Gas Piston How hard to compress?

[SoCalZac]

I am going to be putting my Benji NP back together in a couple days but the gas ram is really hard to compress as in i can't compress it at all with my body weight, 265lbs. I put the shaft end on the floor with a towel under it a put a towel over the ram but it dd not compress at all is this normal? I also tried putting it against a door stop and leaning on it and the same thing no movement at all. I was going to buy a bar clamp to compress it when i put the gun back together but am worried i won't be able to compress it. This was orginally out of a Titan if that makes a difference.

[rsterne]

That is the difference between Gas Rams and a spring.... A spring starts out with zero force required.... while a Gas Ram has about 85% of it's full force needed to budge it from full length....

Bob

[SoCalZac]

That is the difference between Gas Rams and a spring.... A spring starts out with zero force required.... while a Gas Ram has about 85% of it's full force needed to budge it from full length....

Bob

Do you think a bar clamp will compress it or will I need something stronger?

[Roadworthy]

I was using a Harbor Freight aluminum bar clamp on my Nitro Venom.  It worked great.  I got a four foot one as I dismantle guns with the barrel attached.

[Novagun]

I use a bar clamp on my gas rams with no difficulty. I don't push on the end of the barrel as Roadworthy seems to do although I see no reason why you should not.
 
I cover the two ends of the clamp with masking tape and squeeze between the fork end of the compression chamber just on one side of the fork and the spring ends.
No mishaps so far.

[SteveP-52]

Gas rams usually only need to be compressed half an inch or less to get them back in, so a bar clamp should work just fine, always has for me.

[SoCalZac]

Thanks guys I’m going to pick up one from harbor freight tomorrow.