Build a SniClone

Let's build a Sniper Clone from parts..... This is a collection of parts that have proven themselves and work well for me. There are multiple choices as far as bodies, grips, pump kits, regulators, bolts, feeds, barrels, tanks, etc. I will discuss them a little later on this page.

Here is everything you need minus a barrel, hopper and HPA tank. This particular marker is being built for HPA use. If you want to use CO2, I would suggest changing the Vigilante regulator to a Palmer Stabalizer or stock WGP, they handle CO2 better than most others. If you want to run this particular marker on CO2 12 gram's, you will have to make some additional modifications to help the efficiency - the 2K and later style bodies have large air passages that simply eat up a lot of a 12 gram's air before you ever shoot it once! There are some "de-volumizers" available from various sources to help out with this.
1. Clamping feed neck - can be changed to other styles including an Action Markers SC feed
2. Pump handle
3. Pump rod
4. Bolt pin
5. Body with ball detent installed
6. Back Block
7. Venturi bolt w/o-rings but basically ANY bolt will work for a pump, plastics are lighter and are easier on the body.
8, 9 & 10. Pump return spring - tune to your preference or leave it out but if you do, YOU WILL HAVE TO HOLD the pump forward when you shoot, Pump guide rod w/o-ring on the rod
11, 12, 13 and 14. Front block bolt, front block and 2 o-rings - while not needed for a pump, they are usually part of a body kit - save them for a cocker conversion later or keep to enhance resale!
15. ASA o-ring
16. 15 degree ASA
17. ASA 12 point bolt (stock WGP style) or you can use a 1/4-28 x 3/4" allen screw. A standard 1/4" 12 point socket fits the stock style bolt.
18. Vigilante reg with macroline 90 installed - preset to 200 PSI before installed for this setup - NOTE: you can use pretty much ANY regulator on a pump gun if it's CONSISTENT in air pressure delivery, consistency is your friend and is one of the more important contributors to ACCURACY! If you use stock brass valve, start at about 350 PSI output on the reg.
19. Beaver tail and mounting bolt - yes, they are STILL REQUIRED by Insurance on MOST insured fields. The popular myth is these are to protect you from hitting your mask with the back block or cocking rod - The TRUTH is it's to keep you from "thumbing" the cocking rod by pushing on the rod with your thumb while shooting thus making the hammer hit harder and add considerable velocity.....NOT SAFE!!
20. Valve spring
21. Valve cup seal/valve shaft assembly
22. Valve body with o-ring
23. Valve nut
24. Hammer
25. Hammer spring
26. IVG and o-ring
27. Cocking rod
28. Valve set screw
29. DYE single finger swing trigger frame with screws - short, smooth and very adjustable!
30. Dovetail mount and screws
31. On/off to fit dovetail
33. Grips - used......
34. Grip screws
35. Macroline 90 for on/off
36. Macroline - cut to length

Here is a standard body kit. Most body kits come complete with a body, front block with screw and 2 o-rings, back block, feed neck, ASA with o-ring and 12 point screw. This particular kit came with the ball detent installed, a 15 degree ASA, and a clamping feed neck as a bonus. The feed neck thread on this particular body is Angel threaded, so you can use a variety of feed necks including the Action Markers Illusion SC stick feed. Think about this: with a few mods to the valve area, you could have a SniClone VSC!

Standard WGP pump kit for a post 2K marker. It comes with pump handle, pump rod, return spring, guide rod and guide rod o-ring (mounted on guide rod). These have been getting scarce lately and a few others have stepped up to fill the void. Chipley Machine makes a DELUXE version with dual stainless steel guide rods that is very smooth. There are also quite a few other manufacturers that make nice pump conversions.

Here is the stainless internal kit. From left to right, valve spring, cup seal/valve pin, valve body with o-ring, valve retaining nut, hammer, hammer spring and IVG with o-ring. The set screw on the bottom goes into the bottom of the body to help hold the valve and keep it from spinning. This particular kit likes to run between 200 and 300 psi. Stock brass valved markers will like between 350 and 400 psi.

Here are the tools required to build this bad boy. I also used teflon tape, blue locktite, red locktite and marker oil. From left to right: small adjustable wrench to turn valve tool, 1/4 inch ratchet with 1/4 inch 12 point socket for valve screw, valve tool, 7/16 wrench for macroline fittings, phillips screwdriver for grip screws, cutter for macroline, and various allen hex wrenches.

LET'S GET GOING

Here is the valve assembly ready to put in the body. It usually works easier if you just drop the valve spring into the cavity from the back, then install the rest with the body laying sideways. Oil the valve pin, cupseal, valve body o-ring and the back of the valve. Put blue locktite on the valve retaining nut and place the assembly into the body from the back.

When you get the valve assembly inserted, make sure the hole in the valve body is centered in the hole on the bottom of the body like the picture above.

This is how you don't want it!!! The air has to flow thru the holes into the bolt on top or it won't work very good!

After you have the valve assembly installed snuggly, and the hole lined up, put some blue locktite on the valve retaining set screw and put it in the bottom hole under the valve and snug into place.

This is the tricky part. Make sure the valve doesn't turn by holding it with the set screw (the one with the hex wrench in it in the photo) while you tighten the valve retaining nut with the valve tool and the adjustable wrench (from the back end). After you get the valve retaining nut tight, remove the valve retaining set screw and make sure the hole is lined up, then reinstall the set screw. Wipe any excess locktite off of the bottom of the body. Wipe the inside of the body from the back to remove any excess locktite in the bottom tube.

Lube the hammer with oil, then insert the hammer, hammer spring and IVG with o-ring.

The recess on the IVG holds the hammer spring centered and goes towards the spring.

Screw the IVG into the valve about 1 1/2 turns. This seems to be a good starting place for this valve and spring assembly.

Place the ASA o-ring into the top or the 15 degree ASA and oil lightly. The 12 point screw comes in from the bottom of the ASA and screws into the body.

This is the 1/4" ratchet with the 1/4" 12 point socket for the ASA screw. You can mount the ASA forward like I did on this body or with the trigger frame we are using, you can turn it backwards.

Here, the ASA is mounted and it's time to install the feed neck. If you are going to use a hopper, put a small amount of blue locktite on the feed neck and screw it in. If you plan to change between hopper and other feeds, don't locktite it. You can get neck off later with the blue locktite if you need to without having to resort to big nasty means.

Here is the pump kit. Install the o-ring on the pump guide rod and put a drop of oil on the oring. Drop the spring inside the pump handle and screw the pump rod into the small hole on the back of the pump handle. If you use pump kit from a different manufacturer, follow their instructions for installation.

Install the pump guide rod into the front of the body and tighten with the adjustable wrench. There is a small flat area on the front of the rod for a wrench to fit. The pump handle has the spring dropped inside and the rod threaded into it, ready to install.

Slide the handle onto the guide rod and screw the back block onto the rod on the back as you hold the pump handle slightly back. Starting to look like a marker....

Put the cocking rod into the back of the marker thru the back block and screw it into the hammer. Rotate the hammer until the lug points down like the picture and you can turn it with the 1/8" hex key from the top of the marker body.

As you turn and push/pull the hammer with the cocking rod, install a 1/8" allen hex wrench thru the hole in the top of the body and engage the lug in the hammer. If you look thru the bottom slot while you spin/move the hammer with the cocking rod, you can center the sear lug in the slot as you insert the hex wrench. Screw the lug down until the bottom of the lug is about half way through the thickness of the slotted hole when looking from the bottom.

Install the bolt and bolt pin. Lubricate the bolt lightly before you install it if it's metal. Some delrin bolts will swell up if lubricated and may jam in the body - follow the manufacturers instructions.

Install the beaver tail with the screw. Line it up straight out the back so you can get the cocking rod out easier.

Here is an assortment of grip frames you can choose from. Heck, this is only a SMALL SAMPLE of what's available, but most will be similar in form/function. Top left is a single finger slide frame. Top right is a DYE single finger swing trigger frame. This is one of my favorites. A competent tuner who balances sear lug height, springs and trigger stops can make EITHER of these short, soft and sweet. The bottom two are two finger swing trigger frames. The one on the left is an AIM which is basically a WGP, the right is a DYE. They are both pretty adjustable and will work well on a pump but most prefer a single trigger. As a side benefit, if you decide to throw on the front block and pneumatics to make a cocker, the dual finger frame is easier to shoot faster.....quite a few of my refs switch between the two - if you use a slotted ASA, they even stay pretty well timed when switching.

If you have a dead head, set the pressure on the regulator, then install in the ASA. Before you mount the grip frame with the two screws, oil the sear/pivot and trigger/pivot lightly. Extra points if you noticed that I changed the front grip frame screw. The one in the top picture was too short.......

The dirty old grips have been installed in this picture. The part at the bottom of the grip frame is the simple rail/drop with screws. You can install it facing forward or backwards to change the length of the tank for different feels. This one is going on forward as the owner plans to use a 68/4500 tank.

This is the on/off, macroline fitting and plug. Put the plug in the bottom with some teflon tape. Put the macroline fitting in the side. This fitting already has thread sealant on the threads, so no teflon tape is required the FIRST time you install it. There are about a million different variations or you could go with but a simple duck bill ASA to save money and you can still shoot people just as well!

After the fittings are installed in the on/off, slide it on and tighten the two set screws to hold it in place.

Cut the macro line to length and install it in the fittings. Here, I have installed a barrel so you can see how it's shaping up. This is a 14" barrel for reference. OK, stand back and look, we have completed construction of the marker. Now it's time to tune it up!

SETUP AND ADJUSTMENT

The first thing to do is adjust the sear so it catches reliably. Pull the cocking rod back and see if the sear catches.

If it doesn't catch, you will have to remove the bolt and install the 1/8" hex wrench thru the top of the body like the photo above. You may have to move the hammer back and forth by pulling/pushing on the cocking rod sticking out the back to get the wrench into the sear lug. Turn the lug in (clockwise) a half a turn. Remove the hex wrench and pull the hammer back with the cocking rod and see if the sear catches. If it doesn't catch, repeat by screwing the sear down 1/2 turn each time. After you have it catching, go to sear tuning.

If the sear lug is too deep and the sear will catch, but not release the hammer, you will have to remove the trigger frame to allow the hammer to come forward for further adjustments. After you have the trigger frame off and have released the hammer, install the 1/8" hex wrench back in the sear lug and turn it counterclockwise (up) 1 turn and try it again. If the hammer cocks, then releases with the trigger, go to sear tuning.

TRIGGER RELEASE TIMING (break point): If you turn the hex wrench clockwise (down), the hammer will drop later in the trigger travel. If you turn the hex wrench counterclockwise (up), the hammer will drop earlier in the trigger travel. For a good crisp hammer drop with the DYE single finger swing trigger, adjust the sear until the trigger releases after the trigger travels LESS THAN 1/16" AT THE BOTTOM of the trigger. We will adjust the trigger stop in a later step.

Pump the marker all the way back and look inside the top thru the feed port. Make sure the bolt goes back a little past the feed neck. If it doesn't clear so a ball can drop in, remove the bolt and cocking rod and adjust the length of pump rod by screwing the back block on or off. After you have this adjusted, the next adjustment is to adjust the cocking rod length. As you pump the marker back, look down into the feed neck. What you want is for the hammer lug to engage about 1/16" BEFORE the bolt clears the feed port. If you need to adjust this, insert the proper hex key into the set screw in the back of the cocking rod and loosen the set screw. Adjust the length of the rod by turning the knob on the cocking rod in or out until the sear cocks at the proper place, then lock it in place with the set screw.

This is the set screw that you adjust to limit trigger travel on a DYE single finger swing trigger. If you adjusted the sear so the trigger drops the hammer near the front of the trigger travel, you can adjust this set screw so the trigger travels just a little past the sear release point. You now have a short, smooth, crisp and clean trigger release. A short consistent release will help you hold your marker on the target easier. Don't try to get it too short as you want a reliable shooter that CATCHES the sear everytime and you can get it pretty short anyway just doing this!

OK, the marker is cocking at the proper place, the bolt clears the feed port so a ball can drop in, lets air it up and finish. If you have a dead head gage, set the output of the inline reg to about 200 PSI to start. This will get balls out of the barrel, anyway. With a chrono, shoot a couple of shots, then get an average FPS reading. If it's low, raise the pressure on the inline reg a little and re-chrono. If you are getting to the required velocity, you can just stop here and shoot people! If you turn up the pressure and the velocity starts dropping off BEFORE you reach the desired FPS, you have reached the spring/pressure balance and need to increase the hammer spring pressure some. Do this by removing the cocking rod and turning the IVG clockwise to increase spring pressure. Reinstall the cocking rod and hit the chrono again. It make take a little while to do the initial setup, but will be a simple tweak of the reg or spring from here on. Give the regs a little time to settle in if they are new. If you have a good balance between spring pressure and air pressure, a good barrel fit and consistenly round paint, you should be able to get some amazing consistent FPS readings across the chrono.

Here is a slightly different look with the same body. This one includes an Action Markers Illusion SC feed with 10 round tube, Chipley pump kit, Palmer Stabalizer mounted on reversed 15 degree ASA, CP 14" two piece Pro Barrel, 13/3000 HPA tank with butt plate, 5 tube wrist holder and squeegie attached to tank.

Close up of the same marker. This is one of my favorite play toys!

This is a work in progress and will be added to later.....thanks for looking - slight update 9-26-2K7 - HELLO FRIENDS FROM SCP!!!

2007 SCENARIO SERIES and THE CASTLE ROCK GAMES

Send mail to info@pettypb.com with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2006 Petty Paintball Field and Pro Shop Last modified: September 12, 2007

Send mail to info@pettypb.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2006 Petty Paintball Field and Pro Shop
Last modified: September 12, 2007