21 replies to this topic

[Taishaku]

Just notifying you all in advance, I am new to modifying nerf guns.

I read the following article:
http://nerfhaven.com/mods/haze_bb/

However, this article does not specify what the dimensions of the brass barrel were. Does anyone have any recommendations for the dimensions of a brass tube for this particular gun?

I plan to modify the Blast Bazooka according to the article by reinforcing the trigger, sealing the pump, and replacing the barrel, keeping it a simple muzzle-loaded design. So I guess I won't want something too tight?

Speaking of which, what ammo should I be using? I currently don't have the means to mass produce my own darts, so I guess I will be using stock Nerf ammo.

EDIT: From the other articles that I have read on this forum, I am currently thinking 9/16" brass tubing with stock Nerf micro darts.

Edited by Taishaku, 02 March 2010 - 02:38 AM.

[MindWarrior]

9/16th Brass won't fit stock nerf micro darts unless your talking streamlines. 9/16th Brass is however, very good for micro stefans. It should have a loose fit on your darts for airguns like the Blast bazooka, I recommend 1 foot as length sheathed in 1/2 PVC to prevent dents in the barrel.

Edit: Streamlines could work for you, I recommend just blowing darts down the barrel to load.
Double edit: To improve streamlines, cut off the rubber and leave a flat piece on the top, and simply apply a dome of hotglue.

Edited by MindWarrior, 02 March 2010 - 03:55 AM.

[moosa]

Perhaps you should consider learning to make darts as one of your first projects. It's not expensive and really only requires a hot glue gun, weights like copper BBs, and some foam backer rod. There are step by step instructions to be found provided by different members, and a whole thread full of techniques shared.

Edited by moosa, 02 March 2010 - 05:20 AM.

[Blue]

You should really just cut off the barrel and glue on a PVC coupler, it will let you change the barrels out and have a much higher ROF.

[Taishaku]

9/16th Brass won't fit stock nerf micro darts unless your talking streamlines. 9/16th Brass is however, very good for micro stefans. It should have a loose fit on your darts for airguns like the Blast bazooka, I recommend 1 foot as length sheathed in 1/2 PVC to prevent dents in the barrel.

Edit: Streamlines could work for you, I recommend just blowing darts down the barrel to load.
Double edit: To improve streamlines, cut off the rubber and leave a flat piece on the top, and simply apply a dome of hotglue.

So... 1/2 PVC... isn't that smaller than 9/16 brass? Oo"

Is there any advantage to PVC over brass?

Perhaps you should consider learning to make darts as one of your first projects. It's not expensive and really only requires a hot glue gun, weights like copper BBs, and some foam backer rod. There are step by step instructions to be found provided by different members, and a whole thread full of techniques shared.

I prefer not to at the moment.

You should really just cut off the barrel and glue on a PVC coupler, it will let you change the barrels out and have a much higher ROF.

If you mean having a way to remove the barrel and then reloading in the back and then reattaching the barrel... I'm not sure I want that.

Before you do ANY of this stuff, just cut the restrictor off the end, and sand the muzzle smoothly. The many Blast Bazookas I have worked on have almost all had excellent plastic barrels right from the start. But a lot depends on your choice of darts. With Nerf streamlines, and a simple bic-pen ramrod, I'm certain that a lot of my past co-workers are still nerfing with their plastic LBB barrels in place.

Give it a try that way before you cut it off at all.



Plus, you still get to use the stock screamer bombs - with improved range.

I see. Would it be helpful to increase the length of the barrel though?

And Nerf Streamlines are just those Micros with the reduced suction caps, right?

[alberty]

Is there any advantage to PVC over brass?
...

You should really just cut off the barrel and glue on a PVC coupler, it will let you change the barrels out and have a much higher ROF.

If you mean having a way to remove the barrel and then reloading in the back and then reattaching the barrel... I'm not sure I want that.

...
And Nerf Streamlines are just those Micros with the reduced suction caps, right?

1. PVC would be more commercially available and cheaper to get. Also, depending on how you set it up, you could have a universal system like in CaptainSlug's version of the BBBB mod. Also, you can nest brass inside PVC...

2. You can still use a PVC barrel without the manual rear-load system; you can use a breech, or even a hopper clip.

3. All of the stock Nerf darts are similar, but Streamlines don't actually have suction caps, just some orange gumdrop-shaped top. They're not easy to use with stock barrels--anyways back to my point, you'd be better off using Sonic (aka whistler/screamer) or Tagger darts. In my experience, they have the best combination of range/accuracy. Streamlines usually spiral or fly in odd directions.

The only advantage of using Streamlines would be the ability to rear-load them in barrel replacements, since their heads are not a bigger diameter than the rest of the dart's body. Other stock darts (Micro, Sonic, and Taggers) have the bigger head and can only be stuck in through the front of barrel.

Edited by alberty, 03 March 2010 - 01:27 PM.

[Taishaku]

1. PVC would be more commercially available and cheaper to get. Also, depending on how you set it up, you could have a universal system like in CaptainSlug's version of the BBBB mod. Also, you can nest brass inside PVC...

2. You can still use a PVC barrel without the manual rear-load system; you can use a breech, or even a hopper clip.

3. All of the stock Nerf darts are similar, but Streamlines don't actually have suction caps, just some orange gumdrop-shaped top. They're not easy to use with stock barrels--anyways back to my point, you'd be better off using Sonic (aka whistler/screamer) or Tagger darts. In my experience, they have the best combination of range/accuracy. Streamlines usually spiral or fly in odd directions.

The only advantage of using Streamlines would be the ability to rear-load them in barrel replacements, since their heads are not a bigger diameter than the rest of the dart's body. Other stock darts (Micro, Sonic, and Taggers) have the bigger head and can only be stuck in through the front of barrel.

1. By universal system, do you mean installing a PVC adapter so I can attach different varieties of barrel by simply screwing the male component into the female component? (That was awkward...)

Why nest brass inside of PVC when you can just buy the brass? Reinforcement? Oo"

2 and 3. The hopper clip seems surprisingly easy to do. Would it work with anything other than Micro Stefans?

EDIT: Also, does anyone have a video of a hopper clip in action on a pump or spring gun?

Yes, I suppose a longer barrel might provide a little more, but I'm routinely able to get >110 foot ranges indoors (almost flat) by simply decapping and reinforcing the trigger. Most haven't even required pump adjustments.

Nerf Streamlines are what they now call "Clip System Darts." I suppose one could compare them to sonic micros with reduced heads, not suctions. They're quite light, so even on the rare occasion when someone is setting up a long hallway shot and another player pops out of a cubicle at a much shorter range, the hit's usually not too painful.

Okay... how easy would it be to load the stock gun? I prefer not to use a ramrod, so I suppose I will have to saw off the cavity... this would still allow me to use the screamer bombs, correct?

Edited by Taishaku, 03 March 2010 - 10:43 PM.

[alberty]

Brass is expensive, so you could nest PVC over it as protection from both damage to the brass and harm to people. Even though you've already spent the money on brass, PVC is like less than 50 cents for a foot.

I mentioned CaptainSlug's writeup so you could find it in the modifications directory...but I don't remember if it was his or someone else's mod that uses a universal coupler system. But anyways, basically with PVC, you can come up with ways to create a universal receiver to accept a lot of different barrel sizes.

I don't know if hopper clips will work without micro stefans, and they're banned at some Nerf wars.

With the fit on stock darts in the barrel being snug, you'd be better off loading the darts in the front with the heads sticking out. Assuming your barrel fit isn't too tight or too loose, the power to the dart should still be good.

As a last note, a good all-around barrel replacement would probably be removing the stock barrel and attaching a 1/2 PVC coupler. After attaching that coupler, it is almost like a universal receiver already; you can put in different PVC barrels with brass, Crayola, or even PETG nested inside (for the Crayola, it would be nested in the front part of the PVC barrel). You can even sand down stuff to let CPVC barrels fit, or even make shotgun (multi-barrel attachments).

--

In all honesty, I feel like you wouldn't have to ask any of these questions if you searched the website. There are several tutorials on this blaster (Big Blast / Sonic Bazooka / whatever forms) and other tutorials on what to use for stock darts.

[Blue]

You just don't have experience. Only trial and error can help you with that. My first mod was to copy Rags NF mod exactly, and it was not so good with the stock darts I was using. With a coupler, you can experiment with all sorts of different types of barrels. Just look at a few mods in the directory, gain a basic understanding of how most are done.

[moosa]

With the fit on stock darts in the barrel being snug, you'd be better off loading the darts in the front with the heads sticking out. Assuming your barrel fit isn't too tight or too loose, the power to the dart should still be good.

I don't understand why you think this would be a good idea. Yes, Taggers and Sonic Micros generally fly better than Streamlines, but with your method of just sticking the dart into the tip of the barrel that means that you're getting a maximum effective barrel length of just under 2-1/2 inches (the length of the dart shaft). On an air gun. And any additional length to the barrel is dead space. I read a post a few days back where someone said they used to do this to their singled Titan, thinking they were doing it right, and would get something like 60 feet out of it.

[alberty]

Oh, I was thinking of spring-powered blasters (from trial and error with getting my BBB to shoot stock darts) in which I found that a longer barrel, though giving dead space, stabilized the darts and gave more consistent, though maybe shorter, ranges. You're right, on an air-powered blaster, it will be different. However, if not using Streamlines, you can't do much else with stock darts then if you wanted a long barrel.

My suggestions are often not the 100% efficient ones, but just quick solutions for the beginner modder. I like the accuracy of Sonic darts better than the inconsistent long ranges of Streamlines, so I usually just do whatever to use those when using stock darts. Then again, I'm clearly not looking to make super far shots, so don't blame me for not telling you how to maximize volume output.

Back to the OP...try whatever works for you. You most likely haven't had enough experience or haven't done enough searching yourself for so many questions, so take it slow and start with easy stuff (like try PVC instead of ordering brass or PETG first) until you get this mod right. You will find that stock darts are better for the fast or rapid shots than ranged pot shots. The most helpful is to keep reading and reading through previous threads, posts, and writeups, where you can also find answers of what other people have tried (like people who will read this thread in the future).

I have a BBBB internal that I have been trying to figure out how to mod as I only use stock darts myself. Since, besides with Streamlines, I can't use a long barrel with stock darts efficiently due to dead space, I'm just going to try to come up with a shotgun/scattering blast type of barrel for it instead.

[Taishaku]

Back to the OP...try whatever works for you. You most likely haven't had enough experience or haven't done enough searching yourself for so many questions, so take it slow and start with easy stuff (like try PVC instead of ordering brass or PETG first) until you get this mod right. You will find that stock darts are better for the fast or rapid shots than ranged pot shots. The most helpful is to keep reading and reading through previous threads, posts, and writeups, where you can also find answers of what other people have tried (like people who will read this thread in the future).

I have a BBBB internal that I have been trying to figure out how to mod as I only use stock darts myself. Since, besides with Streamlines, I can't use a long barrel with stock darts efficiently due to dead space, I'm just going to try to come up with a shotgun/scattering blast type of barrel for it instead.

I see... so if I want to use stock darts, I should use Tagger or Sonic Micro darts.


EDIT:
Anyhow, while I'm here:
Has anyone ever tried a barrel that can yaw to rear-load? (With some sort of sleeve to seal the gap.)



The gap would need to be large enough to permit the movement of the barrel, and the sleeve would need to be large and tight enough to seal it (line the inside with some fabric?).

Operation: When you are finished firing, you push the sleeve up, yaw the barrel diagonally, load another dart into the back, yaw the barrel back into place, pull the sleeve back down.

I've seen a lot of breech-loaders, rotating turrets, and whatnot, but has anyone ever tried this? WOULD IT WORK?

Because the nice thing about Nerf guns is that they're not limited by the same requirements as real guns. A real gun does NOT want two-piece barrel. It doesn't matter for a Nerf gun though.

Edited by Taishaku, 04 March 2010 - 05:29 AM.

[alberty]

Sort of...you may be fine with very fresh Streamlines, but I feel that they aren't weighted as well as other darts to fly straight. But, if you're looking for a faster and farther-possibly reaching stock dart, the Streamline would be for that.

As for your yaw thing, I think you're thinking of something similar to a break-barrel system, which has been done a in a few mods, the most recent I remember being a SS2.

[VACC]

Has anyone ever tried a barrel that can yaw to rear-load? (With some sort of sleeve to seal the gap.)

Search for it. You may want to search for "break" breach or barrel as well. If you can't find it, try it out for yourself. We erotically massage pure concept threads. If it's been done you should be able to find it, and if it hasn't you should try it yourself before launching a discussion regarding its merrits.

Not that what you asked was problematic, but it's our policy. Now you know.

[moosa]

I see... so if I want to use stock darts, I should use Tagger or Sonic Micro darts.

I'd recommend that if you must use stock darts, use the streamlines for an air gun. The reason for this I explained in my last post in this thread. For spring powered guns, or for air-powered automatic blasters, taggers or sonic micros are often the way to go. By the way, some people weight the tips of streamlines to help them perform a little better in powerful blasters.

[Blue]

I found this while editing the Directory, and I thought it was perfect for this.

Sorry for double post (will not happen again), but would SCH 40 PVC go well with BuzzBee darts, because I used 5 ft of it as a blow pipe, the put a BB dart in, and got semi-modded LS ranges...?

Are you asking others to confirm the results you got when you ran your own practical test instead of simply repeating your practical test?
That's seriously pathetic. If you have it on hand to try it, don't waste the time of others in asking them if it will work, just try it and find out.

This hobby is about experimentation. It's not about asking others if what you have done is right or wrong.

^^^^The bold and underlined part^^^^

Edited by Blue, 04 March 2010 - 10:32 PM.

[moosa]

The unfortunate thing is that people are very quick to try and tell you it is "wrong" after you've done it.

[VACC]

The unfortunate thing is that people are very quick to try and tell you it is "wrong" after you've done it. :rolleyes:

I think the obvious solution would be to go to a nerf war and shoot them with it.

People shouldn't worry so much about getting credit for things in a hobby with the attention span of a bunch of 13 year olds. The NIC's collective memory is almost entirely short-term. Believe me, I speak from experience.

[Taishaku]

Alright. There has been a lot of good information here, but I would like something close to a consensus.

I plan to buy 1/2" PVC. Not sure if I want Schedule 40 or 80.

What would be my best option for a stock dart in these cases:
1) SCH40 1/2" PVC (5/8" ID?)
2) SCH80 1/2" PVC (17/32" ID?)

I assume that the LBB is a high-volume air gun like the Titan? I am leaning toward the SCH40 with Tagger Darts. The barrel length being 12-13".

Edited by Taishaku, 07 March 2010 - 11:45 PM.

[Blue]

Alright. There has been a lot of good information here, but I would like something close to a consensus.

I plan to buy 1/2" PVC. Not sure if I want Schedule 40 or 80.

What would be my best option for a stock dart in these cases:
1) SCH40 1/2" PVC (5/8" ID?)
2) SCH80 1/2" PVC (17/32" ID?)

I assume that the LBB is a high-volume air gun like the Titan? I am leaning toward the SCH40 with Tagger Darts. The barrel length being 12-13".

Bring your intended ammo in the store with you and you will see, the top one fits over the heads and the bottom one only fits the body. Tagger Velcro is great in the top one, just glides right out. The stuff is cheap enough you can buy both no problem anyways.

[Taishaku]

Bring your intended ammo in the store with you and you will see, the top one fits over the heads and the bottom one only fits the body. Tagger Velcro is great in the top one, just glides right out. The stuff is cheap enough you can buy both no problem anyways.

Yeah, I intended to do that from the start, good to know what I am looking for.

Are the Whistler Darts the same dimensions as the Tagger Darts?

[moosa]

Pretty much. Just try it out, you'll see for yourself if they fit. I think you're probably best just sticking with Taggers though. People tend to think they perform a tad better than Sonic Micros, and I'm assuming that the velcro on the heads creates less barrel friction than the bare rubber of the Sonic Micros.