. It sort of tries to cover everything at once and direly needs an index, but as a guy that knows next to nothing about gunsmithing I thought it was a good read.

[Joules]

You're allowed to make one, but have to comply with the power limits (4ft/lbs for a pistol) so require a chronograph, otherwise it's on FAC and tons of trouble if you don't have one   

One of my career choices when leaving school was to try and become a gunsmith, but very limited apprenticeships, so it was not to be.   I had spent my time in the metal work shops at school modifying air rifle parts and making silencers, but never brought in enough of a rifle for it to be immediately obvious as to what I was making or doing.  That was a good few years of learning and my life long passion for metal work.

Different times then, when teenagers could buy and sell air weapons amongst each other.  Had lots of different BSA's, Crossman, Benjamin and Webley's that passed through my hands in the 70's.   Couldn't bring myself to part with two rifles I still own, that I bought when I got a decent job.



A Falcon PCP and a Weihrauch Theoben 90, did some work on the supplied stock.



Basic tools for modifying the old ambidextrous stock to a Monte Carlo style.  A lot of wood had to come off that right side, as it was a chunky beast.





Love the gas spring in this rifle, it can pretty much stay cocked all afternoon and deliver consistent shot to shot performance. It would be my choice for a springer build.

[S. Heslop]

You're allowed to make one, but have to comply with the power limits (4ft/lbs for a pistol) so require a chronograph, otherwise it's on FAC and tons of trouble if you don't have one   

Oh that's exciting. I'd actually bought all the materials for it and had started on it before deciding it was unwise. I might get back into it once I get a few things out the way.

[Joules]

It's 6ft.lbs max for a pistol, but to play safe you want to be well under it.  If I recall correctly that is where I got the 4ft.lbs figure from, gosh....  Where did 30yrs go.

[Manxmodder]

Is it still 12ft.lbs muzzle velocity in the UK for an air rifle before you need to to Fire Arms Certification?

OZ.

[Joules]

That's correct Oz.

[inthesticks]

495 fps in Canada for rifle and pistol. Saved for months to buy a nice American made air rifle when I was a kid. Hunted many a partridge with that rifle, can't remember what ever happened to it now.

Cheers
CB