The stuff from Evike's here!

And to be honest I must say that it was delivered to my apartment much earlier than I expected -- a delivery guy gave it to my wife on 20th of october, only 6 days after it was shipped.

Though the shipping costs were rather high ($48,50, via USPS' Express Mail), I will probably buy there more stuff in near future. ;)

Read the rest of the "The stuff from Evike's here!" article.

I ordered some stuff from Evike

A week ago I ordered some airsoft stuff from Airsoftpost.com -- the online shop, division of Evike.com.

Nothing fancy, just some cool additions for my MP5K. I will post here more info when the package arrives. I hoped that it'll be shipped via UPS, but instead it was shipped by USPS. :(

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. :)

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.

$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. ;)

high muzzle velocities of cheap AEG

Did you ever wonder why cheap AEGs from China (Cyma, Both Elephant, Jin Gong, Galaxy) have higher muzzle velocities than AEGs from Japan or Taiwan (Tokyo Marui, Classic Army, G&G, G&P)?

For example, new Cyma's AK47 has muzzle velocity of 410-430 fps (the one I own has 290 fps) and costs at WGC Shop $138 while Tokyo Marui's AK47 has only around 270 fps and costs $287 (price for AEG with battery and charger, to be comparable with Cyma's replica). You can easily see that the TM is twice as expensive as the chinese Cyma.

Many people in Poland buy those replicas because they think they'll get good replica cheap. They think that the more fps the better replica. Well... they are wrong...

What does the high muzzle velocity mean? Nothing except that the BB leaves the barrel with high velocity. It doesn't imply the replica has high range. It doesn't mean it has good accurasy, either!

What determines the range and accuracy? Inner barrel and hop-up. If the inner barrel is precise and made well, all the BBs will be fired in exactly the same direction. What happens after they're shot depends on the quality of the hop-up, especially the hop-up bucking (rubber). If the hop-up rotates each BB the same way, they all have the same trajectory. The better hop-up action, the longer range and the steadier trajectory.

One of my favorite replicas is the MP5K PDW that has less than 260 fps but is really accurate, despite it's short barrel.

So why the chinese replicas are made to have so much fps? Because this is the only thing that is easily comparable between replicas. You can measure the muzzle velocity easily, but you can't measure and compare the range and accuracy of different replicas! And it's easier to put stronger power spring than to make entire mechanism more precise and airtight.

I am in some kind of airsoft article frenzy -- expect more articles to be posted this week. I strongly suggest subscribing to my RSS feed on the upper left corner of the blog.

Carry handles for G36

If you compared different versions of G36 airsoft replicas (the G36, G36K (Kurz -- short) and G36C (Compact), you probably noticed the different carry handles.

G36 and G36K have a carry handle with 3.5x scope, similar to the one that is fitted on real-steel G36E (Export) version.


From WGC Shop

G36C has lower handle with Picatinny rail (more a rail than a carry handle).


From WGC Shop

But there are also other carry handles on the market. First there's a handle that is closest to the real-steel version, with 3.5x scope and reflex red dot sight.


Also from WGC Shop

And there's a cheap alternative of the carry handle above and something I always wanted...


From taiwangun

I just bought the latter, no matter that my mG36 is broken and is going to be sent for repairs.

I am going to use this railed handle with red dot sight I bought some time ago for my MP5K.

the mG36 tuning to be made

Couple months ago I sent my Classic Army AUG replica to my favorite ASG Shop for repairs and small tuning.

Tomorrow I am sending them my mG36 for servicing and tuning.

I want them to see if there's anything wrong with the replica, because I think it has too low range. Maybe I broke something when I tried to replace the inner barrel. I thought about it in january and wrote two articles on how I tried to fix it.

Aside from the servicing, I will also ask the guys from my favorite shop to:

• install new sealed air nozzle (I have one already in my parents' place, so I won't be able to send it with the replica tomorrow),
  
• put any precise inner barrel,
  
• change the electrical wires to some high grade silicone wires and put them to the back of the gearbox and in the stock where the battery is located.

The changes should increase the muzzle velocity a little and increase the accuracy. They should also increase the rate of fire as the resistance of the wires should be decreased.

Maybe I'll ask the guys to install some stronger spring, but I'm not sure yet.

Spring airsoft rifle

When we started playing airsoft with cheap spring pistol replicas (for PLN 20-50 each, which is equivalent to $7.5-18.7), we dreamed of something much more powerful, with much better range. The pistols we had used 0.12 g BBs (the lightest there are) and had range of (I guess) 20 meters (60 feet).

When one of us bought his spring SMG replica (I guess it was Scorpion for PLN 150 -- $56), his team was always overbalanced. But we all dreamt of something much more powerful -- spring airsoft rifle!

From Airsoft from Poland photos

The photo above shows my airsoft team (Shamo Warsaw ASG Team), at some very early stage. At that moment we had only spring or gas guns. On the photo you can see a Super 9 spring sniper rifle and two M16s spring airsoft rifles. We had also two spring shotguns, one spring SMG (the Scorpion mentioned above) and 2 gas handguns.
In my team’s first advertisement you can also see a lot of spring airsoft rifles. But are they worth any money? Before we answer this question, another needs to be asked: why do you consider buying an airsoft spring rifle?

If you just want to buy anything with better range than your spring pistol, the airsoft spring rifle is a poor choice. You can buy a good spring airsoft rifle from Tokyo Marui for $85 (a M16 for example), but for the same amount of money you can get some cheap airsoft electric gun, like AK-47 from Cyma (CM028). It has similar range (if not better!), full-auto option, larger magazine capacity (hi-cap in box), battery and a charger. You may also buy a gas pistol, like (for example):

• KJW’s Beretta M9 full metal replica with adjustable hop-up,


• two very good KJW’s MK1 (ruger) pistols with great range and muzzle velocity of 380 fps!

Each of the examples above can serve you for couple of years, if you take good care of it. If you decide to buy something more sophisticated later, such replica may be used as sidearm or simply a backup gun.

If you want to buy spring airsoft rifle because you want a replica of bolt action rifle, a spring one (like Tokyo Marui’s VSR-10) is a good choice. It’s less expensive that such rifle but gas powered (like Tanaka’s M700 rifle). It works just like the original (you pull the lever, you fire, no full-auto needed). It can be tuned, if you decide later, that you need something more powerfull but don’t want to buy another replica.

The stuff is on its way

The stuff I mentioned two weeks ago was already bought by a friend of mine. I am going to get it tomorrow. I hope I'll find some time this week for a short airsoft game. ;)

While scrolling through RedWolf Airsoft I found two interesting things.

The first is the G36 carry handle with scope and top rail. The rail is great if you want to install some dot sight. Since I do want to use my dot sight for this replica, I'll probably buy it in future.

The other thing is a very cool custom airsoft gun built on G36 base. You can check it out here. It's a G36 with G36C front grip (large, to fit large battery), bipod, box magazine and very long barrel. The barrel is as long as it's in the G36, but since the front grip is of G36C type, the barrel looks longer.

Airsoft hunger

Long time, no airsoft game. Nothing new, my engagement in airsoft games changes frequently. There are times when I play more than one game in a week and times when I can't find couple of hours to go and shoot somebody on saturday or sunday.

At this moment, my friends from Shamo Warsaw ASG Team play airsoft two times weekly. On thurday afternoons/evening and on weekends. Since I live 40 km away from Warsaw, I am not willing to go so far to play airsoft. But I work in Warsaw so thursdays would be a good time to play some airsoft. Unfortunatelly on this thursday I am going to meet my mechanic to work on my camper.

I also plan a small airsoft purchases:

• metal body for my AK-47S (only $46),
• large replica case/bag,
• AK scope mount.

I want to invest some money in the AK-47S since it's been forgotten until now. I only bought one extra magazine (mid-cap if I recall correctly). I will perform some junk tuning on this replica later on. I bought a precise barrel some time ago, it'd be a waste of money if it was only going to lie on some shelf.

My latest purchases

Do you remember that I wrote how I got my 9,6 V large battery burnt? Because of that I needed to buy some connector plugs to repair the one on the battery and one in the AUG (I tried to pull the wires with those metal connectors from the plastic casing, pulled one successfully, but the second connector remained in the casing while I managed to pull the wire itself, so I had to cut the casing to remove the connector and attach it to the wire again). I also needed to attach standard large connector plugs to two cables I made for using large batteries in mG36 and AUG some time ago. When I needed those cables I didn't have the connector plugs so I made connectors from old computer connector plug. It worked fine, but there was always a question: which one is red, which one is black. You don't need to know that when using standard plug. :) So I needed those connectors...

I thought that paying PLN 12 ($5) for shipping the package when I only ordered those plugs for PLN 32 ($13.3) (I ordered 8 plugs total, to have one spare plug of each type) is stupid. So I ordered:

• 0,25 g BBs (Blaster),
  
• G&P goggles,
  
• Guarder battery pack,
  
• 3 point sling (olive drab), all-purpose, suitable for most replicas.

Here's a photo of all this stuff.

From Airsoft from ...

New airsoft purchases

Yesterday I bought online two new airsoft replicas, one for me, one for my girlfriend. I won't explain you what I ordered yet, until I have them at home and use them for first time. I want to surprise my airsoft friend. ;]

Parts to my mG36 are now being shipped

On saturday I ordered in Machinegun.pl ASG shop parts for converting my G36 into mG36. First of all I need to explain why mG36. About MG36 I wrote couple of days ago (cheap alternative to M249 machine gun). And mG36 is a...cheap alternative to MG36.

The bipod I already got, since it was attached to my gun when I bought it. I just needed a large magazine (drum magazine would be best) and a large battery to power the gun. Since I couldn't afford the drum (to be honest I shouldn't buy any airsoft stuff until I buy the VW T3 :( ), I chose to buy second hicap magazine. This would give me almost 1 000 BBs in magazines. And since the magazines will hold not 2 500 BBs but less than 1 000, the M in MG36 is not capital. ;)

So I ordered one hicap, one large battery, two battery connectors (I need to prepare a wire so I can attach the battery to the stock and power the gun from there) and a nozzle with seal. I want to install the CA 170% power spring to my G36 so there will be a chance to install the nozzle and get another 5 or so fps. :)

G36 @ home

Yesterday a courier brought me mine G36, which I bought on Allegro -- the polish response to EBay. It costed me less than $400 and I am very glad that I bought it -- it came with bipod (front grip with bipod), one high capacity magazine, two 8,4V 600mAh batteries and a charger.

I was a bit worried since the package was sent as priority and priorities are said to be delivered the next day after sending. And I had to wait 6 long days. In current circumstances I'd prefer it to be lost on the way here and to get the money back instead of the replica -- I want T3 more than G36. :)

The gun works well (I tested it today) and I am sure that I'll be glad that I have it. But T3 is now $400 more distant.

[added much later]

From Airsoft from ...

This photo was taken few months later than the date of this post, but I put it here to show how the replica looked when I got my hands on it.

the MP5K PDW at home :D

Today I went to work on 9.AM. At noon I called guys from Machinegun.pl (the internet airsoft shop I mentioned here), they gave me the directions to the place where we could meet. I went there, paid them, got the replica and went back to work.

Now my new, prescious, submachinegun lies next to me, on my desk. I like the replica very much, it looks awesome, though it has plastic, not metal body. I thought it's smaller and I can fit it easily under my jacket, but was wrong. It fits there, but the jacket looks weird then.

I must say that Tokyo Marui did a very fine job making this MP5K PDW. Tomorrow I'll test it in our 'christmas' asg game (actually it'll be in just 9:30 hours from now). And on sunday we are going to shoot at my favorite place -- one of old buildings of Ursus tractor factory. :)

The proud, but not happy, owner of 3 AEG replicas...

Today I went to a bank to cash my cheque from AdSense. I took also money from my bank accounts. I went home and ordered the desired MP5K PDW replica by Tokyo Marui. I phoned the guys from the internet shop, I'll meet them tomorrow and get the gun.

Yesterday started an auction on which I want to sell my M15A2 Classic Army replica. I want to sell it and buy G36 (CA) instead. Or some sniper rifle, I didn't decide yet. I paid for the entire set (replica, mount, second magazine, scope) a bit less than 300$, I want to sell it for about 400$. That's the starting price I set. If noone will want to buy it, I will then put it on an auction starting from 370$, 350$ and so on... So it will probably take time to sell this gun.

And half an hour ago a friend of mine called me on instant messenger to announce me that his colleague will not buy my old MP5 SD3 (ICS) replika. The guy has my gun, has paid me 30$ (I wanted 250$ total) and now says that he doesn't want the gun. But he's so generous not to want the 30$ back.

So on saturday I will probably have three replicas. On saturday I'll meet with that friend, he'll give me back my MP5 SD3. He said that he'll think about buying that gun from me, I guess he feels a bit guilty because of all this. I hope that he'll decide to buy it. ;)

So I might say that I'm now an owner of three aisoft electric replicas. Proud, because I never thought that I'll be able to have more than one AEG and one gas pistol. Not happy, because I'd prefer to have money instead of the second MP5. And want to change that M15 for a G36.