The term firing assembly generally refers to the bolt and other firing components used in the marker. The Shocker's main moving part is the bolt itself, which interacts with three other components to fire the marker (making four total). There are several aftermarket bolt kits available, discussed later.
The four parts of a Shocker stock bolt kit include the bolt itself, bolt guide, bolt sleeve, and fire chamber.
· Bolt - Thin, elongated piece with an o-ring at the rear, and some porting toward the front.
· Bolt sleeve - Large, flared component that slides around the rear of the bolt, and is what actuates the movement of the bolt back and forth.
· Fire chamber - Can-shaped piece which functions as a dump chamber to fire the paintball, through which the bolt slides. Please note that the HE fire chamber (stock on NXT models) can be seaprated into two components.
· Bolt guide - Thin shaft that is inserted into the back of the bolt, onto which it slides. The bolt guide delivers the release of air to fire the paintball at the front end, and is threaded to screw into the Shocker body at the rear end.
Pictured above is a disassembled HE bolt kit, with the fire chamber still attached to the bolt.
The fire chamber can be removed for a total disassembly fo the firing components (above).
Pictured above is the assembled bolt kit.
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).
Aftermarket Bolt Components & Assemblies:
The Shocker NXT comes with the HE bolt kit from Smart Parts, which is an upgraded version of the stock bolt that was used on the older Shocker SFT models. Due to the SFT coming with a "stock" bolt, several aftermarket bolts were also available for the marker. However, since the NXT comes stock with an upgraded bolt, there is often little to no use to "upgrade" it to anything, unless there is a specific reason (described per component).
With that said, some companies offer the option of buying other parts anyway. These parts might literally work the same, better, or worse than the stock HE bolt setup. There's no way to know ahead of time because all Shockers are different and one bolt kit will work differently on different guns. Please take this into consideration; just because a part is available doesn't always mean the marker will function better with it installed.
· SP HE bolt assembly - This kit includes the HE bolt, HE fire chamber, and HE bolt guide for a replacement (this is the same bolt guide that has come stock on Shockers since 2004). This is the stock assembly used on the NXT Shocker, or an upgraded kit for an older SFT Shocker. This works will all Shocker bodies without exception. Available in multiple colors; MSRP of $95. During installation, re-use your stock bolt sleeve with this kit.
· SP HE fire chamber [only] - This costs $43 and is the same as the stock component. Available in black, silver, blue, and red; works with the SP HE and NDZ v3 parts.
· SP HE bolt guide - This is the stock component on all Shockers as of 2004. Works with all bolts out there except not guaranteed to work with all Evolve versions. This bolt guide is required for use with the SP HE bolt and NoX NV bolt due to the depression between the front o-rings, however none of the other bolts require this depression (it adds air volume with some bolts, not with others).
· NDZ Stinger v3 assembly - This kit includes the NDZ v3 fire chamber and v3 bolt; during installation re-use your stock bolt sleeve and current bolt guide. There are three versions of this bolt available, however the only version that is compatible with all NXT Shockers is the "sealed" fire chamber version, also known as the NXT Shocker version. This uses a replica stock fire chamber and allows the operating pressure to be dropped by small amounts in some markers. These parts are mostly backwards-compatible with the HE bolt components.
Please note that if you own a Shocker NXT with a closed body (no milling around the fire chamber, example Naughty Dogs Shocker) then you have the option of using the Stinger v3 "standard" or the Stinger v3 "ULP" bolt assemblies if you wish. These kits are functionally the same except they use different fire chambers to expand internal air volume, resulting in lower operating pressure. The overall performance of the marker is geenrally the same. These fire chambers don't function in "milled" Shocker bodies (such as the NXT stock) due to the body milling allowing air to escape.
· NDZ Stinger v3 fire chamber [only], sealed version - This is the NDZ replicant of the HE fire chamber. It functions virtually the same except for some slightly modified features. Costs $34 by itself; available in multiple colors; works with the SP HE and NDZ v3 parts.
· NDZ Stinger v3 bolt [only] - NDZ version of the SP HE bolt, made to work with the NDZ fire chambers. This will work with the SP HE kit as well but there may be volume issues since the HE bolt guide adds air volume to the HE kit (NDZ bolt doesn't do this). Costs $40 by itself.
· New Designz adjustable bolt guide: This is a separate component that NDZ produces, which allows your Shocker to function better at low velocities (around 250-fps, for indoor fields in particular). This bolt guide allows you to adjust the firing stroke, which limits the amount of air used to fire the ball. This is a replacement guide which will work with the SFT stock, SP HE, NDZ v3, and the older Freeflow bolts too I suppose. This might work with your Evolve kit but it isn't guaranteed. Installation and adjustment instructions can be found here. Available from NDZ retailers.
· Hybrid bolt guide: This replacement guide offers no performance change however does allow you to remove the guide without tools. Grip the rear portion and unscrew with your hand. This is compatible with all bolts except the Evolve (not guaranteed to work with the Evolve). Available from Hybrid retailers, hybridworld.us and others.
· NoX NV Shocker bolt: Replacement HE-style bolt that will function with the SP HE and NDZ fire chambers. This bolt is made from ertalyte PETP which is a lightweight polymer, stronger than delrin, while remaining virtually the same weight. This bolt is designed to replace the HE bolt and will allow the marker better efficiency, decreased recoil, and reduced ball breakage. Please note that this polymer bolt will scratch more easily than the stock aluminum ones, so you must take very good care of it. Players residing in the dustier climates need to take special care.
For best results, use this with the SP HE fire chamber and SP HE bolt guide. This will also with with an NDZ v3 bolt however the added air volume of the HE bolt guide may force the marker to use unbalanced settings (usually involves slightly reduced efficiency than there would be with the SP HE parts).
Bolt costs $40 and is available from buynox.com.
Firing Assembly Maintenance:
The main portion of the regular maintenance schedule for the Shocker involves cleaning and lubricating the bolt and related parts. See the related links section at the bottom of the page for instructions.
Bolt Bumpers:
There are two bumpers that are used on the Shocker, to help stabalize the movement of the bolt back and foth.
· Bolt guide bumper: This is a urethane disk that is placed at the bottom of the bolt guide. It's a speciality component that cna only be bought from SP. Please note that the NDZ adjustable bolt guide uses its own bumper which is only compatible with the NDZ guide.
· Bolt bumper: The current bolts use a 15/90 o-ring as a bumper; this is installed directly in front of the bolt sail o-ring on toward the rear of the bolt.
Please note that the older bolts used a speciality square bumper on the bolt as well. This could only be obtained from SP. You could also replace it with a small o-ring, such as a 10/70 or 11/70.
Overview:
· The Shocker's firing assembly consists of the bolt guide, bolt, bolt sleeve, and fire chamber. The bolt is the main moving part of a Shocker; it also acts as the valve for the marker. The bolt sleeve is what moves the bolt. The fire chamber houses pressure to fire the paintball. The bolt guide stabilizes the movement of the bolt and times the release of air to fire.
· The bolt requires a proper dwell setting to fire correctly.
· Solenoid inserts are used to direct air from the solenoid to the firing assembly.
· Shocker SFt aftermarket bolts won't work with most Shocker NXT models due to the milling used on the body.
· The bolt and bolt guide use bumpers to dampen the movement of the bolt back and forth.
Related Links:
· Shocker HE Design & Theory
· Firing assembly maintenance section (o-ring diagrams can be found there)
· Solenoid inserts
· Solenoid