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INSIDE
THE TIPPMANN
Submitted by
Rudy
Sloup
This article is designed to help you understand how a tippmann
semiautomatic paintball gun works. Here is a diagram of some of the major
parts of tippmann paintball guns. Not all of the parts are listed so if
you are unsure of a part I have referred to go here,
and look for it on the diagram of one of the paintball guns. I have made
animations to help you understand more easily, they are spread out over
the article. The last two have been slowed down to make them easier to
study.
PARTS DIAGRAM
COLOR KEY
The shooting of a paintball from a tippmann paintball gun starts with
pulling the trigger. When you pull the trigger it rotates so that the rear
area of the trigger moves upward pushing up on the front of the sear. The
sear holds the rear bolt in place. When the front of the sear is pushed
up by the trigger the sear rotates around the sear pin and the rear area
of the sear moves down. As the rear of the sear moves downward it disengages
the ridge on the rear bolt. This releases the rear bolt, allowing the drive
spring to push the rear bolt forward toward the valve. After the rear section
of the sear disengages the rear bolt, the front section of the sear slips
off the back of the trigger. Then the sear spring pulls the sear which
slides along a slot in the middle of the sear that the sear pin goes through
toward the back of the gun. At the same time the sear rotates on the sear
pin so the rear of the sear travels up into the upper receiver of the gun.
The sear is now ready to engage the rear bolt when it returns to the rear
of the gun. The slot the sear pin goes through is what allows your gun
to be semiautomatic by making the sear disengage the trigger.
PROLITE
The rear bolt is connected to the front bolt by the linkage arm. The
front bolt is a tube that slides over the power tube. The power tube is
a guide it guides the front bolt in its travel and directs the gas to the
front bolt. As the rear bolt moves forward the front bolt moves forward
pushing the chambered paintball by the ball detent, and into the barrel.
The front bolt also serves to close off the ball feeding and direct the
gas that will be released down the barrel. While the balls is being bushed
into the barrel the rear bolt strikes the valve plunger. A plunger is a
small metal rod that is connected to a base, that either is a seal or has
a seal on it. When you push a plunger in it pushes the seal away from the
metal the seal makes its seal with. Then gas is allowed to escape from
the valve. At this point the Prolite and all previous tippmann semi auto
models, and the CVX style guns (Carbine, Model 98, Procarbine) are different.
CARBINE
When the rear bolt strikes the Prolite valve it moves the entire valve
forward a couple millimeters or so until it comes in contact with the power
tube pin. Then the momentum of the rear bolt continues to push forward
with enough force to overcome the pressure of the gas in the valve and
the valve spring. The valve has two plungers one on the front and one on
the back. They are both pushed open as the rear bolt pushes on the rear
plunger and the power tube pin holds the front plunger in place while the
valve continues to move forward. This depresses both plungers opening the
two sides of the valve to release high pressure gas. That was very wordy
in effect both plungers are depressed releasing gas out both sides of the
valve. The gas released to the front of the valve travels into the power
tube, and the gas released to the rear of the valve pushes on the rear
bolt.
PROLITE VALVE
The CVX valve is a stationary valve with one plunger at the rear of
the valve. The rear bolt hits the plunger with enough force to over come
the pressure of the high pressure gas in the valve and the valve spring
opening the valve and releasing gas into two slots cut near the back of
the valve. The two slots direct the gas to the sides of the valve where
passages have been machined on the outside of the valve allowing gas to
travel between the valve and the main body of the gun to the front of the
valve and then into the power tube. While the gas is going to the power
tube the plunger is being pushed further down. A small section of the plunger
with an increased diameter that is used to block the leading gas from going
out the rear of the valve clears the passage it blocks releasing more gas
through the passage at the back of the valve and pushing on the rear bolt.
CVX VALVE
The gas that is traveling to the power tube enters the power tube and
the travels around the velocity adjusting screw. The velocity adjusting
screw chokes the gas. So when you screw the velocity screw into the valve
you are restricting more airflow by putting more of the velocity screw
in the power tube and lowering the velocity. Conversely when you back the
velocity screw out you are opening up the power tube for increased flow
increasing the velocity. The gas then travels down the main stretch of
the power tube and through the front bolt forcing the ball down the barrel.
[Editor's
note: The CVX valve structure is also used in the Tippmann Model 98 and
98 Custom.]
PROLITE
The gas released to the rear of the valve pushes on the rear bolt with
enough force to overcome the force of the drive spring and push the rear
bolt back, at the same time the front bolt is being pulled back by the
linkage arm. As the rear bolt travels to the back of the gun it pushes
the sear out of its way and hits the bumper at the back of the gun. At
this time the gas that was forcing it back has vented through either the
slot on the top of the paintball gun that the linkage arm slides in or
the slot for the cocking knob. Then the rear bolt bounces off the bumper
and travels forward until the sear catches the ridge on the bottom of the
rear bolt. The rear bolt then pushes the sear forward until the sear pin
stops the sear at the end of the slot it goes through. Then when you release
the trigger the trigger spring returns the trigger dropping the rear of
the trigger so the front of the sear can slide back onto the rear of the
trigger. And at some point after the front bolt moved far enough back a
ball dropped into the breech and the paintball gun has completed one cycle,
and is ready to start another cycle.
CARBINE
Quesions or comments email Rudy
Sloup
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