Working C-3 Diagram

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Step 1: What happens with the back pump stroke.
When you pump the handle back, you do a few things. Of course you're pulling the bolt back to chamber a ball! That's obvious. But there are 2 other things. 
One being the ventilation of excess gas. The propane/air mixture that doesn't get used needs to be vented out.
The other being the brass piston in the front. It is a "switch" just as the autococker 4-way is a "switch." When the handle pushes in this tiny brass piston allows a tiny amount of propane to flow through a low-pressure hose. This hose is routed to *somewhere* in the back of the gun (see, that's why the above animation isn't 100%).

Step 2: Next what happens with the forward pump stroke.
From here you will, again get obvious out of the way, finish chambering a single paintball. Now on to more unobvious detail.
On the giant piston connected to the pump rod there are 2 U-rings. "Flappers." These are sucking in the air on the return pump motion, for the mixture of propane and air. Proper mixture, iirc, of 1:5 ratio.

Step 3: Finally, when you pull the trigger...
As soon as you pull the trigger, underneath the combustion chamber is essentially a spark plug. A tiny spark will ignite the propane. Upon ignition the pressure will build drastically (honestly a tiny explosion) and start to push back the REAR piston. Once back far enough the expanding gases will vent out, through the bolt, and propell the paintball out the barrel. This is why the spring tension regulates velocity, the stiffer the spring, the smaller the amount of gas that is allowed to exhaust. And of course not all the gas exhausts, which is why the step 1 process is required.

This also explains why the barrel needed to be a proprietary design, it HAD to be made of the composite material. 

I'll admit that I was one of the many who didn't quite understand the exact working function of the C3. After talking to a couple people and going over the schematics some more it began to take shape. I had originally envisioned the large dual-ringed piston to be shoved forward to act as a 'mini-compressor' of sorts. But as soon as I found out that the pump handle is basically connected to the piston it made a whole other picture for me.
                    Found a pbnation.com

Edited by OKC-3