My new RWS 54's cocking handle swings out from the stock when tilted on its right side. Anyone know if handle linkage needs adjustment. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thankx.

If it's bent, you'll have to replace it. If not, it can be adjusted.
Rob

Here is how it works.


The cocking lever is attached to the cylinder via a metal rod over which is a black plastic sleeve.
This metal rod is in turn attached to the lever with a pin held in place by a small circlip.
This rod is threaded and can be adjusted for length by unlocking the locknut and turning it to the right length and then locking it in position using the lock nut. This rod's function is to act like a bowed spring which when correctly adjusted for length, bows out slightly away from the gun as the cylinder is pushed forward in the closed position, thus holding it and the cocking lever in place, while providing enough force to squash the breech seal slightly.

Here is how to adjust it.
But before you start, check to make sure that the breech seal has not fallen out or is very badly squashed. If the breech seal is OK, proceed as follows.

Make sure the gun is not cocked.
Remove the circlip and pin holding the rod to the lever.
Now you have the rod with a free end near which end there is a threaded portion with a lock nut.
Undo this lock nut. Now the rod is free to turn and therefore its length can be varied +/- a few mm's.

In your case if the cocking arm was not being held closed after cocking, then the rod linking it to the cylinder, was too short and needs to be screwed OUT from its holder to extend it by a bit.

Turn the rod by one or two turns out from its threaded portion and nip the lock nut. Attach it to the lever and test it for any play.
Keep doing this one turn at a time till you have enough springiness in the rod to hold things snug without movement. Do not overdo it or the lever will not close properly and you will still have inadequate breech sealing when the lever moves upon discharge.

There are two things to watch out for.
1) The bow induced by the compression from the adjustable rod should be such that it bows OUT and AWAY from the compression tube, so that it does not rub against it when the gun is cocked and lever closed.

2)The end of the cocking lever should park itself just clear of the action when in the closed position.The less things there are rubbing against each other when the gun is discharged, the better.
HTH.
D.