So after months of looking throughout the vast space of the internets, and to countless PMs stating, “No, I will not part my Empire Nano Feed Neck,” I have given in to purchasing the Custom Products CP Mini/Axe No-Rise Clamping Feed Neck in gloss black to match the rest of my Invert Mini. As you know, recently, ANS Gear had posted a news up about these things going on sale for approximately $28.95, even though before the announcement, they were already at this price. I decided it was about time to stray from the norm and purchase what looked like a decent feed neck.
I ordered it on Friday, and due to the weekend and the cheapest possible shipping method available, it arrived today in a nice oversized package from ANS. At first, I couldn’t find it because all of the fliers and advertisements they pack into each package along with about 50 billion stickers, but at last, I finally found the plastic container containing a small, black metal object.
In advance, sorry for the somewhat crappy pictures, I took them with my phone.
It is what I somewhat expected, the feed neck is rather small. It was even smaller than what I thought I would be getting; yes, my fingers are rather large compared to the actual part. After holding it for a few seconds, I looked at the features that it had:
360 degree rotating collar
Revolving clamp (allowing for tool-less tightening)
Ridiculously small (guess that’s why they call it “no-rise”)
As a comparison, here is a picture of both the CP and the stock feed neck:
It is quite noticeable that the CP feed neck is a lot smaller than the stock. To give you a better view of it, here is a picture with a ruler:
As you can see, the CP feed neck comes out about less than an inch from the bottom of the threads to the top of the unit. The stock feed neck is about an inch and a quarter to about an inch and a half (didn’t really get a good measure of the stock). Yes, those are See's Candie's Little Pops in the background, I like candy, don't judge me! This is a dramatic drop in height between the top of the marker and the bottom of the hopper. Here are a few more pictures to give you a taste of how it looks on the marker:
To sum it up, the quality of this piece is tremendous. It is a lot stronger feeling in actuality than it is looking at the pictures. I know there was some concern about the large holes cut from the sides to reduce the weight of the piece, and that there would be room for paint to sneak its way inside the feed neck, but with a hopper on there (even though the bottom of the hopper neck is filleted) it sits flush to the lip inside the feed neck. I assume there is a possibility that paint could still get in, but there is a possibility to get it in the stock feed neck as well, so I can’t really dock it points for that. The only real problem I have with it is that with the hopper on, it is quite a pain to clamp/adjust tightness. I assume that this is just a break in issue and it will become much easier with use.
Anyways, I hope that I have inspired you that there are quality alternatives to the Empire Nano (stupid “not in production anymore/not available anywhere” feed neck, RAWR!).
/end rant
