30 replies to this topic

[frost vectron]

Hey guys,

A buddy of mine brought over his Sawtooth one day and asked if I could mod it. He's a good friend of mine, so I decided to make it bad-ass. He's moving to the East Coast after this summer, so here's his going away gift. I'm going to split this up into two parts. Part 1 will cover the in-line clip and sawtooth mods. Part 2 will address the AT2k integration. It's a little complicated. I went ahead with Part 2 because the cocking mechanism completely broke on me, so I had to build the Sawtooth so you cock it from the back (think of Angel's Sneakshot and Eagle Eye mods).

Part I
*Note that Part I will keep the original cocking handle. For Part 2, you must relocate the cocking handle. It will be addressed in the beginning of Part 2. Part 2 still uses the same barrel system and in-line clip.

Tools:
Dremel
Pipecutters

Or

Hacksaw
File

Materials:
Hot Glue/Any Adhesive
3/4" CPVC
3/4" CPVC to 1/2" CPVC Reducer
1/2" PVC Male Threaded Adapter
1/2" PVC Female Threaded Adapter
1/2" CPVC
1/2" PVC
9/16" or 17/32" Brass (Depending on dart size)
3/8" Vinyl Tubing (can be substituted for anything that fits into 1/2" CPVC)
Rattler Spring (Optional)

Procedure:
First we open up the gun. I took out all the clip advancing mechanisms. Here is what you should see.



The next thing is to dremel out the case so the 3/4" to 1/2" CPVC Reducer will fit directly onto the tip of the plunger tube (perfect fit! It was meant to be). Note the 1/2" side of the reducer is the side that fits onto the little nub. Once it fits, glue it in place.

Take an 8" length of 3/4" CPVC. Put that into the reducer you just slapped on the air chamber. You will now want a small 1" or so length of 1/2" CPVC. Put the 3/8" Vinyl Tubing inside of that. All this piece will do is act as a weight to help get the darts moving. The small diameter tubing inside is just to ensure that a dart does not go inside the 1/2" CPVC.



Now for the barrel end. You want to take your 1/2" PVC Male Threaded Adapter and fit it onto the 3/4" CPVC. You will notice that the 3/4" CPVC is slightly larger in diameter than 1/2" PVC. You will need to dremel around on the inside (the slip-on portion of the adapter) so it will fit over the 3/4" CPVC. Leave the threaded portion alone.



Now you want to take your 1/2" PVC female threaded adapter and put a small length of 1/2" PVC in the slip end. Mine is only about 3" long. I then put my 17/32" Brass inside of the PVC. This will act as the barrel. My brass is only about 3.5" long as well. You want your brass to be flush with the 1/2" PVC. You also want your brass to be flush with the female end as well. That means when you screw your barrel on, the brass will actually go inside of the male adapter.



That's it for the barrel. The system is a lot like Carbon's "In-Line Clip" (Link Here). The length of CPVC is long enough to fit 3 darts. You will also have one dart in the barrel as well. This means you have a total of four shots before having to reload.

The darts are lined up, front to back. They are loose in the 3/4" CPVC. You fire the first shot that is already chambered in the barrel. You point the gun down and cock the gun. The 1/2" CPVC + 3/8" Tubing is at the back of the line of darts in the 3/4" CPVC. It will push the front dart slightly into the 17/32" Brass Barrel. You point the gun up, fire. Now there are only two darts left in the 3/4" CPVC chamber. You point the gun down again, cock the gun. The next dart falls into the brass. The process continues. When the 3/4" CPVC is empty, you unscrew the barrel and drop four darts down the chamber. The fourth dart will stick up a little bit, so you just screw the barrel right onto that. At any time during a firefight, you can also load the darts in the front of the gun (like a traditional single-shot) so long as you have not pointed the gun down to chamber the next dart into the brass. If you do, you might get a "double-shot" (where two darts chamber into the brass and fire at the same time).

You will also want to do traditional cocking-gun mods, such as wrapping E-tape around the plunger and lubricating with silicone spray. The Sawtooth has a very small space for spring replacement. The plunger distance when the gun is cocked is very small, meaning you cannot replace the spring with more coils. The compressed length must be very small. I noticed the Rattler spring has the same amount of coils with a thicker wire gauge, so I used that as my replacement. You will also want to change the catch spring as well, because the stock catch spring is terrible.



Close the gun up, and you are finished with Part I.







Part II Coming Soon! Please be patient.

Part II

Here I will be relocating the cocking handle and integrating an Airtech 2000.

Tools:
Dremel
Hacksaw
File
Pliers

Materials:
Airtech 2000 Internals
Metal Wire (for trigger)
Keyring (for trigger)
Vinyl Tubing
Adhesive (Plumber's goop)

1.5" PVC Coupler (Pump handle)
10-32 Allthread steel rod (Cocking handle and pump handle)
(3) 10-32 Metal Cap Nuts
10-32 Regular Nut

1/2" CPVC (stock and AT2k Barrels)
(2) 1/2" CPVC Elbows (stock)

Procedure:

First you want to gut your AT2k. Do the normal mods--cut out the air restrictors and replace the barrels with 1/2" CPVC or whatever you feel like. You also want to cut the yellow tube that connects the pump to the air tank. You can throw away the entire yellow tube--it just isn't long enough. You will need approximately 18" worth of vinyl tubing to replace the yellow tube. I also cut off the Goo Chamber to minimize the at2k internals. You unscrew the six screws in the orange circular piece. Open it up, take off the rubber disc, drain the goo. Take your hacksaw to the clear chamber and cut it flush with the orange circular piece. Put the rubber disc back on, screw it back together, and fill the hole (where the goo tube used to be) with hot glue or plumber's goop. I also bent the metal rod that actuates the valve. This will help later when installing the at2k trigger. Also note to save that little black cap that goes over where the yellow tubing connects to the orange circular piece. That is important to making a seal (and allows you to take your gun apart later).



We have to shorten the at2k pump to fit into the sawtooth. You want the pump chamber to be approximately 4.5" long. The pump handle should be 5" long. Drill a hole near the tip to fit a 2.5" length of the 10-32 allthread steel rod inside.



Now we need to dremel some areas to make the at2k internals fit where we want them to. Follow these photos for modifying the case.













Now you want to start gooping things in place. The groove at the back of the at2k turret should fall right into the groove on the front of the sawtooth. Goop only one side to the case so you can still open and close the sawtooth if you wanted to. The at2k internals should also be gooped to one side of the gun as well. I also gooped the at2k tank to the turret for a perfect air seal. Bend your firing pin before gooping the airtank to the gun case!!



NEXT PART COMING SOON



You will also want to goop your pump to the rear of the case as well. Be sure to plug your pump before gooping it in place, because you will not be able to after you do so.



Now while that is all drying, we need to relocate the cocking handle. First I drilled a hole in the back of the plunger rod large enough for the 10-32 allthread rod to fit into. Drill a hole just a little bit on the small side, so you have to thread the rod into the plunger shaft. Use plumber's goop to secure this in place. Make the rod long enough so it sticks out the back of the case. A small hole needs to be dremeled at the back of the case to allow the rod to pass.



I now put a shoulder stock on the gun so the cocking handle won't make the gun uncomfortable to hold. I built it out of 1/2" CPVC and is attached only to one side of the case (the left side here). It's fairly straightforward. Cut out the stock to the size you want. Make sure to accomodate room for the cocking handle when the gun is cocked. PVC Cement or Goop the 90 degree 1/2" CPVC elbows onto the 1/2" CPVC pieces. I dremeled part of the case at the top to let the 1/2" CPVC sit inside of (more surface area will result in a stronger bond--remember that).





We now have to work on that at2k trigger. Make sure all your goop is dry before doing so. First take some of that metal wire and bend it so you have a nice small loop. This loop will poke out of the hole we drilled by the trigger area.





Now take the other end of the metal wire and wrap it tightly around the firing pin that you bent earlier.



Now you're ready for assembly. Take that tubing from the pump. Put the left side of the case just above the gun. String that tubing into those two holds you made in the left side of the case. String the tubing out through the mag-well (through that slot cut out for the trigger wire).



Now screw the left side of the case onto the gun. Remember that black threaded cap we saved from the orange circular piece? Put that onto the vinyl tubing, put the tubing onto the connector at the back of the AT2k. Screw that black threaded cap on for an airtight seal.

You are almost there. Take that 1.5" Coupler and cut it lengthwise. Drill two holes in the corners to let that 10-32 threaded rod inside. This technique is borrowed from my Mav Slider Repair. Fit the 1.5" Coupler on the top of the gun, get the rod inside of the two drilled holes, and cover the threaded rod with the cap nuts.





Finally. It is finished.









I also created a nice little video for you guys.



The ranges:

Sawtooth unit fires an average of 44'.
AT2K unit fires an average of 66'.

That's it guys. Feel free to post comments or questions.

I also wanted to say thanks to:

Angel, for answering some AT2K questions. I also drew a lot of inspiration from his Sneak Shot and Eagle Eye mods.

Carbon, for designing the In-Line High Capacity Clip which was heavily borrowed on for the main firing system.

Edited by frost vectron, 28 July 2007 - 01:51 AM.

[All Star]

Awesome Mod. dude! Just one question though: Why did you have to shake the gun in the video every time you shot it?

[Groove]

Not gonna lie, that looks pretty fuckin' awesome.


-Groove

[baseballnolan5]

Wow thats looks awesome. If your friend doesn't love it you should kill him.

[Texansharpshooter]

Awesome Mod. dude! Just one question though: Why did you have to shake the gun in the video every time you shot it?

He had to do that to make sure the next of the 3 darts advanced to prevent a jam. Though the shaking of the gun may look goofy, it greatly improved ROF as opposed to unscrewing the adapters in the front of the gun each time he fired. On a side note, great work frost, the gun came really nicely. I'm loving the paintjob.

[All Star]

Awesome Mod. dude! Just one question though: Why did you have to shake the gun in the video every time you shot it?

He had to do that to make sure the next of the 3 darts advanced to prevent a jam. Though the shaking of the gun may look goofy, it greatly improved ROF as opposed to unscrewing the adapters in the front of the gun each time he fired. On a side note, great work frost, the gun came really nicely. I'm loving the paintjob.

Thanks.

[AODL]

That looks so kickass, I could make a "Yo Mama" joke out of it. By far the best integration I've seen in a long time.

[SPU-Nerf]

Sick gun

The gun's theme song

[Retiate]

Amazing. I love how you make lesser known guns into such beasts. Plus it looks really awsome.
It's funny, every time my Nerfer friends see a Rattler up on eBay they're like "Oh! That's a good gun!"
...And my friend was saying he might have a Sawtooth somewhere...

[nerfer34]

Again, amazing mod.

I'm slightly confused about the sawtooth barrel setup.

Is this right?



Air flows around the stefans in the 3/4" pvc and hits the one stefan that's actually in the barrel?

[frost vectron]

Yep, that's exactly how it works, Nerfer34. The idea is borrowed from Carbon's creative clips, as well as the RSCB (or whatever order those letters go in).

I experimented with a longer 3/4" CPVC section (holding 6 darts), but the range suffered a lot. I cut it down so it would hold 5, but the range was still bad. The best mix seemed to be having 3 darts + 1 in barrel.

@ Texan, that's precisely how it works. The shake is to ensure the dart falls in. In theory, you should be able to just point it down and cock it, but I like to be sure. The little piece of 1/2" CPVC that is loose in the 3/4" CPVC rattles around and acts as a gravity weight to push the first dart into the brass. I had a lot of misfires without it.

My original prototype used 1/2" PVC instead of the 3/4" CPVC (hence all the PVC fittings as opposed to CPVC fittings). I seemed to get more power (less dead space since the PVC walls are thicker), but a lot of misfires because that little 1/2" CPVC wasn't in there. In hindsight, I guess I could have kept the 1/2" PVC as the main chamber and used the 3/8" Tubing with a few layers of duct tape. That would probably be the optimal solution to minimizing dead-space in the gun.

I am starting to think that the barrel isn't long enough. I might have to experiment with a slightly longer barrel--maybe 4-5 inches, as opposed to the tiny 3-incher on there now.

@ Retiate, Did you see that lot of 3 Rattlers going for $10? That was ridiculous. I was very tempted to buy it.

I also forgot to add that since the AT2K pump has been shortened, it takes 6 pumps to reach the equivalent of 4 pumps on a normal AT2K.

Just got back from having a little skirmish. Nothing has broke yet.
I do have to mention that this gun royally fks me over, though. I tried using it for a round, but I just couldn't get used to it. The whole right-hand, left-hand stuff owns me.

Edited by frost vectron, 28 July 2007 - 03:51 PM.

[Falcon]

Sweet mother of...of...

aww, heck. That thing HAS no mother.

It's one thing to post a mod. It's another thing to post a write-up. It's yet another thing to post said gun with write-up, and then post an update with a paintjob.

But it's ALL here, it's ALL clear and concise, and (above all) it's ALL here at once on one of the most amazing guns I've seen in a VERY long time. Clean integrations are a guilty pleasure of mine, but I'm not a huge fan of really complicated modifications, etc. I like them simple and trustworthy, rather than complicated and temperamental. Your old mods back in the day were excellent representations of the hobby back in that era of duct-tape, PVC, and stock darts. Now, in this new age of epoxy, brass, and complicated home-fabricated add-ons which are commonplace and everyday, you've hopped right in and caught up with the times and are "getting 'er done." Frost, of all the old Nerfers who've randomly reappeared in the last number of years, you take the cake.

Hell, you eat it too.

Edited by Falcon, 28 July 2007 - 04:40 PM.

[Forsaken angel24]

Wow, The best Sawtooth mod I have ever seen. The thing I like the best is the AT2K integration and how clean it looks and you did it with a turret. With a stock like that it kind of looks like the Crossbows bigger meaner brother.
Good work, I am really speechless.

[Steveep]

"F"-in' A! one of the cleanest, most practical mods I've seen. I give it a 9.9 out of 10. (I witheld .1 because I can't come up with something quite that good!)

Congrats, that's a fine piece if craftsmanship!

[bpso86]

Frost, that is one heck of a nerf gun. I love making guns that make people on the business end of the barrel say "Oh no, not that gun!", and you've definitely accomplished that here. I know the feeling, and it's sweet. Great mod, I've got an integration coming that will be about as functional (But a little bit more crazy on the appearance end).

[b00m13]

It's so beautiful that my eyes are actually tearing up...
dammit I need a tissue now.

[Carbon]

Wow.

You took the in-line clip and made it functional...the inclusion of the weight in the clip is brilliant! Plus, it's all clean as hell. Inspiring, I tell you, inspiring.

[frost vectron]

Wow Falcon, that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks man. I remember those days where we all thought duct tape made the coolest paint job in the world. I still have duct tape marks on some of my guns (most notably the Rattler) that I refuse to clean up because it reminds me of the old days. Brass and PETG are really incredible finds now. I think that these better barrel materials (and perhaps the availability of springs now) really push nerf mods and homemades to the next level.

Angel, the pump integration is much in the spirit of your Sneakshot and Eagle Eye mods. Those were brilliant in converting that stupid cocking handle with gears and things into the pump handle. Cocking the gun before "Part 2" was incredibly annoying--it felt like the entire thing was going to fall apart when I cocked it. And then it did. The stock was very much inspired by the Crossbow design. I knew that the cocking handle was going to be in the way when it comes out the back end like that. It's not bad on pistols since you are usually extending your arm when it is cocked. With larger guns, though, it's natural to hold it closer to your body. I didn't want that stupid handle to pinch any skin or have it bump up against the shoulder (which could possibly cause a misfire--the catch doesn't seem very strong compared to other guns).

Bpso86, I know what you mean. Seeing this thing aimed at me was a huge change in pace. Usually I was the one behind the big guns. Today I played light with small guns. This thing looks pretty scary. I was very hesitant to rush my buddy in the beginning of the day. I can't wait to see your integration as well.

Carbon, the only drawback of this particular version of your in-line clip is the low capacity. I knew from the start that 1.25" PVC wasn't going to cut it on the Sawtooth. The plunger tube is fairly small and the spring is very tiny. I knew right away that the deadspace would own me. I don't know if a follower kind of deal is possible with the high capacity version (I know a follower could be made, but I'm not sure how it would affect the clusters of four darts as opposed to single darts front-to-back). I know for sure that you could get huge ranges from the SNAPS because of the huge amount of air volume, even with deadspace at the front of the gun. Really though, it was your in-line high-capacity clip that inspired this design.

I hadn't anticipated mounting the AT2K at the bottom, so I had the complicated barrel system built first. After I added the AT2K, I think just single-barreling the Sawtooth would have been plenty of power. Now it just feels like overkill. I also think that another coupler cut lengthwise (probably 1.5" PVC coupler again) could be used to hide the little bits of AT2K sticking out from the bottom end of the gun.

Thanks for all the compliments guys, I had a lot of fun working on this and I'm very proud to share it here.

Edited by frost vectron, 29 July 2007 - 01:24 AM.

[nerfer34]

OK I have a couple of more questions.

1) Does the 1/2" cpvc slide freely int the 3/4"?

2) So to load this thing, you point the gun up(weight slides all the way back, break barrel and load darts, point down, shoot, repeat?

3)What guns do you think this would work best on? Will it work for airguns at all?

Thanks

[frost vectron]

1) Yes. The 1/2" CPVC slides very freely inside of 3/4" CPVC (at least for me). I'm pretty sure this is the case. 3/4" CPVC has almost the same O.D. as 1/2" PVC, but has much thinner walls.

2) There are two ways of loading the main gun. If time/cover/teammates allow it, you can go through the entire process that you described (though there should be a "screw barrel back on" somewhere in that list).

You could also load through the front like a traditional kind of single-barrel gun. I like this aspect because you can load it through the front at any time as long as you have not pointed the gun down yet.

Let's say there's somebody rushing at you--you fire a shot. Point down and fire again. This time you get him out. His team mate is on his way. You don't have to break the barrel open and add two more shots. You can load one dart in the barrel for a nice +1 dart before the enemy gets there. It's fast too. If you point it down and then muzzle load, you'll get a double shot.

When loading the in-line clip, I don't think it is really necessary to point the gun all the way up. As long as it's not pointing down, it will load easily. It is just coincidental that holding this particular gun up is the most comfortable way of loading it (cause the thing is so long). The weight is not very heavy and it slides freely enough where the darts can push it back easily if the gun is completely horizontal.

3) I think this kind of system could work on most nerf guns. Think of it as an R.S.C.B. I think the *best* nerf guns to use this with would be anything with a completely solid, airtight seal. If there are any leaks from the plunger head or from the connection to the in-line clip, range will be terrible. The dead space from the air chamber to the barrel is a lot more than your average single barrel mod. If the seal is airtight, then the gun will compress the air in the dead space and still be able to fire the dart. Any leaks and the air pressure will just zoom out from the gun.

I think the best guns to use this with would be something with huge air volume or large amounts of pressure (both of which the Sawtooth does not have, yet it worked somehow). With high air volume or pressure, you should be able to tweak the clip so it will hold a lot more ammo.

So yes, an airgun should be able to fire fine with this type of clip.

Best of all, the entire clip deal attaches to the reducer. This means you could create multiple pre-loaded clips and swap them out. You could even build a single-barrel attachment to squeeze out more range if you needed. I considered it, but thought it would make the gun a little too complex for me.

Also, the whole threaded deal could be replaced with a completely slip-on alternative. I decided to go for threads because the turning motion feels more comfortable to me. You also don't have to tighten it all the way, a few turns will be plenty. The seal is airtight after two or three complete turns, so that's all you need. I know a lot of people swear by couplers, and I think using another 3/4" CPVC to 1/2" CPVC reducer at the front, then putting your brass in the 1/2" CPVC end of the reducer (then covering that brass with 1/2" PVC) would be another optimal solution.

Edited by frost vectron, 29 July 2007 - 04:02 PM.

[vulcapyro]

Wow. WOW. IN. SANE.
The only downside would be that you'd have to track all the bullets down, unless you had a belt of 'em or... a clip. =O
EDIT: Wait, damn. Posted in the wrong topic.
>_>
<_<
*runs*

EDIT2: Well, though, it's still insane.

Edited by vulcapyro, 29 July 2007 - 10:12 PM.

[b00m13]

I think some people might find this link interesting for anyone that wants to do this kickass mod but don't have that classic gun.

http://cgi.ebay.com/...1QQcmdZViewItem

Yep, on the the very left, looks familiar?

Goodluck bidding, I wonder if the seller knows what he has.

[nerfer34]

Don't post ebay auctions that aren't yours!

[NerfCrazy]

that kicks so much ass, if I had a sawtooth I would totally do that!