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Nerf AirTech 3000

AirTech 3000 PETG barrel replacement mod:

My goal was to replace the stock barrels on the AT3k with 6" x 1/2" PETG tubing, increase the working pressure of the air system, and do something about that gootube power meter. The barrel material is very difficult to find and can be replaced with 9/16" OD K&S brand brass tubing for very similar performance.

 

First I opened the gun by removing the screws - no glued-on plastic rings! After opening it I plugged the overpressure release valve in the pump so as to achieve a higher pressure in the air tank. Simply place a dab of hot glue in the circular opening on the end of the pump tube - make sure it doesn't extend out beyond the plastic. See my SM750 mod for a pic of this. After plugging the valve you will be able to blow your air tank with over-pumping so I'd stick to 4 or 5 pumps max.

Next I unscrewed the goo tube. Be careful to hold it upside down (like in the picture) while unscrewing it so you don't make a mess. I then removed the rubber membrane, punched a hole in the middle of it, and drained the goo.

The hole in the membrane and the goo-free tube add a 'reserve tank' to your gun that keeps the pressure in your main tank from dropping as quickly when you fire a dart. I don't know if the distance improvement is measurable since I did all this at once but I figgure it can't hurt.

Instead of cutting the barrels at 'the line' about 3/4 of the way back, I cut them 5/16" behind the line. This gave me enough of a barrel stub to work with and removed all of the inner layer of the barrel. Take care while cutting the barrels not to damage the rotation mechanism or get lots of plastic debris in the air tank.

Next I cut a half inch chunk out of the middle of each stock barrel - right where the little tab sticks out to clip it into the center brace. After sanding these down until my PETG barely fit through them, I reassembled the center support, epoxied in my barrels, and superglued the barrel chunks to the center support. Before your epoxy dries, make sure the barrels are perfectly straight and prop the gun with barrels up.

Here's what the barrels should look like when you're done. Note the perfect alignment provided by the stock barrel support. Thanks to Spoon and the participants of the AirTech round table discussion thread for the background necessary for this barrel mod.

I printed out yet another Propaganda wallpaper tile for inside the translucent blue tube at the back of the gun. This one is called "Fifteen Cent Ramen" so that's how I'll refer to this gun in the future.

 

I range tested it at 5 pumps with 1/4" steel shot weighted micro stefans and a level shot on concrete:

long: 83', 3"
short: 71', 6"

Average: 76', 10"