Cleaning and Adjustments for the Hammerli 208s

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This text originally appeared in the April 2000 newsletter for the Air Force National Pistol Team.

During the Dixie Matches held in Florida in March 2000, Mr. Larry Carter of Larry’s Guns spent some time with the Air Force National Pistol Team members discussing the care and cleaning of the Hammerli 208s. He described both basic and detailed cleaning and maintenance as well as adjustments to the trigger. The detailed cleaning/care involves punching out pins and disassembling the internal parts. This should not be done soley from notes, and is only necessary on a semi-annual or annual basis, depending on how much shooting is done. Therefore, detailed notes will not be covered in this document.

1. Mr. Carter emphasized that NO chemicals or cleaners should be used for any portion of the cleaning of the 208s pistol. He further emphasized that oil must NOT be allowed into the hammer/sear region as this will wash away the special Moly lubrication, which will cause sear wear. The detailed care may be necessary if any contaminants enter the hammer/sear region or if the first stage of the trigger starts feeling as though it drags. Basic cleaning should be done after each match. For cleaning, the materials/lubricants used were:

3. Steps involved in cleaning the 208s:

Note that NO chemicals were used for any portion of the cleaning and that only a very light application of oil was used. Do NOT over-oil.

4. Mr. Carter also discussed the following trigger adjustments:

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