4 replies to this topic

[Flaming Hilt]

I have to admit I'm surprised this hasn't been done yet. It actually makes me a little nervous that maybe my searching skills aren't up to par. Or that I'm the only one who likes the Longstrike, which is fine. Anyways, here's what we'll be doing today:



As you can see it fits with the subtitle. This is ridiculously simple and ups the awesome of the gun a LOT. So, go get plus or minus 14" of your favorite color 2"+ plastic pipe. I say plus or minus 14" because you may want more space for your hands. Take 10" and add the amount you want to be the grip, and there's your length. I say 2"+ because I used 2" and it was a little small, but it works.

Here's the cut you want to make (read whole writeup first, look for ***):


with about 3/4" of width on the beam. Looking from the front, there should be only a tad more than half of the circumference left.

Next, take your cocking rod and dremel this cut on the side that won't come off.


It comes off now. I have been told the rod will unscrew from the handle, but have never had any luck or seen it demonstrated. Myth, I say, myth!

Drill a pilot hole and then a 3/16" hole 1/2" in from the back of the beam on your plastic pipe. Thread the rod through.


The texture (I don't know what else to call it) on the rod should keep one side in place, and the length of the rod keeps the other side from slipping out. You can dremel the rod to make it the right length (2u3/4"), then epoxy it in, but I'm keeping mine this way for now. It doesn't stick out enough to be a hazard.

Now get two of your favorite screws which are at least 3/4" long and drill holes for them in either side of the location pictured below, then screw them in.


Now you're done. Almost. Here comes the ***. Notice that when forward, the grip has a little bit of pivot room:


To ameliorate this, you can leave in this triangle when cutting your grip:


I would do it that way if I had foreseen the problem. But it works well enough for me now.

Unless you lube up the grip there should be no problems with your hand slipping off because of the backwards angle. But, if you don' t like the way it looks, you can use pipe with a larger diameter.

I don't foresee the beam breaking, but it can be reinforced with another slab of plastic pipe, or a slab or plastic sheet, or epoxy your favorite type of metal pipe to it if you're nervous.

Enjoy!

[Airsoftguy777]

So it is a Deploy that cost $30 and doesnt transform?

[Broderick]

Nice idea, the main reason I haven't bought a Longstrike yet is because of the awkward way you have to reach back to prime it, almost up to your shoulder--- well, actually the real reason is because I don't want to drop $30+tax, but you see my point.
Because of the "overhang" that the grip has, would'nt you think a different design would work better? I think that you may want to shorten the rod that connects to the priming bar and just connect the grip via another small bar. That, or maybe make it so you have a straight peice of PVC or whatever material you're using, cemented to an elbow that has another piece going straight down to the grip. Maybe you'd have a coupler on each side, or some method of connecting it; it'd probably be easier with polycarb or something, but again, you get the idea.
Will you be bringing this to the war on the 25th in Seattle?
Edit: Airsoftguy, don't shoot the idea down; I think you're missing the point. Hilt says in the OP that he likes the Longstrike, and maybe he wanted to make it more ergonomic?

Edited by Broderick, 16 April 2010 - 09:20 PM.

[alberty]

That looks like a great start. I think that it would probably be better if you could have the foregrip actually parallel to the blaster, like in previously-done Longshot foregrip mods, or even possibly use the front barrel attachment as a guide for the foregrip, like with previously-done Recon foregrip mods.

Of course, that's just conforming to how the foregrips have been done before, maybe this is more comfortable for you, I wouldn't know myself.

[Flaming Hilt]

Airsoftguy -- If you want to put it that way, yes. Personally, I like the look of the Longstrike infinitely better, and I find it much easier to modify. I could go on about pros and cons of each, but I think in the end it's just an opinion.

Airsoft/Broderick -- The University actually paid for this gun, so the $30 price tag was no obstacle for me. Admittedly, I find it mysteriously better than the deploy. It could be psychological.

Broderick/Alberty -- Using pipe with a larger diameter would put the foregrip parallel with the rest of the gun. I used what I had lying around from a previous project, but hopefully it is obvious how one would do it with a larger diameter pipe. Other than aesthetics, it works fine. I am absolutely not dissing the kits sold by other members here on the forums, but it is a much cheaper option (and aesthetically, you get what you pay for). Perhaps this will usher in a new era of foregrips: ones that are not level! ...perhaps not.

Thank you all for the constructive criticism. This will be at the Seattle war on the 25th.