Take your PGP Apart

How to take Your PGP Apart
(and put it back together again)

By Jeff 'Yankee Workshop' Barnett

Step One: Gather the tools you will need

Allen wrenches: 5/64", 3/32" (preferrably a complete set)
Channel-locks or a small vice, vice grips, or similar
piece of leather or inner tube rubber or similar
couple of empty 12 gram cartridges

Step Two: Make sure your PGP is completely unloaded.

Remove the 12 gram cartridge if present
Remove all paintballs.

Step Three: Remove Pump Handle

Using the 5/64" Allen wrench, loosen the small set screw shown in the photo.
Pull the pump rod from the bolt
Rotate pump rod so it won't scratch the marker and slide pump handle forward and off of PGP

Step Four: Remove Hammer

Remove the rear grip frame screw using the 3/32" Allen wrench
Remove Rear end cap, mainspring, and hammer. You may need to pull the trigger for the hammer to fall free from the PGP

Determine the type of valve in your PGP

If your PGP looks like this in the lower tube, you have the newer cartridge valve. Proceed with the disassembly instructions below.

If your PGP valve looks like this, with the squarish depression around the valve stem, then you need a Sheridan valve tool to further disassemble your gun. This type of valve is more complicated than the cartridge valve. The PGPOG will feature disassembly of this style of valve in a future article.

Step Five: Remove Grip Frame

Remove front grip frame screw while holding grip frame to gun body. This is to prevent losing the safety spring and BB.
While holding gun upright, carefully lift gun body off of grip frame. The safety ball and spring should still be in place.
Set grip frame aside. Further disassembly should be unnecessary.

Shot of safety spring and BB compared to front grip frame screw to illustrate small size.

Step Six: Remove Bolt

Make sure the bolt is all the way forward. Rotate it clockwise (looking from the rear) so that the cocking lug is visible in the slot. Push the cocking lug into the bolt using an Allen wrench, and then rotate the bolt a little further clockwise so that the cocking lug is held in by the gun body/barrel tube assembly. Wrap a rag around the back half of the bolt/marker and slowly pull the bolt rearwards. The rag is used to prevent losing the bolt-locking ball bearings and spring. They will fly out with considerable force when the bolt is removed from the gun, so be careful!

Step Seven: Remove valve

The valve assembly may now be pushed out the REAR of the gun. I use two empty 12 grams, but use whatever is convenient. Be careful not to use something pointed, however, as this could damage the 12 gram seal.

The valve assembly removed from the PGP. Note the exhaust port at the rear of the gun. The valve is made up of three main parts, the front and back halves, and a double-threaded piece to hold them together.

Step Eight: Disassemble Valve

Insert a close-fitting Allen wrench into the exhaust port and the front grip frame screw hole at the bottom front of the valve. These should be as close to the size of the holes they are going into as possible. You can use nails, small screwdrivers, etc in place of the Allen wrenches. They are simply convenient if you have a complete set of Allen wrenches. Every paintballer should!

Twist one Allen wrench counter-clockwise while holding the other one still. This should break either the front or back half free from the middle threaded piece. Be careful! Don't break the Allen wrenches or gouge out the holes in the brass. If one half doesn't break free with moderate force on the wrenches, you may need to apply heat to soften the Lok-Tite on the threads. This can be done by putting the valve in boiling water for a few seconds.
Once one half is removed from the gun, you must carefully grab the edge of the center threaded section of the valve. Wrap your leather or rubber piece around, and clamp it to the edge. DO NOT clamp the threads as they are easily damaged! Once you have a firm grip on it, insert the appropriate Allen wrench in the exhaust/grip frame hole (depending on which half remains) and turn it counter-clockwise. The last half of the valve should break free and can be removed. Be careful not to lose the valve spring or valve seal when removing the rear half of the valve.

The valve completely disassembled.
From Left to Right: Inlet valve body, 12 gram seal, Piercing Stem Guide, valve spring, Piercing Stem (valve seal), Exhaust Valve Guide (Crossmann/Sheridan nomenclatures).

Reassembly:

Make sure the valve is properly aligned when it is reassembled. The exhaust port and front grip frame screw hole should be in a straight line when seen from the end as in the photo to the right.

Insert the valve into the REAR of the gun body with the front grip frame screw hole on the bottom. Carefully push it forward until it aligns with the screw hole in the lower body tube.

You can adjust it slightly with a small Allen wrench if necessary. If the hole in the valve does not align with the one in the lower tube, just push it back out and try again.

Reinsert the bolt. Depress the bolt lug and slide it into the gun up to the bolt-locking ball holes. Cover one side with your finger, and insert one bearing, the spring, and then the other bearing. Squeeze them together and push the bolt all the way into the gun. Rotate it so the cocking lug emerges from its slot and springs back into position.

Reattach grip frame to gun. Make sure the safety BB and spring are in the grip frame, and then set the gun body down onto the grip. Reinstall front grip frame screw. Verify that safety clicks into its two positions.

Insert hammer, mainspring, and rear endcap. Reinstall rear grip frame screw.

Slide pump back onto the lower body tube. Rotate pump rod and reinsert into bolt hole. Retighten pump rod locking set screw in bolt.

That's it! Your PGP should now be ready for action.