***FD-PCP Owners***

[ezman604]

Most or all of you have seen or heard of the incident with the FD-PCP that exploded.

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=96148.0

This is a major concern that we have been discussing and working on in GREAT length behind the scenes. Rest assured we take the safety of our airgun community VERY serious!!! We have not published anything on this but have allowed the thread on the subject to proceed as a heads-up to everyone. At this time there is still no solid evidence to prove anything conclusive with this failure. Part of the problem coming up with the exact cause is the fact of the missing reservoir. But, even with that, we have an obligation to our community to post the information we have.
To prevent the possibility of another catastrophic failure, we strongly recommend that anyone that has possession of an FD-PCP drain all air immediately and do not use the airgun while we formulate a plan. We have many members here with VAST professional knowledge and experience. I have asked a team of members to put together a safety checklist that FD-PCP owners can follow to help determine if their airgun is in fact safe to operate. We will even present a solution, at the owners discretion and expense, that will help to possibly make these airguns safer and possibly improve their overall safety margin. Again, this will  be at the owners discretion whether to follow our recommendations or simply take a failed inspection airgun out of service completely. As a reminder, playing with HPA required diligence and not taking anything for granted. If you do you can be seriously and permanently injured or worse.
I want to make a couple of points perfectly clear at this time!!!
GTA Forums or it's members assumes no responsibility or liability in this matter. We have seen an issue and certainly hope it is a very isolated incident. But as a leader in the airgun community, we have to keep our members safety paramount in our actions. We have some fantastic members that have stepped forward to share their knowledge and ability to help our community. I do apologize for the delay in getting this out but I hope all of you know the impact this can have on many people so moving forward we have to be cautious. We have to be certain a problem actually can exist and be SURE the solution we present is the correct one. Please remove your FD-PCP from use for your safety until we can publish the inspection checklist. We will have it added very soon.
Thank you,
Dave & Team GTA 

[bubba zanetti]

Below are the dimensions Bob (rsterne) posted in the FDPCP explosion thread to assist ANY owners in their research to determine if their FDPCP is within safe specifications IF said owners choose to do so before GTA staff ascertains the possible cause of the alleged failure originally brought to all our attention. Please understand the GTA Staff is still working on providing a solution to FDPCP owners regarding this matter. Again, in the interim Bob's measurements below are a good base line for safety. Please note the following:

1. COMPLETELY DEGAS ANY PCP BEFORE DISASSEMBLY!

2. ALL DIMENSIONS IN BLUE ARE EASY TO MEASUE WITH CALIPERS
You can buy a pair of calipers at Harbor Freight, Lowe's, etc. that cost between $10.00-$40.00 that are accurate for this research.

3. IF YOUR FDPCP IS NOT WITHIN THE PROPOSED SPECIFICATIONS-PLEASE DO NOT USE IT!
Safety first and foremost! Please contact Mike Melick at www.flyingdragonairrifles.org or call (515) 924-3699 between the hours of 9am-5pm to exchange your air tube for one within tolerance so you can get a safe replacement.

4. IF NOT COMFORTABLE WORKING ON YOUR FDPCP THEN DO NOT DO SO!
Please wait for the GTA Staff solutions-we are still diligently working on this matter for safe and sound recommendations to all FDPCP owners.

Bob recommendations are in bold below:


As you are probably aware, there are tolerances for the Minimum and Maximum dimensions for every thread.... Here are the tolerances for 22 mm x 1 mm threads, as used in the XS-60c and the FD-PCP.... I don't know the fit class, so I will give both classes for External threads (there is only one for Internal).... I will give the dimensions in both Metric and Inch, for your convenience.... The source is a website called "Engineers Edge"....

Internal Threads (class 6H):
Minor Diam:
Min. 20.917 mm 0.8235"
Max. 21.153 mm 0.8328"
Pitch Diam:
Min. 21.350 mm 0.8406"
Max. 21.510 mm 0.8469"
Major Diam:
Min. 22.000 mm 0.8661"
Max. 22.304 mm 0.8781"

External Threads (Class 6g):
Major Diam:
Max. 21.974 mm 0.8651"
Min. 21.794 mm 0.8580"
Pitch Diam:
Max. 21.324 mm 0.8395
Min. 21.206 mm 0.8349"
Minor Diam:
Max. 20.891 mm 0.8225"
Min. 20.590 mm 0.8106"

External Threads (Class 4g6g): Slightly tighter tolerances than class 6g for the dimensions in red - ie not cut as deep
Major Diam:
Max. 21.974 mm 0.8651"
Min. 21.794 mm 0.8580"
Pitch Diam:
Max. 21.324 mm 0.8395"
Min. 21.249 mm 0.8366"
Minor Diam:
Max. 20.891 mm 0.8225"
Min. 20.633 mm 0.8123"

The original tube for the XS-60c uses a 22 mm OD x 1.5 mm wall tube, and is threaded 22 mm x 1mm pitch.... I just pulled my FD-PCP tube and measured the OD of the tube threads, and the ID of the receiver threads.... The dimensions in blue are the ones that are easy to measure with Digital Calipers.... The receiver I have, was within the stated tolerance on Minor Diameter, the ID measures 0.829-0.830" .... The tube I have, measured 0.8575 to 0.8585" for the back end that threads into the receiver (right on the minimum for the Major Diameter).... and I got 0.8565-0.8575" (slightly under the minimum allowable) for the front end.... Therefore, the tube on my rifle was right at the minimum allowable dimensions.... I did not measure the ID of the front nut/sleeve that holds on the fill fitting.... Remember, this is a sample of ONE....

Bob

[ezman604]

We are creating a safety inspection checklist that can be accomplished by the end user. Although we recommend you have the airgun inspected by a qualified machinist, you can perform this inspection yourself. GTA Forums, it's staff, vendors and members assume no responsibility for any injury while operating or inspecting one of these airguns. We assembled this safety checklist to help our community by identify any possible and obvious unsafe airguns.
If your airgun fails the safety inspection, we suggest you contact Mike at Flying Dragon Airguns or simply remove the airgun from further service.
We feel there is a VERY small number of these that could possibly have air reservoir fitting issues but ALL should be inspected before any further use!!!