How long do Marauder Breech Seals Last?

[Fred J]

How many shots should the breech seal on my Marauder last? I put the current seal in when I installed a new barrel on the rifle about 1,000 shots ago. I clean the the barrel with a Patchworm about every 100 shots with the patches damp with FP10 when accuracy begins to suffer (the barrel is a bit rough and still breaking in, I guess). After cleaning the barrel, I put a wee drop of silicone oil on the seal.

I did the tissue test on the breech today, and did not detect any leaks. I just want to have an idea how long it should last. Thanks!

[oldpro]

 If you lube it regularly I would say 1+ year If not they can start to fail quite quickly or even be pulled out of the barrel and hang around your bolt probe or be shot into never land. Depends on you.

[AlanMcD]

I agree with Travis, and I will add that if you lube your pellets the o-ring pretty much gets lubed through that - I no longer bother to lube my breech o-rings on my Marauders and they last a long time, because I do lightly lube my pellets with FP-10.  Just one other benefit of lubing them . . . .

[KnifeMaker]

Yep, unless you do something stupid like me back when my Maximus, (same breach/custom) and double load a pellet. GRRRR!!!

Knife

[Fred J]

Thanks for your responses.

I let a newbee at our AG club shoot my Marauder, and he accidentally double-loaded pellets in the breech. The rifle shot about 50 wild shots after this, then settled down to shooting well again.

I inspected the seal: It looks like there are 3 small tears in the seal. I may go ahead and change the seal today.

[Frank in Fairfield]

I am still using my first one (i have several ready to go)....25,000+ shots so far.

[wimpanzee]

The only reason I have ever replaced mine was from unintentional damage. Normal wear and tear should last tens of thousands of shots.

[PCPhack]

If you don't have the exact one, and pick a close in size one from a universal oring kit, then it will likely be a bit too thick, so you can expect it to need replacing much sooner than the right sized one.

I have never worn one out, but rather it usually gets damaged by a nasty pellet. Sometimes a bad pellet will slightly dislodge it, and then it will fully unseat during the next shot or two. Finally, it gets blown out of the barrel and you hear the large bang as the air leaks around the bolt probe.

[Frank in Fairfield]

I have a bunch for .177 & .25 (if you have them, you will never need them) so anybody close by can have them when they need them.

[nervoustrigger]

Buns-N in 70 or 90 durometer will generally last a very long time in this sort of application.  If experiencing early failure, most likely it’s because of a burr or sharp edge on the bolt or a misalignment that’s causing it to wear quickly.

All things being equal, polyurethane will be the most durable (very abrasion and tear resistant) so it’s not a bad idea to pick up a small package of them if you are having to place an order anyway, otherwise I wouldn’t hesitate to use Buna-N if that’s what you have access to. 

[Habanero69er]

I still have the original breech o-ring in my 6 yr old Gen-I .22 Marauder. I keep it well lubed with silicone oil. I used to lube my pellets with either LP-10 or KryTech. But I almost exclusively shoot 18.1g JSBs & since they're already lubed & very clean, not any more.
Check it regularly. But I'd say that as long you're not having an issue with air leakage, let it be.