The term firing assembly refers to the main internal components used to fire the marker. The Nerve uses what is called a stacked-tube design that involves a hammer and valve combination, with a bolt located above it.
The components of a Nerve firing assembly include the bolt itself, ram/hammer/piston, and the valve assembly.
· Bolt - Long tube of delrin with a pin sticking out the bottom of the rear section. The bolt hooks into the hammer when assembled.
· Piston - Cylindrical piston housing with o-rings around the outside. This component houses the ram and seals with the valve at the front.
· Hammer - Heavy piece of steel that is used to add force to the firing stroke. The hammer also actuates the bolt.
· Ram - Thin shaft that links the hammer to the piston.
· Valve poppet - Also known as a cupseal; long stem component that seals air from being released. The valve poppet is moved forward by the ram to fire the marker.
Picturd above are the components that compromise a Nerve firing assembly laying in theor approximate positions within the marker. The LPR section is also shown however it has a page of its own (see the Related Links section)
This page is designed to explain the different parts used in the marker. Information relating to how the marker operates, design concepts, and other technical specs can be found on the Design & Theory page (refer to the Related Links section at the bottom of the page).
Firing Assembly Production Changes:
· Hammer: a delrin glide ring (reminiscent of the old Shocker Sport firing pistons) was added around s/n 600. This prevents body damage from the hammer grinding against the lower bore during regular use.
· Bolt: added was a small depression to the tip of the bolt around November 2004. This helps to guard against breaking paint on the SFT o-ring. Later on the bolts were changed to a red color.
· Valve: an updated valve poppet was released in May/June 2005 to decrease the operating pressure and increase lift on the valve. This is accomplished by adding a small area of stock to the valve to space out the ram during actuation. This is a free factory upgrade.
Ram Bumpers:
Like other hammer/valve markers, the Nerve ram requires two bumpers to operate correctly. These are used to prevent the metal-to-metal slamming of the ram against the piston housing when the marker fires. Without the bumpers installed the marker may even leak (a design quirk).
Bolt Carriage:
The bolt is inserted into position and removed using an assembly called the bolt carriage. The bolt is removed by turning the knob at the rear of the marker one-eigth clockwise, at which point the bolt pin is rotated out of the hammer and the entire assembly can be removed out the back. The bolt carriage holds the bolt in position by a spring-loaded pin inside, which presses against the bolt. There are numerous other small parts used here but I won't go into detatil (check the Nerve manual for a complete list).
Aftermarket Firing Assembly Components:
· New Designz Nerve Slikshot ram: This is an upgraded ram made by NDZ that has shown a slight increase in velocity. This part doesn't work with the newer valve poppets (now a stock part).
· New Designz Nerve Pro-Equalizer bolt: A new delrin bolt from NDZ with an angled air transfer port. This part has been shown to increase velocity by an average of 5-15 fps (depending on the marker).
· New Designz backplate: These are ported and offer a new cosmetic look, available in several styles and colors.
Firing Assembly Maintenance:
Cleaning and relubrication to the firing components is required, however it is not required veyr frequently. Refer to the Maintenance page in the Related Links section below.
Overview:
· The Nerve's firing assembly consists of the hammer, ram, bolt, piston, and valve.
· Nerves require a specific combination of dwell, input pressure, and LPR pressure to fire properly.
Related Links:
· LPR assembly
· Design & Theory
· Firing assembly maintenance