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It's not easy to find a Picatinny weaver mount adapter for the Contour series of bulletcams. Both Contour and Strikemark have ran out of stock of their $30 mounts during 2014. The only one we can find is the "Contour 3900 Picatinny Mount" for $67 on Amazon (see "Related Links" below). But Airsoft3D is changing the playing field. Utilizing the latest 3D printing technology, Airsoft3D has introduced the "Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount", which anybody can acquire for about $18.24 a piece (see "Related Links" below). That is three times less than the cost of a "Contour 3900 Picatinny Mount". It is very cool that 3D printing technology allows anyone to build a part for a need at a fraction of the price.
We have ordered this Contour Picatinny mount adapter that is made out of white plastic with raw finish. The cost is $18.24 with $6.50 shipping. The total came out to be $24.74. The ordering process is as easy as ordering on other online retailers, such as Amazon. The part has arrived and we are quite impressed with it. In this article, we will provide a thorough review of it.
The 3D printing for Airsoft3D is actually Sculpteo. After Scultpeo shipped out our order, we realize that they are based in France (from tracking information). But there is no problem shipping to the United States. In fact, it has flown on UPS plane and arrived state-side the next day. It has taken a few more days going through UPS' hubs, before arriving at our door.
The package came inside a brown UPS bag. It was a plain cardboard box with popcorn filler surrounding this Contour Picatinny Mount. The mount adapter was inside a clear ziplock bag (see photo above). That was a lot of protection for a small plastic part. But we were grateful it came in perfect shape.
You can be sure that this Contour Picatinny mount adapter will work with future Contour Action Cameras that has the same mounting system as the ones used in the list above.
This purchase is the first time we tried 3D printing object. So we had no idea what the adapter will be like. When we finally had it in our hands, we were surprised how strong it feels. It actually feels stronger than ABS plastic with hardly any flex at all.
The raw white plastic texture feels like the same texture on a sugar cube, except it is extremely hard and doesn't crumble like a sugar cube. We have used our fingernails on it, it acts very similarly to plastic. We learned later that it is made out of nylon polymer, which many high-end airsoft guns are made out of.
The quality seems excellent. Keep in mind that we ordered the white plastic version that has raw texture. You can order this mount adapter in different colors with different material. We personally rather paint it ourselves to match the gun color or the camouflage we wear.
On one side of the Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount is the MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny weaver adapter. It slides onto Picatinny rails quite easily. On some Picatinny rails it's quite loose, while it is just right on other Picatinny rails. It seems that enough tolerance has been added for the adapter to work on most Picatinny rails. In fact, we think the tolerance is added so that you can paint the part to whatever color you like--black, tan, or green. The paint would add a thickness that this tolerance allows for.
Once this Contour Picatinny mount is on the rail, you fasten it down with M5x25mm screw and nut. The M5x25mm screw and nut is not included. You'll need these to secure the Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount onto your gun. They are easily obtainable from your local hardware store (e.g. Home Depot, Lowes, etc.).
I brought the Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount to my workspace (my garage) and dug through my spare screw and nut bin. In less than a minute, I found the perfect screw and nut for it (see photo below). The screw and nut happened to be black, which matched the color I'm going to paint the adapter. As you can see in the photo below, the nut was a perfect fit.
I have found out later that the bolt and nut is a #10-32x1.25" screw and #10-32 nut, when I have purchased a few replacements later. That's a pretty standard screw and nut at the local hardware store. It is also rather easy to paint the screw and nut with black spray paint.
Once the bolt and nut is fastened onto the Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount, it fastened to several Picatinny rails, we tried, very securely. In fact, it provides a hold onto the Contour ROAM more tightly, which we will detail in the next section.
On the other side of the Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount is the proprietary Contour adapter. It slides onto the Contour camcorder with a slight resistance. While the Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount is off the Picatinny rail, the Contour cam is rather loose on the adapter. However, once the adapter is screwed down onto the Picatinny rail, its slight bowing effect causes the adapter to lock onto the Contour video camera tightly.
In extreme sport situations, there is still a possibility that the camera may slide off the adapter with an extremely violent jerk. It's best to tether the Contour camera with its built-in tethering slot, or tape the camera (with medical or hockey tape) onto the adapter and the firearm. Thus, ensuring you won't loose the camera in an extreme situation.
There is an additional plus to the Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount. Once attached, it works as a stand to keep the Contour ROAM upright (see photo above). You can get two of these adapters to make the ContourROAM stand on its own.
Painting the Contour Video Camera Picatinny Weaver Mount is a piece of cake. I have some flat black spray paint in my workshop. Most airsoft guns are black. So that's the perfect combination.
The spray paint went on to the raw texture easily with no sanding at all. The photo above shows the final result with the black nut and bolt.
As you can see in the photo above, once the adapter is painted to the same color as the gun and the Contour video camera, it stays low profile. You can hardly see it.
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