The_Lord_Poncho

I went for a compromise! Olive green combats in a modern ACU style cut, battle belt with olive mag pouches and Colt 1911 riding on it. Tempted by a No.4 yourself?

That's a weird 'part' - almost looks like a cut off section of an old bucking? Has it got the usual ridge inside of it? Irrespective, I wonder if the guns previous owner (presuming you bought it second hand) used it to slip over the outside (front) of the bucking to increase air seal... Sometimes AK hops can also suffer with the hop lever migrating, so plausibly the owner also used it slipped over the adjustment lever to add friction and prevent that? Certainly my Cyma AK hops do not use anything looking like that.

Yes, this isnt normal. That kind of reduction should only happen if you are cranking the hop enough to lift depleted uranium BBs. Assuming you don:t have deep enough pockets to feed that habit, it would seem that either the bucking is torn/nub incorrectly fitted, or something else weird is going on with the hop bucking combo. Either way, the way forward is swapping to a good quality bucking and nub combo - and crucially a combination that is known to play well with your particular hop unit and gearbox/nozzle length (or if there is a paucity of Info on this, be prepared for some trial and error).

Many thanks for taking the time to write this up - given the low price (and the lack of need to find a donor gearbox) it's something that I’ve been keeping an eye on too. Appreciating that you don't have a reference point in other HPA systems to compare to, nonetheless, does the quality of the components, finishes etc seem OK? Looks like you have it sorted now anyhow, but I've had a good experience with an Aliexpress clone of the Balystik HPR800 regulator (and I believe others have had favourable experiences too) - about £20 with postage.

Ha, sorry. I mean, bringing RC car terminology onto this forum, it's all fair game!

Actually, I wonder if the '3s' comment was actually referring to an 11.1 battery - 11.1 three cell batteries are frequently (especially in RC car territory) referred to as being '3s'. What the guy was saying is that he has happily run on a 7.4 without a drama, but he had heard that 11.1 may risk the mosfet (which is true). There - i bet you all feel bad now for taking the p$ss!!

I've spotted these too - they do look enticing - please report back on your findings!

Yes of course - if you are using NiMH batteries, there is no need (or possibility) to balance charge them. That charger that i linked to earlier in the thread can happily charge NiMH batteries as well (just via the main connector), and has a specific programme for it.

Lipo batteries always have a balance connector attached in addition to the main plug. Or are you referring to your charger not having a socket for the balance connector? If so, time to upgrade your charger. Whilst you can charge a lipo without balancing the charge between cells, it's not great for battery longevity, and ultimately batteries are the difference between a good game day, and leaving halfway through disappointed.

Indeed, or a banana plugs to mini tamiya connector- e.g https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283864354843? The plastic on Specna flex is not too bad actually. Solid, with a good texture.

Re. chargers - I have two of these - they do fantastic service - they allow all cells in a lipo battery to be 'balanced' (important, as if one cell has a lower voltage than the other, there is a danger that in use that low cell will drop below a voltage that results in the battery cell being irreparably damaged), and also allow for batteries to be slightly discharged to put them in a storage state to prolong their life. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/365089024868

I'm a great fan of HobbyKing for batteries: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/batteries-chargers/batteries/lipo.html?srsltid=AfmBOorewg7W7txZBp1sQQReaQMzHMCWYjhJXlxPgrnOlK4NhYdpUR7t&___store=en_us#q=airsoft From what I can see, that M908 looks like it uses deans connectors. In terms of space, the M908 uses a 'crane' style stock, which does allow you to use 'nunchuck' style split battery packs. Personally though, I have a load of this type - they will fit your gun either in the stock or the buffer tube (bit that the stock slides onto), and are a versatile size that will fit just about any gun you choose to run in the future. I would get at least two, maybe three. They are only £6 each. Each one should last you at least 1000 shots/an hours intense woodland skirmish. https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-nano-tech-1300mah-2s-25-50c-lipo-airsoft-pack-t-connector.html

You would be wise to pair these with a cheap mesh face mask - to protect your teeth (and your face!) e.g.: https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/nuprol-mesh-lower-face-shield-v3?pv=5289

Yep, CQB as a first experience is a touch bold, but many get into airsoft that way. Personally i prefer outdoor play as I find there are more opportunities to be cunning/stealthy - and it usually hurts a lot less. As a top tip, you probably have some anti fog spray for the mountain biking (or even access to some rainex) - take that along with you and a microfibre cloth - fogging up of eyewear is a big problem indoors, especially on rental masks.

Plenty of very reliable options for not much money (and frequently, more expensive does not equal more reliable). Most things start to go wrong when people tinker with them (albeit, that is part of the fun to be fair). If you haven’t actually played yet, go along to a couple of days and rent the kit so you can see if you like it. But once you do, you can get some good solid guns for less than £200 that should last a good while. Obviously, nothing is perfect, and you might get unlucky. but the good news is that parts are cheap, and - with youtube as your guide - fixes are usually easy.