8 replies to this topic

[Echnalaid]

I've owned 3 Magstrikes, and every one of them broke. The slot in the piston that holds the green clip advancer keeps snapping, and it cracks in the very small area around the hole.. My searches procured nothing, and I'm getting another Magstrike (If it makes a difference, the yellow AS10 variant). I want to know if anyone has had experiences with modding Magstrikes, and I need to know if there's a way to reinforce that section.

[nerfer9]

None of my 5 magstrikes have broken in that area, it was alway in the plunger. What are you putting your gun through? Unknown to most people, the magstrike is actually a springer that uses a bladder to move the plunger back and forth. Or I am wrong and thinking of another gun.

Edited by nerfer9, 31 January 2009 - 12:10 AM.

[Echnalaid]

None of my 5 magstrikes have broken in that area, it was alway in the plunger. What are you putting your gun through? Unknown to most people, the magstrike is actually a springer that uses a bladder to move the plunger back and forth. Or I am wrong and thinking of another gun.

Just normal use, and it always breaks in that area. And is the AS10 more durable?

[Draconis]

Unknown to most people, the magstrike is actually a springer that uses a bladder to move the plunger back and forth.

No, that's not the case. There is a plunger mechanism, and it has a spring. But it works in reverse from the way a spring powered blaster does. The plunger is pressurized by the air supply, and extends (to push the clip up), but once it reaches full extension, then the air inside is released, to shoot the dart. Without any air pressure in the cylinder, the spring forces the plunger to return to rest position. That's why you can band the plunger mechanism. It forces more air pressure to be used to extend the cylinder, thus allowing more pressure to be released when firing the dart.

Ech', as for that tooth, how are you modifying the clips? And I doubt that any of the different versions are any better than the others as far as durability.

Edited by Draconis, 31 January 2009 - 12:44 AM.

[TantumBull]

Courtesy of imaseoulman:

Actually...the most common misconception regarding the magstrike is that the air from the bladder somehow fires the darts. It does not. Rather, it powers a piston that fires the darts like a springer would, and a reciprocating arm that advances the clip.

Actually, that is inaccurate. The piston has no "power stroke." The air that is stored in the bladder, does in fact propel the dart out of the barrel.

Basically the air from the bladder enters the piston/tank system. As the pressure builds up, the piston head is pushed back. After it reaches a certain point, it engages the valve head and pulls it back as well. As it pulls back, the valve opens and the air rushes out and launches the dart.

If you're still skeptical, you can test this by slowly adding air to the piston/tank system. If you can't see all that is happening, and it still seems that is still launching the darts via a standart springer/plunger method, hold onto the part that gets pushed back, not allowing it to return. You'll notice that air still rushes out of the tank just as it did before, with no less force.

How banding the bladder makes a difference:
You are increasing the amount (not volume, but mass, the actual amount of air molecules) of air in the bladder. If you band it (with bike innertube, not rubberbands) you increase the amount of pressure necessary to exand the bladder. So at maximum volume, you may have 80% more air in the bladder under a higher pressure than before. This air fills the piston/tank a bit faster causing it to operate at a slightly higher rate of cycles per second. The more notable difference is the amount of shots you get per fill. Because there is more air in the bladder, and the amount of air necessary to fill the piston/tank hasn't changed, you can fill it more times before the bladder empties.

If you want to increase ROF:
Band the piston (with a rubber-band). Putting a band around the piston increases the amount of force necessary to push back the piston. So, a higher pressure is needed to create this force. Higher air pressure with the same volume, again, means more air in the tank/piston that can propel the dart forward. (This is like plugging the pump on your again to allow more pressure to build up in the tank).

So, in summation:
Banding the bladder (with bike intertube) slightly increases ROF and can greatly increase the amount of shots you get per bladder fill.
Banding the piston (with a rubberband) improves range.

As far as popping your bladder is concerned, I don't think that's very big of a risk when you band it with bike innertube. I've had the bike innertube "pop" (just a tear in the seam) in my Arachnophobia II which was double layered with bike innertube (a major pain to actually accomplish), but that had more to do with contact with sharp edges than over-pressurization.

[Echnalaid]

Ech', as for that tooth, how are you modifying the clips? And I doubt that any of the different versions are any better than the others as far as durability.

Just basic AR removal, I take a scissor and cut out them in the back.

[Aimless]

I assume the plastic around the axle of the advancer broke off.




The focus is a bit off, but you should be able to see the metal strip on the arm in the blue box.

I rebuilt it by super-gluing a strip of metal around the edges of the rounded corner and then filed it back into shape.

Edit: Magstrikes are probably the most finicky and unreliable blasters I've worked with. A somewhat related question, is it possible to use the Powerclip's piston and advancer arm in a MS?

Edited by Aimless, 01 February 2009 - 12:31 AM.

[Watari]

Well, I've had 3 Magstrikes, the first 2 broke the same way yours did but when my second Magstrike broke, the clip jammed and I couldn't pull it out. It would've probably broken off if I used enough force, so if you are going to get another Magstrike, then be careful when taking out the clips. Oh and keep the reciept.

Edited by Watari, 01 February 2009 - 12:58 AM.

[Echnalaid]

Thanks Aimless, exactly what I wanted to know.