TiPX Breaking Paint - Burr on Bolt Face

[nak81783]

I'm cautiously optimistic I've found the solution to my TiPX breaking paint, not chopping. I've never chopped with it that I can remember. Anyway, there was an approximate .010" high x .060" long x .005" wide burr on one of the bolt face kidney slots, near centerline of the bolt. I could press a ball against the bolt face, and the burr would leave witness marks on the paintball. From the same bag of paint that was breaking every 3rd to 5th shot, I've now shot about 200 rounds without issue. I used a Dremel with a conical grinding stone bit to put an approximate .010"x.010" chamfer around all the kidney slot openings.

I'd like to play with it some at the field and get another 300-500 rounds through it before considering it resolved. I may even try some more fragile paint.

Just wanted to post this in case others are having issues.

[nak81783]

I put about 150 mid-grade balls through it today. They broke on concrete on the first drop from shoulder height. Mid-50's for temp. I even cranked it up to a bit over 300fps temporarily at the chrono station to see if it would break paint. Seems to be all good now.

[redsquirrel]

Very nice. Mines been breaking paint recently as well. Will be inspecting the bolt soon.

[nak81783]

Put another 200 or so of mid-grade paint through it today. No breaks. Now, it was 85+ degrees out, but I'm still banking on my 11-May-2024 post above when it handled this same paint in the mid-50's.

Had a great half a day with one rental group using my EMF100 and the second half of the day with a second rental group using my TiPX.

I did get hit once in the TiPX. Paint went in hard behind the trigger, and there was some on just about every internal piece. While wiping the bolt clean, the tip began to unthread. It appeared to be red Loctite that fell out when I unthreaded it. I did not know the tip was a threaded-in piece. I guess I thought it was brazed like an Automag bolt. Definitely something to keep an eye on. I don't want it flying out at someone. I cleaned it all up and applied blue Loctite (all I have at the moment).

I also don't like the taper on the A5 threaded Tippmann barrels. Taper/countersinks makes sense for alignment for slower moving parts or when the parts are hard and/or already in contact. I don't understand why Tippmann put taper on a paintball barrel. It's just a spot for the ball to collide as it tries to center itself. Just let the bolt push the ball into a straight tube and call it good.

redsquirrel Did you get yours sorted out?

[redsquirrel]

Interesting. Also did not know that about the bolt tip. Haven’t investigated mine further just yet but will open it up soon.

[nak81783]

Well, I may have found the TiPX limit in regards to paintball drop test rating. A) Field grade paint (GI Field, 5-6 drops from shoulder height), no breaks. B) Mid-grade paint (GI Custom, rubbery, glossy shell, 1-2 drops from shoulder height), no breaks. C) Mid-grade paint (GI Custom, more plastic-like, semi-gloss/matte shell, latest shipment to local field, 1-2 drops from knee height), frequent breaks.

Most know the TiPX is relatively hard on paint, but I'm trying to quantify it.

Only thing I can't check right now is velocity on paint C since I loaned my chrono to a coworker to test some hand loads for his new Sig. I didn't change the velocity setting since I used it last. It was 270-ish fps average with paint B, and paint A shot about 5-10 fps faster on average, since it was a bit bigger diameter on average.

When I get my chrono back, I'll try to check paint C, provided I can get 3-5 shots over the chrono without breaking paint. I want to make sure it's not much higher than 280-ish, its diameter on average was about .005-.007" larger than paint B (about the same size as paint A).

EMF100 shot everything fine.

[nak81783]

Blue Loctite didn't keep the bolt tip from unthreading. Going to put some red in there next.

[William the Third]

Blue Loctite didn't keep the bolt tip from unthreading. Going to put some red in there next.

Before going that far, what "blue" Loctite did you use? Did you use a primer? I highly suggest 243, as it doesn't require a primer, and is oil tolerant. Also, I like to heat cure it to speed up the process. Use a hair drier/heat gun to heat it up until its uncomfortable to hold/touch, then let it cool down slowly.

[nak81783]

Before going that far, what "blue" Loctite did you use? Did you use a primer? I highly suggest 243, as it doesn't require a primer, and is oil tolerant. Also, I like to heat cure it to speed up the process. Use a hair drier/heat gun to heat it up until its uncomfortable to hold/touch, then let it cool down slowly.

William the Third It’s just a generic Super Glue branded blue thread locker - mechanical removal, anti-vibration. But thanks for the suggestion. I did take it apart, thoroughly clean/degrease it, re-apply, and cure it out in the oven at 305 degrees F for 1h15m. I dry fired 100 shots, and it seems to be holding.

[nak81783]

Just to close the loop on this, Paint C was right around 275-ish, the ones that didn’t break anyway. It broke 3 balls out of 10. That was with taking it apart to fully clean it between breaks. Enough of that.

I really don’t want to shoot field grade (5-6 drops
from shoulder height), but since I can’t always guarantee the 1-2 drop mid-grade stuff, I guess field grade it is.