17 replies to this topic

[godzillasoaker65]

Hi, im new here.

I just have some questions about modding the night finder, any help would be apreciated.

1)For the NF mod on the site, where can I obtain PETG besides on the internet?

2)What would be better for the NF mod, out of: PETG, brass, PVC, or a crayola barrel?(crayola barrel seems to short)

3)What is the elastic string, and a cocking mechananisim mentioned here?

4)Where are the air restrictors, and what do I do with them?

Sorry, if I asked a stupid question. I have no experience in Nerf, and have been modding Super Soakers for a couple of years.

[grunty]

the elastic string is a rubber band and the air restrictors are behind the berrel unless you put in a diffrent berrel its pointless to mod it

Edited by grunty, 31 May 2005 - 02:08 PM.

[ssgtsiler]

You can allways substitute PETG with CPVC. CPVC is easier to get ahold of, and I used it with a .5 copper coupler to make a good nitefinder.

[Sqiggs89]

If there is a petco near where you live check there for PETG. I don't know about any other places but ours has some.

[Team Slaya]

First of all, welcome to Nerf Haven, and nice first post.

1- I've searched for a thread on here, and other sites for that matter, on the topic of finding stores that sell PETG, and have found none. Contact frank8715, because thats where i got mine.

2- I think either PETG or crayola will work, because i've done both and they work about the same ( crayola works better.) Here is the mod I used to PPK mod my NF, which was the crayola one, but my crayolas were shorter, so i only used a 5 1/2" PVC case around the crayola, and it works for me.

4- To expand on what grunty said, a good way to find air restrictors is to look through the barrel with a flashlight, or take the gun apart and look through it. Anything that blocks your view, except for the plunger that is, is an air restrictor, and you will get better ranges from better airflow if you dremel/punch some holes through it.

Hope this helps and good luck

TS

[AirApache]

I just stuck 4 inches of brass and I'm getting ranges on the high end. When you remove the air restrictors, the one where you're told NOT to remove, instead of not just removing it, glue the sides up and drill a whole in the middle so the air is redirected with a higher velocity. That way you've just used an air restrictor to your advantage.

[MysticNinja]

I recommend brass simply because in my experience PETG has been too tight and I don’t like the way it looks. For spring guns tight isn’t really a bad thing for range, but it slows down rate of fire (ROF). The same is true with CPVC. There are ways around this like stretching your foam. Four inches is the excepted norm for NightFinder (NF) barrel lengths.

Great first post, welcome

By the way you can find bass at most hobby shops that carry supplies for model cars and trains. 9/16 is the normal size that most people use, but carry a dart and just match it to your foam; you want a perfect fit, not to loose not to tight.

A good night finder mod; Raggy used PETG because that’s all he had at the time and the guns was something new and he wasn’t sure if it was worth brass.

[hellsangel]

In my experience even if you just take the air restrictors out and smooth the stock barrel and add bands you still get 65+ feet. I have several NF but my personal favorite is the one that I did not put a barrel on. If you do put a barrel on I have to agree with AirApache and MysticNinja that you should use brass. Hope that you got the answers you needed.

[godzillasoaker65]

Thank you for all the help. I forgot to mention that I have the newer NF ex-3. I don't think there are any difference between them except that mine clips on to the Titan, and has a weaker spring. I just want to make sure, because in moding other things I have broken them stupidly, and want to get good at Nerf. Also what size spring does the origanal NF have, because I plan on replacing it.

[footemps]

well, my ex3 had the old nightfinder spring or something close to it, but i got an even stronger spring from my cut down eagle eye. If you have an EE i'd reccomend it, the nightfinder will pack as much punch as the EE and more in a smaller size.

btw: I get 45' with only the new spring and restrictors removed. I'm adding a barrel when I can.

Edited by footemps, 03 June 2005 - 01:44 AM.

[ssgtsiler]

IF you want springs, just go to your local (small) hardware store. They should have a drawer full of them. I found some, took 'em home and they reaplaced the dumb looking rubber bands on my NF- works the same, maybe better too.

[MysticNinja]

A small point about spring replacements most people tend to over look:

Usually when you pick up that pretty new strong ass spring, it’s thick coils glistening in the sun, it’s love at first site. But the thing is, she’ll break your heart. Most of the time the stronger springs you get from a hardware store, they’re thick coils and few of them, often to long or to short. And remember lads it’s not the SIZE that counts (dare I say it’s not even the length?) what really matters is how the spring is made; some springs can look week but often much stronger than those thick gaudy springs whoreing them selves up and down the hardware selves. Just remember, when it comes to springs, experimentation is good, but don’t be a spring whore. You never know when one day you’ll come home and old faithful Mrs. Rubber Band has left you.

[ssgtsiler]

Ninja is right, the length can be shorter, as long as the spring is a bit thicker, therfore providing more resistance? to a pull, making it shoot faurther. I was worried that the spring would be longer, making it hard to fit back into the case and close it properly. However, it was short, and gave better preformance than a stock spring. Thats what happened with mine.

Edited by ssgtsiler, 03 June 2005 - 05:01 PM.

[godzillasoaker65]

I think I'll leave the spring for now. I'm going to get some brass today. I tried the mod with a crayola barrel, and didn't get that much of an improvement, but that was probably because it was too short. One more thing, I am afraid that the thing you pull back, and it clicks(plunger handle) is going to break because of the rubber bands. It is bent slightly downward, and am thinking if I can use the rubber bands to make it in the middle somehow. I am just concerned, because I put on A LOT of rubber bands, great performance, but wouldn't fire, because it was bent too much. I had to push the handle up to fire. Once again, thanks. I like this forum, because I don't have to wait 5 days for decent help!

[ompa]

Don't put THAT many rubber bands on- I only have 5 or 6 regular rubber bands on mine. You risk blowing off the endcap of the plunger tube with that much force. Even with only 5 or 6 bands, I'm getting around 70' with brass (flat shot).

~ompa

[godzillasoaker65]

I couldn't get brass so I got 1/2 copper, and epoxeyed some 3/8 copper into that. The darts fit pretty snuggly, and I get about 55 flat, and 60 angled. Is there anymore range mods I could do? I figured how to make it not bend, but I guess I'll only put on 4-5 now. Also, how long should the barrel be? I think mine is too long, and is decreasing the range.

Zilla65

[MysticNinja]

I’m not positive about your darts.. but I’d have to say you may be better off using CPVC over that barrel combo.. though I’ve never tried it.

Most barrels are 3-5 inches or so 4 being the norm, but like I said your in uncharted water (for me anyway) as far as barrel material. The 1/2 copper is rather large bore and you shouldn’t need much because chances are it’s not helping a lot.

[LordoftheRing434]

Perhaps nest a crayola in PVC. I did it to mine a few months back, and I have yet to be disappointed. It gets 65+ feet flat. It's very easy, quick, and quite effective. I know it isn't used much anymore, as CPVC and brass are common, but I like this traditional mod. It's reliable. If you pick up another, I recommend this highly. You won't be disappointed.

~Rings

PS: I don't really worry with spring replacement. Good ole' rubber bands always do the trick.

Edited by LordoftheRing434, 05 June 2005 - 09:14 PM.