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![]() 03 Shocker
Smart Parts followed up the PVI Shocker with the more popular Shocker Sport and later Shocker models. The Shocker was the flagship paintgun of Smart Parts’ factory team the All Americans (now known as the Philly Americans.) While limited by internal gas flow to an 11.2 bps firing rate, the Shocker held popularity with a reputation for accuracy, quiet operation, and the ability to handle fragile paint well with its low-pressure operation. Opponents of the Shocker didn’t care for its size, shape and weight, often calling it a brick with a handle, or a shoebox with a barrel. Smart Parts later paintgun, the Impulse drew much attention away from the aging Shocker design with its higher speed open bolt operation.
The Shocker 03 body is a single-tube layout. While exact diameters vary at points on the body with different milling patterns, it rises roughly an inch and a half above the grip frame and is approximately one and three eighths of an inch wide. In terms of operation the new Shocker is much simpler than its predecessor. Instead of utilizing separate solenoid valves to operate the gun’s pneumatically driven bolt and shuttle valve, the new design uses a single solenoid to control a spool valve. The spool valve’s core also serves as the paintgun’s bolt, allowing the bulk and mechanical complexity of the second solenoid valve to be done away with. Gas enters the Shocker 03 through a vertical ASA, typically equipped with a vertical regulator. This reg drops the pressure to drive the Shocker at under 200 psi. The same gas source is used for both controlling the valve and firing the ball. From the vertical ASA, the gas travels through gas paths in the body of the gun. One tube channels gas into the Shocker valve’s firing chamber. This is an area within the valve that functionas as a reservoir, to hold the gas which will fire the ball. Gas is also supplied to the solenoid valve. This compact, electronically actuated valve acts as a pilot valve for the Shocker’s main valve. Because the spool at the core of the Shocker’s valve also acts as the bolt, the entire valve assembly is often simply referred to as the bolt assembly. When the Shocker’s electronics activate the solenoid valve, it redirects gas flow to move the bolt forward.
The Shocker 03 trigger utilizes a magnetic repulsion return system and four adjustment points so that it can be adjusted to a wide variety of feels. It is a smooth design with rounded edges and a gentle curve near its lower end. It varies in width from approximately 5/16 inches at the top to 1/8 inch at the bottom. Three of the trigger’s adjustment screws can be accessed without disassembling the paintgun, making it very simple to test changes while adjusting. At the top of the trigger, a .050” hex screw limits the forward travel of the trigger, and near the bottom, another limits the trigger’s rear travel. With these two screws alone the trigger can be adjusted from the stock pull of 4 or more millemeters down to 1 millemeter or less measured at the base of the trigger. The third outside adjuster screw lies in the center of the trigger. This screw adjusts the trigger’s interaction with the internal micro-switch, and is a feature not found on most paintguns. Adjusting this screw can affect where in the trigger pull cycle the micro-switch is actuated. This is most useful if switching to a custom switch, or performing a popular trigger modification that involves inverting the position of the stock switch. The 3 main trigger adjustment points allow for the trigger pull to be adjusted in minutes without taking the Shocker apart. With only these three adjustments, a trigger pull can be achieved which is better than what was normal for custom “trigger jobs” performed by airsmiths on paintguns in the mid 1990s. The fourth adjustment is more difficult to access. It is the trigger pull weight adjustment. The Shocker 03 does not use springs to return the trigger to its rest position. Instead a rare earth magnet in the grip frame repels a tiny rare earth magnet in the trigger. The position of this magnet, in its threaded mount affects the strength of the trigger return force. When the magnet is closer to the trigger, the repulsing force is stronger, when it is further away it is weaker. While the return strength is possible to adjust, it requires punching out dowel pins to release the trigger switch and circuit board to have access to the back-side of the magnet. While this is a simple task for an airsmith, it may be a bit of a challenge for the average user.
Most paintguns regardless of open or closed bolt design, which utilize an o-ring seal around the front of the bolt put that o-ring on the front of the bolt. With the Shocker 03, Smart Parts has placed that o-ring inside the receiver. This placement reduces the regular wear seen by a bolt front o-ring, because the time of contact between moving parts is greatly reduced. It also decreases bolt friction meaning less gas pressure is needed to move the bolt back and forth. Additionally, because it puts a wider clearance between the bolt and sidewalls around the feedport area, there is less of a chance of bolt stick due to debris in the breech. On either side of the breech are ball detents. The ball detents protrude into the breech area and prevent a ball from rolling forward into the barrel, which would allow a second ball to load behind it. These spring loaded synthetic ball bearings are held inside aluminum mounting bolts, and can be removed for cleaning as a single assembly with a 1/8 inch hex wrench. The right hand ball detent assembly serves a second function. It holds the cover plate for the Shocker Vision system.
The Shocker 03 feedneck is of a low profile design, and a tight enough fit that many aftermarket high-end loaders like the HALO and eVLution require sanding for a proper fit. The neck is threaded into the receiver with the same thread style as Smart Parts’ other paintguns, allowing for a variety of aftermarket clamping feed neck options to be installed as upgrades. Continued on Page
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