A Different Muzzle Brake for the CP1-M / Sprucing Up the CP1-M Part 1

I found this shiny muzzle brake in a box of stuff for sale at the Toys that Shoot airgun show last year.   I had no real plan for it at the time, but it was only $10.

I did like the undercut on the bottom, and I thought the machining was pretty clean for the price.  

Surely, I had something that this 14mm diameter would fit.   See the justifying?  Brought it home and put it in a larger box of stuff with other shiny things where it sat waiting.

Some of my airgun projects never seem to be finished.  My old CP1-M pistol from the now defunct M-Rod Air is a good example.  It's worn iron sights, red dots, modified grips, triggers, barrel shrouds.  A different configuration every few months.  Changing needs and perspectives, changing interests, too many options--all in search of shooting perfection.  At least that's the hope we have whenever we try a new airgun accessory.   Maybe I'm just attracted to shiny things like a magpie.

Anyway, I was never really happy after sleeving the barrel in carbon fiber.  It was supposed to just be a stopgap until something more appropriate came along.  Something more air pistoley. 

The other night, my brain made the connection:   

      Muzzle brake 

   +           CP1-M   

   =        Amazing 

All the brake needed was just a simple shim. There was a cut-off scrap of black acetal already on the workbench.

Quick and easy.  Went to the lathe and faced the end.  

Took the diameter down to 0.550"--just barely smaller than the bore in the muzzle brake.

I really like to machine acetal.  Easy to cut and no razor sharp chips all over the floor.

Test fit.  

 

Really snug.  It's actually a light press fit.

Cut it off and chamfered what will be the front end of the shim.

I want to drill for the barrel with it installed in the body of the brake.

Pressed the acetal plug in, snugged the set screw then progressively through drilled for the muzzle diameter.

The muzzle of the CP1-M barrel is stepped down.  A 25/64" drill bit is a good fit.

The insert is about 7/8" into the bore.

Some better pics of the brake.

A couple pics of the stepped barrel on the CP1-M.  

Used an o-ring to close the gap at the rear of the brake.

Pushed up snug.  A quick visual bandaid to hide an unsightly gap.  

Done?

The sleeve presses into the brake, the brake then presses over the barrel.  The set screw keeps it all from moving.  This press fit works on a no-recoil CO2 pistol.  After looking at this, I'm thinking about stripping the trigger guard back to bead blasted raw aluminum.    

Whoops! Almost forgot.  Always want to make sure there's no pellet contact with a newly installed muzzle brake.

Some electrical tape

Over the muzzle.  

And a test shot.    Looks OK!

More in a couple days.  

2023 Flag City Toys that Shoot Airgun Show Follow-Up

I've tried to sit down and write this several times now but the words aren't coming.  The Flag City Show organizer, Dan Lerma, passed away a few weeks before the show on March 28, 2023.

More info here

Dan, the show went on as you had hoped.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the aisles were packed with all the friends that you made over the 17 years putting on the Toys that Shoot Show.  Thank you so much for bringing us all together and for having the vision, courage and dedication to make something like this happen so many times.   Rest in peace.

2023 Flag City Findlay Ohio Toys that Shoot Airgun Show is Coming!

 Toys That Shoot Findlay, Ohio

The airgun show of the year millennium is coming!

Saturday, April 29 2023

Airguns, BB guns, cap guns, sling shots, dart guns, rubber band guns, pop guns, cork guns... If it shoots (and it isn't a firearm) it's here.  You should be, too!

Please note the NEW location:  

Hancock County Fairgrounds

Youth Pavilion

1017 E. Sandusky Street, Findlay, OH  45840

Show Info:      567-215-2030

                          419-435-7909

More Info here

or

https://www.flagcitytoysthatshoot.com/

Vacation Airguns and an Update

I'm off the back for blog posts.  Time to check in, proof of life or something like that.  Here's what's been going on.   I've occasionally mentioned my carpal tunnel and my difficulties handling those small .177 pellets.  The hand numbness and loss of both dexterity and hand strength finally got bad enough that some outpatient surgery was necessary.  Hopefully those .177 match guns will get used more often now.

Aside from that,  Kath and I found ourselves in West Virginia for a week of hiking and generally just hanging out at a cabin near the Lost River.

 

The usual airguns made the trip--Kathy's modified Crosman 2260 with the adjustable AR15 stock and the Crosman "Frankenstein" build.

After arriving, I realized that the Frankenstein gun was not set up for the 88g CO2 AirSource tanks that I had packed.  

Remembered that there were valve adapter pins under the grip.

This took all of a minute or two.  The modularity is certainly handy.   The large 88 gram cartridge gave over 200 shots before empty.  The shot count seemed to match up with what we expected going from the smaller 12 gram cartridges.  Nice to not have to re-gas after three 10-shot magazines like before the tank conversion.

The .20 caliber Beeman Laser also came along.

Haven't shot the .20 JSB Exacts, so it was a good opportunity.

Also haven't spent much time with the side-focus UTG SWAT 3-12 scope.  This rifle was originally wearing a Leupold 3x9 EFR.  Can't imagine putting it back on.  I'm finding the extra magnification helpful on those longer shots.  The side wheel is easier for me to use, too.

Happy New Year.

More soon.  

A.B.T. Ammo Update

This post is from 2011 - Unfortunately Stuart's website is not available anymore and I have no contact info for for him.

Stuart Shippee emailed me to say that he has around a thousand original, loaded ammo tubes for the A.B.T. rifle for sale. He was kind enough to send me a few tubes to check out. The price is quite reasonable and so far as I know he’s the only source for the tubes right now.

Heavier duty than my crude home made tubes. They are marked AIR-O-MATIC A.B.T. MFG. CORP. CHICAGO, ILL. U.S.A. with illegible patent numbers.

The tubes I received (for free, no complaints here!) were his “seconds” from the bottom of his box and the balls had some rust. When I tried to force (again, if I have learned anything, and in this case I haven’t, never force anything when it comes to airguns) the feed the tube got carried into the action and shredded.

After cleaning out the mess I ended up manually pushing all the balls out of the other tubes with a pin punch (I had to gently tap with a hammer at first, holding the tube loosely in my hand, to get them started) and reloading the tubes with clean 3/16” ball bearings. I would probably do this even with the good quality ones he’s selling just to make sure, as well as to exercise the 50 year old cardboard. Would you shoot 50 year old cardboard shotgun shells? Again, I have no complaints as what I was after wasn’t 50 year old ball bearings, but 50 year old cardboard tubes.

With the tubes reloaded I had no problem loading, firing, reloading over and over. You just have to be careful with the ends of the tubes that they don’t get mushed, or bent when loading them. I’m happy to have authentic ammunition for my old carny rifle.