174 replies to this topic

[Natbeanz]

rork, assuming it hurts, i need a way to dim down the range so my parents will let me have it, any ideas, thx in advance.

Use a less powerful spring

Edited by Natbeanz, 13 October 2008 - 11:35 AM.

[needak]

i don't have any other springs (other than a ls spring and a NF) so i think i'm going to put in an air restricter, unless it wont work. so please tell me whether or not it will.

[rork]

Of course, pain will occur if you shoot someone at close range with it, but especially considering that CS darts are on the menu, there won't be permanent damage. DO NOT use any spring other than a plusbow spring if you want your final product to be a SNAPbow. The easiest way to lower ranges would be to simply use a shorter barrel; try 8" or so. If you really want to, you could add a restrictor; I would try a simple cpvc endcap, cut down to just the flat end, with 3-4 1/8" holes drilled in it, jammed into the end of whatever bushing/adapter you choose. This way, you can just lose the restrictor when you get tired of crapifying your gun. ~Rork

[Carbon]

A shorter barrel with the same amount of power will cause fishtailing. Considering that a SNAPbow is essentially a SNAP with a stock and a powerful spring, you could just build a SNAP with a smaller spring, and add a stock as rork describes. Same ergonomics, less power.

[rork]

Actually, I haven't noticed significant fishtailing with 8" of cpvc, but I can't say for sure, as I haven't tried that barrel length at long range. I have tried 10", and the only noticeable difference in 12" and 10" was that the 10" barrel got about 10-20' less range.

I'm also going to use this post to clarify my stance regarding the nature and intent of this blaster. As Carbon says, it's essentially a SNAP-1 that has been built onto, beefed up, and otherwise tweaked so as to improve the ergonomics and performance in certain ways. Personally, I think the SNAP is potentially one of the greatest contributions to this community, mainly because it makes a perfect starting point for anyone designing a practical homemade. As a platform, it is solid, reliable, and cheap. Thus, I tend to think of the SNAPbow as less a homemade than a modification. Granted, it is not a modification of an existing blaster, but rather a modification of a pre-existing idea. My goal was to make a SNAP that imitated a Crossbow/Plusbow, and I believe myself to have been successful in this. However, I was not trying to somehow "outdo" Carbon's original work, but to showcase its versatility and practicality. If you decide to modify my design, you won't get a SNAPbow as I envisioned it, but you will get a good blaster. ~Rork

[rork]

UPDATE: Sorry to double post, but I wanted to call attention to this update for those who have/are building one of these babies. After a lot of test-firing and comparison, I've found that the blaster's performance can be significantly improved by extra vent holes; mine now has 8 holes in the back of the cap, in addition to the 4 in the plunger tube, and it is shooting much harder. Also, the spring retention techniques discussed in my last update smooth things out quite a bit. This is shaping up to be a truly nice gun. ~Rork

PS: pics of these updates are forthcoming; probably some time this week.

[venom213]

UPDATE: Sorry to double post, but I wanted to call attention to this update for those who have/are building one of these babies. After a lot of test-firing and comparison, I've found that the blaster's performance can be significantly improved by extra vent holes; mine now has 8 holes in the back of the cap, in addition to the 4 in the plunger tube, and it is shooting much harder. Also, the spring retention techniques discussed in my last update smooth things out quite a bit. This is shaping up to be a truly nice gun. ~Rork

PS: pics of these updates are forthcoming; probably some time this week.

No wonder why my SNAP-1 sucked so much ass. I am really digging the gun, I am working on something that is a combination of multiple homemades, including this one. How large should the holes be?

Edited by venom213, 12 September 2008 - 05:44 PM.

[rork]

I use 1/4" vent holes, although you could use fewer, larger holes (say, a 1/2" hole in either side of the plunger tube). ~Rork

[rork]

Any configuration should work; the combination of a very good seal and a very powerful spring means that you need to get a LOT of air behind the plunger quickly, as it can form quite the vacuum. As Just Some Bob says, a dozen holes is a good number; mine are functioning great with 14 total.

[Split]

Wow, that's really interesting and useful to know.. Thanks for posting up that bit.

[rork]

Was that sarcasm? On a more important note: the rear endcap is not glued; it is held in place by the same 4 screws that hold the stock and grip on. Drilling through the sides of it should be fine.

[Galaxy613]

The nature of the knowlage and how I myself haven't ever heard of adding more than a few holes for venting, and getting much better results with said extra holes; I would hazard a guess that he isn't sarcastic...

Anyways, Sometime this week I'm going to try to get the stuff to recreate your plunger head and put it in my K200. I will definetly update everyone with stats and pictures once I get it done.

Edited by Galaxy613, 12 September 2008 - 09:31 PM.

[rork]

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the question of secondaries/sidearms lately, and since my primary is a crossbow-analog, I decided that there’s no school like the old school—or to put it another way, integration time! The problem is that the SNAPbow doesn’t have a shell, as such, and there’s not enough room on the fore-end to put my secondary. The answer was to build a sort of ultra-low-tech integration rail. Start with the rail, here.


It’s made from a half section of 2” pvc, roughly 4 ½-5” long. It’s cut down to a width of about an inch, except the section at the rear, which fits between the fore-end of the SNAPbow and the screws holding the bushing in place. The Front coupler gets wrapped with enough e-tape so that the rail fits snugly against it.

Slather the bottom half of the e-tape with hot glue, and press the rail into it firmly, making sure it gets positioned properly. Then mount your secondary on the rail, thusly.

I chose my NF with a Bobofan style turret.

Here’s the finished product.

A great shot from the primary with a quick reload, and 6 mid-range backups. Also: if you want to remove the assembly, just cut the e-tape with a hobby knife, and peel. Comment away, guys. ~Rork

[Poseidon]

How comfortable though is it to have the NF like that? When I've put guns in that position on other guns, it normally is very difficult to fire. Also, is there any good way to aim with the NF accurately? Other than that, love it. I'm a huge homemade supporter but haven't been able to make anything as sweet as the +Bow do to the price, tools ect. and this improves that considerably. Thanks a load!

[rork]

You can still use the SNAPbow's fore-end for precise aiming. Also, the rail itself, as well as the glue joints, have a small amount of flex, so that you can move them a bit. The main issue is one that can be easily compensated for: the NF shoots much lower than the SNAPbow. Also, it doesn't really have an adverse affect on the gun's balance, which came as a bit of a surprise to me. ~Rork

PS: You're very welcome

[Vistagecko]

I only have one question. I have no idea what you mean about the cotter pin wrapped around the cpvc. A picture please?

[Vistagecko]

That clears so much up. Thanks a lot.

[mind13]

How hard is it to rotate the turret on the NF while holding the Snapbow at a ready stance?

Edited by mind13, 27 September 2008 - 01:43 PM.

[rork]

It's not. The SNAPbow isn't terribly heavy (at least to me). You can fire an un-integrated SNAPbow one-handed, if you so desire; you won't get premo accuracy or ergonomics, but it's possible. ~Rork

JSB: Thanks for putting that pic up. It saved me some disassembly/upload time.

[mind13]

My bad it always appeared heavy to me.

Edited by mind13, 27 September 2008 - 01:47 PM.

[rork]

It all depends on what your point of comparison is; if your usual weapon is a NF (or indeed most stock Nerf blasters), it will feel pretty substantial. If your baseline is a doomsayer, I would imagine that the SNAPbow would be a featherweight.

Edited by rork, 27 September 2008 - 01:50 PM.

[mind13]

In your opinion how do think a BBB would compare in terms of weight?

[rork]

The BBB is lighter, but the SNAPbow is more well-balanced.

[mind13]

Thanks for the help.

[BustaNinja]

Ha. I used my SNAP today (kinda a fussion of SNAPbow and regular SNAP) and its not heavy. I probably have more plastic on mine, and I still call it light. Then again, I can fire my shotgun one handed and call the AK47 a light assault rifle.