Daisy Model 25 enthusiast, Lets Talk, Fixes, Tips, & mods..

Hi Terry,

That does look like the felt disc on my Mom’s old 1955 Sewmor, but no, it’s just 3 layers of regular fabric store felt with contact cement in between.
The foam things eventually disintegrate, so I tried this as a substitute a couple of years ago, and they seem to be holding up ok.

r
 
The photo is of the hang tag Daisyused to attach to the trigger housing of each gun. Dripping oil down the shot tube certainly will oil the seals, but does nothing good at all for accuracy. Of course, back then the BBs or lead shot being used was nowhere near as good as today. 25 INSTRUCTIONS HANG TAG REPRODUCTION A.jpg
 
Good Day everyone..
I'm finely into my next M-25 project.
This one is a later Plymouth Mich. example, it had the silk screening on the sides of the receiver (Frame).
When I started this project I thought I try to repaint the metal parts & for the wood I wanted to do something in a "Ruby Color" (reddish, wine'ish).
I've been trying to give these gun projects a name that sticks to completion, like my "Blondie" project.
Well, this one started out as "Ruby" & the way its going thus far it's going to earn its nickname, "Ruby"
Here is some of Ruby's finished painted metal parts, I'm starting to like this color for this project, I've go all the metal painted, now I'll wait several days to maybe even a week before I do anymore work with the metal parts.
Next up will be the wood, Ruby originally had plastic furniture (forearm grip & butt stock), well I'm replacing that with wood, & I've got a dye that I'm hoping with give me the Ruby color I'm looking for..
It should be noted that because I'm repainting this gun meaning its not going to be original I opted to use a Brand New pump linkage from new out of the box China M-25 parts gun purchase.

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Here is an update on my latest "Ruby" M-25 project.
The dye color I picked for this project is "Oxblood" when I first applied I thought, "well maybe" but after I started applying the rub-on varnish its starting getting some depth to the color I'm starting to really like it, here it is after the 1st coat. I've not started the refinishing of the butt stock yet, I still need to fabricate & attach the extension..
The forearm (pump grip) don't require any fabrication, just remove the factory finish & refinish it.

But I think this is a good sample of what the wood is going to look like.

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Here I've got the pump linkage completed & rejoined & the refinished grip installed..


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I feel most everyone that puts these post, comments, & photo's on forum's like this is really to be helpful to others.
If we come up with some well worked out mod or tip & post it is for others to gleam from it, & to get others input too.
Forum member's like "Cobalt327" & "teerex" have come up with some amazing DYI jigs, & tricks to do with a Daisy BB guns that's just fascinating to see what they might post next..
I've found that many of these little ideas (concepts) can also be applied to many other things in our lives totally not BB gun related.
I went to the "teerex" school of Taps/Dies & Drill bits 🙃 that did cost me some money to upgrade & put together some really nice taps/dies & drill bits, but OMG, what a difference.
Just the other day I was working on relocating some ceiling electrical light fixture box's & early in the project I was already using one of my new Tap's, I didn't like the factory threaded holes, nor their location :rofl: So, many things I've done to these old Model 25 bb guns has given me better problem solving insight to many other things in my life that its somewhat mind blowing.

Here is a Daisy update on something I just found working on my Ruby project..
In reworking & mounting the wooden stocks on the vintage USA M-25 I've had this problem with finding an acceptable, a nice screw that when you install them they end up with what I call a clean nice factory design job.. Until today that just hadn't happened. But I found them, 'Thee Holy Grail' screws :rofl:

These are a #8 3/4" long, they counter sink! they have a slightly smaller head, & the head of them are slightly domed.. So the domed head rolls (flows) with the roundness of the top of the receiver & stock. (they're black oxide as well)
These are it... my search for these ends here, these are my 'Daisy Stock Screws' :cool:

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These screws are going to fit nicely into the factory hole at the tail of the receiver tang for the stock mount screw, & now that I got the correct countersink drill bit the screws will fit just as nicely in the additionally added screw hole at the top of the receiver, before & was just using a Phillips panhead wood screw, this arrangement is going to be a lot nicer.
Here is the counter sink hole before I painted the receiver..

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Merry Christmas Everyone...
 
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The Chinese 25, Trigger assembly:
These guns use a plastic-cased modular trigger assembly which incorporates firing system parts, crossbolt safety, and safety bar all in one unit. While strikingly similar to a Red Ryder anti-beartrap unit, there are several differences, the most noticeable being the safety bar and that the trigger blade is made of alloy rather than plastic
(more on this later).
Function of the firing system (trigger, sear, latch) and the crossbolt safety is identical to the lever guns, the difference is in the safety bar. This is how it works; when the pump arm is locked forward, a spur on the twist link (yellow spot in pic) catches the hook on the safety bar and pulls it forward. When it does this, it disengages a small bent tab on the bottom of the bar from a spur on the trigger allowing it to be pulled.
Any time the pump arm is in an unlocked position, the twist link moves to the rear. This allows the safety bar, under spring pressure to also move rearward which places the bent tab on the bar under the trigger spur, preventing the trigger from being pulled.
There is a small screw on the receiver (red dot in pic) that acts as a stop which keeps the safety bar in position. This is about the same location as the rivet which acted as a pivot for the safety bar on earlier models.
Do NOT lose this screw !
Although it looks similar in size to a 4-40 machine screw, it is slightly larger (possibly metric ?), and has extremely fine threads.
Daisy currently does not supply replacements for either the trigger module or this screw. IMG_1860-compressed.jpeg IMG_1864-compressed.jpeg
 
The Chinese 25 Trigger, removal, installation, etc.:
While best to leave this module in place unless you have a specific reason to remove it, you do have to manipulate the safety bar to separate the receiver section from the pump-arm/barrel section (to reseal, for instance). Note that the stock and trigger group do not have to be disassembled from the receiver for this.
First, after verifying the gun is unloaded and uncocked (of course), unlock the action by pulling the pump arm back just until resistance is felt. Next remove the large screw (bolt) at the lower front of the receiver, and the small screw forward of the trigger on the side of the receiver. Using some form of hook tool, reach in the open area in front of the trigger guard and pull the safety bar down. While holding the bar down the barrel assembly can now be separated by pulling forward out of the receiver.
Installation is almost the reverse; with the action unlocked, start the barrel section into the receiver. Pull the safety bar down with the hook tool, and slide the barrel section in until the hole for the large bolt lines up. You can now release the safety bar and install the large bolt and nut. Look thru the small hole while pulling the safety bar down. You should be able to see it through the hole, and see it clear the hole when you release it. The small screw which acts as a bar stop can now be reinstalled.
To remove the trigger group from the gun, first separate the sections as above, remove the nuts from the stock and trigger bolts, loosen the trigger bolt, then remove hardware from the stock and remove it from the receiver. the trigger can now be pushed up out of the locating slot at the bottom and taken out to the rear.
To reinstall; first make sure the bent tab on the safety bar is located below the spur on the trigger, insert and align the slot on the bottom of the trigger housing with the small cross bar on the bottom of the receiver. The bolt hole should now line up. Install, but do not tighten the trigger bolt, install the stock, tighten all of it’s hardware, then tighten the trigger bolt (this will help prevent damage to the stock from scraping).

Trigger mods:
There is very little that can (or should) be done to these modules.
The contact surfaces of the sear and latch can be polished to some extent without separating the housing (best advice: do NOT try to separate the housing !).
The springs can be lightened a little, but probably not necessary, because unlike the a.b.t. trigger on the Ryder, the 25 trigger does not work against the safety bar spring.
The safety bar only moves back and forth, not up and down like the Ryder.
I’ve covered spring work and polishing in more detail in another thread about Daisy plastic triggers, but here’s the gist;
Caution: any time you’re working with springs, especially small ones, eye protection is a MUST !
First is the trigger return spring at the rear. Do yourself a favor; either work inside of a gallon zip-lock bag, or as I do, tie about a foot of string to this spring (I use dental floss, it’s strong, white, and fairly stiff).
This way, if this spring tries for a low orbit, but settles for hiding in a previously unexplored part of your work area, it has a big, easy-to-locate, kite tail attached (and it won’t go as far).
This spring is easily damaged by tools, and is best removed by fingers. The inner spring is tougher and is best removed with a small screwdriver. First, pry the bottom off the stub and push all the way in, this angles the top making removal easier.
After the springs are removed, the trigger can be pulled and the latch can be flipped all the way back to allow for polishing, along with some limited work on the sear, (internal, mounted on the trigger blade).
When reinstalling the inner spring, start at the top, locating the spring into the notch in the latch, then work the bottom over the stub on the sear. IMG_1866-compressed.jpeg
 
The Chinese 25, Trigger assembly:
These guns use a plastic-cased modular trigger assembly which incorporates firing system parts, crossbolt safety, and safety bar all in one unit. While strikingly similar to a Red Ryder anti-beartrap unit, there are several differences, the most noticeable being the safety bar and that the trigger blade is made of alloy rather than plastic
(more on this later).
Function of the firing system (trigger, sear, latch) and the crossbolt safety is identical to the lever guns, the difference is in the safety bar. This is how it works; when the pump arm is locked forward, a spur on the twist link (yellow spot in pic) catches the hook on the safety bar and pulls it forward. When it does this, it disengages a small bent tab on the bottom of the bar from a spur on the trigger allowing it to be pulled.
Any time the pump arm is in an unlocked position, the twist link moves to the rear. This allows the safety bar, under spring pressure to also move rearward which places the bent tab on the bar under the trigger spur, preventing the trigger from being pulled.
There is a small screw on the receiver (red dot in pic) that acts as a stop which keeps the safety bar in position. This is about the same location as the rivet which acted as a pivot for the safety bar on earlier models.
Do NOT lose this screw !
Although it looks similar in size to a 4-40 machine screw, it is slightly larger (possibly metric ?), and has extremely fine threads.
Daisy currently does not supply replacements for either the trigger module or this screw.
This is the "Safe Bar" stop screw. When the gun is in action (barrel assembly installed) it keep the safe bar from being drawn down to far when the trigger is pulled, it keeps it in the proper operation range. To remove the barrel assembly from the shroud (trigger housing/receiver) its necessary to remove this screw & then pull the trigger, then pull the barrel housing out.
Caution, this screw only threads into the side metal of the shroud housing, the metal is pretty thin & a little lighter weight than the earlier USA models so it would be easier to strip out the hole.

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As "teerex" stated the safe bar disengages on a draw (pulled forward) of the pump linkage when the linkage is at its foremost ready to fire position.
With the pump linkage at any other position the safe bar's return spring retracts the bar back into its "Safe" position.

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Here with the trigger assembly removed from the gun the safe bar is default (sprung into) "Safe" position.
The brass sleeve acts as rolled rivet holding the assembly together but it also has two other functions, it a pivot collar for the trigger action parts & its the mounting hole to the shroud.
Note! I'm going to speculate on this point, if you notice the clear color of that little dab of factory lube (grease) I'm going to say the reason is its likely silicone grease which would be a better choice here due to the plastic framing of the trigger assembly, petroleum lube over time can breakdown (attack) some plastics.

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Here looks to be the best of image I have of the bent over "Tab" that's on the lower side of the safe bar that actually slide beneath the the front of the trigger arm to Block it in the safe position.
This would be a 'Top Down View'

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I'm pretty certain that between "teerex" & me & our collected images of the China model (current model) M-25 that we can most likely answer most any question that someone might have regarding this model, & we can most likely answer questions about the actual differences between the current model vs the earlier Vintage models.

mark
 
When I posted above I had no IDEA that "teerex" was at the same time working on a follow up post :rofl: but I think the information still flows pretty good..
Any question, please feel free to ask..👍
 
Part 3, gazing into the future:
Disappointingly, Daisy supplies very few replacement parts for the current model 25. Last time I checked, the only internal parts available were seals, air tube, and shot tube assembly.
Nothing lasts forever, especially plastic parts. In the event the unthinkable happens and one of these trigger modules has a “nuclear come-apart”, IMG_1865-compressed.jpeg IMG_1874-compressed.jpeg IMG_1875-compressed.jpeg there are no simple “work-arounds” like with other models; Buck and Ryder triggers are readily available, or can even be adapted to single piece triggers with some modification, 95b and 99b plastic triggers can be replaced with 499b modules, again, with some modification.
Not so with these, the only possibility I can see is to do some serious mods to a Red Ryder trigger, which, at least on the outside, appears very similar.
Two notable points are the centering “ears” at the back of the 25 unit that the Ryder unit doesn’t have, the other is a subtle difference in shape at the front-bottom of the housing (see arrows in pic).
Although as yet untested, possible work-arounds for these issues would be some kind of “build-up” of the bottom, and some form of full-width bushing to replace the brass sleeve, as I’ve done on the Ryder unit in another pic. This could solve the centering issue.
The stub on the trigger that engages the safety bar tab appears to be identical, it’s just a question of plastic vs alloy trigger blade.
The Ryder trigger will mount inside of a 25 receiver (hole & slot line up, etc.) and with the a.b.t. arm replaced with the 25 safety bar, and with the other mods listed, there’s a chance it could work.
 
Part 3, gazing into the future:
Disappointingly, Daisy supplies very few replacement parts for the current model 25. Last time I checked, the only internal parts available were seals, air tube, and shot tube assembly.
Nothing lasts forever, especially plastic parts. In the event the unthinkable happens and one of these trigger modules has a “nuclear come-apart”, there are no simple “work-arounds” like with other models; Buck and Ryder triggers are readily available, or can even be adapted to single piece triggers with some modification, 95b and 99b plastic triggers can be replaced with 499b modules, again, with some modification.
Not so with these, the only possibility I can see is to do some serious mods to a Red Ryder trigger, which, at least on the outside, appears very similar.
Two notable points are the centering “ears” at the back of the 25 unit that the Ryder unit doesn’t have, the other is a subtle difference in shape at the front-bottom of the housing (see arrows in pic).
Although as yet untested, possible work-arounds for these issues would be some kind of “build-up” of the bottom, and some form of full-width bushing to replace the brass sleeve, as I’ve done on the Ryder unit in another pic. This could solve the centering issue.
The stub on the trigger that engages the safety bar tab appears to be identical, it’s just a question of plastic vs alloy trigger blade.
The Ryder trigger will mount inside of a 25 receiver (hole & slot line up, etc.) and with the a.b.t. arm replaced with the 25 safety bar, and with the other mods listed, there’s a chance it could work.

"teerex" makes a good point about the available parts for the current production M-25 is oddly limited, I may have (??) made a few more recent Daisy parts inquiries than Rex, & most that I inquired about was not available. But, here is the list I came up with..
No trigger parts or trigger assemblies are available.
Barrel Housings, not available.
Forearm grip not available.

What was available other than what Rex mentioned is,
Butt stocks.
Main springs.
Which is the reason there is so many of these parts being sold on the fleaBay (not meaning a bad thing either)

In my M-25 collection I've got one completely worked out project New Model M-25, & I use the butt stocks & forearm grips & main springs pretty often in other projects.
So, I just watched say Amazon for some better deals on brand new sold M-25's & parted them down, If I have a few rewards point available, find one in the $45.00 range including shipping I bought it (2 of them now). (which gives me a spare trigger assembly if I ever need it)
It was at that point that I started parts swapping USA parts & China parts to see what else can be actually shared between the Old & New models, myself I was just going for New parts that could be used to keep the older guns still breathing.. But, those here that knows "teerex" knows he often times goes in a different direction in his thinking :), he came up curious about what older parts could be used in the New Model 25's seeing how Daisy could cancel production of it at anytime & without warning. Daisy has done that 2 times already in the past with the USA M-25, they suspended production in 1978, then they reintroduced it in 1986 as a company 100 year centennial for that one year ONLY, then they discontinued it. Then sometime after Daisy moved production to China they reintroduced the M-25 & its still in production to date. Seeing how there is a few other discontinued Daisy models that Daisy no longer produces parts for that share some of the current M-25 parts makes the current M-25 a parts source for those older models too, shot tubes, piston & barrel seals, & main springs mainly.
 
What a lot of great information in this thread!

I found my old 1970s era Model 25 in my mother's attic when cleaning out her house after she passed. I was eager to see how it would compare to my newer and very accurate Daisy 35. It was a let-down... I had memories of doing some accurate shooting with that old Daisy, but either my memory was a bit off or the Daisy hadn't aged well.

This was shot at 10 yards, IIRC... I guess she needs a little TLC!

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What a lot of great information in this thread!

I found my old 1970s era Model 25 in my mother's attic when cleaning out her house after she passed. I was eager to see how it would compare to my newer and very accurate Daisy 35. It was a let-down... I had memories of doing some accurate shooting with that old Daisy, but either my memory was a bit off or the Daisy hadn't aged well.

I guess she needs a little TLC!
Hi "desmobob" if you don't mind letting me make a few suggestions & ask a question or two.
Many of us that basically started out when we were young with BB guns I believe in most cases shot a lot of stuff at closer distances than we remember & what we've now forgotten is we shot so much stuff that we really didn't use the sights, we were able to just able to instinctively eye down the barrel with both eyes & point & shoot, I myself had forgotten that.
So, in probably 7 of the 9 older M-25's I've acquired & that includes the one I personally had in the early 70's the rear sights were so twisted & bent that it really wasn't possible to have been using them :rofl:
So, in my older age & my older eyes & script glasses, & the short youth stocks on those older guns I can't really focus on the sights especially the V-notch sight.
[I'm trying to work out a way to short cut this story book]

When I first started working on these old M-25's I was setting up test targets in the house with towels in a box to catch BB at close distances, & I was using multi layers of cut up Pizza box tops for penetration test. The first one I worked on when I started was so bad that it wouldn't shoot through a single layer (I stack them in 8 layers & use rubber bands to hold them together), & shoot at them at say 6 or 8 feet. So, when I work though the gun they may end up shooting maybe 5-6 layers (without any modifications) So, if you haven't tested that old gun for reasonable power then that may be a accuracy issue.
Next is the old shot tube's did not wear well over hundreds of thousands of cycle BB's, so a new model replacement shot tube will likely help a good bit, they're a better design overall.

Now let me get back to where I started in this post.
Also, I'm not meaning in any way that you don't know how to shoot a gun, based on the info I seen in your profile you may even be an "Expert" in shooting regular firearms.. So, I'm just covering this encase you've forgotten the rule of grip shooting a springer gun.
The recoil of a springer gun happens within the gun before the bb exits the muzzle, the energy (recoil) can not be controlled by any actual means of just holding the gun (grip) & trying to do so will make accuracy of most of them worse. So, its best to not try & control the recoil & let the spring do what it does. All of the action from the spring is directly in prefect horizonal alignment with the gun, but if you try to control it, which isn't possible then the energy released from the spring is transferred more into an erratic pattern at the muzzle, & it all happens before the bb exits the muzzle.. (That's just incase you didn't know that or maybe forgotten). So, its best to just let the front of the gun REST on say the palm of your hand & not grip it at all.

instinctively shooting these when we were kids is something as a kid I never even thought about, I just did it.
So, working through all my M-25 projects some for actual use & some just for collecting, meaning some I've extended the stocks to more of an adult length, & did a little Hot Rodding to them. I've done a good bit of test firing all of them. (I'm getting to the point, I promise :rofl: ) So I step out on my little back porch with one gun I'd been working on just to cycle some bb's through it, it had the factory length youth stock on it so I didn't even give the sights a thought, I was just going to shoot into the ground at maybe 15 feet or so at nothing. So, that's what I did, then I noticed a few leaves laying around so, I just point at one & shoot & I saw the blades of grass move from the impact just a couple inches away, so, I pop off another point & shoot & hit the leaf. Not realizing it yet I point & shoot at another leaf & I hit it, so, I'm firing away at these maybe 2"-wide 3"-long leaves & I'm hitting way more than I'm missing & the misses are CLOSE. Then after doing this several times, I had a flash back! it hit me, this is what I was doing when I was a kid for a great deal of my shooting. Try it some time, you may get a chuckle out of it, I did.

To sum this up.
Its been stated by people in the know, that even a little bit of oil in the shot tube barrel (& dirt) can cause accuracy problems, rig up a way (if you haven't yet) to drag a small patch through the barrel, even its its just a length of button thread tied to a hair pin clip will work.
If you may have been (??) using the wrong grip correcting that will help, the M-25 is one that as best that I can tell it don't like the front of the gun HELD accuracy wise.
Locating a newer style shot tube is likely to be an improvement too.

Also, if you can post a picture of that old M-25, yes we expect it to look VERY well USED :rofl:
Here's my ragged out M-25 from the late 60's early 70's this old gun has likely had millions of bb's cycled through it, & I fixed it & got it working again & pretty darn good.
This picture is before I removed the 1970 electrical tape & patched the stocked..
Here the gun had been restored back to "Working Order" but cosmetically its as it was when we outgrew the bb gun age (it was retired)

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When I started working on this old gun it cocked & popped, but it didn't' have any power & the shot tube didn't have much control of feeding bb's so several at time might just roll out the end of the barrel, it was a tired old gun for sure :(
So, the shot tube was well..... SHOT.. :rofl:
But after I got on the inside of it I found the main reason for it lack of power, & that was the tip of the air tube was badly deformed (battered) so much so that it only a tiny pin hole remained to pass air through.

When I decided to take a picture of the damaged air tube I had already starting working a little bit to open the end of it up.

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Also, I'm not meaning in any way that you don't know how to shoot a gun, based on the info I seen in your profile you may even be an "Expert" in shooting regular firearms.. So, I'm just covering this encase you've forgotten the rule of grip shooting a springer gun.
The recoil of a springer gun happens within the gun before the bb exits the muzzle, the energy (recoil) can not be controlled by any actual means of just holding the gun (grip) & trying to do so will make accuracy of most of them worse. So, its best to not try & control the recoil & let the spring do what it does. All of the action from the spring is directly in prefect horizonal alignment with the gun, but if you try to control it, which isn't possible then the energy released from the spring is transferred more into an erratic pattern at the muzzle, & it all happens before the bb exits the muzzle.. (That's just incase you didn't know that or maybe forgotten). So, its best to just let the front of the gun REST on say the palm of your hand & not grip it at all.

Thanks. I'm very familiar with springers, having a collection of springer rifles and pistols from Weirauch, Beeman, Diana, Benjamin, Hatsan, Webley & Scott, and six Daisies other than the Model 25. I don't have a photo of my Model 25 but, as you guessed, it is pretty well worn. When I found it, it was missing part of the rear sight, which I was able to purchase and replace.

Some day, when I'm feeling enthusiastic about that old Daisy, maybe I'll go through it and see what I can do to get it back close to the accuracy I remember it having. I'm happy to have it around for the memories, even if I never get around to trying to accurize it. In the mean time, my current favorite smooth-bore BB rifle is a Daisy Model 35, which is very accurate. Along with an Avanti 747 pistol, it is one of the two Daisies I shoot reasonably often.

Thanks for sharing your Model 25 knowledge with the group!
 
Thanks. I'm very familiar with springers, having a collection of springer rifles and pistols from Weirauch, Beeman, Diana, Benjamin, Hatsan, Webley & Scott, and six Daisies other than the Model 25. I don't have a photo of my Model 25 but, as you guessed, it is pretty well worn. When I found it, it was missing part of the rear sight, which I was able to purchase and replace.

Some day, when I'm feeling enthusiastic about that old Daisy, maybe I'll go through it and see what I can do to get it back close to the accuracy I remember it having. I'm happy to have it around for the memories, even if I never get around to trying to accurize it. In the mean time, my current favorite smooth-bore BB rifle is a Daisy Model 35, which is very accurate. Along with an Avanti 747 pistol, it is one of the two Daisies I shoot reasonably often.

Thanks for sharing your Model 25 knowledge with the group!

Thank you for your contribution to this M-25 thread...
Also, I've got photo's of probably everything going on inside of the M-25's so Please if you get on the inside of yours & have any questions just ask, me or "teerex" can most likely answer any questions you might have, & if we don't know the answer, then we want to, so we'll look for maybe another forum member who might, or we'll grab one of our part guns & get the answer :rofl:

Note, about the current M-25 shot tubes. They have a rather large magnetic base at the tail of them that controls & holds the bb's in place until its fire (shot) well, that Large base does something else, because of its size its outside diameter is much closer to the walls of the barrel housing thus it keeps it better inline (center) of the barrel housing, so if the air tube is near centered the tail of the shot far better aligns with the air tube when you install it into the gun, unlike the older USA vintage models where you had to wiggle, giggle, poke, ram, to get the shot tube to go in, hence I think was a good bit of what happened to the air tube in my old M-25, it just got beat to death. Kids didn't know the why the shot tubes wasn't going into the gun..
Also, the vintage shot tube used a rolled open seamed barrel tube, ye'll they were rolled until the seam was closed, but the rolled tubing was hit & miss from being also usable, to good, to a great one for their time period.
Well, the new model shot tube is made seamless (not rolled with an open seam), they're truer to being round in the their bore, & they're more uniform it the actual inside diameter (Bore).
& unlike the Vintage shot tubes there is some modifications that can be done to the new ones being that you can actually take them apart!

(1) carbon fiber barrel sleeves can be added that are just a tiny bit undersize of the OEM barrel sleeves, these reduces air flowing past the bb's as they travel down the barrel. They're is a Note of caution with these, there is currently two sizes of these CF (HV) barrel sleeves floating around, they both work, but one is really under size & they're reports of problems with using them. The under sized ones that I've seen have had some of a heat shrink tubbing wrap over the outside to increase the O.D to better fit the shot tube housing. The correct size will not have the shrink wrap added to it.

(2) The muzzle tips on the new model shot tubes can be vastly improved by actually creating a REAL crown at the exit of the barrel sleeve, this is a accuracy modification.

(3) Is a springless mod making it gravity fed, this is a pretty common mod that when Rex & I first came across it, it was a bit complex to achieve. The idea started with pulling the spring, inserting a thin wall brass tube down through the frame of the shot tube (a bb feeder tube). The tube was then sealed at the magnetic base, then a hole is drilled into the muzzle tip & a rubber cap was fitted (stopper) would be inserted into the drilled hole, this creates a bb feeder port so shot tube can be loaded with bb's while its still installed in the gun, YEA! it actually works very well..
So, the brass tube sealed at the magnetic base & the tube itself + the rubber stopper in concept was to keep more air behind the bb and less loss through the totally open bb feeder chamber, thus increasing bb velocity, bla...bla.....
So, when got into this mod I looked at the fact that the air tube when the bb is shot it like 2" or more into the barrel tube, so for air to escape it had to travel out around the air tube & then over 2" back down the barrel tube to get back to the bb feeder port, so how much air was actually lost before the bb exits the muzzle??
So, I really like the springless mod for "Function" & really skeptical of any amount of velocity gains.. So I skipped the brass sleeve, I left it open air, I blocked off the old bb feeder port (hole) so bb's would roll around & fall out, I drill the tip, although I move the hole over a bit & drilled it @ an slight angle to get it away from the muzzle where I could still crown it, same rubber stopper in the tip, and PRESTO.. it became a function mod & not a performance mod. This mod all increases how many bb's the shot tube holds, so instead of the original 50 its hold close to 70..

In doing cardboard penetration test between the sealed springless mod & the open air springless mod I didn't see any difference. That's not to say there is some velocity gain to the springless sealed mod, it just wasn't enough that I gained say another layer of cardboard.. Hence when I do this mod I go for the function side of it.

I got into this M-25 stuff just because I wanted to fix up my old gun, well, I found it fascinating enough that I got sucked into it as a new hobby, & I've had LOADS of help along the way with certain forum members, these guys are OCD junkies :rofl: some of the stuff they do with no more than they have to work with is nothing short of amazing, they make tools, parts, mods, & improvements to manufacturing downfalls.. & wait until you see what these "Craft Masters" can do with a $3.99 caulking gun o_O I mean I've come up with a few things, but these people are on a different plan.
Keep us posted as you move along, we're here to help if we can..
 
Chinese 25 reassembly, caulking gun method:
After taking this gun apart close to a dozen times, doing mods, trying ideas, filing, deburring, polishing, etc., etc., I’ve done as much as I’m gonna’ do, and it’s finally time to put it together and leave it alone.
There are different ways of assembling these (I believe even Daisy has changed their method over the years), I prefer the caulking gun method. It’s fairly simple, step-by-step, and keeps fingers out of harm’s way.
First thing is tools; #1 and #2 phillips screwdrivers, about a 24” piece of straightened coat hanger wire, some kind of hook tool (can also be made out of hanger wire), and a caulking gun and adapter washer.
Most types of standard caulk gun will work, solid bottom rather than the skeletonized type, either twist-lock or lever-lock types will work.
They do make a drip-free type that doesn’t lock the plunger shaft, these will not work for this, as releasing the trigger also releases the shaft.
The one in the pic has some added pieces to make it more user-friendly (I use it pretty often) but they are not required. The adapter washer, however is, the slot at the end of the gun is too large to catch the spring, so a washer with a 1/2” slot is used. A slotted fender washer might work, but I just carve mine out of 1/16” plate. If you don’t have a piece of this on hand, a good source is a junction box cover plate which you can find cheap at any hardware store (see pic).
The rectangular piece is a spacer, this one is steel, 1-1/2” x 2” x 3/16”, but just about anything pretty flat, about 1-1/2” wide and between 1/8” and 1/4” thick should work, even a door shim would probably do.
The two pieces on the lower right of the pic are helpful, but not 100% necessary. The small silver piece is a short piece of an old air tube filed to a rounded bullet shape. This acts as a pilot to help the air tube “find” the hole in the abutment seal. The black thing is a plunger sleeve tool (more on that later).
I’m going to divide this into several segments, as pics never come out in the right order, and more than two takes forever to load.
Tools: IMG_1898-compressed.jpeg
 
Forgot to mention in previous post that a small piece of masking tape is also needed.
To start: Install a verified empty shot tube in the barrel housing and thread the wire from the muzzle all the way through to the rear end of the housing.
Assemble pump arm pivot thru plunger sleeve and plunger, install pin and tape over it to keep it in place, pinch the tape around the pin to keep it centered in the sleeve.
Add spring and adapter washer (see pic).
With caulk gun in vise, flip assy. upside down, place in gun, make sure twist link is located in plunger recesses, add spacer between plunger sleeve and pump arm (this keeps plunger head from contacting pump arm and makes assembly easier).
You can now compress the spring, install the plunger head assy., release tension, remove from gun, leave spacer in place, but remove tape.
IMG_1899-compressed.jpeg IMG_1900-compressed.jpeg IMG_1900-compressed.jpeg
 
Next, a light film of oil on air tube and piston, oil the wiper as well.
If using a pilot, install on wire, then skewer air tube on wire and carefully feed this assembly into the barrel housing (if not using pilot, it make take a few tries to get the air tube into the abutment seal).
When the spacer stops movement, pull down slightly on rear section of pump arm to drop it out, and seat plunger the rest of the way in.
Put muzzle down on a solid surface and push pump arm down to align slots in barrel housing and plunger sleeve, install spring anchor.
Note: I don’t like pressing the muzzle down against anything, so an alternate method is to use some kind of fork tool mounted in a vise to push the plunger sleeve forward
(muzzle up, push down against fork)
to align slots and install anchor.
…just personal preference. IMG_1901-compressed.jpeg IMG_1902-compressed.jpeg
 
Next is the guide rod. Pivot the pump arm “elbow” the wrong way, let the pump handle hang straight down, feed the guide rod through the handle, straighten everything back right, and place the guide rod tooth into the slot in the bottom bracket (it should go in, but if not, just pry rear piece of pump arm away from barrel slightly until it does), locate front end of rod in bracket and install screw.
Next, apply grease to twist link recesses in plunger, along bottom edges of barrel housing where this link rides, and roof of barrel housing where plunger rides. IMG_1903-compressed.jpeg
 
Barrel assy. is now complete.
To install into receiver, first unlock the pump arm until resistance is felt.
Start barrel housing into receiver just until spring anchor is inside of receiver (this is a tight fit, it helps to spread the bottom of the receiver at the front slightly with a large screwdriver just until the bottom bracket passes the edge).
Place stock against something solid, reach in with hook tool between front of trigger guard and screw hole and pull safety bar down (you should be able to see safety bar through screw hole), push front section in until large bolt hole aligns, and release hook tool, safety bar should pop upward past screw hole. Install large bolt (you may have to adjust alignment a bit with phillips s-driver). Pull safety bar down a couple of times to verify proper function, if it works ok and goes above the screw hole when released, install the tiny stop screw.
Safety checks:
Lock pump arm, click crossbolt safety to “safe”, trigger should not pull, click safety off, trigger should pull, unlock pump arm until resistance is felt, trigger should not pull. Test-fire, and if everything’s good, check all bolts/screws and install nuts.
If you have any questions (or if I left anything out 😣), please let me know. IMG_1904-compressed.jpeg IMG_1909-compressed.jpeg
 
Barrel assy. is now complete.
To install into receiver, first unlock the pump arm until resistance is felt.
Start barrel housing into receiver just until spring anchor is inside of receiver (this is a tight fit, it helps to spread the bottom of the receiver at the front slightly with a large screwdriver just until the bottom bracket passes the edge).
Place stock against something solid, reach in with hook tool between front of trigger guard and screw hole and pull safety bar down (you should be able to see safety bar through screw hole), push front section in until large bolt hole aligns, and release hook tool, safety bar should pop upward past screw hole. Install large bolt (you may have to adjust alignment a bit with phillips s-driver). Pull safety bar down a couple of times to verify proper function, if it works ok and goes above the screw hole when released, install the tiny stop screw.
Safety checks:
Lock pump arm, click crossbolt safety to “safe”, trigger should not pull, click safety off, trigger should pull, unlock pump arm until resistance is felt, trigger should not pull. Test-fire, and if everything’s good, check all bolts/screws and install nuts.
If you have any questions (or if I left anything out 😣), please let me know.
Well, I don't think you left anything out, but there is a few things that could be done in an alternative fashion.
teerex prefers to add a little glue to the muzzle facing end of the barrel seal (abutment seal) & install it1st as a separate step, & there isn't anything wrong in doing that.. Rex has his reasons. Doing it this way can often make it nearly impossible to just insert the plunger assembly into the barrel housing & get the air tube to align & go through the tiny hole in the barrel seal. So, his solution (a very good one) is to make a guide rod of sort to align the air tube through the barrel seal. There is nothing I see wrong in going this route.
But, the alternative method is to not glue the barrel seal into the barrel at all, but position it over the air tube & turn in the correct direction it would be in when its installed in the barrel & just install it at the same time you're installing the plunger assembly, it has no other options but HOME..

Rex told me sometime ago that its been known for say an old gun to that's not been used (shot) for many years that when you cock them the 1st time the barrel seal CAN stick to the piston seal & be dislocated from its seated position, although my unproven thoughts on the issue is that with a good modern oil that the changes of these seals sticking together in the rest of our lifetime isn't to likely, but I'm not saying its not impossible. The choice is yours.

Next up, Rex isn't doing anything without good reasons, he's just that way. Although (that's never good is it 😬) the process he covers where he's installing the barrel assembly into the shroud (receiver) and the point where he's uses a small hook to pull the "Safe Bar" down to allow the rear of the pump linkage (twist link) to install above the safe bar, (I'm trying to say this & not get fired :rofl: ) But on the side of the receiver there is a small Phillips head screw,

DSC00105.JPG

The purpose of this screw is its a stop screw for the "Safe Bar" it keeps the front end of the "Safe Bar" from dropping to low & allowing the twist link of the pump linkage from coming unhooked.
Well, if this little screw is removed first and you just fully pull the trigger the front end of the "Safe Bar" draws down lower, doing this allows the barrel assembly to be removed without catching the "Safe Bar" well, the reverse is true as well, if when you're installing the barrel housing into the shroud with the safe bar stop screw removed, you would fully pull the trigger which allows the pump linkage twist link to insert above the frontend of the "Safe Bar" So the China M-25 actually has two take down screws to get the barrel housing out or in.
(Note about that little safe bar stop screw, don't try & over tighten it, it would be very easy to strip its small threaded hole in jus the metal of the shroud, its just lightly snugged)

That's it..

As always Rex, another really nice contribution to this thread! Thank You...
 
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