F4 Illustrator ™ OWNERS MANUAL & REFERENCE GUIDE Serial Number: Date Purchased: Dealer: U. S. Patent No.
CAUTION • Read the entire manual before using the F4 Illustrator. • The F4 is not a toy. It can cause serious injury or death. • Wear approved eye and head protection, even when test firing. • The compressed air source used with the F4 can cause serious injury or death. • Sale or use of the F4 Illustrator is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. • The F4 is to be used only as described in this manual. • Fire only 0.68 caliber paintballs from the F4.
SPECIFICATIONS CALIBER BARREL • 0.68 Paintballs Only • Aircraft Quality Aluminum • Microhoned and Polished BLOWBACK SEMI-AUTOMATIC POWERED BY • Compressed CO2 • Regulated Compressed Air • Regulated Nitrogen WEIGHT • 2.42 lbs.
OPERATION Air Source Installation Before pressurizing, check that the F4 is cocked but not loaded. If not cocked, air may leak until the cup seal seats. Also, if not cocked the F4 can fire as it is being pressurized. Once the F4 is properly cocked with the safety on you can pressurize it with C02, regulated compressed air or nitrogen. Only after you understand how to handle it safely should you attempt to pressurize your F4.
Loading Uncocking Install a 7/8 elbow and loader on the ball feed tube. Following the directions of the manufacturer, fill the loader with .68 caliber paintballs. Before uncocking, unload. Rotate your gun to the side so paintballs in the chamber and elbow roll back into the loader. Take a couple of shots in a safe direction to insure that the barrel is empty. If you uncock with a ball in the chamber, it will be forced forward into the barrel. Later when you recock, a second ball will enter the chamber.
TUNING YOUR GUN Regular tuning is essential. But don’t waste time trying to tune a gun which is: • Dirty or poorly lubed • Has a damaged striker O-ring • Low on air • Has the wrong O-rings installed Check velocity to ensure it is not too high. It was set to 260 fps at the factory, but it will change over time, and with temperature. CAUTION Do not adjust velocity with the striker plug partially unscrewed. If it is later screwed back in, the velocity may be dangerously high.
FIELD MAINTENANCE ❸ ❹ Before each use, your gun must be cleaned, lubed, and tuned. Field Stripping To field strip your gun (refer to illustrations): 1. Depressurize gun (remove air source) 2. Unload gun 3. Uncock gun 4. Unscrew barrel 5. Unscrew bolt plug and remove bolt plug buffer. 6. Screw threaded end of bolt plug into connecting pin access hole located in center hole of sight rail and pull connecting pin straight out from gun. 7. Remove bolt through front of gun. 8.
ACCIDENT CAUSES YOU CAN CONTROL WARNING If the valve on your bottle is not attached properly, the valve may stay behind as the bottle is unscrewed the gun and cause serious injury or death. Proper procedures and equipment are required to properly attach a valve to a bottle. Take your bottle to a qualified airsmith if: Objects other than .68 caliber paintballs must never be placed in or fired from your gun.
MAINTENANCE AIR SOURCE MUST BE REMOVED BEFORE ANY MAINTENANCE CAN BE PERFORMED Barrel To clean the barrel, unscrew it from the main body and swab toward the rear. When paintball gelatin residue builds up, clean with warm soapy water or rubbing alcohol. Residue build up hurts accuracy. Upper Chamber Field strip as described on page 7 and use warm soapy water or rubbing alcohol where needed to clean the rest of your F4. Remove the bolt O-rings to remove paint and dirt build up from the O-ring grooves.
CLEANING SCHEDULE Every 500-1000 shots • Lubricate with AIRLUBE™ Every 1-3,000 shots • Remove bolt • Clean upper chamber and bolt • Check bolt O-rings • Lubricate trigger assembly 7500-25,000 shots Storage • Remove striker • Clean striker and lower chamber • Check striker O-ring for wear • Unpressurize and Unload • Clean and Dry • Lube In the event of a ball break within the gun, the Field Strip procedure on page 7. This schedule may need to be revised depending on the playing conditions.
TROUBLESHOOTING Half the guns sent in for repair are dirty, poorly lubed, or have a damaged striker O-ring. Check these items first. Double firing (2 or more firing cycles on a single trigger pull): • Trigger mechanism is dirty - clean it. • Recock force is too high - Adjust front valve spring. • Striker is badly worn - inspect and replace if worn. • Trigger is badly worn - remove (by airsmith); replace if needed. • Sear is badly worn - remove (by airsmith); replace if needed.
TROUBLESHOOTING Bolt is Jammed: • Paintball chip beside bolt - field strip. Two balls fire on a single shot: • Gun was uncocked with a ball in the chamber - unload chamber first. • Ball retention spring is mis-adjusted - adjust. Cocking assembly pin won’t insert: • Bolt and striker are not lined up. Groove on bolt near front: • Wear from ball retention spring - this is normal and doesn’t interfere with operation. Excessive striker O-ring damage: • Rough area inside gun - smooth it.
PARTS LIST Barrel ..............................................1 Barrel Plug ......................................2 Barrel Plug O-ring...........................3 Powerfeed Plug...............................4 Powerfeed O-ring............................5 Bolt O-ring ......................................6 Bolt..................................................7 Bolt Body Lock Pin .........................8 Cup Seal Guide Star Washer .........9 Cup Seal .........................................
2 3 1 76 75 4 6 65 63 61 62 5 60 8 58 74 59 7 12 11 57 56 18 33 13 14 9 10 15 55 37 21 35 35 36 54 22 53 52 51 32 50 34 23 30 Ball Retaining Side Plate 72 70 28 25 71 27 26 17 16
WARRANTY INFORMATION THE SPORT OF PAINTBALL Limited Warranty Statement Air Concepts Industries, Inc., warrants that your F4 Illustrator is free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the original date of purchase by the initial owner. (For guns used for rental, the warranty is limited to three months.) During this period, any defective parts will be repaired or replaced with new, or at the option of Air Concepts Industries, Inc., refurbished parts.
