I'd be real interested in a build thread.
Nice work, indeed!
Thank you JM - Unfortunately I didn't record the build as I went along - I'm not really one for exact plans and drawings - more make it up as I go along.
Here are a few pictures of the build I do have.
After thinking about the idea and a few doodles on the back of beer mat I tried a basic CAD model.
I 3d printed out the hammer just to see if the idea was sound then made one out of metal - This is where the variables start to appear, Light hammer, fast locktime, heavy hammer, short stroke etc. I settled on an aluminum hammer with a tool steel insert for the sear engagement and also to add weight to the bottom of the hammer for better balance.
The blue parts on the finished rifle are just painted hardwood - the butt plate was from a previous project. The cheek piece was 3D printed and hides the electronic circuit and battery for the trigger.
The trigger is a micro switch and I used a coil from a tattoo machine to make the solenoid for the trigger.
I'm pleased with the results for the first go, it is smooth to shoot with good accuracy.
However, as soon as I had finished it I started on a MK2. I decided I wanted a testbed air rifle that I could adjust as much as possible to investigate the endless idiosyncrasies of air rifles -
I'm really interested in accuracy - not concerned with power or rate of fire etc.
With a good quality centerfire, tuning a handload to produce small groups fairly consistently is a road well trodden, air rifles seem to be more of a mystery. I have Steyr and Walther match air rifles and Morini and Walther pistols but always interested in just what make one better than the other.
