Improving The Streamline, (Increasing the reliability of the Raider) Options

[Glint]

We all know that Streamlines are widely considered the worst of stock darts. Unfortunately, more recent Nerf blasters have been cursed with only being able to use the streamline. So I decided I was going to fix that after I got my Raider.

I had gone through two different versions of this before settling on this one, both of which combined create this final product.

This streamline mod increases the weight of the front of the dart enough so they fly more accurately without reducing (and might even help) ranges. It gets rid of the hole in the head of the dart which caused fishtailing and gave the dart a mind of it's own in the air, and (with some skill) keeps the heads of the dart almost a perfect dome. Of course they can still be used with LS, Recon and Raider clips.

Materials:
Streamlines
Scissors
Hot Glue

Take your streamline and cut through the head about midway through the hole in the head (I tried bigger and smaller but halfway through that hole seemed the best).




You should now see the base of the head, as well as still have some walls around the edges (very important).

Now create a hot glue down inside the walls as you would with a stefan. Keep adding glue until it's filled up to the walls and also creates a bit of a dome above. Place the dart in an upright position (such as a Magstrike clip) and allow the hot glue to dry, allowing the walls and gravity to settle the hot glue into a dome.





And there you have it. A close-to-perfect dome which adds needed weight to the front of the dart.

I decided not to add a BB or fishing weight as most "CDTD's" have, as when people just shoved a BB into the head of a streamline it seemed to decrease ranges. I think the weight the hot glue itself adds is sufficient.

My first attempts at this, I completely trimmed down the walls so it was just the base of the streamline. After that I added a dome of hotglue on the base. This keeps the weight of the hot glue, but also keeps the dart more aerodynamic.

I hope this helps some people out with some streamline problems.
Now it's up to someone to stefan mod the Raider clip...

This post has been edited by Glint: Aug 27 2009, 05:10 PM

[TantumBull]

Nice job. I've found you can also just carefully rip off the entire head and make a normal CDTS. Also...

Now it's up to someone to stefan mod the Raider clip...

Still in the planning stages, but after taking apart the mag and examining it, I think it can be done. It's going to require quite a bit of work, but I'm pretty sure its possible because of where the coil that winds the drum is located.

[Glint]

Now it's up to someone to stefan mod the Raider clip...

Still in the planning stages, but after taking apart the mag and examining it, I think it can be done. It's going to require quite a bit of work, but I'm pretty sure its possible because of where the coil that winds the drum is located.

The big thing I thought would be tough is that where each dart sits only actually cradles the dart at the front and back of the dart, and in the middle there's nothing. So any dart smaller than a stock dart could just fall inbetween those two places that are supposed to hold the darts in place.

Or at least that's how it looks just looking in an empty clip. I haven't actually opened it up for myself.

[Dr. BoB]

I just did something pretty close to this about a half an hour ago. It seems to help the accuracy a lot.

[TantumBull]

The big thing I thought would be tough is that where each dart sits only actually cradles the dart at the front and back of the dart, and in the middle there's nothing. So any dart smaller than a stock dart could just fall inbetween those two places that are supposed to hold the darts in place.

Or at least that's how it looks just looking in an empty clip. I haven't actually opened it up for myself.

This is one of those times that having access to a laser makes me a lucky bastard.

This post has been edited by TantumBull: Aug 27 2009, 06:53 PM

[SorrowX]

Damn you Tantum Bull! I wanted to do the raider stefan clip. Meh, I'll probably end up procrastinating and not doing it anyways. Back on topic, I've noticed a few in SoCal that do this, yet the hype is starting to die down.

[slowguitarman]

I'm already working on stefan modding the drum. No lasers required.

[Just Some Bob]

I'm already working on stefan modding the drum. No lasers required.

Not required, but making rings to fit over the existing "scallops" should be pretty cool. Also might be able to fit a new ring in between the orange "fingers" to provide support nearer to the middle of the darts.

[nerfitynerf]

i did something similar but instead i cut halfway through the runner dome and filled the empty space with hot glue and it looks like a stock dart but with better performance.

[mystefansdontflystraight]

Nice idea, Glint, but you could just make 2.5 inch stefans to use with it instead...
That is what I did. I don't need to go out and buy more streamlines now, or spend time making CTDs. I weighted these stefans with a single BB.
They outshoot some darts I made with your writeup here.
This is not meant to say "Hahaha, you suck, stupid". I just wanted to let you know that it is easier, cheaper, and gets you more range if you just make longer stefans.

What ranges are you getting out of your raider BTW? I heard the RFDG spring adds a good amount of range. I don't have one yet, but it will be going in my raider the second I get it.

[Glint]

Nice idea, Glint, but you could just make 2.5 inch stefans to use with it instead...
That is what I did. I don't need to go out and buy more streamlines now, or spend time making CTDs. I weighted these stefans with a single BB.
They outshoot some darts I made with your writeup here.
This is not meant to say "Hahaha, you suck, stupid". I just wanted to let you know that it is easier, cheaper, and gets you more range if you just make longer stefans.

What ranges are you getting out of your raider BTW? I heard the RFDG spring adds a good amount of range. I don't have one yet, but it will be going in my raider the second I get it.

I might just give that a shot. Clip-exclusive stefans.... good thought.
And I completely understand your direction. Thanks for the tip.

As for ranges, I haven't officially tested ranges yet. I didn't want to test with streamlines because of the masssive flux in ranges. I can definately say that the RFDG spring give it much more of a kick.

This post has been edited by Glint: Aug 28 2009, 07:23 PM

[TantumBull]

Wait, so Glint, the RFSG spring fits comfortably over the raider plunger tube?

[flamincows]

Wait, so Glint, the RFSG spring fits comfortably over the raider plunger tube?

From what I've heard it's the slightest bit tight, but it preforms excellently. I saw a raider that had one last weekend and it gave the baster more than enough range to be deadly even outdoors. I had to put my gun in the air more than once because of that thing.

I believe he was using streamlines with a bb in the tip, and they didn't seem to be swerving or fishtailing at all even without hot glue stabilizing the bb. although in retrospect I'm not sure how safe that is considering how easily the bb could come out if someone were to pick the dart up and fire it out of a more powerful gun.

[Glint]

From what I've heard it's the slightest bit tight, but it preforms excellently. I saw a raider that had one last weekend and it gave the baster more than enough range to be deadly even outdoors. I had to put my gun in the air more than once because of that thing.

I believe he was using streamlines with a bb in the tip, and they didn't seem to be swerving or fishtailing at all even without hot glue stabilizing the bb. although in retrospect I'm not sure how safe that is considering how easily the bb could come out if someone were to pick the dart up and fire it out of a more powerful gun.

That's correct. THe RFDG spring is almost exactly the same OD as the Raider/Recon spring, maybe a hair larger. Works wonders.

As I said before, weighting streamlines with a BB in the tip generally causes the dart to, yes, improve accuracy but decreases ranges. Now I don't know if my version decreases ranges at all, but I think that the hot glue dome weighs less than a single BB.

[Lynx]

Yawn. Been done before. Get the fuck back on topic.

What is the range difference? Why not use a BB? Did you prove that it wasn't worth it?