Rainmaker - How Fast?

[un2xs]

How fast can a Rainmaker cycle? Is it faster as a battery gun or as a mech? What do you do to make it so fast?

[glaman5266]

If I'm remembering properly, the RM has a rather long cycle. I don't know how fact it can cycle, but I personally would not trust it to cycle reliably beyond 10-12 BPS in factory stock configuration. But that's just me. Others can chime in on the ROF & cycle speed numbers if they'd like. IIRC the dwell time is well into the double digits & it pretty much needs it.

The thing is with Rainmakers is they don't have good quality factory parts. The sears/hammers tend to wear out & the stock regulator (in the back block) is not reliable or consistent. There are certain modifications you can do (known as Mad Marty's Mods) that DRASTICALLY increase reliability & consistency and also reduce wear. Gutting the back block/regulator for a volumizer and adding an aftermarket HPR to regulate the pressure, for example. Jordan knows quite a bit about these IIRC. He's built some pretty nice Rainmakers. The mods I mentioned *may* help increase cycle speed (not 100% on that), but the main goal of the mods is to simply make the marker function better. Many of them are pretty much required if you want serious performance from a RM.

I was gonna post the RMOG Wayback Machine link but it seems like the links to the mods aren't working. Here's the RM info thread in the BE sub. Maybe post in there?
https://www.mcarterbrown.com/forum/p...er-information

[Jordan]

I'd say RMs are good to about 10-12 BPS, like Glaman mentioned. Part of it is the long dwell required to cycle completely - 50+ms in stock form.

With the MadMarty mods, some good highflow QEVs, and an aftermarket LPR I've gotten the dwell down to 42ms, but any lower and it just wouldn't complete a cycle. A common mod used to be 1/8" ID hoses and fittings on the ram and MAC valve, and one BEOG/RMOG member, Hellbore, managed to get his RM up to 16BPS reliably, but there were a lot of supporting mods required to do so.

I personally prefer my RMs as mech - the electronics are showing their age, and RMs can be finicky in their native state. Getting rid of the sticky switches and pinch-prone wiring makes it nicer to use them on the field, as does installing aftermarket regs.

They shoot just as fast in either form.

[Nish]

12 BPS is the number that sticks out in my memory as well.

[un2xs]

Which would be "better", a Vector or a mech Rainmaker? Why?

(Vectors I have. No Rainmakers have I.)

[kevin qmto]

Rainmaker will have much better ergonomics than a Vector. Back bottles suck compared to bottomline, and I'll fight anyone who tries to argue otherwise lol

[gabe]

As bad as the RM was it was way better than a Vector. Not in quality mind you but in usability. Back bottles suck, the valving required a regulator, and that eternal LPR hiss on the Vector is maddening.

Just my experience. A nicely tuned RM is a decent shooting machine albeit loud and really hard on paint.

[Jordan]

Depends on the mech conversion, but I liked my RM over my Vector. But... my mech conversion wasn't like any others I've seen. William the Third has it now, maybe he can chime in on it.

[Hp_lovecraft]

I was able to get mine up to 14- 15bps with good LP tubing, qevs, lpr and internal mods and aftermarket board (adjustable, dwell, etc). Without the mods, it maxed up around 8-10 before short-stroking.

But here is the issue. The vector was the first gun with a pneumatic trigger, but has a clever linkage to prevent short stroking. The mech RM will not. It will suffer the same issue as lots of non-vector pneumatic triggers, and short-stroke like mad unless you do all the above mods. Good news is its a pretty easy project. I ended up converting my to pump, also a pretty easy project. The RM really has lots of potential. Brass Eagle killed it by making too many odd choices (ie, gun held together with zipties and velcro from factory. no off switch. lol).