Canadian Airgun Forum

I recently discovered my old Baikal IJ-38 .177 air rifle in my parents' basement. It looks to be in great shape but it hasn't been fired in 15 years and I was hoping someone could give me some tips on what should be done before I start shooting it again. Thanks!

Jason

Take it apart and clean and moly lube. Deburr internals and replace the piston and breech seals. I think the MP 512 is based on your rifle and the seals would be the same. 15 years is a long time for her to be sitting but she may surprise you and be in relatively good shape. Any rust on the barrel etc? Let me know and I can try to get you info should a new spring be in order. Enjoy tuning her up....

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"Lust is the craving for salt of a man who is dying of thirst"
-Frederick Buechner-

I fired three shots just to see if she would hold air and everything seemed fine. My dad helped me cut 1.5" off the buttstock so my 10-year old son could use it, but other than that it looks like new. Even the trigger was as smooth and crisp as I remembered it. I just don't want to get carried away without some maintenance.

I found the manual and it has the usual exploded parts drawing so I could take it apart to replace seals and lube it but I don't have the tools to deburr parts, unless there's a wheel or something for my Dremel. I also don't know what lube to buy, so please keep the advice coming. I'll take some pictures when Canada Post delivers it.

Jason

Hopefully it had pellets in it when you test fired it. Dry firing a springer-especially one that's sat for a long time- can cause spring and/or seal damage...
Not difficult to diassemble these for a clean and lube. If you're reasonably mechanical, and can follow a parts diagram, the time will be worth it.

This should help...

http://www.schiessen-erzgebirge.de/Blue ... l_IJ38.gif

Good luck. Sounds like a great father/son project.

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Air and springs and CO, too

This is what I use:
http://www.dlairgun.com/airgun-images/A ... %20LT2.jpg

There are other options for this however.
As far as deburring goes some small files, hones, and Dremel wheels would work, just make sure all metal filings are gone from the receiver tube, piston etc before you reassemble. There is a 4 part video series on rifle disassembly at you tube by our very own member jgoodz420. Just type in airrifle disassembly and they should pop up for you. These videos were a great help to me the first time I took mine apart. For safety you should consider building yourself a spring compressor as well. Again you tube video! This may seem to be a lot to do just to shoot your gun but you will find the gun will respond better overall, and most of us actually enjoy tinkering after the first time.
Unless your gun was stored with the seals well lubricated I would think they would be quite dry and brittle after 15 years or so. She may be firing OK right now but I would suspect that you will notice a significant loss of power in the not too distant future. Everything needs repair and maintenance at some point. What a great project for you and your son to start. Keep us posted and we will help out the best we can. TTYL.....

_________________
"Lust is the craving for salt of a man who is dying of thirst"
-Frederick Buechner-

Does it have leather or synthetic seals?

The piston seal in mine is leather...

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Air and springs and CO, too

Yes, I'm not a total noob.

I'll look for the YouTube clips and do some general research before it shows up -- thanks!

Jason