"YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BB"

Steroid Streaks & Benjamins

How to shoot the Mac1 Steroid tuned Gun:


1) Open the bolt and cock the gun 
2) Leave the bolt open while you are pumping the gun. 
3) Hold the gun with your left hand on the top of the receiver just behind the sight 
4) Pump it with your right hand as close to the lever end as is comfortable. 
5) Lefties do the opposite. Try to pump directly in front of your chest for best leverage.


Lubrication: 
EVERY TIME YOU TAKE IT OUT TO USE IT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LEVER PIVOTS ARE MOIST WITH SECRET SAUCE. You'll get a 1.75oz bottle of Secret Sauce with every Steroid purchased or upgraded.

Don't overdo it, a few drops at the front pivot & rivet is all you need on those two. The pivot that connects the lever link to the piston end that guides it is a porous piece of steel. Put 6-8 drops of Secret Sauce on that pivot as the guide end of the piston acts as a storage of oil so a film is laid down on the tube each pump stroke. All else will get taken care of by blow through.
Never put lubricant in the air hole. Do NOT use firearm cleaning solvents or lubricants anywhere on the gun.  Rem Oil & Barricade provide a good external wipe down oil. I use Rem Oil as it has proven to be one of the best rust inhibitors. Don't put your guns away with salty paw prints all over it. When you take it back out the steel parts will be all rusty.


Storage:
STEROIDS PREFER TO BE LEFT PUMPED UP. 

It is best to leave 4-5 pumps in it at all times. It will keep this way for years. Never try to pump gun if its not cocked unless it already has pressure in it.  You want to store it un-cocked. You can stroke it a few times while holding the bolt PARTIALLY open (hammer is pulled away from the valve). It finds alignment better without the hammer touching the stem. Once you have a few pumps in it you can relax the pressure pulling the bolt back gently and it'll be able to take more air then without being cocked. On later models the sear will catch the striker as soon as the bolt moves the hammer aft. They will take air in that mode also and it is not fully cocked.
As long as this airgun is well maintained it should last for many decades of shooting enjoyment. If something appears to be failing it is best to take action before it causes further damage. In extremely cold climates it is extra important to leave your steroid pumped and kept in a relatively warm place. Plastics tend to expand and contract with hot and cold and the best way to keep the seat is to keep it seated with pressure. If valve seepage occurs you can remove the stock and warm the action at the valve area below a hot water faucet and usually this will promote enough compliance in the plastic to reseal. Once you have got a seal maintain it with pressure. The pressure is what holds the valve shut. Use it to your advantage.


Shooting the gun:

For the best possible shot consistency, and to avoid damaging stress on the gun. It should be cleared after a 14 pump max power shot by cocking it one more time and firing it to dump all the air. The different weights of pellets offer differing amounts of back pressure. This decides whether it passes all the air or not. When you try a new pellets make notes of how much residual air is left when the system is maxed out with each type of pellet. Heavies will not allow as much to release and result in higher energy figures. There should be no residual air below 12 Pumps regardless of pellet type.  First be very deliberate and consistent with your pump strokes. If it is hard to pump at the low number of pumps the gun is starving for lube and shouldn't be used further as damage can occur. Try not to twist the lever while pumping. The closer your hands are together at the end of the stroke the more leverage you have. It is a bad idea to hold the gun at the pistol grip while pumping it. This can loosen the action fastening arrangement and stress the stocks fastening set-up more than the valve it screws into can tolerate.

 

Enjoy your rifle:

If you have any problems, contact Mac-1 and we will do our best to see to your needs. Do NOT attempt to dismantle and repair the gun, or have others repair it without considering this is a custom gun with special components. Your warranty can, and usually will be voided by unauthorized repairs. We stand behind our work like nobody else so it makes no sense to put the gun in any ones hands besides ours when there is an issue. If you have a problem pack it good with butt stock removed and send it for service.

Steroid Airgun Specifics

My conversions make for a gun that lasts a long time and has higher performance per pump than the factory item. 6 pumps will get you the same power as a factory gun @ 8. The Billet Steroid Conversion runs $175 to the current series gun which need front plug, lever link and lever as well as the rest of the Steroid Internals. Some versions do not require as many parts so they are less to convert. We use solid parts not sheet metal and no-corrode stainless on our adjustable piston. Links, Rivets, levers, pistons, pins, PTFE Inlet and Delrin Outlet are all Mac1 items.
The Extended billet option makes the gun easier to pump. That is practical if you or others using gun are over 5'10". Extended is made for tall people who will feel more comfortable with a longer lever fitted. Scope groove option-Scope grooves on the breech of the rifle-change the bolt handle for a twist knob.
5DSH Williams Peep sight is an upgraded rear sight. Models after 1985 are already predrilled for peep.
Retro Tootsie Option includes the extended lever option. That is a way to make the modern made guns look like the 60's vintage guns where they had small round pump handles that looked like tootsie roll candy. We slim the butt stock and normally fit the Williams peep. WE call it RTXW or Retro Tootsie Extended Williams. If you have a wide face or pronounced cheek bone you will have difficulty getting low enough for the sights on this gun. Retro tootsie slims the stock up so it is no longer hard to get aligned with the sights. The RTXW was on the back burner for years and finally got the project going. I first showed the prototype to the purists a few years ago and they went nuts. Everyone that points it loves the feel, the lightness(5.25lbs) and the faithful styling from yesteryear. It’s a great little carry gun that packs the punch of a Steroid but looks like the old 312 Benjy your dad had.
This is not your Dads Benjy. It Rocks.

On Vintage 1989 and Before Sheridan guns needed Only a Steroid conversion and the Steel Front Plug (to insure Future Pins are held well when the Pump cup gets renewed). The Steel Plug we make does not fit 342's as the Pin pattern doesn't match the Dans till 1989 on the first 392. 342's that are Steroid tuned usually need a Billet as the Benjy Lever was no match to the Dan of that era. Dans can be fitted with Billet levers but they don’t NEED it like the Benjy of the same era normally will. They shared Pistons and valves already but they were using different pump levers till 1989. They were using Dan links and rivets already but not the lever arms and front plugs. Billet levers and Extended Billet Levers are available for pre '89 Dan guns but are not a structural requirement.

Peep sight install is available on guns that do not have predrilled holes for Peep. All Pre 85 Dans & Benjy will not have predrilled holes. The Pre ‘85 model 342 does not have a High enough front sight to use the Williams Peep. Racine made 342’s that have a front sight that is high enough to use the Williams peep sight and will already be factory Drilled & Tapped for the 5DSH.
Benjamin 342's made in St Louis after 1977 can be Steroid Tuned and Retro Tootsie converted. The Extended Billet lever is ideal for the 342 as it is a high pressure valve and not that easy to pump. The shorter butt stock makes extended billet use more practical for shorter users of the 342.
If you are sending your gun in to be modified remove butt stock and send us action only unless the Gun is getting Extended or Retro conversions.

There are so many versions of Benjamins and Sheridans it is difficult to determine what the exact cost will be to rework them but the older they are the less they need and the better they were manufactured. To me the key is down to the accuracy of the individual rifle. It is not worth making an inaccurate rifle last forever if the joy in shooting it is not there due to poor accuracy. Please make sure you have checked the accuracy of guns you send so we are making the good ones last.