Post by lonewolfkb on Dec 20, 2012 21:58:50 GMT -5
As anyone who has an M203 launcher is aware, the satisfying feeling of sending dozens of bbs hurtling towards and opponent is somewhat offset by the frustration of problematic grenades...leaks, not sealing the gas chamber, disengaged ball bearings...the list goes on. Lots of times the problems can be fixed quite easily with a new gas ring (some models have more than 8 at various points, so one is bound to fail sooner or later) or some lubrication. The problem is getting the stupid release mechanism back together AND managing to keep the ball bearings in place while doing it. After about an hour of frustration with one particularly stubborn grenade, I decided there had to be a better way to do it. What I came up with is documented below, and I must say, it works like a charm. After making the ring, I disassembled, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled all six of my M203 rounds in about 15 minutes.
The key is a piece of copper tubing that fits over the core on the inside of the grenade. A hole is drilled into one side with a large enough diameter that the ball bearings can fit through. When drilling the hole, it's best to put the tubing around a broomstick or something similar so that you don't compromise the round shape with the pressure. Disassemble, replace any worn O-Rings, clean, lubricated, or do whatever it is you need to do, then follow the steps below.
Here's the piece of tubing relative to the grenade parts.
And here it is around the core. There should be enough room that you can rotate the tubing around the core, but you want as little play as possible.
Insert the spring into the core and place the plunger in its proper position over the spring. Holding the core and plunger between your thumb and first finger, compress the spring as far as it will go. Using your free hand, rotate the tubing until the hole is lined up with a hole in the core. Insert a ball bearing. Rotate the tubing as needed to insert all the bearings, making sure to keep the plunger and spring pressed at all times. As you turn the tubing to a new hole, the previous bearings will be held in place.
Once all the bearings are in (2 and 4 bearing models are most common), rotate the tubing so that the hole is NOT over one of the bearings. This will keep even pressure on all the bearings, effectively holding the mechanism together. The pressure on the plunger can be released, and as long as there is virtually no space between the tubing and core, it will hold itself together just fine.
Take the base of the grenade and slide the entire system in. The plunger may not go all the way into position due to the tubing holding it up a bit. That's fine. What the tubing does is hold the bearings in until they reach their proper position in the base.
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Push on the core as far as it will go...the bearings are now held in by the base wall, and the plunger should be in position. Tip the entire thing to the side or upside down and allow the copper ring to fall down on your finger.
Slowly release the pressure on the core, making sure it doesn't tip to one side or the other. The ball bearings will engage and everything *should* hold. Set the base down, screw the top on, and it's all done.
The key is a piece of copper tubing that fits over the core on the inside of the grenade. A hole is drilled into one side with a large enough diameter that the ball bearings can fit through. When drilling the hole, it's best to put the tubing around a broomstick or something similar so that you don't compromise the round shape with the pressure. Disassemble, replace any worn O-Rings, clean, lubricated, or do whatever it is you need to do, then follow the steps below.
Here's the piece of tubing relative to the grenade parts.
And here it is around the core. There should be enough room that you can rotate the tubing around the core, but you want as little play as possible.
Insert the spring into the core and place the plunger in its proper position over the spring. Holding the core and plunger between your thumb and first finger, compress the spring as far as it will go. Using your free hand, rotate the tubing until the hole is lined up with a hole in the core. Insert a ball bearing. Rotate the tubing as needed to insert all the bearings, making sure to keep the plunger and spring pressed at all times. As you turn the tubing to a new hole, the previous bearings will be held in place.
Once all the bearings are in (2 and 4 bearing models are most common), rotate the tubing so that the hole is NOT over one of the bearings. This will keep even pressure on all the bearings, effectively holding the mechanism together. The pressure on the plunger can be released, and as long as there is virtually no space between the tubing and core, it will hold itself together just fine.
Take the base of the grenade and slide the entire system in. The plunger may not go all the way into position due to the tubing holding it up a bit. That's fine. What the tubing does is hold the bearings in until they reach their proper position in the base.
Push on the core as far as it will go...the bearings are now held in by the base wall, and the plunger should be in position. Tip the entire thing to the side or upside down and allow the copper ring to fall down on your finger.
Slowly release the pressure on the core, making sure it doesn't tip to one side or the other. The ball bearings will engage and everything *should* hold. Set the base down, screw the top on, and it's all done.
