This will be a tutorial on replacing the seals on a Walther LGR SSP rifle. This particular example has been stored for many years without being used. There was no perceptible movement of air upon moving the pump arm and the loading port seals were obviously «toast». I’ll be writing this tutorial in English to benefit the greatest number of seekers of info on rebuilding this rifle as possible. There is a dearth of information on rebuilding this rifle, hopefully this humble attempt will fill in some of the gaps on the internet in regards to this matter.
First order of business – to remove the stock from the barreled action.
Due to improper oils (back in the day there were no proper lubricants in this area, folks use 3 in 1 oil, firearms oils and others that were damaging to seals), the seals and such in this rifle were all destroyed.
Place the piston well down in the vice jaws, with the rod being raised at an angle to allow it to seat as far down in the jaws as possible. I left the piston cocked just a bit, out of horizontal. Tightening the vice and releasing it slightly, then doing it again, allowed the seal to gradually be seated fully into the front of the piston.
Reassembly is in reverse order. I used a bit of FWB «Special Grease» to lube the piston. The valve should NOT be lubricated. It works best dry. The eccentric pin can be placed like you removed it, but go ahead and try different orientations to get the one that works best with your new seal.
Walther LGR Online Resources
Here are resources I’ve found that are current as of February 12, 2019
I purchased the parts for this rifle from John Knibbs International. They sent the parts to the wrong address and never answered a single email. I was able to track down the parts, no thanks to Knibbs. Buyer beware. Once they got here, they seem to be good. Time will tell how they last. The lack of attention to the customer soured me on them, however.
For a complete rebuild you’ll need one piston seal (I ordered the 10.7 mm one, no sizing needed in this rifle), one valve seal and two breech seals. I only ordered one breech seal and ended up using an o-ring on the transfer port side of the cover.
MUCHAS gRAcias! i write from New zealand to thank you very much for your clear and superbly illustrated article. i have acquired a walther lgr-match which has not been used for many years and the valve seal appears to have failed. your instruction will allow me to do most of the necessary preparation work, while we are in strict lockdown at home, because of the coronavirus. then I will just have to find a source for a replacement seal!
Thanks again and stay safe.
Thanks, Peter. I’m glad the article has been of help to you. I searched and searched for info on this rifle, but unlike the FWB 300S rifles there is little information out there on them. That’s what lead to putting up the info, hoping it might encourage others to give it a try. They are great rifles, I keep hoping I’ll come across one for myself as that one belongs to a friend. Stay safe and healthy (gunsmithing in times of lockdown is a great distraction)
EXCELLENT REPAIR DESCRIPTION 🙂 TRIED MY lgr OUT AFTER STORING FOR SOME YEARS – DIDN’T EVEN CHARGE, AIR CAME STRAIGHT OUT. FOUND YOUR WEBSITE AND STRIPPED THE GUN DOWN (EVEN MADE A VALVE TOOL LIKE YOU DESCRIBED !) BUFFER AND PISTON SEALS OK BUT THE VALVE SEAL HAD SPLIT. GOT SPARES FROM John Knibbs International Ltd (https://www.airgunspares.com/) CAN RECOMMEND – GREAT SERVICE AND FAST DELIVERY. FITTED AND NOW WORKING – AMAZINGLY WHEN IT TRIED IT THE PELLETS HIT SPOT ON WITHOUT EVEN SIGHTING IT IN AGAIN ! MUCH THX
Hello, hopefully you can help. After you cock the rifle (when disassembling), when do you fire it to release air before disassembling? Am I missing a step? It appears in here that you are disassembling it with air in the chamber. Thanks, David.
That’s a good question, David. I can assure you I didn’t disassemble the rifle with a full charge of air in the chamber, but as I’ve sent the rifle back to its owner and it’s been quite a while since I had it in hand, I can’t tell you for sure off the top of my head the sequence I followed. Sorry I can’t be more specific than that, but a lot of water has gone under the bridge since I rebuilt this rifle.
Thank you for the response. I have worked out how to release the air by manually pressing the valve.
On sizing the piston seal, do you know what tolerance I should go by? For example if the cylinder is 29.00, should the seal be 29.1, 29.3 etc? Thank you.
I just installed the parts that I obtained and didn’t worry about sizing, going on the theory that the factory should have a good grip on what size works best. Working with German higher level airguns is far easier than the chinese knockoffs that tend to be all over the place in their tolerances. Shucks, I»ve got a Hatsan 95 piston sitting on my desk right now with a Hatsan seal on it – and it is WAY out of tolerance. Now I wait for an Air Rifle Headquarters seal to make its way through customs so we can see how THAT one works. But getting back to the question, as long as it enters the compression tube and moves freely with proper lubrication I’d not worry about it.
Excellent. The only useful instruction I have seen.
thanx
MUCHAS gRAcias! i write from New zealand to thank you very much for your clear and superbly illustrated article. i have acquired a walther lgr-match which has not been used for many years and the valve seal appears to have failed. your instruction will allow me to do most of the necessary preparation work, while we are in strict lockdown at home, because of the coronavirus. then I will just have to find a source for a replacement seal!
Thanks again and stay safe.
Thanks, Peter. I’m glad the article has been of help to you. I searched and searched for info on this rifle, but unlike the FWB 300S rifles there is little information out there on them. That’s what lead to putting up the info, hoping it might encourage others to give it a try. They are great rifles, I keep hoping I’ll come across one for myself as that one belongs to a friend. Stay safe and healthy (gunsmithing in times of lockdown is a great distraction)
EXCELLENT REPAIR DESCRIPTION 🙂 TRIED MY lgr OUT AFTER STORING FOR SOME YEARS – DIDN’T EVEN CHARGE, AIR CAME STRAIGHT OUT. FOUND YOUR WEBSITE AND STRIPPED THE GUN DOWN (EVEN MADE A VALVE TOOL LIKE YOU DESCRIBED !) BUFFER AND PISTON SEALS OK BUT THE VALVE SEAL HAD SPLIT. GOT SPARES FROM John Knibbs International Ltd (https://www.airgunspares.com/) CAN RECOMMEND – GREAT SERVICE AND FAST DELIVERY. FITTED AND NOW WORKING – AMAZINGLY WHEN IT TRIED IT THE PELLETS HIT SPOT ON WITHOUT EVEN SIGHTING IT IN AGAIN ! MUCH THX
That’s great to hear! Sure am glad you got it up and running and that you found the article of use.
Hi
Any Tip on where i can bye piston seal and the rest oF needed seals?
Regard
Stig
If I recall correctly I ordered from John Knibbs in the UK.
Hello, hopefully you can help. After you cock the rifle (when disassembling), when do you fire it to release air before disassembling? Am I missing a step? It appears in here that you are disassembling it with air in the chamber. Thanks, David.
That’s a good question, David. I can assure you I didn’t disassemble the rifle with a full charge of air in the chamber, but as I’ve sent the rifle back to its owner and it’s been quite a while since I had it in hand, I can’t tell you for sure off the top of my head the sequence I followed. Sorry I can’t be more specific than that, but a lot of water has gone under the bridge since I rebuilt this rifle.
Thank you for the response. I have worked out how to release the air by manually pressing the valve.
On sizing the piston seal, do you know what tolerance I should go by? For example if the cylinder is 29.00, should the seal be 29.1, 29.3 etc? Thank you.
I just installed the parts that I obtained and didn’t worry about sizing, going on the theory that the factory should have a good grip on what size works best. Working with German higher level airguns is far easier than the chinese knockoffs that tend to be all over the place in their tolerances. Shucks, I»ve got a Hatsan 95 piston sitting on my desk right now with a Hatsan seal on it – and it is WAY out of tolerance. Now I wait for an Air Rifle Headquarters seal to make its way through customs so we can see how THAT one works. But getting back to the question, as long as it enters the compression tube and moves freely with proper lubrication I’d not worry about it.