New replica and other stuff

So I bought a new replica. Some time ago I wrote that I earned some extra money I wanted to spend on airsoft and decided to buy a sniper rifle. So I did, the replica arrived on monday.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

This is the package I bought for PLN 870, which is very close to $300. I got this Classic Army M24 with installed 300% spring tuning set (the original set was also included) and Systema hop-up bucking (the original was also included).

The replica came along with a very nice scope -- with variable zoom and illuminated (red and green) reticle.

The replica had no magazine, so I had to purchase it separately. I found those magazines in several shops, but with different prices -- from $12 to $17. Of course I bought in the cheapest shop. ;)

On last thursday I also got another package with three M24 magazines and BBs. I bought two packages (total 2,000 BBs) of 0,36g BBs and one of 0,25g BBs. I also bought two batteries for my dot sight.



I didn't test the M24 yet, because when I come home it's already after dusk and when I leave to work, it's also dark. I will see how it works on saturday. :)

Airsoft FPS

This is the ultimate guide to Airsoft FPS (muzzle velocity) issues.

What is the airsoft fps term?

The muzzle velocity, expressed in fps (feet per second) is the muzzle velocity of airsoft replicas. It is the speed that the BB has when it leaves the barrel of the airsoft gun.

Many people believe, the more fps an airsoft replica has, the better. To some extent it is true, but here are the bare facts.

The fps in airsoft means only that a certain BB will have a certain muzzle velocity. In most cases for most replicas it is measured for 0.2 g BB, but be sure to check it. If you find a suspiciously cheap replica with high fps, it probably means it was measured on 0.12 g BB and on 0.2 g BB would have less fps.

The fps also means that the BB fired from this replica will have a specific kinetic energy, calculated from the formula E=m*V²/2, where m is the mass of BB (0.2 g for example) and V is the fps. The more the energy of the BB, the longer range you can shoot. And the more pain you will cause when hitting someone.

fps vs range in airsoft

Yes, the bigger the fps for a replica, the longer it's range may be!

But the range is not determined only on the fps of an airsoft replica. The range is determined mostly by the hop-up system of the replica. This system rotates the BB so it will not fall on the ground after flying 20 meters.

A cheap replica may have large fps, but that does not necessarily means it has long range. It is not said it might be used as sniper rifle!

fps vs accuracy in airsoft

fps does not determine accuracy. Accuracy depends on the lenght of the barrel and the quality of the hop-up system. If you install tightbore (precise inner barrel) for your electric airsoft replica, it will slightly increase your fps (by 5-10 fps or so) but will surely increase the accuracy of your replica.

To be honest, the bigger the fps, the smaller the accuracy. Try using 0.12 g BBs in your AEG of 300 fps and you will see what I mean. To use this high muzzle velocity you need to use heavier BBs, for example the 0.2 g BBs are recommended only for replicas that have less than 300 fps! For 400 fps you should use 0.23-0.25 g BBs, for sniper rifles of 540-550 fps you should use 0.36-0.43 g BBs. Lighter BBs will be fired in random directions.

New airsoft stuff

I can't remember how many articles I wrote about stuff I bought. This is one of such articles. ;)

On november 10th when I shipped my mG36 for repairs, I received a package at my post office. The package was wrapped tight in a black foil, and consisted of two boxes.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

After everything was unpacked, it looked the following:



As you can see, I bought:

• a new carry handle with a picatinny rail for my mG36,
• a 9.6 volt 4,000 mAh NiMH large type battery, to fuel all my energy needs,
• a sophisticated battery charger, capable of charging and discharging airsoft batteries with a current of 500 or 1,000 mAh (good for large batteries, not so good for the smaller ones),
• the side rail for AK-47 sight mount.

mG36 operational again

Yesterday I received a package containing my mG36 replica. It was repaired, so it's probably fully operational. I will check it on weekend, 'cause when I arrive home after work it's already after dusk. :(

Full face airsoft protection for winter

Do you ever attend airsoft games in winter? Do you need your face to be fully protected, but don't want to buy ugly airsoft mask? If so, get a shemagh scarf, goggles and a helmet. And watch the following video.

$700 to spend on airsoft

I just earned PLN 2,000 -- $701 on one of my blogs. So I decided to buy some airsoft stuff for that money.

So... what to buy for less than $700? The more I save, the better, so I decided to spend no more than $500.

Of course my first thought was to buy a new airsoft replica. But which replica to buy? I went through the local airsoft shops and gathered ideas. I ruled out most of the replicas for the following reasons:

• I owned the Classic Army's M15A2 for some time, so I don't want to buy anything from the M15/M16/M4 family,
  
• I owned the ICS' MP5SD3 and have at the moment the MP5K PDW from Tokyo Marui, so I won't buy any MP5 either,
• I have AK47S from Cyma (CM028), so I don't want another Kalashnikov,
• I don't want any M249 minimi, 'cause I already have a support weapon - the mG36,
  
• I also don't want another AUG nor G36.

This left me with not many options to choose from!

After some time I had the following ideas:

• the UZI AEG from Tokyo Marui,
• the P90TR AEG from Tokyo Marui,
• the SIG 552,
• some sniper rifle,
• the G&G GR300L.

The UZI was one of the first AEG replicas I saw in my life. And now noone owns such a replica. This also means that it is difficult to buy any parts or accessories for it in Poland. We also have a gas powered Crossman mini-UZI, so I stopped to think about buying this replica.

The best thing in P90 is the way it looks. It looks like no other airsoft replica. It is a bullpup submachine gun, so it has a long barrel, yet it is very portable. It has three rails to install dot sight, a laser pointer and a flashlight. But I read an article about how the P90 does not work well in woodland games. I have a replica to use indoors, the MP5K, so I decided not to buy the P90.

The SIG 552 is a nice AEG. It has folded stock, and some rails for some equipment. It is also not popular. At the moment I couldn't buy this AEG in any of the local airsoft shops. :(

The GR300L is the only rifle of the M4 family I like. I had much fun time with the electronic version of this rifle in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Clear Sky. I also like the way it looks, but the replica is way too expensive for the money I wanted to spend.

This left me with only one option -- buying a sniper rifle.

The idea was the best of the all I had. I always wanted to have a rifle that has a very high muzzle velocity. I always wanted to shoot other players on the distance of over 200 feet. My first thought was to buy the Tanaka M700 or the cheap copy of this replica -- the KJW M700. Both are gas powered. Since they both have only 6 months warranty in the only polish shop I could buy them, I thought it was a bad idea. I wouldn't use the gas gun in winter, so the warranty was not enough... And then I read about Classic Army M24 and a cheap way to increase its muzzle velocity from 300 to 540 fps. And I decided to buy this rifle.

Later this afternoon I found a set of CA M24 with the 540 fps cylinder set installed, a bag, a sight but no magazine on the Allegro.pl (the polish alternative to eBay). The guy wanted to get at least $300 for this set, I would have to buy 3 magazines and a bag of heavy BBs (0.36 g) for extra $70. This would fit my budget well, so I made him an offer. The auction will last for 6 more days, I will write here if I managed to buy the rifle. :)

I sent the G36 back for repairs

I wrote how my mG36E was broken by the guys who were supposed to tune it. I sent it on monday, but the story needs some explanation.

I sent the photos I shown here. And the next day I was called by one of the ASGShop staff about the hop-up chamber. The guy asked me if I think the replica was sent in this condition. He told me that the replica was tested before it was put to the package, but since it was missing the flash hider, it was probably damaged on it's way to me. He told me he already spoke with his boss who told him to take the replica for free repairs.

I didn't much have time to send it, so it took awhile before I went to a local post office. I was also waiting for my new purchases -- the G36 carry handle with picatinny rail. I wanted to see how this handle looks on the replica. I waited till last friday and as the handle didn't arrive, decided to go to the post office on monday. I packed the G36 using a lot of bubble wrap and cardboard:

From Airsoft from Poland photos

So I sent it, insured the package to the amount of $600 and paid for the shipping over $15. :(

By the way, at the post office, I received the package with the handle. :( I will write something more about the stuff I ordered tomorrow. Subscribe to RSS feed to know more. ;)

The work on Cyma AK47

I promised to write more about the work I did on my Cyma AK47S (CM.028) yesterday. So here it goes.

The goal was to:

• put new Systema tightbore,
• install metal body from Cyma,
• install side rail (from Cyma) for side lock mount rail.

I started with the metal body -- I wanted to drill three holes for the side rail. I attached the rail to the body with plastic straps (I have no idea what is the proper word to use), as shown below.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

I soon started drilling holes -- I just marked it using my drill.



And then I removed the rail to finish the drilling.





When the holes were made, I bolted the rail.



And then I attached the mount rail.



Then I removed the entire mechbox and all the other parts from the old plastic body. I had some help from this very good video of AK47 disassembly.



At this moment I wanted to remove the barrel and install the tightbore. I followed this video but it was incompatible...

I was very surprised to see that the original barrel in Cyma CM.028 did not have the notches and hole that are used to install the hop-up bucking, as you can see on the video. It was just put inside the hop-up chamber, along with the hop-up bucking! So I didn't install the tightbore. :(

I also had a lot of trouble with installing the mount for stock on the new body. One of the parts didn't fit inside the body. This is the troublesome part. I don't have any file at home so it required some work to make it fit. :(



I finally put everything together. I tested the replica today -- it does work, but I want to change this barrel anyway.

Late night work on my Cyma AK47

Short post this time, 'cause it's nearly midnight in Poland and after 3 hours of struggling I finally managed to put together my Cyma AK47 replica.

I wanted to:

• install metal body,
• install systema precise inner barrel (as I learnt yesterday, it's called tightbore),
• install side mount for side lock mount rail.

I managed to do the first and the third. More details tomorrow. Subscribe to the RSS feed if you want to know when those details are published.

Cool deathmatch yesterday

So yesterday there was a cool airsoft game. Cool and very short, and very small. That's because there was only four airsoft players, including me. ;)

We played only one round, in not-so-good-old deathmatch style. I love to play deathmatch in Quake ][ or Quake ]|[, 'cause one doesn't get tired when running in an computer FPP game. You do become tired when you run around during an airsoft game. This is the same reason for which I don't like playing airsoft capture the flags either.

The rules were simple -- each of us goes to the different corner of the site and we all have on respawn.

I started in the farthest location. I didn't hear the "go" shout, but I realised the game is commencing when I heard first AEG bursts. Soon after that I saw the first enemy. He was crouching on a nearby hill and didn't look in my direction. Soon he had to use his first respawn.

I camped in this place for a while. Some time later I heard that one of the other players is permanently dead. I sat in the same spot for couple more minutes and then I decided to move. I heard shots on the other side of small valley, but I didn't want to cross it. I decided to go around the valley. When I came from the farther end of the valley I saw one of the enemies (the one I shot at the beginning of the game). I came further, slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible, which was difficult when the groud was covered with stick, brushes and leaves. I wanted to approach the guy so close, I wouldn't miss. When I thought I was close enough, I shot him with a short burst. Too short burst. :( He wasn't shot (well... at least he didn't say he was) and escaped. Soon after that the other remaining player gave up as he used all his ammo.

My target moved. I spent some time looking around but didn't see him. I fired some BBs into some dark space with one light stripe -- I though the dark space was his uniform and the light stripe was the white half of polish flag he has on his sleeve. I was wrong and I revealed where I was. Soon he started to fire at me, but I was lucky enough to avoid being shot. So then I knew my target was again on the other side of the small valley. And once again I moved around it to get my guy.

I got him in a very simillar way as previously. I saw him, he didn't see me, I shot him, I didn't miss.

I never expected to be the winner of this game, but I was. :)

Short night game last sunday

On last sunday I took Ania to Warsaw for a short night airsoft game. It was supposed to start around 5 PM -- this time of year it is already after nightfall. We went to Fort Piłsudskiego -- one on many old military forts in Warsaw. We played for about two hours and I had lots of fun.

I never liked playing airsoft at night. It started when we played in Halinka some four or five years ago. I got shot by Mamut with his pump action shotgun -- the benelli m3 super 90. Two of three BBs hit me in the ear while the third hit me somewhere else in the head. I didn't like the night games because I felt very vulnerable -- I don't have any tactical flashlight on my replicas, so I can rely only on the natural light...

But last week I had fun. :) There was only eight of us but it was more than enough.

I took the AUG and AK47S with me for this game. At first I though I'd use AUG, but I felt like it was too powerful for playing at night. So I decided to use the AK47S instead and it was a good choice.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

The game was very slow. All night games are slow. You move slowly, because you aren't sure what are you walking onto. You try to move quietly, because the sound is what will tell where you are. So the best way to score some points at night game is to hide somewhere and wait for someone to come.

I camped this way a couple times. With success. :)

At first I hid behind a large tree on some small hill (around 1 meter / 3 ft high), in some bushes. When the opposite team killed three of my teammates I was left alone. They thought they killed everyone else and walked less than 10 metres from me to the point where all the killed gathered. When they were told I was still alive, they walked near me again and then I started to spray BBs. I killed one or two of them and received a hit by myself. It is not easy to aim at night... ;p

The second time was when I crouched in one place for some 5 minutes. I saw a guy walking in my direction but wasn't sure if he's in my team. When we saw each other I asked him if he's my mate or enemey -- and then he started to shoot his cheap AEP (Glock 17 by Double Eagle, I guess). At the same instant I shot him back and I decided we should both be considered shot, though I did't feel or hear his BBs on my parka.

The third time was the most interesting. This time the idea was similar -- to crouch in one place for some time and to wait what will happen. I saw one guy from the opposite team, he walked in my direction. I aimed at him to shoot whenever I feel threatened. He stopped for a moment and fired a short burst very close to me (I talked to him couple minutes later, he told me he fired at some point near me, because he heard some noise). I was scared, but didn't pull the trigger. He started walking again, walked by me and then I shot him in the back. ;)



We also had some fun with using an old refrigerator as a shield. On this photo you can see Indianin with his AK47, hidden in the refrigerator. :)