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BARGAIN ALERT WITH LINK

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SteveV

SteveV

Member
Feb 25, 2018
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Tennessee, United States
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That is an outrageous deal. I just got a 13ci that was twice that price. I pulled the Hero2 regulator apart last night and the spring/shims are .375" diameter, so it's not Ninja size. I was able to find .375" D x .03" thick on McMaster, but they were over $10 for 3. So I'm not sure on the economy of increasing the pressure with a Belleville stack.

Even if you replace the regulator with a Ninja, you'll have a carbon bottle setup for a good price. The 13ci I got yesterday is my first carbon bottle and it was shocking to feel how much lighter than aluminum it is.
 
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To anyone wondering, there were a couple of threads about this tank leading up to Christmas. HIgh points:

1. Includes regulator (drop-down selection "No Thanks" is confusing). Presumably set to a typical 800psi.
2. Threaded 5/8" - 18, not metric M18 like most carbon fiber bottles, meaning it will accept a Ninja regulator or other popular paintball regulator if you want. (For example, a user on GTA bought one and swapped out the bottle on his gen 1 Umarex Gauntlet.)
3. 2" diameter like popular 13ci aluminum paintball bottles, however this one is 15ci volume and 4500psi fill (310 bar)...and yet still saves a smidge of weight.

Manufacturer's product page:
first-strike.com

First Strike Hero 2 Half Pint 15/4500 HPA Carbon Fibre Tank

/first-strike-half-pint-15-4500-hpa-tank/
first-strike.com first-strike.com
 
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To piggy back off what nervoustrig is saying, they supposedly sell high pressure kits that bump the output to 1000 psi + you can add about 150 psi of shims, according to their manual. However, I was unable to find their high pressure kits in stock anywhere.

For anything higher pressure, it appears that McMaster part number 9712K112 is the closest fit for a Belleville washer option, though they're wayyy more expensive than the Ninja size Bellevilles.

If there's a way to use Bellevilles, that would be cool, cause the Hero2 regulator is extremely short. Like, a good part of an inch shorter than a Ninja reg, and well over an inch shorter than the cheapy reg that came on my 13ci Pepperball tank. Going from an aluminum tank to a carbon tank that's moved almost an inch closer to the center of the rifle can completely transform the balance of a bottle gun.
 
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Gotta wonder why so cheap. Even if used its a great price. Makes me cry knowing what I paid for mine. I have a 15 and a 17, great bottles. Reg is a beast to remove.

Ninja makes a HPA 3k output version (2900 actually).labeled as an x or custom. They work great.
Hajimoto sells the v2 and flex at custom setpoints for up to 2400 as i recall and with the right threads.

New England Airgun also has a few ninja reg’s on their site.

Fyi, found this out the hard way, some Ninja regs use a ball/spring valve, some adapter blocks may not depress it far enough and has to be removed.
 
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SteveV said:
It does take some effort, but the stock reg is removable with heat, a vise, and a strap wrench, then that puppy is ready for the reg of your choice, and with the $ saved, go for a Ninja Flex reg with 1700 to 2500 psi adjustable output!
Click to expand...

Oh my, first time hearing about these Flex regs, and boy howdy do I want one, but $150 for a reg is painful!
 
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UCChris said:
If there's a way to use Bellevilles, that would be cool
Click to expand...
Ah okay, this regulator having a smaller piston means it won't need as much spring force to achieve a given pressure. With any luck, that will allow the use of one of the cheaper Bellevilles.

If you have a chance, what is the diameter of the output side of the piston? On a Ninja reg, that would be the large diameter end.
 
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nervoustrig said:
Ah okay, this regulator having a smaller piston means it won't need as much spring force to achieve a given pressure. With any luck, that will allow the use of one of the cheaper Bellevilles.

If you have a chance, what is the diameter of the output side of the piston? On a Ninja reg, that would be the large diameter end.
Click to expand...

If I understand your question, the fat end of the piston is .38", though I'll take a pic of what I'm measuring here in a bit so I can make sure we're on the same page.
 
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UCChris said:
To piggy back off what nervoustrig is saying, they supposedly sell high pressure kits that bump the output to 1000 psi + you can add about 150 psi of shims, according to their manual. However, I was unable to find their high pressure kits in stock anywhere.

For anything higher pressure, it appears that McMaster part number 9712K112 is the closest fit for a Belleville washer option, though they're wayyy more expensive than the Ninja size Bellevilles.

If there's a way to use Bellevilles, that would be cool, cause the Hero2 regulator is extremely short. Like, a good part of an inch shorter than a Ninja reg, and well over an inch shorter than the cheapy reg that came on my 13ci Pepperball tank. Going from an aluminum tank to a carbon tank that's moved almost an inch closer to the center of the rifle can completely transform the balance of a bottle gun.
Click to expand...
Is this the high-pressure kit you are looking for, UCChris?
ansgear.com

First Strike Hero/P3 Tank Regulator Pressure Kit - Low & High

ANSgear is the worlds largest online paintball store in the world. Huge selection of Paintball Guns, Tanks, Masks, Loaders, Harnesses, Barrels and more. Fast & Free shipping will keep you up to date with all of the best paintball gear.
ansgear.com ansgear.com
 
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SilentSquirrel said:
Is this the high-pressure kit you are looking for, UCChris?
ansgear.com

First Strike Hero/P3 Tank Regulator Pressure Kit - Low & High

ANSgear is the worlds largest online paintball store in the world. Huge selection of Paintball Guns, Tanks, Masks, Loaders, Harnesses, Barrels and more. Fast & Free shipping will keep you up to date with all of the best paintball gear.
ansgear.com ansgear.com
Click to expand...

Appreciate you pulling that up. I saw that, but they don't list the pressures and that's for the Hero P3 reg, which I'm not certain fits the Hero2 Reg.
 
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nervoustrig said:
Ah okay, this regulator having a smaller piston means it won't need as much spring force to achieve a given pressure. With any luck, that will allow the use of one of the cheaper Bellevilles.

If you have a chance, what is the diameter of the output side of the piston? On a Ninja reg, that would be the large diameter end.
Click to expand...

You're looking for the diameter of the bit circled red, right?

PXL_20221229_155627574~2.jpg


If so, it is indeed .38"
 
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Sorry for the delay but I just ran the numbers and it looks like the more affordable 0.020" thick Bellevilles (McMaster #9712K59 linked below) should be sufficient for a setpoint up to about 1400psi.

www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com

$0.50 each instead of $3.30 each sounds better.
 
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nervoustrig said:
Sorry for the delay but I just ran the numbers and it looks like the more affordable 0.020" thick Bellevilles (McMaster #9712K59 linked below) should be sufficient for a setpoint up to about 1400psi.

www.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com www.mcmaster.com

$0.50 each instead of $3.30 each sounds better.
Click to expand...

Awesome! What thickness of shims do you think one ought to get? I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with these regs!
 
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These small diameter Bellevilles have comparatively little travel--about 2/3 that of the equivalent Bellevilles in the Ninja Pro regulator--so I doubt there would be much use for 0.020" shims. My guess is 0.010" and 0.005" would be useful, and maybe even something thinner.

Depending on how many Bellevilles the piston will accommodate, it might not do a good job repeatably returning to the same setpoint. We'll just have to see.
 
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nervoustrig said:
One more thing...extrapolating from your photo, it looks like the shaft is over 0.8" long which means it will take a stack of 27 of the above Bellevilles (0.030" high) to fill it up. As absurd as that sounds, it is actually favorable in terms of setpoint repeatability.
Click to expand...

The taller the stack, the less sensitive to inconsistencies since the travel is spread out across more pieces, right?
 
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