Ertl Pump Action Shotgun Mod!

Hi guys,

It has been a while since I posted a mod, so I wanted to bring you guys another good one! Of course, it's another blaster that isn't made by Nerf. This time I decided to tackle the blaster that, according to ForsakenAngel24, "dethrones the Crossbow." This piqued my interest and I decided to seek one out and overhaul it. After a long search, I finally got one off a flaky piece of shit on Nerfhaven named ChaosPropel. Don't do business with him. Anyways, it's here now and it's time to turn it into something up to T da B's standards. Let's ride!


Required materials:

• 21/32'' brass tubing
• 5/16'' brass tubing
• Thin brass strip (width of the priming bar)
• Small fender washer
• Small washer
• Torsion spring
• 3/8'' extension spring (I got send the wrong spring)
• K26 spring
• Natural gum foam (plunger padding)
• Stub of PVC
• PVC coupler
• Shitload of hot glue

Procedure:
Pour yourself a drink and open dat bitch up. Observe what could be the simplest springer ever made. Also observe what could be the most poorly reinforced springer ever made.

Let's start with the priming bar. It looks like this:

You'll need to cut and bend a piece of brass to fit the L-shaped part of the priming bar. This spot is a massive stress point, and happens to have some of the least reinforcement. Good thinking, Ertl. Sand it a little with some rough sandpaper to prepare the surface for bonding.

Use JB Weld to adhere the brass strip to the bend like so:

Now let's move on to the plunger cap. It looks like this:

Take your piece of 21/32'' brass can cut off a stub that fits from the top to the bottom of the plunger cap. JB Weld it in after sanding all contact areas.

Cut a couple of grooves into the top of the plunger cap and glue on a dart stop. Use 2-part plastic welder to attach a PVC coupler to the top of the plunger cap. I ended up forgetting the dart stop and I had to use my drill press to get a hole lined up on both sides. I used JB Weld to seal the holes.

Fill in the dead space in the bottom of the plunger cap with hot glue.

Cut out a ring of natural gum foam and glue it to the bottom of the plunger cap to help cushion the plunger impact. Then glue the plunger cap to the plunger tube.

Now let's move on to the trigger. Here's what it looks like:

Sand down the top left corner of the square-shaped region to accommodate the chunky new torsion spring.

It's time to bend another strip of brass to reinforce the catch nub. JB Weld that sucker on after sanding both surfaces.

Update (2/21/2013): Turns out that the brass strip will just fall off over time, unless you get a REALLY good bond going. Also, the nub that the torsion spring rests on is just waiting to break, along with the nub that holds back the entire plunger rod. I decided to buy a polycarbonate trigger from Venom213 of Nerfhaven. Here is the link. Should be arriving soon!

And now the bitch--the plunger rod. Bust out the 5/16'' brass and cut a piece that spans the length of the plunger rod. Cut the brass length-wise on both side and carve out a slit one one end of each piece for the plunger head supports. JB Weld it into place.

Cut and glue another brass strip for the plunger rod catch nub.

Now for the tough part. Cut yourself a 5.25'' section of K26 spring and thread it onto the plunger rod. Fill the gaps near the plunger head and at the back of the plunger rod with hot glue for support.

I used 2-part plastic welder to adhere a piece of natural gum foam to the plunger head for impact deadening.

Reinforce the grips and spring stop with hot glue.

*Update* (3/17/2013): Hot glue should NOT be applied to the sides of the screw port at the front of both halves of the grip. It interferes with the priming, as there is a nub poking off the bottom of the blaster that needs maximum clearance for a smooth prime.

Reinforce the lip in front of the plunger on both halves of the shell, as it will be taking a lot of stress with each shot.

Reinforce the trigger post and torsion spring rest with hot glue.

Add a stub of PVC to act as a torsion spring rest and screw down the trigger with the washer and fender washer. Sand the top of the PVC so the shell can be closed and sand down the fender washer so it doesn't block the screw port next to it. I decided to cut off the trigger guard so I can get two fingers under the trigger rather than one. It was way too uncomfortable with the trigger guard in place. Here's what the trigger assembly looks like:

Finally, lube up the plunger tube and all moving part and put it all back together. Voila! You now have a fully overhauled Pump Action Shotgun. These blasters are notorious for breaking the screw port right above the barrel. I had to drill a new hole and use a nut and bolt to keep it together--no biggie. Looks pretty stock, right? Heh heh......

Conclusion:
Well, Forsaken Angel didn't lie--this thing is an absolute monster! With proper dart fit, this thing is shooting lasers. I'm going through one side of a Nerf box from 40 feet away with #6 slugs. Priming it takes some muscle, but it isn't impossible. For the amount of power in this blaster, the plunger padding muffles almost all of the noise when firing. I hope you enjoyed another one of my write-ups!

*Update* (3/25/2013): I have just installed a polycarbonate trigger and completed my first paint job! I used three coats of Dupli-color gloss black vinyl dye followed by two clear coats of Rustoleum gloss clear acrylic lacquer. Check it out!

In addition, I improved the air seal with some Teflon tape under my O-rings and cleared out all the bits of rust that the K26 had created. I now Brasso all of my springs before installing them, since my previous seal was ruined by tiny pieces of rust. Check out the difference:

Cheers,
~T da B