[3 unknown Lct mid caps]

You are asking for the make of LCT midcaps?  I think the answer is in the question.

[what did you wish you knew]

If you are going to try to increase your channel's reach, you really need to improve the quality of your videos.  The videos that I have seen are not great quality and, in the case of your disassembly (or disassebly) videos, too dark and somewhat out of focus.

You do not come across with any sense that you are an authority on what you are talking about.

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

Another excellent day at Tower Airsoft in Essex.  Around 50 players were present, which meant there was lots of room to sneak around and infiltrate.

The day started with a fallback game, which was then reversed. In the first leg, we were defending and, once hit, had to retire 30m, repeating this until we reached the church, whereupon the next hit sent us back to the safezone.  A group of us set up a defensive position on our left along the old road and put up a determined defence as we were slowly pushed back.  At one point, I ended up behind the enemy's front line and had a fun few minutes knocking them off before players returning from respawn did for me.  We held out for the duration of the game, still being in possession of the church at the end.

When the game was reversed, the same group of us ended up attacking the area we had previously defended.  As attackers, we had to respawn on our marshal, who was somewhere behind us; I am not sure where as I didn't get hit.  The area was fairly lightly defended and we pushed forward quite quickly, taking out the players in front of us and a fair number of those who were to our left in the centre of the field.  We reached the vicinity of the church and moved towards it; just as we were about to assault it, game over was called as other members of our team had taken it from the front.

These two games took up the morning.  The Double Bell KAC PDW had its first run out for these two games and performed brilliantly, with excellent range and accuracy; its lightness and shortness made it very easy to use in fairly dense woodland and bushes.

After lunch, we played a game of "escorting the stag to the bridge" (apparently, it was going to be "escorting the stag to the church" but that had been attacked in the morning, so the bridge became the destination).  As a bit of background, there were two stag groups present; one lot were regular Tower/Airsoft Plantation players, while the others were first timers and were renting.

The aim of the game was to escort your stag, looking a bit like Nursie dressed as a cow in Blackadder, from the bus yard to the bridge at the far end of the site.  The stag had one life so the game ended when they were hit or when they arrived at the bridge.  The defenders started off in the village, blocking the route to the bridge and they had to fall back 30m when hit.  Leaving the bus yard, our team split into several groups; those of us with the stag took a route along the boundary of the site, hoping to bypass the defenders.  Apart from a couple of skirmishes near the village, this worked well and the stag was safely escorted to the bridge; I had lost sight of him by this time as I was hanging back, making sure that no sneaky defenders were moving up behind the stag and his escorts.

While the stag was getting out of his costume and the other team's stag was putting it on, we played a quick game of infection in the bus yard.

I am not sure what the result of the reversed game was; all that I know that we had some great little firefights in and around the village and I never saw the stag, which was probably a good thing for what remains of my sanity.

The next game was a scavenger hunt; a number of mortar bomb cases and yellow canisters were scattered across the entire site and the two teams had to collect them and bring them back to a central collection point on the main road; extra points were gained for also having your stag there at the end of the game.  Buddy respawns were in use.  This was a fun game with lots of small encounters taking place all over the site as patrolling groups bumped into each other.  After searching the bus yard, the village and the bridge area, the group that I was with formed a perimeter near the collection point, covering our colleagues who were returning with more items and making it more difficult for the enemy to get their items back.

That sort of ended the day, although there was another game of infection in the bus yard for those of us who wanted to play a bit longer.

As usual, the day was well organised and well run, with really good hit taking and lots of calls of "Good shot" and "Well taken", along with at least one "You sneaky bastard".

Weapons used:
Double Bell KAC PDW
Ares VZ58
Umarex/S&T ARX 160

[The 'What have you just bought' Thread]

On 09/05/2023 at 19:31, Colin Allen said:

Nothing very exciting; a Double Bell KAC PDW.

A quick reshim, new pistol grip, high torque motor, ZCI 6.02mm barrel, Maple Leaf 60 degree Macaron and Gearparts 70 degree nub, new spring, new nozzle and a CHiLUN ETU.

I took this to Tower Airsoft today for its first outing; a truly excellent little gun.  Great range and accuracy and very consistent power.

[Help]

1 hour ago, Krisz said:

HK33 I assume. Brand wise no clue. 

It Is a G3.

[boxingspring]

6 hours ago, trojan1106 said:

I’ve replied to an ad a month ago, but message hasn’t been read yet - was hoping someone could help us both out by letting him know.

Some sellers seem to not want to actually sell anything.

[Help]

Is the receiver plastic or metal?

[Right battery's?]

I suspect that people are recommending that you change to a lower voltage battery because they think that you have what is called overspin.  This is when the battery voltage is too high and causes the rifle to cycle more than once in semi.  As guns are usually run with much higher power levels in the USA, they can run on an 11.1v battery without this happening; however, with the weaker springs used in the UK, overspin is possible with 11.1v batteries.  However, this would not only happen immediately after changing from full auto to semi auto; it would happen at other times as well.

If it is only happening immediately after you change from full auto to semi auto, it is probably not overspin; it is more likely that your gun is sticking in semi for a moment, either because the selector is not returning to semi auto properly or because the cutoff is not resetting properly.  

As to why the gun will sometimes not fire after connecting the battery, but does so when you reconnect it, that may be down to the connectors.  Are you using Tamiya connectors?  If so, it could be that one of them is a bit loose and not always connecting properly.

I note that the gun has a micro switch trigger; these are not designed for the currents that pass through them in an airsoft gun and really should be protected by a decent mosfet.

[Tech Advice]

1 hour ago, Rogerborg said:

 

[Skylar has entered the chat]

 

Are you having any issues?

Not at the moment, Skylar; I resolved a feeding issue last night.

Oh, by the way, I burned your patch.

[Tech Advice]

There shouldn't be anything there that would cause a problem; it is all pretty standard.

However, the aluminium cylinder head and piston head combination is not a great idea as it transmits a lot of impact to the gearbox, potentially leading to cracking.

Have the front corners of the gearbox, where the cylinder sits, been radiused to reduce the risk of cracking?

What is the purpose of the carbon wrapping on the gearbox?

I am not a huge fan of full steel toothed pistons; polymer toothed ones act as a "mechanical fuse", protecting the rest of the geartrain if something does go horribly wrong.

[Hardshells anyone? (Includes PCU ramblings and thoughts)]

21 minutes ago, Emergencychimps said:

Have you checked out alpkit? I haven't used their hardshells but they have a good rep and the stuff I have from them has been good and excellent value for money (not cheap, not silly money, just good value). 

 

Otherwise my question is, do you really NEED a hardshell? Most fabrics will fail when they have rigs/rucksacks on top or you get as wet but from sweat. 

 

I've done loads of events, weekenders etc at the trees and other horrible wet venues and honestly only needed a hardshell once. Often water resistant jackets, windshirts etc are enough, they may get damp but movement keeps you warm and when you aren't moving, put warm/dry kit on. 

 

 

Exactly this.  For a day or a weekend playing airsoft, you don't need ultra technical kit; having warm dry clothing available for downtimes is enough.  Many people overload themselves with gear that they really do not need.

[Europe Vs. America]

6 hours ago, Skara said:

For me it's about the "softness" of people who don't like to be shot at (which kinda defies the whole point of playing Airsoft in the first place).

Utter bollocks.  Getting shot at is part of the game; getting hosed at 5m by some Monstered up twat with his 40 RPS wankergun is not.  It has fuck all to do with softness or hardness and everything to do with respecting other players.

[Ics l85a3]

2 hours ago, kasaran said:

 

now this is of major interest.  though i have not used Life batteries. do they differ from lipo/nimh? i know my smart charger has an option for them.

I use them a lot.  The biggest difference is that, in use, they very rapidly drop from from their full charge voltage (3.60V per cell) to around 3.3V per cell and sit there for ages before dropping off a cliff.  It is a significantly different discharge curve from LiPo batteries.

[Europe Vs. America]

18 minutes ago, Leo Greer said:

 

Huh--is the Macaron a different design than the Super and the MR.Hop? It's possible I'm incorrect here. On a side note, does your Lancer have the plastic bushings? The two that I've opened up have both had nylon bushings that were just below 8mm, but I know not all models in the G2 line were made the same.

I believe they are a slightly different design; I don't think the Macaron has the internal ring.

My Lancer has steel bushings.

[Europe Vs. America]

1 hour ago, Leo Greer said:

 

See, that's a way better price than we have in the USA!

 

This issue may not be as common or prevalent in the UK, but as different hop units have different size specs (almost always larger than Marui spec), a lot of hop units won't properly fit ML rubbers, because the front is too thick and disallows you from putting the clip back on. You also may need to use a longer nozzle to compensate for the slightly recessed hop rubber or lose air seal/accuracy. This happens on TM hop units, Arcturus units, Lancer G2 units, Classic Army units (one of the versions. low profile blue rotary), true Prowin units, Dytac clone Prowin units, and others that I can't remember at the moment. (the units named are all tested by me) Whereas the rubbers fit perfectly in larger spec units like G&G, Krytac, and Maxx.

Hmm,  I have a Macaron in a Lancer G2; it slid in like the proverbial and works fine with a standard M4 length nozzle.  I bought a second hand Lancer very cheaply to see if they were as bad as most people said; apart from it being incredibly picky with mags, I have found it to be ok.

Admittedly, I have never fitted one in any of the other units you list, but I have them in a wide range of hop units.

[Europe Vs. America]

6 hours ago, Leo Greer said:

Price mostly. In the USA it costs about $16-18 to purchase a ML packing and nub combo (about 15 beans for you guys), which puts the cost of the rubber and nub at near the cost of a new motor. The main practical advantage of flat hopping vs replacement is usually compatibility with the original hop unit, and hopefully fitment to the nozzle, assuming the stock setup is any decent. If you have to purchase even the excellently priced ZCI hop unit in order to use your ML hop rubber it brings the cost up. Not a huge amount of money, but money spent regardless.

In the UK, AK2M4 sells the Macaron and nub for £9.50; the ZCI hop unit is the same price.  I am not sure why one would need to buy a ZCI hop unit to run ML rubbers; they seem to work in a range of hop units.

 

6 hours ago, Leo Greer said:

Never been to a milsim myself--I look at ticket prices, and then I look at that part I wanted to try in my M4, and then I look at ticket prices again... and I end up buying myself a sandwich instead.

A decent decision.

[Europe Vs. America]

40 minutes ago, Impulse said:

 

However, one thing I've observed (though again it's all 2nd hand info as I haven't been myself) is that Americans have a better attitude towards milsim; maybe it's got something to do with how prevalent real guns are in America so they get the idea that it's BB wars with toy guns better than we do over here. Milsim in the UK tends to have its head so far up its own arse that a lot of them forget we're still playing soldier running around the woods playing BB wars. From what I've seen in America, milsim is still milsim, but they seem to still hold onto that "we're just giant children" aspect a bit better and it seems more fun. Plenty of opportunities for trigger time at things like Milsim West, where the milsim I attended here, which was entry level, had me shooting a whole 1 time across the entire 24 hour game, and it was a scripted vehicle ambush where we as OpFor were essentially set up to fail.

I completely agree; many milsims in the UK seem to take it far too seriously, to the point where all the fun is sucked out of it, in the deluded belief that they are genuinely simulating military operations.

[Europe Vs. America]

59 minutes ago, Leo Greer said:

First off, I notice ZCI is the chief choice of aftermarket barrel. What's the particular reasoning here? Obviously you can pick your length and boost your FPS a little bit, but in my experience I haven't noticed ZCI to be of any higher finish quality than most stock brass barrels, especially when you can polish those barrels for an accuracy boost. Any thoughts on ZCI's new ownership affecting their quality?

They are reasonably easily available, are a decent price and decent quality; what is not to like?

 

1 hour ago, Leo Greer said:

Secondly, I notice almost everyone here going for increased range picks the ML (Maple Leaf) Macaron. Why the Macaron over, say, the MR.Hop, which is a newer design and offers more consistent contact surface?

Having tried both, I agree that the MR Hop gives slightly longer range; however the Macaron gives significantly better consistency at a slightly shorter range.  Of the two, I will take consistency over a good range over inconsistency over a slightly greater range any day.
 

1 hour ago, Leo Greer said:

I notice a lack of the flat hop mod. You can turn most hop rubbers into ML equivalents within minutes using just a cordless drill and DIY yourself a flat nub out of any piece of plastic.

Why bother when Maple Leaf rubbers and nubs are easily available?
 

1 hour ago, Leo Greer said:

I notice most players/techs here seem to have a general dislike of/disdain for high RPS builds, even those constructed with trigger response in mind and not full-auto trolling. Is it related to rules and restrictions, general respect, or a disdain for those who abuse high ROF?

There are other ways of getting excellent trigger response than building a stupidly fast gun.  While there are a few players in the UK who seem to delight in hurting other players (Wanking Cumstain for one), many more seem to respect other players and regard very high speed builds as being somewhat unsporting and ungentlemanly.  I cannot remember when I last used full auto in a game; I also play at a couple of sites that have a 30m minimum engagement distance for full auto,

 

1 hour ago, Leo Greer said:

To most of the respected American techs, approximately 87% of the teching advice Luke at Negative puts out is utter nonsense... I agree in some cases. His porting video is pretty silly. Though perhaps it's all intentional. His stuff clearly works though.

Luke is a windup merchant who loves trolling and has stated that there is one inaccuracy in each of his videos; however, he is also a very good tech who builds some impressive guns and has creative approaches to solving problems.  I don't agree with him on everything and his comments on the Ares L1A1 are odd; yes, it has significant issues and is a pain in the arse, but some of the things that he mentions are just not accurate in my experience.

One difference that I have noticed between UK and US airsoft in general, and I have to point out that this is based solely on YouTube videos, is that some of your countrymen seem to suffer from a toxic combination of taking it far too seriously and possessing the maturity of a two year old. 

I would also point out that, by virtue of this being a forum, the denizens are probably not a representative cross section of the UK airsoft community.  The cool kids generally do not use forums and lurk on various new fangled social media platforms.  I suspect that the average age here is higher than that of UK players overall, the level of experience is greater and there is a more considered, informed and reflective approach.
 

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

11 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

Not sure if I'm relieved or disappointed!  😆

I did cut up a very old and very knackered sniper rifle though.

[King Arms L1A1]

On 10/05/2023 at 07:37, Armo1000 said:

Also sent them an email yesterday and got this reply.

 

“Due to schedule delay , FAL/L1A1 still haven’t restock yet. We don’t have any production time in this moment, sorry.”

 

So yeah as per most of the last decade at this point, I wouldn’t rely on this showing up again any time soon….

That does not exclude it being available at the end of the year, although it is unlikely.

[ARES SLR stolen]

8 hours ago, rj1986 said:

On facebook, he said it was stolen out the back of his car.

From the rear footwell. Without a case.

He did also say that it was covered.

[King Arms L1A1]

On 10/05/2023 at 15:37, Armo1000 said:

 
Everything but the one replica people have been asking for years to come back. Might just have to accept this and finally get an Ares….

If you don't currently have a permanent airsoft repair bench, set one up before you get the Ares version.  However, I do have to say that Negative Luke is overly critical of it and, in some areas, wrong.

[The 'What have you just bought' Thread]

5 minutes ago, Speedbird_666 said:

 

Nice - doesn't seem to be in stock anywhere ATM but might take a punt one day if the prices stays under £100.

I bought it here: https://www.brairsoft.co.uk/product/double-bell-pdw-polymer-body-black-808/

£94.95 and free postage.

[The 'What have you just bought' Thread]

2 minutes ago, Speedbird_666 said:

 

Is that the Plastic or metal version?

Plastic; it is much more solid than the old DBoys one.

[The 'What have you just bought' Thread]

Nothing very exciting; a Double Bell KAC PDW.

A quick reshim, new pistol grip, high torque motor, ZCI 6.02mm barrel, Maple Leaf 60 degree Macaron and Gearparts 70 degree nub, new spring, new nozzle and a CHiLUN ETU.