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Brass Barrel Lock 'n Load

Brass barrel Lock 'n Load

Lock 'n Load brass barrel mod:

I decided to put a brass barrel in my LnL mainly as a test to determine the effectiveness of a 'reduced-friction' barrel/dart arrangement in a spring gun. It has been theorized (and I tend to agree) that the initial friction caused by the rubber tip of a Nerf micro in snug fitting PVC allows spring guns time for the plunger to travel, resulting in greater pressure. This school of thought is upheld by Nerf design itself since most spring (and low volume pump) guns are designed with a barrel constriction near the piston tube. This holds the dart in place until sufficient pressure has built up.

An added benefit from this mod is that it allows me to use the same darts (micro stefans) in all my guns.

 

I took the gun apart and sawed the stock barrel off just in front of the support ring leaving about 3/4" of the stock barrel. I then used epoxy to secure a 4" piece of 1/2" ID brass tubing such that it extends all the way back to the front of the piston tube. I had previously placed three small gobs of high temp hot glue at even intervals around the inside of the back of the brass barrel. These serve to keep the dart in the barrel rather than getting sucked back into the piston tube when I cock the gun. A bit more epoxy and a bead of hot glue secured the original barrel over the new brass barrel.

After letting it dry overnight it was ready to go back in the gun. Rather than do a spring stretch that would reduce the useful life of the gun I decided to add a heavy rubber band to the cocking lever.

 

I don't have exact measurements from range testing it but I can say that stefan micros get approximately the same angled range in the new barrel that whistling megas (much better than standard megas in this gun) got in the old barrel. The average angled distance is about 70-75'. The main difference I observed after the barrel replacement is vastly improved accuracy.

-Cxwq