OK Step one in the investigative process was completed today. I drilled and tapped a 10-32 hole which lined up with one of the spare valve ports which faces 90 to the right of the main one.
I hooked up the turbo loader I got at the Michigan Monster Game this summer. The 1st test without paint showed the loader indexing well and displaying a good amount of snap. The marker was running at 520PSI so that is what the hopper was getting.
After loading up some 6 month old paint that had passed the bounce test, I fired around 100 rounds without a broken ball. However, after close inspection I realized the Hopper had been mashing balls and the hopper and gun were full of paint. Only the superior indexing of the VM was keeping it shooting the balls that were making it down the feed.
I believe I have 2 options.
1.) I use one of my many Indian Creek Maxi Loaders and put in an air nub in one of the following places to agitate the paint without a mechanical lever.
2.) I tap another hole in the hammer travel area just behind the section that the hammer O-ring seals in. Hopefully this air would be at a lower pressure than at the valve.
I am interested in what you folks think (although I'll probably try both just to be able to report back my findings
).
-Calvin