Desert Fox: Field Stripping, Dissassembly, and Parts
Barrel Removal
The barrel is easily removed by unscrewing it in a counter-clockwise fashion.
If it is on tight - as it should be - you may need to hold the receiver body
between your legs and use both hands. Be carefull not to overtighten and strip
the threads or bend or dent the barrel. Barrel removal is necessary for proper
leaning of broken ball paint and debris from the barrel and feed area.
All other work requires the gas supply be removed and the gun is
depressurized!
Interals Removal
To remove the regulator, unscrew the regulator frame screw from the back
bottom of the lower receiver with your fingers. If it is on tight, it may
require some work - don't use pliers to loosen unless they are padded with a
rag. Always tighten by hand!
As the screw comes out, push the regulator forward (towards the gun body)
and hold it there until the screw is completely out. The spring tensions in
the gun are goint to want to slighly push the regulator off of the back of the
gun. Once the screw is out, pull the regulator and the entire bolt assembly
carefully out of the back and place it on a clean stable work surface.
Bolt Removal
Once the internals have been extracted, the venturi bolt can be pulled off of
the front of the entire internal mechanism. The rest of the parts will stay
together. Take care not to damage or bend the valve pin.
Valve Housing Removal
The valve housing is screwed onto the regulator body. The round housing
can be unscrewed from the rectangular regulator housing by turning it
counter-clockwise. You should be able to do this by hand - if pliers are used,
be certain they are padded so you don't scratch the housing or regulator. As
the two come unscrewed, it is best to hold the unit vertical with the regulator
on the bottom and the valve housing pointing up. Once they seperate, the
internals to the valve housing will remain on top of the regulator.
If you look into the regulator you will see the valve cage and ball-bearing.
Note their position (you will need to put them in the same way they came out)
and drop them out of the regulator. The valve housing
tip (made of brass) and the retainer both have orings on them. The
retainer o-ring is visible from the back of the valve housing and should
be free of damage and dirt. The valve housing tip o-ring is sandwiched between
the valve housing tip and the valve housing body and should not be visible
from outside. If you slide the bolt and valve pin into the from of the valve
housing, you can feel the valve pin passing the two o-rings.
Regulator Disassembly
The removal of the two caps from the regulator will require applying some gas
to the gun for a short time. To accomplish this, put the gun back together,
except leave out the ball bearing and the valve cage. Make sure
the bolt is back in the gun and the regulator frame screw is in tight.
Apply gas to the system; you will hear a pop or thunk as the regulator
valve is pushed out of the front of the regulator. Remove the gas supply
and depressurize the gun and disassemble again. When you unscrew the valve
chamber from the regulator you will find the regulator valve along
with the valve cup inside; set them aside. You can now remove the
regulator adjustment screw and regulator main spring from the back of
the regulator and push the plunger out of the back of the regulator
with a long thin tool.
Make sure the inside of the regulator is clean (clean with rubbing alcohol
and cotton swabs) and the o-rings are undamanged. Debris which enters the
regulator from the tank or other gas supply can cause regulator malfunction and
possibly damage o-rings.
Back to the
Desert Fox FAQ.