My Inventory.

3 Caches of blasters, mainly home, trunk and the majority in storage, they are

Well start with what I take to wars....

Bird of Prey, Ultra Match 2.0 series (Primaries)
Often referred to as "my flock", "my harem"," my ladies", "my girls" or "my daughters".

Blaster                                               Average Velocity                                   Quantity own/built

BoP Type L                                            260 fps                                                             1/1
BoP Type R                                            270 fps                                                             1/3

BoP Type LT                                          220-250fps depending on springload              1/1

Ultra Match Series 1.1 and 2.0a/b/c

Bird of Prey Type M (in storage)               180fps                                                          1/1

Bird of Prey 21 kg's (original, in storage)  140 fps                                                         1/1

BaJ 21 Kg's (Series C)                                 160 fps                                                         1/5
Ultra Match Sharpfire (series A)                160 @18kg's                                                1/11
                                                                     185 @ 21kg's                                    Many more as kits

Stage III UM Firestrike #013                      180 fps@21Kg's                                         1/9sold as 16kg

Panther with Brass Coupler                         210 fps @ 14 pumps                                   1/1

Ultra Match 1.0 spec blasters

12 kg R-Spec Firestrike                               130 fps                                                        1/19

Troublemaker Triad                                      110fps                                                        1/3


Xplorer Blasters
Spirit of Xplorer, Singapore eXpress           210 fps                                                         1/1


Modded Stock
R-Spec Retaliator                                          125 fps                                                        1/1

Super Veloce Retaliator                               110 fps                                                         1/5

Super Retaliator                                            92 fps                                                          1/47

Mega Magnus 7.5 Kg's                                 93 fps                                                          1/8

HvZ Spec Elite Alpha Trooper                     91fps                                                           1/1

Crimsonstrike Recon OMW 1+2 kits           82 fps                                                          1/1

HvZ spec Firestrike (26 kills one round)     93 fps                                                           1/1

Common Blasters:AS 10 Magstrike                                           71 fps                                                           3/3

AS-1 Titan  (no rocket)                                  -----                                                              1/1

Rapid Madness                                              Boomco                                                        1/1

Firestrike                                                      elite velocities                                               8/8

Nitefinder                                                     n strike velocities                                          4/4

Rhinofire                                                                                                                            1/1

Longshot (Blue) (storage)                                                                                                  2/2

Nerf Rayven                                                                                                                       1/1

Vulcan Cannon                                                                                                                   1/1

Big Blast                                                                                                                             2/2

UMB                                                                                                                                   2/2

Rangemaster                                                                                                                       2/2

Hailfire                                                                                                                                1/1

Farshot                                                                                                                                 1/1

N strike Game blasters                                                                                                        2/2

Barron                                                                                                                                 1/1

Raider (Clear)                                                                                                                     1/1

Pyragon                                                                                                                               2/2

Lumitron                                                                                                                             1/1

Recon                                                                                                                                  7/7

Stryfe                                                                                                                                  2/2

Centurion                                                                                                                            2/2
And a whole bunch of other blasters I don't even remember

High Pressure Air and the War of Change......

 

 

The first time I played Paintball was in the 90's, and I absolutely hated it.  The markers were top and back heavy, two bad combinations, I hated that the markers were not Magfed, but hopper fed (still dislike wye hoppers today for personal use). And the ammo, suck suck suck and I knew it. Not only were they too soft to hold aerodynamic form, but they were .68 inch balls, large air footprint and bad aerodynamic drag from being a BB.

This is somewhat of an arrogant opinion I agree, But put in mind also from a shooter who was hitting a golf ball sized area of a target from 100 yards (300 feet) with a Model 29 Smith, that's right...a .44 magnum pistol back in 1999.  I'm fussy to say the least of what I spend my time and money on shooting wise.

I started modding Nerf blasters again in 2008 and never looked back until my friend Liam Davis, nailed it!

Liam Davis's Red Baron.

Instantly, I was in love and the NIC was in a panic as all sorts of new, unexplored dangers, competitiveness and benefits were now tossed in the air like a double headed quarter.  No seriously, this is a big issue, I mean fear that this can get NIC blasters banned from public areas like parks, fairness, police brutality, you name it, all valid concerns but...

This is like everything I wished Paintball was that day, I myself wouldn't play with one of these at parks, but I'm 40, and I know better, I can't speak for everyone.  But I can say this, this is the future, will it eliminate the NIC, no but stubborn shit like this won't help....





It's fear of change, yes, but also fear that our hobby might get unwanted legal attention as well, I get it Langley, Spoon, Slug, Ice9, all you cats, love you all but...... 

You can't stop progress, we need to keep doofy kids from misusing them in the first place, not discourage progress.  I don't see this taking over NIC battle, I see it taking down my old nemesis...............PAINTBALL!!!!!!!

Yay!

 

--Cartaya

A Declaration To The NIC.

1.  Putting mod limits on my blasters does not disqualify me from wanting to go to a meet, but it's a discouragement.  My absolute ground floor is 120 fps or a Retaliator with a Black Tactical V2 spring, I got no problem toning down, especially for an HvZ event or a meet in excess of 50 miles round trip, this floor is solid.

2. No I don't pick up people for rides anymore, if you are like on the way there and back, sure, but not 20 miles in each direction.

3. My stuff takes time to build, some kits have large backorders and priority 1 is that it functions well, if you don't like it, I will gladly give you your money back, but you do go on a list after that and it is indeed black.

4.  If you borrow a blaster, you are responsible for it, if a catch goes out or something wear and tear related, even sucking a dart into the PT, understandable.  Stolen, no.

5. Do not, under any circumstances, grab one of my blasters by the scopes or scope bases, that is just asking for a backhand and at least 10 minutes of me recalibrating them. Not fun for anyone.

6. If people in your HvZ group are gonna act like dumb fucking monsters, drama and headgames, especially not call when they get hit from long range or when the mod limits are Elite ranges where a player cannot reasonably shoot down Zeds from 80' or more out? just don't bother asking me to go.

7.  I drink, yes, smoke, very occasionally, My YT channel is adult oriented (TV 14ish), but never at meets.  If you gotta problem with that, you know where the door is.

8.  Chris Hardwick is a bitch, seriously a bitch, never invited me to any games despite knowing who I am from several Nerf circles, that's fine pal.

9.  Hasbro, OMW, and other entities in Nerf who fail to even acknowledge my presence, I give you one last chance.  Hasbro can use my input, OMW seriously needs my help, (however they have been better lately) Xplorer already knows how valuable I am and is free to use me as a consultant to bounce ideas off of.  I am much more the guy in the shop making Nerf better than the popular Nerfer on YT, most greatly deserve it, but with the right gear, I can learn that also.

10. I know Nerf Modders Welcome and a lot of the NIC can be a tough crowd, but buck up and stop acting like you don't expect it when you post too much, too many "self proclaimed" credits (and yes, I know from making that mistake myself) or having to deal with trolls and people get butthurt.  NMW made me who I am today, credit comes from not only "saying it" but also going to meets like Apoc and/or Armagedddon and "bringing it", if you don't like that, leave.


--Cartaya

How to avoid a modding Lemon.

Ok so as we all know, blasters work well for modding, and certain ones suck!  Some will get you above 100' flat modded, some are impossible. So let me give you some criteria of what to look for.

Plunger system:
My pistols disprove the myth that a small Plunger Tube area will never get you sufficient power, but only to some extent.  Anything below 20cc's (like Ix-3 scout for example)  will never be able to work in past elite velocities.  But a Firestrike with enough yield, pretty good speed but not 200 fps range.  Volume wise, anything past 28cc's can get you above 140 fps no problem, if your willing to extensively mod it, ....and if that's your cup of tea.

Hammers: 
They lack that direct transfer of energy that a straight plunger system has.  Also, past a certain yield of spring, the are impossible to 1 hand prime.  The PT's are also small so the most you will get out of one continuously is probably 75-80 flat, which is not bad, but it's not great either. This is largely why most of my modded pistols are draw handle pistols.

Low inertia pistons: 
Pretty good bonus, but not everything, for example a Magnus can't prime past 10kg's for the reason that the trigger catch can't hold it.  However, I have gotten a Sharpfire to hold 25Kg's because of it's better plastics it uses and the fact the trigger catch is wider, but 21kg's is most effective at it volume of 34cc's.

Revolver's: 
Bane to a good sealed breech pistol, absolute poison.  Not the end of the world but it basically says to me when I see it "forget this one being a 150' flat blaster."  Even the Cyclone Shock, I have never seen one do better than 130 fps.  Revolver mechanisms in nerf blasters also aren't accurate enough to take advantage of long range either.

Soft plunger rods and weak trigger catches: 
Like the Firestrike that can only take 16Kg's reliably, but 16 may be all you need.  The Rebelle blasters like the Pink Crush and Star Shot are made with a higher density soft plastic, as a matter of fast the Bird Of Preys use this.  Not the end of the world, people make replacement plunger rods (like Ve Nom) and one can make one out of Delrin or HDPE with some machine tools.

Spring Clearance:
The Pink Crush is awesome for example, but you need to use a 7kg OMW Strongarm spring and a black tactical V1 because it has less spring clearance.  Personally the freedom to use a full 8Kg swarmfire spring and a Black Tactical V2 spring makes all the difference in the world if sticking to a stock PT on a Firestrike which has a fill inch of spring clearance in full prime.  Others much more limiting, like the Strongarm with only 1/2 inch of solid spring clearance.

Too little spring clearance prevents a modder from being able to use heavy gauge springs (1.7mm and above), hence less potential for power.

Slam mode: 
Slam mode hates spring upgrades and can't take serious yields easily because it's one more thing that can go wrong trying to make it work. 

One problem you may see is the phenomenon called "auto-slamming" that happens when you prime a blaster like the EAT forward too fast and it fires even when the trigger is not pulled.   Xplorer, for example bastes their kits on Longshots and Retaliators with no slam mode for a good reason and a  decent shooter should be able to pull the trigger just fine every time the breech is moved forward in rapid sucession without any issues, just takes practice.

Open breech: 
Refers to an unmodded nerf breech, and at some point if you wanna climb past 10 Kg yields, you just need to buck up to some brass or sealed breech kits.


--Cartaya

Why I didn't go to HvZ this year....

One day, I was messaged by Evan Ovadia's sincere and kind brother Jacob about coming back for HvZ.  I really wanted to, I debated all week to myself, tried to fight it, the drama by the players that off court said bad things like I have "stink dick", mod blasters "to show my mom," make fun of how old I am, stuff like that, and never to my face, just behind my back.

All week I try to shrug it off, I try, It is not Evans fault, Camarillo HvZ, with some of the best missions, play area and games I have ever seen, I just couldn't....The ghost...is still there...what good would it do if I showed up anyways?

I am no stranger to drama in the NIC, I know I'm sensitive, I forgive those who got on my goat on range claims, trying to keep their Nerf Internet Community free of falsehoods and showing me the ropes.  There is a difference... These guys gladly play wars with me, accept my help and I accept theirs.

2 Years of Arguing with the NIC, off and on, I must have had the hardest start of anyone, but I stuck to it and it paid off.

But make it personal, not about modding...well.

And also, my old crew, Norwalk league, totally no collaboration.  I have no clue why?  I wanted to rally the troops and hit Cam this year, but nothing.... I would have gone for them, o'well.

So maybe this winter, we'll see what everyone's attitude is like then....


--Cartaya

Fun with Chronographs.

Chronographs are the way, unfortunately I have never been able to afford one, always something else to buy always something else to do.

Well, I hosted a Nerf war on the 25th of April, and a player Named Donald "The Punisher" Carey, big guy, 6'9" tall, offered to sell it to me....for $20, literally donated it.

As many know, my pistols have been of speculation since early 2013, and as many get serious into this field, if they don't have the tools to prove, people simply heckle you in the NIC.  These tools can be a troublesome pain in the ass, just try firing a Draw pistol with a camera in your hands, hard.

And even then unless you have a damn Film crew, your pretty much sunk going this route. If You claim a range, "film it", you filmed it, "get a tape measure", you measured it out, oh now it's "put a bubble level on the blaster", oh no it's not on grass, on grass the ground cannot be level and Blah blah blah blah.....

After awhile, I respectfully declined to be like some slave and appease these pain in the ass requests.

Range test honestly in hindsight, are better for testing accuracy and darts.  I tried at one point to work backwards, funny so in terms or recent events, it was the same math formula Ryan Gilles used in backwards that only works with #6 darts, yeah Mr. math who heckled me one day and got blocked from my facebook profile for being a bitch.  So this is why I basically had a fuck off Ryan attitude.

And according to that formula, my Firestrike that was "then" doing 141 flat was going 276 FPS, in actuality it was doing 141 fps at that range.  Meaning if he did his math with my blasters, he would be 60 feet short of the actual result flat, glad he only works on Bi Planes and not spy planes ;)

Velocity is velocity, no doubting that.  You can go round and round, unless you got the numbers.  And here they are......  Exactly measured on a Chronograph.

In 18 Kg's it does 150-155fps, what a difference OMW and 3Kg's make, like 40fps difference....

My brand New Spirit of Xplorer Longshot, review to come soon.....



The BoP Type-L, what a fucking monster! and yes, it is not an air blaster, it is a springer!

BoP Type-L peaking around 350 FPS, still have to figure out how to do it every time.

--Cartaya

The skinny on the 2014-2015 brand new pistols.

Lots of great surprises, lots of real disappointments.

1.  Sharpfire, $15 Target.

This pistol is a marksmans dream in the right hand, sure the plunger volume is only 34cc's but the blaster easily can take 18 Kg's  the barrel interlocks into the frame, the frame to the slide, the slide to the plunger tube and with my new kit coming out on the 15th, a brass barrel too.  It is possible to get nuts on accuracy.  

The range is decent  120' flat is easy to hit with some 130's, 75' to 85' with #6 slugs, not Bird of Prey ranges but better than most sealed breech retaliators and longshots I have seen out there (save Xplorers, those are the best).

Every blaster has a limiting factor, this one is the priming handle, if you go past 18kg's you need to glue the slide to the barrel with crazy glue or it will snap off. My personal one is 21 Kg's.

Bigshock, $8 target.

A little harder to get up to code.  Limited to 1" of solid space so you need a spring set like the Ultra Match Firestrike, which I put on there, 19 Kg's but it needs something else....

The Geniuses at Nerf decided to put 2 channels limiting the plungers ability to draw air past 1".  If filled like I filled it (Krazy Glue, bondo or epoxy recommended)  than it will have as much Volume as a 3.5 inch draw nitefinder.  They also riveted the plunger, but nothing a # 8 flathead and a #6 washer can't fix ;)

My brass barrel was easy, 9/16ths coupler holding a 17/32nds barrel, the more it breaks in, the more powerful it is.

It's worth the trouble, this one is stashable, if you remove the barrel, it fits perfectly in the cargo pants and is 20-30 feet more powerful than a troublemaker triad.


Cycloneshock, $20 Target:  70 cc's and a nice revolver action, lots have modded them, Drac, Rob at SBNC, go troll at their vids, I hate revolver blasters.


The others are just DAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

4 victory, flipfury, not enough yield potential

mini mischief, one way hook would break past 11Kg's, but I might try it.

Sharp fire, see Lord Drac's vid
Double Down, like the doublestrike, no rubber sealed AR's and it's just fugly!

White Triads, leakage.

Secret shot, not enough yield potential, brass barrels would obstruct purse mode.

Knock out gallery set, typical Jolt mods, but nicer grip.


--Cartaya

 

As if a 3-7x power 20mm scope wasn't enough....

I added a 1 power red dot, just look.


And check out the big spring on Brad, you're a smart motherfucker, that's right ;)

Yeppers, that complex.

More later

--Cartaya

Bird of Prey, Type-R Bowcaster

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!





 

 

--Cartaya

Cyclone Shock Mod Advice.

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.

Well Until next time, I'll see you in Disneyland.

--Cartaya