Airhawk hits a nerve.

[avator]

When I ordered my 3rd FD-PCP from Flying Dragon I asked Mike to toss a couple delrin top hats in the box for the Airhawks.  He had told me about this tune back when we first bought them on Black Friday last year and I just never got around to doing it. The weather today in southern Alabama gave me the opportunity to stay in out of the rain and tear one of them down. I had already done the deburr and lube thing when we first got them and all that still looked really good. It's a pretty straight forward tune and it smoothes the cocking out nicely. It also takes a lot of the recoil out. Just pop the spring out, take the sleeve off and put the top hat in. Open the hole up in the sleeve and reverse it so it slides down on the spring guide. Basically, you are taking the sleeve from the top of the spring and putting it on the bottom. Sounds easy huh? It is, as long as the safety don't come out and you don't put the sear in backwards and you don't catch a small spring flying past your head out of the corner of your eye and find a permanent home in the 20 year old pile of the rust colored carpet in your gun room. Man, I sure could use help from those guys on TV that travel around finding treasures with metal detectors. Since they didn't hear me crying for help, I had to repurpose an ink pen spring. I had this thing apart 6 times and it still wouldn't lock into the sear. It sure cocked smooth, just wouldn't stay there. Betty Lou asked me to do her a favor and walk away from it for awhile. Anything for Betty Lou. I sat the gun in the corner and eased back in my recliner.... for a grand total of 10 minutes. Between this thing and a couple of those cheap Chinese springers, I am building up quite the woodpile for the summer camp fires. Back to the gun room. Betty Lou joined me for my own good. I broke it down one last time with every intention of swapping everything back to it's original state and giving up. I pulled the spring guide out and noticed something I hadn't seen on the 6 previous attempt. The end of it was deformed.... OK, it was pretty much mangled. I forgot to cut the thickness of the top hat off of it. You got to be kidding me. I hacked it off and filed the burrs and put the gun back together for what I swore was the last time. I broke the barrel down and it snapped right into the sear like a new one. Betty Lou was elated and asked me if I wanted to watch a movie with her. I guess she saw something in the look on my face and went off to the family room alone. The rain stopped long enough for me to take it out for a few trial shots. I ended up putting 100 or so thru it. It still likes the cheap TSC Winchester domes better than anything I have which amazes me but, it's all good. At 30yds I was ripping dime sizes stickers off the steel blank one right after another. Betty Lou thinks we should do the other Airhawk another day. Now for a movie.

[palonej]

You crack me up William!!! Have you thanked the good lord for putting that wonderful woman in your life today???
    

[jfrey]

 

[avator]

Repeatedly Joe.... Thanks

[longhunter]

I gotta ask. How's the ink pen spring working?

[avator]

I was trying to find a pic to show the spring in question. I didn't find one so I'll try to describe. Holding the action of the gun with the trigger group pointing upwards. You see the trigger blade and the spring that returns it to it's normal position after firing. Looking at the back of the trigger group, just under that is a small spring that is also in a vertical position. This is the fly away spring. Basically it made the trigger break easier which turned out to be very nice.

[jonnnyboy]

Great mod, Bill.  What would we do without our wives?  I know I depend on mine.

joe

[avator]

Yeah, it's amazing that some of our best tunes come by way of pure accident. As far as Betty Lou..... probably my greatest find.

[Sfttailrdr46]

  Having someone to share the journey and have fun with is definitely a treasure especially when it is your wife

[longhunter]

Did you use the whole spring, or just part of it? I may want to try that, myself.

[avator]

I just used part of it, it would have bottomed out if the whole thing was used. I would guess I cut 1/3 of it off. I put the factory finish end of it upwards because it had a pocket for it with a flat bottom.

[longhunter]

Just might have to try that, for myself.