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All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => European/Asian Air Gun Gates => China/Asian AirGun Gate => Topic started by: lizzie on March 29, 2012, 10:41:12 PM

Title: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on March 29, 2012, 10:41:12 PM
I came across this today in a pawn shop, and bought it for more than it was worth, just because I thought it was a cool find. It is stamped "Lee" and "Made in China" and is in beautiful condition. No dings, no rust, and doesn't look likes it even been used. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, because I've been busy with gardening season getting ahead of me, but just thought I'd show it to you guys. :)

Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: dk1677 on March 29, 2012, 10:43:58 PM
Congrats Lizzie! That's quite a find! 375 yards ,that's a shooter!  ;D
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on March 29, 2012, 10:53:40 PM
Hehe- I figure I'll be lucky if I can get it to shoot halfway decent at 75 feet. ;D

Actually, it's really sized well for me- around 43-44 inches or so, and lighter-weight than full size air rifles. Even has both sights! :D
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: thekid on March 29, 2012, 11:02:42 PM
Cool find and nice looking shooter.

Would a gun like that have a leather seal.
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on March 29, 2012, 11:06:21 PM
Cool find and nice looking shooter.

Would a gun like that have a leather seal.

Hard to say. I haven't been able to find any information about it via Google. I'm thinking it just might, which is a good thing imo. I have no idea of the age or anything at all.
Thank God it doesn't have a finger-cruncher loading port. :D
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: hogdog4953 on March 29, 2012, 11:23:18 PM
It should look great hanging on your wall with the others if nothing else. Very cool find.
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: 4932msmith on March 29, 2012, 11:34:49 PM
That looks like an Industry brand b2-1.  From what I understand most of them have leather seals.
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on March 29, 2012, 11:41:39 PM
Thanks for that info- I'll look it up! :D
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: Onebaddj on March 30, 2012, 12:12:27 AM
I have a shanghai model 62 looks identicle to that one. Just depends on who had the contract on what they call it. Mine has a leather seal and they are easy to work on and mess with. They can be pretty accurate but you will have to do your math and find that perfect angle to get 375 yds.
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on March 30, 2012, 12:16:58 AM
:D :D :D
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: gamo2hammerli on March 30, 2012, 02:22:33 AM
I think they missed a dot as in 37.5 yards.  ha ha
Good find anyways....hope it shoots well.
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on April 03, 2012, 01:51:48 PM
Well, I finally took her out for a spin. :D
This gun has never even been shot before. :o Still had the thick black grease in the breech. I cleaned the barrel and did an overall wipe-down. The breech seal was mush- not sure what it was like originally, but had definitely broken down and become deformed. I had a few o-rings on hand, so I found the closest fit and put it in. It shoots stronger than I was expecting, and was dieseling a little- probably no surprise there either. Basically, I like the gun, but it needs some TLC and a good-fitting breech seal. The size is just right, and for a Chinese-made air rifle, it's alot smoother than I expected. I'm thinking of seeing if Mike Mellick will give her a work-over. :)
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on April 03, 2012, 04:33:15 PM
Hehe- the more I shoot this gun, the more I like it. With crappy open sights, it's grouping well (clover-leafing) at short distances of 25 feet.  ;D
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: z28rod on April 03, 2012, 11:42:08 PM
Thats a b2-1 if its a .177, They are great truck guns, guys i know keep these in their hunting trucks , just in case they see a rabbit when they are going to park to go to their deer blinds..
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: Tom @ Buzzard Bluff on April 04, 2012, 02:05:07 PM
Congrats Lizzie.

There's a very good chance that you have a shooter. I acquired one of the Lees 15-20 years ago and found a leather seal when I opened it up to tune it. A simple deburr, polishing of stock components and good lubes soon had it shooting in the mid 600s.

Since several of the identical Shanghai built models had passed thru my hands in the past I wasn't expecting much accuracy. Boy did I get a pleasant surprise! In short it was a tackdriver. Like too many other accurate rifles over the years I let it slip away to someone who wanted it as much as I wanted the $ he offered after shooting it.

I've kept an eye open for another Lee since with no luck. But a couple of years ago I was visiting a buddy in town when I noticed a Chinese break-barrel sitting by the overhead door of his shop. So I asked him about it & he told me that it was piece of junk and to take it if I wanted it. It was a few days before I even looked at it after I got it home. It had some rust pitting from the rain having blown in and the butt was starting to develop cracks from enduring too many wet/dry cycles where the rain runs under the door in heavy weather, but the bore was perfect. Ballistol, steel wool & elbow grease worked wonders on the metal and glue and filler on the buttstock. A few coats of truck bedliner finished the cosmetics and it looked good.
So I tuned it. I soaked the leather seals in Neatsfoot oil overnight, drained them on some paper towels and squeezed out all the excess Neatsfoot. Then I soaked them in silicone that night and repeated the draining and squeezing out the following day. Meanwhile I had been working on the metal components with the goal of seeing just how nice I could make one of the cheapest early Chinese rifles. Pulled the single-stage trigger apart and said grace over components with slipstones and polishing compounds. Reassembled and test shot. I was tickled with the result! May be the best tune I've ever done. Both cocking and firing cycles are pure butter! Requires little more force to cock than an R-7 and the shot produces a sharp but short clunk and it's almost silent. Mechanical noises, twang and twist are gone---period! And the trigger! Easily my best effort to date with a simple single-stage trigger and I've done a bunch. The pull is now soft, short and extremely crisp---and it's safe.
Ran several 100 pellets thru it looking for something it would digest with good grace and then ran it across the Chony after it had time to quit leaving a haze in the bore. It's shooting between low 600s with 8+ grain pellets and the superlight 6.5 grain Gecos pass over the screens either side of 700.
But it wasn't accurate. I wasn't ready to accept that so every chance I had I tried something new in it. Some showed promise but would then throw the last shot spoiling a 5 shot group. >:(
Then I bought some 7 grain RWS Basics and it was game on. The rifle and Basics fell in love on the spot and the romance continues. ;) It's now my loaner for people who have a small pest problem to address---and they all wanta buy it. Not this time---it's a keeper.

It'll be coming home from MS this Sat when a buddy drops in to pick up an R7 I tuned for him and drop off his other one for a Vortek kit installation. I'll be glad to welcome the prodigal home.

So shoot yours to see if you can find a pellet that it REALLY likes---and if you do THEN is the time to send it to Mike Melick or Shadow for some deserved TLC.                                                   Enjoy!  Tom
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on April 04, 2012, 03:45:17 PM
Thanks for all that info Tom! ;D

You're the first person I've come across that has actually had one. Any idea what size the breech seal is?
Yes- the trigger is definitely a buggar- feels like pulling 15 pounds. :D
I haven't oiled the leather seal yet- guess I should definitely do that, since it appears the gun was never shot. I'm having alot of fun with it. I'm trying to decide which scope to put on her, because the rear  sight is SOOOOO lousy.
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: Tom @ Buzzard Bluff on April 04, 2012, 04:24:59 PM
Any idea what size the breech seal is?
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Nope, but I do seem to recall it was leather which will normally swell a bit if lubed.
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Yes- the trigger is definitely a buggar- feels like pulling 15 pounds.
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Yup---it can benefit enormously from a bit of intelligent attention.
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I haven't oiled the leather seal yet- guess I should definitely do that, since it appears the gun was never shot.
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You said it was dieseling so it doesn't need any extra lube now!
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 I'm having alot of fun with it. I'm trying to decide which scope to put on her, because the rear  sight is SOOOOO lousy.
Title: Re: Lee Tools air rifle
Post by: lizzie on April 04, 2012, 04:48:16 PM
Thanks for the help Tom!