Rambling post about me thinking of a sleaper pneumag, looking at frame options

[Spiritchaser]

My First post!

Ok, on the offchance that I am graced with a company bonus cheque this year, I`d love to upgrade my tac-one with a lpr inside pneu-frame.

May or may not happen, but I`m still in the dream phase so I`m going with it, and would love some suggestions for what to look for that I might actually find*.

I`m not even remotely interested in modifying the stock frame. I need the marker to work while I putter with this, and my frame project has to fit around life`s time committments. Yes it`s winter but my tac one seems to process paint just fine at -12 C (maybe not so much at -25 C) and I need to be able to play while this project grinds slowly on, and lets face it, I`ll probably still be working on this in June.

I`m looking for a non vert frame that is still relatively available for a sleaper Pneumag conversion. Aesthetically, I love (really love) the look of the Airwalk frame, particularly with a blade trigger, but finding an anodized black one at a decent price (and price is of concern) would not appear to be likely.

I have very limited access to machine tools. A drill press is possibly on the cards. A dremel I have. Any type of mill is out of the question.

I may be able to borrow a tap set for imperial fasteners, but NPT thread taps are either complicated or expensive since I don`t currently have access to such creatures.

I have a decent (though 15 years stale) understanding of pneumatic design and air logic design etc. That doesn`t translate directly to hands on assembly, but I do love playing with parts, even if I`m not especially good at it. I just don`t have all the skills and tools needed to produce some of them.

Airwalk would appear to be my first choice if I can find a reasonably priced black one. I`ve only been looking a week so patience might be needed here...
The emancipator frame from tuna looks like it might work, and I could actually get one but it`s a 90 degree, and I`d really prefer to avoid those.
I`ve seen some reference to benchmark frames being workable, though I`m not certain what would be needed to make these fit the tac one rail. It`s nothing like as pretty as the airwalk but it`s hard to argue with a 30-40 dollar purchase price. I could literally scrap one learning.

Given these limitations and preferences, any suggestions on frames to look for would be appreciated.

[sQuidvision]

so sleeper is a must? would you be interested in a setup were the LPR hides in the fore grip? Hill did a really nice sleeper EP mag that you could steal some ideas from. If it doesnt need to be sleeper your options open way up.

Dont hold your breath for a steal on an airwalk frame... they go up for sale so rarely that they fetch premium prices typically.

[Spiritchaser]

Actually I had wondered if that might be possible. It`s not my preference, but I`d be ok with that. The key would be having no exposed extra parts and minimal evidence that anything was at all out of the ordinary.

If it turns out that the forgrip option were much cheaper then I`m sure I could handle minor concerns.

[BTAutoMag]

not really cheaper, but easier

[C_losjoker]

another option is using an emag battery pack with lukes battery pack adapter. Hides lpr inside the pack, would be cheaper and could be easier to switch between a pneumag and regular mech.

[sQuidvision]

not really cheaper, but easier

i would say its cheaper only because the frames that are sleeper pnue'd easily are $200+ each VS an inteli for $60ish.

[C_losjoker]

also look at 05/06 ego frames, easy to convert and cheap frames.

[Spiritchaser]

The ego frames would need a fair bit of machining would it not?

by the way thanks for all the suggestions, I'll look into the battery pack idea.

[GEE TEE]

Don't think it's possible to fit an LPR inside ego frames - it's not really wide enough

I've seen early Angel 90 degree frames used for several pnemags, and the parts fit inside really well. The AGD intelliframe is also pretty simple to mod.

[OPBN]

Couple of problems. Non-vert AGD spec frames are difficult to do sleeper mods on, especially if you don't know what you are doing. Vert AGD spec frames are either ultra easy to set up like the M90, or easier like the Chimera, but neither is cheap. With the M90 it is literally a bolt on, the Chimera is still going to require some tapping, drilling and dremeling at the least. Once you have the parts together, it really shouldnt take more than a weekend to get it up and running. If you are concerned about down time though, I would suggest that you plan it out and purchase the frame as a seperate frame, do the pneumatic conversion on it and then sell the other frame when you are done. Single trigger CF frames can be purchased for $25 complete most times in the BST section to use for this purpose.

There are other frames out there that can be used that are not AGD spec, but you will have to modify them to fit/work. You don't seem to be set up for this however, so i would think long and hard about this option before doing it. There is also the option of paying someone to do it. There are 2-3 guys here on AO that do this typ of work. However, they don't work for free and it will probably take a few weeks to get it done.

Essentially, you are looking for a unicorn if you are expecting to find a cheap, easy to modify non-vert frame to do a sleeper mod on that is also already perfectly anodized the color you want.

[p8ntbal4me]

It sounds like you are looking for a product we have not released yet.

What you are needing is: an M90
Because: it has all the machining done to it already that you require and has the largest knowledge base on two forums to help you get it setup to your liking.

You don't want an M90 because: of the shape and your preference.

What you want is: a 45 framed sleeper with all the machining done to it.
Because: it fits your needs, preferences, and is what you would want to complete the build.

You don't want a 45 frame because: you don't have the tools to machine one with the required options for your prefer and require. You also (I assume) dont want to buy a 45 frame cheap, then sink 300 bucks into it from machine time. (Remember... You don't have the tools, so you have to pay for this service unless you have "a friend")

See where I'm going with this?

You have three options:

1) - buy a 45 frame and have it machined
2) - buy an M90 and adjust to the shape
3) - design your own frame and build from scratch (not using any OEM parts)

One and three require cash and they get you what you WANT.
Two gets you what you NEED immediately

Not crushing your build or dreams... Just laying it out for you in black and white.

[Flatliner333]

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?263994-Sa-WeeT-ULE-RPG-DW-AirWalk-Mag-4-SALE

[Spider-TW]

so sleeper is a must? would you be interested in a setup were the LPR hides in the fore grip? Hill did a really nice sleeper EP mag that you could steal some ideas from.

The best part of Hill's was that he left the entire rest of the marker classic AGD. You had to look hard to notice something odd in the foregrip. Once you go to custom frames and bodies, people don't really recognize the automag anyway, so you loose their preconceived notions, pneu, EP or not. My EP classic with a micro rock on the front gets one of four reactions, if any; "what's that? (what's an automag?)", "another cocker-mag[?]", "a pneumag", or "an old mag" (missing the LPR all together). I would have to call it an electro-sleeper. If you go with a emag pack LPR, many people will think it is an emag, which is anti-sleeper for a classic valve.

So, do you want a sleeper so that people won't know who was hosing down their bunker, or because they look good?

[OPBN]

You have three options:

1) - buy a 45 frame and have it machined
2) - buy an M90 and adjust to the shape
3) - design your own frame and build from scratch (not using any OEM parts)

One and three require cash and they get you what you WANT.
Two gets you what you NEED immediately

Not crushing your build or dreams... Just laying it out for you in black and white.

One problem you forgot was that he doesnt want to spend much money either. If he can't afford and airwalk, he most likely isnt going to be able to afford an M90 either.

[BTAutoMag]

i would say its cheaper only because the frames that are sleeper pnue'd easily are $200+ each VS an inteli for $60ish.

I sometimes forget that not everyone works at a machine shop