31 replies to this topic

[CaptainSlug]

I'm going to honest first off and say this: I HATE THE MAVERICK
It has a pathetically small plunger and serious mechanical problems that make it a terrible side arm.
Anywho I get these as gifts occasionally and try to tinker with them, but usually with little or no success. My previous clip system was unreliable and generally a real pain. So I decided to completely dissect the gun and try to figure out what it's most significant problems are and if they can be fixed some how. Having three whole guns to work with allowed me to try things I wouldn't normally have done without spare parts on hand.

I ended up with an effective, functional, and more consistently performing clip design that I have seen a few people do, but nobody has posted a write-up on yet (as far as I know but I don't do things to be first).

As you can see the turret can be dropped and replaced easily. Getting to that point took three days of tinkering to figure out how to make it work reliably by fixing certain parts.

Problem #1: Weak Turret Ratchet Mechanism
Anything I attempted to do in order to improve the seal interface between the turret and the plunger chamber resulted in friction that the turret ratcheting mechanism couldn't overcome and it would slip. Thus preventing the turret from advancing to the next barrel. I took the mechanism apart and discovered a fairly easy fix that I don't think anyone has remedied. Here's how the mechanism is put together.

The Hex Head fits into the back of the turret and is spring loaded by the slip clutch which fits inside of and locks in the ratchet body.

When the turret is spun by hand rather than by the trigger the slip clutch is pushed backwards against the spring by the Hex Head and the two unlock from each other. The slip clutch is the main reason the mechanism cannot overcome more friction. So all I had to do to fix that was to glue the Hex Head to the slip clutch making them a single part.

Any attempts to spin the turret by hand will actuate the trigger a bit. But the end result is that the mechanism can now advance the turret even under fairly stern resistance.

Problem #2: Weak Trigger Spring
The trigger spring controls half of the rotation cycle of the turret. In its default location it doesn't have enough force to do much so any added resistance to the rotation of the turret causes it to not rotate or get stuck. To solve this I moved the spring to this location. Alternatively you could simply add a spare spring here. Either way works fairly well.


The Rest of the Work
With those problems solved I could implement the next steps. I took the turret completely apart, removed the restrictors, drilled the pegs out of the restrictor pieces, threw the foward frame piece away, then cut the rear frame piece as show so that only one half of the orange collar piece was left and there was a clear path from it to the left side of the gun.

This allows the turret to be slid into position while the eject button is held down. The remainder of the orange collar keeps the turret locked onto the hex head while preventing it from wiggling up and down.

I used the rear receptacle piece from the turret to center the frame piece while I glued it to the left half of the body shell.
Any structural adhesive will do. I used IPS Weld-On #4 which is an extremely strong solvent adhesive. Liquid Nails, JB Weld, or even screws could be used. Also remember to glue the orange collar piece in place as well.
Remove the rear turret receptacle piece while the glue is drying to prevent it from also being fused.

And all that's left to do is put the turret back together. Add the center rod, spring, and end pieces to it as well as a 1/4" or 3/8" length spacer to the front inbetween the turret face and end piece. This keep the spring from pushing the rod too far out the back, which would make the turret more difficult to load.
The rod when the turret is loaded and locked in place inserts into the front of the frame just as before and prevent the turret from wiggling left or right. The turret, even though easily removable, is completely solid when installed and seals against the plunger face ever better than when the gun was stock.

And that's it. Now you can drop out the turret and drop in a new one by holding down the button and then spinning the turret as you release it.
At the moment I'm working on replacing the barrels of the rest of my turrets with PETG and eventually I will replace the plunger with the one from a NiteFinder. But for now I've solved the most annoying mechanical problems it has stock.

Edited by CaptainSlug, 02 May 2007 - 01:22 AM.

[Z-man12]

Thats an marvouls idea on the rotation problem. Never even thought of that. As always a steller jpb with your write up.

[neomike88]

Nice write-up. It makes those maverick turrets that much more expendable. Is it possible (even in the slightest chance) to make homemade turrets that will fit into the receptacle piece instead of buying extra mavs/spare turrets? That would be interesting. Anyway, great idea. I'll have to try this one day.

[Texansharpshooter]

Awesome. Clean and straight forward. I have a guy in our clan who may be able to use this mod (if he's feeling up to it anyways). Maybe its a little too early to ask this question, but do you have ranges? Or, are you going to replace the plunger before you test?

[Recruit]

neomike88, on May 2 2007, 11:10 AM, said:

Is it possible (even in the slightest chance) to make homemade turrets that will fit into the receptacle piece instead of buying extra mavs/spare turrets?

You Probably could ,but ask yourself is it worth it it spends 1-2hrs per turret once you get the process down. Remember you still have to first spend a lot of time and money designing and cutting materials only to do something wrong making you have to restart. Then after 2-5 days of work just to make your prototype. Then you get to devise a way to make these quickly.

In my opinion it is just not worth it.

[Gengar003]

I've had this done to my maverick turrets for a while... wasn't sure whether or not it merited its own write-up.

Reincorcing the roation mechanism, however... that's new. I'll be doing that soon.

[jwasko]

Those are some brilliantly simple solutions to the rotation problem. I was alwas a little afraid that if I tried to take the out the "ratcheting mechanism" it would fly apart and I'd never get it back together right.

Anyway, now that you've done this, a proper seal can be placed on the head of the plunger shaft and/or the back of the turret, using craft foam or some such material.

Edited by jwasko, 02 May 2007 - 10:18 AM.

[hierarchy]

Wow what an awsome mod I doing this mod first thing tomorrow. Also I like the ratchet work.

[watkins]

The fix for the rotation bit is fantastic. I've had that problem for too long. The glue is drying as I type.

[CaptainSlug]

neomike88, on May 2 2007, 05:10 AM, said:

Is it possible (even in the slightest chance) to make homemade turrets that will fit into the receptacle piece instead of buying extra mavs/spare turrets?

I can't imagine it being easy. Nor would doing that be any cheaper then buying another maverick to scalp the turret from.

Texansharpshooter, on May 2 2007, 06:35 AM, said:

Maybe its a little too early to ask this question, but do you have ranges? Or, are you going to replace the plunger before you test?

This modifications doesn't affect the ranges beyond making them more consistent.

Edited by CaptainSlug, 02 May 2007 - 02:07 PM.

[nerfer34]

I made a PETG turret for the maverick. I didn't use the outer stock shell, do you think it will still work?

I'm going to PM you.

[Master Yogurt]

Let me know if the PETG turret makes any significant difference. From what I've seen so far it's too much work for too little results, and I consider it a waste of time, but I'd love to be proven wrong. In my experience the Mav barrels are more or less perfect for the gun's small air load, but with an improved seal it could squeeze some extra power out. The outer shell should be irrelevant as long as the turret fits into the gun properly.

[CaptainSlug]

Quote

I didn't use the outer stock shell, do you think it will still work?

If you can still mount the spring-loaded rod so that it's stable enough to support the turret when it's in the gun then sure.

Master Yogurt, on May 2 2007, 10:52 PM, said:

Let me know if the PETG turret makes any significant difference.

They don't. But I'm doing it now because I plan to replace the stock plunger chamber.

Edited by CaptainSlug, 03 May 2007 - 12:31 AM.

[KBarker]

CaptainSlug, on May 2 2007, 10:29 PM, said:

Quote

I didn't use the outer stock shell, do you think it will still work?

If you can still mount the spring-loaded rod so that it's stable enough to support the turret when it's in the gun then sure.

Master Yogurt, on May 2 2007, 10:52 PM, said:

Let me know if the PETG turret makes any significant difference.

They don't. But I'm doing it now because I plan to replace the stock plunger chamber.

I got a huge increase in range when I replaced the barrels on my mav with CPVC. PETG would probably work equally well. The trick is to make them go all the way to the front of the turret to maximize their length, and them ram the darts down the barrels. This means you can't fire stock ammo though.

[CaptainSlug]

I did get a decent increase in ranges by changing the barrels (10 feet), but it's not a huge improvement over the stock barrels.

[DJRayza]

wow, my JB weld is hardening now

[Gym]

That looks pretty effective. I recently decided to mod. my mavericks to accommodate a drop clip, but have had some problems:

1. Increased number of misfires (so they are less reliable). I have taken into account the incompatibility of uncut tagger darts with the maverick.

2. One instance of a drop clip falling off/out of the gun.

3. A problem with the clip sliding forward and backwards on the rod, creating a problem of inconsistent seal with the plunger head.

4. Occasional rotation issues.

5. When it did fire a dart, the dart would only shoot approximately 3 ft. (possibly because of improper rotation combined with the sliding issue).

After reading your mod. I am almost positive that numbers 2, 3, 4, and possibly 5 can be fixed, but I'm still not sure about the misfire issue. You mentioned that you don't like mavericks, did you take on this mod. to fix some of the problems you experienced? I am also not a huge fan of the maverick, it's a good gun for the overall price I guess, but I have experienced a number of problems even before the drop clip mod. Do you think that your mod. fixes all of the problems I have listed? Thanks.

[CaptainSlug]

The added trigger spring solves your #1 problem.
Problem #2 can't happen because the clip is held down against the hex head and the rod locks into the front of the frame.
Problem #3 can't happen because the clip is held down against the hex head by the turret rear frame piece
Problem #4 is solved by glueing the slip clutch and adding the trigger spring
Problem #5 would only result from improperly assembling the turret in a way that leads to it being leaky.
I did this to solve all of the mechanical issues I have with the gun that would prevent me from bothering to attempt more advanced modifications. Such as making it a Nite-Mav or replacing the plunger with a pneumatic valve.

Edited by CaptainSlug, 04 May 2007 - 02:25 PM.

[kinkaid701]

hey guys, i just became a new nerfer, and i really need some advice... what would be the best start gun? i think personally it would be the [size=3]nite finder...[size=1]but im not sure. i know its the esiest dun to mod... whaddya think?

[CaptainSlug]

Definitely a NiteFinder. It's hands-down the easiest gun to modify.

[elchupathingy]

Id say the titian is the easiest to mod and well is the more enjoyable one to mod (get crazy range and power out of it in about 20 mins) but you know your choice.

Also making the extra turrets for the mav is something i could force my friend to make because he needs a project for cnc at my school. So he could draw it up once and cut it out a bunch of times throw the barrels in and bam new turret.

[Master Yogurt]

The Titan is worthless to mod because unless you shotgun it no one will let you use it, it takes a long time to prime and is rather worthless as a primary without heavy modification. Sure it might be satisfying to launch a dart 150', but it's a worthless endeavor.

Also, a Maverick turret isn't as simple as that. It has to be carefully machined - have you looked at the thing? Seriously, it wouldn't be as easy as you think.

[Daedalin]

Okay, quick question.

I glued the slip clutch together and did the trigger spring relocation. Now my turret either rotates slightly wonky- it doesn't always line up right- or the trigger locks up. Any idea what might be causing this?

Oh yeah, first post

[CaptainSlug]

Enough of the off topic debating. The Titan is DEFINITELY NOT something to recommend to a first-timer because it's a pain to get apart and requires a decent amount of cutting to do anything to it. The Nitefinder on the other hand comes apart and goes back together like a nice neat little puzzle.

Daedalin, on May 4 2007, 10:52 PM, said:

Any idea what might be causing this?

If you have a spare trigger spring try putting it in the original location so that you have two springs on the trigger. Make sure to pull depress the trigger all of the way before letting it return to the forward position.
Also make sure you put the trigger back in place correctly so that the tooth on the forward arm is seated in it's track rail.

Edited by CaptainSlug, 04 May 2007 - 11:39 PM.

[DJRayza]

Used it in a battle yesterday, it was so awesome for about 10-20 minutes, then I ended up using a modded x-stream air max

man THAT thing rocked (first time user, get that instead, it's only a simple barrel replacement mod away from 90+feet)