it uses ammo pre-loaded into these orange shells (same as Buzz Bee Double Shot). Stock clips hold six. But you can also load an extra round in "the pipe" (chamber) before inserting the clip.
here is the stock version (well, I sawed the barrel off this one). It went for 12 bucks CAD$ at Wal-Mart
for a basic view of the internals, you don't need to unscrew the barrel or bolt screws (on the yellow parts - on the current version of the blaster)
note that the plunger isn't very big. Nor is the airhose that runs from plunger tube to the chamber. The spring currently mounted (the silver one) is actually one I put in to try and increase the velocity. The original (the black one) is below the spring/plunger. Although the new spring is stronger, it hasn't made much of a difference in range. It only made the thing way louder. More importantly, it does not compress to the same extent as the original and thus, prevents the bolt from sliding back far enough to let the clip feed shells properly into the breech/chamber.
there are a few things going on in here. The blue lever cocks the spring while sliding the bolt back (to let the shell/cartridge move up into the breech).
When the lever is returned to the closed position, the bolt pushes the shell into the chamber and seals it (the black o rings). Also notice that between the O rings, there is a hole in the bolt. That hole allows airflow into the chamber when the trigger is pulled/the spring/plunger is released.
the orange thing on the right is part of the trigger. The orange thing on the left is part of the mechanism for ejecting spent shells (triggered when the white rod holding the spring is cocked back)
this is my blaster (without significant modification - only spraypaint). There are several velcro tabs on the blaster for attachments I've devised to catch spent shells. The velcro on the clips lets me stick two of them together (one upside down) for faster clip-changes.
This one only gets about 35-40 feet with stock micros but I'm trying to devise something (i.e. integrating a Lanard MaxShot plunger/spring and correspondingly larger gauge airhose) to increase its range. I wonder if even a nite-finder spring would do some good.
Also beware, if you don't use a smooth (though not necessarily slow) motion when cranking the lever, the ammo may jam. But after some practice, this blaster is pretty good for short/mid ranges (indoors).
I suppose length of a war is also an issue because unless you buy enough blasters (for extra clips), reloading shells and magazines is not as easy as groping for a dart and jamming it in a muzzle-loading blaster. I've tried to remedy this by buying a bunch of shell/dart refill packs and keeping them in an ammo bandolier (after Boltsniper). When the magazines are spent, shells can be directly loaded into the breech (without removing the magazine).
I figure it makes a decent (albeit, large) secondary. Not as compact as a Mav or Firefly but easier to reload (until you run out of clips). Again, you can decide for yourself.
I think I'm also gonna try to couple it with a modded maxshot. The rifle-style handle combined with the pistol-grip of the max shot should work well together. Not to mention, it gives the MS a stock.
Anyway, if I acquire any more "uncommon" blasters, I'll try to post more pics. Hopefully, others will do the same.
