Custom

[russc]

New mod! Possibly the most invasive and skill-intensive!

Mod # 7: Russc's Bolt-Forward mod

So, I've had my RAM68 shotgun for about a week now. Within the first few minutes I was able to trace the gun's paint breakage/rollout/inconsistency problems to the breech area. The problem is that the breech looks like this:



This mod helps eliminate the problematic gap between bolt and barrel. Advantages include reduced breakage, increased consistency, better efficiency, and very importantly - the ability to use common rollout solvers such as in-barrel nail polish and with modification to the barrel, the ability to use Freak inserts!

This is an intensive and invasive modification, unlike the others I have performed on this gun. If you don't have the skills or tools (although I admit I am limited on both accounts) please don't attempt to replicate this. Durability remains to be seen, as I have very likely put cast aluminum linkage parts in positions that will cause them to wear out.




First thing's first: Disassembly to this point. Knock out the rear roll pin and the path to breakdown will immediately become apparent.






We can see that the internals are run of the mill nelson type. The diameter is about the same as the barrel bore - around .7". This is much skinnier than your usual Nelspot derivative internals.








The bolt slot in the reciever must be extended forward. To be honest, I winged all the measurements. I would guess that it's been lengthened about half an inch to 3/4 of an inch.








This will result in the bolt being seated forward. Things are already looking much better! Note that the bolt lock lever has been rendered useless.






The bolt still clears the feed system properly. I am using a Nelspot bolt handle to allow for ease of disassembly and bolt manipulation.






Upon reassembly, you will notice that the sear no longer engages when the bolt/hammer are locked and forward. This requires either a fabricated part, or in my case, a scavenged MacGuyver solution.







Remove the bolt lock lever from the top of the reciever. It's functionally useless now that the bolt goes so far forward, so let's make the most of what we've got. It has to be slightly notched so that the trigger linkage doesn't slip on it, and the hole must be made in the proper place so as to allow enough leverage. Line everything up and measure ten times before drilling and cutting! You only have one bolt lock lever!

I used cut pieces of macro line as spacers to keep the new sear centered. Make sure the trigger spring underneath the first linkage stays put - it will be the only thing returning the trigger now.







This is how the new linkage should look. Everything lines up to trip the hammer sear. Seen from the right hand side of the gun:



...and the left:








The only thing that remains is to help push the bolt forward completely when the gun is cocked. Modification will have to be done to the side plate.









This is how the side plate now looks.








The tube slot must also be elongated towards the muzzle by about half an inch.








And that's it! If you've done things correctly, you should have a more reliable RAP68. The ball and bolt will now lie in at a more standard distance from the barrel.

Old:



New:



The ball sitting in a position that will lie inside the barrel:








All done!


[edit]

Here is the simplified sear system I've made. This removes the anti-double feed and enables auto-trigger. I've put in a steel part, and I think I may do the same with the rest of the system.

Old (modified):


New:




Good luck, fellow RAM68 owners. Hopefully this will be the base for making these guns more reliable and fun to shoot!

[Phantom Power]

That thin brass power tube is a soon-to-fail part as well. You may want to see if a standard LAPCO tube (or any good quality stainless steel power tube) will fit in there.

[russc]

From what I've heard, the power tube is a proprietary part. I'm already trying to see if RAP supplies spare parts.

Anyways, my next step is to find someone to bore my barrel for freak inserts.

[Schmitti]

Nice Work Russ....

I'll tell you this though... it's unbelievable how unnecessarily complex they (Rap) makes their damn guns. There is so much there that could be dumped or engineered in a way to make the gun better and easier on the end user.

E

[russc]

Originally Posted by Phantom Power

That thin brass power tube is a soon-to-fail part as well. You may want to see if a standard LAPCO tube (or any good quality stainless steel power tube) will fit in there.

After looking at the schematics (I haven't torn down the valve yet) it seems that the powertube is not one piece. It has a steel base that attaches to the cupseal, and the brass part is merely there to guide the hammer and direct air.

Downside is they want $22 for a cupseal and to replace all three powertube components would set me back $76!!