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Slavia · Moderator

Per a request by 2RCHA:

I got this Hakim from a gunsmith friend down the road. The stock came a year ago, the action last month, and a few more parts last week. He's cleaning out his basement, and the parts come to me as he excavates.

No, it's not original. The stock was in three distinct pieces, and the surgery required dictated a refinish job. The handguard has not been refinished - I think I got the color fairly close. I realize that refinishing reduces or eliminates collector value, but so does sitting in a pile in a damp basement. My case is more like Dr. Frankenstein trying to breath life into a rotting corpse.

Some of the parts are missing. The brite metal you see in the photos is stuff that I have made. So far I am in the "make it fit" stage. The "make it pretty" stage comes later.

The rear sight is missing entirely. I'm contemplating adapting the rear sight that you see in the photo. It is from (where else?) my Slavia 631.

My goal is to have a shootable piece of history. I have very little monetary investment in the project, so collector value isn't important to me.

I was chatting with the local hardware store owner about my 1954 Egyptian army training "BB gun." He suggested that my gun may have had a part in Egypt's resounding success in the 1956 war. Could be.

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Ah, 'collector value' whatever. Same thing with old cars- you gonna drive it, or frame it and look at it? If you want to shoot this gun, I wouldn't worry about precise restoration when all you started with was some rusted steel, worn leather and wet wood...

2RCHA · Veteran Member

Thank's for going through the effort, I really appreciate you taking the time. All I can say is that even in it's present condition, it still look's great. I sure wish I could stumble on across something like that. It sort of reminds me of the .22 Enfield's("In-Shoot's" .303's chambered for .22 long's) we used in cadet's. Anyway's keep up the good work, and post another few pic's to show the progress. Cheer's, Andy.

Cracko · Guest

Hey, Slavia,

Very nice work ! I like the fabricated stock band and sling swivels. Keep us posted on your progress with this project.

A quick note about my username : "Cracko" refers to my penchant for dusting frangible targets. I began, years ago, with my brother shooting aspirin tablets in the basement; that was fun !

Slavia · Moderator

Finally got the Hakim apart. It turns out that the seal is cracked, but there are options. A large Diana seal is supposed to fit. I found one source that described how to turn a new one out of delrin, which is within my capability. And leather is always an option for the short term.

The piston assembly on this gun has 12 separate parts.

By sheer coincidence I also shot at aspirin with my brother. And DCM. He lives in another state, so we don't get to shoot much together now. I probably wouldn't have considered airguns as a legitimate shooting sport except for his influence.

AirGunEric · Site Admin

What are the dimensions on that seal (inner and outer diameters)?

Slavia · Moderator

The dimensions (not of the seal itself, but rather of the places it has to fit):

Compression Tube = 1.100" (corresponding to the seal outer diameter)
Button Diameter = 0.718" (corresponding to the seal inner diameter)
Seal Thickness = 0.241"

There is a fiber washer between the seal and piston shoulder.

Any thoughts?

Slavia · Moderator

The spring ends and the front mating surface cleaned up pretty well with 1000 grit abrasive cloth. (The discoloration on the nut is due to my photography, and not to heat. I can't rub that fast.)

The rear mating surface is a different story. The spring guide is pressed into the rear of the action, so it will be hard to smooth that one out. It also presents a problem when considering fitting the spring guide.

I'm contemplating a polished, hardened washer at the rear, with a heat shrink tube/epoxy tune on the guide. I.D. of the spring = 0.575," guide O.D. = 0.528," and heat shrink tubing thickness = 0.015." I would measure to be sure that the washer won't cause the spring coils to "bottom out."

Any thoughts?

Cracko · Guest

The Hakim appears to be big. heavy, and constructed of high quality machined parts.

I wonder what this rifle would cost if produced today ? $300 - 500 US dollars ? Any opinions ?

Tailgunner · New Member

Slavia · Moderator

It is indeed heavy and long. Not just due to the massiveness of the parts - there are two metal inserts in the stock to add even more weight.

This is the rear end of the compression tube (1.100" I.D.). Way more metal than is needed to stop a spring and hold a few trigger parts. But then it was a military trainer, designed to mimic a large 8mm rifle.

Cracko · Guest

That is one massive endcap ! And it actually threads into the receiver tube like the Weihrauch HW80 (Beeman R1). If produced today it would be comparably priced, though not quite (I think) as high as the specimen you (Tailgunner) saw.

Slavia · Moderator

Little by little this is coming together.

Since the rear spring seating surface was gouged pretty good, I decided to add a washer. After pawing through a bin at the hardware store, I found one that fits like it was made to be there. Using a diamond hone and 1000 grit abrasive paper, I took off the high spots on the original seating surface and polished the faces of the (grade 8) washer.

My plan to shrink tune the spring guide went kerflooey. The heat-shrink tubing was too thick. So,...I took off the high spots on the spring guide with the abrasive paper. It's better than it was, and will have to do.

Cracko · Guest

Slavia, about the washer : A few years ago James Kitching(now passed away) of Fun Supply suggested that a thin roller thrust bearing might reduce spring twang by allowing one end of the spring to freely rotate as the length changed during both compression and release. The free rotation reduced the temporary spring cant, and resulting vibration, that can occur with undersized guides. However, polished and lubricated mating surfaces might allow the rotation anyway, making the installation of the roller thrust bearing superfluous. Part sources are McMaster-Carr and Grainger.
Has anyone tried this ?

AirGunEric · Site Admin