PCRI Autococker
Tech Tips from Danny
Love
Danny Love's Tech
Tips
Danny's on a little vacation in Orlando this month, so our Editor has graciously
filled in with excerpts from the "Autococker Survival Guide."
A bit about the 'Cockers
components...
Composite grip-frame (on all post 1994
guns): The Autococker's grip-frame is manufactured from a
very durable carbon fiber material. The hand-grips are not interchangeable
with the Airgun Designs grips, but are very similar. The bottom of the grip
is machined out or threaded to allow the user to attach a bottom-line adapter.
The grip is mounted to the main body with two allen screws. Use an 1/8" allen
wrench to remove these screws. The front screw is a bit awkward to remove--the
trigger shoe gets in the way. Pull the trigger back as you unscrew the allen
screw. The trigger and sear are manufactured from stainless steel and are
found in the grip frame (remove the grips using a 3/32" allen wrench to access
the internals of the grip-frame). The under sear spring is positioned vertically,
guess where? That's right, under the sear. To remove it simply pull down
on the spring. WGP has used several different springs over the years. The
latest spring (1.113" length) is about 0.200 (thousandths of an inch) smaller
than the original. It's also much lighter. Be careful not to lose the sear
retaining pin when working on or cleaning inside your grip frame. You'll
also find the trigger return spring in the grip-frame. It measures around
0.7930 in length and is positioned horizontally behind the trigger. It takes
a bit of a knack to install this spring. Lastly, the trigger safety is located
in the grip-frame and is used secondarily to hold the trigger in place.
Hand grips: The original WGP hand grips are the non-molded
types that mount to the grip frame via the two allen screws (one on each
side). On the '97 Autococker, the grips used are the molded plastic/rubber
type. These are interchangeable with Automag grips.
Back block: The back block is manufactured from aluminum.
The cocking rod threads into the block which is also machined to allow the
user to access the velocity adjuster. The rear of the bolt attaches to the
block via the stainless steel bolt retaining pin that runs horizontally through
the bolt.
Sledgehammer (or other self-adjusting) regulator: The
Sledgehammer regulator (on most stock Autocockers from 1996 to current) is
located under the shroud. It is the black enclosed unit and is connected
to the three-way valve with one short low pressure hose. The Sledgehammer
is self-adjusting. This basically means that the unit regulates the pressure
in the system, and when it is over-pressurized, it will limit or shut down
the flow until normal pressures are restored. On older models there was a
user-adjustable regulator which was a real annoyance. You had to go through
a series of adjustments just to air-up the gun. Still some players prefer
a modified adjustable regulator since the Sledgehammer will occasionally
malfunction when a lot of liquid enters the system.
To remove the Sledgehammer (or user adjustable regulator), just disconnect
the single low pressure hose and carefully unscrew the unit from the mounting
block. Do not try to get inside the Sledgehammer. If it needs repair, send
it to Worr Games Products.
Cocking cylinder (ram): Also located under the shroud, the
ram is mounted closest to the barrel and connects to the three-way valve
with two small low pressure hoses. The ram is manufactured from brass and
has two seals within the unit. It also has a threaded rod that attaches to
the pump rod. Important note: Do not attempt to disassemble the ram--The
end cap is "loctited" and the soft brass housing will bend if you put it
in a vise. My advice is to buy a "Clippard" ram if you're looking for
a slightly smoother performance. It's lighter and smoother than the stock
ram.
Three-way valve: This is sometimes referred to as a four-way
valve, since it is kind of a four way valve in reality (one input, two outputs,
and an exhaust). The "three-way" is manufactured from brass and is three
separate pieces (not including the o-rings). There is the three-way housing
or shell, the three-way stem, and for lack of what else to call it, an end
cap. The stem has two o-rings (same size) and the end cap has one. A "c-clip"
holds the stem in place. To remove the c-clip, simply hook the end of the
clip with a bent tip hook (be careful, the clip has a tendency to "fly" out)
and pull it out. Once you've done that you can push the stem and end cap
out from the threaded end using an allen wrench. The three-way valve screws
to the mounting block where the three-way valve coupling joins the three-way
valve stem. The coupling attaches to the trigger actuating rod on the other
end (two 1/16" allen set screws hold the stem and actuating rod). The three-way
has one low pressure line in (one from the Sledgehammer), and two
lines out.
Pump rod: The pump rod is manufactured from steel (stainless
steel on some guns or with most aftermarket rods). The pump rod connects
to the back block on the rear end of the gun and the ram piston rod on the
front end of the gun. The ram piston rod screws into the pump rod and the
pump rod screws into the back block. Both of these adjustments are important
to your gun's timing.
Timing rod (also known as the trigger actuating rod): The
timing rod hooks into the trigger on the back end and slides into the valve
coupling where it attaches to the three-way valve. This is another area that
is critical to a properly timed Autococker. The stock timing rod/coupler
is not adjustable, so if you want to radically improve your trigger pull,
you'll need to get one that is adjustable.
See ya next month,
Order the Autococker Survival
Guide |
