disclaimer: this is not really a fair review, the valve was not used quite as it was intended, but i was impressed enough by it's performance that a review is warranted...
A couple months ago i asked Matt if he produced a replacement for the standard old-style sheridan valve, and was surprised to learn he makes a solder-in valve to replace cartridge valves...so i picked one up to try it out in a little 'experiment'...here's what came in the mail:
Once it arrived i was surprised again, the only original parts are the valve and the retaining nut, the face seal holder and the tube are milled into one piece, with an insta-pierce built into the front. Also included was a 1/4-28 grub screw to seal the transfer hole if drilled post-install.
It was originally intended to replace a cartridge valve, for this build i used it to replace the core in a blue streak valve tube. Add a few sticks of brass from tymcneer and bolts from noxx55, and i was ready to build...
Though i don't recommend the re-use of a blue streak valve tube due to the difficulty of removing the old core (quite a chore) it leaves the valve tube pre-milled to receive the new one...it simply slid in on a bed of flux (with a 'nudge' using a wood dowel...)and soldered in the same place as the old core. After installing the barrel, the air transfer hole is drilled completely through the valve tube and core into the barrel-the hole in the bottom to be sealed by tapping to 1/4-28 and installing the grub screw after the valve is installed. But this is another part of the story that makes this review unfair, since not one transfer hole was drilled, but two...did i neglect to mention this was for a nasty?
here's a blurry view from below showing the grub screws:
and a view from above showing the transfer holes in the barrel through the breach (look closely):
Unfortunately, due to difficulty getting to the co2 knob, i was forced to remove the insta-pierce ability by simply drilling it out with a 1/8" bit, simply and quickly converting it to sheridan standard (again, unfair review). After final assembly, i 'airtested' the beast at home and was quite impressed. I had assumed i would need a substantially longer mainspring to compensate for the second barrel, but the airflow through the valve is sufficient enough that i had to trim the spring back to barely longer than stock (i must say, nasty firing hot has quite a kick!)! Once the speed was brought down, it had no trouble emptying the paired 13 round magazines on a 12vie without noticeable drop...finished pics:
In closing, i must say i highly recommend the valve in any sheridan based venture, and definitely plan to use them in the future
-ian