Walther lg53 New pics

[wildman510]

Recieved the walther today and yes it still functions,  Its shooting 7.1gr HN hollowpoint at 584fps about 2fps SD.  Very accurate.  This one has a lead block in the stock.  Stock is flawless but the metal is showing its age.  I was right this one is a LG 53 M.  What a nice little rifle.

[airnutz]

Congrats on your score!

Isn't getting a new (old) gun exciting?

Walther's are just plain cool.

[Bob in WV]

I own a few of these wonderful guns and they are fine shooters indeed.  I would not change the leather seal to a synthetic one if it was me.  The leather seal is probably in good shape anyway. 

Bob in WV

[wildman510]

I doubt ill change it unless it fails.  The front sight is cracked were at the base so is about useless I mounted a small 4 power scope to shoot it.  I may make a new base ring for the sight out of brass if I cant find a front sight.  The gun is buzzy and will be getting torn down for a tune.

[robert w]

I own a few of these wonderful guns and they are fine shooters indeed.  I would not change the leather seal to a synthetic one if it was me.  The leather seal is probably in good shape anyway. 

Bob in WV

x-2 that. lots of fine old guns work great using leather seals,you need to oil a leather seal periodically . I have a few leather sealed guns. my hw-55 is just breaking in its second seal. I got it new on Christmas 1969. the original seal lasted till last year,how many synthetic seals last that long? I know my 55 has been shot a LOT . its blueing is wore real bad from using, no rust just wore down to bare steel in several places. great old guns came from the s down

[wildman510]

Well got her tore down.  Leather seals already been swapped out.  Im not impressed with this seal either its very hard.  The inside of the reciever tube looks great.  It also appears that this is not the original trigger return spring.  Im gonna get to work on her tonight.  If she turns out like I hope Im gonna send her off for a Reblue  to bring her back to life.

[Motorhead]

If you have the miens ? get a decent semi-fitted Delrin spring guide ( Much Longer ) in there and the shot cycle just gets so sweet 

[wildman510]

Ill be turning a new guide tonight and probably a tophat.  Im gonna look for another spring for the trigger its pretty obvious someone put this spring in its super stiff and you can tell it was just cut of at the one end and not flat like a factory spring.

[wildman510]

Im thinking since I dont have the original sights maybe a scope like a beeman ss2 would be suitable for this rifle.

[Motorhead]

Ill be turning a new guide tonight and probably a tophat.  Im gonna look for another spring for the trigger its pretty obvious someone put this spring in its super stiff and you can tell it was just cut of at the one end and not flat like a factory spring.

If you do a top hat ( As a spring rotation bearing ) make it from delrin also adding NO more weight to piston.
What ever thickness it is in adding more spring pre-load, take it away in thickness of guides base keeping total pre-load very similar to factory spec's.  This JMO .....

Fun project 

[wildman510]

OK made a new guide and tophat,  Got rid of the garbage piece of nylon for a seal someone put in there and installed a maccari seal i had laying around.  Now for a question maybe motorhead can shed some light on.  Its pretty obvious someone cobbled this gun back to shooting condition.  The spring in this gun has almost 4 inches of preload surely this can not be right.  I can not imagine a gun like this needing all that preload.  This spring is obviously new as I found a dot of fresh red paint on it.  I made my guide to fit snug but not tight but once the spring is compressed in the gun the coils open up some and the guide is loose.  Its shooting very smooth now but still has some buzz.  Does anyone know how much preload is normal for this gun.  Or were I might find a correct spring.  I do have the ability to shorten this spring and reflatten.  Ill shoot it over the chrony in the morning.  Like I said its smooth shooting and theres no slam or anything just BUZZ BUZZ.  Instaled a different trigger spring and now the trigger seems to be working smoother and comes back to the second stage nicely.

[Motorhead]

When I had done CALMARKS 55, going on memory the factory spring had maybe 2" of pre-load.
Guide made was SNUG requiring a bit of spring push to get it slid on within springs I.D. is a static state.

Once spring/guide was in rifle and the press installed with the pre-load present, grip of springs I.D. on guide was pretty 0/0 and upon cocking and viewing the coils while compressed showed no drag bias on guide verses open coils within piston.

Now if the Spring you have is compressing and offsetting it's coils being compressed no doubt it's twanging.
Reading back on my post doing Marks gun, primary guide was 3" plus set in length so at full compression as cocked, end of guide was within @ 1/4 of contacting pistons end at spring seat.

** What begs to be asked is .... Springs O.D. and Piston I.D.... how close are they ?

[airnutz]

I'll agree to the 2 inches of preload.

The red paint on that spring tells me it's an original Walther high performance spring.  I've had, and still have in  my LG55 one of those things.  I've seen three of them, they all had the same measurements.

My LG55 is the most docile cocking air rifle I've ever had.  I have the red spring in it, and put a piston from a later model LGV (10% more stroke), buttoned the thing (it was already nice and snug), a new hard front seal.  The gun cocks with almost zero effort, I mean just about as easy as if there was no spring.  It shoots average of 640 fps.

The "buzz" you notice may be because the piston is different.  I had a red spring in an old LG51, and as stated now in my LG55.  The seal soft silicon, parachute seal fits all LG's, 51, 53 and 55.  The LGV piston has a drop in button type seal up front, and is hard.  The barrel is/was, smooth as glass on the inside.  These guns are high quality, even though from the 50's and early 60's.

[wildman510]

The guide I made is 2.75 inches long with a 3/8 tophat.  The seal I removed was basically just a nylon plug.  I shot about 100 rds through her today then chonied shes running 600fps with rws basics 7.0.  The seal I fitted may be still a little on the tight side.  Gun is just as accurate if not more then my hw30s.  Ill make a new guide later to address the buzz.  Ill be stripping her again and sending the reciever and barrel off to be repolished and reblued.  Some would say leave it as is but this gun starting to grow on me and I dont mind spending the extra cabbage to give her a nice look again.  Ill be giving my son the hw30 and ill be keeping the walther so we can have father son matches.

[wildman510]

Pic of her beside the 30.  Thanks airnutz on the red paint.  Motorhead ill check the spring and piston fit when I tear her down again.

[chuckinohio]

  Good going Josh!!

  I enjoyed reading about you being able to breathe some new life into that nice older rifle, and having some fun doing it to boot.

  Congratulations man!

[airnutz]

By the way, mounting a scope is no problem.  The guide is too short, but use a bridge mount with 4 screws, then only one does not fit on the guide.  It holds well, no problem.

[wildman510]

Shot the walther this morning and she made my mind up for me.  Brought her back in an disassembeld and sent of to be reblued.  Hopefully she will be back before Christmas new pics to come.

[airnutz]

Good move.  I'm happy to hear you invest a bit to make the old Walther a nice piece again.

I feel, as do many real experts, that the Walthers had the best bluing out there, maybe even on par with Wembleys.  They had definitely the best German bluing. Deep, deep and shiny black.  They are indeed worth restoring.

We're looking forward to seeing when it's done.

[wildman510]

Shes on her way home courtesy of East Coast bluing.  Cant wait to see what she looks like.  I made a new spring guide a tighter one hopefully it get rid of the buzz.