A note from Joe Lambert: I have known Mike a long time, he is a good friend, and a very industrious, clever guy. The first time I played paintball he was right there with me. When we decided to buy our own equipment and stop renting we ordered our Spyders together (that was back when no one had ever heard of a Spyder!!!).

Mike is very generous, over the years he has helped me with a lot of projects that I needed his help on. He has worked very hard setting up "The BackYard" so we (his paintball buddies) can come over to his place and play on a field that is as good as most commercial fields, better than some. He has bought four paintball guns and setups to loan (not rent) to newbies (and Mike Peters when his Automag breaks down). In Christmas of '99 we decided to pass the hat and get him a gift to show him how much we appreciate his efforts. We (Paul Rosengrant and I) wanted Mike to have a high end gun. We could have just presented him with the money but we knew he won't use it for himself. He would go out a get more entry level guns to loan out, and keep playing with his trusty old Spyder. Paul and I decided a AutoCocker would be the perfect gun for Mike, because of his mechanical ability and he constant desire to tinker, So we went on faith and ordered to gun, hoping we'd get the money to cover it from the other Regulars out here at The BackYard. I am proud of the guys. Not only did they donate enough to get Mike the AutoCocker , but we had enough to get him a Lapco barrel and a 42mm BSA red dot sight. The next year we chipped in again and gave him a gift certificate and Kempy's (Demom Extreme) for AC upgrade parts. With very little help Mike dove into the confusing world of AutoCocker modification. His first time results were surprisingly VERY GOOD. I asked him to do this article for my site because of the lack of information available on an actual step by step sequence of the AutoCocker disassembly process. As usual Mike did an excellent job (with a little of my help, editing, photos, putting it all togeather here, plus, you'll see my thumb several times in the article). If you like what you read, drop us a line at Mike and/or Joe ......PS this year we got him a Benchmark Trigger Frame, look for this addition soon... Joe

ATTENTION: Before you start, read the article and think!!! If your not up to this and do it anyway you could mess up your gun. If you do, be a man and take the blame yourself, because I warned you. You'll also need a special Autococker valve wrench tool before you can even start.

I'm writing this article because, even with volumes of Autococker info available, actual tear down & rebuild detail is rare. Also, if I find myself doing this again, having a guide to avoid repeating first miss steps would be nice. If your Autococker was made in 1998 or later, don't expect huge differences from any upgrade, your gun is already very competitive for recreational play. However, if you feel the urge for a little edge: If you find yourself at an age where you need all the help you can get. Then a little more technology may be for you.

First problem is to figure out just what you want to do & how much you're willing to spend. There is an overwhelming host of parts & accessories available. Some not as good as the parts your gun came with. Most are as good to perhaps some advantage or maybe just nicer looking. Looks can be good and intimidation can be an edge. But, if you're like me & nobody really takes you seriously, then I suggest you aim for performance.

Before going with the Low Pressure upgrade in this article you may want these first:

Upgrade #1: If you're always up & running after no more than three shots. (If you can play like this & be effective throughout most the game - I hope you are on my team.) Its motorize or shot three shots & shake. You almost must have a motorized hopper on a Autococker. The gun has very little kick (that's a good thing), and after the balls in the elbow are gone the flow gets jammed in hopper neck. The 9 volt versions go for around $50.

Upgrade #2: If you still have the stock barrel, this may be the place to start. Lean toward the better name barrel and if at all possible, borrow from friends to try barrels on your gun and favorite paint. If you find one that tightens your group, seems okay on range, has some porting to lessen noise, & in your price range, go for it. It is probably your best upgrade expenditure. If you end up going with my low pressure upgrade get a longer, not shorter barrel. I use a 12" Lapco Bigshot.

Upgrade #3: Some players never use sights. If you sometimes find yourself with an unaware target in the general direction your muzzle is pointed, then you may get benefits from a good sight. My record is two shots, two kills in a single firefight (& it was a short one). I was surprised to find two behind a bunker I had flanked. They were also surprised. I use a 42mm BSA red dot. These offer good range of vision, adjustable dot brightness and horizontal & vertical adjustment for 30 to 80 dollars.

My AutoCocker 99 was equipped with the standard regulator and a bottom line setup when I got it.

Upgrade #4: Low Pressure

I elected to go low pressure for these reasons:

1) CO2 needs at least 180 psi to exist as liquid, even at below zero temperatures, thus less problems with CO2 going liquid in cold weather.

2) Low pressure operation is easier on paintball which means less breakage & better accuracy.

3) Low pressure tends to be quieter

4) More efficient on gas, at least get more out of the bottle.

5) Lower operating pressure allows lighter springs and slightly less gun rock/recoil which improves accuracy at higher rates of fire. (Did I mention more exercise for the hopper motor?)

6) If I can pull this off, I'll finally feel confident that I can work on this gun (I've had it over a year of more than average use & had disassembled no more than the bolt! Didn't need to & still don't need to. The Autococker is reliable. I hope it still is when I'm done.)

On the down side, low pressure guns are more sensitive to velocity spikes in cool weather due to liquid in the gun. If you are on N2 or a remote, this should not be a problem. For those with a back bottle of CO2, there may be an anti-siphon bottle in your future.

AC Teardown and/or Upgrade

Things to do before you start.

Prepare a comfortable, well lit workspace. You'll need several square feet of clear & level work space to spread out and place small parts so they won't be disturbed (and surely lost forever) by passing family menders. I suggest you also cover the work surface with a white towel. I used the coffee table in front of the couch & in view of the television.

Gather up your tools: (See Photo) Order or make an Autococker valve tool. Allen wrench(T4) sizes needed: 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, & 7/32. Open end wrench sizes 1/4" 7/16"(T3) & 1/2"(T2) Flat bladed screw driver (adj reg), Dental pick, needle nose pliers(T1), a small tack puller(T5) (looks like a screw driver with a forked, curved blade - come to think of it, a well made dinner fork may work), bench vise or two pipe wrenches and a piece of leather from an old belt, scissors, pencil, and paper. Also needed: Teflon tape (pipe sealing tape), Silicon or non-petroleum base paintball gun oil, cleaning rag & rod, a bottle preferably at least half full of CO2 or N2 and some paint balls for testing and any tools that may be needed specifically to assemble your new parts. It's also nice to have a bowl, pan, or small box to put parts in. I call this a CLL or Can't Lose Location.

If you are not familiar with the terms "CW" = "clockwise" and "CCW" = counterclockwise" , you may need an operating, old fashion, analog clock with a second hand for later reference. (Under 20 years old? Bring up windows & right-click the task bar time clock to bring up the "Adjust Time" menu. Watch the circle thing just above the time for a second ... see it move? That's the second hand on an analog clock and it rotates in a clockwise direction.) Lay tools out neatly along the edge (right if right handed) of the towel. Lay all your new parts out also along an edge. Better sill, in a box or bowl.

Step 1: You're all set? Remove barrel, hopper, air/gas supply (bottle), and forearm cover if you have one. Also, remove the beaver tail if you have one. Lay all of these parts out of the way.

Step 2: Install the gauge(New Parts 11). You'll want to know what pressure your gun is currently operation on. Turn the gun upside down & look for a socket plug screw on the bottom of the front block. (See Photo). The gauge is screwed into the hole now occupied by this plug. Use a good quality 3/16 allen wrench in good condition. It should not have worn or rounded edges & be sure it is a good fit in the plug and all the way in. Chances are, this plug has been glued in with Loctite* and it will turn hard. It loosens CCW. Be sure you keep the wrench perpendicular to the rotation axis while applying pressure. If your wrench starts to slip/strip, stop & seek help. I suggest you use a small pipe on the Allen wrench for leverage. If you don't have a pipe, slide the box end of the 1/2" wrench over the Allen wrench & use the 1/2 " wrench for leverage. Once it starts to turn easily, turn the gun right-side up so debri from the glue residue will drop out when the plug is removed. With the plug out & the gun right-side up, use the dental pick to gently scrape out the excess glue. You do not want pieces of glue lodged in your valves & causing problems. The plug can now be the start of your "old 'cocker parts" (OCP) collection. Before assembling your new gauge, you'll want to put a wrap of Teflon tape on the treads as a thread sealer and lubricant. If you've never used Teflon tape before, here is some advice. Two important things: Wrap the tape around the threads (about 1 and 1/4 turns) so that the action of advancing the threads does not unwrap the tape. Do this by holding the tape against the tread, then act like you are advancing the treads (CW), allowing the tape to wrap. When you get an overlap, pull the tape tight & cut or break it off. More importantly, do not overlap the end of the screw in front of the treads. If the tape is too wide for the thread, wrap the excess to whatever will be on the OUTSIDE of the gun. Tape in front of the treads could break loose and run about freely inside your marker, eventually doing what it is designed to do, sealing up some opening. With the treads wrapped, carefully screw the gauge into the plug hole until it is snug (See Photo). Do not over tighten! Now hold your marker as if in play & look at your gauge. Tighten the gauge into an easy-to-read position. All done? If you have a forearm cover you are not. Slide your forearm cover into place as far as the new gauge allow & mark it. Use the scissors to snip away gauge clearance until the forearm cover can be fully assembled. Once finished, air-up your marker & listen for leaks. If the gauge threads leak, tightening another turn should stop it. Read the gauge and write down the reading. It should be around 500 to 600 psi.

Step 2: Adding a low pressure chamber. To do this, you will need to disassemble most of your marker. Your new low pressure chamber(New Parts #12) has a threaded end with two O-ring seals to serve as a replacement for the single button head screw in the center of your front block You will need some room to work, so remove the cocking regulator.

Cocking Regulator removal: The cocking regulator(Standard Parts #13) is the front block(Standard Parts #9) component with only one air tube attached. Even if you elect to keep the stock regulator, you will need the room to work. Use the tack puller (T5) to pry/push the brass retaining ring away from the tube end. Do not pull on the hose, you will only tighten it. Instead, slide the tack puller under the hose end and pry gently up. The tube should move off the small and FRAGILE ferrule(the little tube the the hose is pressed on to) with little resistance. (A pair of small, flat bladed screw drivers will work in place of a tack puller, but will require much more dexterity.) Use a 1/4" open end wrench to unscrew the hose ferrule (CCW) and place it and it's nylon washer in a "can't loose location" (CLL) Use a 7/16 wrench to remove the regulator, also turning CCW. Now you can get to the front block screw.

But first, you will need to remove the back block(SP#6) and cocking rod(SP#23). Don't panic. It's easier than it seems. I'll step you through it so you won't loose your timing. Remove your bolt(SP#4) by pushing the button on the bolt retaining pin(SP#5) and pulling it out. Put the bolt pin in the CLL. Next, pull the bolt straight back. It should slide easily out. If not, cleaning & lubrication is long overdue. If your upgrading place the bolt in the OCP, otherwise, stow it in the CLL.

Remove the cocking rod(SP#23) that is in the center of the back block(SP#6) by turning it CCW. You may need a pliers or wench (7/16) to get it started, but it should turn by hand. Place in a CLL. Now its the back block's turn, CCW & count the turns! Write down the number of turns required. If you are replacing the back block, place it with the OCPs, otherwise, stow it in the CLL. Use care in handling the marker that you don't catch & bend the loose hanging back block rod. Do not remove it. If you do, you'll only make timing more difficult. One more major thing to remove, but it's really easy. Really. The trigger frame(SP#17) is held on by two small button head screws. When you are shooting, your trigger finger is touching one and the other is wearing a callous on your 1st thumb joint. Two things to watch out for: 1) You must be careful of the 3way or trigger rod(SP#11). Allow the trigger frame to lower some but slide it carefully to the left off of the trigger (3-way) rod. 2) Just above the safety button, and on the left side, is a small, compressed spring that applies pressure to an even smaller steel ball that rides against the safety. Take care that this spring does not get lost. If care is not taken, your 1st and last glimpse of this spring will be seeing it disappear across the room. If you have a bottom line feed(SP#16), use a 5/32 Allen wrench & remove the two bolts (CCW) in the bottom of the grip and place them in the CLL.

If you are going low pressure, you will need to adjust your regulator(SP#15). Now is a good time to remove the bottom line fitting from the regulator to allow access to the adjustment screw. Hopefully, the same sadistic sicko did not Loctite your bottom line threads like they did mine. If they did not, a half inch open end wrench and some CCW force should get things turning and you'll soon have it off. Removing a Loctited bottom line fitting, "May the force be with you". You really should have a bench vise. If you do not, you will need two hefty pipe wrenches. Take the regulator(SP#15) off your marked with 1/2" wrench & CCW turning. Wrap the leather near the bottom of the regulator & clamp pipe wrench or vise on the leather. This will hopefully protect it from scratches. Do NOT clamp on the end with the O-ring. You will crush your regulator & need to replace it. Clamp it tight but not so tight that it crushes. Adjust & apply the other pipe wrench to the brass fitting. You will be using too much force for the open end wrench that will slip & round the fitting edges and collapse it's sides. Turn hard CCW. Watch & feel for slippage or crushing. It should break loose, but it will not come easy. Once it does and turns easy, remember the bits of loctite. Remove the large wrenches &/or vise and turn the assembly so the Loctite residue may fall out when the fitting is removed. Use the dental tool to dig out remaining Loctite. Once the bottom line is off & you are satisfied the Loctite residue is cleaned out, put a drop of oil on the O-ring. & rescrew (CW) the regulator back onto your marker until you are as tight as you can get BY HAND ONLY, no tools.

Remove the trigger frame(SP#17) screws by turning counterclockwise with a 1/8" Allen wrench and put them in the CLL. Carefully slide the trigger off the trigger rod(SP#11) while watching for the safety pin spring. Carefully place the trigger frame with the spring so it will not fall out in the CLL. Finally, remove the front block(SP#9) with a good quality 7/32 Allen wrench that is not rounded or worn. (You guessed it, some chuckling chump probably Loctited the treads.) Be sure you wrench is straight & rotation (CCW) is perpendicular to the rotation axis. Use leverage (a pipe or box end wrench) & control, not brute strength. You do not want to crash into your tubes, ram(2-way)(SP#7), or three-way(SP#8) when the bolt suddenly breaks loose. Use care when the front block is loose not to bend your rods. Remove the screw & place it with the OCP, old O-rings, front and back, in the CLL. (The dental tool is handy in removing the back O-ring. from the block.) Pick the Loctite residue from the treads. When its clean, you are ready for assembly. Installing the low pressure chamber(NP#12). Your low pressure chamber screw holds both the chamber and the entire front block in place. Be sure one O-ring. is over the threads & against the shoulder. The other O-ring. must be in the small counter bore on the back side of the front block. If these O-rings are not properly in place, the gun will leak. Do not force these seals with tools that may mark, scratch, or cut them. Do place a drop of oil on each. Screw the low pressure chamber threads all the way through the back O-ring. until it is secure against the counterbore to be sure it does not get damaged by the treads. Then place the front block in position and turn the low pressure chamber clockwise to tighten. Be sure the front block is all the way down with it's channel aligned to prevent it's turning and rotate the low pressure chamber clockwise until quite tight, but do not use extra leverage on your tool.

Installing the new adjustable cocking regulator(NP#13): Apply Teflon tape to the threads. Always be sure the tape does not overlap the thread end, allowing a piece to break loose & lodge somewhere in the valves or tubes. Thread the regulator(NP#13) clockwise into its hole. When it starts to tighten, watch the alignment and position of the hole for the ferrule. It must be in a position that you can screw on and tighten (snugly only, not too much) the ferrule tube and still slide on tube & retainer. Also, if you have a forearm cover, it must clear the tubing with minimal rubbing. The tube must not bend to tightly or rub too hard against other surfaces. Once you are tight enough you fairly sure the threads are sealed, carefully start and screw the ferrule in clockwise. Be sure it starts correctly and do not force it, it may be cross treading. Screw it down to the nylon washer and then snug it with a 1/4" open end wrench to tighten. You should be able to slide the hose on by hand with some minor help & support with the nettle nose pliers. If you need to cut the tubing, do so. Remember, too long is better than too short. Use the nettle nose pliers to slide & push the retainer in place near the hose end. Tighten the cocking regulator into final hose position.

Removing hammer(SP#21) Use the 3/16 Allen wrench you use to set your velocity. Rotate the velocity adjuster counterclockwise until it comes out. The hammer spring should follow. Put both in the CLL. You'll notice a small pin protruding where your sear, the metal piece that your trigger moves to release the hammer, and ultimately, a paintball, can catch on it and hold the hammer in cocked position. This pin is a set screw that is screwed into the hammer. It serves a dual function. Primarily it exists to hold the hammer in firing position. Secondarily, it keeps the hammer from being removed by novices. To remove the hammer you need to turn the screw/pin counter clockwise three full turns. Remember how far you turn it. You will want to turn it back the same amount at assembly. Worr Products provided a small hole in the center of the sight rail allow (See Photo). Insert your 1/8" Allen wrench in this hole and feel for the Allen screw socket. If you need to move the hammer to find the screw. If you do, use your cocking rod from the CLL. Once you locate the screw, insert the Allen wrench in a position that allows positive counting of three full counterclockwise turns. Remove the Allen wrench & the hammer should fall out of the back of the marker. If you are upgrading, put the hammer with the OCP, otherwise, the CLL.

Valve(SP#20): removal: Use the Autococker valve tool and slide it into position. You should feel it secure in position and it mat require a slight pressure to resist the small valve pin spring. Turn counterclockwise to loosen and remove the valve retention screw. With the gun body held vertical, back down, remove the tool & the ring should follow. Place in the CLL. There is a set screw also holding the valve that in directly under the valve. (Normally covered by the trigger frame.) Use a 5/32 Allen wrench and remove the set screw CCW. Place in the CLL. The valve, valve pin, and spring should fall out with a slight rap.

Valve(NP#10) replacement: If you have a higher flow replacement, put them in the OCP. If you have a spring kit(NP#1), select a spring slightly lighter than the original valve pin spring(SP#18). Be sure the seal and seat are clean with finger or soft cloth. Apply a drop of oil. Place the spring on the valve pin(SP#19) and, with the aide of the Autococker tool, slide the assembly into position. Be sure the spring slides into it's pocket. The valve should have only slight spring pressure while in position. The flat or hole for the valve set screw should be in-line with the set screw. Use the dental pick to push the valve to rotate as needed. Retrieve the setscrew from the CLL and snug it (CW) into position, then back it out about 1/4 turn. Retrieve the valve retention screw from the CLL and use the Autococker tool to tighten securely. Now go back and seat the valve set screw. Use a cleaning rod & clean out the hammer chamber. Oil lightly.

Hammer re-assembly: If you have a replacement hammer(NP#8) with nylon set screws, Snug the nylon set screws against the setscrew pin. Also, experiment with the cocking rod set screw by adjusting the nylon setscrew then trying the resistance on the cocking rod threads. You want to be able to turn the cocking rod without tools, but you do not want it to loosen on its own. While you have the cocking rod to help hold the hammer, check the setscrew pin. It should be flush with the hammer body. If not, adjust accordingly. Once you're satisfied with the nylon set screw adjustments, with the cocking rod in, slide the hammer in position using the cocking rod to help you find the pin setscrew with the 1/8" Allen wrench. Once found, turn the screw three full turns. Slightly more and your trigger dwell will be longer before the gun fires with less time between firing and cocking. Slightly less and firing is sooner with more time between fire & cocking. Too little turning and the sear will not hold. Remove the cocking rod & place it in the CLL. Select the lightest cocking spring in your spring set and slide in behind the hammer. Retrieve the velocity adjuster and advance it CW about five turns. Back block re-assembly: Be sure the bore that your bolt slides in is clean. If not, use a cleaning rod & cloth & clean it. Start the back block on the ram cocking rod. Look up the number of turns made in removal and turn CW the same amount. You should end up with a very slight gap between back block and body. This gap will reduce the slapping of block against body and therefore noise. Get your new bolt and put a drop of oil on each O-ring and on the bolt in front of and behind the O-rings. Be sure the hole between the O-rings is positioned down and slide the new bolt into the gun body until the retaining pin holes lineup. Retrieve the bolt retaining pin from the CLL and push it through the holes & bolt. Get the cocking rod from the CLL and carefully screw this CW until it seats. You should, with some very noticeable resistance, be able to turn this in with your bare fingers. If you need to use tools, something is wrong. You may have the nylon set screw too tight. You may be cross threading. An old mechanic's trick in starting small screws is to turn the threads backward when starting. That's correct, CCW, about a turn or until you feel the threads align. Then reverse rotation to CW. A little practice at this and you can successfully start even small threads that have had some damage or are oversize.

Reassemble your barrel & plug and you are ready to gas the gun up! A note of caution. If you have installed a new hammer, it may or may not have the small hole on it's front that the original has. There is the probability that the hammer is resting against the valve pin and holding the valve open. No real problem except that the valve will not close when you gas-up the gun and result in a major down the barrel leak. Remedy? Cock the gun before gassing it up. This is also a good time to test the hammer catch pin adjustment. It should catch securely, but still release early in the trigger pull. Apply the gas and listen for leaks. (Sometimes the 2way ram(SP#7) & three way(SP#8) seals will leak slightly until they are move.) You should have no leaks on the components you've assembled. If you do, you can try a LITTLE more tightening. If that does not stop the leak quickly, detach the gas and check that component's seals. With the gun gassed - up, try firing. You should get a shot. If you installed a new adjustable cocking regulator(NP#13) and backed out the adjustment, you should get little to no cocking. With the trigger all the way back, slowly adjust the cocking regulator until the gun just positively cocks. Try it a few times to be sure. Then give the adjustable cocking regulator(NP#13) knob about 1/4 turn more pressure to assure sufficient operating pressure. Your timing should be close to original. The largest effect on timing in this article is the hammer cocking screw adjustment. The more CW that this screw is turned, the sooner it the trigger pull the gun will fire. Too much CW adjustment and the cock will not catch or be unstable (double fire?). To much length exposed (CCW) and the gun will fire during the cocking phase - or not at all. Timing test: Lots of articles exist on timing (Here's a good one from Ravi Chopra's website). Hold the trigger all the way to the back of the stroke. This will keep the bolt open. Look in the ball feed. The bolt should be all the way back, giving the ball as much hole to drop into as possible. If this is okay, here is a simple test of timing. Get a sheet of toilet paper. That's what I said, butt wipe, torn off at the first available perforation. Wad this up loosely, dry and unused, until it fits into the ball feed. With the wad in the feed, fire the gun. It should NOT blow out. If it gets sucked into the breach, excellent! Most likely it will move slightly up & down in the ball feed. If so, your timing is good. Congratulations! All that needs to be done now is velocity adjustment. If you need to turn adjustment CW more than half a dozen turns to reach in the 280's, check your gauge. If it reads 200 psi or more, then select a stronger spring from the spring kit & try velocity adjustment again. If it is under 200 psi, check you gas supply, it's low or you've set your regulator too low. That's it. You've done a 'cocker upgrade & now know how to fix most leaky seals and other marker problems. Watch for an article on ram & three-way rebuilds.