The Classic 68Automag and the Minimag are both pretty much the same marker(the Mini is the newer version that came out with updated parts but anything that goes into the Mini can go into the Classic and vice-versa. The only difference between both markers is the body and the laser engraving on the outside of the valve. From now on you know when I say "A.I.R. valve" I mean the Classic 68Automag and the Minimag.

The RT is a bit more complicated. It's newer version, the RT Pro(RTP) has major differences from its predecessor. Still, both perform the same.

In this section I will talk about these markers which constitute the entire AGD mechanical marker line.(excluding the sydarm - very few people have them, if you do chances are you dont need info on it.) I'm not going to get into the operation of the entire valve. However I will do my best to cover everything I can think of in the debugging section. If you have any other questions, contact me.
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1. About the A.I.R. Valve
2. About the RT/RTP Valve
3. X valve
4. Level 7
5. ULE Trigger Kit
6. Nubbins and Ball Detents
7. Powerfeed Plugs
8. Marker Maintainence
9. What Not to Do
10. Debugging
11. Aftermarket Parts
12. Upgrades
13. Intelliframe to Revolution Hopper Link
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1. About the A.I.R. Valve
The A.I.R. valve is an under rated valve in my opinion. A properly tuned A.I.R. valve can handle up to 16bps(without drop-off) provided there is a good air supply and the user doesn't short stroke. That's actually head-to-head if not better than a lot of high end marker valve systems. Pretty much any marker can fire over 20bps nowadays but the point they start to starve themselves of air is where accuracy(in theory) goes bad(in actuality, there's usually so little drop-off, the user doesn't realize it). However, since the A.I.R. valve is built on a mechanical marker system, these high rates of fire are extremely difficult to reach. I guess the A.I.R. valves potential lies in being a mechanical accomplishment rather than a practical one.

Although the A.I.R. valve performs best with a Compressed Air/Nitrogen system running it, it can also run off a Co2 system. When going this method, the more you do to keep liquid out of the valve, the better. Once liquid gets inside the actual valve, the valve will soon freeze and you'll just have to wait till it warms up again.

A.I.R. stands for Advanced Integrated Regulator. This means that no matter what your told, you dont need to buy an inline reg to lower the psi going into the valve. When running a Compressed Air tank, just hook the line up through a gas-thru foregrip or straight into the valve. The internal Reg. lowers the psi to about 450psi. Valve Tolerances - on/off pin(.750"), trigger rod(1.998")

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2. About the RT/RTP Valve
The Design of the RT/RTP valve is very similar to the A.I.R. valve with a few changes here and there that make it much easier to attain high rates of fire. The glory of the ReTro valve is its unbelievable recharge rate(Fastest Recharging Valve in the world). Provided you have the means to pull the trigger as well as load fast enough, along with an excellent air supply, you can attain a ROF beyond 30bps without drop-off.

What makes it easier to shoot faster is how the valve reacts when you pull the trigger. With a standard on/off assembly, the trigger pull weight to engage the sear is 3lb.(weighed from the top of the trigger, it's lighter pulling from the bottom) Once you pull the trigger and cycle the valve, the trigger is instantly pushed back to the starting position with 6lb. of force. This reactivity eliminates human pull slop so you dont have to work as hard to achieve a higher ROF.

The RT/RTP are different from the A.I.R. valve in the fact that they require a Compressed Air/ Nitrogen system to operate. DO NOT run Co2 in these valves. However, like the A.I.R. valve, you do not need a external regulator to properly run this valve. Although the design is the very similar, hardly any parts of the A.I.R. valve and RT/RTP valve's are interchangeable. The Power tube internals whether they are level 7 or level 10 remain the same(see section Level 7 or Level 10 for operating details)

Differences between the RT and RTP

Pictured above is an RTP valve. The difference between the RT and RTP mainly lies in how air is delivered to the valve. Performance is the same same but on the RT, the air is sent into the valve thru the field strip screw. This screw is called the Banjo bolt(pictured below). On an RTP(and on all other valves) the air inlet is on the side of the valve. As far as the valve goes, all the parts between the RT and RTP are the same(different on/off pin lengths though - RT.750", RTP-.765") except for the field strip screw and the Banjo bolt. The RT has it's own rail, body and trigger frame. The Rail and body for the RTP are the same as the Emag. The trigger frame for the RTP can mount on an Automag or Minimag. They both also have different trigger rod lengths(RT-1.945",RTP-1.998").

Banjo Bolt for RT
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3. X valve
The X valve is the exact same thing as the RTP valve, the only difference is most of it is made of 7700 grade aluminum rather than stainless steel. This saves you 3oz. If you slip valve into your Automag or Minimag, you've pretty much turned it into an RTP (It keeps the Auto/Mini on/off pin length tolerance though(.750")). The Xvalve comes with the Level 10 kit installed(see Level 10 section)

If you purchase this valve for the Emag, you'll need to switch On/Off pins(Emag - .712") and use the Quad o'ring to make it work properly(see section About the Emag and Xmag Valve).

Remember when purchasing a new X valve that since it's new you will need to heavily oil it as well as break it in. It's also a good idea to break in the spring pack by turning it all the way in and then back it out again.
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4. Level 7
The level 7 parts are the bolt and all the guts inside of the powertube including the powertube tip that you see in the valve picture above. The level 7 is a system of compensating for the crude tolerances that you'll run into if you try to install aftermarket parts like rails and trigger frames. It's one of those things that if it's working, dont mess with it cause you have no reason to.

If your getting bolt stick, put in a shorter power tube spacer

If your getting barrel leak, put in a longer one.

The spacers adjust where the pin inside the bolt seats on the power tube o-ring. You want to have it set where the bolt pin can get past the seal of the o'ring,  but also seat far enough so it seals and keeps the dump chamber from leaking while it refills for the next cycle.

Powertube Spacers
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5. ULE Trigger Kit
The ULE Trigger Kit (ULT) is a drop-in on/off assembly that is designed to turn the RTP's 3lb. trigger pull into a 15oz. pull. It also features the ability to adjust trigger reactivity.

This on/off assembly will fit and is recommended for the following:

X-Valves
Aluminum RT-Pro Valves

This on/off assembly can fit but is NOT recommended for the following:

E-Mags w/ double o-ring top
Micro E-Mags
MiniMag AIR Valves
68Automag Valves
Classic Automag Valves
SmartMags

This on/off assembly will NOT fit the following:

Stainless Steel RT-Pro Valves
Retro Valves
E-Mags w/ single o-ring top
Original RTs w/ Banjo Bolt valve

Here are some pictures of the on/off hole in various valves to show the difference between single o-ring and double o-ring.

E-Mag Valve with double o-rings. (Note the black quad o-ring which is special to the E-Mag and X-mag only)

Retro Valve with single o-ring. This valve will NOT accept the ULT.

X-Valve. All of these valves have double o-rings and they are now coming installed on new RT-Pros. Both o-rings are removed from the valve, but you can see that the bottom does not have a step in it like Retro Valve. The gray spot at the bottom is just an unanodized spot.

Here is the Classic AIR valve. The same valve used in Automags, Minimags, etc. This valve has always and will always be a double o-ring valve and will accept the ULT, but it is not recommended for use in the this valve. It does not recharge fast enough and thus it is too easy to short stroke.

Any RT valve with single o-rings that is drilled for double o-rings will work perfectly fine as long as it's done PROPERLY.

I will not be drilling any valves for anyone, so please don't ask. There are other people offering this service, but AGD isn't going to warranty their work.

ULT Exploded Parts View

From left to right:

On/Off top o-ring (Same o-ring as on/off center o-ring for RT on/off assembly)

On/Off top w/ o-ring. (O-ring is same as Level 7 PT o-ring and on/off top outer o-ring in double o-ring valves.)

On/Off center o-ring. (New part for ULT. Rubber o-ring, not urethane. Very small, do not lose.)

Shims for adjusting sealing point of on/off top o-ring. (Same dimensions as Level 10 shims, but .005" thick instead of .010")

On/Off bottom w/ o-ring. (Same o-ring as on/off top outer o-ring)

On/Off pin support. (Install after on/off assembly is screwed together. Place grease around outside before inserting into on/off bottom to keep from falling out.)

On/Off Pin. (Very fragile. Take special care when installing. Install so larger diameter head is at top of on/off assembly.)

The pin support just needs to slide into the bottom of the on/off and stay in there when you insert it into the gun. Once it's all gassed up it's "locked" in between the pin and the sear.

Shims are used to control the where the pin seats in the o'ring. The less you have the less reactivity in the trigger pull. The more shims you have, the more reactive the trigger is. If you don't have enough shims, it will be too easy to shortstroke. Add one shim at a time until you like how the trigger is. The maximum number of shims you can use is six. The kit comes with two installed and three extra.

**Thanks to BlackVCG on AO for the work in this section.**

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6. Nubbins and Ball Detents
If you own any type of Automag with a stainless steel body, then you use nubbins as your ball detent. They mount on the barrel. The old version is the wire nubbin which did the job but eventually the plastic nubbin was made and released. Since the wire nubbin was around for a very long time, some companies that made aftermarket barrels for the Automag didn't feel the needed to pay too close attention to detail. For this reason, on some aftermarket barrels the nubbin groove is slightly different so the new plastic nubbin doesn't sit properly. By all means upgrade to plastic nubbins but if you notice that you are double loading, or you get radical velocity drop-off, then there is a chance that your nubbin may not be doing its job. In this case switch back to wire and see if the problem goes away. When using wire nubbins, at the first sign of chopping, always check that the nubbin has not broken.

Wire Nubbins

Plastic nubbins

If you own an Xmag or any mag with a ULE body on it, then that means you have switched from nubbins to ball detents. The threading for the AGD detents is the same as the Angel. However, the AGD detents are made with a slightly larger bore around the ball. This gives the ball space to move rather than jamming up when a bolt with a higher boltspeed hits it. Even if you own an Angel, I highly recommend buying AGD detents. They are also insanely cheaper than other detents sold for the Angel and perform much better. If you are double loading or getting severe velocity drop off, your ball detent may be too far out. If you are using the level 10 and constantly hearing the level 10 kick in, the detent may be too far in(or your level 10 is set to be too soft), back it out a bit(to keep it from unscrewing when backing it out, wrap the threads in a bit of teflon tape). Whenever you chop or break paint, check to see if your detent ball has not broken.

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7. Powerfeed Plugs
Like barrel nubbins, there are older and newer versions of the powerfeed plug. You can easily check to see if you have an older one by looking for a flat spot instead of a constant "parabolic" curve. That flat spot kills feedrates, get upto speed with the newer parabolic plug. 

*Thanks to RobAGD on AO for the pic.

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8. Marker Maintainence
To keep your mechanical marker happy, just keep it cleaned and oiled.

Before every day of play.

1. Take the barrel off.
2. Put about 4 drops of oil in the asa or input to the valve.
3. Air up the marker and cycle it at least 40 times.
4. Your done.

At the end of every day.

1. Wipe off excess dirt, paint, etc. from the outside of the marker.
2. Take the valve out and wipe off any dirt, paint, etc. that may have collected around the bolt area.
3. Make sure the inside of your barrel is clean
4. Repeat the before every day of play steps
5. Your done.

Depending how often you play and how down n dirty you get, every now and then you should fully strip your marker down to clean collected dirt, paint, etc from anywhere it may have collected(then oil it). When taking out the Reg. Piston and Spring pack, regrease them using any quality grease, the grease is there to prevent rusting, not to lubricate.

It's very important to keep dirt and foreign debris out of the valve and air system. Some easy and effective steps are to use a good fill nipple cover and a thread saver cover if you use a screw in tank.

It's always a good idea to have a little kit handy with extra o'rings and other parts that may wear or ruin, or parts that may be easy to lose like the field strip screw.

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9. What Not to Do
The Basics

1. Dont loosen the field strip screw or the front frame screw while the marker is gassed up.
2. When you take apart the marker and reassemble it, make sure it has the Rail Bushing(pictured below). It goes in the rail and back of the trigger frame.

Rail Bushing
3. Don not try and run the RT/RTP or a mag with an Xvalve with Co2.
4. When taking the valve out. After you have degassed, pull the trigger to release trapped air if you have the level 10(see level 10). After taking the field strip screw out, before forcing the valve out - turn off the safety and pull the trigger.
5. Do not overtighten the field strip screw, slightly past hand tight with an allen wrench is fine.
6. Never modify the valve or rail in any way so that the Z-lock pin does not glide thru the rail track.

For Dummies
There are people out there who think they can achieve better performance by modifying parts. They are wrong. If the existing marker could reach a better performance as it is, it would come that way out of the factory.

7. DO NOT shave the sear or adjust the trigger rod.
8. DO NOT modify the on/off pin length, you will end up with a marker that either wont work, or wont be allowed anywhere. This also voids your warranty.

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10. Debugging
In this section I will cover every possible problem I can think of or that I have encountered. I will continue to add to it as I remember and/or come across new bugs.

If your marker has any type of problem with it, the first thing you should do is check that your tank is full, look over all the o'rings, make sure every o'ring and part is installed in the proper order,  make sure everything is clean and oiled.

Major and Minor Air Leaks -
When determining how to stop a leak, you must first find out where it's coming from. This will help isolate what's wrong.

1. A leak out of the velocity adjuster hole -

There's a number of things that could do this. The most common is a bad reg piston or you are over pressurizing the reg so it relieves pressure to keep the valve from shooting hot(try turning down the velocity or making sure the air tank isn't pumping out an extremely high amount of pressure). Other possible problems are a bad reg piston o'ring(check it and grease it), or too low of a velocity setting(try turning up the velocity). You will also get a leak if you do not pressurize the valve fast enough or there isn't enough pressure to seal the valve itself.

2. (RT/RTP/Xvalve) A leak out of the side hole of the valve assembly(pictured below) -

This is a safety blow off feature made to keep the Retro quick recharge from becoming the supersonic ball slinger(no it wouldn't be that bad).(Replace your reg. valve pin)

3. (RT) A leak from the rail/banjo bolt area -
Check and replace your banjo bolt o'rings.

4. A leak from the On/Off area -
First make sure everything's installed properly, if you are using the ULT you may have too many shims installed. Check that your on/off pin is not bent or broken(non ULT should measure A.I.R./RT .750", RTP .765").  For the RT/RTP/Xvalve you may have to clean or replace the o'ring that's inside the on/off assembly, it unscrews into two pieces. If none of this helps, look to see that your trigger rod length(A.I.R./RTP 1.998" RT 1.945") is ok and pointing where it should be.

5. A leak from the front end of the valve or the bolt/breech area -
This could also be a number of things. Whether your running a level 7 or 10 set-up, I recommend checking those sections first. Also check your on/off pin(non ULT shoud measure A.I.R./RT .750", RTP .765"). If after you have checked those areas and know everything is installed properly, continue reading. A bad bolt spring, sear, or trigger rod length(A.I.R./RTP 1.998" RT 1.945") can give you a massive leak down the front. There's also a two rare problems that can be wrong. If your running a level 10 set up, check your bolt bumper for wear, if the inner ring has begun to shred, pieces of it may be getting stuck in between the powertube and the bolt. The other problem may be a cracked powertube, if this is the case, you probably wont even be able to see the crack, but you will have to send the valve in to the factory to get it replaced(remember to call and get an RA number).

Marker Wont Cycle at All or Wont Cycle Reliably -
First things first, whether you are running  a level 7 or 10 set-up, check those sections first. Next step is to make sure you have a full tank , your velocity is turned up enough, and the marker is oiled. If it seems you cant get your velocity high enough, your reg spring pack may be shot or binding(try turning it up all the way and then turning it back out). Make sure your rail bushing is installed. If the trigger rod is pressurizing, check the rod for the proper 1/16" gap behind the trigger when the trigger is forward(and/or check for proper trigger rod length)(A.I.R./RTP 1.998" RT 1.945"). A simple mistake is a field strip screw that is too tight or too loose(especially if the valve is too reactive(RT/RTP/Xvalve) just past hand tight is fine).

As far as the rest of the back side of the valve, your reg valve pin's spring pack may be shot, or there may be debris inside the valve. To cover the on/off area, if your running a ULT(see ULT section) or not, check to see that your on/off pin is not bent, has any burrs, or is of improper length(non ULT should measure A.I.R./RT .750", RTP .765"). On the RT/RTP/Xvalve on/off, the inner assembly o'ring may have collected dirt, check it by unscrewing the the assembly apart. If you recently installed a new valve, on/off, or on/off pin,  your pin may be too long.

To check the front side of the valve, look for debris between the powertube and bolt. As far as the rest of the marker, if you have installed a new trigger frame, check that the grip screws are not touching the trigger rod when it moves. Make sure that the sear axle pin is not overly tightened. If you have installed a Dye trigger frame, now you know that they suck, get rid of it. I've personally seen markers that are so dirty between parts that they are out of tolerance, another point is that if you just had any of your marker parts painted, powdercoated, or bead blasted, you now know that it could also effect tolerance(if possible, remove the paint/powdercoating in between the frame/rail and between the rail/body. Aside from all this, you might have a bent rail or body(all it takes is a few thousands), send it to me or the factory to figure out.

Marker Chops or Breaks Too Much Paint -
If you are running a level 10 set up, see that section first. Another important section to look at is Nubbins and Ball Detents. Besides that, there are few things that would make you frequently chop or break paint. Make sure your not short stroking. If your not running a level 10 set-up, you might need a faster loader or to change the batteries out in your current loader. Finally, make sure your paint fits your barrel. If none of this does the job, you need to dish out a few more bucks on some quality paint, or try and buy fresher paint.

Marker is Erratic Over the Chronograph -
Good Normal readings are anywhere plus or minus 10fps over the chrono. If your getting a difference of over 100fps, check your detent(see Nubbins and Detents), if your severely spiking and using Co2(A.I.R. valve) then liquid is getting inside of your valve. If you think it might be the valve, first dry fire to make sure it's cycling properly. Check the valve for debris. Make sure it's oiled. If nothing helps replace your reg. seat. Something you have to realize when chorno'ing is that most velocity fluctuations are caused by a bad paint to barrel match or poor quality paint(expensive paint is expensive for a reason). When I personally use good fresh paint, I will get a +/-0 reading over the chronograph, as soon as I go cheap, I will see a difference of up to 15fps.

Misc -
1. A stuck barrel (twist-lock) -
If it's usually hard to get out, try loosening the allen screw under the twist-lock assembly, that will put less tension on the locking pin. The locking pin may be bent(get a new one) or the barrel may have developed a burr that needs to be removed.

Twist-Lock Assembly

2. Removing the trigger from the frame -
If you would like to remove the trigger from the frame to replace it with another, you will need a drift pin. Hit the trigger pin from the right side of the frame. When reinstalling a trigger, hit the pin from the left side.

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11. Aftermarket Parts
There are two different types of aftermarket parts, those that work and those that dont do anything or even hinder performance.

Barrels -
Like with any other marker a good barrel can go a long way, dont think it's the first upgrade you need though, the stock mag barrel is great.

Bodies -
To my knowledge there is only AGD bodies and the Zbody.(Since I dont believe you can purchase the micro mag bodies alone) I dont recommend the Zbody as it is a pain to get it to accept the level 10 and it's debatable whether it even works or not. If your looking for a custom body, AGD sales the Slug body which many people and companies have turned into some nice looking stuff. Look into it since it has the same inner dimensions as the AGD mag bodies, it will not cause tolerance issues.

Rails and Splash Kits -
There is the Omega rail that I've seen problems with. Eclipse and someone else used to make entire kits that worked ok and looked nice but good luck finding one. There are more rails out there but I have no hands on with them.

Valves and On/Off Assemblies -
All those "Quick Charger" and "8 hole mod" valves along with all the "reactor" and "mega-flow" on/off tops and assemblies dont do squat but waste your money.

Bolts -
Same deal, none of them do squat but the level 10 - If you dont have one, Get one.

Trigger Frames -
Aside from what is made by AGD, there is the Benchmark frame which works ok. There are the Dye and Powerlyte frames which are so out of tolerancethey are not covered under warranty - dont get them. There is a few more mechanical frames but I have no personal experience with them. As far as electronic frames there is two options, the Mako - Boo-yah frame and the CenterFlag - Hyperframe. Between the two, I'd prefer the Hyperframe. It has a small solenoid for the amount of force needed to run the mag or RT plus the dwell is very short so for the longest time, this frame gave a lot of trouble to mag users. Ever since the release of the ULT however, the hyperframe is very doable. Since the ULT reduces the amount of force needed to pull the trigger by just over 3x, the small solenoid now works a lot better. Plus, centerflag sales newer frames that have an adjustable dwell time(I believe they will upgrade your existing frame). One drawback is an unadjustable trigger, you can get a different microswitch installed by CenterFlag though.

Foregrips, Drops, and Regulators -
It's all personal preference but dont add any more Regs to your mag set-up.

Misc -
If you have a ULE body, that feedneck is Angel threaded, there are a bunch of different kinds out there so go ahead and get one if your unhappy with the stock one. I'd advise to only use AGD detents though.

As far as tourny locks go, I personally believe they are a thing of the past, I dont believe anyone enforces them and I dont see why they ever did. They were only for the A.I.R. valves, all other valves couldn't use them.

**When finding out about a part, be sure and specify if you need it for the Mag, RT or RTP.

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12. Upgrades

The Obvious -
The best upgrades you can get for any set-up is a good air system and a good barrel kit. If your in the market for an adjustable air tank, I personally recommend the AGD Flatline system. If your looking for a screw-in tank, I recommend a Crossfire tank. As far as barrel kits go, I love the Custom Products CP Pro Kit.

Trigger Frames and Bodies -
The Top of the line mechanical frames for mags are the Intelliframe and the Y-grip. Both have intellifeed abilities as well as a nice crisp pull, built by airgun for airgun. There is also the Z-grip which is no longer sold, there are a few floating around if you want one. The ULE(Ultra Light Engineering) bodies are also top of the line(54% lighter that the stainless bodies), available in 8 colors both in vertfeed and warpfeed. They are accept cocker threaded barrels, AGD/WDP threaded detents, and AGD/WDP threaded feednecks. Yes, they come with a detent and feedneck.

Bolt and Trigger Kits -
The only bolt kit worth getting is the level 10(see section Level 10). You should also look into the ULT trigger kit(see section ULE Trigger Kit)

Valves -
The Xvalve is the way to go, comes with level 10 installed and ULT ready.

RT Upgrade Program -
Turn your RT into an RTP so it can accept the latest upgrades, Click Here to find out how.

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13. Intelliframe to Revolution Hopper Link

Click Here. for the picture manual

Yes it's a good idea to intellifeed a Revy, they need all the help they can get.

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