Well, it's been almost a year since I took a look at this. I'm not sure what happened, but lately I just feel like writing something down (And not the BS that I usually write. Y'know, the stuff that's involuntary.).

Picking up where I left off with my last entry, almost all of my old airsoft stuff is gone. Besides my Skorpion and a few cheap guns, I have all relatively new stuff. Everything was bought second-hand, so I guess it's not truly new but it's new to me and for the most part something different. Over the past 2 months I pretty much did my best to keep my collection of toys down to the "bare essentials." Pretty much as last time, I still have a lot of stuff left. I'm probably going to keep it all this time, though.

I've also pretty much fully delved into the world of sticking useless and expensive *suitcase* on my guns. Something about it is just incredibly fun. Over the past few months I've purchased and put together a really nice (in my eyes) WA 1911. The metal slide was pretty much out of necessity as the stock one was bent (apparently from some one using too much force pulling out the blowback unit) and made the gun fire wanky and look a little sloppy. Someone offered a PGC metal slide for a fairly reasonable price, so I snatched it. Several weeks later someone else put a Guarder steel barrel and chamber set and a steel recoil set up, so I bought those too. Prior to that I also experimented with a bunch of other parts, such as silver chamber covers and a threaded barrel, but for the most part none of them worked the way I wanted them to, so I took them out and eventually traded them for a shotgun shell holder. I also bought a few extra mags so that I could actually use this gun for more than just plinking, and made a set of wood grips for it. The grips could have been done a lot better, but they look okay for now.

For the most part all of the parts were drop-in fit, though most some required cleaning and re-lubing and some needed just a bit of filing. I also had a problem with it jamming up, but a simple o-ring replacement seems to have cured that. Overall piecing everything together was a pretty fun experience. Nothing installed directly affects performance for the better, but each part helps and modifies the pistol in its own way. The aluminium slide is actually lighter than the plastic one with pot metal re-enforcements which would normally help with gas efficiency, but the heavier steel recoil spring plug pretty much balanced that out. This is good to me because it makes the blowback pretty strong and enjoyable. I hadn't noticed it until after I installed it, but the recoil spring guide rod is actually in two pieces with a spring inside to absorb some of the force of the slide hitting on the rearward stroke, so the gun should last on propane for a long time without trouble (though it probably will have something go wrong sooner rather than later). My only regret with the whole thing is that it doesn't look more unique, but it still looks how I like it so I don't regret it fully.

I also learned that despite what I originally thought, the flat mainspring housings are a bit more comfortable to me than the curved ones. I also formed a solid opinion on WA pistols, which is something that might seem stupid but was actually important to me ever since I found airsoft and read people's questions about them and the different opinions people had as to whether or not they were worth it. I really think they are, but if you're going to spend hundreds of dollars on upgrades and accessories, you might as well go with TM. Part of the thing that makes WAs worth it is their heavier construction and better feel in stock materials, but if you're replacing them you should just go with the gun that's going to have a slightly better performing base system. WA's blowback system may be better for blowback, but Marui's BB and hammer system are better for consistency. TM also has a better hop up, and the upgrade parts are (from what I can tell) slightly cheaper, and a bit easier to get a hold of.

Besides the 1911, I've also put together a shotgun. It's not as intricate, but it's a lot cheaper and a bit more practical. Just stuck a shell holder and a bunch of shells on it, and a rail on top for an RDS. Basically the whole thing is attached with a layer of clear 5 minute epoxy, but I also drilled three new holes in the metal back piece for small screws (not long enough to go through the receiver and into the internal worky bits) for additional re-enforcement. The top rail for the RDS is attached using a similar method. Everything is surprisingly durable, but it's not been abused enough yet for me to say it works perfectly. The shotgun itself is an inexpensive but effective DE M3 Super 90, which although isn't quite as effective as an AEG, it is a lot more fun. The tri-barrel system and the pump-action combine to make one badass gun.

For the future (and to some extent the present) I would like to build my JG MP5A5 into an SD3. I'm already working on getting the SD front, but I still need to get an SEF lower. I don't think I'm going to work on getting the proper folding stock, as from the photos I've seen it looks a little shorter than the "J" style stock that's on there now. I did buy a solid stock, but I like the folding one. I also have an old Well MP5 that was made to be fired from a briefcase (which worked pretty well) that I think I'm going to try and fix up with some of the parts from my JG. I'm not sure how it's going to turn out though since the hop is really bad on the Well and I don't know how well the gearbox works. It would still be better than leaving the better JG parts laying around. Maybe might even be able to turn the Well itself into a perfectly functioning AEG, but since I don't have much experience with the inner workings of AEGs and I'd rather put money into other things, I don't know what will come of it.

I also finally got one of the new GBB rifles that came out, too. I know I jumped around a lot with my ideas of getting one, from becoming obsessed with the Tanio Koba C8 to the WA M4 to almost setting myself up to buy the GHK AKSU, but I finally bought a WE M4 third-hand when it went up for sale for a really good price on the forums. All it really took to get running like new was a steel bolt-catch and a new charging handle, but then after a while I also had to get a new nozzle assembly. I really just bought it to tinker with at first, but now I can really see it being a practical skirmish gun. That would require spending quite a bit on additional magazines though, and I don't think I could use it for a few months when the weather is a bit warmer. It's really a nice rifle though, and I think depending on what the future brings I might turn it into an HK416-esque rifle. I'd call it a Faux16, like an M4gery.

I'm pretty much beginning to consider myself a full-blown skirmisher, even though I've never been anywhere "real." I've got some basic gear and more practical guns, but I still have to find a definite site to go to and some face/eye protection that won't fog up as bad as the cheap goggles I've been using. I think I'm going to get one of those Cactus Hobbies Army of Two masks, just because they supposedly work well and look really cool. I'm also a little concerned with my face getting shot up...

Speaking non-airsoft, that job that I mentioned in my last entry didn't last long. Unfortunately the guy I mentioned that was my ride quit about two weeks after I started, so it would have been too difficult for me to find a new ride and show up and etc. Other stuff has since been coming up so I still can make money every once in a while. Some pay a lot more than I would ever be able to make for the kind of work normally too, and some is even educational.

The bass guitar thing didn't work out. Instead I took up regular 6-string, which has been going fairly well and is a bit more fun. I think I'm going to keep my old bass since I still enjoy its low sound.