RWS 34 Spring Question - Is this normal??

[TooJung2Die]

Make a pair of short pins the same diameter as the two long pins holding the trigger assembly in place and no wider than the trigger assembly. Use these short pins to drive out the long pins then leave the short ones in place when the trigger assembly comes out. They make re-inserting the long pins easy because they hold the safety spring in place.

I made two pins from a cheap philips screwdriver shaft but others have found suitable pins in the hardware store. Try it, you'll like it.

[MarkinJHawkland]

Terry, I was talking about installing the barrel. My recollection is that it's difficult with the mainspring installed. With the mainspring out you can install the cocking shoe into the slot and piston and easily hold the barrel in the open position and align the pivot.

Don, I could be wrong but I don't think slave pins are necessary on the T06 Dianas. I have disassembled 3 T06 guns and did not need slave pins.

Mark N

[robertr]

 With my 350 magnum I can remove my barrel by just cracking it open a bit so it is off the barrel catch, I have a bit of play there before cocking arm contacts spring. You could also remove the cocking arm from the barrel which would also help.

[TooJung2Die]

Don, I could be wrong but I don't think slave pins are necessary on the T06 Dianas. I have disassembled 3 T06 guns and did not need slave pins.

Mark, I believe you. I started using the pins on the D45. It was a bear to get the long pins in (no, impossible) without the short pins. I just continued using them when I got the D34 and D52 which have the T06 and T05 trigger. The D45 is a completely different trigger than the other Diana's, a whole 'nother animal. I find the short pins convenient.

Jon

[dsaavedra]

I did it! The Vortek kit is installed and the gun works

I started by installing the red piston seal on the piston (not difficult once I watched a video Vortek put on Youtube and practiced on my factory seal a few times). I then put a small dab on moly on a paper towel on the end of a dowel rod and rubbed it into the walls of the compression chamber for a few minutes. Then I put a careful smear of moly around the edge of the piston seal and about a finger's width on both ends of the piston. I put a little moly along the edges of the cocking slot, and a small bit on the sear catch. Then it was time to slide the piston into the chamber - yikes that was a lot tighter than I expected, which kind of worried me. Took a good bit of pressure to get it to slide into the chamber, but I was careful not to force anything and I made certain the edge of the piston seal didn't get peeled back around my deburred edges. I put a light coat of moly pretty much all over the spring and guides and slid that in, put some moly on the and barrel pivot, cocking shoe and receiver slot. Took a little playing around to get the barrel back on and get the shoe seated properly but I got it and the pivot sleeve went in easily (barrel open this time  ). Put it in the compressor to close it back up and gave it a few test shots. It's dark here so I was really just shooting it to make sure it worked and nothing seemed wrong.

 Well it works, and nothing seems wrong  The cocking is sooooo smooth and silent. The only noise is a slight noise of the weight of the cocking shoe dragging as you close the barrel. The shot is a nice solid thwack. There was no detonation which I was happy about. I only shot it maybe a dozen times just to make sure it was working before taking it out of the stock and wiping the outside down with denatured alcohol to get excess moly off and then wiping it with some light gun oil like I always do before I put it away.

I'm going to optically center my scope tonight and get this thing sighted in tomorrow morning. Probably going to need to put a hundred or so pellets down the barrel to let it settle in before I get really serious about zeroing it in, but that should be easy because it's such a pleasure to shoot now.

I'll report back tomorrow, thanks for the help everyone!

[dsaavedra]

Well I've shot it a bit today and got it shooting pretty well. It's on target and I'm going to shoot it a bit more to let it break in and give me a chance to regain my shooting skills before I try to really zero it in.

At first it cocked buttery smooth but now after about 50 shots or so I am noticing a slight grinding feeling returning, about halfway down the cocking stroke. When I had the gun apart I could see where the top of the back edge of the piston was sliding against the top wall of the compression chamber so I suspect this is what's happening again. Should I open it back up and apply a little more moly on this area? I used the moly sparingly based on all my research but maybe I used it TOO sparingly?

[MarkinJHawkland]

My suggestion would be to button the top of the piston. This happened to my 34 as well. Out of round tube or piston is the culprit. There is an upward force on the piston during cocking.

They say that with a hardened piston and a soft comp tube that there should be no galling. But it sure seems like that is what's going on.

ARH has glue on buttons which is what I used. I think I used four just on the top of the rear of the piston. Some folks just use any sort of plastic like from a soda bottle. Glue on with super glue and sand nearly flush.

Mark N

[Brazos]

I put some JM glue on buttons on my 34 and found them a joke.  My rifle went from smooth to rough.  They eventually smoothed out.  I liked the concept though.  Next time I will use plastic from a coke bottle and glue them on the piston.  I think it will work better.  The JM buttons were like sand paper.  They also weren't thick enough as there was plenty of space left between the button and the compression tube.  The buttons are nearly paper thin.  They really do look like someone used a hole punch on 320 grit sandpaper.  I am not knocking JM.  He has outstanding stuff.  I just won't buy the glue on buttons again. 

My suggestion is to just shoot the rifle.  It will smooth out.  You are all super sensitive right now as you just worked on your first sping rifle.  I would have used tar on the spring though.  Your can get it from JM and just take the spring out, leave the piston in, and just smear tar on the spring and reinstall.  Moly goes everywhere else. 

[dsaavedra]

I put some JM glue on buttons on my 34 and found them a joke.  My rifle went from smooth to rough.  They eventually smoothed out.  I liked the concept though.  Next time I will use plastic from a coke bottle and glue them on the piston.  I think it will work better.  The JM buttons were like sand paper.  They also weren't thick enough as there was plenty of space left between the button and the compression tube.  The buttons are nearly paper thin.  They really do look like someone used a hole punch on 320 grit sandpaper.  I am not knocking JM.  He has outstanding stuff.  I just won't buy the glue on buttons again. 

My suggestion is to just shoot the rifle.  It will smooth out.  You are all super sensitive right now as you just worked on your first sping rifle.  I would have used tar on the spring though.  Your can get it from JM and just take the spring out, leave the piston in, and just smear tar on the spring and reinstall.  Moly goes everywhere else.

What I ended up doing was putting a little more moly on the top of the piston where it was rubbing the compression tube and shooting it some more. I have put probably 250 shots through it since the tune. Doesn't grind anymore. I agree about being super sensitive - my friend told me I am just listening too hard 

[Methuselah]

I once sent an air gun to Umarex for warranty repair. Came back worse then when it was sent in and returned it to the retailer. NEVER again will I do that. Just MY $.02. Lee

Same here, short version they broke the rear sight and replaced it with junk box parts and returned my D34 still broken.

[Methuselah]

I have a Diana 34, and your spring looks normal (from what I can see.)  The spring is under "some" tension even when the rifle is not cocked.  When you break a spring, it is usually pretty obvious (you can see it, and it is shinny and clearly cracked) but not always.  I would NOT advise you to put oil or the RWS spring oil on the spring.  That stuff is thin, and runs.  If it runs down the length of your compression chamber, you will get a "Boom" which is known as a detonation.  That will break your spring, and rip your piston seal.   Then you will have problems not covered by warranty.

If you check BBB complaints against them, ANY rifle sent to Umarex with a broken spring results in a void warranty due to excessive oil.

I would not send the rifle to Umarex!  Ever!   If you send the rifle to Umarex, and they determine nothing is wrong with it, they will bill you, and hold your rifle hostage until you pay.  You will pay shipping both-ways regardless if it is a waranty issue or not.  That's how it is, and I'm writing from experience.  I call it the "Umarex experience".  Please don't believe you have a warranty, or that Umarex cares.     

After they did the hostage bit with me it took calls from the State Attorney General's Office to get it back (still broken though they claimed to have rebuilt it).

I do agree with the rest of the thread though, the D34 seems to be a quality design.  Unfortunately it also suffers a design flaw where the front stock bracket attaches.  If the screw comes loose it's going to keep happening    (Umarex returned mine this way.)

[Methuselah]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Would there still be tension on the pivot if I just crack the barrel open when removing/inserting the pivot sleeve?

This is the moly paste I intend to purchase I have seen a few people on here say they use it with success, and the price per ounce seems unmatched (plus I have a Prime account so I can get free 2 day shipping). The MSDS says 65-100% moly, so it should work well for an air rifle.

Great link 

The 1 1/2 Oz containers for $9 might be enough for 10 rifles but moly grease has other uses too, like engine rebuilding.  JM also puts graphite in theirs (no idea what else), bet whatever they do is in the MSDS document, but it must be a heck of a lot easier to buy their mix than gather and measure/mix your own...

[Methuselah]

Gee, um ok - nuts - ten windows were opened from an old search.  Sorry I resurrected a dead thred folks.  It has some great info in it, hope I didn't pooch it up too badly 

[anuthabubba]

I put some JM glue on buttons on my 34 and found them a joke.  My rifle went from smooth to rough.  They eventually smoothed out.  I liked the concept though.  Next time I will use plastic from a coke bottle and glue them on the piston.  I think it will work better.  The JM buttons were like sand paper.  They also weren't thick enough as there was plenty of space left between the button and the compression tube.  The buttons are nearly paper thin.  They really do look like someone used a hole punch on 320 grit sandpaper.  I am not knocking JM.  He has outstanding stuff.  I just won't buy the glue on buttons again. 

My suggestion is to just shoot the rifle.  It will smooth out.  You are all super sensitive right now as you just worked on your first sping rifle.  I would have used tar on the spring though.  Your can get it from JM and just take the spring out, leave the piston in, and just smear tar on the spring and reinstall.  Moly goes everywhere else.

The JM 'old school buttons' had to be sanded, waay thinner, to even fit inside my HWs. They should be moly'd. Have read of but never tried the plastic bottle buttons. Have also used some industrial spray-on dry-lube moly coating which has worked very well. Several coats on the piston skirt and through the slot, to the ID of the main tube, where the piston travels.


 

[Buldawg76]

Here the trick I use to install the piston seals on the cone shaped style piston noses and work very well and easy to do.

Find a socket that the rear end where the ratchet or extension fit in it and make sure the diameter of the socket is just slightly larger of a diameter than the cone on the piston and lube the socket up with your choice of lubes and place the front of seal on the rear of the socket so that the larger cone shape of the seal is against the socket and with your finger work it on over the rounded edge of the socket and then with the piston supported vertically in a vise or other means of securing it place the socket on the top of the piston with it centered over the cone on the piston so that the seal is spread out larger ith a than the cone and with two fingers from both hands evenly spaced around the seal and with a quick even pressure push the seal onto the piston so that it goes right past the piston cone and on to the piston with out issue or excessive force or prying that can damage the inner surface of the seal.