Gas spring - an excellent tool to increase the power of low-cost entry-level air rifles. However, the choice of a quality system for weapons modernization is only half the battle. The gas spring still needs to be installed correctly, on which its functionality and the ultimate service life directly depend.
What is a gas spring?
The mechanism is made in the form of a cylinder filled with compressed gas. On the one hand there is a plunger rod that extends in the longitudinal direction. During the firing, the energy generated by pneumatics tends to push the rod out, which contributes to the creation of effort. When cocking, the plunger automatically returns to its original position.
A brief excursion into history
For the first time, a gas spring began to be used in series in the manufacture of rifles in the mid-80s of the last century by the American company Theoben Engineering. A real boom in the use of such mechanisms was observed a decade later, when craftsmen adapted the pneumatic stops of automobiles to modernize weapons. The technology was extremely affordable and did not force the craftsmen to resort to the use of expensive, specialized equipment.
Today, a number of reputable piston pneumatic manufacturers produce their gas spring options. The most popular products are brands: Crosman, Gamo, Norica, Hatsan.
Benefits
What are the advantages of a gas spring against a standard twisted mechanism? Here it is worth highlighting the following:
- The absence of vibration, annoying sounds, minimal impact and, as a result, the possibility of more accurate shooting.
- The gas spring has a uniform platoon, which does not force the shooter to exert significant effort during reloading the rifle.
- Increased power reserve - customization makes it possible to adjust the mechanism of the gas spring in accordance with the qualities of the weapon used.
- Durability - the maximum service life of gas springs exceeds the same indicator of twisted mechanisms by about 5-7 times.
- The possibility of prolonged maintenance of weapons in cocked position. When storing pneumatics with coil springs, acting in this way is highly discouraged.
- The effective use of optics - insignificant vibrations and minimal recoil during the operation of the gas spring most positively affects the accuracy of shooting using optical sights.
Gas spring installation
Consider the installation procedure of the pneumatic mechanism. An example would be a gas spring on Hatsan.
The work is performed in the following order. To begin with, the rifle bed is separated, with the help of pliers, the fuse spring is released. The sear pin is removed. A bolt is removed to hold the bed in the rear position. After that, you can remove the factory coil spring.
Next, the barrel with the clutch is removed, the piston is removed. Now you can proceed to the installation of the gas spring. A centering washer is put on the ledge of the back and the pneumatic device is fixed . Fuses and trigger are assembled in reverse order.
Finally, the owner of the rifle can only install the bed in place. Next, you need to check the reliability of all fixtures. When using fasteners of poor quality, there is a high probability of a stuck mechanism. Therefore, their selection should be approached carefully. In conclusion, it is worth testing the operation of the installed gas spring in practice.