Other Smith&Wesson 78G pistol grips.

so you will see in these pictures that there is a small edge that could be added on too the flat surface
then the grips have 2 cut outs,
Thank you 777. I think I see what you mean. Once I receive the pistol, (in a few days), I'll be able to better assess what I would need/want to do.
Thank you for taking the time to measure and post these pics.
Very much appreciated!
 
the valve if rebuilt and not leaking i would leave alone
there are 2 Orings on the piercing cap, one for the stem and one for the tube seal which is the standard size
the valve stem is two parts, the stem itself and the seal holder
the stem will need to be pressed out and the direction would be away from the seal i have done it with a vise and a block of wood with a hole in it to push the stem into and a punch to finish the removal
an Oring will not work that i know of now bought a chuck of urethane many years ago when it was cheap to buy and find
it is 1/8 thick and hard i would say 70-90 dura
a leather punch will cut it but a few hard strikes are needed
so, i had a problem cutting them and that is because once the small hole is cut you can't see where you are for the OD punch
so i took a piece of wood dowel that would side out inside the OD punch and that dowel had a locating pin installed and now the seals can be punch out as needed of course i needed three in the end but you have to make tools and get much more material to do a damn small job
now why do you have to do this, the stem has a barb for the lack of a better term on the shaft and that barb holds the seal in place
now that is a lot of words and time and money to make a5/16 inch seal with a 1/8 inch ID

but it is easier than sending them to JG to have them rebuilt
just ideas and how i went about it is it perfect maybe not but works as it should

thumbnail_IMG_5201.jpg


thumbnail_IMG_5202.jpg
 
the valve if rebuilt and not leaking i would leave alone
there are 2 Orings on the piercing cap, one for the stem and one for the tube seal which is the standard size
the valve stem is two parts, the stem itself and the seal holder
the stem will need to be pressed out and the direction would be away from the seal i have done it with a vise and a block of wood with a hole in it to push the stem into and a punch to finish the removal
an Oring will not work that i know of now bought a chuck of urethane many years ago when it was cheap to buy and find
it is 1/8 thick and hard i would say 70-90 dura
a leather punch will cut it but a few hard strikes are needed
so, i had a problem cutting them and that is because once the small hole is cut you can't see where you are for the OD punch
so i took a piece of wood dowel that would side out inside the OD punch and that dowel had a locating pin installed and now the seals can be punch out as needed of course i needed three in the end but you have to make tools and get much more material to do a damn small job
now why do you have to do this, the stem has a barb for the lack of a better term on the shaft and that barb holds the seal in place
now that is a lot of words and time and money to make a5/16 inch seal with a 1/8 inch ID

but it is easier than sending them to JG to have them rebuilt
just ideas and how i went about it is it perfect maybe not but works as it should

View attachment 552381

View attachment 552382
Good work marflow. I've done similar seal making. Great idea with the dowel centering fixture. I have all the punches.
I've read all the reseal posts, and blogs, and videos. I've done the work "in my minds eye", about a dozen times so I'm confident to do the job.
I've been airgun smithing for about 30 years, so I'm confident to take on the challenge.
My 78G should arrive tomorrow.
I'll report back on what I've found.
Thank you again marflow for taking all the time to explain, and post the pics.
Nice job, and very much appreciated!!
 
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Scott i write for you or anyone that comes across the thread
every gun is not straight forward for example the Cometa Indian now that is and odd duck to take apart and reassemble
i never try to write like i am a know it all because i sure as hell am not but ideas help other to form their own ideas
my go to thought about all this
is humans put them together i am human i should be able to do the same LOL
 
Scott i write for you or anyone that comes across the thread
every gun is not straight forward for example the Cometa Indian now that is and odd duck to take apart and reassemble
i never try to write like i am a know it all because i sure as hell am not but ideas help other to form their own ideas
my go to thought about all this
is humans put them together i am human i should be able to do the same LOL
Good attitude 777!!

Last night I ordered a different reseal kit from"Baker Airgun". There kit includes a synthetic replacement valve stem/seal.
I wanted to have a backup plan.

My new to me 78G is out for delivery today. I'll report back what I find with this one, after I open it up.

Have fun
 
Well, I received my new to me S&W 78G yesterday. It looks new with no scratches or missing finish. Ser#0138111.
I immediately disassembled it and found all the O-rings hard and crusty. By the looks of everything, this gun has never been opened up. The valve stem seal looked to be in great shape. I polished it up along with its brass seat.
Cleaned and polished all internals, replaced all the O-rings with urethane type, and reassembled.
Held CO2 overnight. Shooting JSB 13.4gr @ 416fps & JTS 16gr @ 384fps.
I will determine its favorite pellet in the next few days.

I'm loving this classic pistol from the mid 1970's. Can't believe its perfect condition. I really lucked out with this find.
Have fun
IMG_20250405_130751638.jpg
IMG_20250405_130823472.jpg
 
the 78 and 79 are well made pistols they feel good in the hand the triggers and sight are fine, easy for the most part to work on and you know most of the time the finish on these has held up well
and yours is very nice
now look for a 79G and you will have a set
Thanks marflow. I've never been the collector type, so no interest in a 79.
Not a fan of .177 cal either. Just too small to handle. Shot them for a couple decades, and still own a couple, but .22 cal have been my go to Caliber for a very long time.
The trigger on this one is stiffer than I like. I can see that it's the spring causing a lot of that. I'll try changing it out for a lighter one, once this CO2 bottle is done.
 
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