Thinking of buying a TM L96

[ItsAJ]

Guys thanks very much for all this invaluable information. Think I will order that GSPEC! Then once I get a feel for it out of the box maybe for a few upgrades, the looks I will just have to learn to love but the performance of the gun is what comes first. Will let you all know when I get it!

 

[ItsAJ]

I have both, right here's my opinion lol

GSPEC: Superb gun, the 330mm barrel it comes with is top notch! Silencer works and the bolt handle is much better than the VSR pro. Even barrel so spacing is easy.

Pro: Slightly lighter and shorter than the GSPEC... That's it!

I first off bought the GSPEC and had it upgraded by ASPUK, for 6 months it was awesome! I could hit targets at 90 meters and it was fun! However, I learned about the dreaded joule creep and that's when I realized that the GSPEC takes full advantage of JC to give it "Hidden power", I swapped the internals out a few times and currently I'm running a 430mm Laylax barrel (Drilled out the end cap so it can intrude into the silencer) plus It's running the Mancraft SDIK kit with an external HPA source. With a .45 I can hit the 75 meter target nicely and that's with zero creep.

Recently I spent out and bought the edgi kit (The one Novritch uses) and I decided to go VSR pro route. Out of the box it doesn't come with a rail so that cost me another £15. I didn't have to alter anything to fit the kit, the barrel went in nicely and the only front end thing I changed was the hop arm to a type B. (I did R hop it too but that's another story).

TBH, I'd get a Gspec every time! It's a nice gun, you can easily fit a longer barrel if need be.

It's the I have the TM vsr g-spec I have.

I prefare the vsr to be honest, as there is wayy more upgrade parts available, it's lighter, mags are cheaper and it's cheaper to buy new.

But then again my vsr is mancrafted (it's HPA, not Spring powered) so it has a rediculusly light bolt pull, mancraft do not do a kit for the TM l96 aws

I think I covered this earlier, but barrels mean nothing in airsoft. Sure, you may get a marginally higher muzzle energy but you can just upgrade the spring to mitigate that. There's also the issue of a longer barrel costing more, having to buy a rail (Pro Sniper versions don't come with one, like Snakeeyes said).

If you find the barrel too short then you can always but a much nicer, longer one off PDI in the future anyway, but some people just attach a suppressor permanently and run the inner-barrel through it (giving an overall inner-barrel length of up to about 450mm). Again - and I can't stress this enough - barrel length is not very important in airsoft.

Also, look into the Mancraft SDiK kit. Discussed in other threads (use the search) but a reliable and surprisingly affordable upgrade route for the VSR when you offset its cost against what you'd usually have to buy in a springer setup but don't.

One final thing: Most of the TM VSRs come with a pinned cylinder head that's a bit of a pain to remove for later spring changes and upgrades. You'd likely be looking to swap the cylinder later on if you go for the conventional springer route, but if you do like the look of the SDiK then that pin can cause issues as switching the cylinder to just a normal threaded one is mostly a waste of money with the SDiK. I say this because a lot of the clones - like the JG BAR - come with a threaded cylinder. If you come to the conclusion that an SDiK might be a route you want to try then reconsider buying a clone.

What is the advantage of the Mancraft kit instead of the spring? Would it send it way over the 1 joule limit? Funny that's one of the main reason I thought about the Pro because Novritsch uses it and I had been looking at this upgrade, but if you have both and still think the GSPEC then that says alot.

 

[proffrink]

This is discussed in a lot of threads so I won't go into detail, but you can change the muzzle energy to whatever you like, has a shorter and lighter bolt cycle (you can get shots off quicker) and doesn't require a lot of the upgrade parts like sears and trigger mechanism that a spring build requires. Can run off HPA or CO2 (with an adapter), which makes it cheap to run as well.

Also, my point about the GSpec was the clones - the JG BAR, are slightly more upgrade-friendly purely because the cylinder isn't pinned. If you go down the SDiK route and are upgrading the barrel and hop unit anyway then it's not worth buying a Marui as it's a waste of money if you're stripping out all the good bits and the ones with pinned cylinders can be a bit of a pain to get open if you're not swapping the cylinder (which you wouldn't want to in an SDiK as it won't give any performance upgrade). Someone will probably come in any confirm this, but you may be alright anyway as I think the newer Gspecs have the cylinder just threaded anyway *shrugs*.

If you have the money to upgrade now then go SDiK in a JG BAR (Gpsec) or similar. If not (or you want to upgrade to spring later on) then the TM VSR (Gpsec) is your best choice. Really this all boils down to whether or not you want to upgrade immediately (the SDiK giving the flexibility to shoot at 1J until you move, or by just setting up a springer with a weaker spring and then swapping it when you do more) or if you want to bide your time with the stock rifle for a bit, because the JG BAR is a good platform for upgrades and will save you a fair bit of money, but ultimately isn't much good stock like the TM is.

 

[ItsAJ]

This is discussed in a lot of threads so I won't go into detail, but you can change the muzzle energy to whatever you like, has a shorter and lighter bolt cycle (you can get shots off quicker) and doesn't require a lot of the upgrade parts like sears and trigger mechanism that a spring build requires. Can run off HPA or CO2 (with an adapter), which makes it cheap to run as well.

Also, my point about the GSpec was the clones - the JG BAR, are slightly more upgrade-friendly purely because the cylinder isn't pinned. If you go down the SDiK route and are upgrading the barrel and hop unit anyway then it's not worth buying a Marui as it's a waste of money if you're stripping out all the good bits and the ones with pinned cylinders can be a bit of a pain to get open if you're not swapping the cylinder (which you wouldn't want to in an SDiK as it won't give any performance upgrade). Someone will probably come in any confirm this, but you may be alright anyway as I think the newer Gspecs have the cylinder just threaded anyway *shrugs*.

If you have the money to upgrade now then go SDiK in a JG BAR (Gpsec) or similar. If not (or you want to upgrade to spring later on) then the TM VSR (Gpsec) is your best choice. Really this all boils down to whether or not you want to upgrade immediately (the SDiK giving the flexibility to shoot at 1J until you move, or by just setting up a springer with a weaker spring and then swapping it when you do more) or if you want to bide your time with the stock rifle for a bit, because the JG BAR is a good platform for upgrades and will save you a fair bit of money, but ultimately isn't much good stock like the TM is.

Thanks That was great info,I will get the TM and shoot it stock until anything changes, then I can spread the cost out too while still having a great stock rifle. That SDik sounds so good, to be able to adjust power on the fly would be amazing. I will have to recommend it to my friend that runs a Gas MP7, he gets about 3 shots in this cold before it all goes downhill. Now for me to hunt down a shop that has the GSPEC in that OD!

 

[proffrink]

The SDiK is made specifically for sniper rifles. Your friend should look in to HPA-tapping his magazines but that requires a pretty costly regulator and tank - the SDiK can run off CO2 and has quite a cheap, low volume (but very small) regulator as it doesn't need a high refresh rate like you would for fully automatic fire.

Here's the one I built: http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/29031-vsr-sdik-build-n-ting/

Shizbazki did a great video on fitting one and how easy it is to fit (also demonstrates what the kit really is):

They're beginning to get a bit more popular now that people have realised how affordable it is when you factor in the cost of what you would have spent on a new trigger mech, cylinder, piston, spring, spring guide and nozzle if you were to go the spring route. Plus CO2 is absolutely dirt cheap if you buy the bulbs from the right place.

Once that's done you obviously want to spend a lot of time on your hop unit and barrel as they're where you'll get the accuracy from - the SDiK is just a consistent power source.

 

[Snakeeyes75]

The advantages of the SDIK are a big argument tbh,

It gives a shorter and lighter pull,

by using a regulator the consistency is better,

the volume matching seems to be good on a 430mm barrel so little joule creep

and that's about it!

I keep my EdGI VSR as my back up gun (Which is a better gun to be fair)

For Sunday Skirmishes I can get more shots with the VSR in a short space of time. In the last 2 months of having it fitted I've averaged 30-40 hits per game which for me is really good!

 

[ItsAJ]

This is discussed in a lot of threads so I won't go into detail, but you can change the muzzle energy to whatever you like, has a shorter and lighter bolt cycle (you can get shots off quicker) and doesn't require a lot of the upgrade parts like sears and trigger mechanism that a spring build requires. Can run off HPA or CO2 (with an adapter), which makes it cheap to run as well.

Also, my point about the GSpec was the clones - the JG BAR, are slightly more upgrade-friendly purely because the cylinder isn't pinned. If you go down the SDiK route and are upgrading the barrel and hop unit anyway then it's not worth buying a Marui as it's a waste of money if you're stripping out all the good bits and the ones with pinned cylinders can be a bit of a pain to get open if you're not swapping the cylinder (which you wouldn't want to in an SDiK as it won't give any performance upgrade). Someone will probably come in any confirm this, but you may be alright anyway as I think the newer Gspecs have the cylinder just threaded anyway *shrugs*.

If you have the money to upgrade now then go SDiK in a JG BAR (Gpsec) or similar. If not (or you want to upgrade to spring later on) then the TM VSR (Gpsec) is your best choice. Really this all boils down to whether or not you want to upgrade immediately (the SDiK giving the flexibility to shoot at 1J until you move, or by just setting up a springer with a weaker spring and then swapping it when you do more) or if you want to bide your time with the stock rifle for a bit, because the JG BAR is a good platform for upgrades and will save you a fair bit of money, but ultimately isn't much good stock like the TM is.

I just don't fancy having the Bar10, plus it would be illegal here with our limit you would need a firearms license. The TM Gspec, the cylinder that's pinned or crimped must be able to open somehow? Either way I'm buggered if I go spring or SDik, a forum I read said if you need to change the cylinder to mankit it then you need to change the trigger mechanism too, is that because it's a 45 degree and the sears will break or is there another reason? So I would need a new cyclinder and cylinder head, a piston, spring and spring guide and a trigger mech? . Sorry to be a pain here, just I'm reading as many forums as I can and watching videos but I just want to make sure I go down the right route.

 

[proffrink]

Which forum was this?

 

[ItsAJ]

God knows I'd have to trudge through them all again haha, I'll try find it later again

 

[proffrink]

Please do. Sounds like they were talking about a springer - the SDiK comes with its own guide rod and cylinder head. Removing the GSpec cylinder head means knocking/drilling through a ⌀~3mm pin. I've never done it myself, but from the looks of the video Shizbazki did - I'd PM him on here maybe.

Edit

As Shizbazki demonstrates in his video: The whole of the cylinder internals are removed. In the video you can see he's using a 90o trigger, piston, aftermarket spring guide and (probably) spring - none of these are necessary in the SDiK, but he was running a spring-powered build beforehand so rather than have to switch back to the old trigger he picked up the 90o SDiK kit. I imagine he either sold the piston, guide rod, spring, cylinder and cylinder head or kept them for another project.

The standard 45o sear/trigger mechanism has a small surface area which is holds the piston back with until you pull the trigger. The point of the 90o sear engagement trigger/piston combination was to give more contact surface area and reduce wear on the sears - this is important for use over 1J in a spring-powered build as the Marui design was made for sub-1J use. Lots of people just go and throw a new spring in and 3 months down the line their sear rounds off or the piston snaps and their gun is broken.

However, the SDiK kit doesn't use spring power - it has a very short spring that's actually about half the power of even the stock Marui one that the 45o sear engagement was designed for. This is because the job of the spring is only to actuate the valve that releases CO2 or HPA and isn't the power source itself, so it can be very small.

That's why I say the SDiK route isn't as expensive as people may first think: You don't need a 90o trigger, piston, spring guide, spring, new cylinder or cylinder head, because it has no effect on the operation of the SDiK. Again, the idea of the 90o trigger and piston is to add longevity to a high-muzzle energy spring-based build.

Here's what a 90o sear engagement looks like:

Here's what a 45o sear engagement (i.e. a stock VSR or VSR clone) looks like:

 

[ItsAJ]

Please do. Sounds like they were talking about a springer - the SDiK comes with its own guide rod and cylinder head. Removing the GSpec cylinder head means knocking/drilling through a ⌀~3mm pin. I've never done it myself, but from the looks of the video Shizbazki did - I'd PM him on here maybe.

Edit

As Shizbazki demonstrates in his video: The whole of the cylinder internals are removed. In the video you can see he's using a 90o trigger, piston, aftermarket spring guide and (probably) spring - none of these are necessary in the SDiK, but he was running a spring-powered build beforehand so rather than have to switch back to the old trigger he picked up the 90o SDiK kit. I imagine he either sold the piston, guide rod, spring, cylinder and cylinder head or kept them for another project.

The standard 45o sear/trigger mechanism has a small surface area which is holds the piston back with until you pull the trigger. The point of the 90o sear engagement trigger/piston combination was to give more surface are and reduce wear on t he sears - this is important for use over 1J in a spring-powered build as the Marui design was made for sub-1J use. Lots of people just go and throw new spring in and 3 months down the line their sear rounds off, or the piston snaps and their gun is broken.

However, the SDiK kit doesn't use spring power - it has a very short spring that's actually about half the power of even the stock Marui one that the 45o sear engagement was designed for. This is because the job of the spring is only to actuate the valve that releases CO2 or HPA and isn't the power source itself, so it can be very small.

That's why I say the SDiK route isn't as expensive as people may first think: You don't need a 90o trigger, piston, spring guide, spring, new cylinder or cylinder head, because it has no effect on the operation of the SDiK. Again, the idea of the 90o trigger and piston is to add longevity to a high-muzzle energy spring-based build.

Yea I searched everywhere and can't find the post now, not even sure what forum I had read it in. Forgetting about that though, if I get my TM VSR and its crimped and I'm going to mancraft it then what exactly will I need since I won't have access into the cylinder?

 

[proffrink]

If the cylinder is pinned then look in to removing the pin first - it's threaded too so once the pin is removed you shouldn't have any problems. I'd look up a video or two on this though as plenty of people have done it.

If that becomes a problem then you can always buy a new cylinder from Airsoft Pro for a decent price or just go on the Facebook VSR groups and source someone's old stock cylinder (plenty of people who are upgrading their internals on a spring build will be selling them).

By the way, you don't need to quote the post if it's right above yours

 

[ItsAJ]

Haha sorry for all the quoting, blame college for it, they have it battered into us to do it, your lucky I'm not Harvard referencing everything you say.

Yea the pins not so much of an issue, I know a few people that could do a good job of it, its the crimped one I'm concerned about, if it comes to it I could hacksaw around it just to get the goodies inside. Then as you say buy a second hand one and head or a new one. I looked on airsoftsniperparts, but correct me if I'm wrong which I most likely am, but isn't it just the original TM one the SDik will work on or will it fit clones ok?

I have watched so many video on this gun already I think I could disassemble it in the dark when I get it :lol:

 

[proffrink]

I believe only the Pro Sniper is crimped - the GSpec is just pinned. If it comes to it then buy a cylinder from Airsoft Pro - ASPUK just resell most of their parts with a hefty price tag; I've never much liked their shop and I'm not sure why so many people use it. Convenience maybe.

Here's the thing: Shizbazki found his ASPUK cylinder wouldn't fit the SDiK yet I found that my Airsoft Pro one did. Either ASPUK have a slightly different design being made by Airsoft Pro or Airsoft Pro updated their cylinder design or Mancraft updated the threads on their cylinder head. It's a bit of a mystery as it's been known for a long time that ASPUK simply resell Airsoft Pro stuff (so you'd expect them to work similarly).

Either way, we know the SDiK fits the stock Marui cylinder and will also fit the nikel-plated Airsoft Pro cylinder so if you have an issue with your Marui one then pick up a new one from Airsoft Pro.

 

[ItsAJ]

Just ordered the TM Gspec so should be here in a few days, are there any recommendations for scopes? I was looking for 3-9x40 with parallax adjustment? Something with a mill dots or similar as I'm not so keen on just cross hairs.

 

[sp00n]

Just ordered the TM Gspec so should be here in a few days, are there any recommendations for scopes? I was looking for 3-9x40 with parallax adjustment? Something with a mill dots or similar as I'm not so keen on just cross hairs.

depends on £££

if lots of £££ Hawke

then niko stirling

then what ever :lol: B)

also consider 50mm lenses (say 3-9x50), you get abit more of the area magnified etc

 

[ItsAJ]

I wasn't sure if 50mm would be too big on a vsr? I looked at this one on ebay http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=371019320609&alt=web and this http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=121388175303&alt=web and finally this haha http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=201336237876&alt=web though not 100 percent sure what rail the GSpec has, I know it's 20mm but don't know if it's dovetail.

 

[sp00n]

thats a 50' on my VSR G-spec (not a g-spec silencer though B) ), with a sun shade

 

[sp00n]

I wasn't sure if 50mm would be too big on a vsr? I looked at this one on ebay http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=371019320609&alt=web and this http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=121388175303&alt=web and finally this haha http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=201336237876&alt=web though not 100 percent sure what rail the GSpec has, I know it's 20mm but don't know if it's dovetail.

the nikko is the best in my view, you will need to replace the mount though. its a 20mm picatinny mount rail, or 20mm ris. be aware some mounts don't fit, but rings do fit

 

[ItsAJ]

Thanks! I will see if I can get 20mm mounts, having not held the rifle can u say if a low or high mount works best? Found the 50mm Nikko version 3-9 that's half mil dot though not illuminated don't know if that is so important?