My Model 25 Gecado

[Wm.Traynor]

I am having trouble finding new parts for my old air rifle. After googling, suppliers in Oz and UK as well as looking up an Oz forum, I really have nothing. Is there someone that I could get advice from, on what I needed to improve the power. That would be ideal I think. When it comes to dealing with the likes of "Bum-Slide" grease, I am not sure if someone is having a lend
So, is there a one stop shop that I can go to?

[No1Mk3]

G'day Wm. Traynor,
In short, no. Is your Gecado down on power or do you just want to tweak more out of it? If the 2nd, then just buy a newer. better rifle. If the former, then a new seal should bring it back to factory specs and Custom Airseals Australia should be able to help, I got a new seal for my .177 Gecado Model 22 from them. Cheers.

[Wm.Traynor]

Thanks No. 1

[northdude]

If its got a leather seal a few drops of oil thats ok with leather can bring them back to life a bit.

[safeshot]

If the leather seal is dried out then as he says a few dropsof Neatsfoot oil should re-new the seal.
Cheers.

[NTSOG]

G'day Wm. Traynor,

You might want to contact Matthew Winser [[email protected]] in NSW. He's an excellent [ex-UK] air-rifle specialist technician. He has repaired one of my old 10m. target rifles and obtained parts for me from the UK. I believe he's an engineer by profession and makes certain parts for air rifle use for the UK market.

Jim

[Tiger650]

Significant air rifle scene in the U.S. check out airgun forum.
U.S. bloke by the name of Jim Maccari used to supply lots of good stuff including accurising kits for springers, including top quality springs, he is likely still around.
Your Gecado will have a commonly available spring and seal dia, Maccari will have both I reckon.
If my memory serves me correctly the Gecado was later branded Diana and both were sold in the U.S as the RWS.
I have re-coed a leather piston seal with a little grease and candle wax, beware of oil in an air rifle, dieseling will ruin accuracy.
Does below look like your Gecado ?
https://www.gunspares.co.uk/products/24372/25/
I would be careful buying a spring from the UK, their air rifles are reduced power to avoid registration / firearms licencing.
Just googled Jim Maccari and looks like he is still doing business, very good man to deal with.

[Wm.Traynor]

Firstly; thank you everyone for getting in touch

However, yesterday I contacted No. 1's suggestion and ordered some new parts. Unfortunately, the spring is "overlength", meaning that it will have to be shortened And Dressed at the cut-end. I will be looking that one up I have a bench grinder but am afraid to hold the spring against the flat side of the wheel, in case the wheel shatters. Can that happen or is it a myth?

I will have a look at the US forum too, which should be educational

[Wm.Traynor]

Significant air rifle scene in the U.S. check out airgun forum.
U.S. bloke by the name of Jim Maccari used to supply lots of good stuff including accurising kits for springers, including top quality springs, he is likely still around.
Your Gecado will have a commonly available spring and seal dia, Maccari will have both I reckon.
If my memory serves me correctly the Gecado was later branded Diana and both were sold in the U.S as the RWS.
I have re-coed a leather piston seal with a little grease and candle wax, beware of oil in an air rifle, dieseling will ruin accuracy.
Does below look like your Gecado ?
https://www.gunspares.co.uk/products/24372/25/
I would be careful buying a spring from the UK, their air rifles are reduced power to avoid registration / firearms licencing.
Just googled Jim Maccari and looks like he is still doing business, very good man to deal with.

That is a dead ringer for my AR, except that that fore-sight is much more sophisticated.

[Tiger650]

Wm Traynor
PM sent.

[NTSOG]

G'day,

Cutting and then 'dressing' the end of the spring is not hard. I had to do it with the new spring from my Weihrauch HW80 [.177]. Like any job hastening slowly and using a hand-file for finishing to get the end of the cut spring square [essential!] is best. I did cut and rough shape the spring with my angle grinder first. I also heated the very end of the spring so as to be able to bend the cut end into rough alignment with the body of the spring. This is necessary to form a square end on the spring that will mate evenly with the bearing surface. As for springs, high power springs are available from the UK if you make it clear that you do not have to meet the UK specification of 12 ft lbs and under for non-Fire Arm Certificate air rifles. Such a rule does not apply here in Australia as all our air rifles are considered Fire Arms plain and simple.

Jim

[Wm.Traynor]

That's very interesting about using a file, Jim. That had occurred to me, as well as putting a dowel down the inside of the spring to stop the coils moving. Also found where a pommy bloke used heat to re set the end coil square. He even held it in his ungloved hand! I thought of experimenting on the old spring first, too.

Today I seem to be getting on famously now, with the education side of things, thanks to the members of this forum. The way people keep contributing is very heartening

[NTSOG]

G'day WT,

Using a length of dowel to stabilise the spring while you file is what I did. Heating the cut end of the spring and bending it up, then filing it smooth tends to give a larger bearing surface overall. This can allow the spring to move more smoothly during compression and extension. Springs tend to rotate as they operate changing length. Sometimes a thin SS 'thrust' washer is useful at the cut end for this reason. The washer allows smoother rotation.

Jim

[Wm.Traynor]

Well that's something else I wouldn't have thought of.
Thanks Jim

[NTSOG]

G'day WT,

How did you go cutting, dressing and fitting the new spring to your Gecado?

Jim

[Wm.Traynor]

G'day WT,

How did you go cutting, dressing and fitting the new spring to your Gecado?

Jim

Sadly, I have not gotten round to it. My time is limited and has been spent preparing the barrel and compression chamber for painting. It was only this morning that the metal primer was applied. In this cold weather, I want it to have a full day to be suitable for cutting back and smoothing.
At other times I have been distracted by very small jobs, the worst of which was making a grub screw for the barrel locking pin. What a job! I filed the tip in to a nub, by removing some of the thread, the reason being that the tip becomes damaged by the sliding locking pin, making removal difficult and harmful to the thread of the screw's hole.
After painting today, I checked the propane which was empty. However the torch is dirty but a Yt video has shown me how to maintain it. Doesn't look too hard.
The new piston seal is plastic and is 0.5mm bigger in diameter than the chamber. I cannot force it in by hand but anyway, I am not ready for that step yet.

[NTSOG]

WT: "The new piston seal is plastic and is 0.5mm bigger in diameter than the chamber."

Sometimes you have to lightly sand the piston seal to get a fit. Ideally the piston should slide very easily down the chamber - almost by its own weight. That way you get the most bang for the air compressed when you release the trigger.

Jim

[Wm.Traynor]

WT: "The new piston seal is plastic and is 0.5mm bigger in diameter than the chamber."

Sometimes you have to lightly sand the piston seal to get a fit. Ideally the piston should slide very easily down the chamber - almost by its own weight. That way you get the most bang for the air compressed when you release the trigger.

Jim

Thank you Jim
Bill

[Wm.Traynor]

At long last, the 21st., century spring has been installed in my 20th., century air rifle. The spring compressor that I dreamed up was a tragic failure, being so crude that it spat the compression tube on to the hard, unforgiving floor of the garage. Did absolutely nothing for the paint job, so lovingly applied. A lever under the bottom rail of the workbench was not successful, even remotely. One end of the tube had to contact the floor while the owner applied pressure to the tool but the force was not applied in line with the tube. A wedge was inserted between floor and tube but when force was applied, the wedge began sliding. End of experiment
Once again the bench was used to assist in putting the contents of the tube together but no tools this time. With a flat piece of wood between the barrel-end and the butt-end against the top rail of the bench, I used both hands to pull myself closer and closer to the bench and at the right moment, my wife slipped the pin in the hole and the game was all but over A sliding clamp was used to seat the end of the pin that did not quite seat properly in the opposite hole.
Next the barrel went on and compressing the spring commenced and I am here to tell you folks that no child will ever cock this piece and anyone who goes shooting with it will get a workout

[NTSOG]

G'day WT,

It's good to hear you're finally getting the rifle re-assembled. Inserting springs without a safe and sturdy compressor can be hair raising and even dangerous. I look forward to hearing what the power output is when you start test firing.

Jim

[Wm.Traynor]

G'day WT,

It's good to hear you're finally getting the rifle re-assembled. Inserting springs without a safe and sturdy compressor can be hair raising and even dangerous. I look forward to hearing what the power output is when you start test firing.

Jim

Thanks Jim
Buying a compressor would have meant spending actual $$$ so making one was very tempting but while we are on the subject, can I ask what you use?

As for measuring the power output, I don't have any sophisticated equipment and am only going by feel. Again, what do you use?

[northdude]

I think theres some spring compressors on the internet people have made out of sash clamps. Been a long time since Ive played with airguns. A chrongraph is what I used to use

[Wm.Traynor]

Sash Clamps!
Thank you northdude

[NTSOG]

G'day WT,

As northdude says a chronograph is used a few inches from the muzzle to get velocity, usually in FPS. Just don't shoot the chronograph as an acquaintance of mine did to my chronograph! It cost him a replacement chronograph!

Once you know the muzzle velocity enter that and the pellet weight into the Pyramid Air calculator:

https://www.pyramydair.com/article/What ... ust_2003/5

As you may know the Brits are brilliant at tuning spring air rifles to maximum efficiency as they can own and shoot air rifles producing sub-12 foot pounds without a Firearms Certificate. Over 12 foot pounds they must be licensed.

As for my spring compressor I'll post a photo tomorrow - it's buried in the workshop at the moment.

Jim

[Wm.Traynor]

Can't wait for that pic Jim but I cannot see myself buying a chrony. I have owned three and scrapped the lot and while the Magnetospeed sounds good, money is tight. In addition, I confess to being very undemanding, unlike you sophisticated people. For instance, a Yt vid showed a bloke "Tuning" his AR to be quieter, with Delrin rods for the mainsprings to ride on and then he got on to Titanium pistons BTW, I also confess to being 60 years behind the times But, holy cow, these things aren't just slug guns any more, are they?. They aren't something your widowed mother paid 12 quid for, more than half a century ago. Todays ARs are almost light years ahead of my old contraption and I will be happy if it has more grunt and shoots straight.
BTW, I got leather breech seals in my kit. Never knew they existed before. The seal in mine was so worn it was as good as invisible, all of which goes to say that I will not know myself with all these improvements and expect to be Over the Moon, this weekend.


But....................................................I can see how it would be fascinating to join the 21st., Century
Thanks Jim

[NTSOG]

G'day WT,

Here are pictures of my Mk. II spring compressor made from bits of scrap wood and - typical of anything I construct - somewhat overbuilt out of a healthy respect for compressed springs. [I still have all my fingers and can count to 10 and my teeth are intact too!]

I have a number of different air rifles of different power outputs and sizes, hence I made it adjustable. By that I mean that the central section can slide forward and back as required between the two outer arms. I simply anchored the centre shaft with long tech screws, one from each side - I did not have long enough through bolts which would have been stronger, though there is not a deal of lateral stress once the tech screws are screwed home. It's pretty tight.

As you will note the barrel is clamped at the front and then bolted down. The compression tube/body is set in the larger rear bracket and clamped also. I adjust the for/aft [middle] shaft distance to suit the likely length required for the G-clamp to be screwed in to seat the spring so the end cap/pin may be safely secured. Some testing is required for each rifle to get the initial position right so as to avoid running out of turns on the G-clamp. The G-clamp is a basic Bunnings job with the top cut off. It has to be big enough so as to provide enough depth in its shaft so it can be drilled to take a bolt which is counter-sunk in the sides of the wooden shaft. Only one bolt was required as the flange on this G-clamp lies on top of the shaft in the narrow slot cut for it. I will use a thin pad between the rifle end cap and the tip of the G-clamp screw and tighten the clamp very slowly paying great attention to keeping it exactly centred. Bunnings' G-clamps are not exactly precision instruments!

I cannot remember where I saw [and copied] this model for a compressor. I'm sure there are many variations around.

As for leather seals in air rifles I have a springer Weihrauch HW 55T [10M target] rifle in .177 which has a leather piston seal. Even though it's a 1970s rifle with a primitive seal it still shoots just as accurately [diopter sights] as my more advanced 10M target rifles by Anschutz, Walther and FeinWerkBau.

Jim

[Wm.Traynor]

Wow! What a piece of work
This morning I looked at sliding bar clamps at Bunnings. Now I am going to look for Whopping Great G-Clamps on their website.
Thank you very much Jim. Some of your invention coincides with my ideas and some is not, which is food for thought.

[NTSOG]

G'day WT,

An improvement that would make it stronger would be to mount the whole outer frame on a sheet of 1/2" plywood leaving the centre 'shaft' free to move and then be locked in place where required.

Jim

[Wm.Traynor]

G'day WT,

An improvement that would make it stronger would be to mount the whole outer frame on a sheet of 1/2" plywood leaving the centre 'shaft' free to move and then be locked in place where required.

Jim

Yes; just looking at it again, I suppose you could say that it is in danger of "spreading" laterally.
This pm my AR went back together without too much trouble, which is to say, "It Works" Whew! At last And it has a lot more grunt than previously. However, it will come apart for lubing which I neglected in my my haste to try it out and that is where a much better spring compressor will be needed. Right now I am leaning to the C-clamp solution which is cheaper than the sliding clamp. I suppose an angle grinder would handle the cutting?

[northdude]

Angle grinder with a cut off wheel