Just picked up first MAG, a few questions..

[Track89]

I picked this piece up for $180 shipped ( http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3326465 ) Lemme know what ya think, constructive criticism is always good.

-First mods i should look into
-benefits of the Diamond Labs aluminum Hurricane
-Best person/place to get x-valve/retro/lvl10 purchased and installed

Any other tips 'n tricks to help get me started would also be greatly appreciated!!

[Dominic]

I picked this piece up for $180 shipped ( http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3326465 ) Lemme know what ya think, constructive criticism is always good.

-First mods i should look into
-benefits of the Diamond Labs aluminum Hurricane
-Best person/place to get x-valve/retro/lvl10 purchased and installed

Any other tips 'n tricks to help get me started would also be greatly appreciated!!

Looks like it is an original minimag valve with a different rear section. I do not know anything about the different rear section, I really do not think that any of them did anything more that the original. I would hook up some HPA, not C02, and shoot it first. Save some money buy some paint. But if you are really wanting to upgrade the only one that I think is needed is the lvl X bolt. The original valve is still a great valve, and I still use mine on my first mag. However, I do have an X valve on my other mag and it is a big step up, it is awesome. If you want the X-valve it comes with a lvl X bolt, and you can get them from AGD, Tunamart.com, and Themagsmith.com. If you go with an X-valve you can also get the ULE trigger kit which replaces your on/off assembly(not a trigger frame). For trigger frames I myself prefer the blade trigger on the intelliframe but that is just a matter of preferance. If you want that I would get the Inteliframe, it will bolt right on to your gun, and there are directions on the forums on how to link it to your hopper with some parts from Radio Shack. I would invest in a parts kit, so you have all the replacement o-rings, spring, and detent. If you go to far in to replacing parts you will end up with an entirely new marker that cost more than if you just got on AGD's store and bought a custom ULE. But like I said if you are going to keep the valve and body I would recommend the lvl X bolt.
Hope this helps and welcome to the family of Automags.

[CatoRockwell]

Beautiful setup. Upgrades are all based off of what direction you want to go but I would at least get a new trigger frame & lvl 10 bolt.

Ideally:
xvalve
& emag lowers or pnuemag or ule depending on your preferences

[Frizzle Fry]

Beautiful setup. Upgrades are all based off of what direction you want to go but I would at least get a new trigger frame & lvl 10 bolt.

Ideally:
xvalve
& emag lowers or pnuemag or ule depending on your preferences

Well, Emag lowers are out since Eclipse Kits are classic rails.

[C_losjoker]

i would say since this is your first mag, go get into a few games before you start upgrading it. though you probably will need to get a new frame, i think most fields do not let you play with a cut trigger guard. thats what i have heard, thats because of the insurance that most fields carry.

[Track89]

Awsome feedback, that was what i was lookin' for. So it looks like the frame will be first on the list(anyone got one layin' around.?) I'll wait 'n see how bad the chop's are and decide if the Lvl10 is necessary.

How hard are Mag's to clean after a chop??
Also what little part's should i look out for when dissembling it? (I'm great at loosing ****)

[Sumthinwicked]

look up automag and tom kaye on youtube he has a 10 part video on mags that you should watch

[CatoRockwell]

Also I would recommend having a valve kit in your tool box. I've never had my mags wear anything out, but I've bought several used and you should count on replacing some if not all of the orings.

Once you get it running you shouldn't have any problems.

[Track89]

Video defiantly cleared a few points up. So the outstanding reliability isn't a myth i take it. Valves lasting 10+ years.

[Ando]

Some people here still have their mags when they first came out. I still have my classic from 96.

[JKR]

There is a guy who owns a small field near me that has had his Automag since 1993 or 1994 and still uses mostly original parts - including the valve. I believe he has replaced the bolt and sear due to wear, but everything else still works! AGD nows how to make a quality product. Welcome to the fold!

[Konigballer]

I'm a sucker for Minimags with splash parts! Your Eclipse body rail, sight rail, foregrip & powerfeed plug scream oldschool-cool. Definately keepers.

From an aesthetic point of view I would do a few low cost things:

-I would buy a dust silver or chrome asa, a CP on/off preferably, to blend with everything else.

-Polish the Minimag body. You can do this yourself with 400, 600, & 1200 grade sandpaper from Ace hardware, and some Mothers Mag polish. Theres many how-to threads on the forum. Nothing beats a polished Minimag body, however it will collect fingerprints like you read about!

-Buy either a chrome intelli double finger triggerframe, or a chrome Benchmark single triggerframe for more of an old school look. Some fields may be iffy about you playing with a cut-off trigger guard. With .45 based frames, you have almost endless options for custom grip panels.

-Sell, or trade, your Hurricane valve for whatever you can get, and buy either a used numbers matching Minimag Valve, a Retro Valve, or an X-valve. Try to get one that already has a Lvl-10 bolt. All of these can be had here on the buyers forums for relatively cheap nowadays.

Congrats, that was an excellent Minimag catch!

[Track89]

I'm a sucker for Minimags with splash parts! Your Eclipse body rail, sight rail, foregrip & powerfeed plug scream oldschool-cool. Definately keepers.

From an aesthetic point of view I would do a few low cost things:

-I would buy a dust silver or chrome asa, a CP on/off preferably, to blend with everything else.

-Polish the Minimag body. You can do this yourself with 400, 600, & 1200 grade sandpaper from Ace hardware, and some Mothers Mag polish. Theres many how-to threads on the forum. Nothing beats a polished Minimag body, however it will collect fingerprints like you read about!

-Buy either a chrome intelli double finger triggerframe, or a chrome Benchmark single triggerframe for more of an old school look. Some fields may be iffy about you playing with a cut-off trigger guard. With .45 based frames, you have almost endless options for custom grip panels.

-Sell, or trade, your Hurricane valve for whatever you can get, and buy either a used numbers matching Minimag Valve, a Retro Valve, or an X-valve. Try to get one that already has a Lvl-10 bolt. All of these can be had here on the buyers forums for relatively cheap nowadays.

Congrats, that was an excellent Minimag catch!

Lol thanx man, My Spyder and F8 might be up for sale soon to help support my new Mag addiction. There's just somethin' about 'em

[Track89]

Can you put a center feed body on a mini mag?

[VailSkibum]

Mag Pictures

For some ideas, and just to prove how darn cool 'Mags are, check out this thread:

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5895&page=60&pp=30

This link takes you to page 60, most of the earlier pics are down. Just browse up through the pages.
Durability? Unsurpassed. Have my original Classic from '98. A splash of oil, (Mags love oil) gassed it up, and after roughly 5 years of being dormant, she ran like the day I put her away. I even had to use CO2 that day! (side note: If you HAVE to run CO2, at least get a remote bottle set-up. A Plamers Stabilizer is better. Keeps the liquid CO2 from getting sucked into the internals and freezing them up. Think fire extinguisher.)
And yes, a centerfeed body will work on a MM. I suggest a ULE. Lighter, and you eliminate those silly elbows. Although, as someone stated earlier, a polished MM body with that splash kit would look pretty Old Skool Cool as well!
My suggestion... Get a Level 10 bolt, (you will never break paint once it's tuned), then an Intelliframe, maybe an R/T on/off... And then BUY ANOTHER 'MAG!! Two is always better than one! Just ask around here!
Welcome aboard!
VSB