V-Mach Custom Rifles Limited

PO Box 4582, Stourbridge, West Midlands, United Kingdom, DY8 3WT

Telephone: +44 (0)7850 296360 Email: v-mach@air-rifle-tuning.com

Shortening a Mainspring?

Shortening a mainspring can be a straightforward enough procedure, however do give

the job some thought in advance. For example, why does the mainspring need to be
shortened? How should the mainspring length be reduced? By how much? Is special
equipment required to do a satisfactory job? Can I strip the rifle safely? All of the above
should be taken into account before you begin!

I have seen many springs, in various states over the years, some
shortened and finished well, others far from it, springs shattered
through lack of temper, and surprisingly, a fair number of “ground
off “ and unfinished mainspring ends are still to be found in even
some of the best quality factory rifles new off the shelf!

So, whatever the need for shortening a mainspring, or rectifying a

coil, it is apparent to me that, even a relatively simple process
such as this, can easily compromise or ruin the performance and
longevity of any springer, if you don’t get it right.

For this article, we are examining how to reduce power levels a little. A 3 month old
.177 Hw95 is the subject piece and, other than the mainspring and guide tube being
replaced with good quality alternatives, it is otherwise pretty standard. The rifle
chronographed at 11.65 ft lbs with the most efficient pellet that I tested, and the owner,
sensibly, I think, desires the rifle to operate at closer to 11 ft lbs.

If you undertake this type of work yourself, it is important that you are confident and
capable of stripping the rifle safely.

I have eliminated other potential causes of power increase, such as excess lubrication,
worn seals, (a subject in themselves), to name but two. I have also checked that there is
no excess preload in the form of washers or spacing, that can be removed from the
piston or spring guide, as this could negate the need for any reduction of the mainspring
altogether.

If you are unsure of any of the above … it is recommended that you seek professional
advise and/or assistance.

What I’m actually going to do is shorten the spring by a little

more than I really need to, experience tells me one full coil in
this instance, as I plan to fit a secondary spring guide (top hat)
to the front of the mainspring too. This will add preload, so I
need to allow for this, but more importantly, it will control the
mainspring during the cocking and firing cycles, which in turn
will make the rifle quieter on discharge and potentially increase
the working life of the mainspring.

Incidentally, when shortening a mainspring, I always shorten from the front, (piston end),
unless I am rectifying a flawed rear section that is.

How much to remove is difficult to assess, and each case is different, however I
recommend small increments at a time.

Remember that when you remove a coil and close the spring, you lose active coils
and free length at the same time.

V-Mach Custom Rifles Limited. Registered Office: The Meridian, 4 Copthall House, Station Square, Coventry, CV1 2FL.
Registered in England No. 5702278. VAT No. 913 2157 54.
V-Mach Custom Rifles Limited
PO Box 4582, Stourbridge, West Midlands, United Kingdom, DY8 3WT
Telephone: +44 (0)7850 296360 Email: v-mach@air-rifle-tuning.com

As a minimum, to do a decent job, you will need the following tools.

1. IMPORTANT!! Eye protection.

2. A bench grinder with a suitable abrasive wheel, to remove a partial coil, coil or
coils (a dremmel may suffice at a push).

3. A linisher with a disc to dress the cut off coil, and square the closed coil.

4. A blow torch butane or similar, (NOT burning tackle, which can generate enough
heat to melt the spring!), to heat the coil sufficiently to enable it to be closed.

5. A decent pair of long nose pliers to close the heated coil. (A close fitting metal
guide rod with base could be made to slide the heated spring over, this can help
the less experienced hand to ensure the end coil isn’t inadvertently closed in on
itself as it is pressed squarely shut).

6. Water to quench, room temperature is fine (specialised quenching oils or oil/water

mixes may do).

7. A conical abrasive stone to deburr the inside of the mainspring.

8. Something to thoroughly clean the mainspring with afterwards.

Here’s how I do it.

Figure 1 Grind a complete Figure 2 Remove the coil using Figure 3 Linish the rough end
coil from the mainspring pliers

Grind a complete coil from the mainspring (Figure 1) using the edge of the wheel, and be
careful not to touch any other part of the spring with the wheel. Grind almost all the way
through, then remove the coil using the pliers (Figure 2).

Linish the end of the ground coil, the top edge and underside if possible (Figure 3), this
creates a neater coil, which is easier to close squarely.

To close it, heat the end coil only - a blue flame is hottest at the end. Heat the coil until it
is bright orange (Figure 4), this is sufficient to make the material malleable enough to
easily reshape. Close the coil quickly, but accurately (Figure 5), and quench in water.

If you polish or wire wool the newly closed coil at this stage, it is easier to see the colour
change during the next linishing stage.

Linishing the coil squarely (Figure 6) creates heat once again, this will temper the heated
coil. Though difficult to tell from the picture, the coil has gone a straw-blue colour. This
is the ideal temperature to requench at for this particular material. This process leaves the

V-Mach Custom Rifles Limited. Registered Office: The Meridian, 4 Copthall House, Station Square, Coventry, CV1 2FL.
Registered in England No. 5702278. VAT No. 913 2157 54.
V-Mach Custom Rifles Limited
PO Box 4582, Stourbridge, West Midlands, United Kingdom, DY8 3WT
Telephone: +44 (0)7850 296360 Email: v-mach@air-rifle-tuning.com

modified coil in a more stable, less brittle state. The tempering process realigns the
molecular structure of the metal to a similar state as found prior to heating for closure,
making he coil less prone to breakage. The temperatures involved in the tempering
process can vary significantly according to the material in question though.

Figure 4 Heat up the coil Figure 5 Quickly pinch the Figure 6 Linish to finish off
where you have just cut heated coil with pliers
from

I polish the end coil once more when this process is complete,
it looks neater and re-moves any rough or sharp edges.

Grinding/de-burring the inside edge of the closed coil.

The finished spring should be square and true to the outside

diameter and the end coil thickness should be a minimum of a
quarter to a third of the original wire thickness.

Degrease the mainspring, and be sure to remove all residual grinding dust, leaving the
spring clean, dry and ready for lubrication.

On reassembly, with the top hat fitted, and 2 thin washers inside the piston, (as this
model is fitted with a serrated shim steel piston sleeve, which would otherwise “grab”
the spring/top hat), the rifle was more or less right on 11 ft lbs, with the mainspring
unlubed at this point.

Once lubricated, (a subject that deserves more detail on another occasion), I knew I could
expect a little power reduction, so I added 1mm more preload and retested “lubed”.

With the rifle in the stock, and following 50 to 60 successive shots, the rifle returned a
very consistent 11.1 ft lbs average, with the most efficient pellets, and did so quietly and
smoothly - ideal. An added benefit of having a little extra preload, at least 2 surplus
washers in this case, is that it allows for easy adjustment should further reduction be
required.

Pope’s Points!
Did you know that:-

1. most mainspring failures normally occur at the rear spring guide end first, and
usually the first full active coil from the closed end?
2. high tensile mainsprings will usually outlast inferior quality mainsprings several
times over?
3. in theory, a high tensile performance mainspring, used in a conventional spring
piston powered air rifle, is greatly overstressed, and in use should fail immediately!
Not all theories have substance then!

Steve Pope - December 2009 !

V-Mach Custom Rifles Limited. Registered Office: The Meridian, 4 Copthall House, Station Square, Coventry, CV1 2FL.
Registered in England No. 5702278. VAT No. 913 2157 54.