[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

1 hour ago, concretesnail said:

If ak2m4 is doing his own barrels then I'd be tempted to try those too to be fair. Ak2m4 is my usual go to for parts. 

Same. For the few times i've spoke to him, he's always been helpful and insightful. Couldn't fault the guy over anything so far. I'm hoping he gets those new barrels in soon

[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

49 minutes ago, concretesnail said:

I've found zci barrels very good and solid fit with maple leaf rubbers when it comes to the window. I used them for a dmr setup and again when I changed the barrel length.

I use them on my other stuff and tbh it's decent for the price except their longer barrels are a pretty penny and come into range of other, better, brands. You might be interested to know that AK2M4 is making (or getting made) his own inner barrels and they're supposed to be a similar price point to ZCI while having an ever better internal polish, he's calling them "XT standard and XT performance. He even bought a scope cam to show off the internal of the test pieces. Supposed to be arriving in September. Here's a link to his FB page where he shows the inner surface of stock brass, aluminium, ZCI and the test pieces he's received so far.

My only gripe with ZCI is that they only make 6.02mm as far as I know.

[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

41 minutes ago, Colin Allen said:

I guess that being somewhat soft might be better than being brittle when it comes to resisting cracking.  Just remember to radius those front corners!

 

That's what I was thinking. Most people associate weak gearboxes with brittle rather than soft metal. Radiusing was always on the cards as it's such an easy thing to do to alleviate pressure on the gearbox shell and it's basically just rounding the corners of the shell where the cylinder head meets it, especially when the gearbox is going to need totally stripping for cleaning anyway. When I took apart the AR Masada gearbox and cleaned it, my hands were black afterwards. I had to use 'industrial cleaner' to get the crap off. Not sure what they're using inside the gearbox for lube but it's awful to clean.

[Gun picture thread]

I've always thought the teeny tiny, sub-compact guns are cool. Things like the PX4 Bulldog, TM Ruger Compact, WE EU26 (also full auto).

[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

2 minutes ago, Colin Allen said:

A&K gearboxes are not great; the alloy is rather soft, making it very easy to strip threads.  That would not make me hugely confident regarding their durability at higher powers.

I have two of their Masadas; neither of them has the original gearbox.

Looks like i'm going to be the experiment then. Can you can remember how long yours lasted at 350fps or did you change it prematurely? I'm still running the stock gearbox shell in the AR version and i'll try seeing long the stock gearbox shell lasts in the DMR version obviously checking it after each time I play.

[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

30 minutes ago, Leo Greer said:

You may also have trouble getting the ML rubber to work with the PDI hop windows, but you could always go flathop, or use a Macaron and make it work easily.

Is the contact patch too big for some barrel windows on the ML MR hop rubbers for brands like PDI or is it PDI have a smaller window? I usually use ML Macaron in everything I build as it's always served me well but fancied trying out their MR hop rubber.
 

30 minutes ago, Leo Greer said:

One question I do have; have you done any research on the durability of the stock gearbox shell? Most are okay, but when boosting power up this high it's always something to consider.

Yes and no. I've read that 'Radiusing' the gearbox is, more than likely, necessary however given it's a standard V2 gearbox shell i'm not too bothered if I prematurely destroy it. Also, given it's made in China and the stock parts on the gun are pretty crap (i.e. the nozzle, piston, spring guide etc.) it wouldn't surprise me if the gearbox shell is also crap. I've pulled a gearbox from an A&K Masada before and it felt like one of the poorest quality ones i've handled and had stange marks on the outside and inside, pic related from the boneyard Masada AR I bought ~6 month ago;
 

I didn't jack up the wiring or double up the spring in the gearbox which is shown in the picture, that was all the previous 'tech' who 'fixed' the gun.

Thanks again for all the help. Hopefully in a month or two i'll be back with an update on the build.

[Stack up Airsoft]

Got excited when I saw a F2000 for sale on there then noticed the condition it's in

[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

Having had a quick read over that, the writer is saying the ideal barrel length (for a non ported cylinder) is 380mm when using 0.36g BBs where the cylinder to barrel volume ratio is 2.48:1.

 

Using the calculator they linked, I've input the cylinder size that I was planning on buying 23.7mm inner diameter X 72mm length minus the length of the cylinder head/piston. While i'm not sure on the exact size, i'm using the 12mm measurement they provided in the article.

 

Using the calculator, assuming I'm using 6.03mm barrels, the 380mm length they specify gives a ratio of 2.44:1. I tweaked the barrel length setting until I got the 2.48:1 ratio and ended up with a barrel length of 374mm. The writer also states that AEGs are 'forgiving' and during their testing you can go 50mm each way with only approx 0.05joule loss which would take me up to a maximum of 424mm.

 

Am I using this information and the tools provided correctly or is the lack of sleep after a night shift addling my brain?

If I buy an ideal barrel length of 374mm (or similar) within the plus/minus 50mm range depending on what is available, what are the chances of the BB striking the inside of the outer barrel?

Edit: I've updated the shopping list with the relevant barrel choices moving forward. If you wouldn't mind casting your eye over it. I tried finding Lambda SMART ones in stock but had no luck.

[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

2 hours ago, Leo Greer said:

In your case, it may be worth using a shorter-than-stock barrel, depending on how heavy of ammo you're wanting to fire. For the spring strength you're looking at, I'm assuming you'll be shooting .36g or higher, which would seriously undermine your power if you use such a long barrel.

 

You'd be correct about the BB weight. I was planning on using 0.36G.

 

For the barrel, I can't measure the stock one until it arrives in the post but listings online are stating 509mm.

 

How much of a reduction in length are we talking about?  Would this make it harder to stabilise the inner barrel inside the outer barrel or is the tape method mentioned in your linked post still applicable?

 

Secondly, my understanding is this where "bore-up" sets come into play specifically to avoid the reduction in performance with longer barrels however I've seen loads of conflicting comments from people saying that you only need bore up for 600mm+ and some saying they're used when your barrel exceeds 450mm+ The current cylinder I was planning to use is one without any ports and is advertised as being suitable for 450mm - 660mm barrels. Checking different brands I see a similar cylinder length and internal diameter and they're advertised as being suitable for 450mm-550mm barrels.

 

Thanks for the advice so far and continued help.

[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

Thanks for the reply!

 

Delayer chip: That was my train of thought too. For £2 it's worth picking up just in case.

 

Guarder Springs: These are SPxxx springs. Should I use a SP120 or SP130 or just buy and test both?

 

Barrels: thanks for the info and suggestions. The barrel lengths I'm looking at are the stock barrel length which comes with the gun. I will look into potentially lapping the barrel depending on what the condition is like.

 

I'll read your link to try and learn more about stabilising the hop, nozzle, hop arm and inner barrel.

[A&K Masada SPR - DMR Theory Crafting]

As i've posted within the "what have you just bought" thread, i've bought an A&K Masada SPR/DMR from another player however it's still got full auto and is at AEG limits of 350fps. I've been theory crafting a shopping list for turning it into an actual DMR. The different playstyle and technical challenge of making something reliable/consistent enough to be used as a DMR should be fun however, as always when doing something new, I would appreciate advice from those more experienced with this type of thing.



This is how it's currently looking. As always, any and all advice appreciated.

[The 'What have you just bought' Thread]

I already have an A&K Masada yes, but why not two? Edited out the sellers name. The seller slid into my Discord DMs asking if i'd be interested in taking it off their hands, all accessories and postage included for £150. Having just been paid with some overtime it was impossible to resist an early birthday present to myself.


 

Gun works fine, apparently the selector is grinding which isn't a surprise having taken these apart before - the ambi selector kinda sucks and is a bit of a bastard when reassembling the gun. I'm now theory-crafting a shopping list to turn this into an actual DMR as it's currently at full-auto AEG limits (i've posted my shopping list in the electric guns section if anyone's interested).

Might be nice to try out a different style of gameplay as well as the technical challenge of making a consistent DMR having not done this before. Local site limits for DMRs are 420fps so it gives me a nice bit of overhead for throwing heavier BBs.

[The 'How Did Your Airsoft Day Go? Thread]

47 minutes ago, Tackle said:

"IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SHOT, WORK HARDER, GET YOUR ARSE LOWER ON THE GROUND OR MOVE FASTER WHEN UNDER FIRE, & MOST OF ALL, THINK SMARTER"

 

I've often found that more and more pyro is the answer, depending on how far you can throw. If you can't throw that far, invest in taginn launchable pyro
 

1 hour ago, Dan Robinson said:

My only wish is that respawn points weren't so far away. 🤣

This is why I prefer my indoors CQB site. No one is moaning that the spawn is too far away and they spend a couple minutes walking back to the action to get killed and have to walk back again. Especially when the attackers are going up a decent incline, that gets tiring even for the fittest of guys.

[The 'What have you just bought' Thread]

13 minutes ago, Fatboy40 said:

Hex headed pistol grip screws, no more mangled cross head screws, it's like ascending to another realm...

 

I did this for the exact same reason. Almost all of boneyard guns I have bought have had shagged pistol grip screws.

[The 'What have you just bought' Thread]

Novritsch ventilated plates for my plate carrier.

Hopefully these will help reduce the heat build up while carrying a bigger loadout for outdoors/extended play sessions without making me overheat like crazy. These are the only plates I could find that had the body curve rather than being flat from a 3d printer.

 

I did try ordering a Condor Modular Chest System from an Italian (only place I could find it in stock in UK or Europe) company only to get refunded as they're out of stock despite saying that had plenty of stock on their site Only other option for this specific rig in Multicam or OCP is to pay a premium from the US. Must keep looking for a bigger loadout chest rig.

I'm looking for a rig with 5-8 M4 mags + pistol mag/grenade pouches OR molle space for addtional pouches and it MUST have a back panel. The chest rigs i've tried with straps only across the back start to cause back pain in extended sessions when fully loaded.

[Macks airsoft dreamers of the week thread]

Does that lad also reckon he got Cerakote done for £20? Even Fifewargames charge £75 for a rifle. I also like how he claims 45rps but the gun's broke atm because of the shredded piston teeth so he can't actually prove it's capable of that ROF. To boot, it's not even the full metal CG16 version of the Predator.

Why are the pictures such low quality too?

[Macks airsoft dreamers of the week thread]

😂 He's now edited his listing without all the BS and repriced it at £140 w/ postage.

[Alternatives to the NGRS system]

On 22/07/2023 at 20:33, tinkle60 said:

Bolt is a pretty decent option in terms of performance and strength of recoil.

 

Not that i've used them but i've read more than a few, albeit older, posts about the Bolt BRSS/heavy recoil systems being horridly unreliable and/or completely crap internals to the point stores were complaining to Bolt because they were having to repair so many of their AEGs. I saw a BRSS up for sale a while ago, dirt cheap, and wish I pulled the trigger on it then.

[Unspoken rules in airsoft?]

Like is it generally frowned upon if you get too close to enemy spawn because it is spawn camping?
Yes.
Should you call hits if your own team shot you?
Yes.
Does ricochet count as hits?
Not at the sites I play. Direct hits only.
How do you execute a knife kill, and does it only count if the enemy hasn't noticed you and if you do it , or can you engage a enemy around a corner and try to land a stab as they try to shoot you or is this not allowed?
Engage however you want, they have to shoot to kill you. You cannot force their weapon "off line". The best way to get a knife kill is from a flank or be faster than them.

A couple of personal ones I feel should be standard;

If you shoot someone and they look hurt, you stop what you're doing as see if they're okay. This mainly applies to CQC sites and especially for rental players as they tend to be given crap gear by sites.

If you can't figure out who shot who first because it was such a close call, you both take the hit (trade) and go back to spawn.

 

Don't touch others gear without asking first.

If you find anything on a field that's clerarly out of place/lost, you bring it to marshalls, not pocket it.

 

Edit: Forgot the most important one; ALWAYS help your rentals. Balance teams so rentals are even spaced and actually have a chance, not constantly getting demolished by the more experienced players and/or speedsoft lads. They're the lifeblood of this hobby/sport and preventing them from having fun means they'll never come again.

[Plate carrier recommendations]

Haven't gone wrong with my Warrior Asssault System plate carrier yet to be honest. Only issue is, it gets hot fecking fast so i've switched to a chest rig for now. I even paid Novritsch for some of the ventilated hexagonal dummy plates he sells to help with the heat.

A guy I was speaking to swears by the Bulldog Tactical plate carriers. There's plenty of options floating around in the classifieds, i'd have a mooch there to see what you like the look of.

[Custom paint work]

What an interesting time for this thread to be revived. I have an A&K Masada that i've just about brought back from the dead and due to the previous owners negligence, it's pretty rough externally including glue on the handguard where they previously attached RIS rails. Was just going to rattle can it myself but this could be a worth a look.

Where's best to contact you to get a quotation?

[Vision Express...]

This is part of the reason why I don't go to big chains/branches. My local opticians has 2 stores and that's it. They've always been fantastic and i've never felt ripped off even when buying designer frames but this could be because my prescription is very weak.

[Airsoft weapons from Scifi films...]

WE Samurai Edge Gen 2 - Apparently the only Resident Evil movie it's been in has been the most recent one according to the wiki... still counts though.



I've got an L85 as per Nick Gs eagle eye was in Aliens. I believe its the two racks in the rear of the shot.

[Gun picture thread]

10 minutes ago, gavinkempsell said:

I find a lipo fits fine in the fore grip (I bought a few of the micro lipo's to fit the A3 & use them for all my Rif's).

 

By micro Lipo do you mean the PEQ box small square/rectangular batteries? Is there enough room to just drop them in? Pic related;

[G&G L85 Madbull Handguard Help]

Another update; I was doing some extra testing with the handguard with only the bottom screw in place and pulling the handguard as far back towards the receiver as possible. After making the bottom screw hole (in the handguard) longer I was able to get the handguard flush with the receiver BUT this now meant that the screw hole for the sling loop was out of alignment and would not longer fit. The only options from here are to either make the holes in the handguard AND sling loop longer or grind down the screw that linked it all together.

So I took a dremel with a grinding bit to the screw (not the threaded parts obviously) and ground off material from each 'side' of the screw making it almost square then rounding it off to finish. Once this was done it made small enough where it would just barely fit through the misaligned hole and allow it to screw into the sling loop on the other side. The key for anyone else trying this is to not take too much off at once, keep grinding off small amounts until it just to say fits.

 

The handguard is now attached solidly and is just about flush as I think I could possibly get it. Annoying that you have to go through this on a ~£120 handguard but it is what it is.