Post
by to_saptarshi » Tue Jun 22, 2010 4:11 am
In Word its very difficult to draw a step by step by guide, basically it will be varry based on model , like break barrel, SSP, CO2 etc etc , but these are some basic things that you should always check.
1. Barrel , quality of Barrel , Check for Rifling , look for Lands and grooves distribution, check for locking mechanism, check barrel seal, once action is closed ( In case of Break Barrel) how barrel is aligned with body , is it pointing upwards / downwards / straight ? Is there too much playing in the hinge ?
2. Sights , how sights are made , Are they fixed and tight after adjustement ? are the V notch crispy and clear and align straight with front sight, what kind of front sight it has , globe , post , etc, how front sight is attached with barrel , welded ? dovetail group ? or just plain drilled , avoid the last one if possible
3. Compression chamber , should be inspected carefully , how much cocking effort is required ? is cocking smooth ? look carefully how hinged are attached with cylinder , if its welded are they aligned properly, Since you cannot open the cylinder its not possible to know if its reamless or not but incase you are in a position to choose, go for reamless cylinder only. Usually while cocking I put my finger on the air passing vent of cylinder to feel the suction pressure while holding the barrel carefully with other hand, but since its extreamly dangerous as slipping the barrel will result loosing your finger, I wont recommend this method to anyone. DONT ATTEMPT TO DO IT .
4. Trigger , How its locking the sear, Experienced person can judge by its sound while cocking, How hard the trigger feel during firing (trigger pull). Can trigger weight be adjusted ?
5. Cocking lever : is it solid and strong enough to compress a high tension powerful spring.
6. How stock are desgined, Are you feeling comfortable and sights are properly aligned at one go after mounting ? is there any recoil pad ? How good is the stock finish ? How Pistol grip is designed ? is it chekered ? if yes howz the quality of checkering , or if it stippling again check for quality, how about small of the butt ? is it checkered too ?
7. overall presentation , bluing , finishing of the rifle, is it too heavy ? too light ? too big/ small for you ?
8. Fire few shot with pellets ( NO DRY FIRE AT ALL , in case of springers ) how much recoil it have, Does it produced a thud sound when piston hits the cylinder wall , if its metalic sound , means the washer is not good or its not prducting enough cushion for the piston, Does it smoke too much , if yes there are too much lube inside the cylinder , did the pellet hit the inteded place , fire few pellets if possible from vice or clamp and check for the grouping. how pellets sitting inside the barrel ? if its too tight ? too loose ? Pellets should be moderately tight all the way in the barrel.
9. Apply your common sense and overall feeling about the rifle, Ask yourself what is the best feature of this rifle and what is the worst and then decide your self how important that feature is while considering shooting.
Above are mainly applicable for Break Barrel springer, these are some major points that you should check while buying a break barrel . May be there are few more which I cant remember at this time may be others can contribute more.
Thanks and Regards,
Saptarshi