I figured I should post my current project in this forum.... I'm moving files over from another forum, so be patient.... Here's the start of the thread....

I got some time over the past few days to start my Big Bore Disco project.... I started with a collection of Disco parts, some new, some used, and I made a copy of the Disco gauge mounting block (complete with the stock 1/8" through hole) and built what amounts to a stock Disco main tube assembly, including a stock fill fitting, valve, hammer with cocking pin, hammer spring, end cap, and trigger assembly.... The trigger assembly and the hammer were polished, and the trigger spring was changed for a lighter one and the "3-screw" mod was done, so I have a nice 2-stage adjustable trigger.... I didn't bend the sear spring to reduce the second stage pull weight, so the total trigger pull is just over 2 lbs....

I recently received some new hammer forged barrels from Stan at AERO-TEC, including a 24" long .357 cal with a 6-groove 1 in 16" twist and a 24" long .308 cal with a 4 groove 1 in 20" twist.... Both barrels are 1/2" OD, and I also received the prototype of a Big Bore Riser breech I designed.... The breech is made from a 3/4" x 1" billet of 6061-T6 aluminum and anodized.... It has a 3" deep socket for the barrel with two 8-32 set screws to locate it.... The front of the breech has a short stub designed to mount a 3/4" OD x 0.035" wall aluminum tubing shroud, located by two 6-32 screws.... There is plenty of clearance between the main tube and the barrel to allow for the shroud.... The idea is to make the two barrels interchangeable, using the same breech and bolt assembly.... I machined identical barrel ports in them with a 7/32" through hole and a shallow 1/4" counterbore for the transfer port to sit in.... The transfer port is made from a short piece of 1/4" brass rod with a shoulder on the bottom for the stock Crosman TP seal.... although a poly port can also be used.... The barrels both have small flats for the setscrews, and the chambers were cut using a tapered reamer so that the portion between the barrel port and the end is slightly over 3/8" to clear the nose of the bolt.... In the case of the .357 barrel, that meant the rifling started about the middle of the barrel port and was full depth about 1/4" forward of the port.... On the .308 barrel, the rifling starts ahead of the transfer port, and in fact you can push a 120 gr. bullet far enough that the base of the bullet is about level with the back of the barrel port before it touches the rifling....



The rear mounting screw for the breech is 8-32, and the head protrudes into the bolt passage about half way.... The front mounting point for the breech is still under the bolt in the loading trough, but it is increased to 6-32, and the front hole in the Disco tube was drilled and tapped to match.... A small recess was ground in the top rear of the Disco valve to miss that screw.... One thing I noticed about this Disco valve was that it didn't have the usual O-ring seal for the valve stem.... I don't know if Crosman forgot it, or if they are cheaping out and leaving it off on purpose.... The weird thing is that there is no machining to even allow the installation of the O-ring, the back of the valve is just flat.... I have purchased one Disco valve since this one and it had the O-ring again.... so I don't know which is current production....

The breech seal is achieved by a 1/2" OD x 3/8" ID O-ring held captive between the end of the barrel and the breech.... The bolt, which has a probe to push the pellets past the transfer port, has a 3/8" nose that seals in that O-ring.... Since the O-ring is pinched just slightly between the barrel and breech, the ID was a bit under 3/8" and it was necessary to polish down the nose of the bolt slightly for the proper fit.... A 9mm pellet slides through the O-ring without friction, however.... The rear section of the bolt is 9/16" diameter.... This allows the bolt to catch the stock cocking pin for the hammer.... but in order to do that, it needs a groove machined in it, wider at the rear to miss the head of the rear mounting bolt.... Once the bolt is rotated to the locked (firing) position, there is an addditional (offset) groove required for the cocking pin to travel in without touching the bolt.... That groove is the one closest to the bolt handle.... I know it looks complicated, but the machining can be simplified now that I have made this prototype....



The bolt is designed so that when drawn to the rear, the front mounting hole is exposed, and when forward, the rear screw is just behind the back of the bolt.... The breech assembly can therefore be removed without removing the bolt from the breech first.... The slot allows for a large travel, and the loading port is long enough for at least a 120 gr. (maybe even a 150 gr.) .308 bullet.... The bolt handle is made from a 2" long 10-32 SHCS with the threads shortened.... The hole in the bolt is 1/2" deep (ie blind) and the screw tightens against the bottom of the hole.... The knob is from a piece of 5/8" diameter brass, 7/8" long.... It is drilled 5/16" to a depth of 0.70" and then tapped 3/8-16 NC for a 1/2" long stainless SHSS.... When the set-screw is tightened, it pinches the head of the bolt handle, making the handle assembly rigid.... The handle is installed using the 3/16" hex in the end.... Also shown is a barrel band which matches the breech in height.... It has an 8-32 set-screw in the lower portion, but has an O-ring in the upper portion to "semi-float" the barrel.... I have another band which is designed to be used with a 3/4" OD shroud, located by a set screw in both openings....

Now to put this thing together and take a few shots.... I expect the velocity to be well under 500 fps with all the stock Disco components.... I plan to test it on CO2 as well as on HPA, so stay tuned....

Bob