RR01

In that case the only thing I can think of is that the inner barrel isn't a correct fit in the new hop unit, or the hop unit isn't assembled correctly. I know I put mine together slightly wrong the first time, so it could be that.

The rim of the piston head should be smooth, so that there is nothing to cause any scoring on the inside of the cylinder. Mine is smooth, although I think I may have the Mk1 piston, not the upgraded one. I'll have to check next time I take it apart.

First thing is did you seat the new cylinder head fully into the slide and did you fully tighten it into the cylinder itself (you did say you fitted a full set of parts)? The front of the head should then be flush with the front end of the slide where it stops being round. It takes a bit of a tap with a hammer to fully seat it, as it's such a tight fit. If it is fully inserted check, without a mag inserted, that the nozzle then fully enters the hop unit (you should see it pass through the BB feed hole from the mag) and that there is a slight grip from the hop rubber once it is fully seated and as you try to pull it back (without a spring fitted obviously). If all this is correct then either your hop rubber is faulty or badly installed, or the piston O ring isn't sealing as well as it should (although your FPS figures don't suggest this). Other than that I can't think of anything else, as I've done exactly the same upgrades to mine and mine fires consistently in the high 400s on a M150 spring.

Use the mag pocket on the front of the leg holster. That's where I kept the spare 32 round mag.

Glock 17 in a Fobus holster with MOLLE clip-on conversion on my belt rig when running with M16, or in a shoulder holster when using my SVD.

DHL will not deliver RIFs, whether within the UK or from abroad. Had that problem when I tried to use them to send one to the IoM and they stopped it at the airport and refused point blank to fly it over. Took ages to get it back.

Yes, but a head torch usually doesn't have a beam to blind your target whilst you shoot them

Pistols with torches added need purpose designed holsters to carry them, as they will not fit in the standard holster. They are only of use in really dark CQB environments and even then, you can carry a torch in your other hand which allows you to move it around without having to move the point of aim of your pistol as well.

When you do start cutting the thread, use a bit of light oil on the barrel to stop the metal tearing and to allow the die to move back and forth smoothly. Once you've cut about 4mm of thread, check it has taken properly before cutting the rest by trying to screw on a flash hider or similar. So long as it starts and takes up the threads then you know the process is going properly and you can continue to cut the rest and finish the job. If it isn't right then you won't have ruined 1cm of barrel that you'll need to cut off to start again.

The main problem with RIFs at Drakelow is that the entrance & car park are right opposite peoples homes, hence the reason for keeping them covered. At The Asylum the car park, etc is well into the middle of the site and right next to the playing area anyway, so uncovered RIFs are not a problem there, although you do get the occasional person taking a stroll through the grounds, but then that's their problem, not ours.

Your nearest stores are probably Swindon Airsoft Supplies or Redwolf's Retail shop in Tewkesbury. I don't think there is anything nearer to you. For Redwolf it would be straight up the M5 and off at Jct 9. Plenty to look at in their store.

Have a look on www.scopesdirect.co.uk and at the Bushnell Elite range. Second one down should meet your requirements and not look too modern on an SMLE, as it's fairly straight and not overly magnified, which you really don't need at airsoft ranges. I did try to add the link, but the forum will not let me paste it into the reply.

Feeding issues sounds like your mag and the hop feed tube are not exactly in line, so that the BBs are feeding at a slight angle and getting stuck. Alternatively it could be your mag spring isn't pushing the BBs hard enough. Unless you are going to use the M4 as a semi only DMR there are very few sites that will let you shoot full auto above 370 FPS, so any BB weight above 0.3 will be a waste of money. For around the 350 mark 0.25s are plenty heavy enough.

The Ehobby one definitely fits, as I had one on my previous A&K SVD.

The ASPUK hop unit for the A&K SVD is the same as the AirsoftPro.cz unit, as AirsoftPro.cz make them and supply the UK dealers.

The stock barrel isn't bad, but it's about a 6.08, so quite wide by airsoft standards. I've put a 6.01 in mine, which does mean I have to use very good quality ammo, as a game with less than perfect BBs saw a couple get jambed in the barrel. The standard inner is 600mm long, so a standard length to replace it will be a 590mm, although you could put a 650mm in there, but the inner would then be visible inside the flash hider. If you are going to change the inner then I would also change the hop unit as well, as the OE unit isn't that good. AirsoftPro.cz do the best unit - http://airsoftpro.cz/eshop/product_info.php?cPath=93_204&products_id=1814&osCsid=d6022784d5e8c212edbdecaac7a1c8ee The cost isn't that bad and delivery is usually fairly quick.

I've been toying with the idea of getting a bipod for my A&K SVD and I think the receiver mounted one is probably better, both because it would allow you to use the bipod behind sloping cover, with only the barrel then needing to poke over the top, and because it would move the extra weight back towards where you hold the gun when carrying. My first true AEG back in 2006 was a CYMA SVD (horridly inaccurate) and that had the bipod fixed on the outer barrel near the front sight, meaning the front of the gun was very high up when prone and put all the extra weight forward of the handguard, making it quite unsteady to shoot whilst standing or kneeling.

The front site post on the Combat Machine is moulded into the outer barrel. It's all one piece of plastic, so it cannot be removed, unlike the site post on a metal outer barrel. I didn't get around to trying to change anything on my G&G CM16, but you might be able to remove the whole outer barrel and replace it with a metal one instead.

A two point sling will be fixed front and back, so is really only any good for carrying the rifle, or for wrapping around your arm to steady the gun when shooting in the standing or kneeling position. The three point is basically the same, except that you have part of the sling around your body similar to a one point. You can then carry the rifle slung or, when you need to engage the enemy, release the front clip and use it more like a single point. The standard SA80 sling is a three point sling and works very well. It really depends whether you want to shoot using the sling or not as to which is the best for you. If still undecided, see if you can try out the different types at a game before buying. Oh, and the Viper 3 point is dead easy to fix, since it has a hook clip each end which clips to the sling points in the same way as a 2 point sling.

The G&G Fire Hawk has an extremely short inner barrel, not much longer than a pistol, so will lose accuracy at longer ranges compared to either the Raider or Railer L (L=long). I regret selling my Raider, as it was a good rifle, but I decided at the time I wanted an M16, so the Raider had to go. If you are looking at mainly CQB sites, then go with the Raider. If you are looking at both Woodland and CQB, then go for the Raider L. A few guys in our team have them and they love them.

A proper telescopic sight is only worth considering on a sniper rifle. In fact on an AEG a scope can be a big disadvantage, as it limits your field of vision quite considerably. For a standard AEG (and your choice of a G&G Combat Machine is a good one) either iron sights or a red dot are more than adequate for the distances over which you shoot. The type of scope shown on the picture in DX115Falcon's post is probably a good choice to use on the G&G rifle.

Did you ask Ehobbyasia to put your UKARA number on the customs declaration? That should speed up the process by allowing them to check your defence. If not you could be in for a long wait.

Retired! Enough said (that will push up the average )

NihM and NiCad batteries don't hold charge well if you leave them hanging around for weeks, but if you charge them fully a day or so before you intend to play then they should hold charge enough to allow you a whole days play with them. Lipo batteries are much better at holding charge when left disconnected. One of mine only lost about 10% over 5 months.

The only one I've seen is this one: http://www.socomtactical.net/clothing-and-equipment/holsters/asg-strike-holster-for-dan-wesson-6-8-black.html , but it's a belt mounted holster only. Can't suggest anything specifically for MOLLE mounting, other than the generic ones you may have seen. As regards the shoulder holster, I've got one to carry my Glock when I'm running light with just a sniper rifle and that is comfortable enough, but I doubt it would be so over a tac vest or with something as heavy as a DW Revolver swinging about in it, as there is nothing to hold the holster in close to your body other than the shoulder and back straps.