OK, for those of you with Impacts (I assume other guns will act the same way), don't do this:
Remove the barrel, fire the gun. I know, I know, it was an accident, as I didn't ensure the gun wasn't cocked. There was no pellet in it, because there wasn't a barrel. So far, three things happened, all bad (and I'm still not sure it's completely repaired)
1. My ears rang and rang. it was really LOUD! Made my .22 sound like nothing. It was more in the line of my 30-06 in noise levels. When it was that loud, I knew something bad had to have happened.
2. The regulator O-Rings were demolished. Wouldn't hold air at all, so had to rebuild the regulator. Considering I've never done anything remotely similar it was an interesting adventure.
Now that the Regulator was fixed I noticed that the valve rod protruded into the area where the magazine should be.
3. Low and behold, the valve seat was demolished as well. Had to completely dismantle the gun to get to the valve seat, and replace it.
While I'd rather have been shooting, it was incredibly fun dismantling and repairing the gun. Built enough confidence in the process to completely tear down my Marauder, clean it, and install a new regulator as well. That's a big deal to me to be able to tackle repairs on my own.
Cost of a single bad pull of the trigger - Well, I'm notorious for over-buying parts because I hate getting into a repair and having to stop, wait for a part, and then getting back to the repair. So, I Spent close to $150 to make the repair. Most parts from FX. Bought a spare regulator for $45, Repair Kit with a valve seat, rod, o-rings and other stuff for $65, O-Ring kit from a seller on eBay $20, and a bunch of O Rings from the O Ring Store for about $20. Lots of spare parts now, so next complete rebuild should be a breeze.
Still cheaper than sending it to a shop, but pricey. Had I known what I was doing, and all I needed was a selection of O-Rings and a new valve seat, repairs could have been as low as maybe $40 ($10 for the valve seat, 10 for shipping, and $10 - $20 or so for the o-rings). Now, I have a spare regulator and the majority of a valve seat repair kit from FX. It'll all go into my parts bin for future use. I'll also buy a couple valve seats just to keep on hand. A couple evenings of enjoyment tearing down and putting back together, not a bad form of entertainment.
Credit here goes to Mr. Ernest Rowe and the FX Master Series Videos. While the series is specific to the Impact, the theories carry across most if not all PCP's. Slowly, I'm beginning to realize that PCP's aren't all that complex. Lots of moving parts, but in general, they work basically the same way.
And thank you to all of you that responded to earlier posts. Kept my desire to complete the job going. Now, as long as the pressure test is good, back to shooting.
Lastly, please don't do what I did. If you've removed the barrel, DON'T PULL THE TRIGGER EVEN IF IT'S NOT COCKED!
Have fun all
Remove the barrel, fire the gun. I know, I know, it was an accident, as I didn't ensure the gun wasn't cocked. There was no pellet in it, because there wasn't a barrel. So far, three things happened, all bad (and I'm still not sure it's completely repaired)
1. My ears rang and rang. it was really LOUD! Made my .22 sound like nothing. It was more in the line of my 30-06 in noise levels. When it was that loud, I knew something bad had to have happened.
2. The regulator O-Rings were demolished. Wouldn't hold air at all, so had to rebuild the regulator. Considering I've never done anything remotely similar it was an interesting adventure.
Now that the Regulator was fixed I noticed that the valve rod protruded into the area where the magazine should be.
3. Low and behold, the valve seat was demolished as well. Had to completely dismantle the gun to get to the valve seat, and replace it.
While I'd rather have been shooting, it was incredibly fun dismantling and repairing the gun. Built enough confidence in the process to completely tear down my Marauder, clean it, and install a new regulator as well. That's a big deal to me to be able to tackle repairs on my own.
Cost of a single bad pull of the trigger - Well, I'm notorious for over-buying parts because I hate getting into a repair and having to stop, wait for a part, and then getting back to the repair. So, I Spent close to $150 to make the repair. Most parts from FX. Bought a spare regulator for $45, Repair Kit with a valve seat, rod, o-rings and other stuff for $65, O-Ring kit from a seller on eBay $20, and a bunch of O Rings from the O Ring Store for about $20. Lots of spare parts now, so next complete rebuild should be a breeze.
Still cheaper than sending it to a shop, but pricey. Had I known what I was doing, and all I needed was a selection of O-Rings and a new valve seat, repairs could have been as low as maybe $40 ($10 for the valve seat, 10 for shipping, and $10 - $20 or so for the o-rings). Now, I have a spare regulator and the majority of a valve seat repair kit from FX. It'll all go into my parts bin for future use. I'll also buy a couple valve seats just to keep on hand. A couple evenings of enjoyment tearing down and putting back together, not a bad form of entertainment.
Credit here goes to Mr. Ernest Rowe and the FX Master Series Videos. While the series is specific to the Impact, the theories carry across most if not all PCP's. Slowly, I'm beginning to realize that PCP's aren't all that complex. Lots of moving parts, but in general, they work basically the same way.
And thank you to all of you that responded to earlier posts. Kept my desire to complete the job going. Now, as long as the pressure test is good, back to shooting.
Lastly, please don't do what I did. If you've removed the barrel, DON'T PULL THE TRIGGER EVEN IF IT'S NOT COCKED!
Have fun all
