Obviously, this part is a bit nerve-wracking. If you do it wrong (or fail to make a decent steel barrel), you've just ruined a very expensive kit. The barrel itself has a metal plug that runs almost through the whole thing, adding weight. Where it connects with the frame, there is a zinc crossbar that is embedded in the plastic and runs through the last half-inch or so of the barrel, through the frame. You can see it here. |
There are three mounting screws that go toward the front of the barrel. On the underside is a 6mm screw hole that holds the LED/battery compartment (I think it's sometimes referred to as the magazine) to the barrel. On the sides are two 3mm screw holes, where the receiver attaches. The difficulty comes from the latter: these holes aren't centered. They're a bit above center and are therefore essentially impossible to drill properly without a custom jig. So I created a custom jig. It's just some extruded aluminum with pilot holed drilled into the correct spots--very carefully measured out. A couple of thumb screws hold the barrel tight inside during drilling and voila! |