Airsoft Type 89 Gun Repairs

The type 89 Japanese assault rifle has recently been cloned by airsoft gun manufacturers. I benched one of the Both Elephant brands recently for an internal review, plus I wanted to see how BE's new mechanical 3 shot burst was configured mechanically. The type 89 airsoft gun sports a full metal body, barrel and gearbox and features the mechanical 3 shot burst feature. Other "airsoft replica cloners" have incorporated 3 shot burst features by using an electronic MOSFET control which seems to be prone to premature failure due to the extreme field use most airsoft guns are subjected to. I was delighted to discover that the type 89 uses M4/M16 standard magazines. I tried out Jg, TM and AGM brands and all worked fine. I did find it disappointing that BE decided to go with a front mounted battery when this model has a big, beautiful, full size stock just begging to be stuffed full of battery power. I found the gun to be "wobble free" and very solid feeling for a replica assault weapon of this length. As I continued to disassemble the gun it quickly became apparent why it felt so solid. The very innovative type 89 gearbox incorporates a custom gearbox tail piece and a solid steel connecting bar that extends across and solidly connects into the guns upper receiver. As I dug deeper I found more new airsoft part designs but found some old school standard airsoft parts as well. The piston, piston head, cylinder, air nozzle, tappet plate, spring guide, gears and bushings were all standard type parts that are readily available at most online airsoft retailers. The gearbox, cut off lever and trigger assembly are available by special order but not carried by many U.S. airsoft retailers. The trigger switch is not the common horizontal slide type typically found in version 2 type gearboxes, but instead a vertical slide type that seems to function very well although it seems to heat up quickly during continued three round burst fire. The three round burst selection is controlled by a simple ratcheting style cut off lever engaged with the guns fire selector switch. Only time will tell if this unit will suffer from premature wear, but the design idea is brilliant.

Overall I think the type 89 would be a cool addition to the airsoft arsenal and could be a nice solid sniper weapon with a few standard upgrades. MMMmm I think a 9.6 NiMh 2300 Mah battery, some 6mm metal bushings, 6.03 tight bore barrel and a 110% spring to achieve a final velocity of about 350-370 FPS. Just a quick FYI at the time of this article Both Elephant guns and airsoft parts were available at the WGC Shop website. Happy Hunting!

Armsdealer...OUT

Airsoft Gun Upgrading Part 1

Why upgrade your airsoft gun?

I upgrade my airsoft guns for durability, accuracy and performance. Understanding the core components and engineering principles of your guns gearbox will be the first step to any upgrade process.

Far to often it seems the driving factor for airsoft upgrades is FPS or power upgrades. The common misconception with airsoft guns is that to achieve more power (FPS) all you have to do is add a stronger spring. This is INCORRECT and can result in major damage to your beloved replica firearms collection.

Take out your stock 90 or 100% spring add a new 130% spring and presto you have an airsoft weapon that fires in the neighborhood of 450 Feet Per Second, Problem is this airsoft gun will become a maintenance monster that will chip away at your wallet faster than the BB's it spews out.

Your airsoft gun uses both mechanical energy and air powered energy in timed synchronization to accurately propel and stabilize bb's. You cannot change one factor and just ignore the other as is done with spring only airsoft upgrades.

Many stock airsoft gun components are not engineered for higher velocities: Many stock gears, pistons, cylinder heads and other internal parts are not engineered to operate at 350 FPS or higher and will prematurely fail. Most gearbox units or "mechbox outer shells" are only rated for velocities up to 400 FPS and will quickly crack at the nose of the gearbox if upgraded to velocities exceeding this.

Some things you will want to consider when upgrading your airsoft gun gearbox:

1st upgrade you should change out plastic bushings and plastic spring guides if present. I would recommend a hard steel bushing set but there are airsoft bearings available as well. Metal spring guides come with or with out thrust bearings. The guide you use should be determined by the upgrade you are performing EXAMPLE: You have a Tokyo Marui airsoft gun and you wish to upgrade from the stock fps of 300-320 FPS but not exceed 350. By adding metal bushings and a spring guide with a thrust bearing you can up your fps slightly and increase the durability. You could also achieve this same result by changing out the spring to a 110% and using a standard metal spring guide. At the same time switch your stock 8.4 volt battery to a 9.6 volt and you can increase your Rate Of Fire from the stock rate of 14-16 bb's a second to 18-20 bb's a second. Now lets talk about gear upgrades:

Changing the gear ratio will change the timing of the piston so you must upgrade the piston accordingly. High speed gears will require a piston with one less tooth, High torque/FPS upgrades will require a reinforced or metal tooth airsoft piston. A silicone ported, aluminum or silent series piston head with a thrust bearing and metal double seal cylinder head is recommended for upgrades exceeding 350 fps. The dome shaped piston head features more surface area to absorb shock and vibrations from firing. The metal piston head with double O-ring's will create a tighter seal between the cylinder walls and add the durability of metal to the head itself. You should see an increase of 25 to 30 fps with the installation of a silent cylinder kit. OK I have presented much airsoft theory for you to ponder on for now. If your interested in seeing pictures of or buying the airsoft parts I mention here visit our Airsoft Gun Parts Catalog

Soon I will be posting Airsoft Gun Upgrading Part 2 where I will address more on gear upgrades plus bb weight, hop up units and the Bernoulli's principle, Stay tuned

Armsdealer...OUT

Airsoft Gun Oil

FACT: Petroleum based oils and greases should never be used on your airsoft guns for maintenance purposes. Many silicone type sprays contain chemicals and propellants that will destroy or harden your airsoft guns O-rings and attack the plastic and poly parts, like the air nozzle, piston and tappet plate.

Airsoft gun oil is a non petroleum based, synthetic oil for airsoft gun maintenance. Most airsoft gun oil will consist of a 100% silicone based oil of a very thin viscosity or low cst rating. Airsoft gun grease on the other hand has a very high cts rating making it cling to fast moving parts.

Proper and timely application of airsoft gun oil can increase FPS and decrease maintenance expenses for all airsoft guns. Following these 5 steps after each use will condition and protect rubber and plastic parts.
1. Apply two drops of oil in the magazine well
2. Re-insert loaded magazine
3. Point in safe direction
4. move selector from safe to fire mode
5. Cycle about 10 bb's


Another popular method is to put several drops of airsoft gun oil directly on the bb's in your magazine (Do not use bio) and then promptly insert magazine and fire gun 10 to 15 times to properly disperse the oil. Either of the above methods will work as the key ingredient is to have oil available in the cylinder to be sucked in on the intake of the piston stroke, successfully lubricating the O-ring and other internal parts. As the piston is fired any excess oil will be distributed as a mist to the hop up unit and barrel protecting and lubricating these parts.

Airsoft gun oil works great for cleaning and conditioning your barrel as well. Airsoft bb's tend to leave a dusty residue coating in the barrel that over time will build up increasing jams and cause performance issues and even costly repairs. For after market tight bore barrels the problems in performance will begin immediately and the following cleaning procedures should be performed on all airsoft gun barrels after each use. Most airsoft gun manufacturers include a poly cleaning rod with your AEG but a (plastic) 22 caliber end from a real steel gun cleaning kit will work as well.

1. Set Hop Up To OFF
2. Insert cotton patch in cleaning rod holder. This should fit snug, not tight down the barrel with a simple twisting motion.
3. Apply two or three drops of airsoft gun oil to cleaning cloth.
4. Clean barrel with a back and forth twisting motion.
5. Change cloth and re-oil when dirty and continue until cloth inserted in barrel remains clean.


All in all these simple guides to oiling your gun can save you future dollars in repair cost and extend the life of your airsoft gun parts. You will still need to perform annual or yearly internal gearbox maintenance but if you follow these airsoft oiling guidelines you will maintain better compression=FPS and accuracy between PM sessions.


Get Airsoft Gun Oil Here and see what a tactical difference good maintenance practices can make to your airsoft battle plan.

Armsdealer....OUT

Airsoft Thompson M1A1 Repair

AAaaaahhhhhh The Thompson Airsoft Sub Machine Gun.

A favorite for airsoft gamers from all genres, Loved by WW2 re-enactors for its obvious place in US history. Widely used by modern day airsoft warriors for its full metal good looks and great performance and widely collected and hung on the wall by gun collectors who want a nice replica without applying for a class 3 federal firearms license.

With both TM and now CYMA making a licensed full metal Thompson I am beginning to see more show up at the airsoft gun repair service center, So this blog will be for the Tommy gunners. A quick side note, If you have a airsoft P90 airsoft gun the Version 6 gearbox is used in your airsoft gun as well.

The version 6 gearbox is much like the V3 except the motor is offset from the main gearbox body differently as shown here. You will also want to make a note that the bushings are special for the version 6 with the center one oblong in shape. Upgrading the bushings and spring guide to metal will drastically increase your airsoft gun durability and the amount of time between services and repairs. The separate modular trigger on this gearbox is nice as you will not have to worry about trying to keep this in place while you are closing up after upgrades.

For those of you who are looking to do this upgrade on your own you can find more Thompson airsoft gun repair pictures here.

To field strip this airsoft weapon you must first remove the stock screws which will reveal a hidden spring release button and the rear of the upper receiver. Push the button in and slide the receiver off. You will need to remove the hand grip, selector switches and motor to remove the gearbox from the metal body.

Once removed from the gun body you can open up the gearbox and upgrade, repair or just do a yearly service. To keep this historic 6mm bb machine gun chasing off the enemy a nice 350 FPS upgrade is about all you need as the base models come out of the box with nice accuracy and distance thanks to the Thompson's unique hop up unit. If you have any questions about Thompson or any airsoft gun upgrades visit the Wisconsin Airsoft Forums and ask...its the quickest way to get an answer! Well till next time...

armsdealer...OUT!

KWA Airsoft Gun Repair

KWA USA, has released what appears to be one of the nicest V2 M4's I have ever had the pleasure to dig my allen wrenches into. The KWA spec sheet says:
"The KWA KM4A1 Carbine is the first production AEG engineered specifically for the unparalleled performance of today’s advanced battery technology – Lithium Polymer (LiPo). LiPo batteries provide higher capacity and superior performance surpassing the more common Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) batteries. However, this powerful battery requires the highest quality of internal components. To handle the extra power of LiPo batteries, the KM4A1 is equipped with a reinforced metal gearbox utilizing KWA’s exclusive 8 and 9 mm ball bearing bushing combination and case hardened, precision metal gear sets. Heavy duty springs and high-torque motors are matched for optimum results. High-grade metal alloy are used for the production of the upper and lower receivers. The KWA KM4A1 Carbine was engineered to outperform the competition, offering ultra high performance and dependability straight out of the box"!
Overall Length = 33.75" (30.5" when stock is fully retracted)
Outer Barrel Length = 14.5" (368mm)
Barrel thread = 14mm (Counter clock wise)
Inner Barrel Length = 15.5" (394 mm)
Inner Barrel Diameter = 6.05mm +/- .03mm
Hop-Up: Adjustable
Magazine Capacity = 350 Rounds
Caliber = 6mm BB
Velocity = 380 ~ 400 fps* with .20 gram BB's
Rate of Fire = 20+ rps**
Weight = 6.5 lbs.
Power = 8.4V, 9.6V NiMh Battery, or 7.4V, 11.1V Lithium Polymer Battery (Maximum 11.1 V, 18A continuous)

Well I visited the inside of one of the KWA M4's and am humbled by the custom engineering that has gone into making this a long lasting and durable airsoft gun...The solid external full metal build of this M4 equals and in most cases exceeds other airsoft manufacturers hands down. The ROF at 20+rps has a fantastic suppressive effect on the airsoft field...

On the bench Airsoft Repair Pictures this model strips down easily and quickly to reveal a modified V2 gearbox with several performance enhancing features. The 8mm ball bearings sure seem like a nice addition, but they are not sealed and I would be concerned with the long term effects of dirt and grime that seems to find its way into my airsoft guns at every game. However I see these 8mm bearings are readily available at airsoft stores globally. Inside the KWA V2 you find steel high speed gears and a solid built piston assembly that fires .20 bb's out at about 380FPS.

The reinforced gearbox seems to be the biggest innovation in the new KWA and looks like it could finally resolve the cracked gearbox nose repair problem most airsoft guns suffer from. The puzzle piece engineered fit of the two gear box halves seem to have significantly reduce shock and vibration transfer to the gearbox shell creating reduced operating stresses and longer life on upgraded airsoft guns. The hop up unit is very well built and is full metal. The adjustment is smooth and shows a noticeable improvement with each small adjustment. The barrel seems to have some flaking issues with a coating of Teflon or some kind peeling off the inner barrel after 10,000 rounds or so and requires a vigorous cleaning.

All in all I look for this M4 to be a hard competitor at future airsoft games...A team owning several of these fast firing KWA M4's could lay down enough suppression fire to own the airsoft battlefield for the day. Hmmmm....
C ya next time
Armsdealer

M14 EBR Airsoft Repair

M14 EBR Airsoft Gun Durability Testing

Well now that I have operated in a few games with the Kart EBR and have been able to work on a few of them, I must say when it comes to the m14 ebr's, a little caution by airsoft players is needed. All in all for the low purchase price of 150 to 200 dollars it is a very nice airsoft gun! The build is like a standard M14 with the same hop up and version seven gearbox. The RIS front end and sliding tactical stock with adjustable cheek rest are what really sets this AEG apart from the standard M14 style rifles. Metal bushings and a metal spring guide are highly recommended to add durability and an extended gearbox life to your EBR.

One thing to keep an eye out for is faulty wiring...I bought two cases of these and the first case were great performers out of the box, while every gun in the second box was defective...Seems someone had a bad day wiring at the Kart Factory! These M14's were easy to repair and turned out to be only pinched wires but the guns randomly fired when plugged into the battery with out ever pulling the trigger. None the less a shocking surprise for a unknowing consumer of this airsoft gun!

Another thing to keep in mind if you are considering buying a M14 EBR, all that metal makes for one heavy airsoft gun. A bi-pod is a good option and the M14 EBR already has a metal rail to ease installation. This gun chronographed at 390 to 420 FPS stock so sniping is a good option and is a very effective gun for this, but you should chronograph this before heading off to your favorite airsoft game field, as most fields will only allow up to 400FPS without adding sniper restrictions.

The gun comes with a sling, battery charger and a custom 9.6 volt 1500 mah twin airsoft battery pack that fits the front nicely. Also included is a 400 round m14 hi-capacity magazine and a cleaning rod for clearing bb jams. For general airsoft target practice this is one of the best stock airsoft guns I have field tested...for games it works very well if you have the brute force needed to lug this 20 plus pound hunk of iron all day long. All in All this gun ranks about a 7 on the Airsoft BA scale!

One final note...Working or repairing this AEG is fairly difficult and should not be attempted by beginners! If you have questions or need help repairing or upgrading your EBR contact me at airsoft gun repair in Wisconsin.

Till next time
Armsdealer
"Airsoft! Come share the welts"

Airsoft Spring Powered Sniper Rifle Repair

The new low priced high velocity sniper rifles are becoming a popular load out for airsoft gamers in the USA. As such more and more players are asking how to maintain or upgrade a spring powered sniper rifle. One of the more popular versions showing up at fields are type 96 styles. These high velocity 450 FPS spring airsoft guns are incredibly accurate. Most of these sniper rifles are easy to maintain and repair if you know how to field strip your model.

One of the most important things to remember with airsoft sniper rifles is "you must use high quality BB's". If a bb jams and you fire the gun a second time you will shower the internal piston and other cylinder parts with fragments of broken airsoft BB. If the bb is not cleared and you fire again, damage to the piston or o-rings is certain to occur.

Prevent this from happening to you, by learning how to field strip your sniper rifle quickly and effectively in the field. Become familiar with the field breakdown of your particular model airsoft sniper and you will be a better and happier airsoft player. You will need to have hand tools with you and a small amount of silicone grease to lubricate your airsoft sniper rifle once field repairs are completed. The sear assembly of the L96 uses two oddly bent springs that should be kept on hand in case they break. Be sure the sear pin is positioned correctly or the spring will be unable to be cocked. Many veteran airsoft snipers like the smooth sliding bolt action and easy cocking of the model 96 sniper. With proper care and lubrication a 96 model airsoft sniper can consistently deliver Bb's down range at upgraded velocities of 550FPS and be effective out to 250 feet or more.

Getting repair parts for the L96 is also easy as they are being used on airsoft game fields across the country. This will be an important consideration for any airsoft gun purchase, but an upgraded sniper rifle will need periodic repairs due to the forces being applied. When the barrel and the cylinder are separated for maintenance or repairs you must make sure all parts are installed correctly and properly aligned or you risk breaking several components on the first shot. If you are not sure how something goes back together Ask someone, search google or find an airsoft sniper gun repair pictures to check and make sure you are right. After several repetitions of stripping down and re assembling and maintaining your airsoft spring powered sniper rifle you will be ready for any airsoft war. One thing most snipers must consider in any airsoft skirmish is a small backup airsoft machine gun for those times you are not so stealthy and are under attack. A sniper rifle in this scenario does not provide enough cover fire to retreat. I suggest you visit Wisconsin's airsoft headquarters and pick up one of the low priced guaranteed quality checked airsoft guns available here.