Thoughts on the KDIII

[Miles]

Does anyone here own a KDIII? I just bought one for my wife and am wondering what to expect. It seems like the Emek is the go to recball gun, but $300 seems too steep to me, and to be frank they seem soulless. $150 for a refined STBB, with a single trigger frame, was too good to pass up. I'm hoping that she will feel some of that magic that I felt as a kid, shooting cheap guns, with tactile recoil and moving parts.

How has your experience been with the KDIII? How have you adjusted your lpr? Any issues with detents or cup seals, or any other parts?

[jetenginekyle]

I dont have one but have been eyeing it for a while but ultimately have no need for another marker. I would do the same as you and pick it over the emek for the same reasons you stated.

Ive heard that sometimes the grip and asa mount screws need to be tightened as sometimes they are to loose from the factory, also a good time to put some blue lock-tight on them as well.


It doesnt have an lpr instead has variable spring rate for the valve spring, that happens to look like a lpr and kinda sorta gives the same outcome

Stolen from the closest manual i could find (KD2)

• Turning the ZeRO-D Adjustment Screw clockwise will increase the ZeRO-D spring tension and decrease valve timing.
• Turning the ZeRO-D Adjustment Screw counterclockwise will decrease the ZeRO-D spring and increase valve timing.
• Increasing the valve timing will decrease air efficiency, but will also decrease
  the amount of mechanical recoil experienced

[Cdn_Cuda]

have no need for another marker? This concept is foreign to me.

[Toestr]

Use a large bore barrel because azodin made the barrel threading too far forward so the ball isn't in the barrel when it's hit by the blast of air.

[iamthelazerviking]

The one that was/is for sale here was properly modified to address the above mentioned issues. So I wouldn't get one and run it stock

[nak81783]

I've had 2 KDII's, and I currently have a KDIII. I learned a little more about how to make them work better with each one.

BLUF - it's an OK recreational marker if you pay attention to a few things, and it's a good (but still not as good as an Emek) recreational marker if you modify it. The main issues are reg seat failure, breaking paint, and unrealistic operating pressure claims.

My modified KDIII was for sale, but I decided to keep it for now.

Here's what I've learned:

1. Always adjust regulator after degassing the marker, INCLUDING taking a clearing shot, because the regulator will hold air. It will eventually bleed a few minutes after degassing and scare the crap out of you, so it's best just to take the clearing shot. Make sure you don't have any paint in the marker when taking the clearing shot, because it may cock back enough to chop the next ball in the stack. If you adjust under pressure, the reg seat will be ruined, without a doubt.

2. It will work well with field grade paint with proper adjustments and considerations (read on). It struggles with mid-grade paint or anything more brittle without modifications.

3. If you're able, mill the front of the body rearward and tap the barrel threads deeper about .300". This will allow the bolt to push the ball into the barrel before releasing the air blast. Pictures attached below.

4. The #3 modifications alleviated a lot of the barrel breaks, but here are some additional things that will help:
a. Overbore. The stock barrel is .689", I believe, which is OK, but I prefer .693" or bigger. This is a must if you don't modify per #3.
b. Keep the rear velocity adjuster flush with the back of the end cap for lowest spring tension / bolt impact with ball.
c. Use a gravity or agitated loader. If using a force feed, use the lowest tension/speed setting.

5. Zero D isn't as effective as marketed. Turn hammer and valve springs all the way out. Adjust reg pressure up to achieve desired velocity. Turn valve spring in until velocity starts dropping. This is the most gentle on paint (hammer spring lowest tension), but most efficient (limits valve open dwell time). Mine is around 325-350psi to achieve 280fps with a .693 overbore barrel. This is quite a ways from the advertised 200-250psi operating pressure. I still have a problem with the Zero D slowly unthreading during gameplay; I have to try using some teflon tape, blue loctite, or replacing the c-clip with another set screw to keep it from backing out. Fortunately, the Zero D unthreading only affects efficiency, so it's not a huge deal.

6. I played around with different detent stiffnesses to see if they'd work better with force feed loaders. Don't bother. Stick with the stock Azodins or medium Spyders in a pinch. Soft is too soft for anything. Hard is inconsistent. They either slice the paintballs or bend forward and don't flex back.

7. If the red hammer o-ring breaks or turns to goo, a standard tank (size 015, urethane, 90 durometer) o-ring works just as well, despite claims the "proprietary" red o-ring is required.

8. Store the bolt with the bolt pin between the back of the hammer and the back of the body slot. This prevents the bolt from falling out in storage, prevents the bolt from folding the detents forward if stored with the bolt in the forward position, and prevents wearing out the hammer spring if stored with the bolt in the cocked position.

9. I played around with slightly longer custom bolts to keep the paint stack better aligned to prevent rollback and ball stack clipping, which I thought was a major contributor to the barrel breaks. The longer bolts caused feeding issues; they weren't far enough back for a long enough time for paint to load consistently. I basically had to slowly trim them back to the stock bolt's length to get consistent ball feeding. Might be able to do something with a custom hammer or sear to achieve this, but the other mods/adjustments detailed above allow it to shoot mid-grade paint, so I'm satisfied for now.

One other note: You'll see in the pictures, mine has a custom regulator swivel. The stock one cracked at some point when airing up the marker. Due to all the o-rings and fittings near that location, it took me a while to figure out it was a crack. Hopefully, this doesn't happen to you or anybody else.

[Miles]

Thanks for such an informative post, this is very helpful!

I am going to see if I can get the face milled, and the threads cut deeper. Did you do the work yourself, or send the gun to a shop? In the meantime, I'll pick up a CP .693 barrel to reduce the issue. Luckily my field paint is pretty tough.

What reg seats did you use to replace the stock one when it failed? I heard that dye hyper reg seats fit and are a better material. Having to degas to adjust velocity sounds a little annoying but I can live with that.

Thanks for all of the other information too. You've saved me a ton of time messing with force feeders, and different bolts! I'll slap a revy on it and call it good.

[Cdn_Cuda]

If the Emek isn’t your jam look at the Nova N4 Odin. Have a lot more soul than an Emek.