RT-ULE wont fire

[Madcat_MK2]

Hi, I recently got my RT-ULE Custom this past wednesday from Airgun Design and when I got it the marker fired perfectly fine. Today I went out and got some macroline hoses and proceeded to put them on, and swapped out the spring AGD put on with the red one. My problem is now the marker will not fire anymore. At first when I gassed up, the trigger pin would just be limp and on occassion the air would blow out through the front or nothing at all would happen. I eventually got it to fire for two gas on/gas off cycles and left it alone figuring it worked. I just tried it again and now the trigger has slight pressure, but it wont fire at all again. My tank has about 1400 psi so its not low on air and I've tried messing with the velocity adjustment to no avail. Any ideas on what the problem could be? I also noticed that it shot off the rubber nubbin thing that goes on the front of the bolt. Do I really need that piece or can I use it without that? Thanks for the help.

[garbageman705]

If you changed the spring try changing it back, you put the stiffer spring on it so you need to turn up the velocity, you may also need a smaller carrier to use the stiffer spring. If you want to shoot 280 FPS you need the red spring or the silver spring, you may also need a smaller carrier. As far as the foamie, shame on AGD for not using enough glue, and yes you need that foamie.

[secretweaponevan]

Sounds like bolt stick or not enough oil. Mags love the oil.

Your carrier might be too small. Also, macroline (and the fittings) is not usually rated for 850+psi. If you are using an adjustable HPA tank, go back to stainless hose for safest results.

Follow any of the LVL 10 tuning tips or this quick start.

LVL 10 quick tuning:
Follow these steps in order.
1. Break in carrier o-ring with 1000 shots.
2. Move broken-in white o-ring to largest carrier that does not leak.
3. If bolt sticks on squeegy test, add shims until it resets reliably.
4. Chrono marker to field speed. (this is important, don't just do it by sound)
5. If gun breaks paint (test with no loader and make an electrical tape string for paintball to hang only halfway in breach) use a longer mainspring (on the contrary, if bolt continuously "LVL 10's" or "chuffs" use a shorter mainspring).
6. Profit.

[athomas]

... you may also need a smaller carrier to use the stiffer spring. If you want to shoot 280 FPS you need the red spring or the silver spring, you may also need a smaller carrier. As far as the foamie, shame on AGD for not using enough glue, and yes you need that foamie.

Carrier size has nothing to do with which spring you use. If the proper carrier is installed, you can use any spring that allows you to shoot at your desired velocity.

The foamy is not really needed. It prevents the chambered ball from rolling back a bit. With a properly tuned level 10 bolt, you'll not have any problems even without the foamy.


Madcat_MK2:

If you installed the red spring, you definately need to increase the velocity setting to fire the gun. With new mags, there is always a possiblity of the wrong carrier size installed. They are done quickly at the factory and use a generic setting. You are best to tune your own. For a properly tuned level 10, remove all the shims first. Then install the largest carrier that does not leak. I wouldn't worry about reinstalling the shims. Alot of people never use them and never have problems. The shims only affect how far the bolt has to travel before it can vent air and reset. If the gun fires or chuffs, then shims are not needed. If the gun attempts to fire but the bolt gets stopped by a breach block, but does not move far enough to vent, then you need shims to shorten the distance to allow it to vent and reset. I have yet to see a blockage that won't allow enough movement to vent the chamber.

To start with level 10 tuning, I would try a carrier size larger than the one you are using now. If it leaks go back to the one you are using. Always use the same white carrier oring when changing carrier sizes. Once you find the proper sized carrier, turn the velocity down low and gradually adjust it up until the gun fires. For optimum tuning, the velocity should be turned up to about 20fps higher than the lowest setting that the gun will shoot at. If the velocity is too low at that value, move to the next stiffer bolt spring and redo the velocity setting. If the velocity is too high, move to the next lighter bolt spring.

[garbageman705]

Carrier size does have to do with the spring you use. The tighter the carrier the more friction on the bolt piston. Multiply that by back pressure from the main spring for the softest level 10 setting. For basic use you should use the largest carrier that does not leak but for the perfectly tuned bolt that will bounce off your ding dong without leaving a scratch you need some friction on the piston. Remember the best performance comes when you use the longest mainspring and get the marker to just start firing at 270 and fire reliably at 290. To get this you need a snugger fit on the piston.

Tom Kaye said this, I did not make this up, and Tom would not lie to you would he.

[Madcat_MK2]

Ok, so what I can gather from you guys, is that the problem is most likely the carriers installed, and once I try fixing them, the problem should go away? I've also cranked up the velocity before to where the air started leaking out the velocity screwhole, so I think I had it turned up enough to move the bolt.

I just did a test and put the spring it origianly came with and the gun started firing fine right away. So then that means it is a carrier problem with the red spring then correct?

[garbageman705]

The red spring is pretty good, but the silver one will give the best chop protection. Try the biggest carrier that does not leak and the red spring. After you break in the marker, then try to fiddle with it to get the silver one to work. Do the squeegee test to make sure you have chop protection. Put the squeegee in front of the bolt, if it hits the squegee hard then you need to turn down the velocity or use a stiffer spring or tighter carrier. If it bounces off the squeegee then your good. If it gets stuck and wont fire, add some shims.

[Madcat_MK2]

Ok then. Thanks for the help guys. I'll try fiddling with it tomarrow by your instructions and tell you how it went.

[athomas]

Carrier size does have to do with the spring you use. ..... To get this you need a snugger fit on the piston.

Tom Kaye said this, I did not make this up, and Tom would not lie to you would he.

That part has been recanted quite a number of years ago. It has been found that for all situations, always use the largest carrier that does not leak. If there is any amount of friction on the bolt stem, it affects the initial movement of the bolt if the the chamber force is close to the spring force. Basically, it causes inconsistent operation. By always using the largest carrier that doesn't leak, you remove the carier friction out of the equation. If you need to fine tune the amount of force, you need to use the different size springs. If the value you need falls between 2 of the springs, then you need to cut the longer spring. Most of the time you can find a good value using the supplied springs.

[Madcat_MK2]

Alright, thanks guys, I finally got it working consistently now. I didnt realize that the bolt is that extremely sensitive to the carrier size. They put in a .5 carrier, so I had to move up to the 1.5 and put in 2 shims and now it works perfectly along with the anti-chop. Only thing I noticed though is they only included 0-1.5 carrier sizes in my little baggie.

Will I need to order the bigger sizes eventually or are they rarely needed?

Finally, I'm using the macroline so far and it works fine, but I noticed that the line bends a good deal when pressurized but doesnt leak. Is this normal for 900psi operation?

[athomas]

You'll probably not need the 2.0 carrier size, especially once the oring gets broken in.

When using macroline, use a good quality. Parker line is one of the best due to its higher rating. Even then it is only rated at 625psi. It does have a 4x burst rating though which puts it at a 2500psi burst rating. Some cheaper lines have a lower operating pressure rating and only 3x burst rating. Just be aware of this and get good line. Any nicks in the line will affect its ability to hold air. Change the line every so often, especially if the line shows signs of wear.

[garbageman705]

I have used macroline up to 1000 PSI with no trouble. The macro fittings can blow apart on you to so be careful. The macro fittings that say "UK Made" on them are the strongest.

[athomas]

Yes, macroline can hold the pressure. You just have to be aware, that they are generally past their recommended operating rating at those pressures. Its the nicks and scrapes at those pressures that cause blowouts.

Yes, get good fittings. I've seen fittings crack, even when the macro line didn't.