Airsoft blog from Poland

The stuff from Evike's here!

2009-10-31T17:18:00.003+01:00

And to be honest I must say that it was delivered to my apartment much earlier than I expected -- a delivery guy gave it to my wife on 20th of october, only 6 days after it was shipped.

Though the shipping costs were rather high ($48,50, via USPS' Express Mail), I will probably buy there more stuff in near future. ;)

Here's a list of the goods I bought.

The stuff's great, when I install the rail and the end cap (not quite compatible with the Marui's Kurz I own), I'll post here some pictures. ;)

I ordered some stuff from Evike

2009-10-20T21:53:00.000+02:00

A week ago I ordered some airsoft stuff from Airsoftpost.com -- the online shop, division of Evike.com.

Nothing fancy, just some cool additions for my MP5K. I will post here more info when the package arrives. I hoped that it'll be shipped via UPS, but instead it was shipped by USPS. :(

First game in 2009

2009-10-08T07:54:00.002+02:00

That's right -- on saturday I played airsoft for the first time this year!

I prepared for this game the entire friday. I charged two stick batteries, and two large ones (the 9.6V 1,800 mAh Sanyo and the 9.6V 4,000 mAh Firefox). I wanted to take all my replicas, because I wasn't sure if any of those replicas is working. They weren't used for such a long time.

When we arrived at a place called Nadarzyn 2 (used some time ago as a base for anti-aircraft defense of Warsaw) I took from the camper only the mG36, M24 and MP5K. I wanted to use the mG36 first, and took also the M24 and MP5K in case the mG36 stopped working. I plugged the freshly charged Sanyo battery and was surprised that pulling the trigger didn't cause ANY effect at all! I removed the battery and plugged the Firefox and the replica started firing like hell!

I only played for two rounds -- one when my team had to defend a building, and the other when we had to storm it. My team won the first one and lost the second -- it's almost always easier to defend a place than to attack it.

During the first round I killed 6 enemies while got shot only once, when I ran out of ammo (I successfully hit one guy with the last burst). And I didn't move at all!

Here's a photo of where I stood at that moment.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

Why is autumn my favorite season for airsoft?

2009-10-02T15:07:00.000+02:00

The autumn started like a week ago, and since it's my favorite season for playing airsoft, I believe I'll try to attend more games. :)

Why do I like playing airsoft in autumn, not in winter or in summer?

First of all, my flecktarn jacket's camouflage works best when the leaves are not light green, but olive/orange/brown/red. So I am not as easy to spot as in summer.

The second reason is the weather. Yes, autumn in central Europe means sometimes a lot of rain, but it also means very pleasant temperatures to run fully dressed in long sleaves, with a lot of equipment on the back.

I hope to start this airsoft season tomorrow, at the moment I am preparing my batteries for the game. ;)

No airsoft game since winter

2009-08-12T19:06:00.003+02:00

The last airsoft game I attended was in winter. Since then my wife told me to throw all the airsoft replicas from our apartment to my camper van, in order to make some extra room for our son, who was born on february 26th.

When we come back from the second part of our summer holiday (planned to take place from august 22nd) I will try to go somewhere and play some airsoft -- I miss it a lot!

I even bought me some stuff lately, I will post here more info on that later.

Airsoft replicas vs frost

2009-01-15T13:48:00.007+01:00

It's winter on the northern hemisphere and in many regions we have temperatures below the freezing point of water (0°C → 32F). You might begin wondering if it's safe for you and your replica to attend airsoft games in such conditions.

Low temperatures

Airsoft electric guns - AEGs

AEGs are powered by batteries, mostly NiCd or NiMH rechargeables. Those batteries work best in room temperatures. If it's colder, their capacity drops. If it's very cold they won't supply enough power for the electric motor to pull the power spring in the mechbox. Low temperature also makes all greases and oils a lot more viscid -- it makes it even more difficult for the motor to move.

The issue with cold batteries may be resolved easily. Just make a cable long enough to put your battery in your pocket (preferably -- as close to your body as possible) and supply the replica with energy through that cable. It won't help with cold and viscid greases, but probably will be sufficient to ensure that your AEG will be operational.

There are other issues regarding electric replicas and frost. If you have tuned replica (stronger power spring), your mechbox may break more easily than during summer. Cold makes metal more brittle, so a shock caused by piston being stopped in a very brief time might break the mechbox. I read about couple of stories like that.

The last issue I know of is the hop-up bucking not being able to turn the BB enough for it to have proper trajectory. Hop-up buckings are made of silicone or rubber and are soft only in rather warm temperatures. If they become hardened by the frost, they won't work well.

I attended one game when it was -18°C (-0.5°F) and my replica worked fine. I used the stock MP5K PDW by Tokyo Marui. The battery capacity was very low and the motor worked very slow. I could only fire about 50 BBs when the battery died.

Pump action replicas

Such replicas don't need batteries as they're operated manually. If you have stock replica, it might work just well, except the hop-up bucking issue. Tuned replicas may have difficulties about metal brittleness...

Gas operated guns

Replicas powered by Green Gas (propane or propane/butane mixture) won't work well in winter.

Green gas is stored in canisters in liquid state, under small pressure of 6 atmospheres. In such pressure it boils in temperature close to -5°C (23°F). In such temperatures it won't be able to expand as fast as in summer, so the range of gas guns will drop dramatically. In extreme conditions (like shooting 10 BBs in short time) the gas valve might freeze and let all the gas from the magazine out in a large cloud of "steam". In Poland we call this a siphon. I don't know why...

Snow

As you probably know, all airsoft replicas are reasonably water resistant. They will work well in small rain, but won't if you drop them into a pond. So they will work well in snow. It won't hurt them.

Cold → warm transition

If you take electronic device from cold to a warm room you are not supposed to start it in some specified period. The water vapor from the warm room will condense on cold parts of the device and might cause electric shock.

You shouldn't be worried by this with your AEG. Typical AEG has none electronic parts inside, and a small amount of water condensed on any electric part won't hurt it. So if you must, you may freely use it. But who needs to fire his AEG indoors, anyway? ;)

Tuned mG36 tested this sunday

2008-12-30T11:16:00.002+01:00

I wrote some time ago that my mG36 was tuned up to 390 fps. Two days ago I finally had a chance to test it during an airsoft game.

At first I was worried it'll work at all. I plugged fresh battery (4,000 mAh NiMH battery I bought last month) but it allowed me to fire only a couple of BBs when I was checking the hop-up position. I plugged another battery that lied around in my camper for a while, an old 1,800 mAh Sanyo NiCd and it worked just fine.

The game was short and not very interesting, so I used only about half a hi-cap magazine. But the most important thing is that it does work and shoots well. :)

I tested the M24 yesterday

2008-12-15T18:20:00.002+01:00

So I finally had a chance to test my new replica -- the M24 I bought last month.

The game took place in Adamowice, in a forest with some small embankments. Nothing very interesting, that would differentiate this place from any other in the area. I took three replicas -- the M24 and mG36 for testing (the mG36 was repaired not so long ago) and the MP5K PDW. I wanted to have one replica that I am sure will work in almost any condition, that's why I took the Kurz. I also wanted to carry it while I was going to use the M24 in case I needed a sidearm. I didn't know how the M24 will work and also needed to have a replica to be used when the enemy was close to me. I don't want to hurt anyone with the 510 fps muzzle velocity of the M24. I also need a replica that'll allow me to spray some BBs when the enemy is close and I won't be able to reload the sniper rifle.

You know what was the result of this M24 testing? In three rounds I got shot 3 times and scored 6 hits. But only two hits with M24!

Why?

I have some trouble with the M24's hop-up. I am afraid that it can't turn up heavy BBs (0.35 g). So the range is not very long. But what do I need a long range for if the game takes place in a woodland, where there's a lot of twigs, brushes and leaves? I couldn't hit for several times, because the BB bounced off a twig.

The first time I used the MP5K was when I received a hit in the M24. I shouted that my gun was shot and left it on the ground. I took the MP5K and killed two guys using it... The second time it was used was when two guys were lying on a top of the embankment, behind two trees and aiming someone that was far on my left hand side. They were hidden by the trees so they didn't see me, so I hung the M24 on my back, grabbed the MP5K and ran to them. When I was close enough I told the first guy I killed him and shot some BBs to kill the second. ;)

And now a photo taken yesterday.

From 08-12-14-makowka-ambona

Best airsoft places, #3

2008-12-06T15:37:00.003+01:00

I started some time ago a series of blog posts about my favorite places for airsoft games. Today's game was supposed to take place in one of those places (I didn't go as it was raining) so it is a good time to write about the SD.

The SD is a short for Sztab Dowodzenia, which means Command Staff. I wrote about one game that took place there, but I believe it is not enough! But before we go any further, take a look at the satellite photo of the place.

The lighter green is a large area covered with tall grass and the darker areas are woodland parts. There are many large hills, some of them made of concrete (built as large bunkers for trucks or something even bigger).

I don't have a lot of good photos but I uploaded something for you to take a look. I made this panorama using a bunch of poor quality photos taken with a crappy camera three years ago so take this into account. ;)

From Airsoft from Poland photos

Why do I like this place?

First of all it is H U G E but lies within the Warsaw city limits. It has a couple of small buildings you can play with and a lot of large obstacles like the hills you can see on the photo. You'll also find some barbwired fences, many trees, trenches and embankments, and a small creek. This place can hold games of up to (I guess) 200 airsofters.

You can see some interesting places on the second advertisement video we recorded there.

New replica and other stuff

2008-11-27T17:52:00.004+01:00

So I bought a new replica. Some time ago I wrote that I earned some extra money I wanted to spend on airsoft and decided to buy a sniper rifle. So I did, the replica arrived on monday.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

This is the package I bought for PLN 870, which is very close to $300. I got this Classic Army M24 with installed 300% spring tuning set (the original set was also included) and Systema hop-up bucking (the original was also included).

The replica came along with a very nice scope -- with variable zoom and illuminated (red and green) reticle.

The replica had no magazine, so I had to purchase it separately. I found those magazines in several shops, but with different prices -- from $12 to $17. Of course I bought in the cheapest shop. ;)

On last thursday I also got another package with three M24 magazines and BBs. I bought two packages (total 2,000 BBs) of 0,36g BBs and one of 0,25g BBs. I also bought two batteries for my dot sight.

I didn't test the M24 yet, because when I come home it's already after dusk and when I leave to work, it's also dark. I will see how it works on saturday. :)

Airsoft FPS

2008-11-20T20:30:00.000+01:00

This is the ultimate guide to Airsoft FPS (muzzle velocity) issues.

What is the airsoft fps term?

The muzzle velocity, expressed in fps (feet per second) is the muzzle velocity of airsoft replicas. It is the speed that the BB has when it leaves the barrel of the airsoft gun.

Many people believe, the more fps an airsoft replica has, the better. To some extent it is true, but here are the bare facts.

The fps in airsoft means only that a certain BB will have a certain muzzle velocity. In most cases for most replicas it is measured for 0.2 g BB, but be sure to check it. If you find a suspiciously cheap replica with high fps, it probably means it was measured on 0.12 g BB and on 0.2 g BB would have less fps.

The fps also means that the BB fired from this replica will have a specific kinetic energy, calculated from the formula E=m*V²/2, where m is the mass of BB (0.2 g for example) and V is the fps. The more the energy of the BB, the longer range you can shoot. And the more pain you will cause when hitting someone.

fps vs range in airsoft

Yes, the bigger the fps for a replica, the longer it's range may be!

But the range is not determined only on the fps of an airsoft replica. The range is determined mostly by the hop-up system of the replica. This system rotates the BB so it will not fall on the ground after flying 20 meters.

A cheap replica may have large fps, but that does not necessarily means it has long range. It is not said it might be used as sniper rifle!

fps vs accuracy in airsoft

fps does not determine accuracy. Accuracy depends on the lenght of the barrel and the quality of the hop-up system. If you install tightbore (precise inner barrel) for your electric airsoft replica, it will slightly increase your fps (by 5-10 fps or so) but will surely increase the accuracy of your replica.

To be honest, the bigger the fps, the smaller the accuracy. Try using 0.12 g BBs in your AEG of 300 fps and you will see what I mean. To use this high muzzle velocity you need to use heavier BBs, for example the 0.2 g BBs are recommended only for replicas that have less than 300 fps! For 400 fps you should use 0.23-0.25 g BBs, for sniper rifles of 540-550 fps you should use 0.36-0.43 g BBs. Lighter BBs will be fired in random directions.

New airsoft stuff

2008-11-19T19:48:00.000+01:00

I can't remember how many articles I wrote about stuff I bought. This is one of such articles. ;)

On november 10th when I shipped my mG36 for repairs, I received a package at my post office. The package was wrapped tight in a black foil, and consisted of two boxes.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

After everything was unpacked, it looked the following:

As you can see, I bought:

a new carry handle with a picatinny rail for my mG36,
a 9.6 volt 4,000 mAh NiMH large type battery, to fuel all my energy needs,
a sophisticated battery charger, capable of charging and discharging airsoft batteries with a current of 500 or 1,000 mAh (good for large batteries, not so good for the smaller ones),
the side rail for AK-47 sight mount.

mG36 operational again

2008-11-18T19:36:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I received a package containing my mG36 replica. It was repaired, so it's probably fully operational. I will check it on weekend, 'cause when I arrive home after work it's already after dusk. :(

Full face airsoft protection for winter

2008-11-18T12:43:00.001+01:00

Do you ever attend airsoft games in winter? Do you need your face to be fully protected, but don't want to buy ugly airsoft mask? If so, get a shemagh scarf, goggles and a helmet. And watch the following video.

$700 to spend on airsoft

2008-11-16T09:43:00.002+01:00

I just earned PLN 2,000 -- $701 on one of my blogs. So I decided to buy some airsoft stuff for that money.

So... what to buy for less than $700? The more I save, the better, so I decided to spend no more than $500.

Of course my first thought was to buy a new airsoft replica. But which replica to buy? I went through the local airsoft shops and gathered ideas. I ruled out most of the replicas for the following reasons:

I owned the Classic Army's M15A2 for some time, so I don't want to buy anything from the M15/M16/M4 family,
I owned the ICS' MP5SD3 and have at the moment the MP5K PDW from Tokyo Marui, so I won't buy any MP5 either,
I have AK47S from Cyma (CM028), so I don't want another Kalashnikov,
I don't want any M249 minimi, 'cause I already have a support weapon - the mG36,
I also don't want another AUG nor G36.

This left me with not many options to choose from!

After some time I had the following ideas:

the UZI AEG from Tokyo Marui,
the P90TR AEG from Tokyo Marui,
the SIG 552,
some sniper rifle,
the G&G GR300L.

The UZI was one of the first AEG replicas I saw in my life. And now noone owns such a replica. This also means that it is difficult to buy any parts or accessories for it in Poland. We also have a gas powered Crossman mini-UZI, so I stopped to think about buying this replica.

The best thing in P90 is the way it looks. It looks like no other airsoft replica. It is a bullpup submachine gun, so it has a long barrel, yet it is very portable. It has three rails to install dot sight, a laser pointer and a flashlight. But I read an article about how the P90 does not work well in woodland games. I have a replica to use indoors, the MP5K, so I decided not to buy the P90.

The SIG 552 is a nice AEG. It has folded stock, and some rails for some equipment. It is also not popular. At the moment I couldn't buy this AEG in any of the local airsoft shops. :(

The GR300L is the only rifle of the M4 family I like. I had much fun time with the electronic version of this rifle in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Clear Sky. I also like the way it looks, but the replica is way too expensive for the money I wanted to spend.

This left me with only one option -- buying a sniper rifle.

The idea was the best of the all I had. I always wanted to have a rifle that has a very high muzzle velocity. I always wanted to shoot other players on the distance of over 200 feet. My first thought was to buy the Tanaka M700 or the cheap copy of this replica -- the KJW M700. Both are gas powered. Since they both have only 6 months warranty in the only polish shop I could buy them, I thought it was a bad idea. I wouldn't use the gas gun in winter, so the warranty was not enough... And then I read about Classic Army M24 and a cheap way to increase its muzzle velocity from 300 to 540 fps. And I decided to buy this rifle.

Later this afternoon I found a set of CA M24 with the 540 fps cylinder set installed, a bag, a sight but no magazine on the Allegro.pl (the polish alternative to eBay). The guy wanted to get at least $300 for this set, I would have to buy 3 magazines and a bag of heavy BBs (0.36 g) for extra $70. This would fit my budget well, so I made him an offer. The auction will last for 6 more days, I will write here if I managed to buy the rifle. :)

I sent the G36 back for repairs

2008-11-12T14:11:00.000+01:00

I wrote how my mG36E was broken by the guys who were supposed to tune it. I sent it on monday, but the story needs some explanation.

I sent the photos I shown here. And the next day I was called by one of the ASGShop staff about the hop-up chamber. The guy asked me if I think the replica was sent in this condition. He told me that the replica was tested before it was put to the package, but since it was missing the flash hider, it was probably damaged on it's way to me. He told me he already spoke with his boss who told him to take the replica for free repairs.

I didn't much have time to send it, so it took awhile before I went to a local post office. I was also waiting for my new purchases -- the G36 carry handle with picatinny rail. I wanted to see how this handle looks on the replica. I waited till last friday and as the handle didn't arrive, decided to go to the post office on monday. I packed the G36 using a lot of bubble wrap and cardboard:

From Airsoft from Poland photos

So I sent it, insured the package to the amount of $600 and paid for the shipping over $15. :(

By the way, at the post office, I received the package with the handle. :( I will write something more about the stuff I ordered tomorrow. Subscribe to RSS feed to know more. ;)

The work on Cyma AK47

2008-11-11T20:27:00.004+01:00

I promised to write more about the work I did on my Cyma AK47S (CM.028) yesterday. So here it goes.

The goal was to:

put new Systema tightbore,
install metal body from Cyma,
install side rail (from Cyma) for side lock mount rail.

I started with the metal body -- I wanted to drill three holes for the side rail. I attached the rail to the body with plastic straps (I have no idea what is the proper word to use), as shown below.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

I soon started drilling holes -- I just marked it using my drill.

And then I removed the rail to finish the drilling.

When the holes were made, I bolted the rail.

And then I attached the mount rail.

Then I removed the entire mechbox and all the other parts from the old plastic body. I had some help from this very good video of AK47 disassembly.

At this moment I wanted to remove the barrel and install the tightbore. I followed this video but it was incompatible...

I was very surprised to see that the original barrel in Cyma CM.028 did not have the notches and hole that are used to install the hop-up bucking, as you can see on the video. It was just put inside the hop-up chamber, along with the hop-up bucking! So I didn't install the tightbore. :(

I also had a lot of trouble with installing the mount for stock on the new body. One of the parts didn't fit inside the body. This is the troublesome part. I don't have any file at home so it required some work to make it fit. :(

I finally put everything together. I tested the replica today -- it does work, but I want to change this barrel anyway.

Late night work on my Cyma AK47

2008-11-10T23:52:00.000+01:00

Short post this time, 'cause it's nearly midnight in Poland and after 3 hours of struggling I finally managed to put together my Cyma AK47 replica.

I wanted to:

install metal body,
install systema precise inner barrel (as I learnt yesterday, it's called tightbore),
install side mount for side lock mount rail.

I managed to do the first and the third. More details tomorrow. Subscribe to the RSS feed if you want to know when those details are published.

Cool deathmatch yesterday

2008-11-10T13:29:00.002+01:00

So yesterday there was a cool airsoft game. Cool and very short, and very small. That's because there was only four airsoft players, including me. ;)

We played only one round, in not-so-good-old deathmatch style. I love to play deathmatch in Quake ][ or Quake ]|[, 'cause one doesn't get tired when running in an computer FPP game. You do become tired when you run around during an airsoft game. This is the same reason for which I don't like playing airsoft capture the flags either.

The rules were simple -- each of us goes to the different corner of the site and we all have on respawn.

I started in the farthest location. I didn't hear the "go" shout, but I realised the game is commencing when I heard first AEG bursts. Soon after that I saw the first enemy. He was crouching on a nearby hill and didn't look in my direction. Soon he had to use his first respawn.

I camped in this place for a while. Some time later I heard that one of the other players is permanently dead. I sat in the same spot for couple more minutes and then I decided to move. I heard shots on the other side of small valley, but I didn't want to cross it. I decided to go around the valley. When I came from the farther end of the valley I saw one of the enemies (the one I shot at the beginning of the game). I came further, slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible, which was difficult when the groud was covered with stick, brushes and leaves. I wanted to approach the guy so close, I wouldn't miss. When I thought I was close enough, I shot him with a short burst. Too short burst. :( He wasn't shot (well... at least he didn't say he was) and escaped. Soon after that the other remaining player gave up as he used all his ammo.

My target moved. I spent some time looking around but didn't see him. I fired some BBs into some dark space with one light stripe -- I though the dark space was his uniform and the light stripe was the white half of polish flag he has on his sleeve. I was wrong and I revealed where I was. Soon he started to fire at me, but I was lucky enough to avoid being shot. So then I knew my target was again on the other side of the small valley. And once again I moved around it to get my guy.

I got him in a very simillar way as previously. I saw him, he didn't see me, I shot him, I didn't miss.

I never expected to be the winner of this game, but I was. :)

Short night game last sunday

2008-11-08T12:45:00.003+01:00

On last sunday I took Ania to Warsaw for a short night airsoft game. It was supposed to start around 5 PM -- this time of year it is already after nightfall. We went to Fort Piłsudskiego -- one on many old military forts in Warsaw. We played for about two hours and I had lots of fun.

I never liked playing airsoft at night. It started when we played in Halinka some four or five years ago. I got shot by Mamut with his pump action shotgun -- the benelli m3 super 90. Two of three BBs hit me in the ear while the third hit me somewhere else in the head. I didn't like the night games because I felt very vulnerable -- I don't have any tactical flashlight on my replicas, so I can rely only on the natural light...

But last week I had fun. :) There was only eight of us but it was more than enough.

I took the AUG and AK47S with me for this game. At first I though I'd use AUG, but I felt like it was too powerful for playing at night. So I decided to use the AK47S instead and it was a good choice.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

The game was very slow. All night games are slow. You move slowly, because you aren't sure what are you walking onto. You try to move quietly, because the sound is what will tell where you are. So the best way to score some points at night game is to hide somewhere and wait for someone to come.

I camped this way a couple times. With success. :)

At first I hid behind a large tree on some small hill (around 1 meter / 3 ft high), in some bushes. When the opposite team killed three of my teammates I was left alone. They thought they killed everyone else and walked less than 10 metres from me to the point where all the killed gathered. When they were told I was still alive, they walked near me again and then I started to spray BBs. I killed one or two of them and received a hit by myself. It is not easy to aim at night... ;p

The second time was when I crouched in one place for some 5 minutes. I saw a guy walking in my direction but wasn't sure if he's in my team. When we saw each other I asked him if he's my mate or enemey -- and then he started to shoot his cheap AEP (Glock 17 by Double Eagle, I guess). At the same instant I shot him back and I decided we should both be considered shot, though I did't feel or hear his BBs on my parka.

The third time was the most interesting. This time the idea was similar -- to crouch in one place for some time and to wait what will happen. I saw one guy from the opposite team, he walked in my direction. I aimed at him to shoot whenever I feel threatened. He stopped for a moment and fired a short burst very close to me (I talked to him couple minutes later, he told me he fired at some point near me, because he heard some noise). I was scared, but didn't pull the trigger. He started walking again, walked by me and then I shot him in the back. ;)

We also had some fun with using an old refrigerator as a shield. On this photo you can see Indianin with his AK47, hidden in the refrigerator. :)

high muzzle velocities of cheap AEG

2008-10-28T17:24:00.003+01:00

Did you ever wonder why cheap AEGs from China (Cyma, Both Elephant, Jin Gong, Galaxy) have higher muzzle velocities than AEGs from Japan or Taiwan (Tokyo Marui, Classic Army, G&G, G&P)?

For example, new Cyma's AK47 has muzzle velocity of 410-430 fps (the one I own has 290 fps) and costs at WGC Shop $138 while Tokyo Marui's AK47 has only around 270 fps and costs $287 (price for AEG with battery and charger, to be comparable with Cyma's replica). You can easily see that the TM is twice as expensive as the chinese Cyma.

Many people in Poland buy those replicas because they think they'll get good replica cheap. They think that the more fps the better replica. Well... they are wrong...

What does the high muzzle velocity mean? Nothing except that the BB leaves the barrel with high velocity. It doesn't imply the replica has high range. It doesn't mean it has good accurasy, either!

What determines the range and accuracy? Inner barrel and hop-up. If the inner barrel is precise and made well, all the BBs will be fired in exactly the same direction. What happens after they're shot depends on the quality of the hop-up, especially the hop-up bucking (rubber). If the hop-up rotates each BB the same way, they all have the same trajectory. The better hop-up action, the longer range and the steadier trajectory.

One of my favorite replicas is the MP5K PDW that has less than 260 fps but is really accurate, despite it's short barrel.

So why the chinese replicas are made to have so much fps? Because this is the only thing that is easily comparable between replicas. You can measure the muzzle velocity easily, but you can't measure and compare the range and accuracy of different replicas! And it's easier to put stronger power spring than to make entire mechanism more precise and airtight.

I am in some kind of airsoft article frenzy -- expect more articles to be posted this week. I strongly suggest subscribing to my RSS feed on the upper left corner of the blog.

Carry handles for G36

2008-10-25T17:53:00.003+02:00

If you compared different versions of G36 airsoft replicas (the G36, G36K (Kurz -- short) and G36C (Compact), you probably noticed the different carry handles.

G36 and G36K have a carry handle with 3.5x scope, similar to the one that is fitted on real-steel G36E (Export) version.

From WGC Shop

G36C has lower handle with Picatinny rail (more a rail than a carry handle).

From WGC Shop

But there are also other carry handles on the market. First there's a handle that is closest to the real-steel version, with 3.5x scope and reflex red dot sight.

Also from WGC Shop

And there's a cheap alternative of the carry handle above and something I always wanted...

From taiwangun

I just bought the latter, no matter that my mG36 is broken and is going to be sent for repairs.

I am going to use this railed handle with red dot sight I bought some time ago for my MP5K.

Guys from ASGShop.pl broke my mG36's hopup chamber

2008-10-24T20:31:00.004+02:00

Last saturday I wrote a post on how my mG36 got home from tuning and repairs in ASGShop.pl broken. Now it is a good time to add some more details to the story.

On 18th, right after I posted an article, I mailed the guys from ASGShop to tell them the replica doesn't work.

Yesterday (on 23rd) I mailed them once again, as I didn't get any answer. Couple hours later I got a reply that my e-mail was forwarded to the guy who worked on my replica.

The guy called me today around 11 AM on my cellphone but I had another phonecall at work, so I didn't answer. I tried to call him back in a couple of minutes, but the phone was not answered (the message on their answering machine says the phone support works from noon). He eventually called me three hours later.

I told him that the I found one piece of hop-up / barrel assembly (the spacer I mentioned on the earlier post) lying somewhere in the box that held the replica. We discussed for a moment and he said that it is not possible that this part disconnected itself somehow while the package was being moved. He told me that if I feel like I may try to take a look at the hop-up assembly and fix it by myself. As all I want is to have my replica firing as soon as possible, I agreed. I am familiar with this mechanism as I tried to replace the inner barrel by myself.

So I came home and started working on the mG36. The first step was to remove the magazine nest (sorry -- don't know if this is the right word, I mean the part you put magazine in) and what I saw told me something is very wrong with the hop-up chamber. I saw this:

From Airsoft from Poland photos

On the photo above you can clearly see that there's a broken hop-up chamber and that the hop-up bucking (rubber) is broken as well. You may also see that the spacer I mentioned earlied is gone (no big mistery here -- I found it in the cardboard box). So I disassemblied it a bit more to remove the barrel and hop-up chamber.

You can see that the rubber is also damaged. The moving nozzle made a small cut on the lower part of the rubber. You can also see what happened to the hop-up chamber.

But the latest discovery was worst. Not that I did't expect it, though...

This is the part of the hop-up assembly where the spacer is supposed to go. On the original G36 barrels there are two notches that hold the spacer in place. You can see it perfectly on the photos here (a guide to G36 hop-up disassembly). The fourth photo shows the spacer (pointed with the red arrow). On the 8th and 9th photos you can see the notches on the inner barrel.

Why am I shocked? I tried to replace the barrel in my mG36 some time ago. I bought some long barrel that didn't fit because of those notches. And being aware of that (and since the precise barrel for G36 was not available at ASGShop.pl at the time I sent them my replica for tuning) I told them to install any precise barrel that will fit. Well... seems the guys decided that the barrel without notches is as good as the original. But they were wrong. I thought of this last week -- this is why I wasn't surprised. :(

I don't care! I am going to send them the replica tomorrow and phone them on monday (will probably e-mail them some of the photos as well). I suspect they will repair it as a part of their warranty, 'cause they have simply no other choice.

But I am going to write this whole story down on the biggest polish airsoft community's bulletin board. I would let one mistake go, but two mistakes are too much!

I need some sophisticated equipment

2008-10-22T21:28:00.000+02:00

I don't have any high-tech charger / discharger. At the moment my equipment used for charging and discharging my batteries consists of:

charger for 8,4 V batteries, capable of supplying 250 mA current, the one that comes with Cyma replicas,
some variable rate charger that gives 12 V and 15-240 mA current,
very simple discharger, made of 55 W 12 V car bulb, shown on the following photo.

From Airsoft from Poland photos

Discharging batteries takes time. Since it's not automated, I have to look at the bulb from time to time when I am discharging a battery. I can't leave it unattended...

Charging batteries is not fully automated. The chargers are cheap, they only supply the specific amount of current. They don't check if the battery is fully charged, so may overcharge and destroy the battery. The only way to make sure the battery is not overcharged is to watch the time carefully (and know exactly how long the battery is supposed to be plugged to the charger) and check from time to time if the battery is warm... I can't leave the charger unattended for the last part of the charging, when the battery needs to be unplugged.

I need to buy a good automated charger and some cheap discharger to make sure my batteries are healthy and may live long...

Cyma AK47 review -- bullshit

2008-10-19T11:38:00.003+02:00

I saw a review of Cyma's CM028 - AK47 replica. And I thought I must write here something, because the review is bullshit. But what to expect when the replica is reviewed by someone who sells them, not by someone who only uses replicas!

Around 2:12 the guy says the following:

Not only will bigger and more powerful battery increase the rate of fire (...), also increase the range and accuracy up to 5 to 10 per cent.

Come on! The only thing that changes when you supply 9.6 volt current instead of 8.4 volt is the engine speed. The engine revolves faster, the gears in gearbox revolve faster, the power spring gets compressed faster. But the energy delivered to the piston by the spring does not depend on how fast the spring was compressed! So no matter what battery you use, the amount of compressed air that will push the BB through the inner barrel remains the same.

Well... there may be one case when it isn't the same. If you connect 12V battery to stock replica, the engine may try to compress the spring when it didn't decompress itself fully. The engine may revolve so fast that the next gearbox work cycle will start before the piston reaches the cylinder head.