Funny thing happened today. Any clues?

[mpsd]

Today I went to a family paintball game with my cousins and some friends, some of them aged 10 or so. Most people were playing for the first time and there were some kids, as I said so I thought that the Alien Mag would be a little too much for this game so I brought some different guns to play, being:

- A Tippmann 68 Special. It's in as new condition but, as I don't have a syphon tank any more, it didn't shoot well with the standard CO2 tank so I quickly quit using it.
- A Lapco Grey Ghost. The gun is so light and easy to pump it's amazing. Problem is, it has a big bore fixed barrel and I was using .687 paint so you can imagine what happened (zero precision and a lot of double feeding)
- And my new RT Mag. It has an e-Mag valve (first time I've used it) and my clamping vertical stainless steel body with a center-feed twist lock Freak barrel.

What happened with this gun is totally new to me. I've put my Max-Flo system regulated at 1100 psi out (usually I use it with my e-Mag) but, when I went to start shooting it in the chrono, the gun shot the first ball and, after that, the trigger got extremelly hard to pull and even doing it, the gun wouldn't shoot again. Only after like 10 trigger pulls, it would shot one more time and so on.

I've tryed fussing with the e-Mag regulator, turning it up and down a lot but with no success.

So, does anyone have any idea of what is going on? This little beast looks so amazingly beautifull that I would really like to be able to use it but with this problem, I'm stuck.

Oh, by the way, I ended using the Alien Mag. I had to hold my fingers a little bit and shot mostly with only one finger, without walking it but it's still sooooo fast...

Thanks,

Mendel.

[VTLO910]

Frame/Field Screws too tight...? or maybe you need a different sized on/off pin... I'm certainly no expert, but I think I heard these two things possible tied to that same issue in the past...

Lets see if the Mag experts speak up here...

[athomas]

I'm guessing the on-off pin wasn't opening. That would mean you were pressing against a full 800 psi of pressure on the top of the on-off pin, which would explain the heavy trigger pull. It would also explain why the gun wouldn't fire. Try a shorter on-off pin to see if that works. If you don't have a shorter pin, you can add a couple of shims between the two on-off halves to provide the same effect as a shorter pin.

[mpsd]

Thanks guys. Anyone else?

[flyingpootang]

Mendel, Athomas has a good point, but I would also check your trigger sear length.

[Ruler_Mark]

take the on/off off and examine for eaten orings

[athomas]

Mendel, Athomas has a good point, but I would also check your trigger sear length.

Yes, good point. If the sear rod has been turned out such that it is always touching the trigger, it may not allow the on-off pin to open.

[mpsd]

Got back to the Mag. Disassembled the on/off and found that it had a super-long on/off pin. Changed it for a shorter one I had and also changed one of the o-rings that was a little bit worn (although not rough or eaten - but changed it anyway). Also lubed the on-off and checked the other o-rings. It'll probably work now but I'll have to wait untill tomorrow since it's 11:00 PM already. Will keep you posted.

Some pics of it in it's definitive form (only thing to be changed will be the macro line):





Thanks!

[mpsd]

Well, wasn't the on/off as I got the same results with the other one. After that, I got another sear I had and checked the lenght of the pin. It was the same as the other one so I got a pair of pliers and shortened one of them. Now it seems to work but it's firing at an insane rate, shooting bursts instead of semi. When I put a pencil in front of the bolt to test the Level 10, the bolt got stuck in front and the valve leaked. I had to push it off in order to the valve reset itself (I'm glad I did it with the pencil and not with my finger ). I can be shooting way too hot, which would explain it and also the 1100 psi can be too much for it. I'll change the Inline Max Flo for the micro I have (preset at 850 psi) and see the results.

Maybe I should try shortening the sear a little further too. Seems like this trigger frame is a little different comparing to the CF I had before.

Is it possible that a Level 10 carrier that's too tight can cause this? Do you thing I should try changing it? Any other thoughts?

Thanks guys.

[mpsd]

Shortened the sear a lot and put the Micro MaX flo preset at 850 psi. Same results. I'm stuck again... Anyone? Thanks...

[Ruler_Mark]

to solve the lvl X issue try adding a shim.

as to the other, can you get a caliper to the on/off length?

also check your oring on the reg piston

[secretweaponevan]

Engage safety.
Gas up mag.
Trigger rod should be 1/16" from the back of the trigger (about the thickness of a credit card).

Other than that, as athomas said, this is definitely an on/off problem as the force to return the trigger is existing while trying to pull the trigger also.


You aren't using a classic valve on/off are you?

Nice clean-looking mag btw.

[mpsd]

Engage safety.
Gas up mag.
Trigger rod should be 1/16" from the back of the trigger (about the thickness of a credit card).

Other than that, as athomas said, this is definitely an on/off problem as the force to return the trigger is existing while trying to pull the trigger also.


You aren't using a classic valve on/off are you?

Nice clean-looking mag btw.

It's an RT on/off. I'll check that distance to make sure. Will take some pics and post them here as well. Only thing is that one of the rails screws that holds the Max Flo had it's head stripped and now I can't take it off since the allen wrench turns freely inside of it (I know, I know, I'm having an excelent experience with this gun today ).

Anyways... I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for all your inputs and hints!

[flyingpootang]

Mendel, I think the problem lays within the 32 degrees 45 frame. If I'm not mistaken it's off of ebay from Barb's Paintball. I had the same problem with both of mine. The grip threads have heli coils in them. Remove the frame and look into the top portion where the sear fits into. Check to see if the heli coil has un-threaded or if the grip screws protrude into the sear area and are rubbing against the sear causing a no fire when the grip are installed. Also the factory sear rod length doesn't apply to these frames. I use a RT on/off with a .750 pin in mine. Also beware that the Dye frames are exactly the same as the 32 degrees frame, there just stamped with a DYE logo...Richard

[mpsd]

Mendel, I think the problem lays within the 32 degrees 45 frame. If I'm not mistaken it's off of ebay from Barb's Paintball. I had the same problem with both of mine. The grip threads have heli coils in them. Remove the frame and look into the top portion where the sear fits into. Check to see if the heli coil has un-threaded or if the grip screws protrude into the sear area and are rubbing against the sear causing a no fire when the grip are installed. Also the factory sear rod length doesn't apply to these frames. I use a RT on/off with a .750 pin in mine. Also beware that the Dye frames are exactly the same as the 32 degrees frame, there just stamped with a DYE logo...Richard

Maybe that's why I&I Sports says that this is not a drop-in upgrade and it need some TLC to get it to work. I never thought it would be THAT MUCH of a TLC though...

I'll install another frame I have with an original sear (since I cahnged the rod lenght on this one I'm using) and see what happens. I also found a caliper here at my office that I'll take home and measure the different on/off pins I have.

Thanks for your continued support guys!