Air Arms S400 keyholing

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CrazyDave

CrazyDave

Member
Jan 17, 2022
78
11
Hawaii, United States
Hi guys,

I gave my reliable S400 to my neighbor. He brought it back saying it wasn't hitting the target. I thought it needed air since it was low. I filled it up and it was hitting all over the place. I mean crazy. I thought it was the cheap scope and put a trusty Leupold on and it was still having issues. The last target (see below) showed that it's keyholing.

I looked down the muzzle, and I could be wrong, but the centerline of the bore looks like it is out of alignment compared to the baffle or whatever you call the end of the barrel on the Air Arms. It looks like the bullet would hit the baffle. But, I can't see any marks showing bullet strike. My question is if this is possible with the air arms barrel? Can it get out of alignment with the baffle if it was dropped or took a hit?

Thanks,
Dave

Air Arms S400.jpeg
 
Hi, thank you very much.

I looked for a diagram but didn't find one that shows figure 8. Are these the two set screws for the barrel?
IMG_0910.jpeg


This gun is old...it doesn't have a slip on silencer. It's kind of built in... What looks like the end of the barrel is actually a hollow area.

IMG_0907.jpeg


I've never seen a better example of a keyhole...
IMG_0902.jpeg


Thanks for your help.
Dave
 
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I think those are the barrel retaining screws, but looking at a parts diagram, I'm not sure that you even have to remove the barrel. It looks like the shroud either screws into the action, or is held by tension from the end cap. Between the end cap and the barrel is a baffle and a couple of support pieces, so I expect something has been knocked out of alignment. Someone with specific experience with this Air Arms series will probably offer better information.
 
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I went through a similar situation with my S410. The barrel band is a good place to start-loosen the screws and dry-fire a few shots to let the band find its' usual position and carefully snug it back up.
The barrel is centered in the shroud by a hex shaped plastic spacer that slips on to the muzzle end of the barrel which is turned to a smaller diameter at the muzzle. If you have access to the front of the shroud, take the end cap off , remove baffles if it has any and verify the spacer is still on the barrel.
The tiny screw in the front of the breech holds the shroud on. Be aware that the shroud is centered at the breech end by a brass bushing that is loctited in. If you pull the shroud without removing the brass bushing, the plastic spacer will slide off the end of the barrel. The 2 larger screws hold the barrel on. Warning-Air Arms glue/loctites everything together so heat is necessary to get the parts to release from each other. If possible, start at the end cap at the front of the shroud and only remove the shroud if necessary. You shouldn't need to remove the barrel to remedy the issue IMO.
I've been through a lot with my S410, PM me and I'll give you my number if you want to talk.
DSCF7508.JPG
DSCF7509.JPG
 
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CrazyDave said:
Hi, thank you very much.

I looked for a diagram but didn't find one that shows figure 8. Are these the two set screws for the barrel?
View attachment 284899

This gun is old...it doesn't have a slip on silencer. It's kind of built in... What looks like the end of the barrel is actually a hollow area.

View attachment 284900

I've never seen a better example of a keyhole...
View attachment 284901

Thanks for your help.
Dave
Click to expand...
The figure 8 is the barrel band near the fill port
 
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Hi guys,

I loosened those two set screws and the barrel slid out easier than I ever thought was possible. Looking down the barrel it's clear that it's out of alignment and the pellet is hitting the end cap. I think someone said that end cap is held on with lock tight. I fiddled with it and tried to gently pry it off but I didn't want to damage it and gave up.

You can see the missing blueing on the end cap. That's the side that the pellet is hitting the end cap.

IMG_0921 copy.jpg


I really appreciate the help.
 
Upvote 0
CrazyDave said:
Hi guys,

I loosened those two set screws and the barrel slid out easier than I ever thought was possible. Looking down the barrel it's clear that it's out of alignment and the pellet is hitting the end cap. I think someone said that end cap is held on with lock tight. I fiddled with it and tried to gently pry it off but I didn't want to damage it and gave up.

You can see the missing blueing on the end cap. That's the side that the pellet is hitting the end cap.

View attachment 285092

I really appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
The end cap may be threaded into the shroud, try heating it and unscrewing it by grabbing it with pliers padded with leather scrap to avoid scratching the bluing. Try first with no heat, if it won't move use a heat gun-you have to get it hot enough to where the locking compound starts to smoke a bit.
Snap a pic of the breech end of the barrel-is there a brass piece that goes into the breech?
 
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CrazyDave said:
Hi guys,

I loosened those two set screws and the barrel slid out easier than I ever thought was possible. Looking down the barrel it's clear that it's out of alignment and the pellet is hitting the end cap. I think someone said that end cap is held on with lock tight. I fiddled with it and tried to gently pry it off but I didn't want to damage it and gave up.

You can see the missing blueing on the end cap. That's the side that the pellet is hitting the end cap.

View attachment 285092

I really appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
I talked to Brownells about the problem of Loctite and the tech told me that if you was to heat the part up that had the Loctite on it to 350°F that it should soften it up so you can take it off. A heat gun I would think should do the trick. there’s another type of Loctite I can’t remember the name of what he called it but simply soak it in water for approximately 30 minutes and it should soften it up. I hope all this helps
 
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CrazyDave said:
Hi, I think I will reach out to Air Arms and see what they have to say. I didn't realize that red lock tight had to get so hot to release.

Here's a photo of the other end of the barrel. I'm pretty sure the scratches are where the set screws were...
View attachment 285121

Thanks for the thoughts.
Click to expand...
Yes Red Loctite was design to be taken off with impact Wenches etc. we usually torque down head bolts on heads of vehicles but I did reach out to Brownells like I said and that’s what they told me heat it to 350°F please let us know how you come out on your problem I would be interested to know
 
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