Carbon fiber shroud for KRAL Puncher/Mega/Pro w/Annihilator Quiet Kit

1541553619_6837538995be23dd3eaea25.45948457_KRAL Puncher Breaker 2.jpg
1541553586_8020074315be23db2769101.86751544_KRAL Carbon Shroud.jpg


I decided I wanted to play around with the possibility of building a real carbon fiber tube shroud mostly for looks but also to include the fourth baffle that Troy from Annihilator sends in his quiet kits and to save a couple grams of overall weight possibly. Well just by chance the original KRAL shroud is exactly 22mm OD and 20mm ID which is the exact dimensions of carbon fiber tube I was able to locate. So of course the original cap wouldn't thread in because there were no threads in the carbon tube so a little research and I found out its not recommended to tap carbon fiber unless backed with sacrificial sheets of laminate or woven specifically in that area to be tapped to transfer forces correctly. So, I decided to start grinding with a dremel until I was just able to force the original end cap into the tube then got some high quality 2 part epoxy and set it in the end of the tube, it's not coming out anytime soon. Then I also wanted to be able to use the fourth baffle including in the quiet kit like I said so I simply added the length (.700 inch) if I recall correctly. Then I didn't quite trust such a small set screw that the original shroud used and was also used with the quiet kit installed in the new stripper from Troy. So, I just got a grub screw out of the several hundred I've accumulated I swear I find grub screws in my underwear drawer they are everywhere, haha. Anyway I drilled and tapped the stripper on the end of the barrel from Troy up to I believe 5mm x 0.80. That made me much more comfortable with the carbon fiber material and this gun is shooting 60 ft/lbs regularly. Then last I wanted the shroud to go all the way to the scope mount because I feel it looks much better than stopping inch or so short and I wanted to use this rear section of shroud to help moderate noise if possible. There is no cap at the rear whatsoever it is just measured and cut very carefully then sanded to the final dimension so when the grub screw is installed into the shroud it holds the slightest bit of tension to square it to the scope mount. Now, I know what ur thinking how could it possibly stay concentric to avoid clipping the four baffles and end cap with just the 2 o-rings from Troys stripper holding it? I asked myself that too and finally came up with and idea to use two pieces of high density very stiff rubber about half and inch in length and only taking up 50 percent of the circumference of the space between the barrel and the shroud. If you think of a scope cross hair dividing it into 4 quadrants every other one has a rubber piece holding its centered perfectly so like a BMW emblem essentially one quadrant open free to air one with rubber spacer one open to air last with rubber spacer so at the rear of the shroud half of the space is open to atmosphere because its just resting against the scope mount with no type of seal at all so air can easily escape there performing the same duty as holes drilled into the rear section of shrouds we see all the time. Now in the original stripper this wouldn't have had an advantage but with Troy's having 4 large holes venting to the rear of the shroud it for sure performs some deadening. Sorry about huge post I just wish people would be thorough when they post things in case I'd like to attempt it so there it is as thorough as it gets. Final thoughts, substantially quieter than just quiet kit 3 baffles, looks a boat load better IMHO and maybe even dropped a few grams of weight. I'm very pleased with the few hours it took and I even have an extra tube from the 2 pack I got in case I jacked up the first one so I can experiment with a little different design if I want. Please comment or reply whatever on what you guys think especially the KRAL guys familiar with what I'm talkin bout! 
 
  • Like
Reactions: JeffDodge
I like it 👍 and now we will need to see how it all holds up over time, I’m in the process of getting my 1st Kral from Troy, I’m getting a tuned Mega Marine .25 from him and down the road I could see doing something like that, again that carbon fiber shroud looks nice.

Now will just need pics of the steps you took to do all this for those of us who don’t follow directions very well 😉.

Again nice job.
 
I was up in the air for honestly 5 months on which to buy the mega or the breaker but I have several traditionally styled rifles and they are all but identical save the 50cc reservoir advantage the mega has but the shot count is already great on the breaker especially when you get a valve from JSAir or have Troy do his thing on it. So, knowing that I finally talked myself into trying a bullpup style rifle and I absolutely love it. I can throw it around with one hand when need be and I can carry it from that skeleton section of the stock and the synthetic version has the spare mag compartment all of those reasons have made me really fall in love with this gun for practical use like hunting and pesting. On the other hand you cannot get the Breaker in marine and walnut in the states unless you do some tricky paypaling and foreign shipping and just a bunch of stuff I don't feel like doing. So, I still plan on getting the mega in either walnut/marine or all black synthetic with the black action because I also love the way that one looks and has the adjustable comb. Man its so hard to decide when you go to actually order these things. But that is another strike in the plus for KRAL every one uses all but identical action and valve there are two basic modifications bottle or cylinder and then bolt(on pro only) or sidelever. Other than that they all mix and match so parts are getting easier to find and they are super easy to modify and repair. I have no gripes whatsoever other than the cocking lever which i had the JSAir one ordered the same time as the gun so I never saw an issue. Great guns and the more info we can put on here for them the better. My biggest interest right now is best aftermarket barrel for shooting NSA slugs accurately so that will be my next endeavor. Keep posting on the KRALS!!
 
I like it
1f44d.svg
 and now we will need to see how it all holds up over time, I’m in the process of getting my 1st Kral from Troy, I’m getting a tuned Mega Marine .25 from him and down the road I could see doing something like that, again that carbon fiber shroud looks nice.

Now will just need pics of the steps you took to do all this for those of us who don’t follow directions very well 
1f609.svg
.

Again nice job.

I have that rifle, Mine I bought with nothing as far as supression goes....just looks better IMHO. I will say if you are thinking of doing back yard or basement shooting it is a bad idea, this one is pretty close to a long barrel 22lr. I love it.



I understand people wanting to quiet things down for some applications, me I want to hear something when it goes off, guess a hold over from powder.
 
To put something else on this, as it might be applicable....



I don't have a tin of pellets into mine yet so I have not even bothered to get any numbers, but I can say this rifle is a hole you can't put your thumb through at 50 and a quarter at 100 if the wind does not screw with you. I am real happy.



This has really spoiled me, I really enjoy my 177's, I like small holes, even in my firearms, I have a thing for smaller early fast movers, 22HP 220 swift....stuff like that. So I like smaller...this rifle has me leaving my old 177's behind and really playing with this. Out at 50 yards a soup can on a 177 will last a long time, with this not so much. Lots more energy.



I think you will really enjoy the rifle, Mine is fantastic....a sample size of just one, but mine is fantastic and smooth to cock, like a fine watch, stock was very very nice, too nice to refinish and I had already bought stain and stuff to refinish the stock as so many reviews said you need to work with it....trigger great, mags you get use to putting them in "backwards" pretty quick. I really like the rifle. Only down side and it is a nit pick is the filling, not a fan of that probe....I can see going through o-rings on that.
 
I like it
1f44d.svg
 and now we will need to see how it all holds up over time, I’m in the process of getting my 1st Kral from Troy, I’m getting a tuned Mega Marine .25 from him and down the road I could see doing something like that, again that carbon fiber shroud looks nice.

Now will just need pics of the steps you took to do all this for those of us who don’t follow directions very well 
1f609.svg
.

Again nice job.

I have that rifle, Mine I bought with nothing as far as supression goes....just looks better IMHO. I will say if you are thinking of doing back yard or basement shooting it is a bad idea, this one is pretty close to a long barrel 22lr. I love it.



I understand people wanting to quiet things down for some applications, me I want to hear something when it goes off, guess a hold over from powder.

I have a range out on my other property which is 12 acres so I’m not to worried about sound but I do prefer a quiet airgun, makes hitting steel targets more fun.





i can see a Kral semi auto in the future if they make it here.
 


I decided I wanted to play around with the possibility of building a real carbon fiber tube shroud mostly for looks but also to include the fourth baffle that Troy from Annihilator sends in his quiet kits and to save a couple grams of overall weight possibly. Well just by chance the original KRAL shroud is exactly 22mm OD and 20mm ID which is the exact dimensions of carbon fiber tube I was able to locate. So of course the original cap wouldn't thread in because there were no threads in the carbon tube so a little research and I found out its not recommended to tap carbon fiber unless backed with sacrificial sheets of laminate or woven specifically in that area to be tapped to transfer forces correctly. So, I decided to start grinding with a dremel until I was just able to force the original end cap into the tube then got some high quality 2 part epoxy and set it in the end of the tube, it's not coming out anytime soon. Then I also wanted to be able to use the fourth baffle including in the quiet kit like I said so I simply added the length (.700 inch) if I recall correctly. Then I didn't quite trust such a small set screw that the original shroud used and was also used with the quiet kit installed in the new stripper from Troy. So, I just got a grub screw out of the several hundred I've accumulated I swear I find grub screws in my underwear drawer they are everywhere, haha. Anyway I drilled and tapped the stripper on the end of the barrel from Troy up to I believe 5mm x 0.80. That made me much more comfortable with the carbon fiber material and this gun is shooting 60 ft/lbs regularly. Then last I wanted the shroud to go all the way to the scope mount because I feel it looks much better than stopping inch or so short and I wanted to use this rear section of shroud to help moderate noise if possible. There is no cap at the rear whatsoever it is just measured and cut very carefully then sanded to the final dimension so when the grub screw is installed into the shroud it holds the slightest bit of tension to square it to the scope mount. Now, I know what ur thinking how could it possibly stay concentric to avoid clipping the four baffles and end cap with just the 2 o-rings from Troys stripper holding it? I asked myself that too and finally came up with and idea to use two pieces of high density very stiff rubber about half and inch in length and only taking up 50 percent of the circumference of the space between the barrel and the shroud. If you think of a scope cross hair dividing it into 4 quadrants every other one has a rubber piece holding its centered perfectly so like a BMW emblem essentially one quadrant open free to air one with rubber spacer one open to air last with rubber spacer so at the rear of the shroud half of the space is open to atmosphere because its just resting against the scope mount with no type of seal at all so air can easily escape there performing the same duty as holes drilled into the rear section of shrouds we see all the time. Now in the original stripper this wouldn't have had an advantage but with Troy's having 4 large holes venting to the rear of the shroud it for sure performs some deadening. Sorry about huge post I just wish people would be thorough when they post things in case I'd like to attempt it so there it is as thorough as it gets. Final thoughts, substantially quieter than just quiet kit 3 baffles, looks a boat load better IMHO and maybe even dropped a few grams of weight. I'm very pleased with the few hours it took and I even have an extra tube from the 2 pack I got in case I jacked up the first one so I can experiment with a little different design if I want. Please comment or reply whatever on what you guys think especially the KRAL guys familiar with what I'm talkin bout!

Excellent write up thank you! I've been considering this and would like to do the exact same thing as you - would you mind sharing where you got the CF tubing? I have a .22 Kral PB in black/black that's tuned by Troy to shoot about 36 shots at 44.6fpe right now and love it. It took me about 10 years to buy my first PCP (a few months ago new) and now I have a Kral Mega in .22 sitting in my pyramidair cart about ready to go! love em.

1544796197_7496466025c13b825ec4e77.05244783_shot string 12.9.jpg


1544796309_7982036085c13b89511de71.75657055_a4.jpg