Just realized the difference a CLA makes on a 50 year old camera

I picked up a beat up Canon FTb from a flea market for $30 last month. The shutter sounded rough and the viewfinder was dim. I decided to do a full clean, lube, and adjust on it myself over the weekend. After pulling the prisms and blowing out 50 years of gunk, the viewfinder went from a faded yellow to bright and clear. Has anyone else been surprised by how much better an old camera works after a proper CLA?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_taylor12d ago

I read that a CLA can make even a junker shoot like new again.

charles_baker2811d ago

Ngl that sounds pretty wild. I had a buddy send his old beat up Remington 700 to a gunsmith for a full CLA and it came back grouping under an inch at 100 yards when it was shooting 3 inch patterns before. The trigger alone went from creepy and heavy to a crisp 2.5 pound break that felt completely different. Made me seriously consider sending in my own old hunting rifle that I've been babying for years.

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charles8367d ago

My dad had an old Winchester Model 70 that I always figured was just a lost cause. Shot maybe 2 inches on a good day and I thought that was just how old rifles were. Then I saw a guy at the range with a similar gun that had been worked over and it was stacking rounds. @charles_baker28 you might be right about getting yours looked at. I'm taking mine to a smith next month finally.