new guy- getting a mag

[davmitchell77]

hey guys, i am new here, and new to mags, and getting a minimag this week or next. the seller assures me everything is fine, and the minimag works well, and has the ANS phase II cap/reg on it, otherwise it is stock, PF left- hopper right. i have no reason to doubt him, and i'm sure all is well with it.

are there things i need to check or look out for when it gets here? common fail points, specific wear patterns, etc. i've done lots of searching and reading (faq's, stickies, manual downloads, etc) and i'm really starting to get a feel for these markers, and sort of how they work ( relationship of bolt/sear and on/off still confuses me, although i did find a very nice gif)

about the ans phase II: i don't yet know if it is just the cap, or the cap with ans internals. i did find a stock agd cap (no internals) on ebay, will this be something i need to replace immediately?

i love the spydermag and pneumag possibilities, and i definitely plan to try both of these in the future, to see which one i like best, both are do-able for a minimag, yeah?

i am completely unfamiliar with twist-lock barrels, has anyone ever made a twist-lock adapter for threaded barrels, or would i have to buy a different body?

thank you for reading, and i look forward to learning more from ya'll about my mag, dav

[secretweaponevan]

Watch the automag manual on Youtube. It will make you smarter. I'm not kidding. It will answer all your questions and you will be able to instantly diagnose and fix any problem with an automag forever.

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You won't need to replace the ANS back half. It works the same. Sucks you won't have matching numbers though.

Python makes an automag twistlock to cocker barrel adaptor with ball sizers. Noxx55 on MCB and Doc Nickel of the Tinker's guild make twistlock to cocker adaptors without the sizers.

[dark blade]

let me help you out there :)

first of all my main rule of thumb with mags is that if they work, DO NOT TOUCH THEM. There is no need to replace something that is working :). Mags are built well enough that if any part were to ever fail, all you have to do is replace it. There would be no danger of injury (usually).

regarding the ANS phase 2... no need to replace, they are a legitimate "upgrade" and if it works, it works. Just leave it alone unless YOU feel like you want a different part or want a different valve.

spydermag and pneumag are both more of a frame mod than a marker specific mod. This means that most of the custom work that makes them work is in the frame and not in how the valve works. Pneumags are not for beginners to try to install but after a bit of tinkering ans familiarity they can be self installed with the right tools. The main problem you will run into is with the spydermag, you will need to install a ULT on/off in order to lower the on/off pressure to make it easier for the Spyder frame solenoid to push the sear and release the bolt. Your problem is that if the minimag comes with a clasic style valve, it will not accept a ULT (to my knowledge) without modding the valve. With the pneumag it can be a plug and play operation if done right. however, both are a very nice option to try :)

With regards to the twistlock option, Yes... doc nickels has made an adapter that you would use to attach cocker threaded barrels to any body of your choice (as long as it is twistlock originally). These retail for around $30 and can sometimes be found here in the classifieds and otherwise bought new from him (i think he still sells and makes them)

Feel free to PM me directly with other questions or email me at lapointe@tmail.com

I love helping new mag owners and love seeing the community grow! And good luck with your new mag, im sure you will fall in love with it. CHUFF CHUFF!

[davmitchell77]

well sir, my minimag got here today! first impression was "crap, that's heavy!". next, works ok. won't shoot it with paint till tomorrow, but seems ok. it does have the minimag valve, complete, with the whole "ans" thing turning out to be an ans phase II expansion chamber. it came with stock barrels and a boomstick. anyway, it leads to a few more questions.

the bolt has a metal venturi thing coming out the front. i don't want to bust alot of balls, so should i ditch this one for a flat one that uses the foamies? don't say xvalve- way out of my current budget.

also, the trigger pull is tolerable, as is, but i'm leaning towards a spydermag (i love burst), which i read everywhere as needing a ULT, which AGD says won't work in the minimags air valve. however, at zakvetter.com, it says the ULT will work in my valve. AGD doesn't have a photo of the sear proper in the ULT picture, so my question is why won't it work? length difference, diameter difference? different placement of sear arm? longer?

is my stock barrel rifled? semi-rifled? i took a glance down it, and it looks for all the world like 4 land, straight rifled.

the videos of tom kaye on youtube were awesome, i stayed up until 0500 watching anything and everything related on youtube. minimags, mags, spydermags, pneumags, mags that rip, just awesome.

thanks in advance, dav

[secretweaponevan]

Your problem is that if the minimag comes with a clasic style valve, it will not accept a ULT (to my knowledge) without modding the valve.

Classic valves will accept the ULE Trigger kit, but you will short-stroke like no tomorrow.

Classic RT valves are the ones that won't accept a ULE Trigger kit without special milling to the on/off hole.

[davmitchell77]

would you gimme a quick definition of short-stroking, as it pertains to an automag?

[secretweaponevan]

would you gimme a quick definition of short-stroking, as it pertains to an automag?

Your gun goes "chuff" with each trigger pull.

This is because your fingers move so fast that the valve doesn't have time to recharge. That is why "chuff chuff" is the automag warcry.

[athomas]

would you gimme a quick definition of short-stroking, as it pertains to an automag?An automag short stroke occurs when you don't fully release the trigger before pulling it again or if you pull it too soon after you release. Generally it occurs if you don't fully release before you pull. The result is that the front chamber doesn't fully recharge before you fire the next shot. The unfilled chamber may not have enough pressure to move the bolt properly and usually just vents air and resets. The sound when it does this is a "chuff". Sometimes you will get a partial low velocity shot if the chamber almost gets filled.

[KC]

Classic RT valves are the ones that won't accept a ULE Trigger kit without special milling to the on/off hole.

Not so. Almost every RT valve and a good number of emag valves are single O-ring milled and will NOT accept a ULT without modification.

-Kristian

[Don Carnage]

Rifled barrels don't mean squat. Check out 'Tom's Tech Tips' for more info.
The bolt is probably a Level 7 bolt. If it is, the venturi sticking out wont hurt anything.

Welcome to the mag family. If you're worried about the weight, you can upgrade to an aluminum body. Then to an X-Valve, which is aluminum and can give you RT (similar to the Tippmann Response Triggers).

For now: Pick up an o-ring kit. Oil the heck out of it. Have fun.

BTW....where's the pics?

[davmitchell77]

here it is (yay!!)
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/dubbletroubble/000_0044.jpg
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/dubbletroubble/000_0045.jpg

BTW, the toothless wonder holding it up is Lynne, my future wingman. she's skinny, really fast, and already likes paintball. give her a few years and some firepower, and daddy won't have anything to worry about.

if the air valve cycles fine with the stock on/off, will it recharge if you boost the rate of fire?
ie: can i use the regular parts with a higher voltage solenoid, or would it still shortstoke? i only persist in this line of questioning because i already have all the stuff for the spydermag thing. don't have to buy anything.

[athomas]

The AIR valve can recharge really fast if the trigger pull is done properly. An electronic trigger is always the most accurate system and will allow you to maximize your rate of fire. AIR valves can go past 16 bps using electronics.

I suspect you would have to use the retro on-off or possibly even a ULT to reduce the trigger pull force for the spyder solenoid to work properly.

[GoatBoy]

The AIR valve can recharge really fast if the trigger pull is done properly. An electronic trigger is always the most accurate system and will allow you to maximize your rate of fire. AIR valves can go past 16 bps using electronics.

I suspect you would have to use the retro on-off or possibly even a ULT to reduce the trigger pull force for the spyder solenoid to work properly.


The Level 10 bolt also reduces trigger pull force. I always recommend playing a few games with the gun first before upgrading anything, but if I were to pick one upgrade to go for, a Level 10 bolt would be it.

Anyways, some people have reported getting their Spydermags to work without having to resort to a ULT.