Introduction, Stupid Questions, Etc.

[Grey_Goose]

Hi, I'm a Houston newbie that just got into the paintballing scene. I am a former Cavalry Scout & also do a lot of online gaming (competitive Counter-Strike yay). I am an IT professional in my mid-20's, and both my wife and I think paintballing is going to be a long-term interest for us.

I've only been paintballing 3 or 4 times, so forgive any stupidity or etiquette lapses.

Being an avid pool player, & knowing what a difference a cue made, I decided to buy a gun. After doing a lot of reading, an AutoMag or AutoCocker seemed like a good starter gun. I picked up a fairly new 68 w/ a SmartParts barrel, remote rig, & VL-2000 for about $350... seemed like a good deal.

Now I'm looking for information, like a primer, on guns, air systems, etc.

Questions like:
Why is rust on the CO2 tank bad?
Why do I need to empty my CO2 tank?
What are basic (non-mfg. specific) modifications that can be made?
How do I move the air-connection thing (no, I'm not being funny, I don't know what it's called ) from the back to the base of the grip?

...etc.

I'm looking at all the configurations of guns I see, and need a good starting point on what I can do w/ MY gun. A couple of the things that looked useful were a pressure gauge on the tank, an easier speed dial on the gun, quick-connects on the hose...

...etc.

I promise if you point me, I'll read

Thanks!

[Gunga]

First of all, welcome to Automags.org...and BTW, I do like your vodka, Grey_Goose.

My CO2 tank is aluminum, not steel, so rust isn't an issue. CO2 tanks are filled to a much lower pressure than the Nitrogen/High Pressure Air tanks. Approx 1250 psi I believe vs 3000-5000 on a HPA tank.

Aluminum does rust/oxidize, but unlike rust on steel, aluminum oxide isn't pourous and actually protects the underlying aluminum from oxidization. Steel rust, being pourous, does allow corrosive substances down to the unrusted metal...which in turn will rust...and so on. A rusted steel part will eventually rust through if exposed to water or other corrosive substances. Look at on of those rusted through bumpers you see on some of the beater cars drivin down the street.

Anodizing of alumininum parts is actually forced rusting/oxidizing of the metal (with colors inserted of course).

That said, if you move to HPA, most HPA bottles are fiber wrapped aluminum. Notice I said most. There are some smaller tanks, just available in 3000 psi versions I beleive, that are made of steel. Now those...you don't wanna see rusty. 3000 psi blowing out wouldn't be a nice thing to see. Actually....there was a thread here a while ago about a scuba tank (which usually hold 3000 psi) going kaboom. Threw some guy across a room and blew off part of a guy's hand. Granted, there is a lot more air contained within a scuba tank, but still...

As for emptying your tank...well, I suppose you don't really need to, but it'd be safer, especially if you're not going to be playing for a long time. Though, if you are planning to fly somewhere with your CO2 or HPA tank, you HAVE to empty it out. The pressurized gas within the tank will expand as you gain altitude, thus increasing the pressure within the tank. KABOOM! Or, less dramatically, a blown pressure relief disk.

The on tank pressure gauges you see are on HPA tanks. No CO2 tank that I've seen has one.

The thingie you need to screw into the base of your trigger frame is called a bottom line adapter. You can then run a hose from the bottom line adapter up to the input on your Mag's AIR valve. Bottom line adapters are pretty cheap. Expect to pay ~$10-12 for a generic one at a store. The hose and connector costs can vary, but again, those aren't terribly hard on the wallet.

As for modifications to your Mag...just a bit of advice...DON'T mess with the internals of your AIR valve. It comes just right from the factory. Aftermarket internals don't improve your performance any. Unless you go and replace the AIR valve entirely with a RetroValve...which is made by AGD.

[ben_JD]

Snoop around

This site is great for new and old Automag owners alike. You can usually find the answer to a question pretty quickly if you look around and if the questions hasn't been asked before, people are pretty quick with a new response.

For starters, take a gander at the link listed below for some initial ideas for modifications (my first post and the amazing response) and then play with the set-up you have now for a while to get used to your new marker.

Have fun!

-Ben

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8677

[Russ]

Welcome to AO!

First off, I commend you on making a great choice for a first gun. The Automag will be a solid performer for you in years to come. Now for the Q's...

Why is rust on the CO2 tank bad?

Rust ON the tank isn't so bad (a chro-moly, aka steel tank) It could be easily sanded and repainted. Rust IN the tank is another story. Rust will foul the insides of your Mag's valve and ruin your day.

Why do I need to empty my CO2 tank?

You don't, unless your transporting your gear in an aircraft.

What are basic (non-mfg. specific) modifications that can be made?

An agitating hopper, such as a Revolution loader, will keep ball happily feeding your Mag as your trigger finger gets faster. HPA (high pressure air) is a GREAT addition to any gun. It's cleaner, allows for more shot to shot consistency, and will not freeze up your Mags internals. The prices range from about $150 to close to $500. I highly suggest it. A two finger trigger frame, like AGD's Intelliframe, not only looks cool, but can help your ROF (rate of fire). Stay away from non-AGD internal upgrades. Most will do nothing (or worse!) for performance.

How do I move the air-connection thing (no, I'm not being funny, I don't know what it's called ) from the back to the base of the grip?

An ASA (aka bottom line adapter) will need to be purchased, them simply screwed on to the bottom of the trigger frame.

Take a good look through the picture thread. There's a lot sweet Mags to check out.

edit: WOW, I'm a slow typer! Gunga pretty much hit the nail on the head. Sorry for reiterating all the info.

[skipdogg]

Welcome to Paintball an AO!

You have possibly made the two best desicions in your life. First was getting into paintball. the second buying a mag over a cocker!

Seriously though the other two posts pretty much nailed your questions. The only thing i would like to add is that if you go from having the CO2 bottle on remote, to under the grip frame, getting liquid in your gun may be a problem. Mags will run great on CO2, BUT.. if the bottle is not angled enough (ie its too parallel to the gun) it can get liquid in the AIR valve and that is bad. HPA (high pressure Air) tanks do not have this problem. I hope this makes sense. You can also mount the Co2 tank vertically in front of the trigger. That would all but guarentee no liquid.

Happy playing,
"the only dumb question is the question not asked"

[Army]

You got your wife to agree with paintball? Luuuuuuuuuuckyyyyy!

Welcome to the AutomaG family! You can use the back bottle adapter that is on the gun now and simply unbolt it, then move it to the bottom of the grips, which is already tapped. You'll need longer screws though. The back bottle adapter will also angle your Co2 bottle for better performance (ie: less liquid into the gun)

With Co2, don't try to get the high rates of fire the gun is capable of, you will only freeze it up. Keep your rate of fire to 3-5 balls per second (bps) and you should not have any problems. Did you get the video with your gun? If not, go up to the "Forum and Chat" link and click on "contact us". Give AGD a call (your dime) and register your gun. While there, ask the nice lady for the free video, manual, and maybe a couple of stickers. Registering can help you get your gun back if it is stolen.

This site is owned and operated by AGD and will be the most helpful for any questions you have, even Tom Kaye himself may answer you!

Good luck, and welcome to AO

[Cha0tic]

ok you have had most of your questions answered. here are a few specs and upgrades you might want to look in to.

the hole that goes into the gun is called an ASA. this is where you run your hose into the gun. you can purchase a bottomline adapter so that you can run a hose from your ASA to the front of the gun. from there, you can have your tank screw in from there and hang vertically, or screw the remote into there.

to remove the "air connection thingy" from the back of your gun, you have to take the valve out of the gun, then remove the body. you will then be looking at your body rail. this is where it screws into. you should see where it screws in to and be able to remove it.

you can buy hose kits from most paintball stores. there are stainless steel braided line, macroline, and microline. if you are going to switch hoses, macroline is as thick as the steel, but bendable, able to cut to whatever length, and comes in colors. micro is small and can have flow problems.

i would buy an expansion chamber. this would screw into a bottomline adapter. you would run a hose (macro or stainless) from your ASA to the bottomline. it would run through the expansion chamber, and then go through another hose to your tank. the reason for the expansion cham,ber is that co2 appears as a liquid and as a gas. when you you fast, the liquid co2 in your tank doesn't have enough time to turn into a gas before it enters the gun. this will freeze up your gun.

[pntbawlrmz]

i had found this pic in the gallery and thought it was a good example of a good set up, the gallerey is a good place to start if you want to get ideas and see some good guns, i had edited one of the pics for you but it was way to big so i had to edit this reply, good luck with all you do, these guys have covered all the main upgrades that would be best, good luck

[zvanut]

Welcome To AO

The best way to decide what setup u like is to try different things like at a store, etc.

oh and some advice, watch out for Army and Cphilip (bad guys) LOL j/j

[Grey_Goose]

wow

thanks for the great replies guys.

I think right now I'm going to read about macro- & minilines as well as (valve?) modificating to the tank.

Again, thanks for the great feedback.

Just so you know what I'm working with, I took a picture of the setup I bought:

[alf]

did you get the video

Grey,

WELCOME!

you didnt mention (or my reading comprehension has suffered because i killed too many brain cells when i was in ireland) if you got a video. you may want to register your mag and request a video...should be free...you can also order a parts kit at the same time (around $20)...with the vid and the kit (and the help of these fine folks here), you should be able to get your mag running in a few minutes if you EVER have a problem.

-alf