Does your Piranha not re-cock? Look here for information!

nole16k · 10-23-2003, 12:06 PM

There have been a lot of threads recently on "Why will my Piranha not re-cock?" I have created this thread to give as much information I know about this problem, so hopefully this will help.

*I will not be held responsible for any modifications done to your marker that result in ruining/damaging/destroying it.

First of all, if your Piranha is not re-cocking or cycling correctly, there is definitely something wrong. It has been observed that PMI might have screwed up the springs on the 2K3 line of Piranhas or some other internal part(s) that are involved with the recocking process, since most people are having re-cocking problems with their 2K3 STS or EXT Pro (the springs play a major roll in the way a blow-back re-cocks). Another bad thing about the 2K3 EXT Pro is how horrible the regulator is. If you are having problems with your regulator, then call or e-mail PMI (www.buypmi.com) and they will fix you right up. They will most likely send you a regulator rebuild kit for your DSR regulator, or even replace it, as we all know how great PMI's customer service is. Now time for the issues...

There are many things that could cause a blow-back not to re-cock correctly:

First thing, check your CO2 or nitrogen tank to make sure it has a full fill. It does not have to be completely full, but there needs to be enough PSI where the output pressure of the tank is higher than output of inline regulator (which is the input for the gun) and is only the case for the EXT since the STS does not have a regulator (stock, that is). But, this doesn't mean you can have low CO2 or N2 for your STS. It still needs the desired PSI necessary to re-cock the gun. Blow-backs use pressure after the valve is opened to force the hammer back to catch the sear. If this PSI is too low, the gun may not re-cock. This also leads to turning up the pressure that comes from the inline reg (DSR). If you have a regulator on your Piranha, try turning up the pressure in small increments to see if it helps to re-cock the marker.

Next, check the sear, hammer, hammer o-rings, and then all the o-rings in your Piranha. If there is any gas escaping out of the marker at all, there might not be a sufficient amount available to re-cock the marker. The hammer o-ring is larger than a tank o-ring, so a tank o-ring should not be used. You can purchase a new hammer o-ring here, but PMI will most likely send them out for free if you tell them your problem. Also make sure all of the bolt and hammer o-rings are oiled, with about 2 drops of paintball gun oil (like PMI Perfect) on each o-ring. Next, if the tip of the hammer that catches the sear has mushroomed up or been bent, it will not catch the sear properly and the gun will not re-cock. Replace the hammer if that edge is deformed. A rounded, chipped or broken sear could cause the marker to not re-cock. A worn sear will cycle increasingly as the sear wears out more and more. A truly worn sear will cycle until the cocking rod is stopped or the tank is out of air. Inspect the sear by taking the grip frame off the receiver and looking at the back tip of the sear. If it needs to be replaced, knock the pin out of the grip frame from the left-hand side so it slides out the right. Last, make sure your valve is installed properly. If you have never taken it out of your gun, this will not be a problem. Just make sure the larger hole on the valve is facing towards the front of the receiver (where the barrel goes) when you install it.

Another thing that could cause your Piranha to not work correctly but does not really affect re-cocking is a low battery for your E-Force frame, so you just charge it according to the manual to fix this problem. The low battery could lead to the gun only firing every other shot or so. If you don't have enough battery "juice" to power the solenoid inside the frame, the sear may not release completely and correctly every trigger pull so the gun may not fire every pull. You could also install a lighter valve spring. This will increase the dwell time, which in turn should increase the pressure given to re-cock the gun. A lighter main spring is not guaranteed to work, since while you are decreasing the tension and force required to cock the gun, you are also decreasing dwell time. If you have a G3 Piranha, your filters in your ASA might be dirty. Remove the filter(s) and clean it/them.

I highly recommend that you use a regulator on your Piranha (look in the Piranha Upgrades Sticky to see which regulator you should purchase). It would be best to start with an output pressure of around 100-200 PSI, then increase the pressure until you get the desired velocity, but this needs to be done while the velocity adjuster is halfway screwed in. You can make more precise velocity adjustments from the velocity adjuster after you have adjusted your regulator. This keeps the dwell time where it needs to be. While running at a really high pressure may seem to be good, it can actually decrease the dwell time since the valve may shut prematurely after a certain PSI. Look here for more information about setting regulators.

A great article I found by SuPrBuGmAn can be viewed here. The first section gives information on how to solve burping problems with your blow-back. He listed many more things that I did not even begin to cover. Be sure to check it out.

Also, how could I forget to leave out the FAQ on PMI's message board? It has more information than anyone will ever need: Piranha FAQ

If none of this works, them simply call PMI and tell them your problem. They will be glad to help you out. Their tech support number is: 1-800-579-1633. Their Piranha support e-mail address is: piranha@pminetwork.com. Their message board can also be found here.

I hope this thread helped. If anyone has anything else to add, then please do so. I know I probably did not cover everything.

Tippythesqurel · 04-07-2005, 03:20 PM

another thing is that the cup seal is backward causing the hammber to bash its self to pieces

pballfreak40 · 05-20-2005, 05:37 AM

My gun was just doin this, change the spring, if its an older one and is weaker, or just change it anway, if its too weak theres sumthin messed with there not beinenuff pressure to recock or sumthin, i changer mine and now my gun is fune so... peace out

Levismith · 06-07-2005, 05:41 PM

The problem can aso be much more complicated that this. I was playing 2 days ago and my marker began to:double fire, not recock, and kind of stutter. By stutter i mean that it kind of shot twice but didnt recock after the first and no paint came out. First i took out my internals, and oiled everything up i soacked it, just to be sure. But when i took it apart i found that the back of my hammer was signiicantly chipped. one of my o-rings on my bolt was destroyed, and the hole that heldt the pin in place in my bolt was chipped out on the inside. I tried to keep playing, but i had to recock after every shot, so I just gave up. I called PMI, godd bless there support staff, and told the my problem. The tech guy asked me what spring i had in i told him i had my high spring in and that it was all the way up. He almost had a heart atack. I went on to explain that i had a 21 in. barrle, so i still only shot 290 fps. He told me that i was destroing my internals cuz i was useing so much spring tension. So ,i put my low sing in and it didnt recock so he said that ed send me a new hammer, a new bolt, and a better cup seal that should allow me to use my low spring. So, if you are having problems just call the lovely people of PMI.

Levismith · 06-12-2005, 07:22 PM

Well, most of what i said is true i got my package but i didnt get the new bolt. i put i all the new parts, and nothing change so i ordered a bos bolt and that solved the problem

dmw2692004 · 08-03-2005, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tippythesqurel
another thing is that the cup seal is backward causing the hammber to bash its self to pieces

HHAHAHAHA True

Brad_VG · 08-13-2005, 06:02 AM

i was missing an O-Ring where my c02 plugs in and as soon as I put the ring in there it stoped double firing.

!-Psychild-! · 01-18-2006, 06:44 PM

My old Fishy, 2k4 E-Force GTI does that everynow and then. Only thing we have to do is give it some time to warm up, since that Co2 kills it. If not just try Compressed Air, that instantly healed it

Glad to say my friend is still usin it, and it's still goin strong

mrscarface31592 · 02-26-2006, 03:10 PM

ok i need help..wat springs do i need..where do i put them..where can i buy them plzz help

mrscarface31592 · 02-26-2006, 06:48 PM

Sum 1 Help

bolack · 02-27-2006, 08:15 AM

Are you talking about a spring kit?

Brad_VG · 03-13-2006, 10:20 AM

ya, where could I order a spring and seal kit from? like the one that came with my GTI e-force?

Brad_VG · 04-02-2006, 01:14 PM

Ive tried everything suggested (except for modding my gun with a reg) and im still having problems....

eatmybob67 · 06-28-2006, 10:11 PM

i still havent been able to find out what wroung with my srt. it works great when i have it at a low vilosity but as soon as i turn it up and get it chroning at were it should be it doesnt want to re-cock all the time. it mostly hapens when im shooting fast. any surggestions?