If you look at the linkage while cocking you can see that it presses on the receiver tube with tremendous force, so metal to metal scraping at that force = what... It may work fine now, especially if it's lubed, but the harder linkage will tear up the tube over time, how much time depends on the lube and shape of the linkage. Obviously a rougher or odd shaped linkage in contact with the tube will dig in faster. You will feel it as it gets worse with grinding and increased cocking effort. The plastic dealie is basically the bearing and with it there and lubed it works perfectly. The problem with most guns is the linkage us under great strain and will bend at the joint enough that the plastic part catches on the wood and it can tear the plastic dealie off. The Trail and Trail XL has a stronger linkage so it doesn't bow as much as other guns that use a cheaper linkage where not only the joint bows but the entire linkage bows too. If it bows to the side where the roller guide is then that offers support and usually no harm, but if it bows to the other side then the plastic deal is no longer flat against the receiver and it will break. If the stock is close enough to act as a guide it may be fine, or the the stock may tear the plastic off. I've also seen where the stock acted as a guide at first, but over time it wore a groove in the stock until the linkage bowed enough to break the plastic. Some stocks like the Phantom are different inside and will tear that dealie right off if it touches. Usually people first notice it as the gun locking up mid cocking stroke, unable to figure it out because the linkage only bows under pressure, they push harder and it snaps it off. They think it's fine and keep shooting until they feel the grinding... So look at your linkage as you cock it and you'll see it probably bows to the side under the pressure, and note the extreme pressure it puts on the receiver tube and decide if you're ok with that. This reminds me of the brakes on a car, the brakes will still work when the pads break off the backing, but not for long... The plastic dealie is not available by itself as far as I know, I think you have to buy the cocking linkage to get it which is maybe $5 or so (US $ in the US from Crosman). The good news is you can make one from plastic/nylon or whatever. I've never had to buy or make one because I mod the gun to prevent this from happening in the first place, plus I keep it lubed. If you want to make the part I have pix of the original as a guide, so just find some plastic and shape accordingly. I also have pix of the mod to prevent future problems with this, which is super simple to do. If the tube is damaged, and I'm sure it is a little, you'll need to fix it before running the new plastic deal over it. It isn't hard to fix, just sand it smooth and it should be good to go. The metal is fairly thick so even badly damages ones are repairable, within reason. They made these bs two-piece articulated linkages to get around an older problem; friction at the piston skirt. Buttons solve that problem and I'd think it would've been cheaper for the factory to button than make this linkage, but whatever. Also, this new setup doesn't eliminate the piston problem, it just reduces it. RWS/Diana uses a two-piece linkage too but they use a little steel wheel to roll over the receiver which is far less likely to fail. Older guns and other brands like Hatsan just use the old single piece linkage and hope the piston doesn't seize in the tube before the warranty expires. So it's up to you but I'd fix it without question. If you don't I'd at least be sure it has a steady diet of good thick sticky grease, and preferably with moly or tungsten dry lube mixed in. I suppose sanding the linkage where it contacts the tube to make it smooth and mate better would be good too, but for that effort I'd just make a new plastic dealie. Making the part might be a pita, but I suppose you could just epoxy some plastic to the linkage to do the same job...
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