When
I decided to get a KSC M11A1, I thought, "Shall I get
a silencer? No.....Yes" I had a look at the KSC silencer
for the M11, and didn't like it, as it looked wrong
on the M11. Then I discovered the Tanio Koba Silencer.
My initial reaction at the £68 price was "I'm not paying
that!" but after seeing photos of it on the M11, I realised
that the silencer makes the M11, so I ordered one. Upon
delivery, I was surprised/shocked to find the packaging
consisted just of a clear plastic bag, and a small red
card showing an M11 with the silencer attached, and
some Japanese text.
Front
view
My
first impression of the silencer was that it was very
well made; all metal, probably a mild steel (not the
monkey metal used by Marui, KSC etc.) milled with very
high precision. The silencer is about 3/4 to 1 Kg in
weight. When attaching the silencer to the M11, it gives
of a very metallic, smile-raising grinding noise as
the metal threads slide over each other. I found that
after doing this about 50- 60 times, the thread on the
M11's barrel became slightly worn in parts, due to the
silencer's thread being slightly different to the barrels.
This wear is not major, as it is simply the silencer
making its attachment more snug, and after a small amount
of wear, this stops. The wear doesn't damage the gun,
if anything it makes the gun look more realistic. The
thread of the silencer on the other hand doesn't wear
at all.
Back View
The
silencer has a very tight fit, and is very solid when
attached to the M11. There is no movement of the silencer
on the gun, even when forced. On attachment to the gun,
its overall weight increases by about a half, and the
length doubles, making it about the same length as an
MP5A5.
As
I looked into the silencer I saw what I thought were
baffles (a series of discs with central holes, running
the length of the silencer which on an actual firearm
would bleed off gas, and slow the bullet). Upon dismantling
the silencer, the baffles turned out to be a spring
embedded in a roll of sponge like material.
To
dismantle the silencer, unscrew the threaded end. Once
removed, the "stepped" outer sheath can be slid off.
This is a very good fit, as before I dismantled the
silencer, I hadn't realised it was a separate sheath.
Both the spring and sponge can be removed.
Exploded View
I
must warn you that the silencer has only a small sound-reducing
effect on the gun, due to most of the noise coming from
gas escaping the mag, unlike a real M11 where most of
the sound comes from the muzzle and the bullet breaking
the sound barrier - something a BB won't do (unless
you are clinically insane!).
The
silencer doesn't seem to alter the power of the gun
or the flight of the bb, but it does provide that Mafia-goon
feeling. I wouldn't recommend skirmishing with it attached
(even though the M11's barrel is by far the weaker component)
as it increases both the weight and size of a gun whose
main feature is its compact size. I would see many people
taking the silencer off at the first opportunity. Having
said that, the silencer is beautifully made, and is
the perfect add-on for the M11; and anyway, who buys
an M11A1 purely for it's skirmishing value? (By this
I do not mean going to the bank to withdraw money from
other people's accounts)
