GTA
Airguns by Make and Model => Benjamin Airguns => Topic started by: Airgunnr88 on May 03, 2021, 05:57:06 PM
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Well, almost completely. I bought it in 2018, the very last one (with a wooden stock) left on the internet at a reasonable price, as far as I could tell. First gun I bought after getting back into airguns for the first time in 20 years. I really wish I had known about the Crosman and Sheridan pumpers that were around when I was a kid! But the only airguns I had back then were ones that my dad bought me off the shelf at Western Auto.
I always planned to tinker with it, but it seemed pretty good out of the box so all I ever did was put the Williams peep sight on it, and put some felt on the inside of the forearm so it doesn't slap quite so loud. I just ordered my first PCP, a Diana Stormrider, but it's backordered until God knows when, so I was looking for an airgun project to tide me over. I'm not sure how far I'll go with modifications, but I want to do some beautification and maybe a performance upgrade
At a minimum, I want to sand the stock down and refinish it. It has kind of an ugly spray finish, with sanding scratches in it. Needs a nice fine sanding and some linseed oil. I thought about slimming the stock down to be more like an old Sheridan, but there's only so much I can do there, as ultimately the position of the trigger and trigger guard determines the height of the stock. I think I can still take it down some by shaping in a step-down in front of the trigger guard, hopefully enough to get the big lump off of the forearm.
Getting the forearm off is a head-scratcher. It is attached to the pump arm with 2 roll pins, but the holes don't go all the way through, so they can't be driven out. If it comes down to it, I'll probably just wrap the barrel and pump with plastic so sanding dust doesn't get into it. I really hate dealing with roll pins, anyway.
I'd also like to strip off the black paint down to the bare brass. I know it's been done before, but try as I might, I can't find any descriptions online of anyone doing it. I'm hoping some acetone will do the job.
I pulled the valve out expecting it to be aluminum which I've heard the newer guns have, but luckily mine was brass. There were a couple of little pieces bitten off of one of the o-rings, not sure if it came like that or if I did it pulling it out. I'd like to do the "2 spring mod" to make pumping easier, but it's been tough trying to find out exactly what to do. If anyone can tell me exactly what kind of springs and washer I need, it would be greatly appreciated.
The biggest change I'm pondering, as far as the amount of work involved, is removing the trigger guard and safety from the trigger group housing and making a new trigger guard from brass. That square-backed Crosman trigger guard is by far the ugliest part of the gun, as compared to the original Sheridan Streaks. I'd also cut the top off of the trigger so it can be de-cocked, which would serve as the safety. I don't hunt with it, so I don't generally don't walk around with it loaded anyway. I open the bolt, pump it, load it, and fire.
Because of the way the housing is cast, cutting off the trigger guard would leave an ugly cavity, so I'd probably make a brass plate with a slot for the trigger, longer than the hole in the stock so I can inlet enough on each end to attach it with wood screws. Then solder the bow of the new trigger guard onto the plate. Probably a lot of work for something that doesn't improve performance at all, but aesthetically, it would be a vast improvement. The biggest problem there is that one leg of the sear spring goes down into the safety part of the original trigger guard, but I think I can figure out a way to make it work.
If anyone is interested, I'll keep this topic updated with my tinkering. I'm getting excited to tackle that trigger guard now!
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I modified one a great deal a few years back.
Used a 2260 stock and trigger assembly and made a custom end plug with power adjuster along with a Mac1 billet lever. Slapped a Williams peep on it.
Bored the valve out a bit for more volume. I was able to get two good shots in the upper 500fps range with it, or one mid 800fps. Gifted it to a friend a few years or so later.
The roll pins are hollow spring type. What you will need to do is get a really small drill bit that fits inside the roll pin and drill through the wood. Once that is done, come back through the blind side with a bigger drill bit to make the hole a little bigger. This side will be the punch side to remove the roll pins.
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Here is the 392/2260 hybrid gun.
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Here is the 392/2260 hybrid gun.
That's a great looking gun. Thanks for that tip for the forearm pins! I would never have thought of that. Looks like my 1/16 bit will fit inside the pins, with just barely enough length to make it through.
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Here is the 392/2260 hybrid gun.
That's a great looking gun. Thanks for that tip for the forearm pins! I would never have thought of that. Looks like my 1/16 bit will fit inside the pins, with just barely enough length to make it through.
Using a padded clamp placed between the roll pin holes, use a piece of scrap wood on the back so when the drill bit breaks through, the wood doesn't chip out.
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I managed to drill the holes out, but a nail with the point filed off didn't work too good for a punch. It was a hair too small and wanted to go through the pin. So now I'm waiting for a roll pin punch set from ebay. I hate roll pins. >:( I'll probably replace the ones near the muzzle with solid pins, if I ever take them out. But in the meantime, I can still fiddle with the other parts.
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I could not stand the big lump on the pump arm stock either or the flat cut off of the front of it. Here is how I reshaped mine which included thinning the whole thing for a better feel and less weight. Also made a filler to take up the gap between the stock and pump arm. Home made removable LDC really quiets it down. (http://)
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I could not stand the big lump on the pump arm stock either or the flat cut off of the front of it. Here is how I reshaped mine which included thinning the whole thing for a better feel and less weight. Also made a filler to take up the gap between the stock and pump arm. Home made removable LDC really quiets it down. (http://)
Slimming down the pump arm really makes a world of difference. The filler is a nice touch, too. What is the deal with every manufacturer making their stocks as ugly and oversized as possible nowadays? It's like they're imitating a pregnant salmon.
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I could not stand the big lump on the pump arm stock either or the flat cut off of the front of it. Here is how I reshaped mine which included thinning the whole thing for a better feel and less weight. Also made a filler to take up the gap between the stock and pump arm. Home made removable LDC really quiets it down. (http://)
VERY nice work!
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Managed to do the "2 spring" mod to my valve. I think it worked! Definitely pumps easier. At first, air leaked from the muzzle after 1 pump. After more pumps, the air pressure was enough to seal it. But after a few times, it didn't leak at all, even on 1 pump--at least not that I can tell. I'll pump it up overnight and see if it holds air. Made a video explaining the process:
https://youtu.be/AxAht_Q1Rhc
I'll make a new topic for this as well, since I see at lot of people asking about the 2 spring mod, and nothing on the forums or youtube showing how it's done.
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Surprised myself by making and installing the plate for my new trigger guard in one rainy day. The next step is to bend a piece of brass into the bow of the guard and then solder it in place. Getting it bent just right is the part of this entire project that worries me the most. I'm hoping to get it to the same shape as a Sheridan Streak trigger guard.
I also completely re-shaped my stock over the weekend.
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Great work. Interesting project.
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It's finally done! I call it... the Golden Boy! I'm too tired to do a thorough post on all the things I've been doing to it, never mind take it out and shoot it. Maybe tomorrow. I've been pulling double shifts all week pretending to be a gunsmith, coming home from work and then working on this thing like a man possessed.
The two-spring mod definitely makes it easier to pump. Eight pumps is still stout from the air pressure alone, but it doesn't feel like the gun is working against me anymore.
Slimming down the stock helps with the pumping too, by making it easier to hold onto. Supposedly all that extra meat was to make a better "handle" for pumping, but I find the opposite to be the case. The slimmer stock gives it a much better feeling over all. Although I've never handled any of the antique guns that the 392 is descended from, the look and feel of it now evokes the old Benjamins in my imagination.
After I get around to shooting it, I'll make a more detailed post in the custom airguns board (child board in the Machine Shop Talk gate), where I probably should have put this in the first place. Time for a beer, a sandwich, and a nap.
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Outstanding work! I can't wait to hear about the performance results. Looks beautiful.
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I like you're solution for getting rid of the clunky safety trigger guard which I never use anyway. How did you anchor the bottom leg of the sear spring? It looks like you could cut to shorter length and slot the post there to fasten it to. I plan to do one like yours as soon as the trigger guard I ordered gets here. I found this one at Numrich Gun Parts for a Winchester Model 47 that looks like my Sheridan Model C trigger guard. I will mount it to a plate like yours with machine screws. I think this will be easier than bending one to shape from steel. (http://)
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I like you're solution for getting rid of the clunky safety trigger guard which I never use anyway. How did you anchor the bottom leg of the sear spring? It looks like you could cut to shorter length and slot the post there to fasten it to. I plan to do one like yours as soon as the trigger guard I ordered gets here. I found this one at Numrich Gun Parts for a Winchester Model 47 that looks like my Sheridan Model C trigger guard. I will mount it to a plate like yours with machine screws. I think this will be easier than bending one to shape from steel. (http://)
Sounds like that could work. Nice find on that Model 47 trigger guard. I looked for a Sheridan one, but they were all out of stock. Here's what my trigger group looks like now, except for the trigger guard being cut off. It's kind of blurry, but the post that the sear spring goes over is filed flat, then I drilled a hole in it and glued a short piece of a finishing nail in it to hold the spring. It's intentionally off-center so it puts less tension on the spring, for a lighter trigger pull.
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Thanks for the picture. That's pretty much what I had in mind and the post made from the finishing nail looks like a good solution to where to secure the leg of the spring.
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Dan... Thanks for the pictures of your idea on this trigger guard. I would never have thought of cutting off the bottom like that. It works great. I did put a trigger return spring at the top where you cut down the tab that keeps you from uncocking. There was no room at the bottom for the old coil spring location. Just a shorter coil spring moved up in front of the top of the trigger tab. In my parts collection I found that I had a trigger guard that was a perfect fit into the recess in the stock so I used it. Had to make a small threaded plate front and back inside the housing to fasten the mounting screws to. I like it much better and was a fun project. Someday I want to make a custom stock now that the ugly guard is gone. When I do I may use the Sheridan style guard. (http://)
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Amazing work!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Dan... Thanks for the pictures of your idea on this trigger guard. I would never have thought of cutting off the bottom like that. It works great. I did put a trigger return spring at the top where you cut down the tab that keeps you from uncocking. There was no room at the bottom for the old coil spring location. Just a shorter coil spring moved up in front of the top of the trigger tab. In my parts collection I found that I had a trigger guard that was a perfect fit into the recess in the stock so I used it. Had to make a small threaded plate front and back inside the housing to fasten the mounting screws to. I like it much better and was a fun project. Someday I want to make a custom stock now that the ugly guard is gone. When I do I may use the Sheridan style guard. (http://)
That looks great!
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I added a Benjamin Super Sear from AOA that I had in another gun to this copy of your trigger pack creation. It is so much better than the stock one. Its 2 stage and a very light crisp pull. Here also is where I relocated a coil return spring at the top so the trigger is not loose when the gun is cocked. (http://)
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I had to come back and take another look at that gun!
Super job!
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I added a Benjamin Super Sear from AOA that I had in another gun to this copy of your trigger pack creation. It is so much better than the stock one. Its 2 stage and a very light crisp pull. Here also is where I relocated a coil return spring at the top so the trigger is not loose when the gun is cocked. (http://)
Looking good! I might try out the super sear one of these days. The trigger pull is still heavier than I'd like on mine.
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I had to come back and take another look at that gun!
Super job!
Thanks! I made another thread on it in the Custom Airguns board, with video: https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=187470.msg156155437#msg156155437 (https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=187470.msg156155437#msg156155437)