MY first B3, if you remember, started tearing the breech seal apart. Slivers of it tore off. toolsnow.com then sent me a second B3. I looked the first one over better, and it looked like, after the sliver tore off, it might still seal okay. So I did some more shooting. I never got really good groups with it, but a few acceptable ones. There were often unexplainable flyers where I did the shot exactly like the others, but the pellet might be 2 even 3-4 inches out in some cases.Also, often it didn't give me well rounded groups, but many were strung vertically out. Then, today, I found another sliver tearing off the seal. I had read right here on this forum that you could make a very useable breech seal from 5/16" fule line, if you cut it very square at from 5/16 to 11/32 inch long. Before I couldn't get the old seal out. Today I decided, what the heck, what do I have to lose. I dug the old breech seal out.It's white in color, and made of some pretty stout plastic?? So I even had some 5/16 fuel line.I cut it off somewhere in the range of the specs I read here, lubed it up with "Sil-Glyde" ( I used to use that stuff when I was working as a large truck mechanic-as in Kenworths,Freightliners, etc), and worked the new "seal" into the cutout for it. I must have cut it a bit long, because the underlever would,'t engage the latch.The fuel line if pretty pliable, so for now, I used some rubber bands to hold the underlever into the latch on the barrel. Then I started some test firing. I don't know if it was psychological or not, but I tell you, I am excited!! First, as the seal began to mate itself to the breech/barrel area I started to get some rounded groups. As I shot it some more, the underlever latch began to latch to the lever like it's supposed to. My last two groups were really nice!!! I shot a five shot group with some cheaper Beeman #1230 Chinese made hollow points that I bought because they look just like the Beeman Silver Bears that shoot well in some of my guns.It's a 3/8" 5 shot group with four into 1/4". Before I couldn't get the consistancy to get five shots into a group like this.Mayne three, but no way five. Then I tried a pellet that the gun had shown it "sometimes" liked-the Gamo Magnums. Fired off a three shot group of about 3/16" (these are a measured center to center)!!! All I can say is I'm a happy dude. This gun seems to be getting nice tight groups-as good as my other guns! Now It looks like I don't have to say "it's a good group.....for this gun", because these are good groups for any of my guns.
So, thanks for the good tip on making a breech seal from 5/16" fuel line (someone else said refrigerator water line works well too). If this seal goes bad, at least I can make another.
Now, I hope, I have a really nice shooting B3, and this one, from the factory, has a very good trigger too!
Thanks for the good advice. Sorry I've been hogging this forum so much lately, but I had heard a lot of good comments on these guns, and it looks like I might have a good one now too.
Jon
