Some of you have probably seen my on-going Trracer build.
This is built entirely around an imberiman Centerfeed Trracer body.
From what I remember and have found online, these were originally designed by a user named Mr. Noodle, but the project was carried out by another user: imberiman.
IIRC a limited number of these were made, and as it stands, mine is the only one that I have ever seen fully built out since the initial lot sold.
Now that I have built it out to near completion, I figured it was time for a review.
Short Review: Just get a Phantom.
Long Review: If you like a challenge, and you want to solve a puzzle, then go ahead and pick one of these up.
This isn't to disparage Imberiman, or Mr. Noodle who started the project.
On paper this is a fantastic idea. A drop in Trracer body that takes Phantom feeds, AC barrels, and uses Spyder detents.
Unfortunately, literally all 3 of these aspects have an issue that come along with them.
The detent:
Just in front of the frame screw hole is a spot to put a Spyder detent. Unfortunately, there is no spot for the detent to 'lay down' when the bolt is brought forward, and pretty consistently, after 5-10 shots, you will guillotine the detent, making it useless.
In my opinion, the stock Trracer spring detent worked perfectly fine, and this was an unnecessary change that at the very least could have been implemented better.
The feed:
The threaded hole for the Phantom feed tube happens to sit exactly where the end of the barrel meets the body. This creates a 'step' half way into the theaded hole.
With that step there, and the threads being only half way down on one side of the hole, you have very few threads to get a bolt into, and you have to modify a screw to match this step, otherwise the barrel does not screw in completely.
On my first use with this gun, the feed fell off while running through the woods. When I eventually found it I discovered the single thread that was holding the feed on had essentially ripped right out. What remained were the half threads on the bottom portion of the step.
I was able to convince Jordan to help me, and he installed a CCI threaded insert into the body and cleaned it up nice so it doesn't effect the barrel.
Another odd choice that effects the feed is the tapered section between the body and the barrel threads. This ramp actually interferes with the natural resting point of the Phantom feed, further exacerbating your chance of stripping the threads out of the mounting hole.
The AC Threads:
Now, I understand why they chose to widen the body at the breech end. AC barrels sometimes need the extra room. But this brings us to problem #3:
The body is incompatible with ALL pump handles.
I knew that a stock Trracer pump handle wasn't going to cut it on here as they are meant for 7/8ths barrel OD, so I started looking at some options. I have a handful of misc Nelson parts lying around, and I brought over a couple handles to see what would be ideal.
To my surprise, none of them fit around the body.
On average the pump handles I have are just over 1" OD. For reasons unknown, the widest part of this body is 1.088". Not anything crazy but enough that you either have to modify an existing pump handle, or create one.
I have 3D printed many parts for this gun, but for the aesthetic reasons, and for the sake of longevity and reliability, I am trying to use as many manufactured parts as possible.
Thankfully another member, anson, stepped up and bored the Kenimex Scorpion pump handle that I picked up for this build.
The TLDR is that these bodies really feel like a first draft, and with some refining could have been an excellent upgrade option. Now that I've struggled through issues with the detent, the feed mounting, and the pump handles not fitting, I think I understand why you never really saw any of these turn into a build after they sold out.
If one comes up and you have the means to solve these problems, I'd say go for it. You certainly wont see another one at the field. But if you're just looking to buy parts and slap them together, I'd look at something else.
This is built entirely around an imberiman Centerfeed Trracer body.
From what I remember and have found online, these were originally designed by a user named Mr. Noodle, but the project was carried out by another user: imberiman.
IIRC a limited number of these were made, and as it stands, mine is the only one that I have ever seen fully built out since the initial lot sold.
Now that I have built it out to near completion, I figured it was time for a review.
Short Review: Just get a Phantom.
Long Review: If you like a challenge, and you want to solve a puzzle, then go ahead and pick one of these up.
This isn't to disparage Imberiman, or Mr. Noodle who started the project.
On paper this is a fantastic idea. A drop in Trracer body that takes Phantom feeds, AC barrels, and uses Spyder detents.
Unfortunately, literally all 3 of these aspects have an issue that come along with them.
The detent:
Just in front of the frame screw hole is a spot to put a Spyder detent. Unfortunately, there is no spot for the detent to 'lay down' when the bolt is brought forward, and pretty consistently, after 5-10 shots, you will guillotine the detent, making it useless.
In my opinion, the stock Trracer spring detent worked perfectly fine, and this was an unnecessary change that at the very least could have been implemented better.
The feed:
The threaded hole for the Phantom feed tube happens to sit exactly where the end of the barrel meets the body. This creates a 'step' half way into the theaded hole.
With that step there, and the threads being only half way down on one side of the hole, you have very few threads to get a bolt into, and you have to modify a screw to match this step, otherwise the barrel does not screw in completely.
On my first use with this gun, the feed fell off while running through the woods. When I eventually found it I discovered the single thread that was holding the feed on had essentially ripped right out. What remained were the half threads on the bottom portion of the step.
I was able to convince Jordan to help me, and he installed a CCI threaded insert into the body and cleaned it up nice so it doesn't effect the barrel.
Another odd choice that effects the feed is the tapered section between the body and the barrel threads. This ramp actually interferes with the natural resting point of the Phantom feed, further exacerbating your chance of stripping the threads out of the mounting hole.
The AC Threads:
Now, I understand why they chose to widen the body at the breech end. AC barrels sometimes need the extra room. But this brings us to problem #3:
The body is incompatible with ALL pump handles.
I knew that a stock Trracer pump handle wasn't going to cut it on here as they are meant for 7/8ths barrel OD, so I started looking at some options. I have a handful of misc Nelson parts lying around, and I brought over a couple handles to see what would be ideal.
To my surprise, none of them fit around the body.
On average the pump handles I have are just over 1" OD. For reasons unknown, the widest part of this body is 1.088". Not anything crazy but enough that you either have to modify an existing pump handle, or create one.
I have 3D printed many parts for this gun, but for the aesthetic reasons, and for the sake of longevity and reliability, I am trying to use as many manufactured parts as possible.
Thankfully another member, anson, stepped up and bored the Kenimex Scorpion pump handle that I picked up for this build.
The TLDR is that these bodies really feel like a first draft, and with some refining could have been an excellent upgrade option. Now that I've struggled through issues with the detent, the feed mounting, and the pump handles not fitting, I think I understand why you never really saw any of these turn into a build after they sold out.
If one comes up and you have the means to solve these problems, I'd say go for it. You certainly wont see another one at the field. But if you're just looking to buy parts and slap them together, I'd look at something else.
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