Really hadn't planned on blogging this little project, but it turned out to be pretty slick.
Found and purchased a 3D printed picatinny rail on eBay from a seller called "ezapper". It was made to fit most of the Crosman 22XX type guns. Slides over the barrel and gas tube and allows for attaching things like sights, lasers, lights, hand stops, forward grips, a bipod...whatever. It was printed with a PLA + resin which promises to be substantially stronger than the "normal" PLA print material.
The part is made for a Crosman 2240 with the stock plastic breech or a Crosman 2250/2260 with plastic or steel breech. It WILL NOT FIT a 2240 with a steel breech without modification--the steel breech extends too far forward for this to fit--unless you shorten the shroud.
Apologies. As I wasn't going to blog this, I failed to take the "BEFORE" images of the part as I received it. It was kinda shiny and had very fine print lines Wasn't quite a match to the plastic Crosman breech or grips--close, but not quite. The print quality was very good.
Remembering my goal, "Make Things That Don't Look Like I Was Involved", I threw the 3D part along with a set of stock Crosman black plastic grips into the media blasting cabinet at work. This worked perfectly for all the nooks and crannies of the picatinny slots.
Sorry, it's bit blurry. Here's the 3D printed picatinny rail shroud after glass bead:
Installed four #8-32 set screws into the shroud. Holes were already molded in. Didn't bother to tap first, just ran the set screws home.
The media blasting blended and matted out the finish and removed--or at least softened--the print lines.
The Crosman grips turned a dead flat and uniform gray color. Then sprayed everything with a healthy coating of WD-40 oil and wiped off the excess. Back to black.
Blasted and oiled on the left. Blasted, no oil yet on the right. The oiled finish is a close match to a Magpul magazine. If I don't oil the parts after blasting, the dry matte finish will show every single bit of oil from my fingertips. I've oiled the finish so it doesn't show oil from handling.
For fun, I installed this on a Crosman 2250 length tube and Crosman long steel breech along with a black Magpul RVG.
While I was at it, made another AR stock adapter that accepts my modified AR buffer tubes.
Since this is version 3 or 4 of the adapter, I added a rear facing QD socket...
...for a single-point sling.
So, yeah. Options.
Option #1 Go short with a single point.
Option #2 Go longerish with a Magpul (or any Mil-Spec AR) stock.
Ended up bead blasting and oiling most of my other Crosman black plastic grips/forearms over the next few days. Think it's a good look.
I've kinda got a themed group of Crosman airguns now:
Trois --this one
1377--What? here:
Like all my projects--a work in progress.
More soon.
2 comments:
Looking forward to that 1377, intrigued by the hint of the Picatinny rail along the pump arm. I'd NO idea anyone was printing that kind of a Picatinny shroud for the 22XX series of pistols. It makes me curious as to whether they could be adapted to the Benjamin Discovery. It seems like one could do a pseudo "scout rifle" setup with something like that.
I admire people who can fabricate parts and create new gadgets. My major accomplishment is to have assembled a AR15 with a 10.5 in barrel. Strictly a follow the assembly instructions. Thanks for letting me "participate" in your project.
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