Are you using some kind of rechargeable batteries, or regular Cs?

 

Do the batteries seem warm at all after being in there/using them?

 

I'm wondering if there's some kind of a short.

Check out http://nerfhaven.com...ce-appreciated/for some info on making a breech

Oh, another question: any plans to implement your (Cartaya's) rifled barrel in their designs? I haven't had a chance to look into it much my self, but I've heard it mentioned a few times around the web.

I feel like most of the prices of Xplorer's previous blaster were out of the range of what the average US nerfer is willing to spend. While I appreciate the fact that it is a relatively small market compared to, say, Hasbro's market, are they looking to reduce costs a bit to appeal to a larger audience?

 

On a related note: since Singapore nerf does have a lot of milsim (as you stated), will they continue to focus on making blasters with complex shells ? Obviously that is a product that the average nerfer cannot make for themselves. But it may be cheaper (for them and consumers) to make something functionally similar but more barebones. For an example the +bow rev3 requires a good bit less material than a +bow rev2. And even a Caliburn is way cheaper than an Xmando.

 

In short, what is being done/can be done to bring the price of their blasters more in line with their functionality (or vice versa)?

Sorry, what's part#8788K181-CPVC rectangular bar used for?

 

What materials did you use to make the bolt core? Was it just a solid piece of aluminum or delrin?

Good stuff. I was disappointed I couldn't find any Burstwaves when they went on clearance.
 
Adding to the directory.

Edit: To clarify, I meant that no TRU that I'm willing to drive to has them in stock.

He linked a retailiator kit but is asking about it to use in a recon. Keep in mind it should work but there is no guarantee

 

Good catch. Not sure if anyone would have experience putting it on a recon...most people avoid them since the Retaliator came out.

 

Or maybe he's even talking about the Recon Mk2?

 

(sorry if this is backseat moderating but a Retaliator is at stake here).

 

 You're allowed to correct information.

 

What we don't want is people posting the equivalent of a five year old saying "OOOOOOOOOOOOH You're gonna get in troooooooouble!" every time a new user breaks a relatively minor rule. If we don't like it we'll let them know and close the thread if necessary.

 

While we appreciate the fact that they apparently now know the rules, we don't actually need other slightly-less-new users (who probably made the same mistake just a few months prior) to help call attention to a newer user's mistake.

 

Good rule of thumb: If someone would call you a teacher's pet or a tattletale, you're doing it wrong.

I used to play around with 1/2" aluminum tube (I think the ID was around 3/8") for plunger rods. It was sold near the threaded rods in home depot and/or lowes.

 

Also wanted to mention that rather than slotting the plunger rod, you could have something slide over the plunger rod instead. Like how the pump on the +bow rev3 interfaces with the plunger rod: http://www.captainsl...rf/bow3_011.jpg. Your choice which is easier/better for you.

 

Otherwise the design looks great.

 

PS What's a pneumatic tube liner?

The elec springers I'm looking at don't have catches so it wouldn't matter there (stampede n swarmfire) just like the flywheel blasters don't have them.

Pretty sure a stampede does have a catch.

 

(the following is all 2nd hand info)

Stampedes have a breech so they are more likely to jam than any flywheeler. Probably even more so if you try to create a sealed breech.

All electric springers use a gearbox. Any spring upgrades will definitely strain the gears and, if a gear or even the gear box itself are damaged, there are not common replacements

 

The stampede's plunger tube is close to that of a NF if I recall correctly. It's probably not going to ever get the power of, say, a well-modded longshot even if you got a super gearbox and put all sorts of springs in there.

 

The springers probably will give you more consistency/accuracy like others have said, but a relatively simple rapidstrike mod will probably give you similar or better FPS and ROF while being more reliable. Or you could go all out and try something like https://www.reddit.c..._printed_parts/

 

Really it's up to how you want to nerf, and how much work you want to put into the blaster.

 

 

Now if you could motorize something like a +bow...because even with 3 stages of brushless flywheels Eli's blaster was still only hitting 165-180FPS.

I'm particularly surprised how consistent those numbers are...I'd think there would be at least a few where the dart didn't quite "feed" into the barrel/out of the chamber smoothly.

 

Out of curiosity, have you chrono'd one of your +bow rev3s or the durendal?

If I understand your R2 design correctly you are using a spring to compress air via a piston/plunger, and then release it all at once the bolt has closed the breech? That's really cool, interesting, and some food for thought.

 

But I don't think you actually need to do something so precise as all that. You could instead have the bolt slide forward immediately after priming. One way to do this would be to cut a slot in the plunger rod like in the Tornadobow. So you would pull back both the bolt and the plunger, then when you let go the bolt is slid forward by a light return spring.

 

Also if you are worried about the bolt being pushed back by air pressure during firing (like in Boltsniper's FAR) you could have the trigger interface with it just before it releases the catch. When you release the trigger, the bolt will be free to be pulled backwards along with the plunger.

 

Oh, and since the dart isn't going into the bolt you shouldn't need the "half pipe" section of the bolt. You'd be better off with a cylinder or a cone at the front to simply push the dart forward into the barrel. You'll need to use a tighter barrel than 1/2" PVC by the way (you are using micro darts/elites right?)

Assuming you have several magazines (at least 3, each holding 12 or more darts), I would suggest either the Stryfe or the Retaliator...maybe take both and you can see which you prefer.

 

Most people will probably pick the stryfe over a retaliator, especially since you haven't converted the retaliator to pump action.

 

Before you take the stryfe with you, remove the dart sensor (if yours still has it). It's the part with the spring pictured here. You literally just unscrew the blaster, pull it out, and then put the blaster back together.

 

Many HvZ events limit blaster performance so the Big Bad Bow might actually not be allowed.

 

The Doominator might be your best bet if you don't have a lot of magazines.

 

Range isn't too much of a factor since the zombies will be rushing at you. So make sure your blaster is reliable and easy to reload with lots of darts.

 

Other people that have played a lot more HvZ than I can give you more advice, but that should get you started. Good luck!

 

PS: Assuming they allow you to use balled up socks as (thrown) weapons, make sure you take some socks, too.

Hi Bryan.

 

Introductory posts are generally not preferred, but you did ask some questions, too, so I guess it's cool.

 

1. I'm really not sure about Jolt spring replacement, but sometimes a blaster will surprise you with what it can actually handle. According to this threada [k26] won't fit but there is some debate as to whether an Ace 62 will destroy a Jolt.

 

2. I really don't know of anyone who has one of these high end air rifles you're talking about. They would probably need a barrel replacement and, if the "stock" caliber is small, it may not actually have the power to throw a larger projectile as far as you might think.

 

If you could get it to fire a dart, however, it would probably not fly very far, or very straight. Nerf darts (even homemade ones) aren't really made to be shot at 1000+ feet per second.

 

Anyway, welcome and enjoy.

 

PS: The steel nuts were almost certainly too heavy for a rampage, which is why they didn't fly far. Also, you should probably cover any metal on your darts with some sort of padding. You know, for safety's sake.

 

 

 

I feel like I act like a 2009 moderator with no powers...

And if you acted like that in 2009 you wouldn't have the power to post at all right now. The Code of Conduct does explicitly state "No back seat moderating." So knock it off.

He probably used a blast button fro a hornet, as others have said.

 

Following Slug's advice is probably best and easiest.

 

You could also try making your own:

http://nerfhaven.com...e-blast-button/(made to fire a single tank; might be able to trigger two tanks at once)

http://nerfhaven.com...eqfd-imitation/(larger, high flow variant)

http://nerfhaven.com...release-valves/(multiple stages [press a little bit to fire one tank, more to fire the second, etc...or just jam the button all the way down to fire nearly simultaneously])

Looking fantastic, Slug.

 

I really like the window. It not only helps you set up the barrel and check that the blaster is loaded, but it looks awesome.

 

By the way: The front (aluminum) tube that houses the barrel/supports the pump is the same tube used for the+Bow Rev3 plunger tube correct? (and is similar in dimension to 1.25" PVC)

Oh, by the way 1/2inch CPVC (that's copper-size PVC...it's beige) also has an actual outer diameter of 5/8inches. Inner diameter is variable, but usually a little less than 0.5 inches.

This thread has some catch design ideas. It's similar to the catch used in Boltsniper's followup to the FAR, the SCAR-N.

 

Also, if you are set on using a wood dowel for the plunger rod you may want to drill some holes into it to remove some material/lighten it.

 

 

By the way, have you checked out Boltsniper's designs post-FAR? (click "image archive" near the top of the linked pages to see pictures)

http://nerfhaven.com...r-n-rifle-bs-8/ (SCAR-N: improved FAR, pump action)

http://nerfhaven.com...ctical-sidearm/ (NTS: pistol-sized, did not use shells)

I'm not sure what this actually entails, but at $30 for 2 hours it's more expensive than a movie.

 

And they spelled Pittsburgh wrong

Nice work. Looks like a good blaster for beginners. Added to the directory.

You may want to type your writeup in something other than your browser (even notepad), then copy/paste. That's what I've always done.

Having feed issues. I think the best way to resolve them is to make the bolt longer and add a "chamber" that the dart can be pushed into. This chamber will fit the darts really loosely, but will provide a well for it to be pushed into PRIOR to being rammed into the barrel. That way there won't be any opportunity to the foam of the dart to buckle.

I posted some thoughts on a chamber and ram made of brass here a little while back based on some prior experience. Of course other materials that fit closely (or can be made to fit closely if one has access to a lather and such) could be substituted.

Mine was made to be used to feed a three-dart RSCB from a Nerf magazine, but it can be re-configured for something like the Caliburn. The essential parts were a loose-fitting barrel material and a conical-tipped ram. It fed very reliably without the "dart clipping" seen in traditional ("Angel")brass breeches

Wait a minute.

 

Are you using (a piece of) a dart to seal the breech?

 

So simple and so brilliant.

They are obviously the wrong length, but if they are of the same diameter you may be able to adapt the stockade to fit them.

 

I doubt anyone has done any testing on these motors to know if they are "good" for nerf. Are there any markings on the thunder tumbler motors?

Is the ball pusher just spring loaded, or does it advance forward with each trigger pull, or something else?

 

I may rebarrel for Rival ammo, for kicks.

Just picked one of these up for super cheap at a flea market. It has a leak, but I have yet to open the shell to figure out where it's at. Thanks for the tips on where to look.

FYI, Make Test Battle (of Rhino motor fame) are working on 180s so you could wait for those. But since you want the Uzi form factor then you might as well keep it as small as possible and use Rhinos.

 

What do you mean by "Li-on battery upgrade(x3)"? What battery are you planning on using?

this is just me being curious, is there a trickle charger or something like that that keeps them at a stable storage voltage? or is charging them at all something that should be constantly monitored.

They keep their charge pretty well so once you put them at a storage voltage they should stay that way for months if not longer. It's more like you should check it to make sure nothing has gone wrong (like a single cell's voltage drops, or it swells). If something does happen then you know about it and the pack can be safely disposed of before things go horribly wrong.

 

I'm no expert...I just know enough to not kill myself with plastic toys...but http://www.rcgroups....ad.php?t=238984says trickle charging will do nothing and that makes sense to me.

 

Decent LiPo chargers like the IMax B6 can be set to charge or discharge to a certain voltage, and at a certain rate (amps), all while keeping the cells balanced. Plus they'll set off an alarm if something goes wrong while charging. So every once in a while you can hook up your pack and top it off to ~3.85V per cell. No need to cycle LiPos either, unlike NiCd.

Any tips on an efficient motor upgrade for the $8 Stampede?

It doesn't really need one. The stock motor can handle way more than the gears the motor drives can.

Heh heh that was my post you linked and since that post was "dead" I have been looking into rewiring my demolisher for a lipo and hear a lot of this. What does everyone mean by care for them properly besides just common sense? That honestly is the one reason why I haven't rewired yet since I have been worried that you need some crazy discharging method for lipos otherwise it will blow up in your face.

Don't let the voltage drop too low (use a voltage meter or alarm)

Don't over-charge (i.e. raise the voltage too high)

Don't short the battery...always try your blaster with regular batteries and see if they get warm before you ever connect your LiPo. Relatedly, make sure all connections are well-insulated and secure. You don't want a short to happen during play.

Store LiPos in a cool, dry environment at a proper storage voltage. While in storage frequently check the individual cell voltage; they should be the same (aka balanced). Also look for any signs of the pack swelling.

Make sure the pack doesn't get punctured or squeezed in the blaster (or otherwise)

Use a proper charger (balance charger) and again make sure the cell voltages are all the same after charging/discharging.

Never leave a LiPo to charge unattended. Preferably do it away from flammable objects, and put the LiPo in a charging bag (which will prevent the spread of fire).

Go on an R/C site or something and read even more Do's and Don'ts.

 

By most accounts modern LiPos are more stable/safer than older ones but they still require care to prevent injuring yourself and others, or burning down your house.

Maybe these? http://www.ebay.com/itm/231726371857

 

That's a link from February so not sure if these are still Banshees, or if they replaced with another motor.

In theory, 3x IMRs powering MTB RHinos will get the same motor RPM as a 3S LiPo because they will be providing the same (nominal) voltage. As long as you get close to 30,000 RPM, you will get maximum dart velocity (for a single pair of flywheels).

 

If you raise the RPM significantly...say to 40,000+RPM...then the darts will go no faster but you will wear out your darts more quickly because there will actually be more slippage. In other words, there's normally not much use running Rhinos at that high of a voltage. Have you read thisby chance?

 

However, you will see increased rev-up times on IMRs compared to LiPo due to insufficient current Adding voltage may help alleviate this somewhat, but again it will be hard on darts and your motors.

 

I haven't really seen much/anything on worker flywheels for the demolisher. Actually I thought the demolisher's stock flywheels/cage were fairly decent. If you get upgrade motors, you may want to try both the stock and worker flywheels to see which work better.

 

Oh and any sort of barrel mod for flywheels is still really experimental. I thinnk people have used 17/32 or 9/16 brass (can't remember which but 15/32" is way too tight) with the Dr Snikkas cages. It's very short and I guess just helps guide the dart a little bit as it comes through the flywheels.

No, I wouldn't use those batteries with either motor. They probaly do not put out enough current for either the MTB or FK180 motors (especially the 180s). Also they say they are protected cells. So good news is they probably won't blow up. Bad news is they will probably shut down if you try to use them.

 

That kysan motor is metal-brushed (not carbon), so durability may be an issue. The windings should be the same as the FK180SH-3240, but if they use crappy magnets the motor may not be as powerful.

 

FK180SH-3240 are also sold as a replacement for "Blade" helicopters. The part number is EFLH1210 or EFLH1211. See more details here. You can find them in small quantities on ebay and maybe on some R/C hobby sites.

 

Also MTB Rhinos (and Honeybadgers) spin fast enough that they will give all the performance (range/FPS) that FK180s will. They also have sufficient torque to get your flywheels up to speed quickly and maintain that speed during high rates of fire.

 

FK180s do have superior torque, though, and may get your flywheels up to speed even faster. Similarly, they have absolutely no trouble maintaining that speed during high rate of fire.

 

So FK180s are somewhat better but are harder/more expensive to get and require shell modification. Up to you which one you want to go for.

There is definitely a difference, and IMRs are better in every way (aside from cheapness, unfortunately). See a previous post about them here.
 
Try to get at least 18 gauge wire, or 16 gauge (which is thicker) would be even better.
 
Make sure you get stranded wire (i.e. there are a hole bunch of thin copper wires twisted together), not  solid wire (which is hard to bend and easy to break). You can find PVC-insulated wire in Lowes/Home Depot. Silicone-insulated wire is better (the insulation is thinner and more flexible so it fits in blasters better, and is heat-resistant), but more expensive and you'll probably have to order it online.
 
There are $5 motors available from Containmentcrew.com, but I wouldn't run them on Trustfires.
 
If you are going to use trustfires, please don't buy ultra cheap ones from ebay, which are probably knockoffs and are rather likely to explode on you.
 
Edit: Also, I don't know if you already own Trustfires and a charger for them, but Lipo chargers can be as cheap as $13 and a LiPo as cheap as $3.50 (may want 3S instead of 2S, depending on the motor).

Zombona why do you seem so hateful? 

 

In my experience he usually isn't.

 

I blame the internet. Because most of the time...

 

 [...]people are a lot better in person[...]

Thanks for cross-posting. 

 

Do you notice increased accuracy compared to your average flywheel blaster, given the canted flywheels?

 

Do the conveyor cleats seem to push the darts (i.e. catch the back of them), or do they more drag the darts along via friction? If it's friction do you think that the "pusher" would work with a thicker belt with consistent ridges (like so) rather than one with 2 or 3 cleats? I ask because I saw some people concerned that the belt might wear.

 

And this is the kind of attitude that is going to keep us "casuals" away from your NIC wars. There is already a division between NIC and Superstock so you guys can keep to yourself. I'm gonna keep having fun playing in public parks with blasters I don't have to worry about pelting pedestrians with.

I can't know for sure what Spud's intent was, but for me the focus in what you quoted was " I'd probably not feel comfortable using my baster against them" i.e. he would worry about using his blaster when he is likely to be getting rushed frequently by nerfers using blaster with significantly shorter range. Therefore, I see this as more concern than elite-ism. Which is a concern that I think others using say a big blast or homemade springer share.

 

Now his previous sentence is a little elite-ism-ish. But again I think the point is that if there's a lot of people come to play with superstock blasters while he and a few others have only high-velocity blasters...then that's going to swing it the other way to a few rounds of NIC with a bunch of superstock.

 

There's nothing wrong with that setup, any more than there is mostly NIC/some superstock. Each war should have a mix of rounds that are enjoyable to everyone. It's up to the host to give the attendees what they want. Unfortunately that may mean not playing the host's favorite game, but even more unfortunate is if someone has to sit out for a round/multiple rounds because they don't have the required gear (nothing that shoots 100'+, nothing that shoots under 150FPS, only one 12rd mag, etc). How do we make sure that doesn't happen?

 

One may say that this is alleviated by simply playing superstock, because stock/lightly modified blasters currently sold in stores are competitive. But personally I felt intimidated playing superstock with anything less than 6 18rd stick mags and some sort of method for carrying all of those. Just as I imagine other people are intimidated by +bows.

Remember that time when someone posted a list of threads from when people got banned so others could make fun of them, except most of the links weren't even funny, and then I banned them?
 
Yeah, good times. I laughed my ass off.

Let this be a warning to everyone to knock off the toxicity.

 

Edit: FYI, I wasn't actually planning on banning anyone. But in the future if you feel that you are "getting permission" to post something you shoud probably preface your post with "Last night I was chillin' with my boy Langley and he said..." That way we can avoid accidental entrapment.

I have a recon shell in my homemades toolbag that is exclusively for tracing onto wood for handles.  I never understood the love for the maverick handle, the bumps never quite line up with my fingers.

Obviously the issue is with your fingers, Mav grips are pretty much my second favorite bumps to hold.

 

My favorite bumps are much squishier and don't quite fit in my hand as well, but they're really fun to play with.

 

Editting in something useful: http://www.smooth-on.com/media.phphas lots of instructional videos for mold-making and casting

Also reserved for future modification listings.

Reserved for future modification listings.

For the Rapid Stike: I found the Containment Crew site.  Is the 12volt battery the highest? Is there a voltage you recommend ?  BEX: is that motor you recommended from RHINO site

 
You could use either of the motors listedon Containment Crew's website...both are made available by MakeTestBattle. If you use the Rhino motors to replace the flywheel motors, use no more than 11 or 12 Volts (3S LiPo). If you use the Honey Badger motors to replace the flywheel motors, use no more than ~7.4Volts (2S LiPo or 6S NiMH).

Bex is recommending something other than the Rhino motors, and I don't know much about them.
 
Keep in mind that you should never charge a LiPo inside of a blaster/while it's hooked up to anything. LiPos can be dangerous if used/charged improperly. However, the Rapidstrike has that nice big spot where the stock batteries go. It easily fits a LiPo and lets you access it easily for charging. Like Bex said, Hobbyking has good, cheap LiPos plus they sell chargers.
 
And just in case you want to go a less-DIY route Blastertech in Australia sells a pre-soldered motor upgrade loom that also has a connector for LiPos. Or Tacticoolfoam sells a rewiring/switch kit (includes everything the Loom has but the motors, but you have to put it together yourself). Of course, you could also get switches (rated 10Amps or higher) and wire (at least 18 if not 16gauge) yourself.
 
And yes for our purposes at least Trustfires and Ultrafires are pretty much equally not very well suited for nerf blasters, especially those with new/upgraded motors.
 
Nice work on the sword by the way!