Long range target shooting competition: rifle setup and upgrades?

[Reezo]

Hello everyone,

Summer time is coming and:

 

I decided to enter an airsoft long range target shooting competition, with some friends of mine.

 

I am opening this thread to gather as much suggestions and info from you guys who are MUCH more expert than me. The fun starts now in this preparation time: I am going to try to achieve my best consistency possible with the rifle I have and/or try to build a new one.

 

The Rules:

- Airsoft guns only

- Target shooting only ("target" = inanimate objects, no shooting on human beings, animals or plants)

- No semi-auto guns, no AEGs

- No FPS limit

- Spring and gas allowed (Green Gas and similar, Propane, CO2, HPA allowed as well)

- Stock gun platform must be commercially available (no completely custom jobs)

- All upgrades allowed, either commercial or DIY

- All BBs allowed in terms of weight and material

 

The Competition:

- Target shooting at 200ft (first rounds) 300ft (second rounds) and 400ft (finals)

- Every session is comprised of a test shooting of 6 rounds and a real score session of another 6 rounds

- Indoor and outdoor sessions

- Stationary targets only

- 200ft rounds shot in sitting firing position [EXAMPLE PICTURE]

- 300ft rounds shot in prone supported firing position [EXAMPLE PICTURE]

 

My actual rifle:

- Tanaka M40A1 with PCS preban bolt [ACTUAL PICTURE]

- PSS10 Laylax 6.03mm inner barrel [iTEM PAGE]

- G&G Aluminum hop up set (part 91) [iTEM PICTURE]

- King Arms chamber conversion (VSR) [iTEM PICTURE]

- King Arms power nozzle [iTEM PICTURE]

- King Arms Red Hop Up Bucking [iTEM PICTURE]

- G&G rubber set [iTEM PICTURE]

- King Arms reinforced striker spring and steel impact plate [iTEM PICTURE]

- G&G reinforced magazine valve spring [iTEM PICTURE]

- G&G Steel cocking piece [iTEM PICTURE]

 

- Guarder Mil-Dot 3-9x40 Illuminated Scope [iTEM PICTURE]

- King Arms Spring Eject Bipod

- Guarder Cordura Cheek Pad/Pocket

- Miscellaneous DIY upgrades, like teflon taping and inner barrel spacers

 

The actual question of this thread:

What kind of upgrades would you suggest me to perform on my actual rifle, to increase my chances of winning the competition?

 

No budget limit. Can change any piece I already have. I know I will need power and consistency..on an airsoft gun this is not going to be easy..If you really think the best path would be to buy a different rifle, please say so, however consider that this thread would be related to how to improve my actual rifle platform to the best of its possibilities.

 

Thanks for literally ANY kind of help you can provide me with.

 

Cheers,

R.

[Sniper_88]

personally ditch the veriable magnification scope for a fixed magnification, record all your shots you make in a DOPE book tight bore barrel and rubber and use 0.30g BB's unless your firing beyond 500fps then use 0.43g BB's everyhing has an effect on the BB wind rain snow and temprature so practice alot.

[Reezo]

Thank you very much for the tips!

[Rock-climby-Dave]

up the power and up the BB weight, possibly into ceramic or metal rounds.

 

I've had a play with an SMK CO2 VSR platform - runs around £120 and at 650fps before upgrades it would be a good place to start.

 

Id suggest that + the best 6.03 tightbore you can find + a hard hop rubber. It may even be worth looking into the R-hop mod.

 

Be very careful at those power levels though, anything below a .3 will be impossible to aim, the BB lacks enough momentum after about 5m to push through the air, so whips around wildly - upping to a .43+ will mean any ricochets still carry very painful hits to a person.

 

400 feet isn't that far, theoretically I would like to see you putting every round into a coke can, certainly an A4 page at that range with the brief given.

[Reezo]

up the power and up the BB weight, possibly into ceramic or metal rounds.

 

I've had a play with an SMK CO2 VSR platform - runs around £120 and at 650fps before upgrades it would be a good place to start.

 

Id suggest that + the best 6.03 tightbore you can find + a hard hop rubber. It may even be worth looking into the R-hop mod.

 

Be very careful at those power levels though, anything below a .3 will be impossible to aim, the BB lacks enough momentum after about 5m to push through the air, so whips around wildly - upping to a .43+ will mean any ricochets still carry very painful hits to a person.

 

400 feet isn't that far, theoretically I would like to see you putting every round into a coke can, certainly an A4 page at that range with the brief given.

 

I agree. The main points of my upgrades are going to be:

- an HPA/CO2, dual regulated, external air rig

- an IR-hop in my 6.03 Prometheus TBB

 

I might go IER-Hop but I would need to file the hop window on the barrel and I will try and see how the IR-Hop behaves, first.

 

I'll be using something like 0.88g steel BBs and start increasing the PSI on the rig very slowly, session after session. My Tanaka M40A1 already has lots of upgrades, mostly steel parts hitting against steel parts, reinforced striker springs and unrestricted PCS/nozzle. The 29 round magazine is excellent for drilling the air rig in and holds gas like a tank, PSI wise (tested by other users as well).

 

From here I'll see where it goes. If I can hit a soda can at 400ft, I am in the ballpark Most of the participants have NO idea about R-Hop and external air rigs, so anyone using normal buckings and BBs lighter than .43g is probably get raped by my setup - IF it works

 

Once the technicalities are laid down and ready, it will be practice time. Lots of practice time.

[Airsoft-Ed]

400ft is pretty damn far for an airsoft gun. 300ft is considered the upper range limit of skirmishable setups, no?

 

Would you mind posting pictures and a full parts list etc once you've got everything sorted out? Range shooting is my thing and although you can't skirmish anything as capable as what you're talking about, it would certainly help teach me a few things about upgrades and what not.

 

Plus it just sounds genuinely interesting, if I can find anywhere that does competitions like these near me then I can see myself getting into this sort of thing.

 

I'm particularly interested in learning about the HPA set up.

[Reezo]

400ft is pretty damn far for an airsoft gun. 300ft is considered the upper range limit of skirmishable setups, no?

 

Would you mind posting pictures and a full parts list etc once you've got everything sorted out? Range shooting is my thing and although you can't skirmish anything as capable as what you're talking about, it would certainly help teach me a few things about upgrades and what not.

 

Plus it just sounds genuinely interesting, if I can find anywhere that does competitions like these near me then I can see myself getting into this sort of thing.

 

I'm particularly interested in learning about the HPA set up.

 

Will do! I will keep you people up either here and in my web site/blog - when I start to field the weapon platform and test it. I'll be posting plenty of videos and considerations, it is going to be useful for me, as well, because it will act as a log for the entire setup process.

 

400ft is pretty darn far for me as well, I never play the sniper role but .. 300ft consistently would be awesome already

 

Anyway, the first steps, as I said, on my Tanaka M40A1 platform are:

- Reinforce every part to avoid damages from the higher PSI output

- Remember that once you put some steel part, anything coming in contact with it must be steel, as well..or it will tear down like crazy

- Eliminate FPS fluctuations from usual green gas/propane magazine usage: to do this an HPA/CO2 rig with TWO regulators ensures the most consistent PSI output in the magazine and resolves cooldown effects, too

- Get a high quality tightbore barrel (6.03 being the golden balance)

- Tighten the groupings and get ready to lift heavy BBs: the answer is an R-Hop or even an EXTENDED R-Hop. I will be fielding an IR-Hop first, then hopefully try an IER-Hop ("I" stands for Ice: better reaction to cold temperatures, "E" stands for Extended: prolonged contact with the BB)

- Use heavy weight ammo, probably .66g ceramic BBBastard or .88 steel BBs

- Evaluate the possibility of using an LRB, long range barrel, which is a barrel curved slightly downwards. What it does is stabilize the BB in flight and have it come out at the nozzle in a more consistent trajectory.

 

I've done some of the steps, others need to be done but that's the workflow, mainly.