paulleve
NES Member
My dad passed away in the spring, and while cleaning the house I found something I hadn't seen in at least 30 years, his Smith & Wesson 78g .22 pellet pistol. It was the first "real" gun I shot as a kid, so it brought back lots of fond memories. Unfortunately, the seals were absolutely shot, which is why it had been packed away unseen for so long. (The 78g is almost identical in size and weight to the S&W 41 target pistol. A 79g was also offered in .177.)
After researching seal kits I opted for the best one I could get, ordered through MAC1. It came with six seals and an upgraded exhaust valve assembly.
Thankfully the Internet has lots of info available, and between two websites and one Youtube video I was able to disassemble, install new seals, and reassemble the pistol without any parts left over! (This pic was after I rebuilt and reinstalled the valve assembly.) Total time was about three hours. If I had to do another, I could in about half that time.
The original seals were in various states of decay. Only one came off in one piece, but it's hard and dry. One special tool was required to make life easier, and this was made with an old drill bit and some Dremel time.
I can't tell you how happy I was to smack the piercing knob and have it hold pressure! A quick trip outside for one or two - or forty! - test shots, and I can say it was all well worth the time and money invested.
While going through paperwork I actually came across the old style FA-10 that was used back in the day. Dad bought this at The Fair in Spencer, MA, in February '76, and had to have a pistol permit in order to do so! He actually wanted to buy a Single Six and this on the same day, but he couldn't so he bought them a day apart. I was really young at the time and can't remember if he said it was a store policy or something with MA laws that wouldn't allow two handgun purchases on the same day.
After researching seal kits I opted for the best one I could get, ordered through MAC1. It came with six seals and an upgraded exhaust valve assembly.
Thankfully the Internet has lots of info available, and between two websites and one Youtube video I was able to disassemble, install new seals, and reassemble the pistol without any parts left over! (This pic was after I rebuilt and reinstalled the valve assembly.) Total time was about three hours. If I had to do another, I could in about half that time.
The original seals were in various states of decay. Only one came off in one piece, but it's hard and dry. One special tool was required to make life easier, and this was made with an old drill bit and some Dremel time.
I can't tell you how happy I was to smack the piercing knob and have it hold pressure! A quick trip outside for one or two - or forty! - test shots, and I can say it was all well worth the time and money invested.
While going through paperwork I actually came across the old style FA-10 that was used back in the day. Dad bought this at The Fair in Spencer, MA, in February '76, and had to have a pistol permit in order to do so! He actually wanted to buy a Single Six and this on the same day, but he couldn't so he bought them a day apart. I was really young at the time and can't remember if he said it was a store policy or something with MA laws that wouldn't allow two handgun purchases on the same day.
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