I have been working on this blaster for a few months, getting it just right and Yes, I have been reluctant to post this, why? Because the build components just yells Blaster suicide.
25-32 Kg's of spring force.
A cutdown Longshot PT and PH fixed to a Star Shot Plunger rod.
4Kg's of trigger catch spring.
12 inches of Brass Barrel and a 9/16 coupler. A first for a Cartaya Mod Works Blaster.
Seriously, I believed I pushed the Star Shot to it's limits with the Type M (Magnus tubed Bird Of Prey)....I was wrong. I still didn't want to post it one week and then find the next it cannot work more than a week.
But here it is!
It can shoot darts as far as 200' flat, but dialed down to 160'-180' it is menacingly accurate! More so than it's power, is it's accuracy really sets this blaster off.
Here is the first longshot Plunger tubed BoP, the Type-L with a 7 inch barrel and 24 Kg's and 55 cc's of plunger volume. I am well beyond this now with 28Kg's 66cc's and 12" of barrel.
The other thing is, it's hella light, just over a pound with a 3-7x20 scope, it fits in a notebook computer bag with the barrel and stock removed and the last battle I played, nobody could even land a dart on me when I was using it.
More on this beast to come. Until next time, Uzi Suicide time!
So we all saw Rob's and Drac's mods for the Cyclone Shock which will be out soon.
So since I specialize in pistol modding, let me give you my take on it.
1: You are limited in barrel length.
There is no way around it, it's a revolver and like any Nerf revolver, it has a front crane limiting the 6 chambers overall barrel length. I have seen attempts to make the cylinder mounted at 1 point but I often see issues with air pressure at the chambers. So no more than 4" of barrel, which should be fine unless you are fighting me. However the barrel length limits the potential this blaster has and as it moves more air, it needs a longer barrel to make the best use of it at higher yields.
Max prediction for speed looks to be around 130-140 FPS with most pulling off 100-110 FPS if they mod it, which is hells better than a JT Spat! X Darts highly recommended. Which is decent, but my Studies are going well beyond that.
2: No more than 14-16Kg's, for several reasons.
First off, this trigger catch is very similar to a Magnus. I'm sure you saw what happened when I twin sprigged a Magnus with half a Centurion spring. Snap! The catch came apart. Now this one does look like the catch is made from strong Derlin plastic rather than ABS, but it still has a small contact point.
According to the Pictures from The SBNC, The other issue is that Telescoping Plunger rod, on the Predator buzz bee, it is the weak point, I suspect the same here, one bad hard pull and SNAP! You are going to have a bad day. However the plastic looks much stronger and better, only testing will truly tell.
3. Make those Barrels straight and true, as well as rear loaded.
No reason why you cant do this. I don't know how I am going to glue these barrels in yet, but I am centering them with guides for the love of God and all that is not Richard Nixon!
This will be much like My Messenger From hell, with 6 barrels. I see it as a great decent range blaster in its potential, especially slam mode 6 shots over 120' flat, maybe 130' but IMO, a Magnus has more potential.
Here is my theory:
My experience building the Scaramagna Firestrike and the Bird of prey Type-M, Both had Magnus PT's and only 2.125" of plunger length, they got over 160' flat and the type M got over 170 FPS. However that required a 7" barrel, a "sealed" 7" barrel straight to the PH without dead space with no leaks.
Even the Ultra Match Firestrike @ 18 Kg's requires a 5.5 inch barrel just to convert that power to speed in the dart. If left at 4 inches, it was no better than a 12Kg Firestrike.
Verdict: A Cyclone Shock needs longer barrels to live up to it's potential, a singular mounted cylinder turret that hugs the PT seal nicely is my advice. I already see several weak points that I have pointed out and also lest not forget.....
"It's a Revolver"
It's going to have trouble with high pressure air leakage at higher yields because it will always have a gap between the PT and the cylinder. But I'll get one and see what I can do.
Ok lets get this page back up to code. First off, Humans Vs. Zombies. Hopefully Southern California will have one this year. So what should you do? Put in mind I have been tagged in practice HvZ's but not officially large scale ones making my advice somewhat valuable.
1. Mod limits.
Yes be mindful of them, I hate them absolutely never have I injured a person in battle with an Ultra Match or a Modded Reatliator, and I am 39, but still stuck like everyone else, under the umbrella of around 90 flat or under 100 FPS and that is only on a good day, the admins may bitch and make you go lower. Be ready and willing to change that 12 Kg Retaliator into a 5 KG one on the spot.
The New XD Elites, if they can truly pull 60 flat as I hear sound good right out of the box for backup blasters, but not great, typically I consider any match under 80 flat to be "ha, nice driving to Camarillo for nothing" and find a nice bar so the trip is not a total loss.
Seriously, the ones who fall first are the ones who have all N strike, Maverick's, Recons, Deploys, ect.
2. Backup blasters are a must, plural intended.
I usually have at least 2 other blaster holster accessible.
Triads, V1 Black Tactical Retaliator springs, excellent backup blasters, especially a pair in your pockets, I go as far as use quick draw holsters on Storgarms, Firestrikes, Magazines and a backup Recons/Retaliators.
The wonders that can be done with duct tape.....
And
Yes they are that involved.
The OMW 7 Kg Strongarm available Fully assembled from OMW is excellent, as is their Stage 2 Retaliator kit with a BT Version 2 Retaliator spring and that also can be had fully assembled.
Magnus blaster are great, but only if they are shield busters, modding them is simple, calculate the solid height of the outer part of the plunger (3/4ths) and put in a 7/8ths ID or so spring, major performance boost. Here is one that had Half a Centurion spring minus1/2 coil added.
Hammer shots are also great, only if you keep them stock otherwise one hand prime is impossible, want power in a revolver, a 7 KG Strongarm is your answer.
3. Forget CB's Unless they are HAM radio's
If everyone else can access channel 7 so can the ZEDS, go VHF or better, I have seen so many people try to coordinate teams with radio's and get lured into a trap.
4. Carry lots of ammo, Cheap ebay ammo.
Remember HvZ has no dart sweep, you shoot it, you lose it, everyone else picks it up.
Koosh darts are good, I found some red ones on ebay NIC Legend Bob O' Bob swears by, found that are normal headed, I'm buying 500 of them. Buy at least 400, if not 600 darts, you can always sell them to others at 100% markup at the meet.
5. Stay with your group.
Cover each other, don't be a hero, the more people get tagged the more enemies you and your human friends have. I remember nearly going out of my head every HvZ because I am usually one of the last 8-10 left, always insane firing off 70% of my darts in the last round. That happens no matter what, but would you like only the last 10 minutes of 215 heartrate insanity, or 2 hours. The choice is yours and collectively all the other players.
6. Know your Primary blaster inside out.
Can you reload it this fast?
How fast can you unjam it? How about fix it on the run, can you? Do you know it's failure points? If so how are you avoiding failure? If flywheel do you have an extra set of LI-Ion batteries on you?
One can fare in battle with only pistols, I do it all the time. For the last year I have been using single shot pistols as my primaries in Nerf battle. The Catch...They are Ultra Match pistols. However if you want to wield pistols in battle one must understand where they have a place in battle in order to win.
Advantages of pistols as primaries:
1. You don't have to reload a magazine, as long as you use the right ammo (not standard streamlines in Triads for example) you can just pick up ammo off the ground and keep firing what they are firing at you. Virtually no chance of running out of ammo completely.
2. Simpler operation makes for lesser likelihood of jamming.
3. Reserves your clipfed and hopper based blasters for more intense close range battles while your enemies throw away ammo like candy all the time.
Disadvantages:
1. Lower Rate of Fire.
2. Lesser likelihood of a follow up shot.
3. Typically lesser ranges, unless your me ;)
Essentials:
1. MUST have a clipfed as a backup, Preferably a backup primary as well, especially when you are taking that long learning curve on how to shoot Old'e school again. My recommendations are the Stryfe and the Retaliator on a holster type rig like I carry. If you need the clipfed every battle, your still learning in my book.
2. Pistol Primary, if single should shoot at least 120 fps in Modded stock with elite darts and at least 150 fps in a NIC war with domed stefans. Most people who try using a pistol as a primary don't try it with a decent enough pistol to be a primary, which is why most who try quit. Doing this gives you a pistol to pick people off with at and above 100' or a fast piston nobody can dodge under 100' giving welts as souvenirs ;)
3. Pistol Primaries, if dual Wielded should shoot at least 90-100fps and repeater. Your best platforms I have seen in battle are dual Strongarms, dual Stryfes, dual Magnus's and dual Triad's, dual Triad's being my favorite, but dual Magnus's looks fascinating to me. Typically these are close range assault players.
4. Your ammo must be great! You get to bring less of it to a meet, I usualy bring about 40-50 darts to a war but I have shown up with 20 pieces of ammo once and did just fine, but it better be good like Xplorer darts, Sllia domes. Trying to use Elites at long range is like trying to hit a barb wire fence with an airsoft from 120'. you shoot less so you need to make your shots count more.
5. Your blasters better be solid, no play in the barrel, no catch issues, no air leakage, no shitty darts and a way to tell yours apart from everyone elses quickly in battle (e.g. Shorter domed darts looking different than Elites).
6. Be willing to throw your blaster to the ground and quickly grab something else, if you can't, don't bother going old school.
Remember it can be done, but you really need to play around to get it right for you.
No you are not in the 80's or the 60's for that matter. Take a look at Mattels New Blaster Lineup for the Summer of 2014. In particular, this blaster seems to be the big talk of the lineup.
I think they are ugly, but some people dig the looks for is "Cosplay evil villain looks" and with their most expensive blaster being...
*Air powered.
*Selective Fire (semi or full auto, switchable)
*Store replaceable magazines unlike the AS-10 Magstrike which was a major drag!
*Darts with Grooves that possibly can take 9/16ths O rings, (time to make a 9/16th bore Ultra Match).
It could outdo the Magstrike and maybe even...I dare say it...A Rapidstrike!
But it all depends, there are many things to consider.
A new dart system:
Do you really want to switch darts? It was hard enough for me to switch to Stefans, and I am still not quite there for my main battle blasters myself. Since it is full auto, you better have at least 300 darts and 5 magazines to use it as a primary. Also if nobody else is using it, picking up darts in battle is hard and if it is not a common battle platform, could be tough.
Construction:
How tough are they? For example if the Retaliators were not tough, I could have never gotten a 14 Kg spring in the blaster, or 21 Kg's in a Star Shot may be even a better example. These look a little weak and remember, these are the first Mattel is making, first of anything always has the most problems.
Modability:
What is the tank on this thing? big? small? solid? could I just plug the overpressure regulator? does it even have one? and where is it, the pump? the tank? Can I get it up to 100 flat in Full auto?
Do you just have to have it?:
Congrats, most people like you end up in rehab or hoarding something dumb like collecting vintage tampons.
Can the clipfire be Ultra Matched to achieve "Magnum Force?:
Possible, all depends on the plunger rod material, plunger head and trigger catch. I like that it can fold and be concealed (My mom just notions to me, "Crap, trouble at Knotts Berry Farm, please not again Chris!")
The Ultra Match Series, powerful, accurate, expensive to make, difficult to build, this wiki points out just how difficult, and the one shown is not even a ZDS version.
This blaster should be an entry level stefan blaster to get people into better performing blasters, capable of being bought Turnkey minus for $40 and above. If I had a practical way to offer this as injected molded parts with control of the materials used, It can be done. Right now they are hand built, hand machined modded blasters that even the springs because I am not buying them in bulk cost $22.50 on an 18 Kg Pink Crush alone.
They are a work of art, but even if I had 100 orders, they just ain't doing me, my customers and myself justice trying to do it this way.
So I will seek the advice of the manufactures I know and find a way to start a startup company to build and sell these.
Current prices:
Ultra Match ZDS Firestrike 18Kg: $99, Pink Crush Version: $89
Bird of Prey: $119, with scope: $149
Compared to what is possible:
Ultra Match Firestrike 18 Kg's Kit: $30
Star Shot Ultra Match Kit: $40
And maybe even cheaper, to achieve...Magnum Force!
What can we do with the Slingfire? First and foremost argument is that...."It's geared, oh no!" yes it is geared and according to Awesomely Nerf's excellent photo's the weak spot is here...
Himm..a touque limiter assembly? Why the hell do we need that? Oh wait? to limit the weight springs we use on modding our blasters, no thanks. The Grey plastic, that is what we need to know about, is it weak ABS or maybe stronger like HDPE? if it's HDPE or High Density Polyethylene or even better Delrin, we could be looking at as much as 12 Kg's of modding potential. My guess is that it is the plastic they use one the Firestrike grips, and that stuff is decently strong.
I think stronger and why? This pic says it all.
Notice the weaker ABS bolt sled, obviously they needed a stronger plastic for the gearing, I guessing you fix the Torque limiter problem, you are in business.
Now the rest of it, mod it like an SV Retaliator and you are in luck, maybe I can even put an Xplorer kit in it or my very own version of the Orange Mod works Stage 1+2+3 kit. A friend of mine Trix1204 Thought that it looks complicated, nahh it ain't that bad, a Stampede is much more a mess and I wouldn't lose the rear grip. It is however nice it is modular.
Final Verdict:
Modability: 8.4
Better than an EAT but not as good as a Retaliator (9.1) or a Old Longshot (9.8) depending highly on the durability of the grey plastic and the need of that torque limited.
Rate of fire: 9
It's a lever gun, duh. I predict nice reloading built for better sustained fire than a Rapidstrike and more stable than a Rampage.
Size: 7
This I give a lower score because the stock removal does not keep the grip by default, the blaster is too big to be a pistol, too small to be a rifle. It's meant to be a carbine only really, sawing off the rear stock would serve nothing but a personal preference. I see no use to minimizing it and quite frankly, I think it would look dumb if you did.
So, how do you make one of Cartaya's neato duct tape holsters, everyone seen em, you know.....on the batbelt?
Well Today I made a new addition, since lately I am mainly picking people off with long range pistols, I decided I needed a 1 handed firing backup weapon to use. I hardly ever need one, I am usually covered by people like who made this Minimized RapidStrike, Kyle Pettigrew, but you never know. So here is a pic.
It works so good too, the vids how to make em are long, sorry, but this is no rush job, labor intensive and detail oriented. Here is part 1, enjoy. I will post part 2 when the upload completes.
Murphy Ranch, back in the late 30's the Murphy Ranch was built by the Silver Legion (silver shirts) to wait for the Nazi's to take over Los Angeles. They poured 4 million bucks of post Depression dollars to build a compound 1 mile from what is now Will Rogers Park. The secret camp, was found not so secret because the day after pearl harbor, the mad men building this compound were taken away. Spy's were all over this from day 1 as it would seem. What was left was used by Hartford university for a time, later that grant was revoked and the rest burned down in 1978. So me, Basic Nerf, our mutual friend Fujio (who scored me a Hydro Cannon and a UMB, to be seen later) Decided to see if it would be appropriate for an HvZ game. Here is the video hosted by Basic Nerf's channel.
We had some fun, went down and back up several hundred stairs and had a battle to be seen in Part 2.
So what do I think of this place...
#1. If you can't hike, you ain't tough, distance will weed out all the non hackers, I played HvZ 3 hours and 22 minutes with a Dislocated ankle for fuck sakes. Part of the challenge in my opinion and possibly a great element of endurance for an HvZ game.
#2. We can volunteer to clean some of the junk the week before to sweeten the deal with the Park Service.
#3. We can bring camping toilets.
#4. The place has a SERIOUS potential for a great "The Hills Have Eyes" kind of story to use in HvZ gameplay.
#5. Some places will have to be called out of bounds or "no zombie zones" so people don't run in dangerous areas, e.g. the stairs straight up the mountain.
#6. We can also make a deal with the camp up the road, in return maybe they can help with a better place to get down the mountain and or supplies like toilets and heavy stuff like tables.
Did I regret only taking single shots and a brassed Retaliator (which wasn't used in battle)? You will just have to see part 2. Generally I like the Venue, but it needs to be fleshed out with a practice HvZ game or 2.
And...I didn't bring any booze to the hike, despite having a flask of Jack Daniels in the trunk, damnit!
So I have been to myself a lot lately, not much has there been to report till now, except the new trends in modded stock and homemade blasters. The one annoying trend I see in modded stock, Flywheel Rapid Fire. Yesterday I was in Fullerton playing with the SCUN group, even there I saw a Stryfe used...as a backup blaster nicely used in it's role. Same as I intend to use a Minimized RapidStrike. However most of the blasters fire came from Airguns and blasters that use hoppers. I quickly found that after the wind picked up, Elite darts just couldn't cut though the wind. Yes the Elite blasters were excellent for cover fire, but the heavier #6 washer felt tip slugs and my Soft Poly MHA domes were what got the kills.
"MY" trend lately has been, as you know, use a mean single shot Firestrike as a primary and leave the Retaliator as backup. It has been working my last 3 or 4 meets. Yesturday even without a hopper, I faired well (covered by 2 very good teammates with Hopper blasters of course). My point is that it is the Fidelity of the shot, skill of the shooter and abilities of your blaster that is going to get you to clip someone after yelling...
"Say Hello To My Little Friend!"
Fire, and win the round, rather than that winning dart, dancing all over the air and losing the round.
Fishtailing has been an issue as blasters become more and more powerful, the darts get wilder and wilder. I find on mine, domes have worked best. Recently in depth threads in Nerf Modders Welcome on facebook basically lead to the idea that compression of the dart as it flies out of the barrel make the surface jagged and thus, fishtail. The faster you shoot it, the more air pressure it took to get it there, makes sense.
So you have to ask yourself, Is it time for a new blaster loadout? You know, one where you don't just give up and pack some Trustfire Batteries, a Rapidstrike, 12-18 round magazines and just throw away ammo saying the hell with it?
I say that is dumb, work on stability of your shooting platform, your aim, why do you "need" to throw away 200 rounds of ammo when Cartaya can bag just as many fools with 15 rounds and an Ultra Match. You don't "Need" to have that much firepower. However, the RS and Stryfes are great blasters and some people I know, "Want" to and are great at it.
My friend Kyle Pettigrew, my favorite player because he is serious and damn good at Military Navy Seal type tactics. He makes a great teammate for a guy like me who likes to pick people off from +100. So there is a place, if you're good like Kyle with a FA or a Stryfe, go for it.
My problem, everyone thinks that's their place lately. I have seen rounds where over 2000 darts are fired most hitting nothing but air. I mean even Kyle owns an Ultra Match and can appreciate it, once made an awesome singled Longshot, had one for awhile now. Wouldn't you know it, Singled Longshots are just now starting to be trending in NIC forums again.
