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There have been 313 items by Zack the Mack (Search limited from 18-December 96)
#240791 Longshot Carbine With Custom Cosmetics, Total Reinforcement
Posted by Zack the Mack on 08 July 2009 - 11:25 AM in Modifications
I love the Longshot. The solid cocking, the nice 'whump!' as it fires a Streamline, the clip, it's all just fun. However, it's huge and unwieldy. After getting inspired by FenixHarth's carbine mod, I decided to make one. For now, it'll be used for short ranges and indoors. Later, I'll probably add an Angel Breech to convert it to long-range.
TL;DR - I'm cutting down a Longshot. Here are some pictures.
The first step is cutting down the Longshot to make the carbine shell. Diamondback suggested in #nerfchat that I use a band saw. That probably would have been a good idea - I sliced off half of the dart-tooth retaining screw. Oops.
This is an exploded view of the pieces I cut off.
And here's the final product. Bust out a magnifying glass and peep the mangled peg at the bottom.
Then it was time to beat the crap out of the restrictor. O'Bob on #nerfchat suggested I use a pipe cutter, but I decided to stick with the classic drill. Drilling actually wasn't as hard as I'd thought. I just went in through the back of the tank, weakened the three posts with a Dremel, and finished the job with a flathead.
To get rid of the peg, I carefully inserted the flathead into the barrel and CAREFULLY tapped it with a hammer.
Here's all the restrictor crap. The peg mysteriously went missing.
Now the fun part - epoxy! I reinforced every load-bearing piece with plenty of steel-reinforced epoxy putty. The plunger got four brass rods, steel putty, AND epoxy. You can see the empty tube of FastSteel in the upper-left.
TO READ THE REST OF THE MOD, CONTINUE TO POST #9!
EDIT 1: Corrected overly harsh language when referring to another member.
EDIT 2: Added second part of writeup.
EDIT 3: Corrected citing Shorty for carbine mod - actually was FenixHarth.
EDIT 4: Name and description edited to comply with Talio's mod naming rules.
#241221 Longshot Carbine With Custom Cosmetics, Total Reinforcement
Posted by Zack the Mack on 10 July 2009 - 12:43 AM in Modifications
Originally, I wasn't planning on reinforcing the bolt sled joint. However, after hearing so many horror stories about how they snapped on the first shot, I decided to give the sled the TantumBull treatment. I put an extra bend in the wire so the stress won't be concentrated on a corner.
While that was cooking, I made some shell additions to cover up the holes my minimization left all over the place. The first part was the gaping hole at the bottom. This is an important area to cover up because a prong on the dart-tooth protrudes here. I cut a piece off the Longshot's front gun...
...tweaked it to fit more tightly...
...and epoxied it into place. It's not big or sturdy enough to grab, but it neatly covers the hole and protects the dart-tooth.
To cover the massive opening at the front of the blaster, I cut a new front panel out of a Longshot clip. Calm your raging hearts - it was mangled by a friend when he tried to make a double clip.
This left a little hole at the top, so I cut another scrap of clip.
The only hole left was a nice, round one where the N-Strike rail used to be. I needed something nice and round to cover it. As chance would have it, I had half a discarded Nite Finder shell and a hole saw just sitting there in front of me. How convenient. The emblem is actually surprisingly hard to get out - it's got a lot of structural crap on the back.
I carefully split the front pieces and the NiteFinder emblem so I could open the gun as normal. This made me really wish I had a band saw.
A little more epoxy, and the blaster had no open holes that gunk could slip into. I wish I could say the same about your mom.
The epoxy fumes eventually overwhelmed me and I slipped into a hallucinogenic trance. After having a curling match with a very kind walrus, I woke up to discover that I had invented the ZtM Anti-Collapsing Adjustable Buttstock...
...and the ZtM EZ-Remove Single Cocking Handle. If I didn't really invent these, I'm sorry for not giving you credit. I did a search, and as far as I can tell, neither one has been done before. They'll get individual, separate write-ups unless someone has already beat me to the punch.
TO CHECK OUT THE FINISHED PRODUCT, CONTINUE TO POST 13!
Questions:
Q: WTF does Sholef mean? A: 'Gunslinger' in Hebrew. It's named after an IDF concept tank. Say Show-LEFF.
#241222 Longshot Carbine With Custom Cosmetics, Total Reinforcement
Posted by Zack the Mack on 10 July 2009 - 12:46 AM in Modifications
Thanks for the clear walk-through on reinforcing the tender bits. If I could, could you take shots of the three parts from different angles? I'm especially interested in how you braced the (infamous) bolt sled.
You're welcome! Check post #9 for the bolt-sled reinforcement. I might do a dedicated LS reinforcement thread if my mods work and the admins give me the thumbs-up.
EDIT: God dammit, I thought these were threaded posts, didn't mean to double-post. Admin, delete this post plox.
#241228 New Barrel Matirial Found!.
Posted by Zack the Mack on 10 July 2009 - 01:14 AM in Modifications
And might I add, how thirsty must Canadians be to need half-inch straws?
#241229 Pa War
Posted by Zack the Mack on 10 July 2009 - 01:17 AM in Nerf Wars
This will break my Nerf War cherry, guys. Don't shoot all your darts in the first five minutes.
#241230 Nj Apocalypse #8
Posted by Zack the Mack on 10 July 2009 - 01:20 AM in Nerf Wars
#241231 Bcno Iv
Posted by Zack the Mack on 10 July 2009 - 01:22 AM in Nerf Wars
#241629 Longshot Carbine With Custom Cosmetics, Total Reinforcement
Posted by Zack the Mack on 12 July 2009 - 04:58 PM in Modifications
After some perusal of NerfHaven, an hour on #nerfchat, and some intense soul-searching, I figured out what the problems were. First off, I forgot to reinstall the clip-tooth and some other plastic diddly. Second, some of the reinforcements were unnecessary and causing friction, so I replaced them with stock parts. I also replaced the NiteFinder spring with a Big Bad Bow spring to stop the jangling, and put a fatter spring on the plunger retainer. Finally, the part of the dart-tooth retaining screw I hacked off was causing the dart-tooth to jiggle around, so I repaired the area with FastSteel.
I put 'er back together again, prayed, tugged back the handle, and pulled the trigger. The Stefan chambered perfectly and exploded from the barrel, sailed through the air, and tunneled half an inch into some exposed insulation foam. Success!
Here's the view from the front. Peep the plastic panels on the front and bottom.
And the view from the back! Take a look at the NiteFinder emblem on top.
The priming handle needs some serious effort to pull back, and left this pressure blister after only 20 or so test fires. I added some thick grip tape to help, but this blaster can't be used for an entire war without some gloves.
Final ranges are between 50 and 75 feet. Accuracy is pretty bad. Reload time is very short to decent, depending on how beefy your right bicep is. Aesthetics are orgasmic.
Future work will include adding a brass barrel and possibly an Angel Breech and paint job. This blaster will be used as a secondary in outdoor wars, and a primary in indoor wars and close-quarters games.
#241713 Longshot Carbine With Custom Cosmetics, Total Reinforcement
Posted by Zack the Mack on 13 July 2009 - 11:02 AM in Modifications
Thanks a lot, that's a hell of a compliment! Let me deal with the suggestions...With some internal mods, this could be the best longshot since...
Like I said in the first part of the write-up, an Angel Breech is way beyond my abilities and I don't feel the need to pay for someone else to do it. Maybe in the future...
- Angel breech
I couldn't integrate a Secret Strike, let alone an AT2K. The front piece is about a 2" cube, and part of that holds the reinforcements for the dart-tooth screw I hacked off. I already have six shots on tap, so why bother with another gun?
- 2K integration into the LSFG segment
I absolutely need to replace the cocking handle. The two springs are so forceful, I can barely prime the blaster, and the lack of front barrel makes a shotgun handle impossible. I'm drawing up plans for a rear handle, but this project is backburner-ed at this point.
- better system of priming (ice's keyring thing?)
Absolutely, this is just begging for a nice paint job. However, my painting skillz are horrible, and I don't want to risk ruining such a sweet blaster! Maybe in the future.
- paint
I originally customized the stock and put it on, but ended up removing it. I like firing blasters from arm's length, which makes the stock just get in the way. When it's folded up, I can barely even grab the gun.
- put the goddamn stock on, it looks so much better, and if you leave it collapsed with the bottom cut off, it doesn't take up much room
So thanks for the suggestions - in time, you might even get shot by them!
#242064 Nitefinder Gunblade
Posted by Zack the Mack on 15 July 2009 - 01:56 PM in Modifications
Anyways, spiffy mod, especially for Humans vs Zombies.
#242065 Silencing A Crossfire
Posted by Zack the Mack on 15 July 2009 - 02:09 PM in Modifications
Anyways, if you want to get the blaster silent in a hurry, wrapping a pillow around it isn't a bad idea. Stuffing the voids with foam works to a degree, but I've never found it to be worth the trouble.
Your real best bet is adhering a large, soft disk onto the inside end of the plunger chamber, the sealed tube that the plunger slides around in. Most of the noise generated by a spring blaster is caused when the plunger head impacts the end of the chamber, and a soft cushion will prevent the noise. The best material for the disk is sponge rubber, since it holds its shape, but a few layers of neoprene or even dart foam will work. A side bonus is that this can extend your plunger's life. You can find this mod in most advanced X-bow, Doomsayer, NiteFinder, etc threads.
#242067 Plexiglass Recon Shotgun Forgrip
Posted by Zack the Mack on 15 July 2009 - 02:12 PM in Modifications
If you want to make a lot of friends in a hurry, post a write-up and templates for cutting the plexiglas.
#242268 Dart Tag Ctf Stormfire Blaster
Posted by Zack the Mack on 16 July 2009 - 03:58 PM in General Nerf
You might be able to remove the glued-on barrel using pipe cutters, like removing the restrictors from a Longshot.
If you put a hole through the rear cocking portion right behind the white plunger tab, you might be able to band the plunger.
This really does look like the spiritual successor to the NiteFinder. It's got the barrel with a hole under it, the small N-Strike rail, and two dart holders. I wouldn't be surprised to see this sold separately from the set.
It's good to see Nerf evolving the designs a bit. They're making them more mature, better suited for office warfare etc. I wonder if the new styling cues will carry outside the Dart Tag series.
#242350 Blaster Trigger Action Dictionary
Posted by Zack the Mack on 17 July 2009 - 12:14 AM in General Nerf
Single Action - In a single-action blaster, a new dart will not automatically load and the blaster must be primed again before another shot is fired. The user must manually turn a turret, pull a lever, tilt the blaster forward, etc to load the next round. Modded blasters that use the Firefly turret, shotgun speed-loaders, RSCB's and inline clips are single action. Single-action blasters have the lowest rate of fire of repeating blasters, since the user must do two actions to fire a new round.
Double Action - In a double-action blaster, the blaster must be primed before each shot. Unlike a single-action blaster, the act of priming or firing a double-action blaster causes another dart to load. This eliminates the action of manually advancing the mechanism. Most revolvers, such as the Maverick, Fury Fire, Doomsayer, and Firefly are double-action. In addition, the Longshot and Recon are double-action, since they must be primed before each shot. Double-action blasters have higher rate of fire than single-action blasters, but the need to re-prime makes them slower than semi- or full-auto blasters.
Semi-Automatic - Once a semi-automatic blaster is primed, multiple shots can be fired without needing to manually advance or re-prime. Pulling the trigger automatically advances and releases a new round. However, continuing to pull the trigger does not cause additional rounds to be fired. The Hornet is the most common semi-automatic blaster at this point. Semi-automatic blasters can fire as rapidly as the user can pull the trigger, giving them excellent rate of fire.
Automatic - Also called fully automatic. Once an automatic blaster is primed and the trigger is pulled, darts will continue to advance and fire until the trigger is released. This gives the blaster unbeatable rate of fire, since the rate that darts are released is only limited by the speed of the mechanism. Common automatic blasters are the Magstrike, Vulcan, and Tommy 20.
Preemptive Q and A:
Q: But I thought my Longshot was semi-auto! A: Fire a shot and pull the trigger again. If another dart doesn't fire, it ain't semi-auto.
Q: You don't know what you're talking about. A: Entirely possible - if you spot an error, let me know.
Q: How can it be double-action? Nerf blasters don't have hammers! A: Double and single action are based on their definitions for revolvers. A double-action revolver also advances the cylinder. Some liberty was taken here, since double-action revolvers are technically semi-automatic.
#242357 Mother Of All Mod Contests Submissions
Posted by Zack the Mack on 17 July 2009 - 01:44 AM in Modifications
#242389 Blaster Trigger Action Dictionary
Posted by Zack the Mack on 17 July 2009 - 12:09 PM in General Nerf
Single- and double-action in this context refer to whether a new round is automatically chambered or not.
After reading the responses, I feel like I created more confusion than I was trying to solve, and have cluttered the board. If this isn't necessary, you know what to do, close 'er on up.
#242631 Pa War
Posted by Zack the Mack on 18 July 2009 - 11:48 PM in Nerf Wars
Highlights:
- Talio's shorts tearing wide open, for easy access
- PRINCE CASPIAN WRIST CROSSBOW!
- Nailing Koree in the back from six inches with his L+L
- Being the last man alive in the last round
- Meeting you guys, especially Koree, Ice, Dean, Dizzy...
- That bitchin L+L I borrowed from Koree. Got 90 feet, easy. I'm making like five of 'em.
- Checking out the StrikeFire
- I want to make fuck with you, BERSERKER!
- Losing 300 Stefans
- Pistol round in open, flat field with the wind blowing
- Getting my hand sliced open by a razor-sharp brass NiteFinder barrel
- Patching my hand up with e-tape
- Awesome, varied battlefields
- Mutton's backpack/laptop/webcam first-person video rig
- Discovering that I hate two-handed weapons and love pistols
- Just feeling like I fit in to the Nerfer community
I ache all over, have a mammoth dart bruise on my right bicep, and my hands are blistered and cut. You guys rule.
#243790 Jspb-aliendb1
Posted by Zack the Mack on 25 July 2009 - 03:03 AM in Homemades
And on top of that, the photography's GREAT!
#243791 Big Bad Bow And Airtek 2000 Integration
Posted by Zack the Mack on 25 July 2009 - 03:06 AM in Modifications
#243956 Gnomefest 09
Posted by Zack the Mack on 26 July 2009 - 12:59 AM in Nerf Wars
I should be able to show!
#244323 Nerf Wars On Wikipedia
Posted by Zack the Mack on 28 July 2009 - 11:05 AM in General Nerf
Anyone with plenty of time on their hands should add references to the Wikipedia page pointing to forum articles here. After all, NH is the real Nerf resource.
#244329 Nerf Wars On Wikipedia
Posted by Zack the Mack on 28 July 2009 - 11:41 AM in General Nerf
I thought It seemed a bit to... actual.
I think the ten-year-olds tried to mash up Nerf and Call of Duty. Anyone who would tell another to use a Reactor as a primary with an Atom Blaster backup should not be allowed to give Nerf advice.
#244361 Nerf Wars On Wikipedia
Posted by Zack the Mack on 28 July 2009 - 02:47 PM in General Nerf
#245390 Nj Apocalypse #8
Posted by Zack the Mack on 03 August 2009 - 11:26 PM in Nerf Wars
Highlights:
- Handling BadWrench's Lanard Shotgun, dropping it into the ground, and firing the divot
- Putting up with Faddle, then chasing him down in the last round
- Buying that delicious LpL from Koree
- Explaining how an RSCB works about 5 times
- Inventing and playing Titan Football
- Hookah
- Insane RSCB-fueled killing spree with Koree (Victims included JLego, FA, and plenty of 4B's)
- Reuniting with Ice, Gears, JLego, Koree, Mutton, et al
- Consuming 9 bottles of water, 3 bottles of Gatorade, a king-size BK drink...
- Defending against the entire team in Resurrection Forest using an LpL
- The only tacticool word we know is 'flank'
- Firing the Signal Launcher without closing the RSCB, then getting shot
- Watching [forgot your name] rebuild a singled Longshot in the field
- Mutton's ridiculous head wound
- My Gunslinger partner and I getting tapped in a drive-by
- Getting nailed in the head by Gears in Resurrection Forest
- Getting lost in the woods
- Facing off against The Original Doomsayer, and shooting FA 3 times anyways
- Dodging a firing squad of 4B's. Originality, people!
- Firing 100 darts in one round... from an LpL
- Meeting the canucks, Mag7, and the LGLF
- Did I mention shooting Faddle?
Kruhl... whatever, great war. Really well-planned, awesome attendance, bombastic atmosphere. See y'all at GnomeFest!
#245423 Titan Football Rules!
Posted by Zack the Mack on 04 August 2009 - 10:45 AM in General Nerf
The first batch of rules turned into a major clusterfuck, which was awesome. I've refined the rules a bit, and posted them here for your own Titan Footballing pleasure!
For this game, you'll need a missile-firing Titan or Chimera, a Titan missile, something to mark goals, and at least 10 Nerfers. Find a nice, open space with no obstacles. Mark goals about 100ft apart. Break into two teams. Each player can only use spring pistols.
Flip a coin to choose who's on offense. One player on the attacking team is the QB and gets the Titan. Form a line of scrimmage - offensive players in a line with the QB, defending players in a line 20 feet away. The QB "hikes" the Titan by starting to pump it, and lets the rocket rip. Team on offense tries to catch it.
If it's caught, next down starts where the catcher is tackled. Tackle players by shooting them (no barrel taps allowed!) or just simply get in their way. Tackled players can't shoot, drop the missile, and stand still until the end of the play. 4 downs per round, only one first down. You ken do eet - get that Titan into the end-zone!
You can also blitz the QB, preferably with a Lightning Blitz.
#245811 Star Wars Rebel Trooper Blaster Mk. 2
Posted by Zack the Mack on 06 August 2009 - 03:31 PM in Modifications
Nerf-o-sphere, if you've never seen this thing in action before, it has absolutely insane plunger draw. That thing goes back about two feet. It'll give you nightmares.
EDIT: God dammit, it's a Rebel Trooper Blaster, not a Rebel Trooper.
#245812 Ls Plunger Tube?
Posted by Zack the Mack on 06 August 2009 - 03:32 PM in Modifications
#246865 Double Shot Mod For Guns With Cpvc Barrels
Posted by Zack the Mack on 13 August 2009 - 12:24 PM in Modifications
Backseat modding: Read the CoC, edit your grammar, and beg forgiveness. Today's forecast: Partly cloudy, with a chance of banning.
#247008 Uploading Pictures
Posted by Zack the Mack on 14 August 2009 - 11:09 AM in General Nerf
#247097 Need Help Fixing Maverick
Posted by Zack the Mack on 15 August 2009 - 12:08 AM in Modifications
Just Dremel off the remains, and mold a new tooth in place with epoxy putty.
#247616 Pano
Posted by Zack the Mack on 19 August 2009 - 11:48 AM in Nerf Wars
And to solve the naming problem, this war's name is now Chelsea.
#247674 Found At Bcno: Nitefinder Luger W/ Petg Barrel
Posted by Zack the Mack on 19 August 2009 - 05:34 PM in General Nerf
If it's yours, PM me and I'll either hand it off at GnomeFest or ship it to you.
The battery cap is painted a distinct color. When you contact me to claim the blaster, please tell me this color so I know you're the real owner.
#247677 Bcno Iv
Posted by Zack the Mack on 19 August 2009 - 05:36 PM in Nerf Wars
#247786 Buzzbee Vs Nerf
Posted by Zack the Mack on 20 August 2009 - 10:05 AM in General Nerf
Anyways, BuzzBee blasters are generally lower-quality, have worse performance, and produce worse mods than Nerf blasters. They're made of cheaper materials, aren't as comfortable, have weird design quirks (DoubleShot) and sometimes use those janky shells.
The major exceptions to the rule are BuzzBee's air-powered blasters, especially the BuzzBee Big Blast (BBBB). Single-shot air blasters are the most powerful weapons you can get for a small amount of money and modding time, and Nerf doesn't make them any more. The Big Blast is cheap ($10), easy to mod, and ridiculously powerful (100ft easy). It's probably the most common blaster at wars and a great one to start out with.
Generally, Nerf blasters are more expensive, higher quality, have more complex mechanisms, and are more powerful stock. BuzzBee blasters are much cheaper, vary in quality, and are fairly simple to mod. I'd say to pick up a couple of Big Blasts or a Berserker and experiment - you don't really have much to lose.
#247791 The Real Pawar
Posted by Zack the Mack on 20 August 2009 - 10:22 AM in Nerf Wars
#247883 Couple Of Questions
Posted by Zack the Mack on 20 August 2009 - 07:17 PM in General Nerf
Sometimes a few guys will get together before a war and make some communal darts, but this is pretty rare - each Nerfer has their own special blend of weights, foam, glue, herbs, and spices, and no Nerfer will ever trust another's dartmaking skill.
So go pick up some 1/2" caulk saver, a big bag of BB's, some hot glue, and a long movie before your next war! How many you'll need depends on how you play - in one war, a friend of mine used only 50 darts, while I chewed up more than 200.
After each match, everyone dumps the darts they picked up into a bucket so each Nerfer might be able to salvage a few. Typically you'll only get about 10% of your darts back, and the last guy to leave usually embezzles the unclaimed darts.
#248467 Found At Bcno: Nitefinder Luger W/ Petg Barrel
Posted by Zack the Mack on 24 August 2009 - 09:50 PM in General Nerf
Please don't post in this topic. Admins, please close this thread, thanks.
#248765 Make A Scout-crossfire!
Posted by Zack the Mack on 27 August 2009 - 10:36 AM in Modifications
Just use the Dremel to extend the track on the bottom of the Scout's slide and it'll fit in place of the Crossfire's slide. Reinforce the posts that hold the metal cross-rod with a little epoxy putty, screw that shit on, and you have one bad-ass springer. And, since the slide now has a ring on it, you can dual-wield them!
If the enemy's close enough to notice the awesomeness of your new blaster, you'll probably be able to hit them. Possibly. It's still a Crossfire, after all.
#248771 Make A Scout-crossfire!
Posted by Zack the Mack on 27 August 2009 - 11:18 AM in Modifications
Nice work. It seems that reloading would get a little tricky though.
The new slide doesn't get in the way of the barrel at all. It's no more difficult to load and cock than a stock Crossfire.
#248833 Bcno V
Posted by Zack the Mack on 27 August 2009 - 08:58 PM in Nerf Wars
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