Custom Pistol Build Thread

[Alimcd]

45 minutes ago, frontsight said:

Jesus! Those are some unique builds; I have so many questions 

How did you get a patterned finish like that on the first gun? Is it hydro dipped?

How/who/where is it possible to fit wood grips on hi capa grips? 

 

 

 

I see. That's great there's someone akin to Mike from ESC, I initially contacted him for the Cerakote but was sad to hear he's now retiring.

The splash pattern is anodised, I got it done to match a KC02

 

It’s a pattern that Rogueworx call Nightwind. I’ve got another Capa/KC combo in a splatter pattern called High Roller but I’d been holding off on sharing it much until my 4.3 Adv frame arrives

 

The 4.3 frame, rare as they are, has been sourced for me by Kyle as he’s a total legend and may even be inbound.

 

Wooden Capa grips are from a brand called Pandora Arms. They’re very thin covers that just adhere to the standard TM grip. They’re really beautiful but time will tell if they’re up to taking a hit!

Edited May 25, 2022 by Alimcd
Not a KC02 thread

[frontsight]

Ah I see. Didn't realize you could anodize in patterns like that! That loadout looks like something straight out of a videogame haha

 

Please do share pics once it's finished!

Edited May 25, 2022 by frontsight

[Steveocee]

4 hours ago, Alimcd said:

Kyle is definitely THE go to Hicapa guy in the UK.

 

Shit at Zorb football though, eh @Steveocee

 

Was waiting for you and your babies to show up in here lol. Got to agree with this statement as well. He is shit at zorb football lmao

[frontsight]

1 hour ago, Steveocee said:

zorb football

I had to google this and boy I'm more confused than I was before I searched it xd

[Steveocee]

12 hours ago, frontsight said:

I had to google this and boy I'm more confused than I was before I searched it xd

 

By far the easiest way as an adult you can work out you're unfit 😁

 

[JimFromHorsham]

More of a mini jigsaw puzzle than custom but the only TM part of this TM G19 is the magazine body 😛

 

 

 

[k.a]

On 25/05/2022 at 15:58, Stratton Oakmont said:

 

More pic's of the limcat perfect sight please, is it the Nova or Gunsmith bros one ?

[Stratton Oakmont]

Airsoft masterpiece, the top two are now full airsoft masterpiece and the open class is airsoft masterpiece slide and slide internals and everything from the frame down is stock tm 4.3 silver with an aftermarket magwell . The lim at perfect sight no longer looks like that anymore as I wore the slide out to the point it won’t feed as there is too much slop so it now looks like this.

 

 

I found the perfect sight the best balanced hicapa due to the increased weight on the end of the steel barrel and lack of slide mass reciprocating.

the new slide is as light due to the significant cuts and I have fitted a steel bulk barrel to keep the weight at the front 

 

Edit: the black slide may be a gunsmith bros

[Stratton Oakmont]

The perfect sight runs great on the other less worn frame.

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by Stratton Oakmont

[frontsight]

2 hours ago, Stratton Oakmont said:

The lim at perfect sight no longer looks like that anymore as I wore the slide out to the point it won’t feed as there is too much slop

 

Just curious, about how long (time or roundcount, whichever comes first) does it take to wear out an aluminum hi capa slide to the point it's non-functional?

 

I've seen on other platforms alu kitted guns with 10+ years of hard skirmish use and still kicking

[Stratton Oakmont]

5 years of use, once week for an average of  300 bbs a session,  both slide and frame have a little wear in combination that results in vertical play in the slide so the nozzle jams. Both work perfectly with other slide /frame combinations just not together any more.

It may also be a problem with the perfect sight as once the slide cycles all the mass at the front of the slide Is gone so any play shows up even more

Edited May 28, 2022 by Stratton Oakmont

[frontsight]

Tried something new other than the usual 1911 stuff over the weekend and prepped my TM G18C frame before stippling.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The initial idea behind this build was strictly "form follows function", where everything on it would serve some sort of utilitarian purpose.

 

Eventually that approach skewed into adding all the tactical accoutrements that I see in the airsoft & real-steel community.

The end-goal now is to have it so ridiculously Gucci'd-out that it looks like something out of a sci-fi film.

 

 

Started by removing finger grooves. Used 120 grit sandpaper with a hard sanding block. Didn't bother going any higher than 120 since the frame will be stippled anyway. I don't have a dremel tool so taped off parts to minimize scratches from filing/sanding. The frame is a Guarder aftermarket part for a gen 3 G17.

 

Thumb rests also removed

 

Couldn't really take too many pics of the process as I was covered in black nylon fiber powder most of the time. Here's some of the modifications and the reasoning behind them.

 

Finger grooves removed and undercut triggerguard: Rolled up some 120 grit on a hammer handle and hand sanded, adding a chamfering bevel on each side afterwards. Surprised how much of a difference this makes. You can grip so much higher on the gun almost to the point where your grip angle changes. If you had to do just one mod I would recommend the undercut. Some RS shops seem to polish this part to a mirror finish but I just left it gritty as it might cause blisters if too smooth.

 

Thumb rest removal and mag release scallop. I've seen these mods on some of the higher end Glocks that come out of custom shops and such. However, unlike the RS frames, airsoft frames don't seem to have enough thickness in this area create a deep enough scallop for any meaningful difference. It does make the mag release a bit easier to reach without breaking my extra-medium sized grip, but wish I could cut out a little more. Will probably add a border when stippling to make the scallop stand out a bit more visually.

 

Some RS examples of "scallops". Tried to copy the round style of the ATEI G19 (leftmost photo). Note how much deeper the scallop cut is. Airsoft frames don't have much material here.

 

 

Internals and short-stroking: The build started off with making sure everything that reciprocates is as light and frictionless as possible, while anything that doesn't is as heavy as possible.

All the lower parts and the hop up are steel/stainless, while the moving parts are more weight-conscious (7075 slide, lightweight BBU with polymer backplate, non-tilting outer barrel, etc.). While this makes the cycling speed akin to the plastic stock version, I really wanted something faster, something that would go brrrrrrt on regular 144a gas- so I short stroked it like a madman. 

 

Filed back the slide stop ~14mm to allow it to lock back while short stroked. Image below shows the difference in travel compared to stock. The only concern is the slide itself slightly thinner in this area than where the notch used to be. Fingers crossed it holds up; but if it doesn't I'll just short stroke it some more🙃 

 

 

Some ideas I'm playing with for the next steps. I really want to go all-in with the weight reduction concept and mill out some slide windows that agree with the general design language of the gun. It'll probably only save about 5 grams but would still look pretty good. They would also serve as forward cocking serrations since the selector switch doesn't really provide a comfortable grip to rack the slide. Which one do you prefer : (A) moderate and matching with the top port or (B) full length ports all the way to the chamber ?

 

 

 

 

 

By the way, does anyone have any recommendations for stippling services? Looking for some place that does laser stippling or soldering. Not really confident that I'll be able to create clean borders doing it myself.

 

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by frontsight

[Alimcd]

Not a candle to the length you’ve gone to on that Glock but my GSB4.3 frame arrived. 

 

Total weight of the build with mag/tracer and torch is less than a stock TM 4.3 without a mag

 

803g vs 825g for an unloaded, naked TM

Edited May 30, 2022 by Alimcd

[frontsight]

Damn! That's pretty light for a hi capa.. Don't tell me that's real carbon fiber on the tracer can???

 

Also nice to see a fellow chad Olight enjoyer

 

The machine says that your hi capa is for £3.95, I can take it off your hands for an even £4 😁

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by frontsight

[Alimcd]

5 minutes ago, frontsight said:

Damn! That's pretty light for a hi capa.. Don't tell me that's real carbon fiber on the tracer can???

 

Also nice to see a fellow chad Olight enjoyer

 

Its a vinyl wrap because the Chingrish on the tracer just let the whole thing down.

 

The O lights are incredible. I’m amazed by the difference in brightness between the PL2 and the generic/nuprol lights I see people play with

[frontsight]

Ah I see haha that makes sense.

 

Yeah mine was the first RS light I spent any real money on and it seems really nice. Kinda worried about the whole exploding olight thing though.. Maybe I'm just being paranoid

[Alimcd]

Here’s something that’s a bit of a work in progress.

 

 

Got a ring pull style selector on the way that’s more in-keeping with what people seem to use on the actual MK4. A friend is printing a much lower profile mount for the Viper that’ll take it much closer to bore. 
 

Since concept, the goal has gone from MK4 Lite to MK4 target, so when I get all the upper elements Cerakoted to match; I’ll get some accurate trades lasered back on.

 

The Ruger medallions will end up set in some wooden grips for a less “tactical” and more “old school plinkster” look

Next headache is getting it site legal. There’s a 180mm barrel in there that’s currently delivering 1.5j in full auto… Going to try either restricting the nozzle or shimming the rocket valve to bring that down to 1.1 on temp appropriate propellant or HPA at 95psi

Edited June 4, 2022 by Alimcd

[Alimcd]

Also, can’t remember if I actually shared a proper picture of the finished Battlecat with adv frame. The matched KC02 is a full auto 1.1J build and equally gaudy
 

[frontsight]

8 hours ago, Alimcd said:

Here’s something that’s a bit of a work in progress.

 

 

That's really nice.

 

tbh I kinda like the current color scheme. It has the color scheme of a vintage muzzle loader with a browned barrel & blued frame - with a reddot.. lol

 

Throw some wood grips on there and it will become even more confusing😁

[Alimcd]

1 hour ago, frontsight said:

 

That's really nice.

 

tbh I kinda like the current color scheme. It has the color scheme of a vintage muzzle loader with a browned barrel & blued frame - with a reddot.. lol

 

Throw some wood grips on there and it will become even more confusing😁

The Ruger medallions and some wooden grips are going to a mate this week to be done to a standard I can’t achieve myself. In the meantime, I’m going to stick some Infinity medallions in there and see if anyone gets triggered.

[frontsight]

Still in the ideation stage of a new build but wanted some feedback. Not sure if I should commit or not just yet as it might be a lot of work. The more I look into it it seems doable... Please convince me otherwise

 

------------------------------------------------------------

Been toying around with an idea of an Heirloom Precision build.

 

 

Ran into this image on Heirloom Precision's website. They're a RS high-end 1911 custom shop that takes your base 1911 and does a whole bunch of cool stuff to it (for a whole bunch of money).

 

I really like the juxtaposition of the old school slide with the modern stuff like Heine sights slathered on it. I've seen some airsoft builds of the Street Kings 1911 which also sports a 1911a1 slide with custom fitted sights so I know people have done it in the past; I'm just not sure I can do it

 

-From another user on arniesairsoft a long long time ago. Note the hicapa sight on the 1911a1 slide

 

 

The plan is to buy this Guarder series 70 kit with the small peephole sights

 

And fit MEU sights like this

 

I have the Heine sights, so just need to cut the dovetails to MEU spec.

 

Looking at the plastic slides for the TM 1911a1 and MEU there seems to be enough material to remove on the a1 model.

Will have a practice run on the plastic slide and post updates. Wish me luck...

 

Edited June 8, 2022 by frontsight

[frontsight]

 

How are you liking the Guarder complete frame set? I'm thinking of trying a full Guarder Glock like this myself

 

By the way why does the outer barrel have a different serial number?😂

 

 

On 28/05/2022 at 11:02, JimFromHorsham said:

More of a mini jigsaw puzzle than custom but the only TM part of this TM G19 is the magazine body 😛

 

 

[JimFromHorsham]

11 minutes ago, frontsight said:

 

How are you liking the Guarder complete frame set? I'm thinking of trying a full Guarder Glock like this myself

 

By the way why does the outer barrel have a different serial number?😂

 

 

 

yes , it’s really quite good and everything nice and tight , and yes the barrel is / was different and now swapped  … let’s call it a clerical error 😛 

[Kls77]

My Glock 17

 

FBo lower 

Guarder slide 

AW trigger and internals.and outer barrel 

Maple leaf hop and nub 

6.01 barrel 

Heavy recoil spring 

Surefire light rep 

Only pistol ever built from parts had about over time 

 

[frontsight]

That is nice. Wonder how the P80 frames scallop the mag release area so much without grinding through the frame

 

1 hour ago, Kls77 said:

My Glock 17

 

FBo lower 

Guarder slide 

AW trigger and internals.and outer barrel 

Maple leaf hop and nub 

6.01 barrel 

Heavy recoil spring 

Surefire light rep 

Only pistol ever built from parts had about over time