I and many others in the paintball community that have TiPX markers always discuss Extended Magazines.
Why haven't these been made yet? After three generations of the TiPX's success I'd like to see my favourite pistol shoot more than 7-8 balls at a time.
I've made my own 12-round magazines because of this. But a professionally made, high-capacity TiPX magazine needs to be on the market!
Below is a list of problems I ran into while perfecting my design. Hopefully this helps anyone deciding to make their own, or for Tippmann themselves..
Known issues/'engineering pitfalls:
Springs not being hard/soft enough
Not a problem even with my homemade mags.
I've epoxied two TiPX mag springs together and cut a quarter off (total length is 1,1/2 springs). No issues whatsoever.
Locking mechanism
This issue is more complicated. Due to the spring system being stronger, the follower doesn't stay properly locked down at the bottom of the magazine. This could easily be solved by manufacturing the catch mechanism to be slightly longer. ( Making the Release Latch [part# TA20089] longer )
Magazine has to be sturdy enough not to get squished
This is the problem that took the longest to figure out. Basically the front of the magazine gets squished when put inside the pistol. This is due to the magazine catch underneath the pistol trigger pushing against the magazine itself.
In short, the magazine needs cross-support. This is easily achieved by filling in the gaps on either side of the magazine and shaving off the tabs on the Follower.
Tippmann, if you guys read this, PLEASE pass the idea on. The paintball community has been wanting these for a LONG TIME.
Sincerely,
-Roland (aka V.I.C.E. Foxtrot)
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