rawbutter's pneumag gallery

[rawbutter]

This is a show-off thread for all the different pneumags I've built over the years, and also a price thread for those interested in hiring me for a project.

Here's the first taste:

If you want to make your own pneumag, you should check out these videos. They will walk you through the process. This is the cheapest way to go.If you already have the tools you need (a drill, a vice, some taps, etc.) then you can make your own pneumag for less than $100.

If you want me to build a pneumag for you, should should read through everything else in this thread. Then post a reply (to up the thread) and PM me. We can then talk it over and I can give you a quote.

How much does this cost? It depends on what you want. But the starting point is $100.

• The $100 includes a custom-made air piston, frame milling, any brackets that are needed, trigger stops, magnetic trigger return (if needed), and the time required to make your project (typically 5-6 hours). It also includes return shipping in a small flat-rate box. (If your project needs something bigger, you'll have to pay the difference.)
• For the trigger valve, you can choose a MAC-33 valve for $75 more, or an MSV-2 for $40 more. Here's a video comparing the two. The MAC-33 has a shorter trigger stroke, no post-travel, and it doesn't vent when you hold down the trigger, but it's a tiny bit heavier than the MSV-2 (still walkable, though). The MSV-2, on the other hand, has a slightly longer trigger stroke, and it vents a little when you hold down the trigger. It can also be set up to have more post travel. (The trigger can keep moving past the activation point.)
• You will need an LPR for any pneumag project. I can usually sell you one for $50. It will be used, but it will have fresh seals and springs inside. (See the next post for more information about LPRs.)
• Sleeper installs are anywhere from $25 to $75 dollars. Big, spacious frames like ultralight Dye frames and vertical Angel frames are easy to do, so I only charge $25 for those. But Intelliframes are much harder and time-consuming, so those cost $75. (Again, there's a later post that explains sleeper set-ups in more detail.)
• If you have a non-AGD frame you want to use for a pneumag build, I can do that too. Many of the older-style frames with flat tops (like PMR frames or Angel frames) are really great for pneumag builds. However, you should know that in most cases these frame mods cost a lot more because they need additional modifications to work correctly. If I need to add a safety, that's an extra $25 because it takes about an hour to do that work. If I need to drill new mounting holes and countersink them for screws, that's another $25. If I need to mill off the front so the frame doesn't hit the VASA, that's another $25.

All my pneumag frames come with spare parts, a video manual, and great customer service. I stand behind all my frames and will work with you if anything ever goes wrong.

One last thing: If you want a fast pneumag that can keep up with electronic markers, you really need an RT on/off or a ULT on/off. It doesn't matter if you only have a classic valve, but you need a better on/off assembly. I can still make a pneumag with a classic on/off assembly, and the trigger pull will be really light, but the valve won't reset fast enough to really walk the marker reliably.




Price List:

• Base cost (includes piston + trigger stops + frame milling to fit piston) = $100
• new MAC-33 solenoid + fittings = $80
• new MSV-2 + fittings = $40
• used LPR (with new fitting and new seals) = $60 (price increased 11/1/22 because inflation?)
• drill new mounting holes in non-AGD frames = $30
• milling non-AGD frames to size = $30
• rail milling for hidden air lines= $30
• ASA sleeper mods (mill pocket for o-ring and drill air passage) = $30
• easy frame sleeper mod (drill and tap hole for LPR) = $30
• medium sleeper mod (drill/tap hole + frame milling) = $50
• hard sleeper mod (make manifold) = $70
• add or modify a safety = $30
• valve rebuild = $50 + cost of parts

last update = 3/20/2023

[rawbutter]

Let's talk about LPRs.

The most common question I get about pneumags is "Which LPR should I use?" And the short answer is to just use whatever you want. It doesn't make a difference.

As for the long answer....yes, we all know that some LPRs are better than others. The bigger ones have much more volume inside, so they can recharge faster. However, keep in mind that these LPRs are designed to fill a dump chamber or half a tube or something big like that. Pneumatic components, on the other hand, are TINY. The LPR in a pneumag only has to refill the trigger valve and the piston, which hold less than a cubic centimeter of air all together. So, it doesn't matter if your LPR is cheap and tiny. It will still work great.

If you need proof, take a look at this video. This pneumag frame uses a "bullet" LPR, which is about as small and cheap as you can get. It's being fed by a 48/3000 First Strike tank with standard output (800 psi, I believe). And it can fire at 20+ bps.

So....yeah. Don't stress over the LPR. Just use whatever you want.


The second most common question I get about LPRs is "Where should I mount the LPR?" And again, the answer is pretty much to put it wherever you want. Here are a few ideas. (Some of these pictures aren't mine, but you get the idea.)

You can attach the LPR to the ASA and run the air hose up through the grips. (Usually you need to notch the grips to do this.)


not mine


You can mount the LPR to the VASA and have it pointed forward, Autococker style. You can then run the air line outside the rail or have the rail milled so the air line can go inside.


not my work

Finally, you can also forego the LPR and instead use a regulator that has a low-pressure kit. Then you can mount the regulator like a foregrip and run the air line up through the rail. This mag uses an Ion regulator.



This one uses a Palmer's Fatty Stabilizer.




Edit on 1/24/2023:

You can also mount the LPR "sidecar" next to the valve. See post #15.

[rawbutter]

Let's talk about sleeper set-ups.

A "sleeper" pneumag has the LPR installed inside the grip frame. Functionally, these are no better than standard pneumags. If you ever need to adjust the LPR, they are also more annoying since you have to remove the grips to access the LPR. But they definitely look cool, and they let you arrange the external parts of your marker however you like.



The easiest way to make a sleeper is to use a frame that has been designed for it. The MP90 from Luke's Customs is one such example. But in practice, almost any frame can be modified into a sleeper. Some just take more work than others.

In any case, you need to think about which ASA you're planning to use. Again, any ASA could work, but some require more time and effort (and therefore they cost more). Here's a few of my most-preferred ASAs.

• CP mini ASAs with dovetail rail (great for vertical Angel frames)
• CP full-size ASAs with dovetail rail (good for any frame with a rail mount on the bottom)
• CP full-size direct mount ASAs (good for Intelliframes)
• Dangers Powers RAPS ASA (good for frames with rails on the bottom)
• older Dye or Proto ASAs (also good for rail-mount frames)
• ETEK/EGO ASAs

Personally, I like to use CP ASAs because they are cheap, they are easy to use, and they match the horizontal-tube aesthetics of an Automag. But if you really want to use something else, it's probably fine. Just check with me first.

[rawbutter]

Here are a few samples of my work:

Sleeper set-up in a Dye NT frame.





Sleeper set-up in a DM3 vertical frame with a classic CP ASA.

[rawbutter]

Here's a ETEK frame with sleeper LPR and a matching ASA to boot.

And an Angel frame with a custom safety and all the bells and whistles:

[rawbutter]

A sleeper Intelliframe with a custom manifold:

[rawbutter]

And finally, a pneumatic single-trigger carbon fiber frame. This will be getting a sleeper-treatment eventually, just as soon as I can figure out how to build an LPR that's thin enough to go inside. I'll bump the thread when that happens.

[Arthur]

Wow

[Brokeass_baller]

That last "not mine" pneumag is/was Pneumagger's, from the old AO days. Man that takes me back. I was at the field with him and Behemoth, and a few others, the day he took that photo. We all lined up our mags on the bench and took "family" photos. Lol. He was a good dude. I wonder what ever happened to him.
Sorry about the off-topic nostalgia trip. I hadn't thought about those days in a while.

[rawbutter]

That's cool. I didn't know him personally, but pneumagger was really an inspiration to me. The first mod I ever did was basically a copy of his Airwalk pneumag.

[rawbutter]

That's a shame. I seem to remember at one time he was building a whole paintball marker from scratch. It was basically an Automag knockoff, but still, that's impressive. He drafted up all the designs on the computer and planned to make the parts himself. I wonder if that was for a school project.

[Brokeass_baller]

Oh crap, yeah I forgot about that. It was a project for school. I think he ended up basing it off of a shocker, but mechanical. He built a prototype. I think it had leak issues, but functioned. I'm pretty certain he machine it all himself, though it was very basic in design. I can't remember if he programmed a CNC to do it, or if he turned and milled it by hand

[Brokeass_baller]

I saw it in pieces in his basement once. He had SO MUCH paintball crap there. Lol. But he showed me his progress on it, told me what he wanted to do with it. Then we went outside, got drunk with some of his other friends, and shot a potato canon at a bunch of stuff. Lol

[rawbutter]

I haven't updated this thread in a while because I've been building SPAR valves, but hopefully I will get back into this more now that I've ended production.

Today I wanted to share a technique I've been working on. I've figured out a way to do a curved cut on the front of non-AGD frames so they can better fit up against an Automag VASAs. Check it out.

[Criticalhammer]

This video is private

[devilzcall]

Yeah you want it unlisted if you link it anywhere but not show up on youtube on its own

[rawbutter]

Oops. My mistake. Try it now.

[rawbutter]

And now for something completely different. A pneumatic Gmek? A pneumek? Oh yeah. Pneumek all the way.

I made this over the 2022 summer but didn't post about it then because the results were less than stellar. I mean, a pneumatic frame on a Gmek is indeed better than the standard slider, but it's really not that much better. It was just a fun see-if-I-could-do-it project, and I don't plan on offering this service. I don't think the benefit/cost ration is high enough. But anyway....

I have an OG Gmek and decided to try and put pneumatics inside for some reason. Here's what I did.

1. Drilled/tapped the bottom of the Gmek three-way valve for an air hose. This had to be positioned just right to avoid ruining the sealing parts inside, but there was room enough for an M3 air fitting. (I had thought about going through the bottom of the frame to tap into the unregulated air going through the POPS ASA, but in the end I decided not to do that because of the particular LPR I used.)
2. Air hose leads to a Clippard MAR-1P low pressure regulator. I bought this hoping to use is as a replacement for the other tiny LPRs that are getting harder and harder to find. Sadly, it can't handle the input pressure directly from a paintball tank. Max input psi is 300 psi. Everything after the Gmek HPA is about 140, though, so this reg is a good fit for that. I was just happy to have a use for it. It's been sitting in a box for years.
3. The air hose leading out of the Clippard LPR goes to a MAC-33 valve. I had to mill out the inside of the frame slightly to get this to fit.
4. The slider trigger assembly also had to be modified. The slider plate is aligned with two brass screws. The second screw was in the way of an air hose, so I had to relocate it.
5. I made a new air fitting for the front of the Gmek three-way assembly. There is no ram to push the thing that the trigger usually does. (What is the name for that part? A spool? I think it's a spool. I'm gonna call it that until someone corrects me.) Anyway, the spool already has a bunch of seals and chambers inside. I cut down the front part of the spool that sticks out, and I fed the LPR air directly into that front part. That turns the spool itself into a ram, essentially. When the LPR air goes in, the spool moves back and fires the gun. When the trigger is released, the MAC-33 vents that air and the spool moves back to reset everything.

The end result is sadly underwhelming. The trigger pull is lighter and shorter, but it was already light and short, so I don't think it actually helps me shoot faster. I also think that it can be even shorter, but sadly the Gmek safety assembly has a lot of slop in it. The trigger pull is about 2 mm long, and I think I could get it down to 0.5 mm, but to do that I'd have to made a new safety pin. That's certainly within my particular set of skills, but I haven't found the time to do it yet.

Here's a video:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2rNbz2dHNaPsnWAF7

[Jordan]

Ohhhh, this is the pneumatic wizardry. Very cool!

[MrBarraclough]

This thing is utterly ridiculous and unnecessary...and super freaking cool.

[Brokeass_baller]

That's still pretty damn cool though.

[FredMnkyDad10]

Great work

[rawbutter]

I guess I should add the latest iteration of my personal pneumag here. This uses something that I call an LPR sidecar, running parallel to the valve and connecting through a T-fitting. It's more annoying to service the valve when the LPR is mounted this way, but the advantage is that the foregrip is completely free of hoses and fittings, which is a worthwhile trade-off, in my opinion. You do need to use a push-to-connect air fitting on the LPR this way. Otherwise you'd have to re-plumb the LP hose every time you take off the valve.