Chuffing and bolt stick on Minimag

[TwilightG]

I'm at my wits end here...

I recently purchased a used Mini-Mag with the original valve and bolt (no lvl10, assuming not lvl7 either).
It has a double trigger Intelliframe installed and I am using HPA as my air source.

Here's the problem... I've tried dry firing a bunch of times and when trying to shoot rapidly, I get a chuff about every 3-4 trigger-pulls and occasionally the bolt seems to get a little stuck and the trigger pin/sear don't reset properly. I can reset the bolt and trigger by pushing gently on the bolt through the breach.. I don't even really need to "push" on it.

I have already turned up my velocity quite a bit (although, I have not fired any paint through the marker yet)

I was originally using CO2 and figured that was the cause of my problem so I decided to invest into an HPA tank figuring that I'll use it w/ any marker I get in the future.
The HPA did not make the slightest bit of difference and now I'm getting frustrated.

Any suggestions or possible explanations?

[Coralis]

put 4 or 5 drops of oil in the asa and dry fire the marker and see if that helps .... you may need to replace some orings

[CTW2]

realy there are a couple things you can look at and check
1. your sear check it make sure it isnt woren down at all and is properly lubricated.
2. your bolt make sure it isnt scuffed up or have any burs on it that may be catching .
3. while looking at the bolt check the bolt spring make sure it hasnt given all it has got to give you lol in other words see if its old and may need to be replaced.
4. clean and check your reg and other parts in your valve then add oil , reason i say that is because if you add oil to something that is dirty your just makeing the problem much more difficult later always clean then reoil .
5. also check your barrel make sure it isnt bent or out of shape at all and catching your bolt on its return .

i know this sounds liek alot and not much fun but i have two used minimags and i have had to go through that same stuff for both . the trouble you have could be something that is so simple like it just needs some TLC and a nice lube job remember lithium grease for the reg packing and volocity adjustment nut thingie lol and a good oil not gun oil it tends to be to heavy for the other parts .. i hope that this helps also if you go the the airgundesigns site and look up the manuals you can download the minimag/automag one free and print it out for your self it is helpfull i know thats part of how i learned that and calling the techs every time and again lol ..

[athomas]

I'd replace the bolt spring first. Sounds like a classic bolt stick issue from a worn spring.

[TwilightG]

Here's an update.

After doing a bit of research, it turns out that my eBay MiniMag has a Level 10 installed after all! However, I am sure that it needs tuning.

Unfortunately, I did not receive any extra shims or carriers with it.
This seems to be causing the bolt-stick issue. The bolt is not very gentle. I tested the level 10 by placing my finger in the breach... let me just say that I'm glad I haven't tried shooting any paint through this yet.

I tried lowering the velocity and that helped with the bolt but then the trigger would not reset properly.

I am not sure if the level 10 has anything to do with the chuffing or if it is a separate issue.

Is there any way I can find just a set of carriers rather than having to purchase a whole new kit?
Any other suggestions for the chuffing? I am sure that I might be short stroking when shooting rapidly, but it will sometimes chuff even for slow trigger pulls.

Oh yeah.. I have tried replacing the bolt spring but it doesn't make a difference. The original spring seemed to be in good shape anyway.

Thanks for the responses so far.

[BigEvil]

Talk to Tuna or Rogue one of them can hook you up.

[athomas]

Carrier size is most likely the cause of the problems since it does have a level 10 and not a level 7.

[CTW2]

just wondering you ever get it working right yet ? if not i had a problem with mine that sounds like yours and i found something odd my barrel was just a hair to small for the lvl 10 the lvl 7 was fine but the 10 was just that much to big so it would stick in it you can check that ..

[athomas]

just wondering you ever get it working right yet ? if not i had a problem with mine that sounds like yours and i found something odd my barrel was just a hair to small for the lvl 10 the lvl 7 was fine but the 10 was just that much to big so it would stick in it you can check that ..

Yes, the level 10 is larger in diameter than the level 7. You can't use a barrel smaller than .685 with a level 10. If you have a twist lock barrel, if the barrel isn't perfectly centered, then that number could be even larger.

[TwilightG]

Yes, the level 10 is larger in diameter than the level 7. You can't use a barrel smaller than .685 with a level 10. If you have a twist lock barrel, if the barrel isn't perfectly centered, then that number could be even larger.

I have not resolved this yet. I have contacted Tunaman about buying some carriers and still waiting to hear back.

I have not even had the barrel on when dry-firing so that's not really the issue.

From the looks of it, it seems like the previous owner didn't know what he was doing with this mag...

I am also missing a backing washer for the lvl 10 and found a white o-ring in its place. This would obviously throw the whole thing off since proper spacing of the parts is key to tuning.

I also found what appears to be an RT on/off instead of the classic.
Could this be part of the reason for my short-stroking (I'm assuming that's the cause of the chuffing)? I figured the RT on/off should give me a more "reactive" trigger response which should help to prevent that, right? Although this would also explain why the trigger pull isn't as heavy as I expected it to be.

Man.. I just want to get this thing fixed already!

[chadlh]

I know it seems like a whole lot. Just get yourself a Valve repair kit with all the o-rings, the LVL10 carriers and it's respective repair kit, print out the LVL 10 manual and the minimag manual. When I first got my mag I totally stripped my mag down and reasembled it even though I knew it had just been serviced just to see how it all worked. Than after numerous trips to the PB store to get air I said screw it and just went to an indoor paintball place and got 100 paintballs and unlimitted air. Trying to tune it at home and always running out of air is annoying. Just go to a place that will let you tune it there so you can have it chrono'd and make sure it all works. It'll probably take you about an hour but after one good sitting with it you'll know it works the way it's supposed to.

[athomas]

I am also missing a backing washer for the lvl 10 and found a white o-ring in its place. This would obviously throw the whole thing off since proper spacing of the parts is key to tuning.

I also found what appears to be an RT on/off instead of the classic.
Could this be part of the reason for my short-stroking (I'm assuming that's the cause of the chuffing)? I figured the RT on/off should give me a more "reactive" trigger response which should help to prevent that, right? Although this would also explain why the trigger pull isn't as heavy as I expected it to be.

The missing backing washer is probably your problem.

The RT on-off will work in the classic valve and cuts the trigger pull force in half. Short stroking hasn't been a major issue when using the rt on-offs.

[pierce]

Yes, the level 10 is larger in diameter than the level 7. You can't use a barrel smaller than .685 with a level 10. I use .684 and .682 barrels all the time, i dont think the L10 goes that far forward to get in the barrel.

[athomas]

There has been reported problems in the past where the bolt made contact with the inside diameter of the barrels. It may not affect all setups.

[TwilightG]

Another update...

Pulled everything apart, examined and replaced some o-rings...

Upon further inspection, discovered that a ULT kit is installed, NOT the RT as I had originally thought. (This Mag is full of surprises). This explains my chuffing when firing rapidly.

Got a new red bolt spring and backing washer.. started leaking down the barrel. But hey, no more bolt stick! LOL
Now I ordered a set of carriers (man, postage is getting to be expensive...) HOPEFULLY, this will finally clear up most of my problems...

Now I have this ULT to deal with. I tried researching the ULT kit on the forums, but I'm not quite sure what the kit consists of. Can I simply remove some of the "ULT" pieces to revert it back to an RT on/off, or do I need to get a whole new on/off assembly?

Although I'm quite surprised that my minimag came bundled with all of these upgrades, it's causing a bit of a headache and a lot of unecessary costs just to get it working properly.

It probably wouldn't have been so bad if the original owner had a clue on how to install and tune these parts. (Not that I should talk, heh) If it's any consolation, I'm learning a boatload on how this thing works.

Thanks for the help guys.