Sunday, October 20, 2013

Diana Model 16 Disassembly, Part 2


Just a bit more

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The spring guide slides out.

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The spring guide.

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Two pieces joined together. The use of sheet metal in this design is interesting.

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The spring is a bit wiggly…also there is little if any lubrication evident.

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The cocking arm is captured by its little ears.

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The cocking arm slides out the back end of the receiver tube.

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The barrel detent. Staked in place.

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The piston, also made entirely of sheet metal, welds and rivets.

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The sear is an insert.

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Oh, there’s some lube, reduced to putty by age.

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The leather piston seal is riveted in place. That is inconvenient. I hope I can massage it into shape in place.

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The other end of the rivet.

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It doesn’t look as bad now, although that leather is really pliable.

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I pried the breech washer out.

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Ii was backed by a cardboard domed shim.

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Interesting. The seal should be fine for reuse.

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The breech end. The barrel is brass (or a yellow alloy of some sort). The entire barrel assembly is best left as-is I think.

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That’s all the parts. Now to clean, steel wool the rust, lube and reassemble. Not happy about the spring but I don’t have a spare that size. May hit the hardware store and see what they have.

Diana Model 16 Disassembly, Part 1

Well I finally found an airgun at a yard sale. In the past couple of years I haven’t seen anything but the most common Crosman and Daisy airguns for sale. Finding something Derrick and I haven’t already torn down is harder still! So I was happy to find a Diana Model 16 “rifle” (it’s a smoothbore) at a yard sale yesterday. I have always wanted one because of the odd hinge system for the break barrel. It is definitely sized for a small child. This one is postwar as it’s made in Great Britain rather than Germany.
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That’s a 2’ ruler.10201302
DIANA      MOD. 16      MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN10201303
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Most of the screws use the cool looking, yet annoying to remove, slotted nut.
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That’s a front sight!
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This is the unique hinge. Notice that the barrel locking detent is in the cocking arm, not the receiver or barrel.
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You can see the piston sear.
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There is a bit of rust…The breech washer is carried by the receiver rather than the barrel assembly.
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Removing the trigger guard. I don’t like that it relies on a wood screw, as this does need disassembly from time to time. That said, the screw hole was not stripped.
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I used snap ring pliers to engage the slotted nut while I removed the cross bolt/trigger pivot. See my spiffy new Panavise? It came in handy.
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Front screws have a lock washer…it doesn’t want to come out of the wood.
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Action removed.
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The spring rests in an angled pocket in the stock.
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The only real damage to the stock was a small chip in the butt.
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The trigger.
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Removing the cocking arm pivot bolt.
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Punched out the retaining pin. There is no preload on the spring.
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The pin.
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Had to tap the end cap off, it’s a friction fit.
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Not particularly exciting.
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The spring & piston wouldn’t come out.
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Problem #1, the edge of the slot is folded down past the end of the spring guide. Not sure if this is intentional.
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What’s up with all of that lint?
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The spring guide also has a twist detent…
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Now it comes out…I had to rotate/pry it with a stout pick.
More to come…