Pre2K Awesome Anno Autococker

[jokers]

Well hello, it has been a long time since i was on this site and see it has changed around a lot since i was last here. I hope that one of you nice people might have a better memory than me and know some history of a paintball gun that i bought while l lived in the San Diego area. I can not remember the name of the person i purchased this from and i am not positive that they were the one that did the work on it but rather they may have purchased it in the same condition I received it.

What i know is that the entire gun has been anodized with a splash teal and the tank has a unique quick disconnect smaller bore than a standard one and a push button on the side.
As you can see it is a teal, black and silver splashed anodized. It does have a serial but i did not take a photo of that when i was taking pictures and need to go back and take the photo might not hurt to take a photo of the quick disco as well. If there is anything that you think i should take a photo of please let me know.

As an aside as i know that this is not the only location on the web that people frequent i did ask on reddit and r/paintballBST since i am thinking of selling this gun if the right offer comes up. The problem is that i like it as a wall hanger i know i have a sickness either way i figure it would not hurt to ask here and if i get some more background info then better either way.

One other thought is to update everything that can be updated and have a beautiful fun gun. The issue with that is tank is still out of hydro and likely will be damaged if i hydro it. Also i am looking at a pretty penny to upgrade it and i am not 100% sure that i can change everything. Do they make a new valve or bolt. Plus is a side feed a good thing i have never played with one?

Any thought or knowledge that anyone has would be appreciated.

[jokers]

Close up of the Regulator With a Air American Raptor Reg Next to it. It is close but not quite.



Bolt that i am thinking of replacing the stock one with.

Grips i am thinking of using i put on some old wood ones that i have and changed out the brass 90 for this pictures.

[Arthur]

that thing is sick

[JonM]

What’s the born on date for that tank? Before sinking money into having it tested, you may want to make sure it’s not already dead.

As for updating it, that’s definitely possible. I actually did just that with my Bob Long cocker. If you do go down that road, be prepared to pay. I did mine in stages to spread the cost out a little (my Biden bucks didn’t hurt either).

https://www.mcarterbrown.com/forum/paintball-news-aa/the-armory/autocockers/101952-modern-autococker-parts-question

[jokers]

JonM the tank is aluminum so i know that i can get it hydroed as Aluminum tanks have a lifetime usage as long as they pass hydro every 3 or 5 years cant remember which it is.
That gun that you rebuilt is very good looking do you per chance remember how much you spent on upgrading? Ball park numbers are great, i am guessing 3-5 hundred but i may be wrong.

[JonM]

Probably closer to $600 now. I’ve actually done some more work on mine since that photo was taken. That includes a new on/off ASA, trigger plate, and a roller sear. But as you see it there, you’re looking at around $500 as it was. I didn’t necessarily have to go as far as I did, but I figured that if I was going to do a total restoration, I’d want everything to match.

[BrickHaus]

That thing is a beauty. I cant speak for the real history, but I think it may be all custom work to a highly upped pre 2k right feed. Again Im no expert, but the annod air america reg makes me think it was all done custom.

Gaging a value is tough as cockers in general seem to be volitale in value. If I were still of facebook Id have a better idea of the market, but Id call that a $350 shooter as it sits

I am not sure if that asa is an air america armageddon, or just a fancy tank vqlve housing that makes an asa. But if it were my shooter, and that was an air america reg, Id rebuild the reg, and put a new hpa bottle on it.

If thats just an annod shroud, Id simply swap it out for a modern asa, and go. If you need it to match, Id pick a n8ce forever asa, and have it match annod.


Then Id just keep the tank for photo ops and such.

Other than that, change some o rings and go shoot it.

[NONOBLITUS]

Why update it ? Gas it up with a new tank , fix any leaks and use it. That Cocker is to cool to just have it hanging on a wall

[pghp8ntballer]

I know composite bottles have life spans. But I didn’t think aluminum bottles did? So, get it hydro tested and keep running it as is. That looks to be an air America raptor or similar stainless reg. The slots for the full nipple and air line gives it away. That drop is a cradle not an ASA.

If it was mine (absolutely love the anodizing color and pattern), I would hydro test the bottle, find a nice classic aluminum single trigger frame for it (gloss black), freak bore that barrel or get a vintage/classic looking freak barrel for it then run it as-is. Whatever internals are in it are likely perfectly fine. It won’t be a maxed out hot rod, but it will be a great classic ride.

[JonM]

Why update it ? Gas it up with a new tank , fix any leaks and use it. That Cocker is to cool to just have it hanging on a wall

Keeping things original and rebuilding is certainly one option. I did that with mine for the better part of twenty years. I will say though that modern parts do have a lot of nice quality of life updates that the older parts never had. Either way, this is a beautiful marker that deserves to be played with again.

[Ecapnation]

Aluminum tanks don't have the 15 year cycle I think... I have two of these bottles with 4 hydro stamps for sure.

Other than that.

Fix, use, or sell as is.

Purists like me see modern upgrades on classic guns as a downgrade.

[jokers]

I seem to remember that when they hydroed one of my other aluminum tanks they used a punch to mark the date on the tank is that what was done with yours?

[Ecapnation]

Yes... That's how they do aluminum tanks

[JonM]

Purists like me see modern upgrades on classic guns as a downgrade.

I used to feel that way too. Then I realized that with the exception of a small group of die hard purists, not many people actually care. These things are machines that will never sit in a museum. They're just expensive toys that are meant to be played with. If keeping an old marker completely original makes the owner happy, that's great. If you'd rather turn it into a hotrod, then that's fine too. Ultimately, you do what makes you happy.

[OpusX]

Hydro that aluminum tank (should be good forever), rebuild all the seals, time it and play with it. Seems to be an Air America regulator setup on the tank. The whole anno screams PK Selective to me.

[2cBillB]

Beautiful gun. I'm no expert but I'd say $400

I agree with the idea of fixing up the seals and keeping her just like that.

[pghp8ntballer]

If you want to make it a ripper and a keep the classy look, you just need to be thoughtful about your "visual" upgrades.

Pneumatics: gloss black will go great. Keep the pneumatics more old school in look, like a Palmers Rock or MicroRock LPR. It may take a little time to find the "right" parts but it would be worth it. But even a full Inception Designs pneumatic set would not look too out of place. Just keep that nice matched front block.

Tank: you could get a modern lightweight aluminum reg for the tank or a whole new tank/reg, but would have to ditch the matched cradle. Also, the performance aspect won't really be noticeable (if there even is a performance difference). Assuming that tank reg is an Air America unit, there are no drawbacks beyond weight since Immortal Air now supplies rebuild parts.

HPR: you would have to ditch that match anodized WGP reg to upgrade it. I personally wouldn't do that. However, you could remove the WGP HPR and run the air line straight into the vertical adapter with a line reducer (gloss black) and use the adjustability of the Air America tank reg. It looks adjustable, and is a great regulator. The drawbacks of the WGP HPR are that it is difficult to adjust and has a limited pressure range (~250-400 psi, I think).

Change out the brass elbow going into the HPR to a nickel plated one.

Barrel: freak bore the one you have, or find a nice 2 piece or one piece barrel system of your liking with classic lines that go with the uncut cocker body.

Detent: anything gloss black, silver, or stainless will match well as long as it is simple looking like the one you have (can't tell if that is stainless/silver or brass)

Trigger frame: plenty of new and used choices but it will probably be expensive. Gloss black would be the way to go. I think a Siler Deathgrip frame would look great, but that is not for everyone and hard to find. A gloss black WGP, Professional, Benchmark, this brand, that brand, the other brand, would all be totally fine.

Internals:

Bolt: choose the bolt of your liking. There are plenty of new and used options. I would make sure it has a silver or black part that sticks out past the back block for aesthetics only. Get a nice gloss black pull pin if the new bolt requires it.

Lower tube internals: (valve, hammer, velocity adjuster, springs) once again choose your liking. Plenty of new and used options to fine tune to your preference. No one will see them so looks don't matter. But you may be limited here by that match anodized HPR. It has a limited pressure range and is a pain to adjust. If you want to aim for a super low pressure setup, you may run into an issue.

[jokers]

Wow, thank you for the very informative and helpful write up.

Pneumatics: I agree with you on the Rock i think that would look the best plus i already have one on another gun so i know how to tune it, I was initially thinking of just having the cover over the top so that the pneumatics would not matter but i think you are right i should go with something that looks correct.

Tank: As far as the tank I found a site called Baccipaintball that had an Air America Raptor that needed rebuilt for 15 so i figured i would give them a chance. When that comes in and i rebuild it i was going to try and find a quick disco that matches the push button one and use that to attach the gun since the cradle is still good. I will be going to immortal air and rebuild both of them once i confirm that it is a raptor.

HPR: Silly idea here you mention straight though and use the air america for the pressure what if i pulled the piston and shims out of the HPR and make it a gas through or a "expansion" chamber? That would keep the look but remove the difficulty in adjusting. Another thought is i think i may need to have my trigger anodized so i may get an inception HPR or something else that looks stock like that and have it Anodized as well.

Great idea on that elbow it shall be done.

Barrel: I have many barrels and i am sure that one of them will work for play and i will keep the original for show.

Detent: I am thinking silver or i may see if i can find something that can be anodized as i am thinking of having the trigger frame anodized as well

Trigger: i currently have a 45 frame with single trigger that i think i might be using may have it anodized to match.

Bolt: i have a couple of bolts but i think that they may be 2k and up bolts so if it does not i will make sure and find a silver or black one.

Internals: I will start doing my homework and figure out which one i want. On the hammer what are your thoughts on just polishing that?

Thank you once again for all of your help on this.

[pghp8ntballer]

I'm pretty sure people have gutted those style WGP regs before and used them as gas thru fore grips. You will have to seal it up though. I think they have vent holes? But a good idea to look into for sure.

I don't know if that is in fact a raptor reg on there. It could be an Air America Apocalypse. I don't know what other regs would have that form factor though.

Baccipaintball.com is run by a member from MCB. Dan Bacci. Great place to find all kinds of vintage goodies. He also posts some of his stuff on ebay as well.

If you are going to get stuff anodized to match, then the world is your oyster! HPR, trigger frame, cradle, drop, rail, on/off ASA, new tank... That opens up a ton of options. I was assuming you weren't planning on going down that road. But if you do, there are a bunch more ways to make numerous improvements but maintain the old school cool. It can get expensive though!!

If you have the money and will to go the fully loaded/match anodized route:

HPR: AKA Sidewinder or Palmers Stabilizer

ASA: ditch the cradle and get a simple/classic looking rail and on/off ASA combo match anodized. This will allow you to run any modern tank you want and still maintain the classic look.

Barrel: My opinion - Stainless (or gloss black) freak back with match anodized All American tip.

Pneumatics: Up to you to whether to get them match anodized or not.

[jokers]

So kind of an update, A couple years ago i would have been right beside all of you in saying to keep it original and while selling it is not out of the question i think i am going to keep it. I found another air america raptor reg and think i will try and find a good bottle to put on it hook everything up replace all the valves and o-rings and see how it shoots originally, (yes a video will be included when that happens) Once that is done if it ticks all the boxes i will leave it and take it out when i have friends shooting my other markers or to distract the electro guys. I do think i am going to change the brass fitting on bottom and likely the detent. The frame is likely going to be changed out since that is not the most comfortable other than that it will stay just like this depending on how it works. With all that said if it does not work that great then i plan on starting with the internals and working my way to the pneumatics I have other autocockers so i will try swapping out parts to see what i need to replace to make it reliable and a daily driver. When everything is good i will then have all the parts anodized to match and post back here with a final video and builds. I will try and keep this thread going or i will start a new one for the building of this gun.