Thanks for the write up Tom. I had wondered if that could happen. I find that I prefer my spring powered mod 95 and .25 cal mod 125 springer for hunting. I used Mikeyb's design for a spring guide and my spring powered mod 125 is smoother than my Vortex ram powered gun. When the ram powered mod 125 dies I will replace it with a coil spring. I've read some posts recently that criticize magnum springers for their bone shaking shot cycles. I have to say that a well tuned Hatsan mod 125 pushing a 25.39gr pellet has a surprisingly smooth shot cycle.
Quote from: Ronno6 on February 22, 2023, 09:21:31 PMWhat is the secret to opening up the Vortex ram?Large bench vise, large wrench, ~9mm (~5/16" or 11/32") drillrod/steelbar in fill port, and a propane torch to get shaft end hot enough to soften threadlocker.Brute force for fill end. No thread locker (no heat) on my Type1 or Type3. Fill end has 2 metric o-rings size A.Shaft slides out with minimal effort. INSIDE shaft end bushing are 2 metric o-rings size B.Brute force AND HEAT to remove shaft end. Lots of thread locker and 1 metric o-ring size C.Steel rod used for LEVERAGE in fill-end soft aluminum caps left almost no marks at all.Could not remove shaft-end soft brass caps without leaving some "bitemarks" from vise or wrench.O-ring sizes A,B,C will be posted in a later separate thread about resealing (successful or not) my Vortex Type1 and Type3.Just received the o-rings today and have not yet confirmed they are the correct sizes.Also, shore 70A durometer (hardness) buna is likely too soft for this high pressure application. I've had ~2000psi air extrude buna 70A like peanutbutter. The o-rings I ordered are 90A buna. I have had very good results using the harder rubber when pressures exceed 1500psi. Late edit:Degas first is BEST SAFEST OPTION. For Type3 with no bleed port I could not turn my fill end cap under pressure. I was certain any additional force I applied would have stripped the aluminum threads. However that end is clearly designed to have a CONTROLLED PRESSURE RELEASE after unscrewing a few threads. Maybe I was wrong about stripping the aluminum threads and just needed to apply more torque?
What is the secret to opening up the Vortex ram?
Instead of starting another Hatsan Vortex failure/rebuild thread I thought it might be more useful to post my findings here. If anyone disagrees I can start a separate thread.For now I can confirm that the following o-rings fit my Hatsan Vortex air spring type3.All are Buna-N Shore 90A "hard" o-rings.I purchased these from McMaster-Carr and am posting their part numbers and cost. No reason they cannot be sourced from another seller.OD x ID x TH, location, qty-needed, MMC-PN#, Cost/100pcs17mm x 13mm x 2mm , fill-end-cap, 2, 1247N151, $6.1216mm x 12mm x 2mm , shaft-end-cap, 1, 1247N149, $6.4112mm x 8mm x 2mm , shaft-seal, 2, 1247N177, $5.07The two 12x8x2 o-rings INSIDE the shaft-end-cap seal were difficult to install. It will seem like they are way too large, but with some patience and a lot of fiddling they will go in and fit the shaft properly.
The shaft seal o rings are the same for type 2 cylinders. Not sure on the other two I don't think I replaced them.