AO/R&D
Research is continuing into ball breakage reduction modifications. We now are at the point where we understand the problem and are testing various methods to reduce it. As is often the case in test runs not all the data comes out the same. Right now we have too few data points to get a clear handle on the magnitude of the improvements.
One of the things that is absolutely clear is that a sharp corner on the front edge of the bolt impacts the ball waiting to fall into the breach next and cracks it. For identification we call this the "ball waiting". The damaged ball will sometimes, but not all the time, blow up down the barrel.
The two things we can do to reduce this problem is slow down the bolt and remove the sharp corner. Slowing the bolt requires a bunch of new parts BUT rounding the edge of the bolt you can do at home.
Before you jump to the pic I want to warn you that if you screw up your bolt we are NOT going to replace it for free. If someone does screw one up we will sell you another close to wholesale for the next couple weeks if you trade yours in.
The bolts from the factory all have slightly different sharpness to the front edge. We didn't know until recently how important this is. Actually we still don't know and that's why we are asking you to test it. We think this is why some people have breakage problems and others don't.
The fix is simple, take a fine toothed file or sandpaper and put a SMALL radius on the front outside edge of your bolt. NOT THE EDGE THAT THE SEAR CATCHES!! Its the end of the bolt that contacts the paintball ok? Before you do anything pull out a nickel from your pocket and feel the edge. We will call the nickel's edge a "5" on a 1-10 scale. Feel the edge on your bolt BEFORE you sand it and rate it from 1-10 compared to the nickel at 5. Mark this down on your data sheet. A 10 means it's much sharper than the nickel.
Now take some sandpaper or a fine file and carefully radius the front edge of your bolt and make it look like the one in the picture. Notice that there are no sharp edges left, it just rounds over nicely. The rounded edge does not have to be very big. It's important not to over do it because filing too far back on the bolt will cause more blow back. You want to just take off the sharp edge. Doing it too little should still help a lot so don't go overboard.
Now I want you to go out and play. Do an official bounce test and write down the numbers on the data sheet. This must be done just before you go out to play at the field. Tests from the day before or the day after don't count. If there is no place to bounce test it at your field just say so, it's ok.
During play take note of how many BARREL breaks you get all day and how much paint you shot. Chops don't count, that's a different problem. Barrel breaks leave the breach and feed tube clean and only have paint in the barrel. Lastly report the data back here and comment on if you broke more or less paint than usual.
A lot is riding on this test because it will determine how much more effort we put into the research. More effort means more wait time for the new mods to come out and for you all to benefit.
Once again I want to thank you all for helping with this I really REALLY appreciate it!
All of us (working our brains out) at,
AGD
Research is continuing into ball breakage reduction modifications. We now are at the point where we understand the problem and are testing various methods to reduce it. As is often the case in test runs not all the data comes out the same. Right now we have too few data points to get a clear handle on the magnitude of the improvements.
One of the things that is absolutely clear is that a sharp corner on the front edge of the bolt impacts the ball waiting to fall into the breach next and cracks it. For identification we call this the "ball waiting". The damaged ball will sometimes, but not all the time, blow up down the barrel.
The two things we can do to reduce this problem is slow down the bolt and remove the sharp corner. Slowing the bolt requires a bunch of new parts BUT rounding the edge of the bolt you can do at home.
Before you jump to the pic I want to warn you that if you screw up your bolt we are NOT going to replace it for free. If someone does screw one up we will sell you another close to wholesale for the next couple weeks if you trade yours in.
The bolts from the factory all have slightly different sharpness to the front edge. We didn't know until recently how important this is. Actually we still don't know and that's why we are asking you to test it. We think this is why some people have breakage problems and others don't.
The fix is simple, take a fine toothed file or sandpaper and put a SMALL radius on the front outside edge of your bolt. NOT THE EDGE THAT THE SEAR CATCHES!! Its the end of the bolt that contacts the paintball ok? Before you do anything pull out a nickel from your pocket and feel the edge. We will call the nickel's edge a "5" on a 1-10 scale. Feel the edge on your bolt BEFORE you sand it and rate it from 1-10 compared to the nickel at 5. Mark this down on your data sheet. A 10 means it's much sharper than the nickel.
Now take some sandpaper or a fine file and carefully radius the front edge of your bolt and make it look like the one in the picture. Notice that there are no sharp edges left, it just rounds over nicely. The rounded edge does not have to be very big. It's important not to over do it because filing too far back on the bolt will cause more blow back. You want to just take off the sharp edge. Doing it too little should still help a lot so don't go overboard.
Now I want you to go out and play. Do an official bounce test and write down the numbers on the data sheet. This must be done just before you go out to play at the field. Tests from the day before or the day after don't count. If there is no place to bounce test it at your field just say so, it's ok.
During play take note of how many BARREL breaks you get all day and how much paint you shot. Chops don't count, that's a different problem. Barrel breaks leave the breach and feed tube clean and only have paint in the barrel. Lastly report the data back here and comment on if you broke more or less paint than usual.
A lot is riding on this test because it will determine how much more effort we put into the research. More effort means more wait time for the new mods to come out and for you all to benefit.
Once again I want to thank you all for helping with this I really REALLY appreciate it!
All of us (working our brains out) at,
AGD
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