Welcome! Here is step by step (as parts arrive and time permits) description of how I am modding my old mirage.

The Intro

Mirage is an old very sturdy and dependable marker, it has a tippmann like firing mechanism, side cocking, no threads on the barrel, it just slides into the body and gets locked in place with a screw on a side, rear velocity adjuster ( tightens the hammer spring), 45 deg angle ball feed like on old spyders and minimags. Its a great marker, but I want to make it better, make it more, maybe even try to get it an electronic trigger.

The Barrel

My first thought was to change the barrel, it is basically a first thing to get replaced on a paintball marker, better barrel means better accuracy and range. It is hard to find barrels for a Mirage, I found one offered from I & I sports, a TASO Nickiel and aluminum 8.5 inch barrel. On the right you see pictures of the old barrel (abused throughout markers existance) and the new TASO. As you see I didn't get the best deal cause the TASO has some finishing flaws, there are rings on the inside which should be polished out, and the ball drop area has been worked on a lathe very poorly, looks like a work for 9th grade machine-shop student, but the outside is polish flawlesly, I should prolly return it in hope for something better, but for now it will do, maybe I'll polish it myself.

The Air System

Mirage has no regulator or expansion chamber, the gas is fed from the asa at the bottom of the grip through a hose straight into the valve which is much like the one on Tippmanns. Working on CO2 might be troubling at best, variations on temperature could bring different velocities and so on, sometimes liquid co2 would hit the ball. So couple days ago I auctioned off a regulator from a Smart Parts Ion, supposebly they don't work so well on Ions since they fire 15 bps, but for a Mirage its perfect, I just want to lower the pressure to 500psi. I will post pictuers when I get it.

I will attach the regulator to a duck bill asa which I will screw in using a screw little longer than the one which holds the trigger mechanism.

The Regulator

It arrived, beautiful black Smart Parts Ion Regulator, too weak for a 15 bps marker like the Ion but perfect for my 5 - 8 bps Mirage. I will have to adjust the springs on the hammer and in the valve. Below is a pic of the regulator attached to a duck bill ASA, I had to use extra long screw to attach the duck bill to where the trigger frame normally is attached.

The Gauge

I purchased very cheaply an Ashcroft air gauge (made in the USA!) )on E-Bay, its meant to go on Air Tanks and the scale goes up to 5000 psi, and I am going use it in the 850 to 300 psi range, so the reading will be fairly inaccurate but for starters it will do. Everything in this marker is from something else so why not, I already ordered a 16 inch hose from www.countypaintball.com to run from the regulator already equipped with a 90 deg. elbow to the grip with the ASA bottom line.





Problems :

I needed a 16 inch hose to attach the regulator to the bottom line in the grip. Cost me 10 bux at www.ountypaintball.com and was delivered in 2 days (props). Put it in, put the internals back in (pics soon to come). And the gun won't re-cock. It faintly fires and just stays there, why? Smart Parts regulator regulates at 185 psi, that's low pressure!!! I donno if any amout of spring adjustment will do the trick here. Plus the seals are really in bad shape. I lubed them but it looks like I will have to replace them and where will I find o-rings for a marker that's 15 years old?