Bumblebee is the FT pistol I've been slowly putting together for the last 6 or so months.
The starting point is a bone stock 1720T.
I won a MTC Viper Connect 3-12x32 scope at the AZ State FT match, donated by AOA which is really what got the ball moving on this project. So that's the scope. Dunno how it'll shape out as a FT pistol scope but willing to give it a fair shake.
Sports Match rings.
And now the flashy parts....
Steve Corcoran laminate stock
and the final addition (TODAY), the JD's Custom Design aluminum side wheel.
My initial assessment is that I'm impressed. Very intuitive method of attachment. Elegant in it's simplicity really.
The "hub" that attaches to the side focus knob utilizes a 3d printed split ring. Split ring on the right in this photo.
There is also a raised ring all the way around the split ring that nests inside a groove in the aluminum hub, in the left in the above photo.
Those two rings are nested and then slide over the side-focus knob on the scope. One single set screw goes through the alum ring and compresses the 3d printed split ring to clamp onto the scope side focus knob.
My first thought when I saw only one set screw is that there's no way this is going to be a very "tight" fit. I was skeptical. But as I examined the parts, and subsequently attached them to the scope, I was pleasantly surprised to see that, by design, that single set screw compresses the split ring so that the surface area of contact between the split ring and the side focus knob is more than sufficient for a snug fit. There is no movement. The alum/set screw goes from being easily slid onto the side focus knob to provided ample securement in about 1/2 of a revolution of that set screw. Ingenious.
It is also magnetic. There appear to be 4 rare earth magnets holding the wheel to the hub. The wheel is indexed to the same point after removal and replacement by a notch/tab situation (blue lines in photo below). Simple, but superbly functional. The magnets hold the wheel to the hub quite securely, and the tolerances of that notch/tab are tight enough that there isn't any "play" in the system.
Joe was great to work with. The guy works some crazy hours, both on his airgun business and his main job. In fact, after a mutual airgun friend sent him my number, we were on the phone really late on New Years Eve, had to have been 2022 already in Tennessee. It was so late that I felt bad but we shot the breeze and he asked me what he needed to know in order to make the wheel work with this scope. Lots of options: raw alum or anodized a certain color, what design in the center of the wheel, color of design in the center of the wheel, shape of the wheel, size of the wheel, etc. Truly custom cuz you can get exactly what you want. He had it done and sent me photos of finished product and then had it in the mail headed my way just a few days later. And then it didn't get here, and didn't get here and didn't get here. He tracked it and found out it went to Guam, and then Honolulu, and then PA, and then finally back to AZ. Shipping company obviously dropped it in the wrong bin multiple times. On that note, you'll notice some missing anodizing in a few spots in the above close-ups. That poor package looked like it got stuck in an running engine belt, driven over a couple times, and who knows what else. So I'm surprised it is in as good of shape as it is. And it was packed well too!
Oh yeah, forgot about the pointer option. Joe asked how wide of a bubble level I'd need to fit between the reticle light button bulge and the scope power bulge, and then included an appropriate sized one. That bubble level holds the pointer for the wheel. AND, there were a couple different designs of pointer included for preference, and fitment. You can see I used a raw alum one as it didnt extend across the button for the reticle light.
I'm excited for this little gun, and hope to get some more time to work up distances on the wheel and then shoot it and enjoy it!
The starting point is a bone stock 1720T.
I won a MTC Viper Connect 3-12x32 scope at the AZ State FT match, donated by AOA which is really what got the ball moving on this project. So that's the scope. Dunno how it'll shape out as a FT pistol scope but willing to give it a fair shake.
Sports Match rings.
And now the flashy parts....
Steve Corcoran laminate stock
and the final addition (TODAY), the JD's Custom Design aluminum side wheel.
My initial assessment is that I'm impressed. Very intuitive method of attachment. Elegant in it's simplicity really.
The "hub" that attaches to the side focus knob utilizes a 3d printed split ring. Split ring on the right in this photo.
There is also a raised ring all the way around the split ring that nests inside a groove in the aluminum hub, in the left in the above photo.
Those two rings are nested and then slide over the side-focus knob on the scope. One single set screw goes through the alum ring and compresses the 3d printed split ring to clamp onto the scope side focus knob.
My first thought when I saw only one set screw is that there's no way this is going to be a very "tight" fit. I was skeptical. But as I examined the parts, and subsequently attached them to the scope, I was pleasantly surprised to see that, by design, that single set screw compresses the split ring so that the surface area of contact between the split ring and the side focus knob is more than sufficient for a snug fit. There is no movement. The alum/set screw goes from being easily slid onto the side focus knob to provided ample securement in about 1/2 of a revolution of that set screw. Ingenious.
It is also magnetic. There appear to be 4 rare earth magnets holding the wheel to the hub. The wheel is indexed to the same point after removal and replacement by a notch/tab situation (blue lines in photo below). Simple, but superbly functional. The magnets hold the wheel to the hub quite securely, and the tolerances of that notch/tab are tight enough that there isn't any "play" in the system.
Joe was great to work with. The guy works some crazy hours, both on his airgun business and his main job. In fact, after a mutual airgun friend sent him my number, we were on the phone really late on New Years Eve, had to have been 2022 already in Tennessee. It was so late that I felt bad but we shot the breeze and he asked me what he needed to know in order to make the wheel work with this scope. Lots of options: raw alum or anodized a certain color, what design in the center of the wheel, color of design in the center of the wheel, shape of the wheel, size of the wheel, etc. Truly custom cuz you can get exactly what you want. He had it done and sent me photos of finished product and then had it in the mail headed my way just a few days later. And then it didn't get here, and didn't get here and didn't get here. He tracked it and found out it went to Guam, and then Honolulu, and then PA, and then finally back to AZ. Shipping company obviously dropped it in the wrong bin multiple times. On that note, you'll notice some missing anodizing in a few spots in the above close-ups. That poor package looked like it got stuck in an running engine belt, driven over a couple times, and who knows what else. So I'm surprised it is in as good of shape as it is. And it was packed well too!
Oh yeah, forgot about the pointer option. Joe asked how wide of a bubble level I'd need to fit between the reticle light button bulge and the scope power bulge, and then included an appropriate sized one. That bubble level holds the pointer for the wheel. AND, there were a couple different designs of pointer included for preference, and fitment. You can see I used a raw alum one as it didnt extend across the button for the reticle light.
I'm excited for this little gun, and hope to get some more time to work up distances on the wheel and then shoot it and enjoy it!