Revamped AGD Automag Classic

WORK IN PROGRESS (Need to upload pics)

I've been somewhat reticent in the last few posts because I've been actually working on stuff.

Well, stuff finally came in.

Regulator Back

AA vigilante aluminum replacement. You guys have seen this already, and know it cuts the weight down considerably.

The Main Rail

The main rail is the single most overlooked part of the Automag.  It really only has two places to go: either it needs to achieve its full potential (see below for an example), or it needs to be folded into the grip frame.  Meanwhile, everyone else is obsessed with (mostly) decorative milling of aluminum rails for some reason.  Milling some fruity pattern doesn’t make the rail more functional; it just makes it lighter.

This rail removes the stupid wings, uses a press-fit sear axle, has ULE cuts, compatible with classic pim, and has the classic ASA adapter mounting geometry. 1.3oz, which puts it very close to the lightest known aluminum rail. (It costs $55 to print at Shapeways, which is kind of spendy, but then again, check how much a good ULE rail will cost you, including the anno).

The Trigger

This was my first trigger ever; it’s totally functional, but I’m not exactly happy with it.  In fact, I think the next one I draw will just be a simple stick, like on my Tiberius, which I am perfectly happy with.  Having drawn one of these, I have to say that the original design of the trigger mechanism was actually quite clever.

The Barrel Adapter

The mag to cocker adapter I drew up is roughly based on Doc’s adapter, except:

• It’s made of plastic
• It doesn’t need a twist lock pin - the threads are undersized so when a barrel is threaded in, the end expands to press against the body
• It has two detents

That yields a $16 part that’s 0.3 oz and locks pretty damn securely into the gun while still being removable without having to disassemble the entire marker.

The real beauty of the design is that if you can draw the threads, you can make nearly any mag to whatever adapter.  Just upgraded from a janked out Tippmann?  You can keep your barrel.  Or Ion?  Spyder?  Just get the right $16 adapter.

The Trigger Guard

The trigger guard was just made from the Intelliframe specs.  I think I’d go with a no-kink version next time.  It attaches to the hole which was recently vacated by the twist lock pin, via the mag2cocker adapter.  Yeah, it’s pretty ugly toward the back.  I just slotted the rubber grip to cram it in there.  There was no standard for cutting the single-finger triggers, so it’s hard to accommodate for that.  The real answer is to design the grip frame correctly in the first place.  Tippmann and BT did it correctly, and they’re borderline retarded.  The wrong side of the border.

The Top Rail

The top rail was grabbed from an Empire Trracer as some of you know.  The feed neck was cut off the body (another cost reduction).  A properly designed part, in my opinion, would just wrap around the Automag body and screw (or otherwise mechanically attach; it might not need to be screws) into the main rail itself.  Kind of like the useless sight rail of olden days.  Then the feed neck or spring feed or Rip Clip is securely attached to the picatinny on top, as it always should have been.

The Material

This nylon material is surprisingly durable.  It will tend to melt/fuse under high temps (like getting hit by a strong laser or a Dremel), and still has some flex when it’s thin (which I use to my advantage in the mag2cocker adapter).  But otherwise I’m actually quite pleased with it.  I have gone into the field with it, and will continue to do so.  The “black” material isn’t really black, as I discovered after sanding the trigger because I made an error.  It’s actually the white material, which I think they just impregnate afterwards with your color of choice.  The layer of the dye is reasonably thick and should hold up to some wear and tear, and if it gets scratched, you could probably just dye it back anyways.

Summary of Cost Reductions

• No twist lock
• No twist lock hole
• No feed neck welding
• No threading anywhere on the rail; just a press-fit sear pin which isn't threaded either
• Reg back is aluminum instead of steel
• Plastic rail
• Plastic trigger guard
• Plastic trigger

All of this is just proof of concept.  3d printing production parts would be foolish unless you intend to allow people to custom choose their options.  (Like a ULE rail with a built-in Gopro mount, or a mag to cocker adapter with 2 Ego detents and a Spyder detent because you’re ultra paranoid.)

Plastic Automag Parts Preview

Warp/spring feed idea

3D Printed Parts Sample Images

BT-4 vs. Classic Automag

A friend and I have had this long running debate which I think we finally settled this weekend.

We were debating what was the better gun -- a BT-4 (or whatever variant) vs. a Classic Automag.

Since he had never actually played with an Automag, and technically I have never played with a BT-4 (have played with a 98, and quite frankly, there is very little difference), I decided we needed and old fashioned gun swap and throwdown to decide the victor.  So that's what we did.

The results:

Automag complaints:

• thought the trigger was too stiff
• thought the paint was pulling to the left (After reviewing his footage -- it wasn't.  It was dead on, as long as he was, you know, pointed in the right direction.)

BT-4 complaints:

• too large
• too heavy
• too wobbly
• problematic chrono performance
• THE GUN FUCKING FAILED (hammer o-ring came apart)

I honestly do not understand why anyone would buy a BT-4/Tippmann 98 over a Classic Automag.  They're both about the same price (Classics are only available used now).  The Automag is:

1. far better designed
2. far better made
3. lighter
4. more compact
5. faster
6. easier to maintain
7. more reliable
8. more consistent (because of...)
9. has a regulator

The only advantage a BT-4 has is the ability to put an e-grip on there, cheaply.  Fat lot of good that does you without an anti-chop bolt though -- and ironically you can get an anti-chop bolt for an Automag.

There was a parts availability question, but the fact is parts last a very, very long time on an Automag.  The only major wear item is the power tube o-ring (010 urethane same size as Q/D, 008 for Level 10  bolt).  I've never had any other o-ring fail on me in the field.

Truthfully, the last 3 "failures" on that exact Automag are:

1. Spyder detente broke on the mag->cocker adapter.  Aftermarket part.
2. Piston o-ring broke on the Azodin inline regulator.  Aftermarket part.
3. Level 10 O-ring went down in size -- changed carrier, still using the same o-ring.

None of these would affect a stock Level 7 Automag.

Automag maintenance looks like this:

Liquid Image Ego

New camera on the block.

They need to get certain issues worked out (like the Wifi turning itself off), but it looks like a fairly competitive camera.

Paintball Battlegrounds (Edinburg, TX) Recap

Good

• Ridiculously cheap to play there
• Clean bathrooms
• Fill station worked well
• Refs were courteous, very responsive and on top of things; always ready to run games for us.  Cycled through 13 games while we were there
• Spacious, covered staging area, close to all the fields
• Rules and signs very clearly marked
• New, well constructed bunkers and buildings
• Fields were separated by netting
• Fun field layouts
• Good hours
• Used armbands; armbands were actually well made and fit, and they had plenty of them it seemed

Bad

• Lack of an expansive woods field; their existing fields were still quite fun though
• Straight elimination games only; didn't seem to matter much here though due to field design
• Lack of initial player briefing, which I've kind of come to appreciate
• Presence of airball poses a potential problem with a recball field, but everyone there seemed pretty chill, unlike Camp Pendleton, which oddly doesn't even have an airball field
• They were good about chrono'ing us, but the chrono station itself was a bit out in the open
• Music playing interfered with some of the fields.  Just turn it down a bit, aight?
• It's like...  in Edinburg.

No Data

• Time limits did not seem to be in place, although our games were over very quickly

Truthfully, most of the negatives were kinda nit-picky.  Overall, this is one of the best run fields that I've seen.  It's new though, so we'll see if they manage to maintain the quality.