Possible design flaw in RT/Retro valve?

[Dave]

I had to take my superbolt off cause it was choppin' my brittle paint, and so I degassed the gun, then un-did the quick-diconnect to release any pressure still left in the actual gun...so I undo the field strip screw, and pull the trigger, and there is still some air left...then the valve just freezes. Something is stuck. I try to move it, then the groove pin gets out of place, I try to genty move the valve back in line with the groove. No good, so then I push it back a little harder...I stuggle with it for a few minutes, and finally it slips out. Then I notice out of the corner of my eye, a little something come out as I take the valve out. I pick it up....and it looks like a super tiny little pin. Then I look at my on/off pin, and half of it is missing. My on off pin was snapped in half.

The on/off pin has a beefy part at the bottom, but the main part of it is only about 1/16th of an inch thick. I showed it to my dad, who is a metal worker, and he looked at the breaking point and said it was faulty. The pin must have been heated to strenthen it, but the little part got heated much more than the beefy part on the end, resulting in a weakened structure. I believe it was weakened, because in no way did I crank on the valve to get it off...all I did was try moving the valve around to get it unstuck...the pin actually broke very easily. The actual break surface looks like a pencil lead snapped clean in half. Then I had to get another one, and it cost me $17.95 to replace that little pin.

For some reason, I NEVER had any problem with the on/off pin from my standard automag. It never came shooting out, never got the valve stuck, and never broke. This has happened before to me with the Retro Valve on/off, and I had to loosen the frame off the rail by loosening the main allen nut in front of the trigger. Rob told me that I would need to do this, but this basically disables the whole field strip idea, since I would have to undo everything just to get the valve unstuck. I am wondering why AGD didn't make the thickness of the on/off pin of the RT the same thickness of the standard on/off, as it is much more durable. Is there any way to switch on/off assemblies or pins between the two? I don't want to have to keep having to undo my whole gun every time I want to get the valve out, and I definitely don't want to have to break any more pins, as it would be very costly. Please help AGD!

Has anyone had any other kind of troubles with this before?

-Dave

[i-luv-my-rt]

The best way to de-gas is to take an allen wrench or screw driver and push the sear back till it shoots. This way all the air is released. You may want to buy a quick disconect. This will also release all the air in the valve and lines. The RT pins are around that thickness in area's so your is no different than mine or anyone else's. So try putting a quick disconnect on or try the pushing sear method.

Hope this helps!!

[BlackVCG]

This has happened before. The pin is just such a small diameter at the end that it can snap if it hits the hole in the mainbody hard enough when it's being taken out. You need a new pin for sure. Go see Rob at Pevs and he can help you with that.

[Dave]

Yes, I do have a quick-disconnect already installed. I did pull the trigger all the way until the sear doesn't come out any more. I went to Pev's today and got a new pin (that was the $18 part) I am just a bit frustrated that something so small and brittle could cost so much. It must have been faulty because even for it's small size, I just can see a piece of steel snapping. Oh well, maybe AGD can do something about it and maybe they can't, I still love em:) Maybe I can get my dad to help make me some on our metal lathe.

-Dave

[billmi]

You need to pull the trigger AFTER your airline is removed - the 'mag has a built in regulator, so just having the airline off does not guarantee it is degassed.

If your trigger is properly adjusted, the pin won't be able to catch on the hole on the body on the way out, because pulling back the trigger will push the on/off pin all the way in. If you've shortened the link rod from the trigger to the sear too much (screwed it too far into the clevis) it won't push the on/off pin all the way in, and the pin can catch and be damaged as you describe.

See you on the field,
-Bill Mills

[Dave]

I have pulled the trigger before and after degassing. I have done every thing that I could think of to de-gas it, but it still happened.

-Dave