WE Gas Blow Back M4A1 Carbine

[PreacherMan]

So, ironically enough after posting all that, I took it out for some plinking and it failed in every way imaginable.



Biggest thing is there's a chunk missing from the bolt carrier. Then, when disassembling, my homemade shim came out and was lost, so the bolt catch was back to not working at all.

It now jams, lobs shots, misfeeds and all that good stuff. To top it off, the bolt catch doesn't work.

Relatively sure the NPAS is wonked, as well, but who knows?

To top it off, the receiver lapping tool doesn't fit with the VIS upper.
I'm thinking of scrapping this upper and keeping it secondary, and building a new one. Anyone have some uppers they want to get rid of? Complete is nice. Bonus points if it already has a Spike Tactical 9" SBR rail for some strange reason or other.

Edited April 8, 2013 by PreacherMan

[QQexDERA]

Man, thats some pretty annoying damage there. Looks like a new bolt is now required (the perfect excuse to get a steel one?)

[PreacherMan]

Just ordered a new bolt- the RA Tech steel one seems so finicky. So much work needs to be done to get them to run reliably... I dunno. A local replacement bolt carrier was $25, so just grabbed that.
Thinking of selling/trading this VIS upper if anyone has one, I'd like to make a Spike Tactical SBR but this VIS is one piece.

[QQexDERA]

Earlier versions of the RA-Tech steel bolt did indeed have problems, but later versions have the issues corrected. I think there was something over on GGI about it?

 

Just Googled pics of the Spike Tactical SBR, lovely looking shooter

Edited April 11, 2013 by QQexDERA

[PreacherMan]

Found out why it broke. I'm an idiot.

Disregard my messaged about turning the buffer tube back a bit. That's what killed it, it was going back too far and that part was smashing against the disconnector. On stock WE M4s it shouldn't do that at all.

In the meantime, my bolt catch is back to 'not working when firing, but working when racked manually'. I ordered some actual shims to see if it'll work, if that doesn't I'll JB weld something to the bottom of the magazine catch. I think it's the added weight from the BAL lever.

[BigAl]

Hi guys after a bit of advise. Been offered a closed bolt M4 as a trade. It is said to be fully working but with leaking mags. The price seems fair but i'm just wondering on the cost involved to convert these to the newr open bolt spec, or do the closed ones function better?

[QQexDERA]

The open bolt system is far superior to the closed bolt system in my opinion, and the Hop-up design (which uses VSR-10 type rubbers) beats the closed bolt design hands down. As to converting from CB to OB, i've done a few of them, and it's cheapest to get the kits from KIC or BBDragon (as long as you request regular Airmail, not EMS)

 

With the magazines, check whether they are Gen 1 or Gen 2. The Gen 1 is a terrible design that always ends up leaking from the backplate on the gas reservoir, the Gen 2 is far, far better. If you convert from CB to OB you'll need to change the gas route and feed lips as well (sold as a set for about $7 if you shop overseas). If the seller says he doesnt know the difference between the two, get him to remove the baseplate and take pics of the base of the magazines. Gen 2 has a large Philips screw in the middle of the reservoir, the Gen 1 doesnt.

[Danke]

This is a cost effective way to swap out Gen 1 mags.

 

http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/we-m4-gbb-magazine-kit.html

[BigAl]

Could you recomend anyone in the UK that could do the work for me, either a business or better still a home tech. I would probably source parts from overseas as suggested. Roughly how much am I looking at for the parts excluding mags?

 

I will probably play with it as is for awhile, a few hours in afternoon at  games to see how I like GBBR's then get the work done at a later date. Probably ultimately decking it out with all the magpul/troy toys.

[Danke]

 

 

It's a pretty easy swap, watch these.

[QQexDERA]

It's a very easy swap Big Al, absolutely idiot proof.

[rolling-thunder]

Could you recomend anyone in the UK that could do the work for me, either a business or better still a home tech. I would probably source parts from overseas as suggested. Roughly how much am I looking at for the parts excluding mags?

 

I will probably play with it as is for awhile, a few hours in afternoon at  games to see how I like GBBR's then get the work done at a later date. Probably ultimately decking it out with all the magpul/troy toys.

If you don't have the time Al or are unsure try contacting Iain from www.milspecsolutions.co.uk & i'm sure he would be happy to help out. He's a WE dealer & lurves his gas blow backs. Top bloke & very helpful.

[QQexDERA]

Much as I like Iain over at Milspecsolutions, it really is that easy to do yourself - and you'll learn a lot about the gun whilst fitting the kit.

[PreacherMan]

So, my gun stopped working in the cold entirely- would lob shots about 10m tops. Turns out it wasn't the nozzle, but REAPS MG2- in cold weather there wasn't enough gas pressure to shoot the BB past the bucking at all, and the other BB being chambered was actually what was propelling the round (so if there were no more bbs in the mag, the last round would stay in the chamber). Guess it's time to change to an MG1.

[Theoutlier]

So, my gun stopped working in the cold entirely- would lob shots about 10m tops. Turns out it wasn't the nozzle, but REAPS MG2- in cold weather there wasn't enough gas pressure to shoot the BB past the bucking at all, and the other BB being chambered was actually what was propelling the round (so if there were no more bbs in the mag, the last round would stay in the chamber). Guess it's time to change to an MG1.

Its definitely to do with the design of REAPs (gen2), I had mine on once and the same thing happened. I believe the problem is that the bucking doesnt have this tab thats supposed to sit on the chamber so it doesnt stay properly. Just stay away from them and u will be fine (I recommend using Ra-tech Hops, works great and i put them in all my WE GBBR)

[PreacherMan]

I just put in a RA Tech hop combined with an Angry Gun barrel, and it seems it's now lobbing one out of two shots

I'll get sixty meters out of one shot, and then forty out of the next. Sixty, forty, sixty, forty, etc. I don't think it's the nozzle and it's not the magazine- switched nozzles entirely with the same result. Only thing that's changed was the barrel (Angry Gun tightbore) and hop up.

EDIT- Update
I switched back to a stock barrel, and the range and accuracy is amazing. It wasn't the bucking, it was the Angry Gun tightbore- which is strange.

Edited April 26, 2013 by PreacherMan

[Danke]

Hop up rubber?

 

What bore?

[PreacherMan]

Steel 6.03 Angry Gun tightbore, 250mm. Hop up rubber is an RA Tech made for Open Bolt guns. It seems to lack the slight crowning on the hop up end of the barrel that the WE stock barrel has, but that's the only difference I can see.

Every 2nd shot came out at a lower velocity- keeping the RA Tech rubber and a stock barrel, this problem goes away.

[PreacherMan]

Quick update- NPAS, stock inner barrel, RA tech rubber- I'm hitting 60 meters effective range easily. This thing's making my WOC cry with the hop up design, it's just so much better.

[QQexDERA]

Interesting that you're having problems with the Angry Gun inner barrel. I'm more than happy with mine, so it might be that some dodgy ones are getting out of the factory (not exactly the first time a company producing parts for Airsoft guns have had dodgy QA!). I'm running mine in conjunction with the tan coloured Modify hop-up rubber and i'm getting great results

 

I might dig up an RA-Tech rubber and try it on one of my AG barrels to see if I can replicate the problem you're having.

[Danke]

I'm running a M4 CQBR size, with an Angry Gun 6.03 x 280mm tightbore and the RA- blue hopup rubber with the 2 nubs on the inside. Steel bolt with alloy nozzle and NPAS.

 

I've only put about 500 rounds through it so it's not broken in yet but it's miles ahead of the modify rubber and stock barrel I had in before.

[PreacherMan]

Strange... mine is black. Google-fu is showing me nothing but clear or blue hop up rubbers from RA Tech, but mine came in sealed RA Tech packaging.

[QQexDERA]

This is getting quite interesting gents, it seems that the WE design is *very* choosy about which parts work together. The Modify rubbers I have sucked with the stock inner barrels, but work fine with the AG inner barrels I have here. So far, combos that people seem to find work well are:

 

PreacherMan - Black RA-Tech rubber with standard inner barrel

Danke - Blue RA-Tech rubber with Angry Gun inner barrel

Kermit - Tan Modify rubber with Angry Gun inner barrel

 

Any others?

[Reppyboyo]

REAPS bucking + PDI Raven 6.01 works fantastically for me.

[PreacherMan]

REAPS MG2 was too hard for me to run on cold days (5 deg and below). I assume 1 would be easier thanks to it being softer.