RostokMcSpoons

Thanks Dan. Idiot does idiot things, will try to learn lesson 😋. Compared to the o-ring I replaced it with, it looked like it had gone on a diet, but the total diameter of the whole thing was perhaps slightly bigger. Maybe it was just really needing that grease, but if acetone hurts the o-ring them it's for the best I've replaced it (unless it turns out to be too chunky!) I'm a bit concerned that given a lack of obvious things-gone-wrong, that I've not fixed my gun, and a new control unit will be required. Anyone know where I can source one?

Right so I've taken my beloved apart and cracked open the gearbox. I've opened up the control unit, all the sensors looked clean, and the wiring intact. The gearbox itself has more grease than I expected so a lot of the stuff has the usual black gunk coating it. This is where I might have made a mistake. The only stuff I had to hand for cleaning was acetone, and I used some on the o-ring on the piston head When I put it back in the cylinder to check compression, I was rather aghast to find there wasn't any! Now without any grease on it I wasn't expecting much, but did the acetone shrink it??? Anyway I put in a spare o-ring, added a bit of grease, and the compression was perfecto. I've cleaned off the gunk on the piston and tappet plate, and added some fresh grease. Before I put more of it together, is there anything else I should check?

Congrats on your new gat, and welcome to the Gas Blow Back Flexors Club. You'll find your smoking jacket and glass of fine brandy or champagne will be provided by Jeeves very shortly 🥂

My first two airsoft guns lived in the loft for several years, and still functioned much as I'd left them when I un-retired them. And I did sod-all to prep them for storage. So if you're prepared to crack open gearboxes and re-lube stuff at some point in the not-so-distant future, I reckon you'll be fine. But maybe someone who's had other / more experience can chip in :]

If you want to try a fairly simple, compact woodland site, and can jump on a train to Milton Keynes from Euston, then I could give you a lift to and from the station to Special Ops. https://www.specialopshq.co.uk/

My green QD suppressor has been my preferred thing to run on my VFC HK416 for a while, but I've had a few rounds pinging out of it at odd angles. So what's a man to do but spend some money on an alternative (that might be even worse!) Yup, I bought a barrel extension, and although I've not test-fired to see if it's going to interfere with the BBs, it sure looks bad-ass to my eyes £15 inc p&p from eBay (It's Bullseye Country Sports' ebay shop)

Yup, cheers mate, a nerd-fest would be good! I'd love to compare the range I get with my stock barrel + stock hop unit + Omega nub + Macaron 50deg bucking, to see if I could justify paying for the same upgrades. The XT 22 TPA motor is still in my AK2M4 shopping basket! But in the meantime - good advice... yes I'm thinking the optical sensor is dirty and it can't detect the braking point properly any more. At least, that's what I'm hoping it is - better than a failing Falcon unit?

A bit concerning, my beloved "ever-reliable" gat has decided to go a bit "un-reliable" It's currently got a Vapextech 7.4v battery plugged in, but I've tried with alternative 7.4v and an 11.1v. I've also swapped out that high-speed + high torque Classic Army 31k motor back to the original grey lump. The symptoms remain the same: Plug in the battery. 1 vibration (good! gun is ready) Fire a few shots on semi. Can be fine. And then it'll either over-run and fire a couple, or it won't fire. I'll get two beeps (System code: "Module stuck") Fire a few shots on full auto and it'll typically fire 3 rounds before stopping and doing the two beeps. Resetting the trigger and trying again after a couple of seconds always results in a successful shot, so it's not completely buggered. But it's very far from full health too. The only previous problem I've had with the gun was with the battery connector extension lead getting loose - but it's not that as I got the 1 vibration when I jiggled the lead and it reconnected. Now it's well taped together, and the single vibration doesn't happen - just the double error code beeps. Having just painted it, I wonder if paint could've crept in somewhere it shouldn't. When the gun doesn't fire it sounds like the spring moves under power, perhaps going to no tension, or full tension. Next trigger pull makes it fire. Any ideas? Does the poor thing need pulling apart for it's first ever service? Or has the motor getting hot been a symptom or cause of a MOSFET problem?

Decided to paint a suppressor and my spare Eotech to match the new colour scheme on the DE. The khaki looks a bit duller - maybe I didn't "rattle" enough? Or maybe I just did too thin a coat. Ahhhh, it's good enough

And perhaps add one of these to go on it https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/vortex-crossfire-red-dot-sight That's a great option, with a lifetime replace-for-any-breakage warranty, that'll go with any gun. (but it has to be said that Eotech clones look particularly good on 416's. So maybe a Holy Warrior instead)

Most gats will lift 0.28s with the simple addition of a replacement hop rubber (typically Maple Leaf), and a replacement nub (typically an Omega). My DE with those lifts 0.32s and pushed them out to nice ranges (over 50m)

You don't have to spend £500 to get the good results though. Think positively. With money left in the bank you can buy some Gucci quality webbing, or fancy optics, or .... MOAR GUNZ

Bought mine from the classifieds here. And my throw lever is one of those Coaster zip tie things. There's a thread on here somewhere... Edit: link to my original post about it

I nearly got hit by a very close range ricochet in the safe zone at Spec Ops, an incident I mentioned a while ago. Happy to say that Carlos now shouts very loudly at anyone who dry-fires in the safe zone. But with the number of rentals fiddling with their triggers, and people on the wrong place on the good ol' Dunning-Kruger graph still thinking 'no mag = safe' then things will still go wrong and I feel better when I have some eye pro on. I have a pair of Bolle glasses which I now use for the chrono / range test, and they often stay on at other times too, if the kiddies are getting a bit hyperactive. And hey, nobody's perfect + "shit happens". Even safe, sensible people can make a mistake or slip or do something momentarily idiotic. I managed to shoot someone (out in the game zone) in the "Gentlemen's Particulars" from about a foot away because I hadn't cleared my pistol properly and managed to pull the trigger when it wasn't pointed safely. (Honestly, I was still aiming for the ground... but missed!) Poor bugger was in a lot of pain, and I'm grateful he forgave me, rather than punching me straight in the chops. I'm not saying I'm necessarily "safe and sensible", maybe I'm an idiot , but I have spent an lot of time around various firearms so I'm supposedly well trained. But that one time I messed up and I still burn with a sense of shame over it. All in all, I'd be happy to use a barrel sock in the safe zone (and indeed between the safe zone and the game area)

As I mentioned previously I've really liked the Halfords paint, and I'm very impressed with the level of finish that can be achieved, even in the hands of an unskilled user (i.e. me) So may I commend to the house my full and unwavering support to the motion that we should take up our paint delivery devices, and make our RIFs interesting.

Metal handguard version still available for £189 from our favourite retailer https://bbguns4less.co.uk/products/double-eagle-m906c-ar15-rifle-with-falcon-system-in-black.html Or the longer version with the better crane stock fitted... £229 https://bbguns4less.co.uk/products/double-eagle-m908a-ar15-rifle-with-falcon-system-in-black.html Patrolbase have the polymer gat in stock for a sensible £160 again https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/double-eagle-m904g-honey-badger-w-fire-control-system-edition?pv=13200

Here are a couple of pics... I did try mixing up a bit of black coffee and and sponging that on first, but that didn't really have any effect, so went for the paint instead. The effect is 'grittier' than just toning down the contrast of the colours, but actually it does give it more of that 'just been dragged through the battlefield' look that feels appropriate, IMO.

Thanks @Leo Greer that's a very useful review of the Novris and Krytacs. Probably better off with the Specna over either of them then?

I prefer the look of the H21 with the longer barrel, but of course a £15 outer barrel extension will give you that if you want it (I'm buying one for my VFC HK416A5)

I decided I had to do something during the half time of the world cup final, so went out and dusted the gun with brown and black, and also used a bit of sponge... It's toned the thing down and looks pretty good now I think. I'll post some pics shortly. Of course I still managed to bugger up one bit of it which will grate on me for ever more 🥴

As a big fan of the MP7 too, the VFC version is worth considering isn't it? ... plenty of owners love theirs. The full auto mag dump isn't as good as the TM's though

Yes, Luke from Negative Airsoft seems to hate VFC AEGs with something of a passion. I've been tempted by a couple of boneyard guns at Action Hobbies, but ultimately decided against them because of him 😐 The DE has the psychological advantage of lowering expectations due to their lower price, but almost always being very good. Which is nice. I love mine. Roger's suggestion therefore has great deal of merit. Two guns for the price of one also introduces a bit of variety, which allegedly is the spice of life 😄 I like the sound of the Arcturus guns, shame they seem to be hard to find. Maybe Krytac or :gasp: Novritsch might be contenders for around £350?

One thing I found when doing this today... Most of my spraypaint cans failed on me. The Halfords ones still work well. I'm sticking with them for my future paint jobs, where possible! It's a shame they only do the green, khaki, brown and black though.

Right, I got bored - too bored to wait for some low-tack vinyl to appear, so I went and bought some modeller's masking tape (Revell brand) in the hope that it'd do a better job than the green painter's tape I was using previously (spoiler: not really) So my M90 Homage happened... I did the colours in the wrong order, so there's more khaki than green, was intending the other way around, but actually this looks nicely 'disruptive' so it's fine. It's not perfect when inspected closely (damn it, vinyl might be the only way to do it really nicely), but I'm happy with it. It'll look even better when worn / weathered, as the khaki is brighter in sunlight than this pic shows ... which brings me to a question: @JimFromHorsham you mentioned a light dusting of black to blend it... would you recommend me trying that across the whole gun? I've previously spoiled my M16 with side-spray that drifted across from a bit I was touching-up, leaving a lot of big blobs, is there a knack to getting a really fine dusting?

"Sold!" "Sold!"