Barrel Seperation

[HueyIP]

Hello All from a new member.

My questions are how big an issue is barrel separation on a Sheridan or Benjamin.  It's near the breach and likely caused by a previous owner scope mount.

1.  Is it as big a problem as I fear it is, or could it last a lifetime with no issues?
2.  Can this be properly repaired?
3.  Would it require a barrel replacement, or can the barrel be replaced on these guns?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[DD789]

welcome to GTA
check with Tim at http://www.mac1airgunshop.com/ he knows all the ins and outs of the Sheridan and Benjamin guns. my wife's nephew is sending his Dad's Benjamin to Tim, his gun is in bad shape barrel separation. Tim told him to ship it to him he would fix it if he could, other wise he will just ship back to him.

[HueyIP]

Thanks for the reply.

I was looking at a possible purchase, however don't want to spend the money to then find out it's beyond repair.

[Sheridan 74]

Remove the factory rear sights and it may not seperate any further. Install a rear peep site and go shooting.

I recently had to do a resolder job on a 1978 Blue Streak that had blown the breech off of the air chamber. It was a beater gun so I figured I had nothing to lose. I don't recommend that anyone try it but I was quite pleased with how the repair turned out. The gun shoots well and the tissue test indicates that I got an air tight seal. I wouldn't try to resolder anything as long as the breech is still attached and not leaking. Just my 2 cents, I'm not an airgun smith.

[TimmyMac1]

The Rear sight of the Rocker Safety Sheridans and later guns is made of spring steel. It perches on wedges bearing down on the solder joint between the tube and barrel. If the rear sight is a particularly tight fit it acts to ratchet the barrel away from the Tube one heat cycle at a time. Particularly at risk are Guns that are kept in garage, barn or truck/car where the temperature swings are more extreme making fridgid climates & roughly treated barn guns being the most likely to come apart first.
I've seen this for decades and now we have 60 years of guns sporting this lame rear sight arrangment.
There was a scpope mount that Sheridan made before this sight was done that did a better job of seperating tube from barrel than the rear sight. It had six mounting screws bearing the load on the solder joint. It was nicely made but poorly designed and it still crucifies solder joints as soon as you want to turn those six screws to a higher torque. It will fit every model Benjy and Sheridan and seperate any barrel from tube faithfully.
Then there was misfitment of bolt lugs. Too short and it wants to wedge the breech away from the barrel causing sepearation on the back of the breech.
If any solder crack gets back to the guns transfer port it will blow air out the side and soldering is imminent or your gonna have to get a couple of really rugger zip ties to tie the breech down.
My solution for new guns is to knock the sight off, stretch it out and reinstall so it is not tight enough to cause a problem.
On guns that have been soldered and the guy wants open sights still I glue the rear sight on with two part epoxy rather than reinstall it on the wedges.
On guns with separation just starting you do exactly the same if thwe guy wants open sights or knock off the rrear and fit a Williams peep. All Benjamins and Sheridans have been predrilled for the Williams 5 DSH since 1985. Sheridans made before 1985 can be drilled and tapped by Mac1 during any service of the gun for a small labor charge.
Any seperation which has not made it back to the breech yet will not get any worse if you get the rear sight off the wedges. The gap will close and you can forget about it.
The guns are great guns and can be fully serviced no problem. When the guns get saoldered they must get a valve job as well as they need to be torn down and cleaned up to do the soldering. It is rare for a barrel to need replacing but it can be done. Probably cost prohibitive to most.
TimmyMac1

[HueyIP]

Tim/Sheridan,

Thanks for the information.

Here's a photo to show cracking, looks midway between the site and breech.  Would this be a candidate to remove the site, thus reliving the stress and install peep site? 

I'm keeping in mind you're working from a photo and can't judge 100% but would like your expert opinion.  He says it shoots really good groups.  I don't want to pass it up if I'm over reacting.

Thanks again 

[TimmyMac1]

Impossible call to make without looking at the gun. It is $25 to solder it so it is not a deal breaker.

Later

Tim

[HueyIP]

Tim,

Thanks!

[Sheridan 74]

25 bucks to have it done right is a bargain IMO.

[HueyIP]

Sheridan 74,

Exactly right!

Last soldering I did was roofing using bar solder and torch or foot and a half iron, circa 1990.  Wouldn't look good but definately couldn't see the gap.  May be a little more steady as would add a couple pounds to the rifle.

[TimmyMac1]

We can clean the action to squeeky and prep the surface till we get all the gunk off but there is no way you will ever get the same kinda bond the tinned and virgin brass with flux on it had, as I have the challenge on Silver Streaks to avoid frying the finish to an ugly state. I send all the Blues to my machinisat so they can be soldered and painted but I do all the silvers myself because nobody cares about the end product as much as me and the customer. I'd rather be mad at myself than someone else when it comes to doing the best job possible on somebodies pride and joy.
What I get from the beggining of time is this is the guys baby and it may have scars on it but it doesn't want the airgunsmith doing any tattoos he will have to live with. When your fixing the gun a guy grew up shooting the key is to make it as close to original as imaginable asthetically and make it rock mechanically. No surprises unless that was the point of the Project.
These early guns have such great barrels they are always worth getting going if there has been no butchery. They shot what we called the trash can ammo pretty decently and when you put the thing on a diet of modern ammo the quality of the original barrel becomes evident to put a big smile on your mug.
It is like looking at a beat 63 SS Chevy. Some see a nightmare. I see what I should have never let go of. When you kept your toys and they need a facelift nothing will bring more joy when you put that machine back in service. This defines my business model and is why the Lord Put me on planet earth. It is a lot of work but the calls I get from guys telling me it is better than ever are so cool it is my real payday. USA made machines from the 50-70's rocked and you should never let them get crushed or ignored. They are a piece of American History when nearly everyone took pride in what they did and the end result was something that brought pride of ownership for decades. Manufacturers stepping UP the quality AGAIN is what needs to happen. I'm just showing it can work. Quality sells and consequent to that, I'm not a price taker but a market maker. The net forces you to be one or the other on every item.
I fix Airguns because it gives me great joy. I doubt anyone will ever get rich making old toys functional except on reality TV, which is far from reality.

TimmyMac1

[HueyIP]

Tim,

Dad gave my brother and I a Blue Streak back in 78.  We ran the woods of rural VA shooting targets, rabbits, squirrels, grouse (if you could see them before they jumped), occasional Dove on a limb or power line and thinned the neighbors fighting chickens (if they were that valuable he'd kept them penned or teathered instead of pecking all the tomatoes in our garden).  Sadly that gun was stolen and I didn't replace it till 95.  It's set unused for several years and Army moves but I pulled it out the other day and got the bug again.

I'm working on getting a Sheridan/Benjamin for each of our three kids.

There's something to be said about American made (like it used to be) I remember my parents looking where anything was made and putting it back as was made in Japan.  Now everything is made in China and a lot of times I wish I had some made in Japan stuff.  The quality in these make them not only a pleasure to shoot but family heirlooms to be passed generation to generation.

I can only hope Airgun Smiths like your self don't take the path of one of my other hobbies.  How often do you see a rock shop these days?