Autococker® Tech Page

How To "Time" A Mechanical Cocker®

Timing an Autococker® can be a challenging task for the beginner and even includes a little trial and error for the experienced as well. If you are new to Cockers®, we suggest you first look over our "Description of Components" page here and our "How It Works" page here. Those pages will familiarize you with the parts and operation of a Cocker®.

If you plan on handling the maintenance and upkeep yourself, then you will need to learn how to "time" your Cocker®. Let's cover the basic timing steps for a WGP stock Autococker® with a hinge or swing trigger frame since the majority of Cockers® today have them. Later on we'll cover some advanced timing techniques like suction timing.

There are four steps for basic timing: adjusting the back block, adjusting the cocking rod, adjusting the hammer lug, & adjusting the 3-way. The first three steps are accomplished with the marker degassed. For the most part, these steps can be done in that order.

Note: If you are building your own marker or have replaced the hammer or hammer lug then you will want to start with adjusting the hammer lug first, then continuing with the three remaining steps leaving the 3-way adjustment for last.

Before you begin timing your marker, make sure all the components are properly installed and everything is lubed.

Step 1: Adjusting the back block.

The quickest way to do this is to remove the cocking rod and bolt. Next back off the back block a couple turns to ensure it doesn't interfere with what you are about to do. With the back block backed off, push the pump arm forward until you feel resistance. Now you don't have to be Hercules here, you are just making sure that the ram is in the forward most position. With the ram still in the forward position, thread the back block back on until it contacts the body. Now the back block will most likely be in just about any position but straight up and down. From here, back off the back block until the holes for the bolt and cocking rod line up. Now check that a piece of paper will slide between the body and the back block with the ram still in it's forward most position. If so, great, your done with this step. If not, then back off the back block one complete turn and check again. Most likely you will not have to do this step. Now reinstall the cocking rod and bolt.

A little bit about why we are doing this. First off you don't want the back block smacking the body for two reasons. 1.) The threads in the back block are aluminum and most likely your pump arm is stainless steel. Over time the threads in the back block can weaken and possibly strip out from the pump arm pulling on it after it contacts the body. 2.) The back block makes one heck of a racket banging on the body all the time. You also don't want the back block backed off too far or the bolt won't line up properly with the valve opening and the ram can "bottom out" at the back of it's travel causing the ram seal to prematurely deteriorate and leak.

Step 2: Adjusting the cocking rod.

First, make sure the rod is threaded all the way into the hammer. Note: If the adjustable end cap is Loc-Tited on, you can loosen the Loc-Tite by dipping the cap in boiling water for a bit and then loosening it. Also, if present, back off the set screw. Now pull the back block back and listen for a "click". This is the sear catching the hammer lug. If you pull the back block all the way back and the sear doesn't catch the hammer lug, start by tightening the cocking rod cap and try again. If the sear still doesn't catch, then the hammer lug needs to be adjusted and you will need to complete Step 3 first and then come back to this step.

Now with the hammer cocked and the back block touching the cocking rod bumper, check the position of the bolt. The bolt should be flush with the back edge of the feed tube. You can easily check this by running your finger down the feed neck and feeling for the bolt. If the bolt is back too far, then thread on the cocking rod cap some until the bolt is where it needs to be. If the bolt protrudes into the feed neck opening, then back off the cocking rod cap. Bear in mind, that after these adjustments you need to ensure that the back block is still in contact with the cocking rod bumper. If not, then move it until it does. Once this is where you want it, tighten the set screw. You can add a drop of removable grade (blue) Loc-Tite if you wish to ensure it doesn't come loose.

A little bit about why we are doing this. If the cocking rod is adjusted too short, then the ram has to work harder to pull the bolt back because it is now pulling the hammer past the sear and compressing the hammer (main) spring more than it needs to. If the cocking rod is adjusted way too short then the hammer (main) spring will fully compress and not pull the bolt back far enough to let a paintball enter the breech. If the cocking rod is adjusted too long, then the hammer lug may not reliably catch the sear.

Step 3: Adjusting the hammer lug.

Depending on the position of the hammer lug determines when the hammer is released during the trigger pull. You want the sear to release the hammer within the first 1/4 to 1/3 of the trigger pull. This will ensure that the hammer will contact the valve and release the appropriate air charge before the marker starts to re-cock.

To adjust the hammer lug, remove the bolt and insert an allen wrench into the hole in the top of the marker behind the feed neck. You may have to move the cocking rod back and forth to get the allen wrench to line up with the lug.

Note: 97 and older model Cockers® do not have this hole, so you will have to remove the trigger frame to adjust the hammer lug. If you have this older style model, you can take it to your local pro-shop and have them drill this hole for you. It will same you a lot of time in the long run. Also depending on what style hammer you have, you may need a 3/32" or 1/8" allen wrench for the adjustments.

If the sear is releasing to early, then you want to turn the allen wrench clockwise to lengthen the lug. If it releases too late, then turn the allen wrench counter-clockwise to shorten the lug. Now remove the allen wrench and cock the marker. Pull the trigger slowly and note where in the trigger pull the hammer is being released. Continue the above steps until the hammer is releasing when you want it to. Once that is done, reinstall the bolt.

A little bit about why we are doing this. If the hammer lug is too short, it may result in the lug not reliably catching the sear each time. If the hammer lug is too long, it may result in the hammer not being released at all or too late in the trigger pull after the ram has started to re-cock the marker.

Step 4: Adjusting the timing rod.

This step is probably the hardest for most and takes a good deal of patience. You will need to air up your marker, ensuring it is cocked first. Otherwise the hammer will be resting against the valve allowing air to flow through the bolt.

Before we get started, let's cover a difference in the triggers. All non-electronic Cocker® triggers have a hole for the timing rod to connect to. This hole will either be round or oval (slotted). The majority now-a-days have a round hole. The oval holes allow for some leeway in the timing since the trigger moves more before the timing rod begins to move. Round holes require closer timing because the timing rod begins to move very shortly after the trigger begins to move.

So let's get started. You want the marker to re-cock during the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the trigger pull. This leaves a gap between the firing and re-cocking sequences to allow the hammer to hold open the valve long enough for a consistent burst of air to be released and allows the bolt to be held forward reducing "blowback".

There are two types of timing rods, those with threaded couplers and those with non-threaded couplers. Non-threaded couplers are hit or miss on adjustments if you are not careful when you loosen the set screw. Both timing rods are adjustable by loosening the set screw on the coupler closest to the trigger frame. On threaded couplers, just twist the coupler to get it to lengthen or shorten. On non-threaded couplers, you have to take care in loosening the set screw so the rod doesn't move. Then slide the rod in or out of the coupler in small increments. When the adjustments are done, re-tighten the set screw.

Check your adjustments by slowly pulling the trigger ensuring the marker fires before it begins to re-cock and the hammer catches the sear each time. Once you are happy with the way the marker is firing and re-cocking, you have one final check to make. Insert a barrel plug and place a single square of tissue or toilet paper on top of the feed neck. If the paper moves up when you fire the marker, then there is "blowback" and you will need to lengthen the timing rod some more to get rid of it. If the paper pulls down towards the feed neck then you have achieved what we are about to cover - suction timing. Once you have eliminated the blowback, you can field test the marker, if you wish, under actual firing conditions. Leave the loader off the marker and hand load a few paintballs into the feed neck. Fire a paintball and watch the remaining paintballs in the feed neck. If the paintballs rustle about in the feed neck then there is still blowback present and you will need to continue to fine tune the timing rod.

A little bit about why we are doing this. If the marker begins to re-cock too early, then you will need to lengthen the timing rod. This is easily identifiable by the back block beginning to move back before the hammer is fully forward. If the marker re-cocks too late, the ram may not have enough time to cock the hammer before the trigger is released.

Advanced Timing Techniques.

The above procedures will give you rather conservative timing. Now, if you wish, you can tweak your timing to get some other benefits. A lot of people have a feel for how they like their timing. Some like shorter trigger pulls, others prefer the longer trigger pull. But most everyone wants the advantage of suction timing.

Suction timing takes a lot of tweaking and patience because there is a fine line between suction and blowback. If the bolt starts to retract too soon after the paintball is fired, then you will get blowback. But if the bolt retracts after the paintball is further down the barrel, then a suction is created that helps load the paintballs into the breech. The key is to find that fine line between suction and blowback and use it to your advantage. There are no real step-by-step procedures on how to do this. What you need to do is bring the firing and re-cocking sequences closer together. The rest is pretty much trial and error. Also if you find yourself "short-stroking" (not completely pulling the trigger through its full cycle) you will benefit from bringing the firing and re-cocking sequences closer together.

Note: When making fine tuning adjustments to get suction, start by lengthening the hammer lug. This will bring the firing and re-cocking sequences closer together without having to mess with the timing rod. Remember to make small adjustments so that you don't end up chasing your tail.

Some aftermarket trigger frames offer adjustable triggers and some also have adjustable sears. These will allow you to remove any excess movement from the trigger allowing for shorter trigger pulls and higher rates of fire. Adjust the trigger to the desired pull length and proceed with the above timing steps.

Summary: Hopefully the above information will take the apprehension and mystery out of timing a Cocker®. Remember that with all the aftermarket parts and custom Cockers® out there, not all Cockers® will time the same. As long as you understand how the aftermarket parts work in relationship to stock parts, you will be able to modify the above instructions to suit your needs.