My question is where do you plan on stocking the shotgun-pump-grip?
The Maverick is sitting right where that's gone in most other mods.

I'm not sure that the draw-lengths are anywhere near close enough, but it would be cool if the same "pump" would cock both guns.

Good luck!

(Also: Props on the TF paint scheme idea.)

I didn't use a specific spring (BBB, NF, etc.), as I don't have a ready supply of any of those. Instead, I just pick up an bunch of springs from the hardware store, and use the strongest one that will fit.

I believe this one is rated around 165 N/m. I've used a similar spring before in a LS spring addition, and achieved typical results, if that gives you an idea of how strong this spring is.

Just another thought, despite the original idea being dead:

What about cutting a Longshot down to pistol size?
Would that not essentially capture what you were trying to do, with slightly less work because you've got all the clip-feeding parts in place?

(I wouldn't attempt it... but it's an idea!)

Precisionnerfer-

I think this is finally starting to make sense to me, that they would balance it all out that way between the rifle-type weapon and the pistol-type weapon. It explains why barrel extensions work, as well as the slightly more intuitive spring replacements.

Thanks for explaining this.
(Someone should sticky your post.)

First off, I'm not sure some of the assumptions being put forth here are true.
A "more compressed" spring is not better than a "partially compressed" spring if it's the same spring. You're going to get about three inches of displacement for any spring, just because that's how long the "ARMED" thing is.

Hooke's law tells us that Force = SpringConstant * Displacement.

As I said before, we know Displacement is always three inches. So if you take the original setup, with that super-long spring that extends to the rear, and assign the spring a constant of K, then your force is 3K.

I believe it was suggested to use a shorter spring that fully compresses. However, this is still only going to have three inches of compression, so unless its spring constant is greater than K, it will have the EXACT same effect. Seeing as how the OP was using the AR-15 spring, I doubt anyone was suggesting sticking anything much stronger in there.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that "compression" yields a linear increase in force. Compressing it the first inch gets just as big of a jump in force as the last inch does.

So the original setup really can't be improved on much.
That said, I did the same mod a little differently.


The first thing I did was fashion the above items. First, crack open that middle piece of the stock. Find a wooden shim and cut/file it down in the appropriate way such that it creates a "base" perpendicular to the direction of the compression of the spring. Glue the spring to it. In order to ensure the spring didn't mess up the plastic of the ARMED piece, I glued a washer to the other end of the spring.

The second piece is created by getting your pipe cut to a length such that it is flush with the black square end of the gun, AND the middle piece of the stock when the gun is connected to the stock. Finally, bore a hole (I used a dremel tool) in the middle stock piece with the same inner diameter as the tube. I used a sparing amount of hot glue to affix the tube to one half of the stock piece.

Connected, they appear as so:


Another angle, you can see the washer here:


Fully assembled:


Attached to the gun:


I'm sure the spring I used wasn't quite as strong as the AR-15 spring. In fact, I had to the clip it a little, because even fully compressed it was physically too large, and this made the cocking of the Recon impossible. However, even though I shortened it, I've seen noticeable range increases, and the gun can still be cocked almost as quickly as it could before.

I would be wary of sticking anything much stronger in there, as the mechanism that holds the stock on is what takes the entirety of the strain of the spring (at least it does the way I crafted it). I worry that anything much stronger will just snap the stock off, perhaps in an irreparable way.

Thoughts?

I think I have the easiest way so far. While I was breaking some glue I found that if yoiu put I a couple inches above high heat on your stove it should loosen within a couple seconds. And to put it back just slide it on and put it back over the fire.

You just put the plunger over the range burner and pulled, and it came apart just like that?

If other people can get it to work too, I think you're right.
That really is the best way.

People who've yet to do this, I really encourage trying it out. The alternatives are much more time consuming, and if you only leave it over the open flame for a few seconds, you don't stand to do much damage to the piece itself. (I'll be using this method on my next Recon for sure...)

If we're allowed to discuss a few mods, I think it would be best not just to show the insanely (awesome, albeit) difficult mods, but the simple ones as well.

Someone mentioned FA's LS mod. That's a great one to show how far this can go... but maybe preface that with TIG's original mod to simply remove the AR and replace the spring.

This gives a really great angle in terms of the spectrum of work done on this site. Start with the simple, basic stuff, and work up from there until we get something truly spectacular. It would go a long way in bringing new people to the activity and the 'Haven.

On that note: People that are worried about an influx of new members need to get over it. This is a public site that virtually anyone can post on. It is not some secret refuge from the idiots of the web, because like it or not, they're already here. If such an influx occurred, it would be prudent to handle it the same way new members are treated by the mature members already: kindly explain to them how things are done here, pointing out mistakes and encouraging the type of behavior we like to see.

Simple as that.

More people nerfing can never be bad.

EDIT: I also like to write, and have a good chunk of experience, being at University and whatnot, though I've only been involved with the Nerf community for a few months. If you need extra eyes on this article, do let me know. (Though it should probably be submitted to the community as a whole so everyone has a fair chance at input before it's submitted)

EDIT: Does anyone know why the barrel extension makes for such worse ranges?

This is a really good question. The stock answer I've heard around is, "it acts as an air restrictor."
But why?! It has something to do less with the length, and more with the diameter. The extension doesn't 'hug' the darts to the optimum degree; as in it's not tight enough.

I figure this must essentially boil down to an issue of the dart bouncing around inside the barrel extension. The energy that is lost through the small transfer of momentum must be greater than the small amount lost from the frictional force of pushing the same dart at the same speed through a tighter barrel.

At least that's my best guess.

Anyone who knows more about this, please correct me if I'm wrong. Actually, especially if I'm wrong. I'd really love to know why this is true as well. Right now I can only guess.

MrDelish-

Could you take a few pictures?
I don't think there are any up of the internals of that tube section;
Those details could be useful for finding other ways to get the damn thing open!

Thanks!

I guess i need a new LS now... Thanks anyways, guys.

Somehow, I doubt that's true.
Unless you heard any real distinct snaps or splintering noises, or lost some parts, it's probably not a lost cause. With some close-up pictures of what you're trying to do, we could probably be of more help to you...

And at least it's cheaper than another 30$, right?

Don't give up! The Longshot is very fickle becuase of all that's going on inside there at once, and getting it back together can be a real pain. Start by taking out as much as you can out, and adding components back in one-by-one. That should at least help you isolate the problem.

Good luck!!

I picked this up when I bought the Recon.
In my opinion, it's not half bad. I bought it to get the rail attachment so I could modularly mount a maglite onto my Longshot, but I'm finding it hard to completely get rid of the little green light. For Nerf, it's pretty bright, especially when compared side-by-side to the piss-poor tactical light that comes with the Recon. In full darkness, it does a decent job of illuminating a room, which is saying something.

Not the best, which is why I'll end up opting for the maglite, but I was pleasantly surprised.

P.S.: They're in Kansas City, MO as well.

I looked into a similar idea and recently completed it.

Also: I'm incredibly envious of you, as I had a really hard time opening the scope.

Your take on this from the astronomy page is really interesting. I did a quick search for these types of things... it seems you just point a red LED in at the correct angle, and it works. The following site is a list of similar things; your idea included.

This one actually has instructions to build it.

You still have to get past the fact that the scope is virtually useless, however... even if you can see it at night.
And if it's so dark that you can't see the crosshairs, how do you expect to spot your target?

A similar conversation has recently occurred elsewhere...

It was about the Six Tek.
I suspect this might be one of those "private label" affairs referred to in that thread.

And bobafan:
You're being a little too skeptical, I think. For one, when you say "people in china", don't delude yourself that this is some foreign company ignorant of American copyright law; the vast majority of the cases you're referring to are American-based companies manufacturing lookalikes which just happen to ship from China, where labor is cheaper (all the brand name stuff comes from there too, so Hasbro is no exception).

Also, I think you could be damn sure that if Nerf or BuzzBee was imitated in a fashion such as this, where the toy is virtually identical, down to the mold, there would be lawsuits. Can you imagine the fallout if there was suddenly some no-name-brand FOAM SHOOTER "Over Three Feet Long!" that took its munitions from a clip and had a really crap-tacular Front Gun that detached?

Somehow, I don't think that would just fly.
Imitation to an extent such as this seldom goes unprosecuted... because like you said, everyone just wants their cut of the business.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to give this one a shot. I really like the idea.

I'm going to use a much smaller spring, and brace it against the inside of that middle chunk of the stock (with the clip to hold the magazine) to see if that changes anything. I'll post pictures in this thread when that happens.

Did you brace the tubing with anything? Like gluing it to the gun or the stock or wraping it in duct tape?
I would worry that it'd have a tenancy to fly off if it's not secured somehow.

A small update on this procedure:

I gave this mod a shot today, just in trying to get my RC up to snuff. Taking it apart went well enough, until I got down the to actual business of getting the AR out. I wanted to try and more subtle approach than just smashing it out from behind; I wanted to get the pieces separated, and just have the AR slide right out.

First, I just tried getting it wet. It was a hope-against-hope that the glue would be water-soluble, but if it was that would've made life a lot easier. It's not.

Next, I tried zippo lighter fluid, which seemed to have no effect either.

Finally, I broke out the acetone nail-polish-remove, courtesy of my sister. This ate away at the scheen on the plastic... but did little else. I could not give those two pieces of the plunger tube to part ways for the life of me. I even dremel down the little side-slips to be sure it was only the glue holding it in place, and still nothing.

So I ended up using my not-so-ideal selection of screwdrivers to bust this thing out. Nearly broke poked a giant hole in the side of the plunger in the process... all in all, rather stressful. I really wish there was a better way to do this, but I just don't see one.

In any case, this method is solid, if a little brute-force, and gets the job done.

NOTE: With everything above, I just applied it to the surface; I did not soak the part in anything. If you've got any advice on the potential of this secondary method of access to the AR, please post that in this thread. Thanks!

You might also give e-tape a try.
A thin strip around the plastic dome of the streamline, such that it covers the little hole, goes a long way. I've had some great results with this after someone recommended it to me in another thread.

More power to you!

Let me know about the forces you managed to generate in your test runs.

Also: Do you have any clue what type of resistance we're looking at? Reducing that in any way possible could go a long way in getting your current up, given that your voltage will be fixed at 9V.

It's certainly a thought... I had mine open today working on getting the AR out (which was a bit of a fiasco...) and I was looking around in there. There's a lot less room than you'd think just by looking at it.

I wanted to install a spring that would prime the barrel automatically. As in to get the run ready, stock, you pull the slide back, and push it forward. I wanted to put a spring in such that when you pull the slide back, the spring does the second half, pulling it forward and shoving the dart in place for you. (This is currently a work in progress).

But yeah. We have the same problem: Not much room in there at all.
How big are these extension springs you're talking about?

What I get (just running through it quickly, so I make no promises!) is that if you pull the number of turns (N) out of the square root, and multiply it so it's on the left side, you get N*I = a constant, which I calculated to be around 167,000.

Which... yeah, is a lot.

This means that if you have 3-4 amps, which is a lot, and rather dangerous, you still would need almost 42,000 turns of wire. So yeah, these numbers are ridiculous. Forcing relatively weak electromagnetic principals to act on the macroscopic world is a difficult task, so this should come as no surprise.

Your issue of current is also linked to one of voltage, which then begs the question of power.
What, in an ideal world, would you be using to power this?

I think you're better off going with low-current-zillion-turns than high-current-few-turns, but that's just me not wanting you to die of cardiac arrest.

That's it!
If it's in Hutch, it's in KCMO.
I will find it.

Tomorrow, we ride!

Karma:
Point taken. Right now though, my Nerf-needs are not monumental. I got to college at Truman State, in Kirksville, MO, where we're having our second-ever game of Humans vs. Zombies. Of the people that play that game, not a whole lot of them mod (you can tell by the number of brand new mavericks everywhere...).

So I think with a little work, the Recon should serve my purpose for a close-range weapon with a good rate of fire. Plus, I'm totally sold on the clip-fed system, but not yet bitchin' enough to make my own stefans. So streamlines it is. Presently I'm working on getting the most out of them with e-tape and weights.

At the very least, even if the gun is a complete waste, I know there's a rail attachment I can cannibalize for a flashlight mod I want to do on my Longshot, and an extra clip for that as well.

My sister's friend told her that if you shake small pebbles in a 2L coke bottle, they will get really irritated or faint. She (my sister's friend) tried it, and her dog stopped moving. Her dog started moving after a minute or so, but she fainted.

That's really, exceedingly random.

I have two things to add. The first is a pet story. My cat once slept through me test-firing two consecutive clips of my Longshot into the room where he was sleeping (I was aiming for the opposite side of the room, and didn't know he was in there!). He didn't even flinch. I open the fridge for something, and he is instantly at my heels, expecting a snack.

</pet-story>

The second is something that will hopefully get us back on topic.
I love the look of the front gun too, but I find it increasingly hard to justify its presence. The additional barrel length has air-restrictor properties, and seemingly adds no additional accuracy. Has anyone found any practical use for a still-detachable (non-integrated) LS Front Gun?

Also:
Caliber is a measure of essentially the gauge, how "thick" a round is, right? Or the barrel? I can't remember.

Why would the same word be used to measure stability, which is what the program was estimating?
(Though a quick search of the web turned up no other uses of that word as something which measures stability, I'm willing to give you, TAiLsChaser, the benefit of the doubt.)

I did add an extra spring, so I will play around with adding small weights to my darts, and see if that helps at all.

Could someone please point me to a write up on replacing/updgrading the o-ring? Preferably with images. I did a search for 'o ring', but most of the results pointed to NF mods, not Longshot ones. Angel's being the exception, but it wasn't the focus of his write up, so it was scant on details.

I also understand that a new breech is the next step... but frankly I'm intimidated at the moment by the investment of time, energy, and funds that would require, so I'm content to keep it the way it is. Besides, having my hand cramp up daily from unscrewing and rescrewing the 25+ screws in the Longshot multiple times for whatever reason is something I'm not terribly eager to experience again. (Honestly, I'm much more eager to get my hands on a Recon, but that's proving difficult).

It's been a week.
Did you sell it, or do we get to see it out of the box?

How many other people have spotted this thing in stores, and where?

(I'm anxious to finally have a relatively cheap source of rail attachments now; I think I may make a tactical hood ornament for my Longshot...)

How did you finally crack it open?

I don't see one of your hands missing from industrial solvent....just kidding...sorta not...

I ended up using a flathead screw driver on the larger, front ring. The whole point was getting leverage on it. If you look at the first picture, the half in the foreground, you can see a small, blue, pill-shaped piece located within the yellow "top". This meets virtually flush with the cap, when the cap is present. I just got the biggest screwdriver I had, shoved it in between those, and alternated trying to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise.

Eventually it gave.

I ended up making two dremel lines on the smaller ring, and using a tiny screwdriver to pry the cap from the plastic, with those lines as access points. I've heard people having success using lighter fluid to do things like this, so if I ever get the chance to try again, I'm going to give that a shot.

Getting it open was really a lot more trouble that it needed to be... I just wish they hadn't glued the damn things on.

Matt31-

I just tried your third option, covering the hole with e-tape. It worked like a charm!
I've also read that streamline's performance can be enhanced by adding small weights. Do you think, or know, if adding weights with the e-tape would result in additional range/accuracy?

Thanks so much for this tip.

I'd had my Longshot for a number of months in the fall semester, and though I'm still greatly impressed with the mechanical complexity the gun possesses, I've got to echo what countless others have said before me.

"It sucks out of the box."

So I decided to modify it over the holiday break. I cracked mine open and began the process of dremeling out the back of the plunger tube to get the Air Restrictor, as well as trying to find a spring that would fit [my initial choice was doubling up two weaker springs, but even fully compressed, they were too large and it was nearly impossible to cock the gun. I finally settled on a stronger but smaller spring, which I've rated as 165 N/m; 9.24 lbs/in.]

Anyways, that's all pretty standard. Why I'm posting this is on account of the cosmetic work I did while I was in there. I wanted a laser sight for Longshot. While trying to decide where to place it, I was put off by the look of simply gluing it on (though that would've been easier than what I did).

I wanted to house the laser in the scope mold, because I still think, useless as it is, the scope looks cool perched atop the Longshot. So I set out to get it open... which was no small feat [See my trials and tribulations with that here].

Suffice to say, I cracked it open.



Now, here comes the point where things get interesting. The laser pointer I had (and which most people would have for this) is a bullet-style push-button laser. That is, it's a small cylinder with a button you must hold down to activate the laser. What I wanted for this mod is to be able to control the laser from a single switch mounted on the gun, and to remove the scope if I felt like it.

Lets deal with the button issue first. If the laser is inside the scope housing, I don't have access to the button, and even if I did, I don't want to have to hold it down the entire time. What needs to be installed is an external switch for the laser pointer. This is a separate task in and of itself, and I found a really useful tutorial about it that really helped..

At this point, I had it so that I had two wires coming out of my laser, and the device would activate when I connected them; that much is explained in the above tutorial. Next, I affixed this to the rail attachment of the scope. It used a combination of duct tape and rubber bands. The only reason I didn't glue it on was I thought that might make it hard to replace the batteries when they die eventually.

So, I got it attached to the rail.


Since I wanted it to be modular, that is, to be able to remove the scope, I needed a quick and simple way to connect the wires to whatever switch I eventually installed in the gun. At first, I found some "quick connect" terminals... but they were really cumbersome and almost impossible to wire up for this end.

(DO NOT USE THESE)

A much, much better idea I had later was to use spare terminal plugs for 9V batteries. (These come from RadioShack in packs of 5)


If you use pliers to loosen the crown end of the connector just a little bit, these connect easily and securely very quickly; exactly what I needed! So I wired that to the end of the wires coming from the laser pointer. (You can actually see this in the above pictures, as I took them following this step)

I drilled a small hole in the front of the scope, fed the 9V connector out of it, and sealed up the scope. NOTE: You need to leave out the front plastic 'lens'. I tried several configurations, but in each one, there was just too much refraction of the light on that plastic slice, so I nixed it.




With the scope done, the remaining task became to install the switch in the gun. I just got the switch from a hardware store for a buck-or-two; I wanted something small and subtle, but you could really use whatever you wanted. Then I picked the placement for both the switch, and the 9V terminal that would be mounted externally. I drilled one hole for the terminal wires to get into the gun, and dremmeled a square opening for the switch. (This was actually a little messy, as the rotary tool is probably not the best for this type of job. I covered my poor handiwork with e-tape)

The switched was mounted internally with hot glue, and the same was used to affix the terminal externally. Solder the terminal leads to the switch, and you're in business:



Put it all back together, and that should be it.



"But the dart doesn't hit where the laser point shines!!! Rip off! You suck! *general flame ensues*"
I will caveat this by saying I've yet to successfully calibrate it. It could be possible, but the stock darts vary a lot in how far/what direction they tend towards, and so a 'red dot' sight, as this is technically called, is somewhat impractical.

I did this because it looks cool.
If anyone is able to properly calibrate it, please let me know how you managed that!

The one thing I will say for this is that it's modular. Eventually, I'd like to cannibalize the "night time green light rail attachment" accessory simply for it's rail, and affix a high-powered flashlight onto it, and then fit it with a 9V terminal so that it can utilize the same switch. That's my favorite part anyways.

I'd appreciate thoughts, feedback, and suggestions.
Thanks!

[I'd also like to acknowledge Carrtoon for his original AR removal write-up, and to hornet, telekinetic, and Lynx for their suggestions on getting that damned scope opened up.]

My local Target has yet to restock in the wake of "day after Christmas" sales.

I called to ask if they had the Recon.
The man replied on the phone, "No sir, we all out of the Nerf."

Upon checking personally the next day, the man was correct.
The place looked like it had been robbed.

They were all out of the Nerf.

Excitement! This gives me hope that a quest to local shopping centers would not be entirely in vain.
Just out of curiosity (I live in Kansas City, MO), has anyone sighted a Recon in the Midwest?

EDIT: Also, can we reflect on the above picture, and how AWESOME the Magstirke kid looks?

My advice is that when you go, take the plunger assembly and the stock spring from your gun. This way, you can see exactly how the old spring functioned, and physically see how a new one would potentially fit.

I did the same thing you're trying to; I didn't go in looking for a specific spring, I just found ones of similar shapes and sizes to the stock, but that were harder to compress just using my hands. If you can't find one spring to do the job, just get two smaller ones of the same size. (That worked at least in the case of my Longshot, I don't know what you're trying to mod)

The springs will probably be located in the aisle with really general hardware materials. EG: Washers, bolts, hexnuts, etc. They usually are stored in a giant set of drawers, with each drawer having a picture of what's inside on it. If you still can't find them, ask the clerk where to find an "Extension Spring". These are stored in the exact same place as "regular springs", but have a more specific name.

Hope this helps.

You are a dumbass.
Lightly sand means to sand it down a little with sand paper.

That was a little unnecessary; however, he's right.
I believe that's what they mean by "lightly sanding".

Yeah! That's really helpful. I'm not surprised that someone already had the bright idea to take that data, I just wish that more users would follow jhd's lead and take the time to rate their spring replacements.

I don't really expect people to, I can just see situations in which it could be useful information (like the idea suggested by the OP). Blastron, I hope the method I outlined above, and the suggestions of the others is enough to get you the information you need to start this mod.

Let me know if you've got any more questions specifically on the math/physics aspect of this idea.

This thread got me thinking...
[I should caveat this with the statement that I'm currently a 2nd year Physics Major, and so "one of those newton-science lab-force measurement things" is kindof my life, day-in, day-out]

Since I started reading up on Nerf guns, I've been frustrated by the lack of uniformity in how spring strengths are communicated. BBB, NF, LS, and so on refer simply to the stock springs that come in their guns. I've even read that a NF Spring to one person is an entirely different thing another! Which is a little silly, if you ask me.

The actual task of rating these springs in a scientific fashion is not that difficult at all. Hooke's law states that F=-k*x, which means that the force (f) is equal to the displacement (x) multiplied by a constant (k) which is an intrinsic property of the spring. This is a pretty simple idea, which means the procedure for determining a Nerf gun's spring constant would be quite easy:

1. Get an object of substantial and known mass. (EG: 10 kg weight)
2. Measure the length of the spring. (li = .1 m)
2. Attach it to the spring, and let it hang down directly.
3. Measure the length of the spring now. (lf = .15 m)
4. Do the math. [Force is determined by the constant acceleration of gravity: F=m*a = (10 kg)*(9.81 m/s2) = 98.1 Newtons. Displacement is simply the difference in lenghts: x=(lf - li) = (.05). Finally, divide: F/x = (98.1)/(.05) = 1962 N/m]

So the spring constant of our example spring is around 2,000 N/m.

Maybe this is excessive, I don't know. I just feel like knowing this data to a more exact degree could be helpful in some way; specifically to perform mods like the one blastron is attempting. People could perform these relatively simple motions on any random spring they decide to stick in a gun and knowing the spring constant would probably clarify a lot of things in terms of troubleshooting new mods.

I'd be willing to begin taking data of this type, if anyone were interested.

That aside, I'd like to hear more details on how this EM-Powered gun will function. It's a really cool idea that could open up a lot more possibilities in the future.

I haven't seen for myself the inside of the Recon yet (just the photos), but what I've read about worries me. As far as ARs go, this one seems like it could be a pretty tough job to remove.

8. I used a very long screwdriver and gradually punched the air restrictor out from behind. If you have a long enough drill bit and a steady hand, you could drill it out. Alternatively, you could try dissolving the glue holding the joint where the air restrictor is located using zippo lighter fluid, but I didn't have any on hand, and didn't feel like gluing it back together. Either way, your finished product should look something like this:

When you say "punched it out", what does that mean? I had to dremel a one-inch-in-diameter hole in the back of the plunging mechanism of the Longshot before that gun's AR could be removed. I understand this is different, but how? I suppose I'm just looking for a more specific delineation of the steps it takes to physically remove the AR.

Also, in the process it seems you removed the 'pin' that usually goes inside the hole in the dart. Have you noticed this hurting the rate of fire by increasing jams, or is that component non-essential for the most part?

Thanks, and great job getting this write-up going so quickly!

That's exactly it though.
The scope /looks/ awesome. Or at least I like it anyways. The only mitigating factor is that it's virtually useless. I wanted to give it some utility in safely housing a laser sight and its related electronics from getting shaken up or otherwise damaged in a hectic war-zone situation.

I finally figured out exactly how I /want/ to construct it, and purchased the parts. Now all that remains is the physical construction. I will try to post photographs or at the very least, schematics of the setup I hope to achieve.

Also: I had the same concerns as Galorn; not that it would melt the plastic, but perhaps destroy the stock finish on the scope, which is already looking pretty hacked up after the paces I've put it through.

More to follow.

I managed to wrestle off the top cap (the bigger of the two) after a lot of pushing, pulling, smashing with the screwdriver, etc. At one point I even threw it in the oven for a few minutes in an attempt to loosen the plastic...

But by looking at the now-removed top cap, I can only conclude that these things were glued on.
Which makes the outlook for getting the bottom cap off pretty grim... this stuff doesn't like to give.

I'll probably just try and beat/screw/smash the other end into submission... and when I get tired I'll probably end up dremeling along the two part lines, like telekinetic suggested.

I now know why I don't see the scope get modded that often:
It's a royal pain.

Thanks for the help, in any case.

So you just clamped on to the yellow cap and... pulled?
(I ask to clarify, as that's been my approach to it this far, only just using my hands, and I've been unsuccessful)

I'll give it a shot though.
(Thanks!)

I'm working on a Longshot right now (AR removed; still need to plug the breech hole and add a new spring), and just for the fun of it, I wanted to wire in a laser-pointer as a quasi-sight.

I found a really cool tutorial to give an ordinary laser pointer an external power switch [here], so the electronics part is not what's holding me up. I just wanted to use the rail-clip attachment from the crosshair sight that came with the Longshot.

But I can't seem to get it open. I've removed all the screws, but the yellow caps at the end will NOT come free. I'd like to get them off without completely destroying the scope (I'm thinking of hiding the laser sight in there; not really sure, however). I just would prefer to do as little damage to it as possible.

I've searched around quite a bit, and I can't seem to find anyone who's really wanted to work on the scope and not bust it to pieces.

So my question is: Has anyone successfully gotten the scope open without too much damage? If so, how?!

Thanks so much.
[I've enjoyed reading NerfHaven these past few months, and I'm excited to contribute!]