|
Preparing your "luck": The
Pre-Game Maintenance Checklist
You've been looking forward to a day of paintball. You've
invested time, money, set aside other options, and would really prefer
not to have problems plague your day. There is always the possibility
of a random breakdown and bad luck. Fortunately, not all "luck"
is random. Unless you're rolling dice, most luck is the result of what
you do or fail to do. Most luck is subject to cause and effect that may
be shown, graphically, as preparation vs. luck or the "luck curve".
The concept is simple. No preparation and your luck, on
average, will be rotten. Prepare and your luck will usually be good. As
the owner-operator of a private field, I've seen this principle prove
itself over and over for years. So much bad luck may be so easily avoided.
To guide you on your journey to better fortune, I've prepared a Pre-game
Maintenance Checklist. Keep in mind that "pre-game" means far
enough in advance to acquire any needed parts. Also keep in mind that,
due to the nature of seals, air guns that worked perfectly when they entered
the closet may not work weeks later when they come out.
The Pre-Game Maintenance Checklist: This checklist
applies to most of the aspects of paintball in general, although focused
on basic Autococker preventive maintenance. If you do not do the "A"
items already and start doing them now, you luck will improve. If you
play regularly at one field, the field operator and other regulars will
notice the difference.
If you need more technical detail, refer to the 'Autococker
Low Pressure and Teardown Guild' article on this site.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A) Be sure you have all of your equipment
in one place, preferably a container like a sturdy bag or even a cardboard
box that may be carried in one trip.
1) Be sure your mask is in good repair, clean, and has no cracks in the
lenses. You should never even consider playing paintball without a mask.
(although you can play without a marker.)
2) Be sure all the major parts of your gun are there.
lock, stock, & barrel (yeah, it happens.) Detail on gun preparation
later.
3) Be sure you have a snug fitting barrel plug.
4) Be sure your have your gas bottle;
................the bottle's o-ring is good;
................all the fittings you normally use are present and in good
repair
5) Be sure you have your hopper.
...............Check that the elbow is good and will fit tight.
...............If motorized, check the motor by turning it on.
...............If motorized, be sure you have a extra (new) batteries.
(The motor may run on an old battery and empty hopper, but lack power
to push paint in a full hopper.)
6) Be sure that any loaders, harnesses, knee pads, squeegee, and other
equipment that you commonly use are accounted for and in good repair.
7) Guys, don't forget your cup. Ladies, use breast protection. There is
medical evidence that busted mammary capillaries today may lead to possible
cancer years from now. Don't risk it.
8) Be sure you have extra o-rings and oil. (more on oil later.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B) Marker specific
checklist: I've found my Autococker to be quite reliable. Still, there
are things to check that may go wrong. These are commonly the old engineering
nemesis of Loose, Leaks, & 'Lectrical.
1) Loose.
..............If your gun is new, check all the external screws to be
sure they are tight. If they have remained tight for the first three days
of hard play, they should stay tight. Do not over tighten them! Just check
to be sure they are not loose. You will need a set of Allen wrenches from
1/16 inch to 3/16 inch. Available at most any hardware store for around
$3.00 range.
..............If you have loosened any screws, check them for loosening.
..............Check "high stress" screws for loosening. These
typically are the two screws that hold the bottom line feed on the trigger
frame. If these are loose, you should soon notice your bottle will feel
loose.
..............Cocking rod. Check this often. It may be good to start the
habit of giving this rod a quick clockwise twist with thumb & finger
on the way to start the next game.
2) Leaks. Because of the nature of seals leaking when they dry out, test
your gun for leaks by airing it up the day before your paintball event.
(Sometimes the valve seals will leak slightly on air - up. Usually, they
just need a little lube. Firing the gun once or twice should cause them
to seal.)
..............Before you gas up, drop 2 to 3 drops of silicon based oil
into the gas inlet. This simple act will provide lubrication throughout
as you use the gun. Lightly oil the bottle o-ring. This will prolong it's
life. Repeat with each refill of gas. If you gun has not been fired for
a couple of weeks, point the gun skyward and add a drop of oil into the
3-way valve's exhaust vent. Remember, this is before the gun is gassed
up. Still pointing at the sky, stroke the trigger a few times. This will
work oil directly onto the 3-way's o-rings without blowing the needed
oil out with the exhaust. (See photos below)
..............Note: O-rings may have the same size but be made from rubber,
nylon, urathane or other compounds. Most that are resistant to petroleum
based oils tend to break down in a concentrated CO2 atmosphere. The Autococker
manual recommends a light petroleum base gun or machine oil for seal lubricant
and Vaseline for the bolt. I do not know what compound WGP uses on their
seals. I have never used a petroleum based oil on the internal seals
of my 99 'cocker, but do use Vaseline on the bolt and moving trigger parts.
The two o-rings on the bolt are original and have not gone all soft &
puffy like their nylon cousins would have done. I use silicon based
oil on the rest of the seals with, after over two years of regular
and often use, the original o-rings still do their duty in the two and
three way valves.
..............I've never had trouble with the turbo valve. Although I've
changed the valve for a higher volume (lower pressure) version, the original
and its replacement has never given a moment of leaking.
3) Electrical.
..............Always check electronics while there is still time for repair
before the game date. Bring extra batteries.
..............If you have a fan in your mask, (You need this if you play
in a humid area and wear glasses.) Check switch and battery wires for
breakage or working loose or paint reside insulating connections.
4) Cleanliness. Non encapsulated paint in your gun can cause inaccuracy
and variations in velocity. Cleaning is best done soon after you are done
playing. Wet paint is easier to remove than paint that has set and dried.
..............Remove the barrel. Hold it up in the light and look through
it. If it looks even a little dirty, run a little tap water through it
and squeegee it out. If you do not have a squeegee, get one. The "Straight
Shooter" design, a squeegee with a cleaning cloth on one end, works
the best. That rag is really handy for field cleaning the Autococker's
chamber and hard to reach spots.
.............Remove the bolt. Wipe off any dirt and paint. Be sure there
is no paint inside the bolt's air passages. A dab of paint on a ball from
any external source will cause it to wobble and annoyingly curve off target.
(When you reassemble, be sure the bolt's gas inlet opening is on the bottom
to align with the gas passage from the turbo valve.)
............With the bolt removed, squeegee and swab out the gun body
and chamber area. Pay particular interest to the ball detent. This too
is an often overlooked source of accuracy ruining loose paint. It may
be effectively cleaned without removal by using a wet rag on the ring
finger and rubbing the ball with enough force to cause it to recess and
rotate. Repeat with a dry rag to remove excess moister. Then check the
dry rag for signs of paint. If found, repeat procedure until clean.
............Swab out your elbow with a clean rag. If you find paint, then
your hopper may also be contaminated.
............Clean the hopper by first pouring in a little water and slosh
it around to dissolve paint residue. Then use a rag to wipe it clean.
Pay particular interest (and patience) to the ball agitator blades. These
too must be clean.
Be sure the hopper's insides are completely dry before loading with paintballs.
That should do it. Follow the concepts in this list and your luck should
improve. Everyone's equipment, playing style, and conditions are unique.
If and when you do have breakdowns, make a note of what when wrong and
what, if anything, could have been done to prevent it. Add that prevention
to your checklist.
Good hunting!
Mike Aberle
|
