 PCRI Tech Tips
from Danny Love
Danny's still on a little vacation so, once again our Editor is filling in
with Autococker Tech Tips.
A bit about timing the Autococker...
If you've had an Autococker for any length of time, you probably already
know that the timing of the gun is the most critical aspect of keeping the
gun shooting. A mis-timed 'Cocker is like a car with a bad transmission.
You just can't get it to work for more than a minute or two at a time.
With your air-source disconnected, cock your gun manually and look into the
feed tube. Do you see the bolt tip? If you do that's fine. Now connect your
air, squeeze the trigger and hold it in the rearward position. Look into
the feed tube and the bolt tip should be just out of sight. If the bolt is
more than a 1/4" back your cocking rod is probably out of adjustment.
Adjusting your cocking rod....
To adjust the length of your cocking rod, first unscrew it from the gun.
Remove the knob and bumper from the rod (it may be Loctited). Put a few drops
of Loctite on the threads. Screw the knob onto the rod, put the bumper in
place, and insert the rod in the gun. Pull back on the cocking rod until
the gun cocks. Pull back on the block until it touches the bumper. The bolt
should now clear the feed tube (it is okay if it is sticking out a bit).
If not, unscrew the knob only until it does.
The gun should fire during the first portion of the trigger. To check this,
pull the trigger slowly--watch and listen.
The cocking lug (also referred to as the sear lug) is also critical to the
Autococker's timing. The adjustment of the cocking lug determines when the
hammer is released. The shorter the length of the lug, the earlier the hammer
will release on your trigger pull. Conversely the farther out the lug is,
the later the hammer will be released. You'll have to do some experimenting
to find the setting that releases the hammer before the gun is cocked. This
ensures that the bolt is in the fully closed position, which is important
to velocity consistency. If this is done correctly there will be less C02
blowback on the trigger pull.
The timing rod also greatly affects the 'Cocker's timing (as you might have
figured). If you have a stock timing rod, you're probably okay since the
stock rod is not adjustable--check the set-screws to make sure they're tight.
If you do have an adjustable timing rod it may be out of adjustment if you're
having timing problems. Adjusting the rod too short will pull the three-way
stem out--which is what happens when you pull the trigger. If the rod is
too long it will force the trigger to the rearward position.
Upgrades to make timing the 'Cocker easier...
Threaded timing rod and adjustable coupler: This will enable
you to adjust the length of the timing rod in a matter of seconds. Don't
forget though, the adjustable rod will also give you one more thing to be
concerned about since the position of the rod can move because it is
adjustable.
Cocking lug set-screw: This along with machining a small
opening in your gun's main body, will give you the ability to adjust the
sear lug without disassembling your gun. This is almost a "must have" for
'Cocker users.
Stainless steel cocking rod: This really isn't a necessity,
but it's worth looking into. The stainless steel rod is more durable and
won't bend causing you unneeded problems.
That will do it for this month.....Danny will be back next month with his
Autococker Tech Tips. Thanks for reading.
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