compensating for lower hammer assembly mass

[adrock]

takin' from FAQ
Hammer assembly mass: In addition to milling a slot into the hammer, turtle conversions do away with the cocking rod, which has the effect of lightening the hammer assembly significantly. The IVG may need to be turned in or the main spring raised in order to compensate, which can in turn require more cocking pressure. This can be compensated for in various ways.



i am in the process of mid-blocking my 04 superstock. i have already completed all the cutting, and have run it through a small test just to make sure it cycles and cocks correctly. well, sitting here looking at my hammer while body is at anno, i thought about this very same thing about the lowered hammer mass. theres quite a bit milled off the hammer, and i realized that main spring tension would need to be raised one way or another to get correct velocity. of course, that means more cocking pressure, defeating one reason i wanted to midblock it to begin with. just for reference, i based it off the new black magic/catapult design, so its very similar.

what are some of these ways to compensate for this? excluding the MQ valve. i was thinking the valve springs or something, but dont have much experience with changing springs and such. maybe if someone could suggest a good spring combo to start experimenting with, if thats the way to go. short list of parts:
nexus ram (no qevs anytime soon, but eventually)
tickler
stock valve with supposed orracle valve spring from Worr
one off delrin bolt with custom stainless pin, and one off delrin sled
03 gladiator reg

and you guys will be getting a fully detailed report and vid when it gets back from anno. i am moving end of the year, so if things get tied up, it might be a while. but i promise i will give all the details, as im very proud of myself for pulling this off.

thanks
adam

[drg]

Congrats, you're the first person to really delve into this topic, which I feel is very significant. It's the catch-22 of mechanical-valved halfblocks.

Basically there are a few ways to make up for it -- tuning the existing setup if the gun isn't already tuned, lightening the springing,  and adding weight to the hammer. You might be able to change the valve as well.

In my case, the gun was already using yellow springs (the lightest I can commonly find). I found an even lighter valve spring and cut it even further. Then, I added weight to the hammer by screwing a rod coupler (the kind you find on older stock cocking rods) onto the back of the hammer. All told this helps but doesn't fully make up for the loss in mass.

In the end this has been my one great disappointment with halfblocking. I still would not go back to a fullbody, but I am eagerly awaiting my mQ so that this becomes a moot point.

[adrock]

awesome, i was hoping you would be the one to respond

thats a good idea about adding the coupler to the back of the hammer, didnt even think of that. i might just cut down the old cocking rod, and use that to attach the coupler. now that im looking at them, its probably close to the same mass, considering the coupler is hollow.

so your thinking a light valve spring, medium weight main? or maybe medium on both?

also, i am going to be buying a maddman spring kit, as its pretty much the only one made with a good variety of springs. hopefully i'll be able to find a good combo with those. if you have any other suggestions, feel free to let me in.

thanks again
adam

[drg]

Well you want as light of a mainspring as you can get away with, since that's what determines cocking pressure to a large degree.

[yuu]

i would start by using the light valve spring and light hammer.  Despite the loss of mass in the hammer, you may be surprised at how you velocity comes out.  Also, if you do need to re-spring it's a lot easier to chagne ou thte hammer spring than you valve spring.

But, as been noted, the advent of the MQ really can make this disucssion moot.  

Good luck on you project - photos!

[adrock]

thanks guys. im looking at a nelson spring kit right now. if not, ill just get a Maddman kit. im also getting a valve tool so swapping the valve spring isnt a big deal.

and i cant realy do a MQ valve right now, i've already went way over my budget. maybe down the road though.

i will definitely post many pics, plus maybe a vid, once i get it back from anno. should be another 2-3 weeks though.

also, anyone one know what kinda weight an orralce valve spring is? medium, light?