The Airsoft Alternative

[scheirere]

Concerning the timer problems, here's a possible alternative:

http://www.ruready.com/airgun07.htm

It's a timer thats been specifically setup for airsoft and airguns. Haven't tried it yet but I'm seriously considering it.

There's even one of these for sale in the classified forum right now.

For those of you considering buying an airsoft gun to practice, do some google searches. There are places to buy state side if you don't want to buy from an oversees retailer. Be careful when buying from outside the US as customs is pretty tough on things like company trademarks. Because most of the airsoft gun makers don't pay royalties to the origonal gun maker to use their name, it becomes a legal issue.

[D-Man]

I've got a "WE" Brand Green Gas limited piece that mimics my SV, and after "Modifying" the orange muzzle plug, it fits into (and OUT of) my CR Speed with No Probs.

I shoot rounds through it from time to time, but I use mostly as an enhanced dry fire tool. I disabled the slide stop, and shoot it empty (Bad for the Gun by the way) to practice tracking front sight, Target Tansitions, etc. I shoot it mostly in the living room with three 1/3 sized targets. Running it empty you can pretty much call all of your shots anyway, and you don't have to worry about eating a pellet because you're poor and can't afford Real Estate.

BTW got it at flea market for $90. Good deal for the quality.

[45gunner]

How durable are these guns. Does anyone have one that has held up > 1.5 years?

[D-Man]

I bought three (the 2011 style, and two 92F's) in the summer of '06, and while the kids don't really play with thier Berretta's anymore, I use my 2011 the better part of the week in the evenings as part of my dryfire routine.

The one I have has an all metal frame, slide, barrel, guide rod, and magazine. While it's not forged steel or anything, it's way better than all the other plastic guns they sell out there. Strips down just like the real deal, and fits perfectly in my CR Speed. I cut the lug off of the slide stop so I could fire it with an empty mag. It shoot's great, and gets around 300 FPS on the rounds, but I don't usually fire rounds out of it.

They are good for what they are, but they're not invincible. While playing shoot'em up with kids awhile back I dropped my mag on the driveway, and even though it didn't crack like thought it would have, I would want to do it again. It still runs fine. Also I think the O-rings in the mag (which is where the Gas is stored) need to be replaced every so often. Just last month mine has started to bleed gas, just a little bit.

I'll try to take a pic of mine, and show it stripped down, and also in the CR Speed etc.

One other thing I use it for is videoing myself in the house doing draw drills against the par time. In the play back you can clearly tell if you beat the clock, especially if your playback program has sound in the slow-mo, or pause/step feature (InterVideo Win DVD).

[D-Man]

Here's some pics of the piece...

Getting my @ss handed to me by the computer trying to resize the images to fit.

[D-Man]

I've got more, but that should be enough to get the general idea.

Last night I got bored and tried to fit my STI mag funnel onto this frame, and with a little shoehorning and banging I could have made it fit, but see the need to.

The the SV is in there for comparison.

Edited January 1, 2008 by D-Man

[Rocket35]

Thought I would chime in with a few pictures also. I didn't have any luck with the STI magwell without modification either- so I slapped on a Dawson ICE. Fit like a glove.

Edited January 2, 2008 by Rocket35

[Chris Conley]

Hopefully mine will come in on tomorrow.

Chris C.

[shooterready]

Santa brought the kid and I KWA G18C's for Christmas. What a blast! Guns are running great. He especially likes the full auto. These are going to be great for my training routine as well.

Couple pics of the range and gun.

[Chris Conley]

Got mine via UPS today. Man what a let down. Thumb safety and trigger doesn't work. Won't even cock. The 3000 BB container was smashed and all the BB's in the bottom of the box. Spare mag basepad will not stay on either. Now I have all this gear and nothing will work. Big let down.... I guess I'll call them in the morning and send it all back. That's usually how things go for me if I order stuff off the internet. Unless I order it from Chuck Bradley.

Chris C.

[Rocket35]

Bummer!

[D-Man]

Who did you order from, and what brand is it?

[Chris Conley]

Airsplat.com. and it's a WE. I'll call them in the morning after work.

Chris C.

[Bill Nesbitt]

I have 2 airsoft pistols. The first was a WA Glock I got from Manny. It just works and works. Just like a real Glock.

I decided to get a WE HiCappa from Airsplat for the adjustable rear sight. It has been a disappointment. After a few mags, it went full auto. I e-mailed airsplat and they told me to send it back. I had to pay for shipping. They adjusted the hammer spring and sent it back. It sort of works OK now. I can't shoot a full mag before cooling issues cause it to quit shooting correctly.

If I was to get any more airsofts I know I would get them from Manny.

[D-Man]

I talked to my buddy from Baghdad '05, who started some sort of national Airsoft players union (www.caoc-a.com), and I mentioned your issue to him. He said he does alot of work with the owner of airsplat, and any problem you or anybody else has he can get fixed right away. I'm going over to his house tommorrow eve and I'll get him to talk with the guy's over at airsplat and get your gear squared away.

I'm not that big into airsoft other than dryfire training, but apparently there is this huge underground airsoft community out there, and my buddy knows everyone who is anyone in it so, if he can help set you straight he will.

If anyone else has had bad deals within the airsoft world, let me know and I'll see if my friend can get the issues resolved.

Edited July 13, 2009 by Duane Thomas

[Bill Nesbitt]

D-Man,

See my post above. Is there anything that can be done about the quick loss of power because of cooling?

Thanks for your effort.

[Chris Conley]

If anyone else has had bad deals within the airsoft world, let me know and I'll see if my friend can get the issues resolved.

Thanks. Do you want me to PM you the info?

Chris C.

[Flatland Shooter]

Is there anything that can be done about the quick loss of power because of cooling?

Though probably not recommended by the manufacturer, but on colder days out in the garage (99.9% of my airsoft practice takes place in the garage), I have a small heating pad on the workbench. I fire up the heating pad and placed the spare loaded magazines on it covered with a towel. In the summer time its not needed, but when the temp drops to below 60 degrees, I see less shots per fillup. The pad has pretty much solved that problem.

Bill

[D-Man]

Is there anything that can be done about the quick loss of power because of cooling?

By quick loss of power due to cooling, do you mean it doesn't shoot well in cold temps; or do you mean that after you load it with gas and then plink away the mag gets chilly, and it looses power? Could be one of two different problems.

The compressed gas used in airsoft guns, not much more than low grade butane, with silicone added for internal lubrication....(Hehehe, I said "Silicone", "Internal", and "Lubrication" all in a ligitimate sentence.... ) Anyways, the gas they use, like any other compressed gas doesn't like cold temperatures for producing pressure. However, add to that the fact that releasing the compressed gas results in its own cooling effect and it doesn't help. If your mag is getting cold after filling and it won't fire more than a couple of shots, you might have internal damage/worn O-rings that allows gas to escape the gas chamber, and collect inside the mag body.

Is this problem with a new gun, or one that has been used for a while. Is this the WE Hi-cap 1911/2011 style? Did you get it from Airsplat as well?

Let me know,

I'll mention it to my buddy anyway, and get the ball rolling on some more in depth answers...

[Bill Nesbitt]

D-Man,

Thanks for your help. It is a HiCappa that I recently bought from Airsplat with one spare mag. I've already sent it back once.

Last night I loaded both magazines with three 2 second bursts of green gas. This is the same way I load my WA Glock mags. They sat overnight in my reloading room, a 68* bedroom. This evening I loaded each mag with 28 BBs. I tried to empty the gun with approx .30 splits. One mag shot all 28 BBs but didn't have enough power to lock the slide back. I got about 10 dry fires before it ran out of gas. The other mag quit shooting after 20 BBs. It almost sounds like a magazine problem to me. These are both new mags that came when I bought the gun a month or so ago. Hope you can help me.

[AWLAZS]

Mine does the same thing and its from the same place. I cant shot a whole mag on one gas charge

[D-Man]

I talked to my buddy, he is going to talk with the guy over at airsplat, but right of the bat he passed along the following:

Usually with most gas pistols the rule of thumb is one gas charge per mag load. When you load your mag, charge your mag. That being said, when you get to bottom of you mag, and go to load new rounds, hit the gas release on the back of the mag, and dump out whatever bit is left in there and throw down on a fresh charge. I'm not sure why, maybe pressure issues, or maintenance issues, but that's the way i've always done it. That being said, your gas pistol should be able to at least make it all the way through 28 rds or so, but towards the end it should be about ready to die. Not getting through those 28 rds is a ligitimate issue however.

Also, make sure your lubricating the mechanism inside the slide. On the WE gas guns there is piston looking piece of plastic that engages the chamber, and that part has to be lubricated every 300 rds or so. This probably not total cause of your issues, but every bit ofmaintenance plays it's own part in the end. One or two drops of CLP on the underside of the slide (about where the Disconnect notch is cut on real 1911) should do it.

I'm going to be out of the loop until Fri, but I will update the information to my buddy before I go out. Should have solid answers by the end of the week. I might turn him on this site (all he does is airsoft stuff), so maybe he can put out some more direct Q&A.

Edited January 7, 2008 by D-Man

[Bill Nesbitt]

D-Man,

Thanks for the tips. I'll try them.

[Rocket35]

D-Man,

See my post above. Is there anything that can be done about the quick loss of power because of cooling?

Thanks for your effort.

Though probably not recommended by the manufacturer, but on colder days out in the garage (99.9% of my airsoft practice takes place in the garage), I have a small heating pad on the workbench. I fire up the heating pad and placed the spare loaded magazines on it covered with a towel. In the summer time its not needed, but when the temp drops to below 60 degrees, I see less shots per fillup. The pad has pretty much solved that problem.

Bill

Nice tip Bill- that will help alot!

[D-Man]

D-Man,

Thanks for the tips. I'll try them.

After talking to my people:

1. How long do you allow the mag to sit after you fill it. (You should wait about 2 mins to allow the gas to settle)

2. Are you blasting through the whole mag at one time, or are you firing individual shots.

3. How many rounds can actually fire before the gun looses power.

That's the basics of what my friend told me ask you, however, if the problem is beyond this state and you really want some more expert advice, email daromad@yahoo.com. His name is Donnie, I served with him Baghdad, and he'll square you away. Tell him Kenny referred you. Also, If you need to send anything back to Airsplat.com, and good word from him will make everything run smoothly (not that it wouldn't run smoothly anyway, but having allies always helps, right?)

Good luck, and let me know if there is more I can do.

Edited January 11, 2008 by D-Man