Alright, so the Trracer rail finally fell off of the gun.
I used Gorilla Glue white, which seemed kind of soft. It had good adhesion to the nylon, but either I didn't have enough bonding area, or it seems a bit weak.
Most troubling was I got some paint on there, and it seemed to wick into the glue itself, which is a bad sign. The point where it wicked into the glue is where it first came apart... so probably don't want to use Gorilla Glue for paintball related stuff.
I'm going to try good old fashioned epoxy next.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Azodin Inline Regulator
Picked one of these up so I could run my mag on CO2 again.
So first thing -- I opened the top half just to get a look at it and make sure it had enough lube. Looked like it, so I put the thing back together.
Gassed it up, noticed it was only doing like 2-300 PSI.
Tried turning it up, but the snap ring retainer was blocking the nut, so I ripped that out, gassed it back up...
... and the thing just started venting continuously.
So I pulled the bottom piston out to find a very fucked up o-ring. Neither buna nor urethane. No idea what it was. Pulled a matching buna o-ring out of a Tiberius parts kit and reassembled.
Worked fine, dialed the PSI up to about 450, nearing the effective max of the regulator, and sent about 100 shots of CO2 through, with no problems.
Recharge was OK; seemed fast enough for what I'm going to be using it for.
Finally, a CO2 tolerant regulator that doesn't cost $100! Fuck Palmers.
Need to make sure all the threads/etc are metric or standard. The fitting is definitely standard.
If they were smart, the pressure adjustment screw would be 1/8" NPT as well, because then you could just reuse a fitting plug. Chances are probably not though.
So first thing -- I opened the top half just to get a look at it and make sure it had enough lube. Looked like it, so I put the thing back together.
Gassed it up, noticed it was only doing like 2-300 PSI.
Tried turning it up, but the snap ring retainer was blocking the nut, so I ripped that out, gassed it back up...
... and the thing just started venting continuously.
So I pulled the bottom piston out to find a very fucked up o-ring. Neither buna nor urethane. No idea what it was. Pulled a matching buna o-ring out of a Tiberius parts kit and reassembled.
Worked fine, dialed the PSI up to about 450, nearing the effective max of the regulator, and sent about 100 shots of CO2 through, with no problems.
Recharge was OK; seemed fast enough for what I'm going to be using it for.
Finally, a CO2 tolerant regulator that doesn't cost $100! Fuck Palmers.
Need to make sure all the threads/etc are metric or standard. The fitting is definitely standard.
If they were smart, the pressure adjustment screw would be 1/8" NPT as well, because then you could just reuse a fitting plug. Chances are probably not though.
Using the Azodin Inline Regulator on my Automag
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Scenario Paintball Sucks
People have been talking to me about scenario games more and more often over the recent months. I try to temper my words, but really, scenario games kind of suck.
While we were on the field last week, one of the refs commented that it's fat guys that like the scenario games the most.
There is the idea of scenario paintball -- that is, you're running some scenario pretend game with a bunch of other players...
... and then there's the reality of scenario paintball.
I'm one of those players that will typically show up in the morning (if I wake up) and play every single game until there are no more players left to play with.
This is not what I've seen of most players, much less scenario events. I don't know if it's a physical fitness thing or lack of interest or what, but most people tend to peter out and not play as much as possible. Most of the time, people will sit out games so they can shoot the breeze in the staging area or something. Clearly, as an antisocial paintballer, that holds little interest for me.
For rec games, that's fine. If the teams are fucked up, the refs will juggle them up and balance things out, and you can get back to the direct action.
But for scenarios, and even big games, that doesn't work because teams are set. So if you got stuck with a team that didn't come to play, well, you're screwed.
And that's the problem of scenario paintball. People don't show up to play. Even if they're on the field, they're not out there to play. So if they didn't come to play, what are they doing?
Look at all the videos. It's just an excuse for people to go out and indiscriminately dump paint like it's going out of fashion. Much like the 10-year-olds who go to a paintball field but prefer to blow their paint on the target range instead of in-game because they don't have the balls for the real thing. These guys go to scenario games and stand there dumping paint on literally *nothing*. I'm sure the people running the event love it though.
That's assuming they're on the field. They don't even manage that sometimes. Maybe they're in the staging area dicking with their faulty equipment. Maybe they're in the staging area just cutting up and shooting the breeze.
Or maybe they're in the staging area too wiped out from the previous night's drinking. Clearly, if you came hung over and not well rested, you didn't come to play.
I drove this far and paid this much for what?
Fuck that.
This is unfortunately the other side of the soft argument of "as long as you have fun, do what you want". Because for some people, being useless does in fact represent fun.
And that might not even be the worst of it...
While we were on the field last week, one of the refs commented that it's fat guys that like the scenario games the most.
There is the idea of scenario paintball -- that is, you're running some scenario pretend game with a bunch of other players...
... and then there's the reality of scenario paintball.
I'm one of those players that will typically show up in the morning (if I wake up) and play every single game until there are no more players left to play with.
This is not what I've seen of most players, much less scenario events. I don't know if it's a physical fitness thing or lack of interest or what, but most people tend to peter out and not play as much as possible. Most of the time, people will sit out games so they can shoot the breeze in the staging area or something. Clearly, as an antisocial paintballer, that holds little interest for me.
For rec games, that's fine. If the teams are fucked up, the refs will juggle them up and balance things out, and you can get back to the direct action.
But for scenarios, and even big games, that doesn't work because teams are set. So if you got stuck with a team that didn't come to play, well, you're screwed.
And that's the problem of scenario paintball. People don't show up to play. Even if they're on the field, they're not out there to play. So if they didn't come to play, what are they doing?
Look at all the videos. It's just an excuse for people to go out and indiscriminately dump paint like it's going out of fashion. Much like the 10-year-olds who go to a paintball field but prefer to blow their paint on the target range instead of in-game because they don't have the balls for the real thing. These guys go to scenario games and stand there dumping paint on literally *nothing*. I'm sure the people running the event love it though.
That's assuming they're on the field. They don't even manage that sometimes. Maybe they're in the staging area dicking with their faulty equipment. Maybe they're in the staging area just cutting up and shooting the breeze.
Or maybe they're in the staging area too wiped out from the previous night's drinking. Clearly, if you came hung over and not well rested, you didn't come to play.
I drove this far and paid this much for what?
Fuck that.
This is unfortunately the other side of the soft argument of "as long as you have fun, do what you want". Because for some people, being useless does in fact represent fun.
And that might not even be the worst of it...
Testing: Marker Efficiency
Look at this shit. 18 posts, not a shred of fucking verifiable, decent data. Just a bunch of half-cocked suggestions.
i want a very efficient marker help me out
I don't know why this is so fucking hard (unless my physics assumptions are off).
All these shitheads that do "efficiency" testing are just looking for an excuse to shoot and dump paint; they don't give two shits about science or data.
After the testing is done, they still haven't produced any sort really usable metric, aside from a rather non-useful datapoint like "x number of pods off a 68/45".
Here's what you do.
Take your gun. Make sure everything is in a steady state as far as temperature. (No hot fills!)
Record all conditions -- paint used, barrel/bore used, ambient temp, etc.
Chrono it.
Remove everything from the gun except for the tank.
Weigh it.
Reassemble the gun.
Take X number of shots; however many it takes to get enough of a weight change to show up on a scale. Depending on the quality of your scale, maybe it will be 50 shots, maybe it will be 100 shots.
Remove everything from the gun except for the tank again.
Weigh it.
Divide the weight difference by the number of shots.
That is the amount of propellant you use per shot.
THAT IS THE FUCKING NUMBER WE NEED.
i want a very efficient marker help me out
I don't know why this is so fucking hard (unless my physics assumptions are off).
All these shitheads that do "efficiency" testing are just looking for an excuse to shoot and dump paint; they don't give two shits about science or data.
After the testing is done, they still haven't produced any sort really usable metric, aside from a rather non-useful datapoint like "x number of pods off a 68/45".
Here's what you do.
Take your gun. Make sure everything is in a steady state as far as temperature. (No hot fills!)
Record all conditions -- paint used, barrel/bore used, ambient temp, etc.
Chrono it.
Remove everything from the gun except for the tank.
Weigh it.
Reassemble the gun.
Take X number of shots; however many it takes to get enough of a weight change to show up on a scale. Depending on the quality of your scale, maybe it will be 50 shots, maybe it will be 100 shots.
Remove everything from the gun except for the tank again.
Weigh it.
Divide the weight difference by the number of shots.
That is the amount of propellant you use per shot.
THAT IS THE FUCKING NUMBER WE NEED.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Automag valve weights
Sticking the AA aluminum piston housing on there drops a classic valve within an ounce of an X-valve.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
First Strike thoughts
Finally played with FS rounds for this first time this weekend. Only fired four shots all day (not including chrono); the fourth one wasn't really a shot as the mag had leaked air in the interim. Out of the other three shots, one was a confirmed elimination (I believe it was a head/neck shot); another one I don't know if it hit the target or not.
There's a lot of fluff about what these rounds can and cannot do. Here's my view of the situation.
These do increase the effective range that you can engage a target at.
With normal paint, I normally try not to engage people over 70 feet away. Note that I'm not a "accuracy by volume" player, so this is sort of the max effective range that I feel comfortable/confident in hitting my target.
The "target" is a source of ... annoyance in some of these range tests. Some of these guys perform range tests and consider hitting a standing target anywhere a success. I think that's bullshit, because then you're fucked if your opponent is even partially behind cover, which is most of the time unless you're playing against total idiots (in which case it's not even worth using the FS rounds).
Realistically, I'm aiming for something specific. Usually a mask or hopper, because that's what's presented to me. Furthermore, they are hard points which are more likely to get a break. Sure, you can extend the range to include soft targets, but if your paint doesn't break, then what difference does it make? You haven't extended your "range" -- you've just extended the amount of paint you waste.
So the effective range must take into account target size. Mask or gun.
From the groupings and testing that I saw, I think this winds up being somewhere between 100 and 150 feet.
Effective range also has to take into account your opponent's ability to get out of the way of incoming paint.
Since sound perception is logarithmic, and sound dropoff is proportional to the inverted square of the distance, that means at the increased distances, the target is slightly less likely to hear your shot in the first place.
The reduced speed dropoff also means the paint gets there faster.
The paint also happens to be a neutral color, which is harder to spot in flight than something hot pink or fluorescent orange or something. I've always preferred darker, more sedate colors of paint shell for this reason.
(Incidentally, their neutral color also makes it hard to track the rounds -- might be worth airbrushing the backs with something bright to help trace them.)
All three combine to decrease the opponent's ability to dodge incoming paint, thus increasing its effectiveness.
There's also a less commonly mentioned use for this paint. The flatter trajectory allows for additional shooting situations, particularly in the woods. Sometimes you will get a target which is within range under normal conditions, but you can't hit him because the arc of your paint path will hit something, usually a tree or building or something.
With a FS round, you can send a shot underneath all the foliage while your opponent is trying to lob his paint through branches and trees to get at you. Also applies to buildings with windows and other unusual bunker conditions.
(Clearly, the converse is also true; you can't use FS rounds to land sneaky drop shots on unsuspecting players.)
So these rounds represent a reasonable increase in effective range and shooting situations, in exchange for rather steep cost. They're not the end-all-be-all of paint, and I think for most people, the rounds aren't worth using, but like many high performance products designed to push the boundaries, they can be devastating when paired with a skilled operator.
They seriously need to make a shorter rifled barrel though. 14" is fucking ridiculous. And no, I'm not fucking buying one and cutting it down.
(Skip to 1:40 for FS action)
There's a lot of fluff about what these rounds can and cannot do. Here's my view of the situation.
These do increase the effective range that you can engage a target at.
With normal paint, I normally try not to engage people over 70 feet away. Note that I'm not a "accuracy by volume" player, so this is sort of the max effective range that I feel comfortable/confident in hitting my target.
The "target" is a source of ... annoyance in some of these range tests. Some of these guys perform range tests and consider hitting a standing target anywhere a success. I think that's bullshit, because then you're fucked if your opponent is even partially behind cover, which is most of the time unless you're playing against total idiots (in which case it's not even worth using the FS rounds).
Realistically, I'm aiming for something specific. Usually a mask or hopper, because that's what's presented to me. Furthermore, they are hard points which are more likely to get a break. Sure, you can extend the range to include soft targets, but if your paint doesn't break, then what difference does it make? You haven't extended your "range" -- you've just extended the amount of paint you waste.
So the effective range must take into account target size. Mask or gun.
From the groupings and testing that I saw, I think this winds up being somewhere between 100 and 150 feet.
Effective range also has to take into account your opponent's ability to get out of the way of incoming paint.
Since sound perception is logarithmic, and sound dropoff is proportional to the inverted square of the distance, that means at the increased distances, the target is slightly less likely to hear your shot in the first place.
The reduced speed dropoff also means the paint gets there faster.
The paint also happens to be a neutral color, which is harder to spot in flight than something hot pink or fluorescent orange or something. I've always preferred darker, more sedate colors of paint shell for this reason.
(Incidentally, their neutral color also makes it hard to track the rounds -- might be worth airbrushing the backs with something bright to help trace them.)
All three combine to decrease the opponent's ability to dodge incoming paint, thus increasing its effectiveness.
There's also a less commonly mentioned use for this paint. The flatter trajectory allows for additional shooting situations, particularly in the woods. Sometimes you will get a target which is within range under normal conditions, but you can't hit him because the arc of your paint path will hit something, usually a tree or building or something.
With a FS round, you can send a shot underneath all the foliage while your opponent is trying to lob his paint through branches and trees to get at you. Also applies to buildings with windows and other unusual bunker conditions.
(Clearly, the converse is also true; you can't use FS rounds to land sneaky drop shots on unsuspecting players.)
(Skip to 4:40 for sneaky drop shot)
So these rounds represent a reasonable increase in effective range and shooting situations, in exchange for rather steep cost. They're not the end-all-be-all of paint, and I think for most people, the rounds aren't worth using, but like many high performance products designed to push the boundaries, they can be devastating when paired with a skilled operator.
They seriously need to make a shorter rifled barrel though. 14" is fucking ridiculous. And no, I'm not fucking buying one and cutting it down.
Marker durability testing
There some bullshit parade on PBN regarding the Zodiac ZR1 paintball gun and its supposed reliability. I haven't checked back on that thread lately. Probably just more of the same people acting like shills for paintball companies.
I don't have much of a problem with the gun or the company, I just think the main guy in the thread is a major cock smoker and is talking a bunch of unsubstantiated shit.
He did make some claim about the ZR1 being the most reliable marker by design.
Claims of this type are rarely properly substantiated (the Tippmann nut-huggers do the same), which got me thinking... there should be some sort of standardized test setup to test reliability.
So the idea is to bench rest a gun with a hopper. It needs a constant supply of air, so a high pressure compressor or a bunch of scuba tanks would be necessary.
If it's electro, then it needs a constant supply of electric power.
It needs a constant supply of "paint", or reballs if possible. So I figure there will be a hopper on top of the gun, and then a paint catch with another forcefeed hopper which sends the paint right back up to the first hopper.
The last thing is the trickiest. You need a way to count the shots. For an electro, it would be easiest to just use the board's electronics, but I'm not sure how reliable that would be. So I guess you'd have to use an optical break-beam, much like what's used on the chronographs. The computer chronos might already have everything necessary.
Anyways, you rig up the entire setup and let the thing run until failure. Note that this really means run to failure, not "run enough until you're convinced". For this to have any real benefit, you have to run it untouched straight to failure and then inspect the failure. Was it the detente? Was it a bolt o-ring? A broken sear? What was the failure mode? Did it stop firing? Did it totally lose velocity control? When did it occur?
Then you take every gun you can find and run it through the gauntlet.
I don't have much of a problem with the gun or the company, I just think the main guy in the thread is a major cock smoker and is talking a bunch of unsubstantiated shit.
He did make some claim about the ZR1 being the most reliable marker by design.
Claims of this type are rarely properly substantiated (the Tippmann nut-huggers do the same), which got me thinking... there should be some sort of standardized test setup to test reliability.
So the idea is to bench rest a gun with a hopper. It needs a constant supply of air, so a high pressure compressor or a bunch of scuba tanks would be necessary.
If it's electro, then it needs a constant supply of electric power.
It needs a constant supply of "paint", or reballs if possible. So I figure there will be a hopper on top of the gun, and then a paint catch with another forcefeed hopper which sends the paint right back up to the first hopper.
The last thing is the trickiest. You need a way to count the shots. For an electro, it would be easiest to just use the board's electronics, but I'm not sure how reliable that would be. So I guess you'd have to use an optical break-beam, much like what's used on the chronographs. The computer chronos might already have everything necessary.
Anyways, you rig up the entire setup and let the thing run until failure. Note that this really means run to failure, not "run enough until you're convinced". For this to have any real benefit, you have to run it untouched straight to failure and then inspect the failure. Was it the detente? Was it a bolt o-ring? A broken sear? What was the failure mode? Did it stop firing? Did it totally lose velocity control? When did it occur?
Then you take every gun you can find and run it through the gauntlet.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Camera Notes: Drift HD
Just got mine in today (10/21).
So they bailed on the handlebar mount in the package. Great. Need to make one...
I was going to goggle mount this bitch, but I just realized that my Vents Avatar has goggle straps on the inside of the panel, not the outside...
Gonna have to figure this out...
... 2 days later.
I looked over the camera and the goggles and came up with some solutions for mounting the camera. Mounting stuff seems to always be an issue with these things.
For starters, here's a size comparison of the Drift against the HD Hero and the old piece of shit ATC3k. Clearly, the form factor is comparable to the ATC3k, so it's a suitable on-gun replacement if you can figure out the mount.
Here's a shot of my Vents mask. Note that the goggle strap is on the inside of the panel, and there are no continuous surfaces to stick the mount on.
So, zee plan eez... I take one of my spare Vents mask retainers and drill a 1/4" hole through it.
Then I cut out a matching oval out of a silicone cooking mat, and punch a 1/4" hole in that using a sharpened archery shaft I had laying around. Finish up with a 1/4"-20 screw cut down to just the right length...
Assemble and... VIOLAS.
The mount is quite secure and probably has a lower profile than the mount that came with it. The caveat is that it's not a quick-release mount, so if I have to take it off to futz with it... well it's not a simple process. Like if I get shot on the camera. ("BEECH MOVE!")
I also constructed an on-gun mount using similar methods. I took a 5 inch strip of Kydex and wrapped it around a barrel, drilled a 1/4" hole in there, and made a similar silicone washer to snug up against the camera. Haven't tried it out yet, but I think it will hold.
Here's a sample video.
A couple of rambling, bumbling thoughts:
So they bailed on the handlebar mount in the package. Great. Need to make one...
I was going to goggle mount this bitch, but I just realized that my Vents Avatar has goggle straps on the inside of the panel, not the outside...
Gonna have to figure this out...
... 2 days later.
I looked over the camera and the goggles and came up with some solutions for mounting the camera. Mounting stuff seems to always be an issue with these things.
For starters, here's a size comparison of the Drift against the HD Hero and the old piece of shit ATC3k. Clearly, the form factor is comparable to the ATC3k, so it's a suitable on-gun replacement if you can figure out the mount.
Here's a shot of my Vents mask. Note that the goggle strap is on the inside of the panel, and there are no continuous surfaces to stick the mount on.
So, zee plan eez... I take one of my spare Vents mask retainers and drill a 1/4" hole through it.
Then I cut out a matching oval out of a silicone cooking mat, and punch a 1/4" hole in that using a sharpened archery shaft I had laying around. Finish up with a 1/4"-20 screw cut down to just the right length...
Assemble and... VIOLAS.
The mount is quite secure and probably has a lower profile than the mount that came with it. The caveat is that it's not a quick-release mount, so if I have to take it off to futz with it... well it's not a simple process. Like if I get shot on the camera. ("BEECH MOVE!")
I also constructed an on-gun mount using similar methods. I took a 5 inch strip of Kydex and wrapped it around a barrel, drilled a 1/4" hole in there, and made a similar silicone washer to snug up against the camera. Haven't tried it out yet, but I think it will hold.
Here's a sample video.
A couple of rambling, bumbling thoughts:
- The thing's got some pretty serious fisheye.
- Wee bit of purple fringing around the edges.
- Image quality is reminiscent of a really, really, good keychain cam. Detail is good, but the colors are somewhat off; the Gopro and Contour are slightly better. Might be fixable in postprocessing, but it's not exactly terrible. Low light performance is also not quite as good as a Gopro.
- The remote control is great, although the design is totally awkward. The thing isn't curved or anything, and the velcro strap sucks. Also have no idea if it's waterproof.
- Battery life is iffy; recommend getting a second battery. Apparently you can't use one of their extended batteries, either. And these are proprietary batteries as well, tsk tsk.
- No lanyard attachment point?
- The casing looks pretty good; but there are a few questionable things:
- The microphone section looks a bit weak.
- The speaker section also looks weak.
- Now, if they were smart, those would be isolated surface transducers or something, and underneath would still be sealed up
- But really, I don't think the speaker needs to be that... out there. As long as I can hear the beep, that's all I need. Considering the thing's right next to my head...
- And before you say it -- if you really want sound in the video review, they should use bluetooth for that. See Contour GPS I think.
- Does have a 720 60fps mode for those of you who care.
- 9MP photos is actually pretty decent
- Rotating lens allows for more flexible mounting options
- Has a standard 1/4"-20 standard mount in the camera itself, unlike the Gopro. Honestly, the Gopro is the most awkward camera to fucking get mounted on anything.
- Capable of external mic... this is what pushed the purchase over the edge for me, as I can use it for other things like narrated videos...
- Replaceable lens.
All in all, this is a pretty good helmet/paintball gun cam. Picture quality is not quite up to Gopro, but the built-in 1/4" hole and rotating lens allows for better mounting. And the remote control and external mic capability round out the features, but the drawback is clearly the cost at like $370 or something.
I think the closest competitor would be the Contour Roam, although it doesn't have a 60fps mode. If you don't care about that stuff, I'd say that might be a better option at $200. Super caveat: non-removable battery.
Couple other pics.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Don't have anything useful to say or contribute? Complain about looks.
Planet Eclipse Etha -- $400 inline "etek geo"
Only takes 4 posts for someone to jump in and complain about "looks":
What a fucking shithead.
Is complaining about "looks" too mainstream? Don't worry, you can always fall back to complaining about plastic.
Guy managed to complain about looks and plastic in the same fucking post. There's got to be some razor that can be coined here.
Literally, the guy has nothing to add to this thread, or probably any thread, ever. This is why I wish 'ignore' was more of a common feature on these forums.
Same goes for the ModernIntel life partners. Always complaining about anything plastic.
There's nothing wrong with plastic if used correctly. Plastic can be light, strong, and durable.
If you disagree -- how's that aluminum hopper working out for you? Or your aluminum pods? About ready to turn in that crappy composite air tank for a totally aluminum one? How about a nice Tippmann style cast aluminum mask?
Of course, sitting down and asking the question, "Is this appropriate?" is far too mentally taxing on these folks, so they like to just keep it simple and hate everything plastic. Especially if they have nothing else to say.
For example: complaining about how a useless decorative magazine is made out of plastic. Really. How exactly is a decorative magazine going to be more functional if it's made out of metal? IT'S NOT. The only thing you can do with an aluminum one is anodize it. Are you planning on rocking a hot pink UMP magazine or something? Fucking fruits.
You should be complaining that there's a useless decorative magazine in the first place, not the fact that it's made of plastic.
Fucking annoying.
Only takes 4 posts for someone to jump in and complain about "looks":
What a fucking shithead.
Is complaining about "looks" too mainstream? Don't worry, you can always fall back to complaining about plastic.
Guy managed to complain about looks and plastic in the same fucking post. There's got to be some razor that can be coined here.
Literally, the guy has nothing to add to this thread, or probably any thread, ever. This is why I wish 'ignore' was more of a common feature on these forums.
Same goes for the ModernIntel life partners. Always complaining about anything plastic.
There's nothing wrong with plastic if used correctly. Plastic can be light, strong, and durable.
If you disagree -- how's that aluminum hopper working out for you? Or your aluminum pods? About ready to turn in that crappy composite air tank for a totally aluminum one? How about a nice Tippmann style cast aluminum mask?
 |
| http://www.the-whiteboard.com/autowb066.html |
Of course, sitting down and asking the question, "Is this appropriate?" is far too mentally taxing on these folks, so they like to just keep it simple and hate everything plastic. Especially if they have nothing else to say.
For example: complaining about how a useless decorative magazine is made out of plastic. Really. How exactly is a decorative magazine going to be more functional if it's made out of metal? IT'S NOT. The only thing you can do with an aluminum one is anodize it. Are you planning on rocking a hot pink UMP magazine or something? Fucking fruits.
You should be complaining that there's a useless decorative magazine in the first place, not the fact that it's made of plastic.
Fucking annoying.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Visual Reviews Checks out Raiders Cup and Exclusive Tippmann Gryphon Paintball Marker Reviews
2:42 "Promoting paintball to people who don't have the cash flow to start out at."
If you don't have the cash flow, then don't do it. It's better to not get into it than get into it and immediately waste your money on shit products. Terrible fucking advice.
This isn't about promotion of paintball. People in this category should rent their equipment until they're ready to make the commitment and buy decent stuff.
This is about Tippmann wanting to cut into the money that people would otherwise have spent on renting equipment. It's not like the Gryphon is going to replace the 98 as the standard bearer for a rental marker, so all this sub-entry-level-marker can possibly do is cut into the rentals.
2:52 "When I started, I had a 98, it was a great gun, just like this."
OK. For starters, 98's are not "great" guns.
Often, one of the reasons why 98's are cited as being "great" guns is "you can beat them against a tree and they'll still shoot." You should try that with the Gryphon and let us know if they're similarly great. If they're not similarly great, then perhaps you should not allow this transfer of greatness from the 98 to the Gryphon occur just yet.
Furthermore, it's clear you don't know the Gryphon very well, so it's premature on your part to be calling it a great gun as well. It almost sounds like you're biased in some fashion...
2:55 "You got the 98 internals."
Sort of. You have a cheapened version of the 98 internals. Yes, it is possible.
3:02 "Center feed"
This is actually kind of hilarious. The center feed is a good idea, don't get me wrong.
What's funny is Tippmann refused to do a centerfeed for the 98. For all these years, people have been wanting a centerfed 98; even some of the guys on Tippmann Effect would get the Rufus Dawg centerfeed mod. Tippmann refused to make a center or left feed, citing that right feed was what made sense for right handed players. (I know, right?)
They finally make a centerfed gun, and it's the fucking Gryphon. Talk about shitting on your customers.
Furthermore, in an attempt to shorten the profile up, they moved the feed neck back. But the breech is still in the same relative location as the 98. Is this magic? What's going on here?
If you look closely at the internals, the feed neck is actually an elbow. So technically, this actually raises your hopper higher above the gun. Just what every player wants, right?
Plus, your paint doesn't drop straight down into the breech. It has to go around a bend first, and hits the chamber at an angle which is in the same direction as the barrel. NOTHING COULD GO WRONG WITH A DESIGN LIKE THAT, RIGHT? Yeah. Good catch there, buddy.
3:04 "A5/X7 threaded [barrel]"
The place where you thread the barrel on is bizarre. It's actually this nose that's screwed into the body.
3:11 "Inline ASA just like on the phenom"
Which is great, unless you don't like the ASA. Then you're fucked. Also, the ASA is held in by one screw and a mating plastic bit in the grip. Good luck with that. People have broken the ones on the Carver One.
3:16 "You don't need lines restricting you from shooting."
Air lines don't restrict you from shooting. Unless they're in a ridiculous location.
The real benefit here is you don't spend money on macroline and fittings.
Come on man. Go get yourself a coffee and come back and do the video after you've woken up.
3:24 "The gripframe has been moved down."
The benefit of Tippmann's inline valve is that you can still have a single stack profile -- at the expense of a longer gun.
By moving the grip down (and it very literally is down as well as forward)... you've now made the thing as tall as a classic double stack gun, but it still basically retains the ridiculous length. Worst of both worlds!
3:36 "Blade trigger for smoother trigger pull."
How does the fact that the trigger is shaped in a "blade" make the trigger pull "smoother"?
3:42 "There's 6 screws to get the body off and 8 more inside. You can look at it as a con, but it's actually a pro. It's not meant to be taken apart and fixed up."
Let's get it straight. I think it's 8 screws to get the external shell off. And then 7 more screws underneath that. Plus the 2 screws for the breech. And then 2 more for the valve lock screws. That's an unprecedented 19 screws. Tippmann really outdid themselves this time. And I thought the TPX was bad. By the way, the majority of those screws look like they're self tapping. Self tapping into all plastic construction. Shitty.
This is all bullshit of course. What happens if you break a fucking ball thanks to the fact that there's no anti-chop, and the thing is packaged with a shake and bake hopper and an internal elbow that feeds paint laterally into the breech. I guess beginners don't deserve to clean out their guns.
If 19 screws is a "pro" for the gun, then I have a great idea. Tippmann should go ahead and just glue the entire thing together. Hey, that way you don't have to worry about stripping screws! Damn dude, you are a genius.
4:10
Seriously. Chrono test. Shooting at a target is good. But can we see the grouping?
At least this guy was shooting at a field and wearing a mask this time, not like that SocialPaintball moron.
This isn't a review. It's an advertisement.
Why the fuck is everyone so eager to be a fucking corporate shill in this sport? I hope you at least got paid for your efforts.
Of course, if you got paid, then you should probably say so.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Slightly better pics of the Trracer mag...
Someone also called it the Tac-1/2 Shortbow, lulz.
I suck at photography.
I suck at photography.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
"U.S. Army Project Salvo by Tippmann Paintball Gun Review and Testing in HD"
Who is this shithead, and why would anyone be interested in what he thinks about another garbage Tippmann marker?
0:57 "If you break a ball in the breech you know how hard that can be to clean out."
All that fucking decoration and still no anti-chop. Great.
Why not make the useless STOCK optional and make the ACT bolt standard?
1:58 "You can put allen keys, o-rings, spare screws, anything like that if you want."
Useless shit. Tools are not allowed on the field. Come on man, have you ever actually even played paintball?
2:31 "Got your velocity adjustment right here by an allen screw."
Convenient for you to turn up in field with the allen key you put in your otherwise worthless decorative magazine!
And let's not overlook the fact that "gas port size restriction" is the shittiest velocity control method available, one minor step up from not having any control at all.
2:53 "Also comes with this pull through squeegie"
Yep, the marker comes with a pull through squeegie because they KNOW you are going to be chopping.
Why not include the ACT bolt and make the useless stock and the squeegie optional?
3:06 "... as well as a barrel blocker."
Oh cool, a barrel plug from the 90's. Upgraded with elastic cord. Guaranteed to scuff up the end of your barrel after repeated uses!
3:50
What the fuck, are you shooting this at a golf course or something? That would at least explain your shirt.
Have you ever tried visiting a paintball field, bro? They might have some useful stuff there. Like a fucking chrono. And a mask you can borrow.
4:00
Shoulders the gun via the tank. What the fuck is the stock for? Oh, it's so you can rest your cheek/side of face on it while looking through the sight. Good thing you're NOT WEARING A MASK, HUH?
4:11 "It's got a really good feel; a really good kick to it."
This probably doesn't even need a comment.
4:17 "I gotta do this again." [Proceeds to spray paint all over the place.]
OK, but if you do, would you mind FUCKING AIMING AT SOMETHING AND PRODUCING A GROUPING?
Distinctly missing from this video: A FUCKING CHRONO TEST. THE MOST BASIC FUCKING PARAMETRIC TEST YOU CAN MAKE OF A GUN, OTHER THAN WEIGHING IT. OH, OOPS.
What a total fucking shill. CorporateShillPaintball.com.
Urethane vs. Buna
The blowout in my AA Vigilante regulator yesterday was a result of a compromised polyurethane (urethane, no relation to urethra) o-ring around the large brass piston inside.
So I started looking for replacements. The o-ring is very close to a tank o-ring, and I have a large pack of those that I keep in my parts pod. I pull them out. Not quite the right size, but worth a shot.
I stretch one out to fit the o-ring. It snaps.
I try another one; that breaks as well.
I'm just a simple minded animal, so I try another one. That breaks.
I've read elsewhere that the aging of polyurethane is still not a completely understood process. It continues to "cure" and become brittle over time or something, which is what I have definitely experienced with many o-rings.
When I look for replacement o-rings of any type, Buna always comes up, and it's always freakin' cheap.
So what's the difference?
Apparently, polyurethane is more durable, so it's good for moving seals -- stuff like bolts, regulator pistons, etc.
Buna is good for static seals -- stuff that doesn't move.
For my vigilante, I probably want a urethane o-ring.
The more interesting question is what should I replace my now-dead tank o-rings with? Urethane or Buna?
For my HPA tanks, I think buna works just fine. I tend to leave my tanks on the gun and never remove them (having an on/off with bleed helps), so in that case it's more like a static seal.
If you're using CO2 where you MUST remove the tank to get it filled, you'd think you'd want urethane. However, CO2 seems to seriously fuck up urethane o-rings anyways. So you're still losing.
On the other hand, I think buna o-rings last much longer in storage than urethane ones do. They aren't as prone to becoming brittle like I've seen with urethane ones.
So given all this on top of the enormous price differential between buna and urethane (a urethane tank o-ring is like 50 times more expensive than buna), I think buna is probably the way to go for tank o-rings.
Also, side note: the reg seat that came with my Vigilante was worthless. Was some sort of hard acrylic plastic that didn't seal properly, leading to extremely hot shots if you let it sit for any amount of time. Replaced with an Automag reg seat (see, there was a reason I bought these things); worked fine after that.
So I started looking for replacements. The o-ring is very close to a tank o-ring, and I have a large pack of those that I keep in my parts pod. I pull them out. Not quite the right size, but worth a shot.
I stretch one out to fit the o-ring. It snaps.
I try another one; that breaks as well.
I'm just a simple minded animal, so I try another one. That breaks.
I've read elsewhere that the aging of polyurethane is still not a completely understood process. It continues to "cure" and become brittle over time or something, which is what I have definitely experienced with many o-rings.
When I look for replacement o-rings of any type, Buna always comes up, and it's always freakin' cheap.
So what's the difference?
Apparently, polyurethane is more durable, so it's good for moving seals -- stuff like bolts, regulator pistons, etc.
Buna is good for static seals -- stuff that doesn't move.
For my vigilante, I probably want a urethane o-ring.
The more interesting question is what should I replace my now-dead tank o-rings with? Urethane or Buna?
For my HPA tanks, I think buna works just fine. I tend to leave my tanks on the gun and never remove them (having an on/off with bleed helps), so in that case it's more like a static seal.
If you're using CO2 where you MUST remove the tank to get it filled, you'd think you'd want urethane. However, CO2 seems to seriously fuck up urethane o-rings anyways. So you're still losing.
On the other hand, I think buna o-rings last much longer in storage than urethane ones do. They aren't as prone to becoming brittle like I've seen with urethane ones.
So given all this on top of the enormous price differential between buna and urethane (a urethane tank o-ring is like 50 times more expensive than buna), I think buna is probably the way to go for tank o-rings.
Also, side note: the reg seat that came with my Vigilante was worthless. Was some sort of hard acrylic plastic that didn't seal properly, leading to extremely hot shots if you let it sit for any amount of time. Replaced with an Automag reg seat (see, there was a reason I bought these things); worked fine after that.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Field Impressions of various equipment
Took my abominations out to the field today and got some time in with them.
Trracerized Mag
Mag seemed to work just fine; the Gorilla Glue I used to mount the rail seems to be strong enough to hold the Rip Clip. Very fun gun to play with; very versatile. Not quite the death machine that my Q-loaded X-valved Y-Gripped gun is, but plenty good enough for rec.
Doc's Mag to Cocker Adapter
Worked fine as well; I had one break, but given all the equipment I was trying out simultaneously, I could not tell what caused it. Possibly caused by the step from the adapter into the Freak barrel, possibly a chop (did not have time to tune the LX bolt); I don't know. No velocity/consistency issues. Very, very consistent. Like, retardedly consistent.
SA-17 Magazine
Worked fine on the mag. Definitely not a piece of equipment you want to use when it's raining though... That was a disaster. The big hump that obscures sighting down the barrel is a bit of a bummer, but oh well.
Mounting it mag-backwards is convenient for reloading, but potentially jabs you in the face. Also, it blocks the use of the rail for a possible sight/scope. So I think forward is the way to go.
The feed plug is a BITCH to rotate. Recommend using lots of grease to help make it easier.
Dangerous Power RAPS v2
Had this on the mag. Works quite well. They didn't include screws in the package though, cheap fuckers. Only caveat is it has air ports out the sides (instead of inline like my Bob Long Cam Drive) due to the lever. However, it does have ports on both sides so you can pneu it or put a gauge on it.
Empire Trracer
Had difficulty shouldering the Trracer; need some sort of cover on my 13ci tank. Was also butting against my hydration pack strap, which is relatively new for me as well. Quite the red letter day now that I think about it. Compounding the problem was the regulator I put on the back, which I could not quite get cranked high enough, was kind of poking my face, and eventually blew a piston o-ring for which I have no replacements. They really should have made provisions for at least a regulator-as-upgrade-that-doesn't-jam-into-your-face.
The gun's not too bad, but nowhere near as consistent as my mag. A bit long for my tastes; have a WWA tip on order to shorten things up. Would like to move the pump foregrip closer in as well; need to figure that one out.
Still, very fun to play with. Just not my "business" gun.
Rip Clip
Definitely the biggest disappointment of the day. From testing at home, I knew it would be inconsistent... but the damn thing jammed up BAD as soon as I tried to use it. With a short stack, it was fine (which will probably be fine as I'm going to use it really with a tac cap), but with a packed hopper, it totally jammed up. From initial troubleshooting, it looks like paint is getting bound up on that noodly spring in front of the beads. And instead of being deflected, the paint wedges itself in there REALLY tight.
Wound up just saying fuck it and pulling the SA-17 mag off the Trracer and putting it on the mag. That worked totally fine. I had some doubt about my little Frankenstein, but if the SA-17 mag works just fine, then the Rip Clip is to blame in that malfunction.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Why does this blog exist?
When I hop online looking for paintball related stuff, I am looking for information.
This seems to be in stark contrast to the vast majority of paintballers who hop online looking ... to be buddies and make friends with people, and other social hijinx. Or, in one guy's case, to incessantly talk about himself, which is really just the same as the former case.
It's gotten to the point where it literally interferes with the activity of finding good, detailed, rational, logically thought out information. There are too many idiots out there, and too many who allow them to clog up the internet in the name of "community".
There are enough "social paintball" sites. Even the ones that purport to be technically oriented remain infested with morons and "social" hype.
This blog will, as much as possible, be about relevant, technical details. It may stray into social details, but when it does, it will be rather... particular.
This seems to be in stark contrast to the vast majority of paintballers who hop online looking ... to be buddies and make friends with people, and other social hijinx. Or, in one guy's case, to incessantly talk about himself, which is really just the same as the former case.
It's gotten to the point where it literally interferes with the activity of finding good, detailed, rational, logically thought out information. There are too many idiots out there, and too many who allow them to clog up the internet in the name of "community".
There are enough "social paintball" sites. Even the ones that purport to be technically oriented remain infested with morons and "social" hype.
This blog will, as much as possible, be about relevant, technical details. It may stray into social details, but when it does, it will be rather... particular.
Loader Analysis
For the uninitiated, modern loaders in paintball actually need to perform two distinct functions. The functions might be closely coupled, or they might not, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still two jobs.
- Loaders must sort the paint, going from a chaotic mass of jumbled paintballs to a nice, orderly, single file line of paint.
- Loaders must force the paint into the gun.
These are the two basic functions of modern loaders.
In the old, old days, paint was neither sorted on-gun, nor was it force fed (apart from gravity). The sorting process actually happened off-gun in the staging area as you loaded up your 10 round tubes, etc.
Eventually, they moved to gravity stick feeds, and from there it was only short matter of time before someone plopped a motor oil canister on top for bulk feeding. This then introduced the need for on-gun paint sorting.
The Revolution
I would say the agitated hopper (Revolution, etc.) was the first quantum leap in hopper technology. It was not a particularly good one, but it was pretty notable nonetheless. It's got a little paddle that stirs up the paint so it won't stay jammed up at the feed neck.
I think the distinction between "sorting" and "unjamming" is relevant, because that's what kept loaders in the dark ages for about, what, 20 years. The problem was viewed as "jamming" at first, and thus you had the original agitated hoppers which would simply move the paint around in the hopes that it would unjam. Want faster feed? Increase the paddle speed. Nevermind the fact that swirling the paint around haphazardly doesn't actually increase the sort speed, which is really what you're after. In fact there's a point of rapidly diminishing returns if you keep increasing the paddle speed. Hence, there were no 27V Revvies that I'm aware of.
The Warp
Along the way, I believe the next quantum leap would actually be the AGD Warp feed, which used a conventional hopper to "sort" the paint, and then force fed the paint into the gun. The Warp never really caught on with the mainstream, but it is notable for two things: force feed, and getting the blimp off the top of the gun.
In the meantime, there were a few force fed hoppers that came out onto the market -- the Halo, Evlution, etc. I was never particularly impressed with the design of any of these hoppers.
The Q-Loader
Then there was anomaly known as the Q-Loader, which I consider a very large leap in hopper tech. The Q-Loader actually moves the "sort" stage off field -- you sort all your paint as you load the pod. So on-field, all you worry about is pure force feed. It doesn't even need batteries. As such, the Q-Loader is the fastest and most consistent loader available. It also moves the blimp off the top of the gun, feeds upside down, etc. Many, many advantages. The caveat is it can be a bit hard on the paint (adjustable though), and has a reduced capacity. Also, most people don't have the mechanical aptitude to cope with the setup.
The Rotor
After another crop of unimpressive loader designs, one that was worth noting finally came out -- the Dye Rotor. This was the first conventional hopper that addressed the "sorting" function as such -- a clearly defined and implemented solution to quickly and efficiently sort paint. While other hoppers were randomly flinging and whirling their paint around, the Rotor decoupled "sort" from "force", and gave maximum amount of time for paint to sort down in a very directed fashion before it is forced out by a separate scoop. I although thought that false bottom at the back of the hopper that pops up when there isn't as much paint weighing it down was pretty smart. This is a well thought out design and the batteries last a really, really long time as a result. The placement of the anti-jam, however, is rather unfortunate, which I will describe later. Still, I would consider this a quantum leap in loader design.
The Z2 Prophecy
Another bumper crop of distinctly unimpressive loaders followed, up until the Z2 Prophecy. The Z2 is another well thought out hopper which, from design inspection, had "sorting" in mind as part of its design. It's still a classical rotating wheel that sorts + forces paint like the generations before, but the design appears such that it makes use of a wide radius to allow paint the maximum amount of time to sort into a line before it is force fed. It seems also that centrifugal force from the spinning also helps force the paint into the little pockets. The rotation speed is kept low via the large radius, again, probably to avoid wasted motion, i.e. randomly flinging the paint around more than necessary. You just want enough centrifugal force to get the paint into the pockets. Any more would be a waste.
The Z2's not quite as good as a Rotor in my opinion, but it is a worthy competitor. I'd hazard to say that this might be the pinnacle of the conventional "big single paddle" hopper designs. It also shares the same drawback -- the anti-jam is in a really, really foolish location.
Feednecks-as-structural-components
A long standing complaint that I have is the use of feednecks as a structural component on paintball markers.
This makes manufacturers do stupid things, like use red loctite on feed necks, which causes the end user to destroy the feednecks and possibly strip the bodies out when they try to upgrade to a fancier clamping feed neck so they can get a lower profile, better death grip on their hoppers. This also causes the hopper manufacturers to do things like add aluminum reinforcement to the feed necks. It's kind of a ridiculous situation.
The solution, which sadly is already partially implemented, is to use these fucking picatinny rails to mount the hoppers. You put a picatinny rail on the gun, then you put a picatinny rail on the hopper. BAM. Done. No more broken feed necks. You want low-rise? It doesn't get much lower than that. Clearly, you can't do this if the real estate on the bottom of your hopper is taken up by the anti-jam.
Notably, the only loaders that deal with this architectural problem are the Q-Loader and the Rip Clip. The Q-Loader is mounted via a mechanism which is usually distinctly not the feed neck, and the Rip Clip uses picatinny. In the latter, the system turns out to be quite versatile, being compatible with normal hoppers with the elbow attachment, the SA-17 magazine, and the Rip Clip. Owing to the simple tubular design of the Trracer rail, this can also be modified to fit other markers.
This makes manufacturers do stupid things, like use red loctite on feed necks, which causes the end user to destroy the feednecks and possibly strip the bodies out when they try to upgrade to a fancier clamping feed neck so they can get a lower profile, better death grip on their hoppers. This also causes the hopper manufacturers to do things like add aluminum reinforcement to the feed necks. It's kind of a ridiculous situation.
Notably, the only loaders that deal with this architectural problem are the Q-Loader and the Rip Clip. The Q-Loader is mounted via a mechanism which is usually distinctly not the feed neck, and the Rip Clip uses picatinny. In the latter, the system turns out to be quite versatile, being compatible with normal hoppers with the elbow attachment, the SA-17 magazine, and the Rip Clip. Owing to the simple tubular design of the Trracer rail, this can also be modified to fit other markers.
Long term, it would be neat to see an attachment like the Trracer rail which is made for all guns, and allows left, right, and centerfeed, which becomes a standard for all manufacturers to follow.
Clearly, it's not going to happen in the current industry climate.
To-Do:
Clearly, it's not going to happen in the current industry climate.
To-Do:
- Virtue Spire
- XeonPB's Halo SmartGuide upgrade
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Rip Clip initial thoughts
I haven't tested the Rip Clip in the field yet, but from testing and fiddling around at home, I'm not particularly impressed. The feed rate is not particularly consistent -- maybe I'm just spoiled because of my Q-Loader, but the paint seemed to jam up inside and only come out in spurts after some coaxing. I've also caused it to jam up pretty badly already. Maybe this will be OK in the field where there's usually a bit of jostling... But I'm not too impressed so far.
This thing is really heavy as well, particularly with 4 AA's. Again, kind of been living a sheltered life with my Q-Loader.
Internally, the little anti-jam arm looks to be made of plastic. That thing is just asking to be broken off.
Will have to wait until I get it to the field to get the final verdict. I'm also looking at wiring up an intellifeed switch to where the RF module would go.
This thing is really heavy as well, particularly with 4 AA's. Again, kind of been living a sheltered life with my Q-Loader.
Internally, the little anti-jam arm looks to be made of plastic. That thing is just asking to be broken off.
Will have to wait until I get it to the field to get the final verdict. I'm also looking at wiring up an intellifeed switch to where the RF module would go.
Doc's Mag to Cocker Adapter
Picked one of these up for the Trracer-ized mag. Figured if I'm going to be using classic mag bodies, it will be easier if I can still use my cocker barrels.
Damned if I forgot to weigh the thing. I'll do it on the next one. It's made out of stainless steel, so there's going to be a weight penalty in exchange for cocker threaded convenience. Also, this thing is meant to be locked into the body via the twist lock pin. It's a great idea, but I think it's somewhat overkill.
(Note: weighed it -- 2.8oz, lol. My DW Fibur is only like 2.1oz w/o an insert.)
Anyways, it's pretty precisely machined. Upon initial inspection, I would have preferred that the threading/bore be cut deeper so that a cocker barrel can sit really far back for better efficiency and less breaks... but as far as efficiency goes, this thing is really cut to fit the bolt pretty tightly, so I don't think that will be an issue. Given how loose other twistlock barrels are, I'd say you might even gain some efficiency.
Whether or not the potential step the ball has to take getting into the barrel is going to be a problem... That will just have to be tested in the field.
Other notes... the edge on the chamber entry was pretty sharp. I smoothed it out a little.
The chamber itself is not as smooth as I would like -- wouldn't do to have the chamber scoring my paint now, would it? Wouldn't want it scuffing up my prized LX bolt either. Bought some 2000 grit sandpaper at the local auto fanatics shop; gonna smooth it up a bit.
Think I would have preferred the o-ring grooves so that the barrel stays in position better, but it's a pretty tight fit so this is probably not a big issue.
Also definitely would have preferred two detents instead of just one, because when that one fails, your gun is totally hosed.
Damned if I forgot to weigh the thing. I'll do it on the next one. It's made out of stainless steel, so there's going to be a weight penalty in exchange for cocker threaded convenience. Also, this thing is meant to be locked into the body via the twist lock pin. It's a great idea, but I think it's somewhat overkill.
(Note: weighed it -- 2.8oz, lol. My DW Fibur is only like 2.1oz w/o an insert.)
Anyways, it's pretty precisely machined. Upon initial inspection, I would have preferred that the threading/bore be cut deeper so that a cocker barrel can sit really far back for better efficiency and less breaks... but as far as efficiency goes, this thing is really cut to fit the bolt pretty tightly, so I don't think that will be an issue. Given how loose other twistlock barrels are, I'd say you might even gain some efficiency.
Whether or not the potential step the ball has to take getting into the barrel is going to be a problem... That will just have to be tested in the field.
Other notes... the edge on the chamber entry was pretty sharp. I smoothed it out a little.
The chamber itself is not as smooth as I would like -- wouldn't do to have the chamber scoring my paint now, would it? Wouldn't want it scuffing up my prized LX bolt either. Bought some 2000 grit sandpaper at the local auto fanatics shop; gonna smooth it up a bit.
Think I would have preferred the o-ring grooves so that the barrel stays in position better, but it's a pretty tight fit so this is probably not a big issue.
Also definitely would have preferred two detents instead of just one, because when that one fails, your gun is totally hosed.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Tooling around with the Empire Trracer and Automag
So I was tooling around with my Empire Trracer, making plans to convert it to bolt action for Sniper Fin rounds. I despise playing without a regulator, so I stuck one of my old AA Vigilantes that I picked up for like $10 a piece when I&I was clearing them out on ebay... and I thought to myself... single stack, regulator in back... wow, this is vaguely Automag like.
For the Sniper Fin mod, the top rail of the Trracer will need to be removed in order to make extra clearance. Then I kind of looked at the Automag body, then the Trracer body... Then a tiny little light bulb went off.
I've been wanting a mag fed Automag for a long time now. I even designed some parts to adapt Ariakon ACP magazines to fit on a modified RT Pro, but never managed to find someone who could produce them.
So anyways, I happened to have an Automag body which I had modified for hand loading First Strike rounds, so I kind of crammed the chocolate and peanut butter together...
 |
| YAKAWOW! Yes, retard, the nylon ties are temporary. |
As a bonus, you get picatinny rails, something you might have wanted anyways!
From there, it's not too much of a stretch to just slap chop an SA-17 magazine in place:
 |
| Yo dawg, I herd u liek mags, so I put a mag on ur mag so you can shoot a mag while you shoot a mag |
 |
| Rip Clip seems to fit nicely |
It's actually not bad. Far better than having a Rip Clip/cyclone on a typical 98 based marker like a Model 98/BT-4/A5/etc. Hopper's too far forward on those guys. I shoot those fuckers all the time.
I'm planning on giving it a try with the shortest Tac cap possible. Fuck. Forgot to add that to my recent order from ansgear.
 |
| View from the driver's seat |
Need to figure out how to actually mount the Trracer rail on there. I might just go the lazy route and glue it on.
Takeaways:
- It's too bad AGD doesn't give a shit about Automags anymore, else they'd be making cool shit like this
- It's too bad Tippmann/BT (Empire) are too fucking dense to make left feed guns
Camera Notes: GoPro HD Hero
Picture quality is excellent. Modes/options are pretty good. Video format is MP4 (h264).
Form factor is obnoxious; best used for forehead-cam.
Mounting options are also obnoxious. Bike clamp is:
They should really be using the CF type material, like what the old Automag grips are made of, as much as possible.
Form factor is obnoxious; best used for forehead-cam.
Mounting options are also obnoxious. Bike clamp is:
- Plastic
- Huge
Casing is expensive and prone to failure. They use the wrong plastic. They use this clear acrylic type plastic which is prone to cracking and all kinds of failure. I can maybe understand making the front out of this stuff, but why the BACK? There's no screen back there unless you get the Backpac. There's some writing on the back but it's not like that's really critical information. They should have used a double clamp instead of a clamp and a tiny metal rod which tears through the casing due to the stress.
The only thing that really needs to be transparent is the status window and the lens; and they should have used glass for the lens instead of plastic. So in reality, the entire camera case is inverted -- the larger portion should be opaque and strong, and the front part can use the transparent stuff.
Just a completely functionally backwards casing design.
The only thing that really needs to be transparent is the status window and the lens; and they should have used glass for the lens instead of plastic. So in reality, the entire camera case is inverted -- the larger portion should be opaque and strong, and the front part can use the transparent stuff.
Just a completely functionally backwards casing design.
They use the same style of plastic, in black, for most of their mounting accessories, and thus those too are prone to failure.
They should really be using the CF type material, like what the old Automag grips are made of, as much as possible.
Thankfully, the spare parts are plentiful; you can even pick up the mounts at local stores like REI and Best Buy now.
Side note: does not maintain focus underwater. Nowhere in their literature do they mention this.
In general, it's a fairly versatile camera, even if the whole setup is a bit on the awkward side. I've taken mine biking, diving, snowboarding, paintballing, and I've even flown it on an RC plane.
Sound quality suffers when it's in the full housing, but this is to be expected.
There's room for expansion via the Hero Bus; they've released the Backpac accessory which is really of limited usefulness (a better option would be a Bluetooth preview/control) -- but it's doubtful they will release any accessories that will really help the cam live up to its full potential. Nobody ever does.
One last note... picture quality of the camera is extremely variable. The quality can be hit or miss. Sometimes it's really good, sometimes it's OK. Unknown what causes this, but if you look around you will see this issue.
In general, it's a fairly versatile camera, even if the whole setup is a bit on the awkward side. I've taken mine biking, diving, snowboarding, paintballing, and I've even flown it on an RC plane.
Sound quality suffers when it's in the full housing, but this is to be expected.
There's room for expansion via the Hero Bus; they've released the Backpac accessory which is really of limited usefulness (a better option would be a Bluetooth preview/control) -- but it's doubtful they will release any accessories that will really help the cam live up to its full potential. Nobody ever does.
One last note... picture quality of the camera is extremely variable. The quality can be hit or miss. Sometimes it's really good, sometimes it's OK. Unknown what causes this, but if you look around you will see this issue.
Camera Notes: Oregon Scientific ATC3k
Only 640x480. Limited modes/options. Video format is AVI (MJPEG).
Video quality degrades over time.
Uses AA, which is nice. Extra nice with hybrid NiMH, which means you can throw charged batteries in there and leave them there for a long time.
Form factor is very good for on-gun. This was my first on-gun camera.
Plastic used for the casing is actually pretty good; I'm guessing possibly a nylon?
Plastic mounts though will break after a while. They're made out of acrylic type plastic.
Oregon Scientific refuses to sell replacement parts, acting like they don't have any. Not even o-rings. They won't even tell you what size the o-rings even are.
A little digging shows that the ATC3K appears to share the same mounting hardware as the newer HD models. I mention this to their "support".
They still refuse to sell me replacement parts. They offered to give me a discount on the HD camera.
Why the fuck would I want to buy anything from you if you're not going to support it? You've got some nerve.
So fuck Oregon Scientific. Don't buy anything from them, period. All they're doing is slapping their name on some product and acting as the consumer interface, and they can't even do that properly.
Just wanted to say it again: Fuck Oregon Scientific
Video quality degrades over time.
Uses AA, which is nice. Extra nice with hybrid NiMH, which means you can throw charged batteries in there and leave them there for a long time.
Form factor is very good for on-gun. This was my first on-gun camera.
Plastic used for the casing is actually pretty good; I'm guessing possibly a nylon?
Plastic mounts though will break after a while. They're made out of acrylic type plastic.
Oregon Scientific refuses to sell replacement parts, acting like they don't have any. Not even o-rings. They won't even tell you what size the o-rings even are.
A little digging shows that the ATC3K appears to share the same mounting hardware as the newer HD models. I mention this to their "support".
They still refuse to sell me replacement parts. They offered to give me a discount on the HD camera.
Why the fuck would I want to buy anything from you if you're not going to support it? You've got some nerve.
So fuck Oregon Scientific. Don't buy anything from them, period. All they're doing is slapping their name on some product and acting as the consumer interface, and they can't even do that properly.
Just wanted to say it again: Fuck Oregon Scientific
Friday, September 30, 2011
Miscellaneous Thoughts on small HPA tanks
FYI, GA's "22ci" tank is not actually 22ci. The sacks of shit refused to confirm my math when I posted the speculation and data on MCB, so I just looked up the manufacturer's stamp and found the fucking bottle myself.
There's nothing wrong with a 33ci tank; I've been looking for something along these lines for a while. I just don't understand why the GA reps blatantly duck me when I ask the question.
Another guy has been trying to get enough pre-orders for a 27ci tank. It's apparently a Catalina 9045. Catalina makes good tanks; if you get a Catalina that's 2" or less in diameter, apparently it's exempt from rehydro, which is worth the price of admission right there. I've been running a Catalina 22ci on my Automag for a while now.
Anyways, the unfortunate thing is that this 27ci tank is about as thick as a 20oz CO2 tank, has a flat end, and is even shorter than a 13ci. The 13ci is already damn near too short to be usable, and the flat backside of the 27ci is going to make things worse. I don't think it will be a very comfortable tank.
Last bit of info -- the Ninja 13ci is not a Catalina; I'm not sure if that affects the 2" hydro rule. Quality of the construction is not quite as good as a Catalina 13ci as well.
Fuck it, while I'm on the subject, the reason why I bought the Ninja 13ci is because I cannot get the regulator off my 13ci Catalina. The jerkoff who made the tank went ahead and put wedgits around the neck which lock the regulator onto the tank. I literally broke a strap wrench trying to get that regulator off.
Next time you buy a 13ci, especially if it's a 2" Catalina, make damn sure they don't put the goddamn wedgits on there, else you are going to potentially be stuck with that regulator.
There's nothing wrong with a 33ci tank; I've been looking for something along these lines for a while. I just don't understand why the GA reps blatantly duck me when I ask the question.
Another guy has been trying to get enough pre-orders for a 27ci tank. It's apparently a Catalina 9045. Catalina makes good tanks; if you get a Catalina that's 2" or less in diameter, apparently it's exempt from rehydro, which is worth the price of admission right there. I've been running a Catalina 22ci on my Automag for a while now.
Anyways, the unfortunate thing is that this 27ci tank is about as thick as a 20oz CO2 tank, has a flat end, and is even shorter than a 13ci. The 13ci is already damn near too short to be usable, and the flat backside of the 27ci is going to make things worse. I don't think it will be a very comfortable tank.
Last bit of info -- the Ninja 13ci is not a Catalina; I'm not sure if that affects the 2" hydro rule. Quality of the construction is not quite as good as a Catalina 13ci as well.
Fuck it, while I'm on the subject, the reason why I bought the Ninja 13ci is because I cannot get the regulator off my 13ci Catalina. The jerkoff who made the tank went ahead and put wedgits around the neck which lock the regulator onto the tank. I literally broke a strap wrench trying to get that regulator off.
Next time you buy a 13ci, especially if it's a 2" Catalina, make damn sure they don't put the goddamn wedgits on there, else you are going to potentially be stuck with that regulator.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)