Autococker® Tech Page

How To Make Your Cocker® Efficient

You have cleaned, inspected, re-assembled, and timed your Cocker®. Now you are going to want to set your regulators so that you get the most air efficiency. There are two steps and they are fairly easy. They are setting your front regulator and "sweetspotting" your inline regulator.

Step 1: Setting the front regulator.

This step only applies if you have an adjustable front regulator. Back off the adjustment knob or set screw, (to lower the pressure setting) while dry firing the marker. Stop when the back block no longer re-cocks the hammer. Now slowly increase the pressure setting, while still dry firing the marker, until the marker re-cocks. Turn the adjustment knob or set screw an additional 1/8 turn or so and you are all set. Now continue dry firing and make sure the marker doesn't fail to re-cock. If it fails to re-cock, adjust an additional 1/8 turn and check again and so forth until it re-cocks each time.

Step 2: "Sweetspotting" the inline regulator.

This step only applies if your Cocker's® velocity is set by the IVG. If you have a newer Cocker® whose velocity is set by the inline regulator, then this step will not work for you. This step will require some paint, a chronograph, and a little patience. Set the IVG 1 1/2 to 2 turns in from being flush and back off the inline regulator's pressure adjustment screw. This step can be accomplished with or without a gauge on your reg but will go quicker with a gauge. Start by firing enough shots over the chronograph to establish a stable velocity for the pressure setting. Now increase your reg's pressure 25 psi (small increments if your do not have a gauge) at a time while noting the velocity at each pressure.

What you are looking for is a decrease in the average velocity for the pressure setting. This will happen because the pressure will reach a point where it will prematurely close the exhaust valve. When you reach this point, back off the pressure 5 psi at a time until the average velocity goes back up. Now your inline regulator is "sweetspotted" and will make your marker consistent.

Notes:

If you get your regulator's sweetspotted and your velocity is too high, then your hammer (main) spring is too strong and you will need to change to a weaker one. On the other hand, if after sweetspotting you have to turn in the IVG more than half way to get the desired velocity, your hammer (main) spring is too weak and you need a stronger one.

If you are using CO2, then the above steps may still help with consistency but CO2 is not very efficient and will still cause velocity spikes because of factors that affect CO2. If you are looking for efficiency and consistency, then you will want to upgrade to HPA (high pressure air).