A&K M249 initial impressions

[Pablo]

I'll let you know if it costs me £200 to make it usable.

[RSM]

Erm, considering I want to buy a Para, put an after market Mk.2 stock on it, fit a proper cylinder to it (in relation to barrel length, they all have type 0s apparently), fit a systema hop sleeve, big out H bucking, deepfire piston, area 1000 composite vented piston head, prometheus M100, KA 8mm bearings as well as dropping a systema turbo motor in there AND buy a 25kg sack of .2s which should come to little over £500, or 1000 USD not only do I have a 'personal' M249 externally and internally, but I also have a box mag, battery (a nice Intellect 8.4 4200mah) and enough ammo to last a while.

 

The A+K M249 is to the CA249 as the Army R85 is to the G+G L85

 

Both are clones of high end products, both need a bit of TLC to get them shooting as well, if not better than their high end counterparts.

[Stealthbomber]

Oh, another quick one...

 

Find a bit of sponge and fit it inside the side-plate opposite the batteries.

 

They tend to come loose and the boxmag stops working every so often.

[Pablo]

I'll put all of these together soon and post it in Technical. Keep 'em coming folks!

[Shard]

...by skipping this gun and buying a CA249. It'd cost at least as much as one to get this gun working decently.

Lol. I'd wonder what it is you'd be buying if a bit of lube, some shims and a small mod to the hop rubber would cost as much as the gun itself. Hell even if you added a CA 1200 cloth mag to that list it'd still be a lot cheaper.

 

If it is that bad best go buy a CA eh. The reality is most electric fed box mags don't handle high rof applications, and that is down to the design itself rather than the flaws of any particular manufacturers own attempt at it.

 

Another quick part worth a check from me - I found the screws on the bolt handle assembly to be quite loose. A bit of locktite and a screwdriver later and the whole thing is a lot more solid than it was out the box.

[T3CH]

I had that too, and the spring on the bolt cover being upside down.

 

That potmetal feed cover is easy to strip threads on too, slightly overtighten those screws and the threads go.

 

Still dab of epoxy sorted that out.

 

Other problems, hop bucking being too short/soft to do it's job (fixed by cutting 4-6mm long piece off a biro), and the hop rubber itself being a bit on the ###### side (oh wow a massive £2.99 plus shipping to replace).

 

I'm not planning huge internal upgrades, I'll run it stock (but I'll lube and clean it regularly) until something fails, then I'll have some fun with the internals.

 

And yes the box mag is ######, but CA 1200rnd cloth mags sort that problem out (as well as making the gun look and handle better).

 

If it's firing incredibly slowly I'd suggest changing your battery, as on 9.6v mini's using GP cells it's fine.

[Pablo]

What size battery can the Mk1/para take by the way? (I know, I'll have it tomorrow I should be patient). Is it the "slab" type or a normal "mini"?

[T3CH]

normal 9.6v minis fit fine

[Pablo]

Okay, ta.

[Forze]

@ Shard: ORH is speaking for the US-based customers probably.

 

If not, for Euro customers i'ts still 2x-3x cheaper then a CA one which still goes well over 1000us$ here, so the A&K one + fixes + MAG boxmag will still be a lot cheaper here.

Edited September 17, 2007 by Forze

[Pablo]

Mine is now sat at home waiting for me, though due to various conspiring forces the first chance I'll have to work on it will be Saturday morning

[Tarnish]

I've carried out a small mod to the box mag interface by removing a small section of the flange to prevent it fouling on the box mag release catch. The box can now be fitted to the gun before connecting the ammo interface to the magazine housing.

 

 

[Countfloyd]

Finally here is my Mk46 of A&K XD:

 

 

 

 

Cya!

[Pablo]

Anyone else had a problem removing the bolt holding the top of the stock? I can't turn it at all by hand, and I daren't use any tools in case I snap something. This makes it a tad tricky to whip the spring out.

[T3CH]

there should be a hole in the left end of it stick a precision screwdriver or small allen key through there and turn the nurled nut. Should come of easily then.

[Pablo]

Nope, hole's so small, the only screwdriver I could get through bent.

 

By the way, on the takedown video for the para, it looks like the magwell is attached completely to the top plate, is that right? It certainly isn't on the Mk1, and I'm having trouble getting the gearbox out.

[Tarnish]

Get a large pair of pliers and using some kind of material as padding to protect the knurling undo the large nut on the right hand side of the gun. It's all pretty tough as long as you don't go really silly. The pin then pushes out to the left and it may be quite tight at first and may require a tap or two to get it moving. Once it's been in and out a few times it loosens up nicely.

[Tarnish]

and I'm having trouble getting the gearbox out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Here's a copy and paste of a reply on gearbox removal I posted on ASCUK:-

 

Gearbox removal is easy, this is for the Mk1 and Para models, Mk2 users will have to modify these instructions as required for the stock routed wiring.

 

1) Remove the barrel group

 

2) Remove the front section of wiring that holds the fuse, this allows the wires to pass through the receiver.

 

3) On the right hand side of the receiver just forward of the cocking handle there is an allen screw, remove this as it allows the handle to move further forward.

 

 

4) On the left hand side of the receiver above the trigger group there are two allen screws that secure the gearbox into the body, remove both of them.

 

5)Remove the stock. Whether to stock is completely removed or simply hinged down is up to the individual.

 

6) Press and hold the trigger to ensure the mircoswitch lever does not foul on the trigger. Carefully pull the gearbox as far to the rear as it will go. Ensure the cocking handle is pushed fully forward then carefully lift and rotate the front of the gearbox up and forward out of the body, ensure the wires pass through the front of the body cleanly.

 

You should now have the gearbox free of the gun. Assemble in reverse order.

[Pablo]

Yep, that's what I did, job done

 

I phoned ASW for advise, you're right it can take it okay (I was worried after other people commented on the stripabilty of some screws). I now have the gearbox out.

 

Cheers guys!

 

EDIT: bloody hell, I see what ORH means about the shims, and the gears have absolutely no grease on them at all! No wonder she sounded a bit screechy.

[Libris]

I've carried out a small mod to the box mag interface by removing a small section of the flange to prevent it fouling on the box mag release catch. The box can now be fitted to the gun before connecting the ammo interface to the magazine housing.

 

Excellent mod. I may use that once I confirm everything works okay. Could also do with a bit coming of the mag release as well since it's a bit big and gets in the way of blank rounds. I like the way the mag has a little catch that you loop the link from blank rounds on to.

[Tarnish]

Excellent mod. I may use that once I confirm everything works okay. Could also do with a bit coming of the mag release as well since it's a bit big and gets in the way of blank rounds. I like the way the mag has a little catch that you loop the link from blank rounds on to.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thanks, it also gives one the excuse to say the word "Flange" a lot too which is always a good thing!

 

[Pablo]

Once you get in there, the gearbox is pretty straightforward isn't it? I think mine's sounding better, I'll have to get it out in the field to be sure.

 

That motor's got some powerful magnets, hasn't it?

[Tarnish]

LoL! That's one hell of a set of magnets indeed! Kept having allen keys flying off at a rate of knots!

 

Mine was totally bone dry too, not a hint of any grease. I've just spent lunchtime sorting it out and have given it a large helping of grease. A nice "little" gearbox all round I thought and apart from those iffy looking shims, most of the parts seem to be of quite good quality.

[Pablo]

My bevel gear wasn't cast very well, a bit thinner at one point on the base. Hopefully this wont affect it too much, everything aligns as it should, but I'll keep my eye on it. Easy enough to whip the box out for a quick inspection every now and again.

[L4byr1nth]

Not really interested enough to buy one of these, however cool they look.

 

Had a look on eBay for you guys, though.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fancy-Dress-5-Long-B...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Check out the price of these!!

 

Ben.