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.

Guys from ASGShop.pl broke my mG36's hopup chamber

Last saturday I wrote a post on how my mG36 got home from tuning and repairs in ASGShop.pl broken. Now it is a good time to add some more details to the story.

On 18th, right after I posted an article, I mailed the guys from ASGShop to tell them the replica doesn't work.

Yesterday (on 23rd) I mailed them once again, as I didn't get any answer. Couple hours later I got a reply that my e-mail was forwarded to the guy who worked on my replica.

The guy called me today around 11 AM on my cellphone but I had another phonecall at work, so I didn't answer. I tried to call him back in a couple of minutes, but the phone was not answered (the message on their answering machine says the phone support works from noon). He eventually called me three hours later.

I told him that the I found one piece of hop-up / barrel assembly (the spacer I mentioned on the earlier post) lying somewhere in the box that held the replica. We discussed for a moment and he said that it is not possible that this part disconnected itself somehow while the package was being moved. He told me that if I feel like I may try to take a look at the hop-up assembly and fix it by myself. As all I want is to have my replica firing as soon as possible, I agreed. I am familiar with this mechanism as I tried to replace the inner barrel by myself.

So I came home and started working on the mG36. The first step was to remove the magazine nest (sorry -- don't know if this is the right word, I mean the part you put magazine in) and what I saw told me something is very wrong with the hop-up chamber. I saw this:

From Airsoft from Poland photos

On the photo above you can clearly see that there's a broken hop-up chamber and that the hop-up bucking (rubber) is broken as well. You may also see that the spacer I mentioned earlied is gone (no big mistery here -- I found it in the cardboard box). So I disassemblied it a bit more to remove the barrel and hop-up chamber.



You can see that the rubber is also damaged. The moving nozzle made a small cut on the lower part of the rubber. You can also see what happened to the hop-up chamber.

But the latest discovery was worst. Not that I did't expect it, though...



This is the part of the hop-up assembly where the spacer is supposed to go. On the original G36 barrels there are two notches that hold the spacer in place. You can see it perfectly on the photos here (a guide to G36 hop-up disassembly). The fourth photo shows the spacer (pointed with the red arrow). On the 8th and 9th photos you can see the notches on the inner barrel.

Why am I shocked? I tried to replace the barrel in my mG36 some time ago. I bought some long barrel that didn't fit because of those notches. And being aware of that (and since the precise barrel for G36 was not available at ASGShop.pl at the time I sent them my replica for tuning) I told them to install any precise barrel that will fit. Well... seems the guys decided that the barrel without notches is as good as the original. But they were wrong. I thought of this last week -- this is why I wasn't surprised. :(

I don't care! I am going to send them the replica tomorrow and phone them on monday (will probably e-mail them some of the photos as well). I suspect they will repair it as a part of their warranty, 'cause they have simply no other choice.

But I am going to write this whole story down on the biggest polish airsoft community's bulletin board. I would let one mistake go, but two mistakes are too much!

mG36 at home, but broken

Recently, when I used the phrase "my favorite ASG shop" I meant the asgshop.pl. It changes today! They aren't my favorite airsoft reseller anymore, 'cause they screwed up my replicas twice. The AUG was first (the guy who repaired the replica didn't replace the broken engine) and now the G36 is broken...

And what's the most hilarious in this whole story? I think I know what is the problem as I almost forseen it...

Two years ago I tried to replace the inner barrel for my G36. At that moment it was difficult to purchase a proper barrel since it wasn't available at any of local airsoft shops. So I bought some 509mm-long barrel for AUG and M15s. But I couldn't install it, as it had notches in wrong places. The notches are used to hold the barrel to the hop-up chamber.

When I unpacked the replica from the box, I found a small piece of hop-up assembly. This part - spacer - stopped me from installing the barrel when I tried it. On this photo you can see when this spacer goes on the barrel, it is the place where the notches are. I the notches are somewhere else, you can't install the spacer. And the spacer is very important as it: holds the barrel from sliping out of the hop-up chamber and holds the hop-up adjusting wheel from moving to the front.

Okay, so I took the mG36, plugged charged battery and then tried to fire the replica. It made some noise, as the gearbox worked. But the BB wasn't shot. The BB wasn't fed to the hop-up chamber and wasn't shot. I rotated the replica upside down to make sure there is no trouble with the high capacity magazine. Nothing changed. So I thought maybe the hop-up is set on high BBs turning and then I turned the adjusting wheel to the other side. Nothing changed, but the adjusting wheel moved a bit to the front of the replica.

As the mG36 doesn't work, it's going back to asgshop.pl for further repairs.