Nerf Recon "Brass Breech" Mod Guide!

Due to popular requests, here is a mod guide for the "Brass Breech" modification for the Nerf Recon.

This mod is also applicable to other Nerf N-Strike blasters with reverse plunger setups (ie. Raider, Deploy, Longstrike, Alpha Trooper etc).

Background:

For a background of what a Brass Breech is and what it does, please refer to the Longshot "Brass Breech" Mod Guide.

Introduction:

This mod guide will look very similar to the Longshot "Brass Breech" Mod Guide as they follow a similar modding process, but there are some specific differences in parts measurements, positioning and fit that modders will have to take note of.

To establish expectations, due to the smaller reverse plunger setup in Recons (or any of the other reverse plunger blasters), the potential performance gains will naturally be much less significant than in a Longshot.

Important Note:

The "Brass Breech" mod is a more advanced mod project that should only be performed by those who are already familiar with modding the Recon.

For new modders, refer to the Nerf Recon Mod Guide to get familiar with the modding basics first.

Disclaimer: Modify at your own risk. Modifications may wear out or damage your blaster. Please be careful when using hobby tools!

Lets begin...

Step 1:

You will need to obtain 4 different sizes of brass tubes (Brand: K&S Engineering).

The brass tube sizes are: 1/2", 17/32", 9/16" and 19/32". All of them are 0.014" wall thickness. They are usually supplied at hobby shops in either 1 ft or 3 ft length tubes.

Oxidization tends to occur in store bought supplies, so give the brass tubes a good polish with some Brasso Metal Polish, polish both externally and inside the tubes, this helps smoothen out the surfaces for lower friction.




Step 2:

We will work on the barrel and bolt receiver first.

In this example, i'm using 7" of 9/16" brass tube for the barrel.

Take a Rotary Tool with a cutting wheel, and cut a 7.5 cm length bolt receiver half-pipe in the 9/16" brass tube. The effective barrel length will be 4".

Use a sanding bit to round out the edges and corners.

Please be careful when handling such hobby tools, wear protective eyewear, dust masks and gloves.




Step 3:

To help the chambered darts achieve an even tighter air seal, make tightening rings in the barrel.

Use a Rotary Pipe Cutter and create the tightening rings. Just tighten the pipe cutter slightly around the brass tube, then rotate. Do it a few times to create the tightening rings.



Okay, that's all for the brass barrel and bolt receiver, you can put it aside for now.


Step 4:

We will now go on to the bolt section of the breech.

Separately cut out a set of brass tube sections in the following lengths:

1/2" brass tube: 10.5 cm
17/32" brass tube: 3 cm
9/16" brass tube : 2 cm
19/32" brass tube : 14 cm (4 cm for bolt half-pipe)

These are my custom tube measurements for a breech system for the Nerf Recon that can chamber standard-sized darts. In addition, it also features a more secure "half-pipe" bolt attachment point design.

The measurements need to be as accurate as possible. Any variations may affect the overall structure and air seal of the breech system.




Step 5:

Cut the original stock plastic bolt at the section shown below.



Nest all the 4 brass sections for the bolt completely into the plastic bolt end-piece.

Here is my Nested Brass Tubes Cut-Away Diagram for the Nerf Recon:



Use the strongest glue you can get to glue everything together. I use slow-curing 2-part strong epoxy glue. Make sure the glue cures completely for maximum bond strength.

Completed nested brass bolt assembly.



Nested brass bolt internal assembly.




Step 6:

We will now need to do a test alignment of the various components.

Secure the brass barrel inside the original orange plastic barrel by wrapping it with electrical or duct tape to temporarily widen it's outer diameter, so that the brass barrel can be wedged tightly inside the plastic barrel, yet still movable to allow adjustments for test fittings.

Check all the part positions and make sure that a clip with a standard-sized dart can fit nicely into the breech opening.

Note that the 19/32" brass bolt half-pipe will slide over the 9/16" brass barrel half-pipe, which in turn slides into the brass bolt assembly.




Step 7:

To attach the brass bolt to the bolt sled, we will need to cut out the attachment piece from the original plastic bolt.

Position the brass bolt, attachment piece and bolt sled in the casing and note the maximum forward and backward movement of the bolt to find the correct point to attach the plastic attachment tip to the brass bolt.

Note that a segment of plastic behind the attachment point has to be trimmed thinner so that it can slide into the plunger casing properly. Just whittle it down until it fits.

Use some sandpaper to roughen the surfaces on the plastic attachment tip and brass bolt, then use the strongest glue you can get to glue the 2 parts together. Again, i use slow-curing 2-part strong epoxy glue here too. As always, make sure the glue cures completely for maximum bond strength.

This is the section that has to take the most load, especially when stronger springs are used.




Step 8:

Assemble everything together into the casing, note that the pop-up blocker plate mechanisms are all removed, we don't need those anymore.




Step 9:

Test your "Brass Breech" Recon!

Breech open.



Breech closed.



Once you are confident that everything works properly, you can then proceed to permanently glue the brass barrel inside the orange plastic barrel. DIY some plastic spacer rings along the brass barrel to keep it centered within.

Its complete!




Sample Test Fire Results:

PTG: Parallel-To-Ground (Shoulder height, no elevation)
ATG: Angled-To-Ground (Aimed higher, 30 degrees elevation)

Distance is measured at where the dart lands (Average of 6 darts).

Brass Breech Recon (11kg Load Spring)
Ammo: Customized FBR foam + 1.1 gram soft silicone tip weight
PTG = 70 ft
ATG = 90 ft

Note that the test was done indoors and the results are sample estimates for reference (your results may differ depending on materials and mod techniques used).


Important Usage Tips:

- Clips must be loaded only when the breech closed. This is so that the clip feed-lips can "catch" around the brass bolt for a proper fit.

- For smooth dart chambering process, make sure that foam darts used are no more than 7 cm in length.

- The better the foam dart fit in the brass barrel, the better the range results.

- Due to the smaller air volume of the Recon reverse plunger, using longer barrels may cause the foam darts to get stuck as it doesn't have enough power to propel them out. If that occurs, reduce the barrel length and test again.

Custom Fabricated Nerf Recon Aluminium Plunger - Review!

Tired of having your modded Recon plungers constantly breaking?

Solution: Custom Fabricated Nerf Recon Aluminium Plunger!

These custom fabricated plungers are made from precision milled aluminium and designed for a perfect fit in the Recon, just swap the stock plastic plunger with it and its ready to go!

Nerf Recon Aluminium Plunger - Comparison with Stock Nerf Recon
(Left: Stock Plunger / Right: Custom Fabricated Aluminium Plunger)




Nerf Recon Aluminium Plunger - Comparison with Stock Nerf Recon
(Top: Stock Recon / Bottom: Modded Recon)




Custom Fabricated Nerf Recon Aluminium Plunger - Test Fire Video

Nerf Recon Mod Guide!

This Mod Guide will cover popular mods for the Nerf Recon.

Mods covered:
- Air Restrictor (AR) Removal
- Plunger Padding
- Spring Replacement

Note: These mods are also applicable to the Nerf Raider as it shares similar internal mechanisms as the Nerf Recon (some of the info here may also be repeated at the Nerf Raider Mod Guide).

>> Nerf Longshot Mod Guide
>> Nerf Raider Mod Guide

Disclaimer: Modify at your own risk. Modifications may wear out or damage your blaster. Please be careful when using hobby tools!


:: AR Removal ::

Step 1: Disassemble your Recon. Make sure to remove all the screws before detaching the casing. There are 12 screws in the main body and 2 screws in the black plunger cap.

Step 2: Take out the bolt sled assembly. Knock out the metal retaining pin that holds the bolt and bolt sled, this will separate the bolt from the bolt sled.

Step 3: This is the "Pipe Cutter" method. You will need a rotational pipe cutter to cut the bolt in order to remove the AR.

Please observe closely the spot where the pipe cutter blade is positioned at. That is the correct position to cut (though you can deviate 1mm either way). Just tighten the pipe cutter slightly and do the rotational cut (not too much or else it might slice the bolt in half).

In the following photo, a pre-sliced cut has already been made for reference.



Rotate the pipe cutter 2-3 times, and try to pull apart the bolt. If it doesn't move, rotate the pipe cutter again, do not over-tighten the pipe cutter! Keep testing. Very soon, the bolt will separate into two parts and the AR will just drop out.


Step 4: Join back the 2 sections of the bolt sleeve using plastic hobby or epoxy glue. Let the glue set properly before re-installing back into the blaster.




:: Plunger Padding ::

Without the AR, there is no air buffering system to cushion the plunger on bolt impact.

This results in very high wear and tear on the plunger, by both normal firing and dry firing. Due to repeated direct impact on the bolt (hence the loud cracking sound during firing), many users of modded Recons have experienced bolts eventually punching a hole out of the back of the plungers!

Therefore, padding should be applied to the plunger to help cushion the impact.

In the following photo, soft rubber padding is attached to the base of the plunger.



The 20mm diameter soft rubber/foam pads i used in the above example are from a brand called "Volkmar-Fix", they can be found at most common hardware shops.



Make sure to only use soft rubber pads that are easy to compress, so that it can allow the bolt to move backwards fully for proper loading/unloading of magazines and chambering of darts.

Experiment with various plunger padding methods to help maintain the durability of AR removed blasters over long-term usage.

:: Spring Replacement ::

One way to increase the speed of air delivery through the bolt is to replace the stock spring with a stronger aftermarket spring.

There are many different springs with different sizes and spring force ratings. Springs can be sourced from your local spring supply shops. Spring choice will depend on your usage.

This example below shows a stock spring (top photo) vs. an aftermarket 6kg load spring (bottom photo).



Stronger springs are usually made of thicker wires. Adjustments may have to be done as required for smooth firing operation.

Depending on the strength of the spring used, extra catch springs may also need to be added to hold the increased tension.

Note that a stronger spring will require more effort to prime the blaster before each shot, and the impact of the plunger on the bolt and overall stress on the blaster casing is also much greater. It'll be important to account for these factors when doing a spring replacement.

:: Sample Test Fire Data ::

PTG: Parallel-To-Ground (Shoulder height, no elevation)
ATG: Angled-To-Ground (Aimed higher, 30 degrees elevation)

Distance is measured at where the dart lands (Average of 6 darts).

Stock Recon
PTG = 20 ft
ATG = 30 ft

Modded Recon (AR Removal & 6kg Load Aftermarket Spring)
PTG = 50 ft
ATG = 60 ft

Note that the test was done indoors with customized foam darts. The results are sample estimates for reference (your results may differ depending on materials and mod techniques used).

Nerf Recon Mod - Tagger Dart Compatibility!

As a Nerf game player, it can be abit frustrating to only be able to use Streamline foam darts on your Nerf Recon.

Sometimes you may also want to play Dart Tag games with your Nerf Recons, or you might simply have run out of Streamline foam darts.



Here is a simple mod that will enable your Nerf Recon to chamber and fire Tagger and Sonic foam darts!

Lets start...

Step 1: Take your Nerf Recon, only focus on the pistol section.




Step 2: Unscrew the casing, take note of all the screw locations and loose parts.




Step 3: Note the internal layout, especially the bolt carrier group and how it works.




Step 4: Take the bolt carrier group out of the Recon.




Step 5: Seperate the bolt from the carrier frame holder, you will need to push out a metal securing pin.




Step 6: Put your Tagger dart in to test, notice how its stuck and can't be chambered or fired properly? We will need to create a better fit.




Step 7: Use a hobby craft knife (please be careful) and cut away the flanges on both sides of the bolt.




Step 8: Trim the bolt's dart support thinner and narrower, keep testing with your Tagger dart to work towards a good fit.




Step 9: Remove the pop-up blocker plate, trim the block lines so that it can better fit Tagger darts.




Step 10: Put everything back together and install all the screws securely.




Final Step: Put a Tagger dart in your magazine and test fire your Recon. If it jams or doesn't chamber properly, open up the casing again and do more trimmings and adjustments, it can take some time to achieve a good fit.




Here is a Test Fire Video of my Nerf Recon firing Tagger foam darts:




Being a clip-fed blaster, the Recon will tend to be prone to jams, so my advice is to make sure to use perfect foam darts, load them into the magazines properly and chamber each foam dart steadily.

In addition, do note that N-Strike clips are not originally designed to hold Tagger foam darts, so any clips longer than the 6-dart versions would still have issues working properly due to the foam darts being positioned increasingly at downward angles.

Now go play Dart Tag with your Nerf Recon! :)