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Initial Impressions of the TM SOPMOD M4 AEG


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While fiddling about with my SOCOM recently I noticed an expected benefit of using a Magpul MIAD grip. The swappable backstrap means you only need to remove the pistol grip base to get access to the a

Oh PureSilver, you do spoil me rotten sometimes.   PureSilver dropped half his SOPMOD off with me last weekend with some new goodies to install. Before we continue, you should note that the gun had

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It does that unless you make it the last screw out so that you can move the ris forward as you unscrew it, thus preventing the screw moving backwards and fouling the ejection port. Not sure why it won't come off though unless the design is different. Gas block stopping it coming off? Anything in the manual?

I've had another look at it this morning. I've removed the gas block (single grub screw). This is where is gets fun - it appears that the rail is secured in place by a locking ring similar to the one used on the buffer tube. This screws on to the barrel nut that screws on to the upper receiver. It can't be easily removed as it is obstructed by the rails. I'll try and get some pictures of the exploded diagram and the actual assembly but they'll probably be phone camera quality.

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On another note, has anyone had issues with using a BAD lever on their sopmods? I installed one on my socom, and the bolt lock feature wont function. Without it, works fine

 

My PTS BAD lever works finde. However the real Magpul one does not fit, as I have read.

A team members BAD lever stoped working, because he didn't mounted it straight. He used a piece of paper as a spacer, because it was loose without it.

 

But mine fits fine and works, so if neither of this causes the problem with your BAD lever, maybe its just a weak magazine spring. The added weight of the BAD lever could make a slight differene, but thats also not very probable if you tried it with all your magazines.

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My PTS BAD lever works finde. However the real Magpul one does not fit, as I have read.

A team members BAD lever stoped working, because he didn't mounted it straight. He used a piece of paper as a spacer, because it was loose without it.

 

But mine fits fine and works, so if neither of this causes the problem with your BAD lever, maybe its just a weak magazine spring. The added weight of the BAD lever could make a slight differene, but thats also not very probable if you tried it with all your magazines.

The bolt locks on my SOCOMs have never worked with the PTS BAD installed to be honest, or they only functioned every so often anyway. Took them off and the lock worked fine again, still not sure to this day why it was. The mags should've been fine, the levers were mounted right and the paddle was able to stick out far enough for the system to function (unlike when I tried a RS BAD) so yeah, bit of a mystery really. :unsure:

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Well if i get chance guys i will try and focus on improving the bolt lock feature, ive a few ideas. But i mainly want a single upgrade part which you can install in either the mags or gun which will increase the chance of the mag locking out when empty. I think theres enough "demand" to warrent me making it. whether its a spring or plastic part which is different in size i havent decided yet.

 

Just gotta clear this back log and i can get back to making some more bits.

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As the lock back parts in the gun are mostly 'Free moving' and have very little in themselves which provides tension I think the spring in the magazine (the one which lifts the little black tab of plastic when the mag is empty) would need to be stronger to make the bolt lock function both quicker and more positive.

 

the reason the bad leavers dont work is probably because of the extra weight and the mag empty pring not being strong enough.

 

Although i could be completely wrong... :blink:

Edited by Number5
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MUR

 

some people may be interested in this, I know I am (damn lack of (alot of) cash!) If anyone buys it and has a spare TM upper then PM me, i will give you a reasonable price!

 

 

 

Edit: forgot the link! doh.

Edited by Number5
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Think it may have been one of the picture threads rather than in here, but the only person I've seen on this board that bought one of those had to get heavy and extensive machine work done to it just to get it to fit on. If they do another batch which actually work and someone buys one to test then I'll get a couple, right now though I'm deliberately not buying any.

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Just for some general info, if anyone's been considering the Dytac outer barrels but not taken the plunge so far, I installed the 12" one I bought last night and I'm pretty happy with it overall. Slight issues were as follows:

 

  • The area around the base of the barrel that sits inside the upper is ever so slightly too thick, it'll stick out ~1mm farther than it should from the front of the upper; however I've fully assembled the gun with no problems and 30 seconds with some sand paper to take a bit of the paint off will solve the issue.
  • The fake gas tube supplied with mine was the standard 14.5" version, so it'll need cutting down, bit lazy on Dytacs' part admittedly but again if you spend 30 seconds with a hack saw this can be remedied.

Other than that it's quite nicely made, smooth finish, the VLTOR gas block it comes with works nicely, the FH thread is all good, and having the C-shaped clip that goes around base of the stock barrels as an integral part of the Dytac version does make things a bit less fiddly when it comes to assembly.

Edited by CKinnerley
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Just for some general info, if anyone's been considering the Dytac outer barrels but not taken the plunge so far, I installed the 12" one I bought last night and I'm pretty happy with it overall. Slight issues were as follows:

 

  • The area around the base of the barrel that sits inside the upper is ever so slightly too thick, it'll stick out ~1mm farther than it should from the front of the upper; however I've fully assembled the gun with no problems and 30 seconds with some sand paper to take a bit of the paint off will solve the issue.
  • The fake gas tube supplied with mine was the standard 14.5" version, so it'll need cutting down, bit lazy on Dytacs' part admittedly but again if you spend 30 seconds with a hack saw this can be remedied.

Other than that it's quite nicely made, smooth finish, the VLTOR gas block it comes with works nicely, the FH thread is all good, and having the C-shaped clip that goes around base of the stock barrels as an integral part of the Dytac version does make things a bit less fiddly when it comes to assembly.

 

 

With the C shaped clip installed has it improved how solid it is at all!? Can you tell when its tightened? or is it un-noticeable?

 

 

Piggeh, good find! I should really search Fire-support alot more.

 

J.

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Truth be told I'm not 100% sure I understand your question mate, I'm just referring to this part:

 

ff_pt_sm4hbb_m.jpg

 

Instead of having a groove cut in laylax/TM barrels do for attaching the clip, the Dytac version just has an extrusion moulded on to it that does the same job. You can see what I mean when you look at one:

 

dy_acc_ob47fb_m.jpg

 

But anyway, it all went together quite nicely, I'm yet to finally assemble the inner barrel + hop assembly and buy batteries, so that'll be interesting to see whether it all goes together as planned. But to those who earlier queried whether a standard barrel nut would work and allow the wiring to pass through than I can confirm that it does, all worked quite nicely infact, here's the finished article (different picture to the ones in the magpul thread):

 

P1010644.jpg

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This past Saturday my Sopmod's piston died on me :-

 

PistonFailure.jpg

 

Aside from bad AOE, I think the overall piston weight too (or possibly BB's jamming/blocking causing the piston head to slow down) caused a wear/crash on teeth 8 to 16 (if we consider the pickup as tooth 1).

 

Anyhow, I've just replaced the piston with a Laylax one (along with the matching Piston Head). After spending quite a few hours Swiss Cheesing the Laylax piston from 12g -> 7g, I found that the silly matching piston head was just ridiculously heavy. Unfortunately I couldn't have a reliable setup without the silly piston counterweight as tightening the piston head would cause the piston wall to bend and the metal teeth to buckle.

 

This is probably my 1st complaint about Laylax but they could have designed the piston head better. The Piston itself is already reasonably hefty, there's no need for such a heavy counterweight to the piston head (in addition to the inner piston shims!!). Magic Box has a lighter piston/piston head setup however just their pistons are poor quality and very brittle. And with the new V2 recoil, these pistons/piston heads seem to require matching brands. I couldn't put the Magic box piston head on the Laylax piston without some filing or sanding.

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The magix box stuff is pretty rubbish, i found it needed modding to get the piston in there. I just dont bother now.

 

The Weight should be fine after all we arnt into very big rof with the sopmods i daubt any of us are past 17 rps..

 

If you look at the damage on your piston the release tooth gave way resulting in the gears eating progresively backwards, eventually the pick up would have gone as a result.

 

Check your recoil weight is free moving they get dirty and dry etc... and sometimes jam, clean and lube every so often. Also vibrations cuases the end cap to come loose and the recoil weight is allowed to come too far back, sometimes either coming off its runner or coming back to far and cuasing problems. end cap needs to be checked after every game.

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Truth be told I'm not 100% sure I understand your question mate, I'm just referring to this part:

 

ff_pt_sm4hbb_m.jpg

 

Instead of having a groove cut in laylax/TM barrels do for attaching the clip, the Dytac version just has an extrusion moulded on to it that does the same job. You can see what I mean when you look at one:

 

dy_acc_ob47fb_m.jpg

 

But anyway, it all went together quite nicely, I'm yet to finally assemble the inner barrel + hop assembly and buy batteries, so that'll be interesting to see whether it all goes together as planned. But to those who earlier queried whether a standard barrel nut would work and allow the wiring to pass through than I can confirm that it does, all worked quite nicely infact, here's the finished article (different picture to the ones in the magpul thread):

 

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy332/ckinnerley/Airsoft%20Guns%204/P1010644.jpg[/img

 

I guess it wasn't very clearly worded...

 

What I meant to say is; with the c clip being apart of the outer barrel setup does it feel more solid than the OEM part which is 2 separate parts? Or is the difference unnoticeable?

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hmm when i installed a one peice barrel like that it needed modding but i fit custom ones that ive been ordering for a while and not the dytac.

 

I thought it was solid but then i think a normal one is solid too :P

 

 

If you havent already the laylax tools handy to have for tightening the front ring

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What I meant to say is; with the c clip being apart of the outer barrel setup does it feel more solid than the OEM part which is 2 separate parts? Or is the difference unnoticeable?

Not a problem, anyway, no noticeable difference here. The other 2 SOCOMs I have use barrels that stick with the standard TM design and they're both perfectly solid, no issues with this design either. When I first put it together using the KA standard type barrel nut that came with the MRF it worried me for a second because it was loose as hell, but luckily it just turned out that there was a gap between the barrel base and the inside of the nut, so I added some chunky barrel shims that also came with the rail, the whole front set is solid as a rock now. Wasn't too delighted with the MRF at first since the bottom rail was very slightly loose-fitting and it made some truly horrible metal scraping noises whenever I put it in the shoulder holding the AFG, but 30 seconds to put some little tabs of electrical tape on the inside also sorted that out.

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welcome to the club.. finally :P

 

 

http://eagle6.co.uk/shop/bb-s-batteries/batteries-chargers/turnigy-nano-tech-1600mah-7-4v-25-50c-lipo-pack.html

 

 

 

This bad boys are great performers, high quality and fit easy. The 1800s are a tight fit, i much prefer the easy fitting of these, I managed a whole weekend on two with my socom.

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The magix box stuff is pretty rubbish, i found it needed modding to get the piston in there. I just dont bother now.

 

The Weight should be fine after all we arnt into very big rof with the sopmods i daubt any of us are past 17 rps..

 

If you look at the damage on your piston the release tooth gave way resulting in the gears eating progresively backwards, eventually the pick up would have gone as a result.

 

Check your recoil weight is free moving they get dirty and dry etc... and sometimes jam, clean and lube every so often. Also vibrations cuases the end cap to come loose and the recoil weight is allowed to come too far back, sometimes either coming off its runner or coming back to far and cuasing problems. end cap needs to be checked after every game.

My pre-engagement is possibly caused (but not solely) by my Tienly GT40000 but I'm driving only with a 7.4/1400mAh so that shouldn't be that high speed. I'm still using the Magic Box gears/nozzle which I didn't find them to be that bad. Just the brittle piston (and actually aside from AOE, I didn't have to modify mine to fit). There could be a possibility that the Magic Box gears didn't mesh too well with the TM piston. I guess I'll see how the setup of the Laylax will go. I still think though that the Laylax piston head is too heavy. It limits what you can put in around it. Japan's only 0.98J and that means a weaker spring. Doesn't make sense to make a heavy piston head.

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dont forget theres an extra spring behind it on the recoil weight pushing as well. That should bring it back a little faster. shouldnt be a problem, ive sent lots out with the 9.6v packs and the m90 springs they run fine and still are running. Every gun can break. Id put it down to a one off until you get it again. Theres no harm in swiss cheeseing as long as you dont weaking the blow back part.

Edited by Richard Y
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