I received my copper Shotgun clone today. I've been on the lookout for a clone of this mod ever since seeing Grimm Green's gushfest over it. The original, by Emit Vapor, is not something I could easily afford, but I was so impressed with the design. This mod is made to be self-adjusting for battery rattle. Everything fits flush due to a spring-loaded ring of delrin around the firing pin. It's genius, really. No more taking everything apart and re-adjusting everything twice or three times to get everything to fit and fire the way it should. It does it all. You just screw in your atty, which pushes down a floating pin (which was quite tight on my clone). Throw in the battery, screw on the switch, and you're ready to go.
The clone seems to work exactly as the original. I can't compare them side by side, obviously, but I will say that I had read somewhere that the original and the clone suffered from a minor flaw in that the throw was quite long on the button. The reason for this is that when you screw the firing pin all the way down onto the switch assembly, it's just a tad too short. Your instinct is to unscrew the pin and give it some more reach, but because of the switch design, that won't work. Instead, you'll just see the button start coming out from the bottom of the mod. The switch is magnetic, which is probably why the button scoots out when you loosen the pin. At any rate, there is a fix for this. Interestingly, this was the first mod fix I learned, on my first mechanical mod, the Sentinel M16. Same issue, though not for the same reasons. However, same fix. Which is to take a piece of aluminum foil and scrunch it down into the firing pin and screw it back on. The pin still needs to screw down pretty far, so don't use too much or you'll see that button backing out again.
The mod is copper from top to bottom, and hits like a champ. Or as Grimm Green says in jest, 'Like a school bus, duct taped to a freight train.' This is the main reason I bought this clone. I have been using the Astro clone but, while it's a very well-designed mod and extremely compact and versatile, it hits more like a fresh bagel being thrown from two feet away. And since the Shotgun is copper, it not only hits hard but is quite weighty. I thought my sigelei Mini and kayfun was hefty, but that rig is so light in comparison that when I reached for it after using the Shotgun for a while, I just about tossed it across the room, expecting it to be heavier. It's even a few grams heavier (and about ten millimeters taller) than my chunky stainless and brass M16. The Shotgun also features a locking ring, but with a perfectly flush recessed button it probably won't get much use.
Overall I'd say this is a fine mod. I don't know how good of a clone it is, but it does the job and does it well, despite needing a little tinkering. But hey, if you buy clones, you're probably used to tinkering. I got this mod from EVCigarettes for 35 bucks (on sale, plus I had a discount code which basically covered the shipping).
The copper on this mod is strange. It's an odd color, like there's a lot more red in the copper than usual. It may be some kind of polish, I'm not sure. I'm planning on doing a major patina on this mod at some point, but if I have any issues with the finish before I get around to it, I'll post about it here.
The clone seems to work exactly as the original. I can't compare them side by side, obviously, but I will say that I had read somewhere that the original and the clone suffered from a minor flaw in that the throw was quite long on the button. The reason for this is that when you screw the firing pin all the way down onto the switch assembly, it's just a tad too short. Your instinct is to unscrew the pin and give it some more reach, but because of the switch design, that won't work. Instead, you'll just see the button start coming out from the bottom of the mod. The switch is magnetic, which is probably why the button scoots out when you loosen the pin. At any rate, there is a fix for this. Interestingly, this was the first mod fix I learned, on my first mechanical mod, the Sentinel M16. Same issue, though not for the same reasons. However, same fix. Which is to take a piece of aluminum foil and scrunch it down into the firing pin and screw it back on. The pin still needs to screw down pretty far, so don't use too much or you'll see that button backing out again.
The mod is copper from top to bottom, and hits like a champ. Or as Grimm Green says in jest, 'Like a school bus, duct taped to a freight train.' This is the main reason I bought this clone. I have been using the Astro clone but, while it's a very well-designed mod and extremely compact and versatile, it hits more like a fresh bagel being thrown from two feet away. And since the Shotgun is copper, it not only hits hard but is quite weighty. I thought my sigelei Mini and kayfun was hefty, but that rig is so light in comparison that when I reached for it after using the Shotgun for a while, I just about tossed it across the room, expecting it to be heavier. It's even a few grams heavier (and about ten millimeters taller) than my chunky stainless and brass M16. The Shotgun also features a locking ring, but with a perfectly flush recessed button it probably won't get much use.
Overall I'd say this is a fine mod. I don't know how good of a clone it is, but it does the job and does it well, despite needing a little tinkering. But hey, if you buy clones, you're probably used to tinkering. I got this mod from EVCigarettes for 35 bucks (on sale, plus I had a discount code which basically covered the shipping).
The copper on this mod is strange. It's an odd color, like there's a lot more red in the copper than usual. It may be some kind of polish, I'm not sure. I'm planning on doing a major patina on this mod at some point, but if I have any issues with the finish before I get around to it, I'll post about it here.
