Just picked up this rifle and have done some research on how to remove the shroud. In most cases it is recommended to heat the rear of the shroud just before the breech. (Apparently Air Arms has been using some kind of glue to prevent them for coming off.) With the shroud on the barrel there is very little room to grasp the shroud to unscrew it after the heat is applied. I have tried several methods of turning the shroud off to no avail. My question is would it be safe to remove the two set screws that hold the barrel in place and pull the barrel with the shroud off to be able to get a better grip on the shroud. Other than marking where the shroud meets the barrel and where the barrel meets the breech would there be any other issue I might address.
Thanks for any help you can share.
Bill
Hi, Bill,
I've been waiting for some owners of the newer models to chime in, but here's my 2 cents. I have no experience with the newer s400/500 series. On my older S400 the shroud is blued steel and held on by a grub screw in the front part of the breech. Loosening the screw will allow the shroud to slide free of the barrel.
The shroud is not much larger in diameter than the barrel itself and there is a brass bushing at the breech end which slides over the barrel and spaces the shroud from the barrel about 1/16". This bushing is Loctited to the shroud and the shroud and bushing come off as a unit. What also comes off in the shroud is a hex shaped plastic spacer that centers the muzzle end of the barrel in the shroud.
I believe the newer versions use a different attachment system, If I recall something similar to the Marauder with a collar that the shroud attaches to.
A parts diagram may help if you can find one. My experience with pulling the barrel was not great-there is a 2 piece brass thimble at the breech end of the barrel which is loctited into the breech and when I pulled my barrel I got only the front half of the thimble and the rear stayed in the breech. This gun had tons of issues and I took the easy way and just put it back together and moved on.
Hope this helps,
John
@johnl Thanks John, appreciate your reply. Very surprised no one else has but it wasn't this way on the old yellow forum.
I did get it off but I had to buy a heat gun off Amazon to do it. I just didn't was to use a propane torch.
It was a bugger getting off and required more heat than I thought it would. Eventually it twisted off and I can't see any reason why Air Arms had to cement it on. Just turning the shroud on the existing threads (About 5/8 of a inch is all that is needed. I have owned a number of shrouded guns that use one to two of those small grub screws. They usually place them low where they are hard to get at.
The actual barrel was just under .500 and I could see why AA needed a shroud to stablize the barrels position.
Thanks Again, Bill
