just joined, dusted off my mags need a little tuning advice/help

[RyuuChi]

ok, so, i started playing paintball eons ago, and i used to play a lot, but around 2001 i had to stop, college loans and field proximity were just too inhibiting. that said, i've recently been able to dust off all the old guns and start playing a bit recently. i have two mags and two cockers. I haven't been messing with this stuff for so long i've more or less completely forgotten how to maintain/tune these things and they're running like crap. I dropped the autocockers at a shop to be rebuilt/tuned cuz i don't wanna deal with that nightmare, but i'm trying to get the mags going myself.

here's the setups:

automag

minimag valve (circa '97)
-power tube spacer kit
-reactor on off valve
-hurricane regulator
-16" all american barrel
-stock trigger frame cut for two finger trigger

Mini Mag

-RT valve
-venturi bolt
-agd intelliframe
-lapco 12 stainless barrel


ok, so, i rebuilt the valve on the automag. all new seals and o-rings, and i think i got that one under control, but i thought i'd mention it so you all know everything i'm dealing with.

the real problem i'm having is with the RT valve and trigger. how do you get this thing tuned to RT and i think it maybe short stroking a little. sometimes it's making the hissing noise after a shot. i also noticed that the sear seems to be eating the bolt a little bit.

so, what is the proper way to tune the trigger and get these things running optimally?
all of my buddies have gone to electros, and i know these guns can hang with them, if i can get them running right. any and all advise is welcome and very much appreciated. thanks all!

[BiNumber3]

The Venturi bolt is likely from ANS and I find those wear much faster than AGD ones, so I'd suggest getting a replacement bolt (an AGD bolt), which should solve most problems you're notiing with the RT.
You can probably put the bolt from your other mag into your RT just to see if it is the bolt causing problems

[RyuuChi]

i am pretty sure it's the ans venturi.

[RyuuChi]

so, does anyone have any input on how the length of the pushrod on the sear affects the way the gun shoots?


oh, and i forgot to mentin that the sear in the minimag has been polished.

[secretweaponevan]

so, does anyone have any input on how the length of the pushrod on the sear affects the way the gun shoots?


It doesn't. With the marker gassed up and the safety on, you want a credit-card's thickness gap between the tip of the rod and the back of the sear. If you get this out of spec it can cause "bolt nibbling" (which you described on your RT).

To tune the RT, you can purchase (or grind down your own) shorter on/off pins and use adjustable regged tanks.

Read up on Zak's site for info.
http://www.zakvetter.com/pages/paintballs/automag_info/rapidfire/rf_disclaimer.html

[kwood]

so, does anyone have any input on how the length of the pushrod on the sear affects the way the gun shoots?

some one correct me if im wrong but AGD recommends to NOT adjust the rod length as it comes from the factor in the correct length

[RyuuChi]

are you talking about the gap between the trigger itself and the sear rod that sticks out of the frame?

[kwood]

are you talking about the gap between the trigger itself and the sear rod that sticks out of the frame?

the sear rod that sits behind the trigger

[xero28]

some one correct me if im wrong but AGD recommends to NOT adjust the rod length as it comes from the factor in the correct length

Theoretically yes, you shouldn't HAVE to adjust it. Although, after years of use, the rod could screw in/out. I've adjusted the length on almost all of my guns here and there, never had a problem with doing so.

[RyuuChi]

ok, well i just measured that, and it seems that it's in spec on the rod length. maybe i'm just not getting enough input psi to go rapidfire...


but it's still eating the bolt lip. i know cuz i put in a fresh stock bolt and it started eating the new one...

[Spider-TW]

ok, well i just measured that, and it seems that it's in spec on the rod length. maybe i'm just not getting enough input psi to go rapidfire...


but it's still eating the bolt lip. i know cuz i put in a fresh stock bolt and it started eating the new one...

You have the right gap behind the trigger with the marker aired up as SWevan mentioned? The gap is more important than the actual rod length.

Got a good bumper and bolt spring? You might check the on/off pin length. The pin may have been shortened previously.

Something is preventing the sear from getting a good grip on the bolt.


A new thought for me... could an unnecessarily long power tube spacer cause bolt nibble?

[RyuuChi]

i'm not entirely sure that my polished sear isn't causing the problem though. it's kinda angled and sharp... but i''ll report back after i measure the on off pin. i also put a brand new spring on it when i did the stock bolt thing.

[athomas]

A new thought for me... could an unnecessarily long power tube spacer cause bolt nibble?No. A excessively long powertube spacer will only cause a leak out the front. If yours isn't leaking, then your powertube spacer is not too long.

If the on-off pin is too short, it could definately cause bolt wear. Another thing that does not help is a modified sear. If it has been polished, it could be out of spec. When that happens, it may not hold the bolt properly which could account for the nicks in the bolt.

[Spider-TW]

No. A excessively long powertube spacer will only cause a leak out the front. If yours isn't leaking, then your powertube spacer is not too long.

Thanks, I see that was a brain fart now. I was imagining the power tube oring on top of the spacer.

It was a long two weeks in norcal.

[RyuuChi]

hmmm, ok, i think it's a differential in the length of the on off pins between my two valves. i didn't have the bolt wear on it in the original configuration, but now (after a bit of mixing and matching) it's wearing. i think i need to re-match up the sears with the original valves and see what happens then.