In short, I would like to know a good gunsmith or dealer where to get any OEM or aftermarket parts from. I am mostly interested in the plunger and seal on the action side of the "regulator" and the internals of the regulator itself. I have the Walther parts manual, so I don't need the original numbers, only any aftermarket suggestions.
Here's my story:
I bought a used LG300XT about 2 years ago through the buy/sell ads here on Target Talk, and now I am starting to have some problems with it.
Sometimes when I shoot, it just clicks (like dry fire). I can hear the difference between dry fire and full fire and I have verified that the internals are all working (at least up to the plunger that lets air through the regulator, while under pressure), but it does not always release air. After reading some misc forums on other places on the web, I think I might know what the problem is, but I want some feedback from all of you experts out there.
Like a dumb rookie, I have been keeping the air cylinder (charged) screwed on to the regulator, even in storage. I have learned that doing this applies pressure to the plunger, which has been squishing the (apparently old version) green seal that is in my rifle, which I assume is now deformed, swollen around the plunger and binding up the plunger which is keping it from moving as freely as it needs to so it can release air to the "firing" chamber.
I saw an old post where a guy said he rebuilt his regulator, but I could not contact him for more details. I am curious how the regulator comes apart (spanner wrench on the brass part? and is it right or left hand threads?) and the exact reason why would you want to take it apart. I really do not think my problem is in the regulator, but in the plunger/seal after the regulator. Please feel free to correct me if you have personal experience with these parts.
I took it all apart and flushed and worked everything thoroughly with Kroil and TSI-301 when I had it all torn down last night. Before I soaked it, I noticed that the plunger would sometimes "hang" a bit when it was returning back through the seal. After I was done dousing the hell out of it, it was smooth sliding and returned freely every time. I assume this is only a short-term fix though, especially if the seal is now deformed (due to my leaving the pressure on it).
I can blow through the "regulator" with my mouth, so I assumed this "regulator" is actually just a restrictor orifice that limits the volume of air per "plunger open" time and also serves as an adaptor for the bottle to the small internal ports and workings of the action. To confirm my suspicion, I screwed my bottle onto the "regulator" while it was in my hand, off of the gun, purging air through it to knock anything loose that might be stuck in it and it completely emptied my bottle/cartridge in just a couple seconds, blowing the air right through.
If you have any info that might help me fix my rifle (especially quickly and at a low cost), I would greatly appreciate it.
LG300 XT Will Not Fire Every Time
Moderators: pilkguns, Marcus, m1963, David Levene, Spencer
cool your boots ;)
if you believe the green seal on the plunger is the problem, then simply order the replacement (which could be white like they use on the higher power LG300's)... it's a 2c part. Then take cylinder off, fire off a shot to empty the reg if it doesn't purge, loosen carefully the two bolts holding the reg and remove, carefully catching the plunger return spring. Nick out seal carefully with a pick, replace with a new one, stick spring on plunger end, replace reg, tighten... fill up, fire a few shots, say 10-50 to let seal bed in, check speed, enjoy.
no problem with keeping the cylinder on, mine is permanently attached to my reg by modification. It's been on for years.
we tend to run our guns dry, no oil as it changes viscosity with temp... mind you 10m aint as much stress on a rifle as FT... but the hammer and plunger are normally polished and free to move.
it would seem strange the plunger is resisting entirely the hammer being released... have you tried removing the F/T switch system and seeing if she still hangs? No danger in that, just look for the spring and captured ball bearing... but it will run fine without it. A bit of tape offers more dust protection if you need it for the vacant hole, but remember the underside of the hammer is exposed to the elements so don't stress too much over it.
the only time mine has ever hung is during a storm when leaf debris was washed inside the sear mechanism, but there was no click then when the trigger was let off.
the plunger seal will deform... it always has pressure on it because the gun rests with pressure on it, no matter if the cylinder is on or not... it's too soft... walther changed the material on their higher power guns a few years back because it would lead to temp variation... the newer seals are white and PTFE... we run custom harder ones because the PTFE will start to lip and bind as well after a while.
if you believe the green seal on the plunger is the problem, then simply order the replacement (which could be white like they use on the higher power LG300's)... it's a 2c part. Then take cylinder off, fire off a shot to empty the reg if it doesn't purge, loosen carefully the two bolts holding the reg and remove, carefully catching the plunger return spring. Nick out seal carefully with a pick, replace with a new one, stick spring on plunger end, replace reg, tighten... fill up, fire a few shots, say 10-50 to let seal bed in, check speed, enjoy.
no problem with keeping the cylinder on, mine is permanently attached to my reg by modification. It's been on for years.
we tend to run our guns dry, no oil as it changes viscosity with temp... mind you 10m aint as much stress on a rifle as FT... but the hammer and plunger are normally polished and free to move.
it would seem strange the plunger is resisting entirely the hammer being released... have you tried removing the F/T switch system and seeing if she still hangs? No danger in that, just look for the spring and captured ball bearing... but it will run fine without it. A bit of tape offers more dust protection if you need it for the vacant hole, but remember the underside of the hammer is exposed to the elements so don't stress too much over it.
the only time mine has ever hung is during a storm when leaf debris was washed inside the sear mechanism, but there was no click then when the trigger was let off.
the plunger seal will deform... it always has pressure on it because the gun rests with pressure on it, no matter if the cylinder is on or not... it's too soft... walther changed the material on their higher power guns a few years back because it would lead to temp variation... the newer seals are white and PTFE... we run custom harder ones because the PTFE will start to lip and bind as well after a while.
I called Champion's Choice and they refuse to sell me any parts to the internal of the rifle without sending it to them. Apparently compressed air is really dangerous and they will not assume any liability by enabling me to do something stupid and possibly hurt myself in the process (I blame the legal system, not CC). If you know of somewhere else I can get parts (in the US preferably), that would be great for future reference.
FYI - It has not acted up since I flushed it. It is hard to fix it when it isn't broke. Maybe I flushed out some gooey gobbledy gook that was causing the trouble. I guess time will tell (hopefully soon).
Since my original post, I have talked to a couple people that have had these apart. Everyone has mentioned either the f/t mechanisim, which will be my next focus if/when it acts up again or the trigger setup (which I have not changed ever since I bought it used 3 years ago). If it still acts up after that, I will ask Alan Zasadny to go through it.
Thanks for the info on leaving the cartridge on it all of the time. It makes me feel better that I didn't break it. The way the plunger was hanging, and the additional info, I am now really leaning away from it being the seal/plunger.
I am thinking that it could be the f/t switch mechanisim or the regulator. The reason I think it is not the f/t mech. is that it will shoot a few shots, then stop without touching the switch. Call me crazy, but I would think that if the switch is not touched (which takes a fairly firm push to change), I would not expect it to change internally. But apparently they do sometimes.
What do you think are the chances that it is the regulator being dry/gummy inside and sticking closed after a couple shots? I have never put anything but air through it since I bought it, but maybe the previous owners put something through it while they had it and that finally dried out and gummed it up.
My daughter would call me and tell me that it stopped shooting during her practice. I would walk her through a few things to try, and not get it working. I told her to set it aside and leave it until I got home. After a couple hours I would come home and try it, finding that it works fine, with apparently nothing changed/touched since the last "misfire". Then one day it acted up while I was home and I knew it was more than a "loose nut" on the trigger (operator error).
Apparently one time it acted up, it allegedly was expelling some air, but not enough to blow the pellet out (kind of like a CO2 rifle with a very empty cartridge). I never saw/heard that one either, but a friend of mine heard it and told me that's what he thought was happening. The pellet was apparently stuck half way down the barrel and he pushed it out the muzzle with a CBI.
I guess if it acts up again, I might learn a bit more about this issue. Thanks for your help. I have learned quite a bit about this rifle.
FYI - It has not acted up since I flushed it. It is hard to fix it when it isn't broke. Maybe I flushed out some gooey gobbledy gook that was causing the trouble. I guess time will tell (hopefully soon).
Since my original post, I have talked to a couple people that have had these apart. Everyone has mentioned either the f/t mechanisim, which will be my next focus if/when it acts up again or the trigger setup (which I have not changed ever since I bought it used 3 years ago). If it still acts up after that, I will ask Alan Zasadny to go through it.
Thanks for the info on leaving the cartridge on it all of the time. It makes me feel better that I didn't break it. The way the plunger was hanging, and the additional info, I am now really leaning away from it being the seal/plunger.
I am thinking that it could be the f/t switch mechanisim or the regulator. The reason I think it is not the f/t mech. is that it will shoot a few shots, then stop without touching the switch. Call me crazy, but I would think that if the switch is not touched (which takes a fairly firm push to change), I would not expect it to change internally. But apparently they do sometimes.
What do you think are the chances that it is the regulator being dry/gummy inside and sticking closed after a couple shots? I have never put anything but air through it since I bought it, but maybe the previous owners put something through it while they had it and that finally dried out and gummed it up.
My daughter would call me and tell me that it stopped shooting during her practice. I would walk her through a few things to try, and not get it working. I told her to set it aside and leave it until I got home. After a couple hours I would come home and try it, finding that it works fine, with apparently nothing changed/touched since the last "misfire". Then one day it acted up while I was home and I knew it was more than a "loose nut" on the trigger (operator error).
Apparently one time it acted up, it allegedly was expelling some air, but not enough to blow the pellet out (kind of like a CO2 rifle with a very empty cartridge). I never saw/heard that one either, but a friend of mine heard it and told me that's what he thought was happening. The pellet was apparently stuck half way down the barrel and he pushed it out the muzzle with a CBI.
I guess if it acts up again, I might learn a bit more about this issue. Thanks for your help. I have learned quite a bit about this rifle.
if it just makes a click on firing it can't be the reg... the hammer would still go forward and hit the plunger and you would hear a bang. My guess is if it's making a noise like the switch is set to test then it could be switch related, but you're right in saying the switch has to be moved a lot and with some effort for it to engage.
Perhaps take it out of the stock, turn it upside down and see if you can see the hammer moving as it should.
Perhaps take it out of the stock, turn it upside down and see if you can see the hammer moving as it should.
Good luck finding the parts. I have a friend with one and I have the LG Hunter Model as well. He had to send his 300XT in for them to replace the regulator. Depending on when your rifle was made it might not have had problems before and may have the old style regulator on it still which were problematic.
My friend was perfectly capable of taking it all apart and replacing things but could not locate the o-rings and he works at a machine shop. They are some custom oddball size I am afraid. Though he was happy with it when it got back and figures it wasn't to costly considering they changed the reg completely.
These are finicky rifles to be sure. CC will get it running it will just cost you more.
My friend was perfectly capable of taking it all apart and replacing things but could not locate the o-rings and he works at a machine shop. They are some custom oddball size I am afraid. Though he was happy with it when it got back and figures it wasn't to costly considering they changed the reg completely.
These are finicky rifles to be sure. CC will get it running it will just cost you more.
I'm kind of in a pickle.
My rifle has the "old" green seal in it, which is apparently softer and also apparently has significantly more issues especially when used with the newer regulators (supposedly there is even the concern if it will even work with them at all). Looking at pictures, I think I have an older style regulator, which is probably part of the reason why I have seen no issues until now.
I would like to buy a "better than factory" regulator from Joe Korick and be done with any thought of issues with the regulator for the rest of the life of the rifle, but with my luck and the history other people have had, I will probably start having issues with the "old" seal, and still have to send it to CC to get that part changed anyway, and hope they leave my regulator alone.
As of last night, it is still working. I am patiently waiting for it to fail again so I can monkey with it some more.
My rifle has the "old" green seal in it, which is apparently softer and also apparently has significantly more issues especially when used with the newer regulators (supposedly there is even the concern if it will even work with them at all). Looking at pictures, I think I have an older style regulator, which is probably part of the reason why I have seen no issues until now.
I would like to buy a "better than factory" regulator from Joe Korick and be done with any thought of issues with the regulator for the rest of the life of the rifle, but with my luck and the history other people have had, I will probably start having issues with the "old" seal, and still have to send it to CC to get that part changed anyway, and hope they leave my regulator alone.
As of last night, it is still working. I am patiently waiting for it to fail again so I can monkey with it some more.
you should be able to order the parts directly from walther to replace the green seal. If walther usa won't deal with you then walther germany should.
they won't however sell you parts for the reg internals.
there are couple of people that work on them my side of the pond... the older style reg is more expensive to work on and more prone to issues... the newer ones seem much more reliable.
they won't however sell you parts for the reg internals.
there are couple of people that work on them my side of the pond... the older style reg is more expensive to work on and more prone to issues... the newer ones seem much more reliable.