From: henryc@panix.com (Henry Chan)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.paintball
Subject: Re: Coop-T Semi-Auto Conversion
Date: 17 Aug 92 21:49:10 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC

In article <1992Aug17.100501.3046@memstvx1.memst.edu> mdurbin@memstvx1.memst.edu writes:
>
>
>
>     I was looking through an old copy of APG a few weeks ago looking
>for a good price on a VM-68 Magnum (I'm left handed and want a left 
>handed gun) when I noticed an ad for a conversion kit for PMI based
>guns to semi-auto from the Cooper-T folks. It costs less than $150
>for most guns and around $200 for a left handed one. This is considerably
>less than the price for almost any version of a PMI III (and especially
>the one I need).

Unless I'm mistaken, the PMI-3 direct feed unit is removable and changing it
to a left hand feed is not a problem.
It'll cost $134.95 for the IMP kit and $40-$65 for the CA tank which in my
opinion is within affordability of a PMI-III at $250-275.



>   
>     When I called the number listed in the ad, the rep (who actually
>had heard of the MacMurray and Sons 'Annihilator' that I've been playing
>with since '88) sounded very proud of their product. I asked him how the 

The circle of manufacturers for the Sheridan based after-market industry is
quite small.  The guy on the phone at Cooper-T would be an idiot if he didn't
know that MacMurray came up with the auto-trigger(for the Sheridan, and now
standard issue on Pirahnas) and the Speed Demon bolt is a copy of the Cooper-T
bolt.  BTW IMP spelled backwards is PMI. (^-^)


>kit (the name for the kit is 'IMP') on say my gun would compare to an
>Illustrator or PMI III. The rep's comments were that it would be as good
>as or better than any PMI III and at least come close to an Illustrator
>in all respects (accuracy, rate of fire, ball breakage, etc.).

While playing with my friends at Team Genocide I had the opportunity to meet
and speak with the New Jersey Dream Warriors.  The Dream Warriors enter local
and not-so local tournaments with their IMP converted PGPs and PMIs.  They 
obviously believe in the reliability of the IMP conversion.  

>
>     Has anyone else heard of this kit? Could it really be as good as they
>say? I'm willing to spot the guy on the phone some but if it half as good
>as they say....If anyone know anything about it please let me know before
>I throw $200 dollars at these folks along with perhaps destroying my gun.
>Thanks for any help.

I have a Cooper-T Products IMP converted PMI-1(previously started out in life
as a non PMI-1 DF, meaning an original PMI-1) and I have used it, lent it out
enough to experience at least 95% of the problems the IMP owner will experience
in his/her lifetime.

1-Cooper-T advertise the kit as essentially being a drop-in kit.  Yes, and no.
If your Sheridan comes with side tapped air fixtures then its a matter of taking
out the old guts and dropping in the new.  If your gun is a PGP or a PMi-1 with
no side air provisions then you'll need to drill and attach the dummy CO2 to
get side tapped air.  In regards to using tools, wheareas the Sheridan requires
a special tool for dissassembly the IMP converted gun needs only an allen wrench
(Cooper-T changed over all the phillip head screws to allen head) and adjustable
wrench.  The conversion comes with its own valve and the subsequent gun retains
only two of the 4 original seals.  The lead seal is dispensed with along with
the flat rubber seal.  The other two O-rings can be purchased from any hardware
store.  The local hardware store charged me $.60 for the two O-rings which I 
bought as spares.  Stripping down the gun takes less than a minute and taking
the gun completely apart, until no moving pieces, takes 2-3 minutes.
Cooper-T claims that anyone can assemble and convert to a semi by using their
kit.  Unfortunately, the kit's instructions are sparse and quite intimidating
to a Sheridan owner who has never taken his gun apart.  I reccomend sending 
the gun to Cooper-T or have a local airsmith put the kit together for you.
The kit comes with a device which prevents double loading and ball breakage in 
the barrel but requires the use of a precise drill press to cut the hole.  If
you're not he home mechanic type I reccomend sending out the gun for this.

2-The converted gun requires a siphon tank for the gun to properly operate as
a true semi-auto gas blowback gun.  I routinely get about 200 shots from a
siphon 7 oz.  Cooper-T reccomends using a 20 siphon tank.  The gun balance
nicely with either a 7 oz or a 20 oz unlike some guns I have handled before.

3-For Optimum performance and accuracy Cooper-T reccomend honing out the 
barrel to .695 and porting out the CO2 valve exhaust opening to 1/4".  The
former to cut down on ball breakage in the barrel and the latter to overcome
cold weather low-velocity problems.  Velocity is fairly constant deviating
no more than single digits fps.  Rapid firing will chill down the gun and
sweat will form on the reciever.  In rapid fire I notice the velocity will
fluctuate +- 10-15 fps on shots over a radar chronograph.

4-Accuracy, ball breakage and comparing it to a Pro-Am, Illustrator and 
other semi-auto guns on the market.
The IMP semi has a sharp trigger pull with a noticeable recoil (me thinks
from the heavy steel bolt being banged back and forth).  The trigger pull
is comprable to the Pro-Am and Illustrator.  I was able to cycle 2-3 rounds
a minute and my opponents couldn't distinquish me from the nearby Pro-Ams.
The trigger requires effort to pull it.  Adding a trigger shoe will lighten
the apparent trigger pull.
Ball Breakage:  I play p-ball on average 1 outing every 3-4 weeks.  The Dream
Warriors with their tournament read IMPs claim virtually no ball breakage.
My friend Jeffrey using my IMP during the Big Game sponsored by Skirmish 
broke 3-4 balls in the course of 500 rounds.  Lending out the gun to friends
ball breakage has range from 0 to 2.  When the plastic ball indexer, keeps
the gun from double loading, broke I started to get breaks on average of
1 in every 100 shots.  I think ball breakage is heavily dependent on the
type of paint used.  At the Big Game, we were using Zap and even my friends
with Pro-Ams were in need of their squeegees.  

5-Bottom line.  The IMP conversion works and works great.  The bad news is 
being that the IMP is quite obscure, 99% of the times you'll find yourself
being the only one one the field with an PMI-IMP.  When my IMP blew an o-ring
, taking to 2 stores to have it checked out drew blank stares and shrugged
shoulders.  The IMP doesn't come with a trouble shooting manual so you'll
probably be calling Cooper-T for advice.  Thats the main drawback I found
from being the first paintball on my block, nevermind my city, to have an
PMI IMP.  If you have a problem with it, you'll need to ask an airsmith or
call up Cooper-T.  

Before the current ridiculously low price for the PMI-III, if a friend asked
me if the IMP kit was worth it I would definitely say yes.  In the days of
$399 illustrators and $350 68 specials spending $200 on a crapped out PGP or
PMI(BTW you don't need a working gun to carry out the conversion) was definitely
worth for me.

Hopes this helps

-- 
My friends, we can and we will, never, never, surrender to what is right.
--Dan Qualye speaking to Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.paintball