Benjamin Trail NP XL 1100 in the mail!

[OldStyle]

Hello all!  First post!  Id like to start off by saying that everyone on this forum is great!  i have been provided with more than enough info to make my decision.  I've decided to go with the Trail Np XL .22 caliber.  I owned an R-1 many years ago and now i have the itch again, but i want a bigger gun!  After reading countless posts and threads i decided to order the gun, the mod trigger from Charlie Detuna, and a replacement seal from Mr. Maccari.  Now, i haven't disassembled an airgun before, but i was gladly surprised to see that with this gun you don't need a spring compressor, and that the overall process is on the much easier side to take apart.  So far i have - get the back cap off, once you turn it a few times it releases the preload, remove the trigger housing, and then the piston and chamber come out.  Get all the chinese oil out of the gun first, and use more sparing amounts of Moly lube on the face of the seal and the tip of the gas ram.  Also i read somewhere on here that someone used a dowel rod with 120 grit sandpaper for deburring, which sounded like a good idea as well.  Am i missing anything?  Do you actually lube up the compression chamber on the inside?  Any advice anyone could throw my way would be just wonderful!  Other than that ill just say i'm happy to be aboard!

  Thanks much

   Oldstyle

[airiscool]

Welcome Jay,
I hope you enjoy your XL as much as I'm enjoying mine.

The dowel/sandpaper will help remove cocking slot burrs on the inside edges, but won't do anything for the rough sides of the slot that the cocking shoe and rod rub against.  And, if the dowel/sandpaper  gets forward of the slot into the compression area, it will also work like a hone. Using 120 grit in that area is probably too heavy a coarse. If you can get 320 carbide paper, or fine emery cloth, they work much better on metals than garnet, or alumium oxide sand papers.   Since they won't introduce grit into the parts, I use small mill files, angled in from the outside of the slot to de-burr the inner edges,.. and for all other edges too.

Thoroughly clean all parts, inside and out, after de-burring.

A liitle lube goes a long way.

As per instructions I found here in the Site's Library, I coated the seal and the compression chamber with a very thin layer of silicone grease (from autoparts store). The best discription  I've heard of how much to apply is, only enough grease  to give the surface a shine.  The compression chamber, I used a wadded paper towel on the end of a large screw driver like a ram-rod to spread the grease evenly. Then I wiped out any excess with a clean paper towel.  

Paul.

[Magnum]

Hi Jay, and welcome to GTA:) The projects and tuneup section in the gta library has some good reading. sounds like your off to a good start. Tony.

[OldStyle]

The gun will arrive tomorrow afternoon!  Very fast shipping from Straightshooters.  Luckily my GRT-III, moly, tar, and replacement seal came friday!  Didnt have a cleaning kit, so i have one coming with the gun.  Needless to say, after reading many posts and combing this gate for info on breakdown and tuning, i feel confident to get into this thing and i'm very excited!  Thanks again for replying and steering me away from the 120 grit.  I'll pick up some 320 carbide tomorrow.  Ready to shoot!

[OldStyle]

First off, Sorry if this is too long.  I've been nerding out pretty hard on these forums for the last week.

OK.  The gun is in!  I had to take a couple shots out of it before i took it apart and WOW.  This thing is a BEAST.  Serious velocity and without sights or scope on, i was hitting a lightpole at an estimated 90 yards away after i tuned it!  Not too windy today though, i must say.  On to the tune - Pretty simple i will say, even though it was my first time to disassemble an airgun.

 Screws weren't very tight at all is the first thing i noticed.  The gap inbetween the rear of the compression chamber and the endcap wasn't all the way closed, but the dang thing wont go in any further!  Charlie's trigger was quite easy to put on, and feels incredible.  Pulled the gas ram and piston out and replaced the seal with a Maccari without too much trouble (and a bit of moly).  The time consuming part was deburring everything.  I ended up using 320 grit regular sandpaper, seemed to work ok though a longer process.  Got all the rough edges on the piston off, and sanded all of the outside surface area to hold a decent amount of moly, though i didn't put much on.  Spent a good deal of time on the cocking slot and shoe and trigger housing fitting.  Used a fret file (i work on guitars also)which is only actually a file on the thin edges (like .040 inches, or whatever the guitars string gauge was).  Wrapped sandpaper around it and went at the inside edges of the cocking slot from the outside at an angle.  Worked really well.  I got all of the chinese oil out of the compression chamber, flushed it out, lubed it, and wiped out the excess.  Also i lubed the back and front of the gas ram, where the rod actually comes through, and the tip of the rod.  

Anyways, all that said, LOTS of power, a good bit of dieseling, shooting JSB exact heavy's, the cocking is still a bit gritty feeling - didnt take the barrel off and lube up that joint - i am VERY happy with this gun.  Like i said, no sights, a lightpole about 90 or so yards away, hit it 7 out of 10 times (shooting at night).  Pulled the pellets out of the trap and they are just sheets of lead with jagged edges.  POWER.

I can't wait to put the scope on it and sight it in.  I hear polymags work well with this gun, will probably buy some of those.  

Did i miss anything?

[wahoowad]

OldStyle - 5/25/2010  5:11 AM  First off, Sorry if this is too long.  I've been nerding out pretty hard on these forums for the last week.  OK.  The gun is in!  I had to take a couple shots out of it before i took it apart and WOW.  This thing is a BEAST.  Serious velocity and without sights or scope on, i was hitting a lightpole at an estimated 90 yards away after i tuned it!  Not too windy today though, i must say.  On to the tune - Pretty simple i will say, even though it was my first time to disassemble an airgun.    Screws weren't very tight at all is the first thing i noticed.  The gap inbetween the rear of the compression chamber and the endcap wasn't all the way closed, but the dang thing wont go in any further!  Charlie's trigger was quite easy to put on, and feels incredible.  Pulled the gas ram and piston out and replaced the seal with a Maccari without too much trouble (and a bit of moly).  The time consuming part was deburring everything.  I ended up using 320 grit regular sandpaper, seemed to work ok though a longer process.  Got all the rough edges on the piston off, and sanded all of the outside surface area to hold a decent amount of moly, though i didn't put much on.  Spent a good deal of time on the cocking slot and shoe and trigger housing fitting.  Used a fret file (i work on guitars also)which is only actually a file on the thin edges (like .040 inches, or whatever the guitars string gauge was).  Wrapped sandpaper around it and went at the inside edges of the cocking slot from the outside at an angle.  Worked really well.  I got all of the chinese oil out of the compression chamber, flushed it out, lubed it, and wiped out the excess.  Also i lubed the back and front of the gas ram, where the rod actually comes through, and the tip of the rod.     Anyways, all that said, LOTS of power, a good bit of dieseling, shooting JSB exact heavy's, the cocking is still a bit gritty feeling - didnt take the barrel off and lube up that joint - i am VERY happy with this gun.  Like i said, no sights, a lightpole about 90 or so yards away, hit it 7 out of 10 times (shooting at night).  Pulled the pellets out of the trap and they are just sheets of lead with jagged edges.  POWER.  I can't wait to put the scope on it and sight it in.  I hear polymags work well with this gun, will probably buy some of those.    Did i miss anything?

You didn't mention using loctite on your stock screws. My screws consistently worked loose until I did that. Scope too. Are you sticking with the free scope that came with it?

[OldStyle]

Ah yes i had forgotten the Loctite!  I will pick some up tomorrow.  As far as the scope goes, yes i am going to try out the free scope that comes with it for now, considering i just spent a bit on the gun and everything else.  Recommend using loctite for the scope mounts as well?

[airiscool]

OldStyle - 5/25/2010  5:11 AM

........................... I hear polymags work well with this gun, will probably buy some of those.  

Did i miss anything?

Glad to hear you like the gun.
Since the Predators are not cheap, and it's going to take at least a few hunded pellets to break it in, you may want to use some cheaper pellets at first.

Also, who knows what your gun will like, and what shoots best now may change after it wears in - you may want to pick up a "pellet sampler pack".  

Paul

[airiscool]

OldStyle - 5/25/2010  10:18 AM

Ah yes i had forgotten the Loctite!  I will pick some up tomorrow.  As far as the scope goes, yes i am going to try out the free scope that comes with it for now, considering i just spent a bit on the gun and everything else.  Recommend using loctite for the scope mounts as well?

Yup !

Paul