Hopefully this will help some people avoid the problems I had the first time I installed a 12 ft-lb Vortek kit in my R9. After purchasing a new seal, I made some changes and tried again.
Rule 1: Don't use too much grease! This was the source of most of my problems as it made it difficult to handle components or even see what I was doing. Finally the gun started dieseling and I had to tear it down, clean it up and start again. This time I put a moderate amount of grease on the spring, and only a very thin film on the OD of the outer spring guide and piston. I also used a small amount of grease on the cocking shoe slot and barrel pivot.
Rule 2: Take your time working the seal past all the openings in the receiver. I nicked the leading edge of the first seal and had to replace it. This time I worked it gently past the receiver openings by rocking the piston back and forth and using a plastic rod to depress the front edge of the seal as I eased it past each opening.
Rule 3: Make sure there is sufficient clearance before trying to work the barrel shims into position. On my rifle the clearances were such that it was almost impossible to slide the second shim into position. I solved this problem the second time around by clamping the receiver to the bench, then pushing the barrel sideways just enough to create a gap big enough to slide in the second shim. This was after I had already installed the bolt side shim, and inserted the bolt part way through the barrel lug.
The gun is working well now, cocking is buttery smooth and there is no vibration during the firing cycle. Accuracy is about what I can get from a light springer. Here are some groups shot on my indoor range, with some groups from my 300S for comparison. Not as good as the 300S, probably not as good as I can get from my TX200, but still not bad.
Chuck
Rule 1: Don't use too much grease! This was the source of most of my problems as it made it difficult to handle components or even see what I was doing. Finally the gun started dieseling and I had to tear it down, clean it up and start again. This time I put a moderate amount of grease on the spring, and only a very thin film on the OD of the outer spring guide and piston. I also used a small amount of grease on the cocking shoe slot and barrel pivot.
Rule 2: Take your time working the seal past all the openings in the receiver. I nicked the leading edge of the first seal and had to replace it. This time I worked it gently past the receiver openings by rocking the piston back and forth and using a plastic rod to depress the front edge of the seal as I eased it past each opening.
Rule 3: Make sure there is sufficient clearance before trying to work the barrel shims into position. On my rifle the clearances were such that it was almost impossible to slide the second shim into position. I solved this problem the second time around by clamping the receiver to the bench, then pushing the barrel sideways just enough to create a gap big enough to slide in the second shim. This was after I had already installed the bolt side shim, and inserted the bolt part way through the barrel lug.
The gun is working well now, cocking is buttery smooth and there is no vibration during the firing cycle. Accuracy is about what I can get from a light springer. Here are some groups shot on my indoor range, with some groups from my 300S for comparison. Not as good as the 300S, probably not as good as I can get from my TX200, but still not bad.
Chuck
