13 replies to this topic

[TriggerHappyAzn]

Like the title says, all i did was a basic spring replacement to my BBB and a little reinforcement.

When I first openned up my BBB, one thing that caught my attention was the plastic washer holding the spring in place and the little nub of plastic it was snapped onto.


I haven't heard of anyone's breaking on them, but I planned on doing a spring upgrade, so to compensate for all the additional stress I decided to throw in a 3/8" washer. It happens to fit over the plastic washer almost perfectly too.



Now, on to the spring replacement...

I replaced the stock BBB spring with an industrial one that i measured to be about twice as strong. Compressed 3", it was pushing back with 30lbs of force compared to 15lbs for the stock spring.



The stock spring is the one on the left, and the replacement one is on the right. As you can see, the replacement is an inch or so shorter so I ended up making a PVC spacer/seat to hold it in place and to ensure complete compression in the cocking pull.

The PVC seat goes in first,


followed by the spring,


then the 3/8"washer and the original plastic mount on top of that. *You could mold epoxy putty around/through the washers and secure them onto the end of the plunger shaft to be extra safe* I'm not quite sure if I want to epoxy it yet so I'll hold off from doing that for now.




Now that that's done, I threw it all back together, got a few fresh darts from my pile, grabbed my tapemeasure, and headed outside to test ranges.



Before I replaced the spring, I was getting around 70' average with an 8 inch nested 17/32' brass barrel shooting level.

Afterwards, the BBB was clearly breaking 100' (not counting dart skipping); I was landing unangled shots at 115-120' tape-measured consistently.

Tasty.

[Brass]

Holy fuck!
I'm definitely doing this mod.
I haven't heard of a BBB spring replacement before, but if it adds that much range, it's definitely worth a try.
One thing: If that industrial spring is twice as strong, you might want to reinforce the shell, so it doesn't break after contunued use.
PS: Nice guitar

[AODL]

Yeah, I did the exact same thing to my BBB. For those wondering about the spring, I believe it is Handyman Spring 9713, I could be wrong. The results are amazing. It is pretty hard to cock back, though. I do not recommend this to those with weaker arms.

Edited by AODL, 11 June 2007 - 07:51 PM.

[six-five-two]

AODL, on Jun 11 2007, 05:50 PM, said:

Yeah, I did the exact same thing to my BBB. For those wondering about the spring, I believe it is Handyman Spring 9713, I could be wrong. The results are amazing. It is pretty hard to cock back, though. I do not recommend this to those with weaker arms.

I think that's the one used for the Nitefinders. What is the overall spring length of the original BBB spring?
And what is with those darts?

[ninjabeast22]

Wow, those ranges are amazing! I didn't realize there was a replacement spring for the BBB. Nice Job!

[TriggerHappyAzn]

six-five-two, on Jun 11 2007, 05:00 PM, said:

I think that's the one used for the Nitefinders. What is the overall spring length of the original BBB spring?
And what is with those darts?

1. The BBB spring is in between 5 1/8" and 5 1/4"

2. I make foam-tipped darts

[Flapper12]

What kind of spring did you use and where did you get it? I'm fixing to mod my and I think I will do this one but I just need to know what kind of spring to use.

[TriggerHappyAzn]

Flapper12, on Jun 11 2007, 06:09 PM, said:

What kind of spring did you use and where did you get it? I'm fixing to mod my and I think I will do this one but I just need to know what kind of spring to use.

Yeah, it's Handyman Spring 9713 obtainable from Home Depot.

Actually, while I still have my BBB open, I can make more of these if anyone wants.



Would $5 + shipping be too much to ask for a "BBB spring replacement set"? Keep in mind that I would have to make a trip to the store to get more parts, do all the cutting, sanding, and fitting, and it takes more than a few minutes to get perfect. Pretty much all you would have to do is open up your gun, insert the parts, add glue or Epoxy (optional), and enjoy an overpowered BBB; you're going to need to do your own barrel replacement to get the most out of the upgrade, though.

[Prometheus]

This is ironic, as most people use the BBB spring to replace their LS spring... But good work.

[LastManAlive]

Hey, maybe I can have a working peice of 20 bucks since I practically bought the 3B for the sprng anyways.

Yay for asians!

[sam]

What sizes of PVC is the PVC seat made out of, and how did you make it?

[TriggerHappyAzn]

sam, on Jun 12 2007, 05:28 AM, said:

What sizes of PVC is the PVC seat made out of, and how did you make it?

I used a 1/2" PVC coupler. Just cut it down and sand it until the spring fits in the plunger chamber nice and tight. If you dont cut it down enough, the BBB won't be able to cock when you put it back together. And also try to make the replacement spring + PVC a little bit shorter than the original spring if you're planning on adding a washer to the plungerhead b/c that adds length.

[nerfer75]

Quote

Would $5 + shipping be too much to ask for a "BBB spring replacement set"? Keep in mind that I would have to make a trip to the store to get more parts, do all the cutting, sanding, and fitting, and it takes more than a few minutes to get perfect. Pretty much all you would have to do is open up your gun, insert the parts, add glue or Epoxy (optional), and enjoy an overpowered BBB; you're going to need to do your own barrel replacement to get the most out of the upgrade, though.

I might order one this weekend. I love what you've done here. I'll PM you when I'm ready to order. $5 sounds fair. Do you accept paypal?

Edited by nerfer75, 12 June 2007 - 04:50 PM.

[TriggerHappyAzn]

nerfer75, on Jun 12 2007, 01:43 PM, said:

Quote

Would $5 + shipping be too much to ask for a "BBB spring replacement set"? Keep in mind that I would have to make a trip to the store to get more parts, do all the cutting, sanding, and fitting, and it takes more than a few minutes to get perfect. Pretty much all you would have to do is open up your gun, insert the parts, add glue or Epoxy (optional), and enjoy an overpowered BBB; you're going to need to do your own barrel replacement to get the most out of the upgrade, though.

I might order one this weekend. I love what you've done here. I'll PM you when I'm ready to order. $5 sounds fair. Do you accept paypal?

PM'ed

And yes I accept PayPal.