Just bought a HR 83 is anyone else shooting these rifles.
Benjamin Sterling HR 83 .22 and .177 - Anyone else shooting HR 83
- Thread starter vintageairguncollector@gm
- Start date
The Sterlings have plastic piston rings and a plastic buffer at the end, a similar setup to an FWB 300 series. They appear to be prone to piston damage from slamming into the end of the cylinder; I've seen several. I would recommend disassembling the gun and inspecting the end of the piston closely before shooting it. It's hard to see it, but the one in the attached pictures even had signs of piston slam, in which the end was smashed and the front ring was locked in the groove. Ended up using an adapter and resized a 26mm seal from Vortek. A spring compressor is needed.
Thank you, I need a spring compressor for disassembly. I heard/read these had trigger issues and the short production life did not help. Piston will be inspected now for slam too.
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@Wadcutter - Completely agree. My friend has a .20 cal HR 83 and the trigger and internals have gone kaput. (I think the previous owner kept shooting it with broken internals).
Luckily Vortek HQ is fairly close, he's contacted Tom about the rifle and possible replacement parts.
Would be a shame if it turns into a wall hanger.
Luckily Vortek HQ is fairly close, he's contacted Tom about the rifle and possible replacement parts.
Would be a shame if it turns into a wall hanger.
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The early ones had serious trigger issues. I thought Benjamin fixed the trigger problems when they started production in the USA. Maybe just wishful thinking. Since it was sold with a scope on it someone had been shooting it.
A .20 HR 83 must be a really rare airgun, I cannot remember seeing any HR83's regardless of caliber.
A .20 HR 83 must be a really rare airgun, I cannot remember seeing any HR83's regardless of caliber.
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I cut the ring grooves off before installing the adaptor. Unfortunately, a 25mm seal is barely too small. He'll have to turn down a 26mm to fit correctly in the tube, if he goes that route.
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Benjamin made and sold the Sterlings from 1984-94
The .20 caliber Sterling came along in 1990, probably towards the end of that year. I keep a record and have only seen one in that caliber.
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Wadcutter here's two more serial #'s - Cal. 177. S# J099054. Cal. .22. S# J084650. both HR 83's.
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Does anyone know how many HR 83 total production or total production of HR 81/83?
I would be surprised to find out 84,650 HR 83 rifles were made.
There was not a single Benjamin Sterling at the last 3 airgun shows I have attended or maybe I missed them repeatedly.
I would be surprised to find out 84,650 HR 83 rifles were made.
There was not a single Benjamin Sterling at the last 3 airgun shows I have attended or maybe I missed them repeatedly.
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Thanks, I was watching those lots, so they are both already on file. The Blue Ribbon scope on this one is in nice shape.
It's reported that the first US made Sterling serial number was 463514 and sold 2-25-1986. A six digit number which appeared to run consecutively with Sheridan serials of that same time period. This is somewhat confusing, because Sterling models were offered in Benjamin catalogs as early as 1984. I have not recorded any stand alone six digit serials, so maybe they are few and far between. The Benjamin stamped Sterlings that I've seen have a letter prefix "J" or "T" followed by six digits. I believe these with letter prefix's run consecutive with 1991 and later Benjamin guns which also have a letter prefix followed by six digits. This may explain the large spread in the serial numbering compared to real world numbers that have been found.
I've recorded less than 20 US made guns and it's not from lack of google searching and watching auctions. To sum it up - There were not many US Sterlings produced, but the exact number is unknown.
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