Speedbird_666

Umm - I don't think it has a dedicated ruler function - I've just use the line tool and the very good snapping system to measure things . The 'CAD for artists' term thrown about means that it'll do a lot of modelling like Fusion (as opposed to software like blender) with enough precision for 3D printing etc, but it's not as engineering focused as Fusion so is missing things like an analytical tools section. Kind of a half way house between the traditional 3D modelling software and CAD. Try it for 30 days, follow a couple of tutorials and see what you think - they don't ask for any details/payment/registration information - it's a straight download from the site - just install and go.

Bonus point to you. 😁

Fusion 360 is free, but it can be a bitch to use. A lot people will start to use it, get frustrated, then bin off the whole idea of making their models. I am currently learning Plasticity 3D at the moment - a 'CAD for artists' Hard Surface modelling tool. I've been using it for about a week and I am impressed. They do a 30 day trial, and costs $99 USD to buy, but it's so much easier to use than Fusion that I'm actually thinking of paying for it. It's still very new as a product - but theres quite a few videos on youtube to get you started. Lightly inspired by this thread, I knocked this up in under an hour this morning as a bit of a learning exercise - just eyeballing it from google images (yes - it's missing quite a bit of detail but you get the idea). It's also good if you have reference images - this is a WIP project to eventually build in RC (bonus points to anyone who can guess the aircraft) It's also pretty good for low-poly game assets - my son needed a super-quick placeholder RPG model for a Roblox game he's working on - 10mins later it was in the game:

Couldn't you take a cheap supressor and make and angled cut with a chop saw? A bit of krylon - bob's your mother's brother.

The reality is that it'll be lucky if HM Armed forces gets 100,000 units - the R&D and setup/tooling costs alone of a bespoke UK design will run into double-digit millions of pounds - which has to be spread over the production run and factor into the per unit cost - so it's only feasible if there's an export customer. And the SA80 was great a export success....oh wait... Then there's the Civil Servants that will stick their oar in - so any platform designed will be over-budget, under-deliver and only function every other Thursday. Buying 'off the shelf' makes way more sense right now - even if the UK doesn't own or build the design.

In an era where the entirety of the Army and Royal Marines couldn't even fill the seats of Wembley stadium, there is little economic sense to design something new just for UK use. Perhaps if there's an appetite to partner with other nations then it could be more feasible, but design by (multinational) committee will invariably add cost and time to the procurement process. There's little sense in licensing another design for UK production either - the numbers are too low for effective cost savings - any savings will be negated by the start up and tooling costs for such a short production run. FN has manufacturing capability in the UK through the FNHUK subsidiary - but only for FN products.

The second paragraph is me - the bullet points are the Twitter author's view paraphrased. The platform is fine - but it's just a very well made M4. Nothing new. No space-wizard shit-hot unobtanium cool new technology. Just a nicely built M4. The UK already has a similarly-well built M4 already in inventory (albeit in limited numbers) - it's called the Colt Canada/Diemaco L119A1/2 - as used by those special folks and a some RM and RMP units. I think the author is pissed as this selection process (Project HUNTER) for the Rangers/Royal Marines could feed into to the wider Project GRAYBURN to replace the L85 completely in HM Armed Forces use. Buying a fairly standard (but quite cool looking) M4 platform and using existing 5.56 ammunition could be argued as a wasted (once in a generation) opportunity - instead of buying into something with higher lethality and better ballistic performance to defeat modern body armour. I think the author wants something more gucci to align with the US DoD M7 program (i.e. a Sig-based Piston Driven 6.8mm platform). But the KS-1 will work just fine - like the millions of other Direct Impingement 5.56mm M4 guns in use all over the world.

In a nutshell - here are the arguments presented (heavily paraphrased): - not made in the UK - Wrong Calibre (they want 6.5 or 6.8mm) - Not modular enough to re-equip with .300 BLK BCGs and Barrels easily for sneaky sneaky work. - Direct Impingment = Runs too hot for sustained fire (apparently) - Direct Impingment = no good for general infantry as they cannot clean it properly (apparently) - Direct Impingment = crap suppressed performance with excessive gas to user's face (apparently) - Should be a piston gun. Doesn't matter that the US Military have been running these type of guns for that last 50+ years, and will be for decades to come - even with the M7 rollout (if that actually happens).

That's...err...wow....going to be quite a build. I shudder to think of the cost, but it will be most impressive when put together. I'm resisting anything MWS because I can see it'll a big hole that I'll end up pouring my money into... [*cue internal argument to try and justify it to my missus*] - nope - I need to stay well away from joining the TM master race.

Nope. The entire switch setup has actually been patented by ICS. I actually have one on my desk in front of me - belongs to my neighbour after I replaced the one in his L85. I still scratch my head at the mechanics of it - some very clever people at ICS - just wish they used materials other than ABS and potmetal to put it together. If you need me to pull it apart for pictures, let me know.

They are pretty reasonably priced in the UK (£150). Weirdly this vendor say no Mosfet, but everywhere else says that they do have one fitted. https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/arcturus-at-st01-lwt-ar-15-cqb-sport?pv=21428 I've seen a couple of reviews on it now - my stance on the microswitch trigger is softening...slightly

I would be very wary of second hand guns if you are a beginner. Buy a duff gun - you won't be able to fix it - so off to a 'tech' it goes for a £30-50 hourly charge + parts. It could end up costing more than new. Whilst warranties are not worth much to an experienced player, they can be a bit of a safety net for the new player (assuming they don't rip the thing open for 'upgrades').

When I win the lottery and setup my own site* - there will be a ROF cap of around 16-18RPS. Gun over that? You'll be shooting semi-only for the day. *Assuming I have enough time/braincells after the hookers and cocaine.

Sadly this. I would go as far as saying that buying too cheap now (i.e. charger) will cost you more money in the long run. There are some very decent guns around the £150 price mark, but it's the extras that add up quickly to the cost.

M904E owner here - the G model has a standard buffer tube so you can change the stock, E model has the proprietary PDW stock that kind of resembles the Q Honey Badger. That's the only difference, so pick whichever you prefer the look of. Not a huge fan of the E model stock myself - but it works ok and extensions are available to increase battery space . Specna CORE is fine, but Double Eagles are better in terms of features (e.g. Falcon ETU) but slightly more expensive. Specna FLEX is better value for money over the CORE series if budget is an issue.

Well - that's a shit design. I would 3D print a plug to mount inside the rail. I would love to know more about the rest of the gun and how it performs @Cr0-Magnon

The Specna Flex shares the same gearbox as the CORE line - which in turn is a very generic bog standard V2 gearbox. Perun have their own instruction video to cover it. Bear in mind you might end up paying a tech more than the gun's worth to have the work done (ETU + hourly tech charge). If you are desperate for and ETU-equipped gun, and cannot do the work yourself, you might be better off selling the Flex and buying a gun with an ETU equipped out of the box - like a Double Eagle M9xx series.

Yeh my local GW does it. Ended up with quite a few free Space Marines taking my son there over the last year or so. Brilliant strategy really - they must only cost a few pence (if that) but it certainly helps with bringing in new customers - I've spent a fair bit there now because of it.

Short barrel AEGs are notoriously noisy things and a silent piston head will do approximately zero to ameliorate that. The noise you hear is excess air from an over-volumised cylinder compared to barrel length. You could replace the cylinder, but that may restrict your options should you wish to lengthen the barrel later. @ak2m4 Sells a ZCI 1/2 Cylinder that would be suitable for your stock inner barrel length. G&G stock piston heads are ok, not necessary the hardest-wearing plastic, but it it isn't broken there's not much point in replacing it.

There's a couple archery clubs around my parts (southern England) - It's reasonably popular. More gun clubs though - Airgun shooting is very popular - many clubs are full (with waiting lists to join) - mainly down to the fact that Sub 12ft/lb Airgun rifle ownership does not require a license (6ft/lbs for pistols) south of the Scottish border. Both clubs I belong to have a good number of junior shooters too.

Welcome to the forums. You don't state where you are based - so I'll assume UK. My notes: - Don't replace the barrel yet (I don't think the AEP barrel will work anyway). The TopTech stock barrel is decent enough - just give it a good clean for now. - Start with replacing the hop rubber and nub and see how it performs: https://www.ak2m4.co.uk/internal-parts/hop-up-buckings-nubs/maple-leaf-macaron-60-nub - This gun uses the older-style G&G hop unit, which isn't bad, just a bit outdated - maybe later replace it later with a ZCI Plastic rotary unit (when back in stock): https://www.ak2m4.co.uk/internal-parts/hop-up-chambers/zci-rotary-hopup-chamber-plastic-m4 - Chrongraph your gun before and after any upgrades. There's a good chance that as-is, your gun will struggle to hit 300fps (TopTechs of this era were 1j/328fps from the factory to UK shores but often were below that). - Consider a longer inner barrel/mock suppressor if you need to get the FPS up - the very short barrel means that the gun is over-volumised (hence the noise) which means a good deal of air is wasted in the firing cycle. A longer barrel will make use of that extra air and provide additional FPS as a result. None of the above involves opening the gearbox. If the gun shoots well enough after the above, then happy days. Given that the gun hasn't been used in some time, here are some other things to consider next if you are having any performance problems: - If you are confident on opening the gearbox - clean and relube, particularly the compression parts (Piston, Piston Head, Cylinder and Cylinder head etc.) - Replace the piston and cylinder head O-rings - Important Inspect the gearbox casing for any cracks around the front/Blowback port - Toptechs are notorious for this (example below). You can do this to some extent without taking the gearbox out of the lower receiver: - Inspect the gears for any wear/damage - Inspect the piston rack for any damage to the teeth (G&G Pistons aren't great) I'm sure others will chime in shortly, but my advice is to keep it simple (and cheap) to start with.

Yeh - but the Specna Flex does not have the requisite trigger unit or wiring to plug in a Perun ETU++. G&G ETU Trigger unit: Specna Flex Trigger Switch: So if you want the function of the ETU++, you will need to open the gearbox and replace the traditional trigger shuttle assembly - and if you are doing that you may as well skip straight to the Perun Hybrid as is a fully optical/magnet based system that doesn't wear out like the switches on the G&G trigger units can. If you are only interested in semi-locking the gun, you can do that mechanically via modification to the selector plate, or adding a set screw to the side of the reciever to prevent the selector switch rotation to the full-auto position. But if the gun locks up for any reason - it's unlikely to be unlocked in-game without being able to select full-auto.

So - I occasionaly wear one of these olive Webtex shemaghs around my neck (some events even mandate them for opfor kit). For my own edification - are we saying that some people find it offensive to wear something like this?

Thanks. I'm not planning anything like RIFs etc - just some RS bolt-on accessories that are trickier to source in the UK. And the 5.11 HQ & clearance outlet is also within reasonable travel distance, but I can wear a new set of Taclite pants on the plane home...🙂