A few of you may have seen my earlier posts on my ever continuing bull pup ion project, but i think i am almost finished.
I started a few years ago with a Smart Parts ION, flipped it upside down, and drilled and tapped a spot for the QEV on the same side as the feed neck. This made it so the air hoses were on the bottom and i wouldn't have to wrap the hoses around the body to the trigger.
Early on i decided i didn't want to deal with batteries, eyes or sensitive electronics, so i used a Clippard 3-way valve to make the marker mechanical:
I had also decided that i wanted a bull pup, and i wanted to use magazines or a q-loader, so last year i built a magazine well and rear assembly out of steel:
The mag-well doesn't use a clip or pin to hold the magazine, it uses a small sheet of metal to apply pressure to the side of the mag to hold it in, so there isn't a button or lever to pull to release the mag, i just have to pull down on the mag and it slides out. It also holds the mag well enough that i have never had one fall out, even when trying. you can see the mag clamp on the left inside of the mag well:
At the time i built an adjustable buttstock out of steel as well, but that made it too heavy. So i removed the buttstock and looked for other ideas for an adjustable length buttstock. I found it in a X7 adjustable mp5 style stock from RAP4, so i welded on an attachment for that, and attached the stock. Upside down.
I used rails from a Ruger 10/22 kit, cut them up and screwed them to the front of the PVC body i used to protect the barrel and body and attached a folding fore grip to the bottom rail. I used a CP shorty reg that mounts to the right side, and just for limited ammo games, or when I don't want to have to deal with a remote, attached a 12 gram to the RAP4 stock:
Fully assembled with a q-pod loaded:
With a RAP4 18 round mag:
Me holding it with the q-pod setup:
Fully dissembled:
I need to find my video camera and take a few videos, but it's my pride and joy right now. It's not light, but not that heavy, and feels very solid and very easy to handle, even in tight spaces with the 16 inch barrel in the pics.
What do you think? Am I crazy?
Oh, just for fun, a price break down:
ION body and internals:..$60
QEV: ............................$15
Clippard 3-way: ..............$15
Clippard T: .....................$10
A-5 Trigger frame: ...........$15
Folding Foregrip: ..............$15
Aluminum U tube: .............$18
PVC: ................................$5
RAP4 Sliding stock: ............$20
16" Rifled barrel: ...............$25
UTG Ruger Rail: .................$25
Rap4 Magazines (2):............$40
Q-Pod setup: .....................$40
CP Shorty reg:.....................$20
Steel: ...............................Free (found it all in the shops recycle bin)
Labor:............................... No idea. A lot.
So 323 in parts. If i were to build another, probably $450, which really isn't that bad considering the prices of other milsim mag fed markers out there, especially since a Scenario dreams ION in a P90 shell went for more than that, and this is more than a shell.