need upgrade advice

[nicholas70]

I have a 68 classic with benchmark double trigger and I'm considering getting an x-valve upgrade but I've been seeing different people saying different things on the web about this. Some people are saying the benchmark trigger setup will cause problems for the valve and keep it from being reactive, and yet other people are saying that they have used these upgrades together and it works fine. I really want to know if my current trigger setup will work with the x-valve because if it wont then it would seem to make more sense for me to buy a used RT or RT pro rather then buying a whole new trigger setup on top of the valve seeing as I got the mag with these upgrades and don't have access to the factory setup.

I'm really hoping I can upgrade this mag as I've had it for well over a decade now and it has some sentimental value and a little rust on the main body that gives it that antique type feel. (speaking of which I wasn't planning to upgrade the main-body.) Anyway my goal is to get better consistency, rate of fire and the level 10 that comes with the x-valve and leave the rest of the marker as is. I wouldn't mind having to buy a different sear for the x-valve if it would work with benchmark trigger but I'm not willing to go any further on the upgrades to the marker itself.

[BTAutoMag]

yes, any reactive trigger will suffer under any of the benchmark triggers.

post some pics

[blackdeath1k]

You can put an xvalve with it if you like. The benchmark frames Always had a sloppy feel compared to the I frame. But I had my benchmark on my classic automag before the Iframe came out. So it was what it was. Just because you don't get as much reactivity with one frame as you could get with another doesn't mean its not reactive. And going to a reactive valve from a classic will be a lot faster than what you are used to.

I upgraded my wife's minimag to a retro mini. She is still using the same 850 psi output tank she had before. So her marker is not as reacticlve as it could be with my shp ninja V2. But it is sure a lot more reactive than it was with a classic valve.

[vintage]

I've got 3 rt classics with benchmark frames and the reactivity depends on bottle output more than the frame in my opinion. one still had the uncut cf frame when I bought it and I can't tell any loss with the benchmark. I don't think the intelliframe will fit the rt classic without modification anyway and none of the other valves will either.

the benchmark should work fine it just may not be quite as effective as the intelliframe but if you've never had an rt then you have nothing to compare it to anyway.

[athomas]

The loose fit of the benchmark frames cause some of the reactive push of the trigger to be directed in directions other than towards the front. This results in less reactivity. You can increase the response and feel of the benchmark frame by shimming the trigger so that it has less side to side slop. This will give the frame a nice tight and crisp feel.

[gretch6364]

The loose fit of the benchmark frames cause some of the reactive push of the trigger to be directed in directions other than towards the front. This results in less reactivity. You can increase the response and feel of the benchmark frame by shimming the trigger so that it has less side to side slop. This will give the frame a nice tight and crisp feel.

I had a Benchmark frame on my RT classic back in the day and had some good results with it. I cut the trigger down and put an aluminum double trigger shoe on it, then put a shim on each side of the trigger pin, and then drilled and tapped it from the back and put a rear travel limit screw in (threaded through the frame rather then the trigger due to the required length and weight of the screw).

That gun shot extremely fast without using bounce (think I input 650 into it).

[vintage]

if it was me I would spring for the x valve and try it first and see if I liked it, and if it is not quite to your liking then you can decide if you want to adjust what you have or upgrade some more. i'm happy with the benchmarks on all my rt classics. the reactivity seems to be more dependent on air flow than the slop in the trigger.

[athomas]

A retro valve will always be a nice upgrade over a classic valve. If the benchmark frame works well with the classic now, then the retro valve will work even better.

[nicholas70]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Based in the overall consensus I've decided I'm going to just upgrade the mag I have now rather then buy another mag. I don't mind making minor adjustments to the trigger to reduce the looseness of it if need be and I'm sure I'll also have to upgrade or get a new reg for my tank since my current reg maxes out at 850psi. I will post a pic of the mag in a few days and once I get the x-vavle(probably a few weeks) I'll post another pic of the mag with the upg.