UPDATE: Figured it out! Langley Target freespool not working?

[Terry Battisti]

Looking at my own pics, I figured the thing out. The shim inside the headplate is supposed to move. LOL. Using a little muscle and trying to stay aligned with the gear shaft, I was able to loosen the shim so it slides. I don't think the reel has been operated in some years and it must have forgotten how to move. Kind of like my legs sometimes.

Hi Folks,

Well, I bought a Target off eBay the other day. It was delivered today and upon unboxing it, I checked it out. All looked good until I went to pull the handle out to put it in freespool and the handle wouldn't budge. I figured that maybe the grease in the gear box had turned to cement or there was a spring mechanism that was either broken or detached. So I tore it down to check it out.

Upon opening it up, there was minimal grease in the gearbox and no spring. I looked at the clearance between the top of the gear as it sits on the bridge and there is no space between the gear and the bushing that surrounds the gear post. In other words, there is no way for the main gear to be disengaged from the pinion. Were some Targets made to not freespool or has someone taken parts from another model, say a Streamlite or Lurecast, and replaced them in this reel? I'm a bit disappointed to say the least.

Thanks for any help. I attached images.

Terry

[colby sorrells]

Terry,
I can provide a copy of the schematic for the Langleys and I have some extra parts. Let me know if you need either. Some of the schematics are in the old Reel News which are accessable on-line to ORCA members. As to finding a Langley book they have been sold out for several years now. No plans to re-publish at this time. The secondary market is your best bet on finding a copy. Good luck.

Keepin' It Fun!

Colby

[Terry Battisti]

Terry,
I can provide a copy of the schematic for the Langleys and I have some extra parts. Let me know if you need either. Some of the schematics are in the old Reel News which are accessible on-line to ORCA members. As to finding a Langley book they have been sold out for several years now. No plans to re-publish at this time. The secondary market is your best bet on finding a copy. Good luck.

Keepin' It Fun!

Colby

Colby, thank you for the response! I've heard a lot about you and your book. I have a saved search on eBay right now for it. I hope one comes up. As for parts and schematics, I'd love to get a copy of the schematics from you. I've looked in the library and what's in there isn't much different than what comes in the boxes with the reels. The 310, 330, 350, and 380 don't really need much of an explanation. They're really simple reels. The Target is simple too but I'm not sure about how much pressure is supposed to be exerted to both put in in freespool and then put it back in gear. This reel I have it requires some elbow grease to take it out and put back in gear. I'm afraid I'm going to ruin the main gear or the pinion. If you have any pointers on that it'd be appreciated.

Thank you sir for the reply!

Terry

[colby sorrells]

Terry,
I am not a reel repair guy (at least when compared to many on this website who are excellent) although I have worked on a few. Basically the handle should click out of place and click back in place. Just enough pressure to hold it in place. Very similar to the Shakespeares. If it is too light the handle will not stay in place when retrieving. To my knowledge all Targets were made to free spool. It was designed as a tournament reel. These reels were not meant for fishing purposes but for tournament casting. Bill Burke always warned about using these free spool reels for fishing and I think Mr. Sonnett has spoken about this also.

I'll get you a copy of the schematics although if I remember correctly, they are the same as those published in the Reel News.

Keepin' It Fun!

Colby

[Terry Battisti]

Basically the handle should click out of place and click back in place. Just enough pressure to hold it in place. Very similar to the Shakespeares. If it is too light the handle will not stay in place when retrieving. To my knowledge all Targets were made to free spool. It was designed as a tournament reel. These reels were not meant for fishing purposes but for tournament casting. Bill Burke always warned about using these free spool reels for fishing and I think Mr. Sonnett has spoken about this also.

I'll get you a copy of the schematics although if I remember correctly, they are the same as those published in the Reel News.

Keepin' It Fun!

Colby

Thanks Colby. Let me see if I can locate them in the Library, if they are the same. You don't need to waste your time.

Yeah, this reel takes some elbow grease for it to go in and out of freespool. I'll probably take it completely apart tonight and lube the freespool shim, or whatever it's called, and see if that frees it up some. I bought the reel because I'm now on a quest to have them all.

Thank you again.

Terry

[Bill Sonnett]

Though fun to cast this reel is not a good choice when it comes to fishing. I always fumble a bit to get it back into gear and dealing with an immediate impulse strike from a bass when the bait strikes the water is a recipe for trouble.

[Terry Battisti]

Though fun to cast this reel is not a good choice when it comes to fishing. I always fumble a bit to get it back into gear and dealing with an immediate impulse strike from a bass when the bait strikes the water is a recipe for trouble.

Well Bill, after having this reel for a week or so, I have to agree with you. This reel is not for fishing with. It lakes some time to get it back in gear. But boy does it cast! Casting with it in gear is like casting the Lurecast without the levelwind. In freespool holy mackerel, it is smooth. So smooth it can get away from you if you're not paying attention.

This reel came with a 3/4" cork arbor so I put some 10lb spectra braid on it. With the 4lb diameter, it's like casting thread. Pretty fun little reel.

[Ron Mc]

Excellent point about the limitations fishing this reel, Bill.
In the current market, it's highly collectible, and tough to get one past Japan buyers.

Not to be facetious, but casting the diameter of 4-lb mono (same as 4-lb silk) is casting thread, and was called threadline 90 years ago.
That's the diameter of #1 silk thread.


A friend on FFR recently took his Shakespeare Tournament freespool 1740 through casting trials, and on to big bass.
https://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/ ... 17#p426082
He found the limper and smaller diameter the (thread)line, the more reliable his cast.

With the new generation of Japan X-braid, I've gone there 100% from stream to surf.
Every reel I fish has a shallow braid spool, and I'll never live with mono again (except for fluoro leader).
Regards

[kyreels]

Ron, that is a good spool, wouldn't use that. You can still get Shakespeare Wexford off eBay most of the time, good line for that reel. I don't like many of the new synthetics for accuracy casting. They are generally too thin as you know.

[Ron Mc]

Matt, way ahead of you - I emptied that spool more than a decade ago (pink spot silk).
The reel fishes 1/8 oz on a Montague Flash casting rod.
I put a standing perfection loop in the 4-lb silk, and loop-on mono leader.



When you get to the Japan X-braids, they're a lot more like silk - they're all made by Izanas, with 80% of their strength in a drawn center strand, generally finer fibers, and the whole thing fused when FEP (teflon) coating is applied.
You fish higher breaking strength (by diameter) and your leader is your low test.
The easy US source is Varivas, with a US website and Amazon store.

[kyreels]

Well, I kind of knew you had a secret solution. Good sources.

[Ron Mc]

While my friend has successfully used threadline PE on his shallow-arbor Shakespeare 1740, I haven't had to go there on an antique reel. Sufix 832 is a good choice in a moderate coated PE braid - round, soft and limp - everything you want.

I bought vintage silk, dacron, nylon braid and linen cuttyhunk back when it was fairly abundant and cheap on ebay.
Sttill have some connected-spool Schindler Wellington in backing sizes.

When new-stock old lines became scarce, I hunted modern sources like Gudebrod and Woodstock - and have that so filled I'm not up to current speed on who makes dacron braid since Gudebrod went out of business - I still have spooled/packaged Meatmaster I bought on closeout.

My Talbot has 10-lb silk working line backed with heavier dacron - I show the line winder in my post above, because silk braid lasts forever if you dry it on a winder.
[
I've gone totally to X-braid on my modern reels - custom 4500CT for shore/surf micro-jigging on the right -
- that one will cast 3 g beyond 150' - the 25-lb PE#1 X-braid is the same diameter as the 4-lb silk I have on my Shakespeare 1740.