Do you think the gun will still prime with an aftermarket spring? I know you said it was secure, but cork is not really a "solid" material like PVC if you know what I mean.
Just as another helpful hint, you could try to get an ACE #49 spring from the Ace hardware store. Its a bit smaller than a nitefinder spring, but it would fit nicely in that "Air Gun" shell. It's cheap (1.30), and really beefy for a spring its size. Of course, you would need some kind of reinforcement to accomodate for it, but I'm pretty sure it'll be able to squeese alot more range out of that gun than just a nitefinder spring.