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jdevlin · New Member

I recently aquired a Daisy 1894 from my uncle. I has no power. From 2 feet away it won't put a BB through a piece of paper. Where should I start?

Alstone · Moderator & Site Supporter

Hi jdevlin
Welcome to the site.
The daisy 1894 was made from 1961 to 1986 so it's at least 21 years old and probably older. The only way to find out what is wrong is to take it apart and have a look, it does sound like the plunger spring is not doing its job properly or the plunger head is sticking, check the barrel to see if there is any rust or other blockage that is slowing the bb's down

Al

jdevlin · New Member

I just had the thing completley apart. The plunger head was disconnected from the spring mechanism. The hole was broken out where it attached to the spring. I had it welded up and put it back together. It fires the bb but with no power. Maybe I put it together wrong? or the seals are dried out?

Joe

AirGunEric · Site Admin

I understand Daisy also built an 1894 from 1992 to 1996 as well- the only difference being it had a safety, whereas the earlier models did not- but otherwise it was exactly the same design.

That being said, from what I recall- the 1894 was a bit of an 'odd bird' and had a tapered barrel and tube. Largest at the rear, getting smaller as you moved towards the muzzle. The problem with this design was that the seal at the front would compress as it traveled along the tapered tube when shot- and then, or course, the gun would be left in the 'fired' position with the seal all bunched up at the front of the tube- where it would sit compressed and take on the shape of the smaller part of the barrel and stay that way. When the gun would be cocked again, months or years later, the seal is sized and shaped to that of the smaller end of the tube/compression chamber- so it doesn't seal at the larger, rear end of the tube and now it's not forcing the compression of air to fire the gun- it's all leaking around the seal as the piston travels- i.e. "blowby".

If this is the problem (likely) you could take it out of the gun and see if you can find a workable replacement (I also seem to recall this seal was more of a soft plastic than rubber- but I may be mistaken). You could also try testing it by putting some 30-weight engine engine oil in the tube (non-detergent type is probably best) which Daisy used in most of its spring guns 'back in the day' as a lubricant, then firing it- if it will work (at least a bit) for a shot or two- this is definitely the problem and the oil is acting as a temporary seal to slow down the blow-by.

jdevlin · New Member

I have read the same thing about the tapered barrel. Do you think it is worth it to change the seals? What would they cost and where would I get them in Canada?

AirGunEric · Site Admin

I don't know that you would need to change all the seals- just the rubber ones that aren't pliable any longer. The one that travels down the tapering tube- I think that one is pretty much guaranteed to need replacing.

As for where to get them- I have no idea what Daisy keeps in respect to parts- but most seals can be found and/or fabricated with hardware-store type items. For example- plumbing washers (like for your tap) will often fit in different airguns and work A-Ok. O-rings available in 'bulk kits' from hardware vendors often have pieces that will fit many airguns as well. If the Daisy piston seal is a soft plastic as I seem to recall- then perhaps an automotive bushing that is used on an automatic transmission shifter linkage in RWD GM vehicles might be cut down to work (that's the only soft plastic round thing I could think of offhand- sorry- I'm sure someone else will have a better, easier to describe, idea).

jdevlin · New Member

I cocked the gun, poured some 80 weight gear oil down the barrel and left it standing barrel up over night. Seems to have more power. That sort of confirms the rubbers are bad. I guess I'll have to take it apart again.

I'm new to air guns but have been reading about tune ups and modification. I haven't found any specific info however. While I have it apart does anyone have tuneup tips/info for this gun?

AirGunEric · Site Admin

jdevlin · New Member

What type of oil should I be using?

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Plain 30-weight (30W) non-detergent engine oil. "Non-detergent" means there are no additives- which would be used in engines to keep dirt and other crap suspended in order to allow it to find its way to the engine's oil filter.

Air compressor oil works too- it is a bit thinner than 30W (somewhere around 20-weight I believe)- and has no additives/detergents in it. Not the air tool oil- the actual oil for use in the compressor.

Airgun oil- Daisy, Crosman and most of the major manufacturers of airguns have their own brands of oil- but they can be fairly expensive (like $3 for a little 1-ounce tube).

Gear oil is funny stuff- because it's used in applications where there are generally no cooling options (i.e. like a car differential) and they deal with larger-spaced gear setups- it is thick and full of additives and other chemicals to keep air saturation (i.e. bubbles) down. I don't know that the chemicals will destroy airgun seals- but why risk it? It's viscosity (thickness) is way too high (gear oils start at a 75-weight and go up from there typically) to lubricate moving parts in an airgun effectively without bogging it down.

TheAverageJoe · New Member

I've had this same problem with my Daisy "Spittin Image" 1894 Winchester and have always wondered what the problem was.
It started happening about a year after I got it (1978-79).
It wasn't long after that "Santa" brought me a .22 rifle and my BB gun days pretty much went by the wayside.

Now, my children are enjoying the Red Ryder style BB rifles and while at my parent place doing some target preatice with the kids, my mother brought out my old Daisy rifle.

My wife wanted me to throw it out, but my philosophy is, "we'd have a better chance of putting one of the kids up for adoption, than to get rid of ANY gun I own". I say that laughingly.

I still have all my paperwork that came with it.
Maybe there's a parts list.
I've also seen that there's an exploded view posted on the forum, too.
See this post:http://www.airgunhome.com/agforum/viewtopic.php?t=1394&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=daisy+winchester

That'll also com in handy.

Now I've got purpose in keeping the old rifle and even if it doesn't get repaired, it'll make a nice wall ornament hanging in a display case in my man cave.