This topic is locked
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.
