New Mag owner: a couple questions

[roarf]

I recently picked up this nice classic powerfeed Mag from a friend who was getting rid of his paintball stuff. I don't know a whole lot about mags yet but I'm pretty comfortable taking apart paintball guns. It hasn't been used in 3 or 4 years so I plan on tearing it apart and replacing any o-rings or parts that need it (reg seat? bolt spring?). I'm guessing for the most part it's ok but is there anything in particular you guys recommend I replace?

As you can see it has this Eclipse splash kit which looks fantastic, and I can't really tell but it looks like the powerfeed plug is NOT parabolic. Does anyone know if that is correct, and if so I assume I should replace it w/ a parabolic plug? Also, does anyone know what kind of barrel this is? I can tell it's all stainless steel because it's about as heavy as the gun itself, but there are no markings on it. And last but not least what's the general consensus on the Benchmark frame? It feels comfy but I have yet to actually shoot it yet. Any other tips, let me know! Thanks for looking.

Pics:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/roarf/paintball/mag.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/roarf/paintball/pf_plug.jpg

[OPBN]

You might try just taking the marker apart, cleaning the o-rings, givng it a good oil down and airing it up. I have picked up several "closet markers" that hadnt seen the light of day for years and all they needed was some cleaning and oil. I have two full sets of o-rings sitting around here that I bought thinking that they would need to be changed, and they didnt.

As for the barrel, I think it's a PMI Perfect bore. I can't see the tip, but looks like the one that I have and that's what someone told me it was. As for the Benchmark frame, peoplle seem to have mixed feelings on them. I personally like double trigger frames better, but it's pretty much a matter of taste.

[factoid]

I recently picked up this nice classic powerfeed Mag from a friend who was getting rid of his paintball stuff. I don't know a whole lot about mags yet but I'm pretty comfortable taking apart paintball guns. It hasn't been used in 3 or 4 years so I plan on tearing it apart and replacing any o-rings or parts that need it (reg seat? bolt spring?). I'm guessing for the most part it's ok but is there anything in particular you guys recommend I replace?

As you can see it has this Eclipse splash kit which looks fantastic, and I can't really tell but it looks like the powerfeed plug is NOT parabolic. Does anyone know if that is correct, and if so I assume I should replace it w/ a parabolic plug? Also, does anyone know what kind of barrel this is? I can tell it's all stainless steel because it's about as heavy as the gun itself, but there are no markings on it. And last but not least what's the general consensus on the Benchmark frame? It feels comfy but I have yet to actually shoot it yet. Any other tips, let me know! Thanks for looking.

Pics:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/roarf/paintball/mag.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...ll/pf_plug.jpg

Your barrel looks kinda like my PMI ceramic barrel, but it wouldn't be as heavy as you describe. I have a barrel that looks almost identical to this, but it's gloss black and fairly light. Probably the same manufacturer but different material. I'm sure it shoots fine, but I'd recommend an aluminum barrel. The ceramic ones are fine, but they don't magically shoot through barrel breaks like they claim.

That is NOT a parabolic power feed plug. It has a flat spot on the edge. Honestly it's not THAT big of a deal, especially if you use a forcefeed loader like a Halo, Reloader, Rotor, etc....

If you're already going to buy a parts kit, the new PF plug is only 5 bucks, but I wouldn't pay the shipping just to get one all by itself. Wait until you order some other parts to justify it.


As for replacing o-rings, gas it up first and see if you get any leaks. The most common o-rings that cause problems in a mag are the power tube o-ring and the on/off o-ring, especially the white teflon one.

Before you air it up the first time put 3-4 drops of marker oil in your ASA or gas line fitting and shoot it through the gun 20 or 30 times. That's all the maintenance you need to do if it doesn't leak. But if you're paranoid like me and want fresh o-rings, just replace them all. A parts kit will come with everything you mentioned.

A word of warning...every time you unscrew the regulator from the valve you should replace the regulator seat. The pin valve puts a groove in it and you can never get it to line up quite right again.

Your bolt spring is a consumable item. It needs to be replaced occasionally. The way to tell is if your spring no longer sticks out past the front of the bolt.

As for benchmark frames, I've never shot the one you have there, but the only bad things I've heard about benchmarks are about the double trigger ones.

[OPBN]

I've taken all of my regs and valves apart numerous times and never replaced the reg seat....

[xero28]

That is NOT a parabolic power feed plug. It has a flat spot on the edge. Honestly it's not THAT big of a deal, especially if you use a forcefeed loader like a Halo, Reloader, Rotor, etc....

Actually, I believe if you're using a force fed loader, you NEED the parabolic plug. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but because of the geometry of the old plugs and how force fed balls go through them, the balls will get caught up on the plug and not feed correctly. Than's why they came out with the parabolic plugs. That was my experience at least using a warp feed and an older style plug.

[factoid]

Actually, I believe if you're using a force fed loader, you NEED the parabolic plug. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but because of the geometry of the old plugs and how force fed balls go through them, the balls will get caught up on the plug and not feed correctly. Than's why they came out with the parabolic plugs. That was my experience at least using a warp feed and an older style plug.

That one's new on me. I was told it was an improvement to help reduce ball chopping on powertube bodies.

The long powertube plugs that you get with a Warp feed don't have a parabolic tip.

Who knows. The parabolic plug is cheap and even if it doesn't do much you can't really go wrong with it.


And OPBN, I used to do the same thing. It doesn't cause leaking or anything, but I learned on here to change it after each opening and basically never crack that seal open unless you have a problem. Since I did that my velocity has been MUCH more consistent. I'm pretty sure those grooves can affect air moving between the valve and reg, causing hot and cold shots.

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I did notice a benefit from following that advice. Others can probably explain it better than me.

[roarf]

Thanks for the responses. If I end up ordering an o-ring kit I'll be sure to add a parabolic PF plug. I will probably be using a Revvy most of the time but I also have a Halo B should I feel the urge.

Here's a better picture of the barrel. It also came with an ACI Zero Gravity barrel but that one has seen better days. I imagine I'll look into getting a new barrel at some point.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb82/roarf/paintball/barrels.jpg

[Newt]

Nice find!

Be sure to check out the Punkworks stuff before you look into changing barrels.

[OPBN]

Thanks for the responses. If I end up ordering an o-ring kit I'll be sure to add a parabolic PF plug. I will probably be using a Revvy most of the time but I also have a Halo B should I feel the urge.

Here's a better picture of the barrel. It also came with an ACI Zero Gravity barrel but that one has seen better days. I imagine I'll look into getting a new barrel at some point.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...ll/barrels.jpg

Looks liike the same one that I have that was ID'd as a PMI Perfect Bore.. It is pretty hefty. I use an older J&J ceramic that I like quite a bit. Usually relatively easy to find and reasonablly priced.

[Ando]

^^^What the guy 2 posts above said^^^ EDIT: Dame you OPBN

In my experience. A force feed hopper usually alleviates the problematic plug. It pushes the balls through the "problem".

I usually get "the issue" with gravity hoppers on the problematic plugs.

[factoid]

If you pick up that parts kit make sure you install the plastic nubbins. I'm betting those old barrels still have the wire nubbins in them.

They worked, but the plastic ones are much nicer to your paint and you should get fewer barrel breaks.

Those barrel o-rings also look kinda old and yellow. Not a big deal for a barrel, but your parts kit should come with a couple of those as well.

[roarf]

If you pick up that parts kit make sure you install the plastic nubbins. I'm betting those old barrels still have the wire nubbins in them.

They worked, but the plastic ones are much nicer to your paint and you should get fewer barrel breaks.

Those barrel o-rings also look kinda old and yellow. Not a big deal for a barrel, but your parts kit should come with a couple of those as well.

Will do, those barrels do still have the wire nubbins.

Is there any problem with running macroline? It seems like the majority of Mag users stick to steel braided hose.

[Newt]

"No" to both notions.

[roarf]

Tore the gun down in its entirety the other day and cleaned it up. Aired it up and it cycles fine and there's no leaks, I plan to shoot paint through it in a day or two. I did notice that this Mag has the copper spring in the powertube instead of a spacer. Should I pick up a spacer kit or just leave it be?

[XM15]

The spring will eventually weaken and then you will get bolt stick. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a spacer kit and have it for when the spring does go.