19 replies to this topic

[Fome]

Given the rising popularity in pump-action homemades and their alleged superiority on the field, you may find that your trusty pull-back SNAP is being left out of the action. This is a simple modification to the traditional pull-back SNAP design in order to make it pump-action and therefore quite a bit more viable.


Keep in mind that nearly all of the materials, construction methods and pipe sizes can be substituted for something else. It's up to you to decide what kind of materials you'd like to work with and make individual adjustments to the design accordingly.

Also, you'll need to make your own measurements so don't expect them in this writeup.



One of the biggest problems with doing a pump action setup in a SNAP is that the available distance you have in the front of the gun is much smaller than the stroke of the priming handle. By using part of the barrel and hopper assembly to form the base of your priming rail, you are given a much greater distance to work with without actually altering the basic design of the SNAP.

Here is the slide rail, which consists merely of a 1/2" T, an elbow (I used a 1/2" CPVC street elbow) and a length of pipe which will slide smoothly inside of your foregrip. The priming rail should also be elevated in such a way that the slide fits comfortably underneath the plunger tube. You will also need an attachment site near the other end of the blaster.



And here is the foregrip:



Again, it can be constructed in a variety of methods and more durable materials but the concept is the same. I used 3/4" CPVC built to 1" PVC, wooden dowels, a wooden board, epoxy putty for structural support and 1" screws. The idea was to make a simple slide just to see if it would work without the spring, but despite the shoddy construction can fully compress a [k26] without visible stress marks. Even so, I will probably make another one with different stuff.

And just to illustrate how simple this modification actually is, by popping off the front 1/2" T and unscrewing the endcap at the end of the plunger, you can easily remove the entire assembly, returning to a pull-back setup.

Edited by Fome, 30 September 2010 - 02:25 PM.

[durka durka]

I love how it's completely removable. Also, I like how it has a nice wooden trigger instead of just a small metal bracket.
Great job.

Edited by durka durka, 26 September 2010 - 11:05 AM.

[Fome]

Thanks durka.

I'm a little perplexed over the apparent lack of interest in this, especially from the more experienced SNAP builders, but whatever. Here's some progress shots:








I've primed a [k26] to nearly full compression easily at least 100 times now and the priming sled has no stress marks or fractures. Even if it were to break, the entire foregrip and sled can be removed in seconds and replaced.

Comments are more than appreciated.

[SonReeceSonJensen]

Dude, just…wow. Functionally yeah it kicks the ass but the aesthetic adaptations are just tits. I think putting actual tits on it might be the only thing left for you to do.

Actually, the fact that everything is so easily adaptable to any size or make or model whether it is length of draw or width of PT might just be the those 'tits'.

Sorry, I don’t know anything about plunger heads or spring compression math or schmancy trigger mechanics but I DO know that this is wicked BA.

[qwertyupp]

Thanks durka.

I'm a little perplexed over the apparent lack of interest in this, especially from the more experienced SNAP builders, but whatever.

Maybe they don't like wood.

[LotusNerf]

Honestly, the thing is that this is quite amazing, but nobody knows what to say about it, besides "that SNAP looks so awesome" and the like. But I have a few questions. What do you use to bond/hold together the plastic and the wood? And what material is that piece that conceals the clothespin trigger?

[Y-Brik]

Thanks durka.

I'm a little perplexed over the apparent lack of interest in this, especially from the more experienced SNAP builders, but whatever.

Maybe they don't like wood.

Naah, that's an east coast thing. I do like this setup, just waiting to see it come to fruition. Oh and Fome, all your shit is so BA it intimidates the rest of us. We're used to plastic, not so much woodcrafting.

[Fome]

Maybe they don't like wood.

I don't get what that has to do with the design of the pump-action conversion - which could be made entirely from pre-fabricated PVC parts if desired. Wood is a great material that's very easy to shape and cut with very basic tools. Hardwoods specifically (which is what most wooden dowels are made from) are also very strong.

What do you use to bond/hold together the plastic and the wood? And what material is that piece that conceals the clothespin trigger?

I've used both hotglue and 2 part epoxy and really haven't had any durability issues with either. "Scoring" the plastic or hitting it with a rough grit sandpaper will help greatly. Also, I try to add attachments with large footprints so that there's much more surface area and therefore adhesive strength to the PVC. In my more elaborate SNAPs I usually smoosh some epoxy putty on the wood-pvc transitions to give a more blended organic look. Anything that's attached behind the trigger hole is pretty much fair game for screws but you need to rely on adhesives for anything that will run along the actual usable volume of the plunger tube.

The material is a thin, slightly flexible basswood that you can iterally cut with a hobby knife to the desired shape. You can also soak it in water and bend it around corners for more creative cosmetic and ergonomic features.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

[domo0]

Good job Fome, that is one of the best looking Snaps I have Seen.

[BustaNinja]

Thanks durka.

I'm a little perplexed over the apparent lack of interest in this, especially from the more experienced SNAP builders, but whatever.

Maybe they don't like wood.

SNAP builders enjoy a perplexingly large amount of vagina, so they typically shy away from wood...

Lol, sex joke.

Eh, I honestly like it Fome. it makes it look like a toy, and it is a toy. Its awesome.

[Daniel Beaver]

I like it a lot, especially the easy conversion between pump-action and pull-action. I usually start the day using a hopped and pump-action, and switch to a blaster with a speedloader later in the day when I'm low on darts. The extreme length of my SNAP-2 means that I can't really use it with a speedloader, so a more standard SNAP is suitable.

I will be building one of these eventually, to test it out.

[TantumBull]

I love it. Doesn't really help me personally because I don't have any solid plunger Snap's anymore, but this is really cool. Very clean and adaptable.

Also, are all those wooden parts screwed on or just glued? I apologize if I missed the answer to this in this topic or another.

Oh and that M16-esque top handle is just hawt.

[Fome]

Also, are all those wooden parts screwed on or just glued? I apologize if I missed the answer to this in this topic or another.

The only piece that isn't mechanically fastened to the main body is the wooden plate in front of the carrying handle. It serves no other purpose than cosmetics. The "plates" that cover the trigger are also only glued on, but again they serve a purely cosmetic function.

[qwertyupp]

I'm a little perplexed over the apparent lack of interest in this, especially from the more experienced SNAP builders, but whatever.
[/quote]
Maybe they don't like wood.
[/quote]
SNAP builders enjoy a perplexingly large amount of vagina, so they typically shy away from wood...

Your the only one who got what I meant.
For the record, that looks sick.

Edited by qwertyupp, 28 September 2010 - 08:58 PM.

[Fome]

Standard pull-back:


Pump action "converted", without stock:


Unprimed:


Primed:


Not 100% finished, still working on a compatible dart door and I want to put some orange tape on the tip. I'm also experimenting with homemade decals, but we'll see how that goes.

Enjoy!

[utahnerf]

I love the cosmetics. What is the name of the blue paint? It looks amazing. I'm currently using Rust Oleum metallic blue. It's sparkly.

[Fome]

I love the cosmetics. What is the name of the blue paint? It looks amazing. I'm currently using Rust Oleum metallic blue. It's sparkly.

Thank you.

I dunno, I'm actually in China right now so I can't really check. It's some sort of metallic paint I got at Michael's. They make an entire line of different colors and metallic tints that look really good when drybrushed on black. The red and green are very difficult to work with however, for some reason. They're also 5x cheaper than Games Workshop paints.

I'll update this post when I get the name of the paints.

[Boot]

I'm actually in China right now

Nice! Where in China? If it's Beijing bring home some SM1500's, There cheap as anything here

On a more related note, I love how you arrange everything on these Snaps; they honestly look like they could be stock blasters (in a good way )

Edited by Boot, 13 October 2010 - 04:35 AM.

[Fome]

Haha whoa! I'm living and working in Guangzhou for at least a year.

I checked out a toy store earlier today just on a whim and I only saw the newest dart tag, N-strike, and N-force stuff. The cool thing was they actually had a whole slew of guns out of their boxes so people could mess with them. I'll definitely look around though.

And thank you. SNAPs are functional and cost-effective but ugly and usually not very comfortable. The ergonomics and cosmetics of SNAPs has been my main focus.

[Boot]

The big toy stores generally keep up to date, but its the free markets that get the interesting stuff (just with some digging), They get their stuff from factory warehouses; shipments that never were sent out.

Actually, if you ever get some time, check out 淘宝, it's like a cross between Ebay and amazon and has some great stuff, like this new style SM1500 for $6.50:

http://item.taobao.c...m?id=5231206961

Gosh I sound like a salesman now don't I... Oh, and shipping is also dirt cheap

Anyway enjoy you're stay in Guangzhou, good to see other Nerfers in this general area