Modifications JTS Airacuda Max .22 Build thread

[Pumacarl]

I'm loving this! It is going to be a beast. Your shot count is going to suffer, but you won't be needing too many shots either. I think you will be shooting no lighter than mid-35gr projectiles either. Following this is way more entertaining than anything on tv!

 

[CTAirgunner]

I'm loving this! It is going to be a beast. Your shot count is going to suffer, but you won't be needing too many shots either. I think you will be shooting no lighter than mid-35gr projectiles either. Following this is way more entertaining than anything on tv!

This rifle isn't terribly long at 41.5 inches with the factory 24" shroud either which is nice. I was going to say a 35gr projectile shouldn't be too difficult. I just need to see what the guys are doing for supporting components.


I have a guy in PA who works on these making me a PEEK poppet to handle the heavier hammer spring, as well as a hardened steel charging pin (the factory ones have been known to break) , luckily neither part is breaking the bank.

 

[Pumacarl]

I will say that looking at all of your close up pictures, the gun does indeed look like a great base for experimentation. Great work, you're doing too! Stuff like this, is so interesting, and teaches so many lessons, the hard way, that are invaluable. Turning a dial or a knob, pushing some buttons, charging a battery work too, but they are the only thing doing the work, and soon forgotten without really good notes, .......b-o-r-i-n-g, to me. Projects like yours here, I love to read about.

 

[CTAirgunner]

I will say that looking at all of your close up pictures, the gun does indeed look like a great base for experimentation. Great work, you're doing too! Stuff like this, is so interesting, and teaches so many lessons, the hard way, that are invaluable. Turning a dial or a knob, pushing some buttons, charging a battery work too, but they are the only thing doing the work, and soon forgotten without really good notes, .......b-o-r-i-n-g, to me. Projects like yours here, I love to read about.

I really agree, I also have been having a lot of fun too, once I see results from this, I will move onto the next.

Heres something that might be up your alley, merely due to the stock While organizing some of my axe refinishing stuff, I had a thought...

The JTS airacuda standard, has a much nicer style stock, it also costs $320 vs the Airacuda Max at $440.

What are the differences?

Airacuda standard, smaller diameter air tube, hence why the stocks are not swappable (as well as the port for the reg gauge). It has been confirmed the stock doesnt really have enough material to be strong if you were to "mill" it out to fit the max tube. It also does not have a regulator, instead its tuneability is through a TP adjustment.

With that said, HUMA does sell a regulator (and for a MERE $80) for the airacuda standard that has its own built in plenum that just simply slides in the standard tube.

JTS and PA say the standard gets 30 shots per fill unregulated at 900 FPS with 25 grain with only an 18 inch barrel. General rule of thumb is roughly 15 FPS per inch of barrel over stock, to a certain point.

I could see an Airacuda Standard with 24" Hammer Forged barrel, 1:16 twist shooting Altaros 49.5 at 875ish fps, regulated via the huma regulator, and similar port work I am doing here for 1 magazine. Or maybe I am giving it too much credit... who knows

Just a thought.

 

[Pumacarl]

I really agree, I also have been having a lot of fun too, once I see results from this, I will move onto the next.

Heres something that might be up your alley, merely due to the stock While organizing some of my axe refinishing stuff, I had a thought...

The JTS airacuda standard, has a much nicer style stock, it also costs $320 vs the Airacuda Max at $440.

What are the differences?

Airacuda standard, smaller diameter air tube, hence why the stocks are not swappable (as well as the port for the reg gauge). It has been confirmed the stock doesnt really have enough material to be strong if you were to "mill" it out to fit the max tube. It also does not have a regulator, instead its tuneability is through a TP adjustment.

With that said, HUMA does sell a regulator (and for a MERE $80) for the airacuda standard that has its own built in plenum that just simply slides in the standard tube.

JTS and PA say the standard gets 30 shots per fill unregulated at 900 FPS with 25 grain with only an 18 inch barrel. General rule of thumb is roughly 15 FPS per inch of barrel over stock, to a certain point.

I could see an Airacuda Standard with 24" Hammer Forged barrel, 1:16 twist shooting Altaros 49.5 at 875ish fps, regulated via the huma regulator, and similar port work I am doing here for 1 magazine. Or maybe I am giving it too much credit... who knows

Just a thought.

View attachment 12969

That's a good thought, and would look great, I like the look of the standard better actually, and for a long-in-wait-stand-by-pester, I prefer no regulator. However, consider that JTS is coming out with a very good looking chassis for a good price, and from just a practical point of view, I would have to go there.

 

[Rwjeter]

I may have to just try those 33.95 .22, I tried them in my alpha wolf , up to some considerably high speeds but that had a very slow twist , polygonal barrel, this has a 12 groove , unsure of twist rate tho, the Alien Airguns Hammer spring I got I got in Wednesday is supposedly capable of adding 60 fps just with that. The stock hammer spring might as well be a pen spring lol.

Now I'm getting side tracked from original target goal! Stop it lol

Anyways , this discussion has me thinking this rifle with a 22 to 24 inch barrel .25 cal could possibly shoot altaros at speed

And jts is coming out with a prs chassis for it (basic but so isn't the price)

View attachment 12543

I could see a .25 cal with 4 to 6 inches of extra barrel length, and my cf shroud in one of those

First I’ve heard of a Chassis for these! I have a .30 Max and HATE the stock. Honestly why I never shoot it. It’s accurate. But the stock is garbage me. I’d honestly prefer the regular Airacuda stock.

 

[Pumacarl]

First I’ve heard of a Chassis for these! I have a .30 Max and HATE the stock. Honestly why I never shoot it. It’s accurate. But the stock is garbage me. I’d honestly prefer the regular Airacuda stock.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Rwjeter]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Y’all are expensive acquaintances to have…..

I hope that’s Arca. I think it is.

 

[Pumacarl]

Y’all are expensive acquaintances to have…..

I hope that’s Arca. I think it is.

It is. I hope all the other bargain brands take note of this. I would have loved this option on my MA2 or 250z. Once JTS starts selling these, I think they are going to be selling a lot more of their guns, and others will follow. Hobbiest's at home, should be 3d printing plastic stocks/pieces, not manufacturers. Manufacturers should be turning out chassis's like this, out of aluminum, they have economy of scale going for them, and a tough market, better to stand out.

 

[Rwjeter]

It is. I hope all the other bargain brands take note of this. I would have loved this option on my MA2 or 250z. Once JTS starts selling these, I think they are going to be selling a lot more of their guns, and others will follow. Hobbiest's at home, should be 3d printing plastic stocks/pieces, not manufacturers. Manufacturers should be turning out chassis's like this, out of aluminum, they have economy of scale going for them, and a tough market, better to stand out.

Couldn’t agree more. I just can’t get with the plastic printed stuff. Hobbiest or otherwise.

Let me clarify, Mad respect to the at home hobbiests that are printing amazingly complex and effective upgrades for their stuff, it’s very impressive and works. I’m not good enough with computers to accomplish it. So I don’t deny their skill. I just hate the look and feel of printed stuff personally.

 

[nkueser]

Hopefully the order I made from CHYNAAAAAAAAAAAA (said in Trumps voice) , will get here timely.

The factory JTS Airacuda Shroud is 21mm ID with a 23mm OD , the barrel on these rifles is just around 18.5 inches. The shroud and baffle system is not something I like, it actually has caused numerous customers to have clipping issues when attaching moderators and is widely discussed, this rifle in particular experienced this , my .25 I had did not.

Donny FL has an adapter that solves this but because of discrepancies in shroud length they don't always work to correct the clipping issue and the threads actually protrude out of the factory shrouds (whether they correct the issue or not), leaving an unfinished look.

I decided to order up some carbon fiber tubing, I was able to find 21mm ID like I need to thread the shroud ends into it, and much to my surprise I was able to find 25mm OD which should not only be less flimsy, it should dull the report of the rifle quite a bit. I actually made a custom CF shroud for a dreamline I built a while back and it turned the resonation into more of a dull "THUD". I can also cut it to the appropriate length to leave no threads from the donny adapter exposed.

The barrels on these rifles are actually quite heavy and stout and the design that secures them to the action is pretty good too, it's not a poor design at all. With that said I will not be reinstalling the "barrel band" , tbh it doesn't do anything on the rifle. Where it "bands" the tube to the shroud , the barrel isn't even at that point, just the factory baffle system that does not even interlock itself with the barrel. I will be making a spacer to fill the gap between the fill port cap and the end of the tube. With the thicker CF tube, it should be a lot more rigid shroud especially being 1mm thicker wall than its aluminum counterpart its replacing.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to find the 25mm OD in glossy twill, only matte but it should contrast the finish I am going for on the stock quite nicely and at $75 shipped, not too bad. Waiting to hear back from a member on AGN about his used Donny adapter as well, if not available I will go new.

View attachment 12414


Here is the disclaimer from donny website



View attachment 12415


Here are a couple photos of my old dreamline that @PA_AirHead now owns , with the CF shroud I made for it.

View attachment 12416View attachment 12417

Well, started on the stock , I did not sand this perfectly, im no wood worker, and this is my first time refinishing a stock.

The wood seems like it's just kind of shit to be honest lol, anyways

I did 3 coats diluted with mineral spirits to help the wood take the tru oil better, each time I added more tru oil , now I'm at probably 80% tru oil, 20% mineral spirits. I will now let this coat dry till tomorrow and then add more tru oil and do another, probably 4 or 5 more coats over next 4 or 5 days. Hitting it with 0000 steel wool in between. It won't win any beauty contests but it's a hell of a lot better already.

View attachment 12429


Also I decided to thread the barrel of this rifle directly , no adapter needed for suppressor. Then run a 25.4mm STO moderator to take up length to put the end of the muzzle past the air tube.

As you can see the shroud is far longer than the barrel is. No need for that

View attachment 12430

This is killer - I had a packing sitch during a move and the shroud on my AC 30cal looks like a canoe at a kids summer camp on a rock bottom shallow pond…What thread pitch did you use in your carbon fiber tube to screw the shroud into the rear nut against the receiver??

 

[Dogowski]

This rifle isn't terribly long at 41.5 inches with the factory 24" shroud either which is nice. I was going to say a 35gr projectile shouldn't be too difficult. I just need to see what the guys are doing for supporting components.


I have a guy in PA who works on these making me a PEEK poppet to handle the heavier hammer spring, as well as a hardened steel charging pin (the factory ones have been known to break) , luckily neither part is breaking the bank.

Is it Wayne Reid? He works on some of my rifles too.

 

[Dogowski]

I really agree, I also have been having a lot of fun too, once I see results from this, I will move onto the next.

Heres something that might be up your alley, merely due to the stock While organizing some of my axe refinishing stuff, I had a thought...

The JTS airacuda standard, has a much nicer style stock, it also costs $320 vs the Airacuda Max at $440.

What are the differences?

Airacuda standard, smaller diameter air tube, hence why the stocks are not swappable (as well as the port for the reg gauge). It has been confirmed the stock doesnt really have enough material to be strong if you were to "mill" it out to fit the max tube. It also does not have a regulator, instead its tuneability is through a TP adjustment.

With that said, HUMA does sell a regulator (and for a MERE $80) for the airacuda standard that has its own built in plenum that just simply slides in the standard tube.

JTS and PA say the standard gets 30 shots per fill unregulated at 900 FPS with 25 grain with only an 18 inch barrel. General rule of thumb is roughly 15 FPS per inch of barrel over stock, to a certain point.

I could see an Airacuda Standard with 24" Hammer Forged barrel, 1:16 twist shooting Altaros 49.5 at 875ish fps, regulated via the huma regulator, and similar port work I am doing here for 1 magazine. Or maybe I am giving it too much credit... who knows

Just a thought.

View attachment 12969

The stock on the standard looks much sleeker and nicer. Easier to hold while shooting.

 

[Dogowski]

This is killer - I had a packing sitch during a move and the shroud on my AC 30cal looks like a canoe at a kids summer camp on a rock bottom shallow pond…What thread pitch did you use in your carbon fiber tube to screw the shroud into the rear nut against the receiver??

Beautiful work refinishing the stock. A few more coats will give it more protection and look incredible!