Spring Feed End Cap Design

[bowcycle]

I don't know about you guys, but I really don't like always trying to twist the parabolic plug from feed to reload and back on normal spring feeds like Empire's.

GoatBoy had a thread a while back about a design he came up with using a bearing a spring to reduce the time for flipping that plug, and we talked about a redesign that put the bearing and plug and a spring all into an insert that could be used with any springfeed system. Unfortunately, that never materialized (although I still think it's a great idea).

But what if we went about this a different way?
What if we thought about our spring tubes like 12gr changers where a pull of the follower guide plus 1/4 - 1/2 twist out of a knurled end cap opened the back of the tube for reloading and the same quick 1/4 - 1/2 twist back secured the end cap and released the follower?

It's possible that something like this already exists. If so, I'd love to know where I can get one.
If not, we're a tinkering bunch and surely together we can come up with something that accomplishes this quick reloading process.

[bowcycle]

I've been looking at a lot of different spring feeds and have a question:
Is it relatively easy to thread the firestorm adapter to angel threads so it aligns either to the front or back of the marker?

The RAP4 firestorm mags seem to be one of the few production springfeeds left.

[GoatBoy]

I have still been trying to figure out a way to cleanly retrofit my design into an existing springfeed, but nothing obvious stands out.

It kind of sounds like what you are describing is like a Thadapter, but mounted on the opposite end of the spring feed instead of feed end and connected to the follower.

Like you would pull the follower all the way back until it was out of the tube completely, and maybe hinge it to the side to get it out of the way (but not free to get lost/dropped). Dump your paint in, rotate the piece back up and release the follower.

The good thing about that is it turns the spring feed into FIFO instead of LIFO.

The bad thing is it might turn out to be an ergonomic nightmare because it means you reach forward+tilt to reload.

Not a bad idea really; a better candidate for retrofits than mine.


Although now that I think about it, if you wanted to go that route, you might as well just do a "top load" mod?

[Spider-TW]

I have still been trying to figure out a way to cleanly retrofit my design into an existing springfeed, but nothing obvious stands out.

It kind of sounds like what you are describing is like a Thadapter, but mounted on the opposite end of the spring feed instead of feed end and connected to the follower.

Like you would pull the follower all the way back until it was out of the tube completely, and maybe hinge it to the side to get it out of the way (but not free to get lost/dropped). Dump your paint in, rotate the piece back up and release the follower.

The good thing about that is it turns the spring feed into FIFO instead of LIFO.

The bad thing is it might turn out to be an ergonomic nightmare because it means you reach forward+tilt to reload.

Not a bad idea really; a better candidate for retrofits than mine.


Although now that I think about it, if you wanted to go that route, you might as well just do a "top load" mod?

That operation sequence was the idea of this build. The follower catches at the end, behind the feed port. The reel spring is by the valve. The sequence is indeed a little weird, but I think it is a matter of practice.

[bowcycle]

Although now that I think about it, if you wanted to go that route, you might as well just do a "top load" mod?

I thought avout that, but then you need a spring guide and it involves modding the tube, etc.
This way seems less "DIY", but I think potentially better in the long run.
Also, I was thinking about using this with the tube facing backwards. You're right about the weird ergonomics if the tube faced forward.

For a forward facing tube, the top load mod or a modified feed plug would be the better routes.