first upgrade?

[KoryB]

what is the first upgrade i should get on my STS

[davidb]

1. Nitro tank (fiber wrapped, not steel) - I recommend a Pure Energy
2. Regulator - get a Vigi from Skanline.com for like $50
3. maybe a drop forward if you want one

Don't bother with a new barrel, STS G2 stock barrel is pretty dang good. Get nitro because it's the single best upgrade you can get, and because it will go on your next gun as well (as will the other stuff). Don't get an expansion chamber, they aren't that big a deal and they'll be useless as soon as you get nitro. Don't get the Vigi until you get nitro. The main reason I tell you to get these three things is because they aren't specific to any gun, they'll go on practically anything. We all know that eventually you'll want something bigger and better, so you might as well get stuff that will go on that. If you can't afford all this stuff, then just don't get any upgrades until you can afford a nitro tank, then just buy that.

[dhoodhunter]

nitro

[lemonhead]

GET THE RAM AIR

[Saiyan_warrior]

PiranhaPro's upgrade sheet for the PMI Piranha

In order of position to get:
First, make your gun comfy (dye grips, hogues, ect)
Then do the free mod's (drill vert adapter, polish internals, and a trigger job is usually pretty cheap, these are explained later on in the post)
1. Barrel - CP, Lapco, SP, DYE, all great choices (I prefer a Lapco bigshot for medium paint, autospirit for small bore)
2. 12 volt Revolution - Feeding/chopping problems? No more!
3. Get a trigger job, see my post ( http://www.completepaintball.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=ff476abf841e70841b7f08bcfa32e841&postid=20336#post20336 ) also, i think polecat can do trigger jobs to piranha frames, they are VERY nice, for just 20 bucks. My trigger job post isnt working yet, check back later for it, go to the link though, i have how-too for other home mods.
4. Polish your internals (explained later)
5. Drill out the vertical adapter, and remove brass filters in the VA, this will improve flow, and help with LP (explained later)
6. Get a turbo (tornado if you can afford it) valve, any will do, make sure it has an aftermarket valve pin though. Also helps in LP
7. Get high flowing hoses, steel braided hoses are GREAT, stay away from microline, bad flow, fittings dont always work, and the can blow easily. I personally dont like macrolines, if you want a good, color coded line that wont burst, check out "Colorlines" they are SS hoses with colored shrink wrap over them. They are also cheaper than the regular steel color hose is! (http://www.geocities.com/acrewofone/colorlines.html) These are made by our very own PBD member, Acrewofone! (I am in no way affiliated with him) Always use teflon tape on screw in fittings!
8. Get a regulator - If you use CO2, get the Palmer Stabilizer, or a WGP reg, but the palmer is the best for co2 (even though for the price of the palmer you could get a nice nitro tank). If you use N2, choose whichever regulator you want, the Vigilante is a really nice one for cheap but performs excellent. (56 bucks at countypaint)ball.com The new Mac Dev regs are supposed to be really nice, and they're great on co2! Just make sure you get the co2 tolerant orings, and Mac Dev claims them to be the highest flowing reg out there.
9. Get HPA, I really like the NitroDuck screw in systems, and the AGD Flatline for a better, adjustable system.(Flatlines are sold out EVERYWHERE though, look into a used one)
10. If you dont have a vert feed body and want one, stalker sells them for 70 bucks. http://www.stalkerpb.com/catitem1.cfm?itemid=323
11. Finish a LP setup(by now you should have a good LP barrel(lapco) a nitro tank, valve, and reg) Now be sure to polish ALL metal to metal contacts (bolt, striker, trigger to trigger frame, ect) Buy a Shocktech delrin bolt, and modify it (drill the center to make it one big hole, now you have good high flow internals, buy a spring kit (i like madman) and use the lightest valve spring, and usally the stiffest mainspring. Now crank down your reg untill your shooting about 280fps consistantly. (depending on the gun, you will be at about 300-500psi) You reg should have a port to put a gauge, and you will see your PSI on the gauge. If your reg doesnt have a port(such as a pure energy) you can drill and tap your VA for a gauge, this is explained later in the post)
12. Elcd, the new Boo-Yaah frames are awesome, Centerflags Hyperframe is a good choice too, but its more expensive, and doesnt have as many fireing modes. Dalum can get you a Elcd Piranha frame for 225 shipped i belive (contact him for more info) Theres a new electro system out now, very similar to the ACI Sonic conversion, very ugly, very big, but i do not have any info on it yet)

You can get practically any barrel at a low cost at http://www.paintballbarrels.com

12 volt Revolutions are sold at http://www.predator-paintball.com for like $47.99 in black

You can get a nice trigger job from Polecat. The site is http://www.polecatpaintball.com im not positive they can do Piranhas, emial him for more info

To remove the venturi from the shocktech bolt, drill a SMALL pilot hole right in the middle of the 3 "venturi" holes. Now use a bigger bit(not sure what size) and drill out the plastic in the center, you will have one big hole now, i like to put some 400 grit sandpaper on a dowel and insert that into the bolt, sand very lightly to make the inside smooth.
The Shocktech Delrin Bolt is $39.99, or something like that at http://www.pbgear.com

The next step is NOT for you high end G3 owners (anyone with a gauge on their VA)
Drilling the vertical adapter really helps to improve flow. To drill the vertical adapter remove expansion chambers, regulators, the low pressure chamber,and screws of any sort from it. I like to do this job in steps, first use a bit thats just a bit bigger than the stock hole. Drill the hole from the opposite side of where the LPC( or ram air, depending on gun) screws in. That way you don't have to mess around with threads and perhaps even mess up the threads of the LPC. After enlargening that hole, take the next larger bit and drill it again. Drill the hole with 3 bits, one just larger than the other (finish with a 3/16ths bit). On the bottom where the expansion chamber, gas-through forgrip, or regulator is, you will see 2 good size holes with a bunch of brass jammed in there, these brass 'filters' are very restrictive, take a drill bit thats just a little bit smaller than the hole, and drill away, the filter should fall right out, be sure to clean ALL brass shavings, they can go into your gun, damage your cupseal, valve, striker, bolt, body, barrel, it can break paint, its VERY important you clean it out good.

To Drill and tap your vertical adapter for a gauge, you need a drill and tap set for a 1/8 NPT port. (use a 11/32 drill bit) Now, drill just below the little 'millings' on the vert adapter, right in the center of the VA. Drill slowly, and be sure to keep the drill bit straight! Now use your tap, and slowly tap the hole(the kit will have more instructions on how to do this) now buy yourself a wonderful gauge(doesnt really matter which one, i like DYE micogauges) teflon tape that baby up, and screw it in, your done!


Turbo valves can be bought by your local store, probably. If not, http://www.g3pb.com has some.

I'm sure your local store has different hoses, if not, go scream down their necks telling them to save their money and quit the business. They will fit hoses for free(usually, as long as you buy the hose) Quick disconnects are a very nice add on, I personally hate macroline, SS colorlines and a quick disconnect are the way to go.

To polish your internals, use 400+ grit sand paper and sand your bolt and striker, and up to 600 grit DO NOT use coarse sand paper. You want fine grit sand paper so you don't take off too much material. Just sand the two parts until they're shiny, no more, no less. After its all smooth, use some mothers mag polish and buff it all out by hand(and old t-shirt works good)

A good cheap nitro tank is a PMS Nitroduck, you can get a steel 68/3000 for 140 bucks most places. If your looking for the best 'bang for the buck' the Flatline tank by air gun designs cant be beat, great flow, great reg, great price. Its usually foound for 230-250 at online stores, but EVERYWHERE is sold out as of now, so you gotta wait.

http://www.predator-paintball.com has a good number of regulators, at GREAT prices. They don't have the Palmer Stabilizer though... The Stabilizer can be bought at http://www.g3pb.com

After doing all this, you cant really do much more other than PAINTING(woo hoo!) you can have it powdercoated by SiN, anno'd by whitewolf(He sends it to PK Selective, known for GREAT anno jobs, but whitewolf gets good package deals) or hardocated by Dalum for cheap (PM him, a typical job is about 30 bucks!!)
Here is a pic of piranha_playa's gun, harcoated by dalum:
And here is jericho's Bob Long Milly done by dalum:

http://www.pbreview.com is great for reviews on any product you could ever think of.

Note- This list was first made by Hsuve, after PiranhaPro changed about 3/4ths of it to fit the Piranha, this is the final product, but hes to damn stubborn to take credit for some of it :)

[Xander]

you said for him to get a ram air I have one on my sts g2 and it leacks alot how do I stop that and what does it do (why not just the solid block that the vtl comes with?)

[magicsly1]

Nitro